#Literally Anyone in Rwby except the main cast

[pyropxssy]

No you don't get it. You don't understand. You worship your heroes and your world renowned hunters who haven't shed blood in the name of freedom and you think you did something. You feel attached. You feel attached to a hollow husk of glorified angst that serves absolutely no purpose other than to be a vessel for privileged white cissies and heteros.

[ficretus]

Heresy and Knightfall

This one is not gonna be a theory, more of a thoughts based on assumptions about Knightfall I made in previous theories. I won't reference them here, feel free to check them out if you are interested.

Interesting thing with Jaune's Joan of Arc is that he is a heretic. Not in a literal sense of the word, more of in context of Joan of Arc and being a huntsman in Remnant.

JAUNE THE HERETIC

His first major heresy is his enrollment at Beacon. He wants to become a huntsman without having any knowledge or abilities required to do so. Yet, he does it anyways thanks to his forged transcripts that made him out to be skilled fighter. This is double heresy, both in universe, as well in context to Joan of Arc.

It's obvious that you shouldn't be apply for position of responsibility without any qualifications, especially when that position requires you to save and protect others. In Joan context, Jaune's minimal qualifications are straightforward reference to Joan being given role in military despite her having no combat experience.

Difference which makes Jaune heretical here is that Joan was given that role because she managed to convince her superiors she had divine visions that might help them in battle (or at least, at multiple occasions she convinced them her visions were not demonic or heretical). If Joan applied to lead relief army to Orleans while completely winging it, she too would have been a heretic.

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There are some other instances of Jaune being a heretic, but are either not heresy in universe or not major enough. Yeah, Jaune going on revenge quest to kill Cinder is fairly heretical when you think about it in context of Joan of Arc, but completely justified in universe. Nobody gave a shit when Blake and Yang murdered Adam, I sincerely doubt Jaune's friends would have freaked out if he murdered Cinder. You also have some minor naughty bits like Jaune suggesting stealing Atlas military airship. Yeah, you really shouldn't steal things, but circumstances required them to do so.

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Second major heresy involves Jaune's mercy kill on Penny. This is once again double heresy. Joan of Arc at no point in her military career did murder anyone, despite carrying a sword. This doesn't translate literally to RWBY since existence of Grimm forces main cast to kill all the time, and Jaune doesn't have some hard "no killing" rule for it to translate to villains (he went straight for the head when he had a chance against Cinder). So they translated this to even bigger taboo of Jaune being forced to kill his friend.

I'd say this is intentional Joan of Arc reference/subversion. They could have had someone else kill Penny, Weiss for example would have been much more personal choice, yet they chose Jaune. This wasn't even necessary for turning Jaune into a mess he was in Ever After. The fact Penny died because he couldn't save her would have broke him either way (for example, Penny killing herself). Yet, they ended up going for an option that puts Penny's blood directly on Jaune's hands.

If you dissect for any other detail or reference, this incident can be read as another heresy. During the Joan of Arc's heresy trial, she was trialed for crowning a King (this was to delegitimize Charles VII coronation by implying he was given power by heretic instead of God). Jaune's act of killing Penny gave Maiden power to Winter, and as I explained many times before, Maidens are royalty. He effectively "crowned a king" with heretical act.

MANY JUDGES OF JAUNE ARC

Of course, actions have consequences, Jaune's are not an exception. Cardin realized Jaune forged his transcripts and used it as blackmail material. Cardin is extremely on the nose reference to Cardinal of Winchester, one of the interrogators during Joan's heresy trial (even more on the nose when team CRDL is team Cardinal). The fact Jaune was a fraud is also catalyst to Ren lashing out against him during the Volume 8.

Interesting thing is that the ones judging Jaune in both instances were on his side faction wise (yeah Cardin is piece of shit, but at the end of the day he is fighting against Grimm and Salem). I suspect this trend will continue when it's eventually revealed Jaune was the one to kill Penny. No matter the reason, the fact one of their friends killed the other is not gonna sit well with everyone. They didn't pull this trigger when Ruby and Jaune had a falling out in Volume 9, which makes me think they are saving this for something big.

JAUNE IS... RIGHT?

Weird thing with Jaune's instances of heresy is that his actions end up being justified in a long run.

Yeah, applying to join huntsmen academy when you don't even know what Aura is and pretending you know what are you doing while people's lives are on the line is kind of dick move. But through his hard work Jaune indeed became full blown huntsman with one of the most useful Semblances in entire verse. Removing Jaune from the plot would cause a butterfly effect that would negatively impact the odds of good guys winning.

Same thing with some minor instances mentioned above. Yeah, going on a revenge quest to kill Cinder is probably not the most morally sound idea, but it worked out in the end. Even ignoring all the instances his presence was somewhat useful, his encounter with Cinder was a catalyst that lead him to realize his worth and helped him to fully unlock his Semblance. Stealing Atlas military airship is not morally right, but you do need to reach Atlas somehow. Without that, they'd have much harder time reaching it and making difference in Volumes 7 and 8.

His mercy kill on Penny is another similar case. Yeah, killing your friend is not cool thing to do, however, when you think about it, it was overall net positive decision (disclaimer: don't kill your friend). Without Jaune killing Penny and letting her have a choice in passing Maiden power, Weiss and Winter would have both immediately died and Penny and Jaune would have likely died in the aftermath.

Jaune's morally questionable decisions positively drive the plot forward and allow his character to grow.

KNIGHTFALL IS HERESY

Well, this is self explanatory, thank you for reading..

Knightfall is indeed a heresy, very interesting heresy, but one nonetheless. I consider it to be plausible ending of Jaune's and Cinder's character arc, although not particularly likely at the moment (especially since show itself is kind of stuck in limbo).

My reasoning here is that it fits what to me seems like a running trend with Jaune's heresies: act needs to be questionable, condemnation comes from his side and Jaune is right in the long run. At the end of the day this is arbitrary and based on observations I made above. However, this to me feels like a good criteria, to have Jaune be morally questionable but never cross the line into villainy. After all, Joan of Arc was falsely accused heretic.

If you remove the first criteria, then it's not really heresy and his friends are picking on him for no reason. If you remove the other, then you just end up in "Blake and Yang murder Adam" situation (technically morally wrong, but justified). And if you remove the last one, then Jaune is just committing morally questionable acts (and he ends up feeling like Ironwood).

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Does Jaune need another heresy to commit? This is once again arbitrary, but I'd say yes.

While extremely important to his character, Penny incident aftermath is not resolution to Jaune's character arc. In fact, as seen in Volume 9, even though it was right thing to do, Jaune hits another character low point. I feel like whatever final heresy Jaune commits it will be resolution to his character arc, finally becoming a hero his own way and ending his self worth issues.

It also comes relatively too early. This might sound bit weird since it happened in climax of Volume 8, but I feel like whatever his final heresy is, it's gonna happen near the climax of story itself. Think about Ruby for example and repeated motif of wolves in her story. She has Beowulf in her backstory, she has Cinder as a wolf that tricked her and "ate" her friend, she has Hound as spiritual family member (since he is also silver eyed) getting devoured by Grimm. However, none of these feel like a final wolf. Ruby's final wolf likely being either grimmifed Summer Rose or her grimmified self. I feel the same way with Jaune, that there is another major heresy down the line.

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What was I yapping about before? Right... Knightfall. Sidenote, when I say Knightfall in my posts I consider both platonic and romantic versions. I tend to lean towards romantic interpretations mostly due to various literary references and themes.

As I said above, Knightfall is heresy of highest order. Hero redeeming the villain that completely broke him. That's what makes it appealing to me and why it seemingly fits with Jaune's previous heresies.

Is it morally questionable? Kind of, you are letting one of the main villains off the hook and are willing to give her a second chance. If they end up playing Joan of Arc reference straightforward and Jaune ends up giving Cinder Crown of Choice, then that's magnitudes more questionable.

Would he face backlash from his side? Absolutely. Pretty much every major character was hurt in some way by Cinder. Once again, if he ends up giving her Crown, then it gets considerably worse.

Is it good in a long run? Yes, it is. Not only do they deny Salem one of her most powerful assets, they gain new powerful ally. Ally that is finally able to break free and make her own choice, completing her character arc. Jaune is also able to triumph in his own way by "weaponizing" his kindness.

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Those were some of my thoughts on Jaune's heresies and how Cinder could fit in them in the end. Of course this is all purely speculative and could end up meaning nothing. Maybe there will be completely different event down the line that fits heresy motif. Maybe these are all just coincidences and writers are winging it, who knows.

Either way, what are your thoughts? Feel free to comment if you have your own interpretation of Jaune's heresy. That's all for today.

[strykingback]

@krowsselfindulgy How bad is Black lagoon? Since you compared it to RWBY I feel concerned for the formers quality.

Okay just before I begin. Black Lagoon is in no way means of bad. I was just saying that it was better than RWBY. Since on twitter someone was making some idiotic comparisons on how RWBY was better than [anime name]. But I'll happily tell you that this IS WHAT A GOOD MEAL IS LIKE IN A SHOWWW!!!

But before I go ahead. WARNING: There will be spoilers for the First Two Seasons of Black Lagoon . (I'll cover the Roberta's Blood Trail Arc another time) Also Further warning! The following triggers will contain blood, gore, violence and I mean lots of violence. N*zi's, R*pe, G*re, and some racism, including Police Brutality (Also this was done during 2006 like this was a time when things were unhinged!) ___________________

Now I think we're gonna go through a few of the characters, some favorite moments of mine from the series. Then we'll just leave everything for a second part? Perhaps? Because seriously theres a lot of memorable characters and moments from this show and its no wonder why everyone is hoping for a Season 3 one day! Okay where do we start? Well why not with the fact that any RWBY stan is gonna complain and say there are no "strong women" in Black Lagoon. Yeah you know what thats kind of true y'know I should agree with them. . . .

FUCKING DEAD FUCKING WRONG.

Lets start with someone from our main cast of characters shall we?

Enter Rebecca "Revy" Lee, an Chinese American born woman who lived in an impoverished part of New York City where he would have to suffer both Physical and Sexual abuse from both her father and THE POLICE. Which leads her to have a very nihilistic viewpoint of the world and its religion as she states herself (Mostly from the Manga) that: "God didn't do shit" for her because of all the abuse she had to suffer. Not to mention at one point when she was arrested SHE WAS LITERALLY- Um.. hold up a minute. Ahaha! Redo of Healer'd!

Oh and by the way she was also killing and getting in fights with the police all at A YOUNG AGE. Oh my god she was literally putting on Black Timberlands instead of Black Air Forces..... this was until she met Dutch who she would join him as the brawn to the ELCO PT Boat, the Black Lagoon.

However her greatest flaw is her "Whitman Fever" which can lead to her violently killing anyone who gets in her way (with a few exceptions). However, its also most possible that the reason why she shoots and kills is a way to cope with her trauma...... as anyone who treats her with genuine kindness instead of attempting to betray her and somehow... this person was none other than our Rock that we'll be talking about another time. but for now... lets show some memorable moments.

Such as.. her terrifying Speech towards our Other Main Protagonist Rock (Which we will :

Or WHEN SHE AND DUTCH GOT ON A BOAT THAT WAS HIJACKED BY NEO-N*ZI'S AND SLAUGHTERED THEM ALL.. LIKE DEAR GOD LOOK AT THIS

Then there comes our second character and dear God she is.... fucking legendary... THE FORMER SOVIET VETERAN OF WAR HERSELF.

ENTER SOFIYA PAVLOVNA AKA BALALAIKA My god this woman is the definition of "I am the Shit and I dont sit around and fuck around" unlike Salem and her dumbass sitting on a Grimm throne for the past like what oh wait.. one (Volume 4), two (Volume 5), three (Volume 6), Four (Volume 7), and FIVE (Volume 8) Goddamn times! Like holy fuckin shit Salem is one of them lazy villains. but for Balalaika, she is the true meaning of Fuck around and FIND OUT.

She was a former Soviet War Veteran who participated in the Soviet-Afghan War before being disavowed and thus, she would join Hotel Moscow and regain her soldiers who were all also former soviet paratroopers. When i say she will get shit done I MEAN SHE WILL GET IT DONE BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.

Such as when someone was blabbing about when they were going to assassinate the entire Lagoon Company (Which who Revy is part of) and she pulls up on him and gives off the MOST HELLA DARKEST GLARES EVER.

YOU CANNOT TELL ME SHE'S LIKE THIS IS TERRIFYING TO LOOK AT CAUSE MY GOD SHE IS THE SHIT. SALEM EAT YOUR FUCKIN' HEART OUT!

Lets not forget when Roberta the Maid (I may have to talk about that another time....) pulled up, Balalaika did her research and found out who she was and cornered her with her Vysotniki (Basically her personal army of Red Army, VDV, and Spetznaz soldiers) and still...she commands the respect of all of them. ....

Theres also the fact that she went to "war" with many gangs but when Hotel Moscows Japan branch was having trouble. She pulled up and had the Yakuza running for their life. The only thing that would be capable of saving them would be Kazama Ki- Oh yeah thats right he was still in Prison and didn't get out until 2005. Still she blitzkrieged the Yakuza quickly and made them beg for mercy!!! But no joke. Balalaika has the respect of her men has the skills of a leader, even to the point where she would happily do a favor for a dear friend. Because at one point Dutch did rescue her and she returned the favor three times.

It was no joke that Revy said that Balalaika gets off on war.... cause boy howdy she was right...but that doesnt mean shes all but a war maniac. Somewhere deep inside she has a soft spot for her men she served with as she would go as far as to avenge them by any means necessary.

Like during the Vampire Twins Arc... and I kid you not as I say this.....

BALALAIKA HAD TO SIFT THROUGH 250 SNUFF FILMS IN ORDER TO FIND THE TWO TWINS THAT KILLED HER MEN....

There was going to be no way that I would be able to get through even be able to get through the first five minutes of just ONE. Like I said before... Balalaika. DOES NOT FUCK AROUND.

Such as when Balalaika gets her vengeance on one of the killers

Or her meeting with the Kosa clan when she makes fun of the guards FLIMSY GUN AND SHOOTS THEM BOTH WITH IT!!

Okay so enough of that cause it is 7:30 PM over here... and I think I may have to save this for a part two um... so have a REALLY Funny moment from Black Lagoon that gets me rolling.

[kob131]

Outside of their general distaste for anything related to RWBY, what in the world kind of problem could the critics have with V9C1 itself? I just watched it and I’m twisting my brain around trying to find something they could misinterpret, but I’m drawing every blank, except for maybe the Blake and Yang hug.

Hypothetically-

"Having the Team fall into a completely disconnected world really shows how RT/the CRWBY can't stop themselves from focusing on literally anyone else but the heroes."

"Rather brave of RT/the CRWBY to take their boring main cast and focus on their bland asses while leaving the actual interesting people behind."

"Five bucks say that Little gets more focus than Ruby."

"RT/the CRWBY just can't give Team RWBY any individuality in their show about individuality named RWBY, huh?"

What I've seen-

"They just refuse to give team RWBY any bonding outside a team." - From a Whiterose shipper whose mad they didn't get a Whiterose moment.

Logically from my point of view-

.... Okay I can't think of anything but that's on me for drawing a blank than them for being dumb.

[void-dust-muffin]

called out by @egg-exe to list my favorite character from 10 different fandoms.

I. Do not remember names. And I refuse to look anything up. we'll see how this goes.

1) Kal'Tsit from arknights. I've been low key obsessing over the game for a while now, and Kal is definitely one of the coolest characters. Storied past, cold demeanor belying genuine care and kindness for everyone under her, Mon3tr, the team that made her did a good job and she really just exemplifies the strength of the game in general. But I can talk to the moon and back about how stupid good the writing for arknights is, especially considering it's a gacha mobile game, so ill move on

2) Neopolitan from rwby. I fell in love with rwby's setting all the way back when I first watched it. Its unique mix of fantasy and technopunk drew me in and its character concepts have kept me there ever since. Neo probably the most. A mute character being the wisecracking villain's muscle and making her shorter than literally the rest of the cast? Peak. If only they made a character to go with the cool moves.

3) Princess Zelda in Breath of the Wild. Sweetheart's trying her best and facing frustration at every turn. Somebody hug her I'm begging you. (it's me, the sweetheart is her but also me)

4) Jafar Fire Emblem 7. Played the game years ago, loved his character design and his class(crits go brrrrr), but his story is the real selling point. The way he interacts with Nino is so sweet and I have such a soft spot for both of them(technically illegal two faves from one fandom oops).

I had the next one and then I lost it uhhhhh not the one I had but we'll go with

5) I was going to say a different character from portal but then I remembered the boy: Space Core.

6) Riza Hawkeye from Fullmetal Alchemist. Her relationship with the major is so heartfelt and the writer did them so well. If you've never watched it go and do that cuz it's just so well put together.

7) Padparadsha from Houseki no Kuni. God that manga is a train wreck. Phos you walking disaster. I love it. Anywho, pad is an interesting character in an already very interesting cast of characters. Their entire existence, teetering between waking and immobility is an exploration of how much of the gem is required for them to function. how much them can be removed before they just. cease.

8) Waymond from Everything Everywhere All At Once. First off, if you haven't watched the movie, go see it. Second, damn I didn't think anyone would actually read this far. Waymond is such a wholesome man he changes the way the woman going through the infinite possibilities of the multiverse thinks. He finds joy in everything he does and shares it with everyone around him. Not because he's ignorant of the struggles of life, because with happiness they become easier. And the man that played him is just as sweet. At the Oscar's when it was announced as best picture he went up on stage too and was hugging everyone. I would die for him.

9) Finn from the star wars sequel trilogy. As bad as they were, when the force awakens came out I remember seeing it and being excited to see what they would do with a stormtrooper main character. And then they didn't do anything, wasting all of his potential. But if there's one thing I learned from rwby, it's that someone else was just as disappointed and wrote a fanfiction exploring what canon didn't.

And now time for the niche reach.

10) Maven from the web novel Save the Demon King. Maven is the eponymous demon king, a near mythical figure in setting and the last demon alive. He is such a fun character in a fun setting that is very well written. I refuse to say more except for go read it. It's free on tapas and very good.

Honorable Mention:

I did think of Hades the game as a possible fandom but everyone in it is too good. I can't choose. the short list is half the hub area characters and at least three of the gods on top of that

fuckin hell theres an hour down the drain. gotta keep the chain going so uhhhhh @krindenium you're the only other human that I know on this site.

[aerislei]

⭐️10 Characters, 10 Fandoms, 10 Tags⭐️

I was tagged by @humangerbil. I will not be tagging anyone. If you see this and wish to do it, this is your tag <3 These are in no particular order because I cannot pit fandom vs fandom okay. I restricted FF to two entries because I Couldn't do just one, but rest assured there are other favorites if I expanded lol.

Beyblade: Kai Hiwatari. The dude is probably the start of my love of tough (or even cruel) guys with bad backstories. Also a little bit of my sunshine child x brooding jerk ship love. (honorable mention to Rei Kon, the other half of that ship)

2. Heralds of Valdemar: Vanyel Ashkevron (what the fuck I think I spelled his last name right on the first try that has Never happened---). What can I say except this series was formative for me and Vanyel especially. Another tick on the angst belt.

3. Final Fantasy 7: Zack Fair. He's a sunshine child and a delight and I love him very much even though CC occasionally makes him out to be stupid. ... And you know, Again, the angst. This dude... lmao but I love him bc he fought through it all and kept going until they literally destroyed him so... also this was hella hard and honorable mention to both Vincent and Sephiroth.

4. Disney: Aurora, Sleeping Beauty. I loved so many of them it's really hard to have picked Just One. But I watched this movie so many times it's Ridiculous and it is what it is.

5. Final Fantasy X: Yuna. I always felt really strongly drawn to Yuna because she was in essence this really young woman who stood on her own two feet and abided by her morals and when faced with a crisis of faith she kept going because she knew what she had to do. And I admired her strength for being able to cast aside those beliefs and still stand strong and do what she had to do.

6. BNHA: Todoroki Shouto. What can I say except I'm predictable. If you've been following from the other points you are probably not surprised.

(art by the lovely @viinas)

7. RWBY: Qrow Branwen. I looove so many characters in RWBY this was hella hard. But like. The dusty old crow. The lanky disaster magnet.

8. InuYasha: Sesshomaru. Long haired pretty men. The other weakness. Not displayed thus far except in honorable mentions. Also kind of a jerk, slowly got to watch him grow and change over the course of the series and what more can I ask for.

9. ATLA: Zuko. One, long haired Zuko is superior. Two, the absolutely Incredible arc he went through during ATLA has solidified him as one of my favorite characters of all time. Get you a character with some range. But also like, in a nutshell dorky teen Zuko was so much fun to watch and ATLA was a show I grew up on.

10. Bleach: Ukitake Jushiro. Long, white hair. Chronic illness. Honestly, I loved his design and his personality in the brief amount of Bleach that I watched and then I went on to RP as him for a long time on a now very private site for... god years. SO many years. I couldn't leave him off. (Honorable mentions, too many to list but ironically none of the main cast)

[itsclydebitches]

In regards to the whole, “Read RWBY’s books to learn about Theo” point a few days ago, when I took Screenwriting class this Fall Semester of college, my professor’s big rule when we were reading someone’s script was, “The author isn’t allowed to talk, all they can do is take notes and clarify if something was in the script or not if someone is confused about a detail. If it wasn’t in the screenplay, it didn’t happen.”

Of course, screenwriting is much different from how we experience visual mediums, especially for a series looking to expand into multimedia franchise like RWBY seemingly wants to (books, the upcoming Arrowfell game, etc), but even with things like say, Star Wars, the books don’t usually withhold important info to explain things that you see in the shows and movies (except for… quite a few things in the Sequel Trilogy). If Rebels got you interested in Thrawn, you can go read the books dedicated to his origin and work in the Empire. You wanted to see more of Luke’s adventures in the Rebellion or Darth Vader being cool, the comics are glad to accommodate that itch. You want to see other Jedi survive Order 66, we got Fallen Order, Rebels, and dozens of other stories. Star Wars’ multimedia is generally expanding upon info the movies imply or give, and generally aren’t considered required viewing if you just want to enjoy the movies or shows.

But in all honesty, I never found RWBY’s supplementary material too relevant to my viewing experience anyway. Speaking as someone who still, to this day, has not watched a single World of Remnant episode or read any of the books, I understand what’s going on just fine. I’m sure this is a bigger problem if you’re actively invested in Remnant as a setting, but I’ve never been into RWBY for the ‘deep’ setting.

Yeah, how much the supplemental material does or does not matter hinges a lot on how invested the viewer is in understanding the world for themselves, rather than just going along for the ride, putting questions on the back burner until the show decides to answer them. For me personally, I’m not so much into a ‘deep’ setting either as I am compelling characterization. For example, the Relics’ powers. I don’t care about the powers on their own. Some fans might be super invested in that level of world building, but I’m not. Instead, I care about how those powers impact the characters: their view of the situation, their relationships with one another, their approach towards this war and its villains, etc. So it becomes a problem when the information that should be influencing their development exists only in the supplemental works. We the audience know what the Crown does and have a pretty solid guess about the Sword based on its name, but no one has ever discussed that with the main characters. They understand the Lamp—only because that’s how they solidified their current understanding of the other Relics in the first place—and they learned about Ambrosius’ power literally a scene before they started using it. So for me, the criticism is less, “I can’t believe RWBY hasn’t included these world building details” and much more, “I can’t believe our cast learned that there were four Relics created by a God, know that these are the exact artifacts the Big Bad is after to destroy the world with, have used one of them to forward their own agenda… and no one has ever once questioned what the others are capable of doing?” It makes the characters seem like they don’t care about the war, or how best to tackle it, about preparing ahead, all that jazz. It makes them look like kids who are neck deep in denial and, therefore, should not be in charge of this fight.

The franchise’s desire to keep things separate results in the characters never asking questions. Why does it take until Volume 5 to explain how semblances might connect to personalities? How come Ruby never interrogates anyone about her Silver Eyes? Why doesn’t Blake or Yang want to know how Adam got the brand of their BFF’s family plastered on his face? The franchise acts as if because we the audience get those answers in side Fairy Tales or mobile games, there’s no reason for the characters to canonically learn about them because it’s already ‘happened.’ But as your screenwriting example lays out, it didn’t happen unless we see it/it’s discussed on screen. It's already bad enough imo to, say, have your characters ignoring that brand, but the lack of that work is particularly frustrating in a series now revolving around lies and secrets. It’s really hard to take the characters seriously about knowledge-based problems when the show itself is so bad at communicating knowledge. Why do I care about Yang being upset over lies when she’s never brought up the fact that her mother is a Maiden? She comes across as hypocritical. Why should I believe that Theodore is a trustworthy figure for Ruby to lean on when he exists only in Myers’ books? She comes across as dangerously naive for trusting him after three falling outs with headmasters. By failing to incorporate this information canonically, that lack hurts our protagonists' characterizations, made worse by the story continually ignoring those now blatant flaws for a far more complimentary reading of their choices.

And I think that last example showcases that this problem has grown way, way worse over the years. Yeah, World of Remnant isn’t that bad and, as you say, I don’t think viewers have to have seen it in order to understand what’s going on in the webseries. Back then, RWBY was better at merely expanding on ideas that already existed in the show: here’s a bit more information about the Great War Ozpin already mentioned, here’s a bit more information about how semblances work after Pyrrha already explained it, etc. Now though, the supplemental material isn’t just expanding on canonical ideas (or doing AU work in the form of RWBY Chibi), but actively doing work that should be in the main series as well. But isn't. We’ve moved from, “It would have been cool to get that info in the webseries too, but it’s okay that we didn’t” to, “I’m not sure this counts as representation if it only exists in a comic few fans are reading. Or worse, an interview with the writers” to, “You based the core of Ironwood’s entire characterization—the heart and conflict of two Volumes—on a semblance that’s only EVER mentioned in a Q&A?” to finally, “I wouldn’t have even known Theodore’s name if book fans hadn’t communicated that to me, let alone that he’s supposedly this good guy who has done all these good things, thereby justifying Ruby’s faith in him… even though she doesn’t know about any of that either.”

We’ve reached a point in the franchise where the characters act as if they’re reading RWBY material on the side and that, to me, is a far bigger problem than where we started out with World of Remnant. It's a problem that has moved from a simple world building issue, to a characterization issue. I can only speak for myself, but I'm far more willing to shrug off a messy world than I am illogical, contradictory, and hypocritical (without engaging with that) characterization for our title team. That ruins the story for me in a way, "Idk how dust works exactly, but whatever. The show's still so much fun!" never could.

[kitkatopinions]

You know, it’s an interesting thing to see RWBY fans act like it’s a bad faith criticism when people don’t automatically assume that everything Ruby does is one hundred percent good and justified. In fact, ever since season six, it seems like people consider the only proper way of thinking to be A) assuming that anything bad that’s happening is entirely not Ruby’s fault. B) assuming that anything Ruby does in these situations is justified, needed, and good. And C) assuming that Ruby is going to fix anything bad that’s happening shortly.

I’m becoming more and more convinced that much of the so called ‘bad faith criticisms’ that mega fans and simps are concerned about are frequently just people not assuming that those three things are always true. Many fans have taken to filling in the blanks for CRWBY, which is something that’s generally expected in all media with a strong fan presence, but is taken to the extreme in RWBY where many fans are now deciding things and deeming them canon all in the name of making Ruby look as blameless and good as possible. That’s why there are fans insisting that Ironwood invaded Vale and has no combat experience, it’s completely untrue with no canon to support it, and yet is seen as the only definitive reading allowed by many fans, and that’s because it makes Ironwood look like he’s always been a horrible incompetent fool, so Ruby no longer looks bad by lying to him and then casting him aside. That’s why there are fans insisting that Ruby and co had to get across the border to Atlas quickly and couldn’t waste any time waiting, that’s why fans insist that Cordovin forced Ruby’s hand by not giving her a peaceful option despite the peaceful option she literally offered on screen. That’s why there are fans insisting that Ruby only stayed in the mansion in volume eight because she couldn’t leave Nora or because Ironwood would’ve arrested her and she was forced to prioritize her safety because she knows she’s imperative to the war. That’s why there are fans saying that no reading where any single person was left behind in the evacuation from Atlas to Vacuo is acceptable despite Qrow, Maria, and Pietro all being left behind, and the concept of ‘Ruby saved everyone’ being unequivocally false due to the soldiers that died facing Salem, the on-screen deaths of named characters including Penny, and anyone who Cinder knocked off the bridge.

These fans are ignoring canon things like that, canon things like there being a clear and peaceful solution to getting over the Atlas border, and Ruby spending episodes and I think around an in-show day despairing that she doesn’t know what to do and wants someone to come save her where characters are literally telling her she needs to leave the mansion and Ruby gives no solid reason why she shouldn’t except that they shouldn’t pick sides. They ignore any indication in canon that Ruby is just wrong or just faulty and construct a narrative where Ruby is one hundred percent right and sympathetic, and then they consider anything that didn’t automatically adhere to that rule to be ‘bad faith.’

“Why didn’t you just assume that Ruby was going to apologize to Ozpin next season? That’s a bad faith criticism, this is a story, so not everything is gonna be resolved super fast.” “Why didn’t you realize that Ruby was right to be upset with Ozpin and was justified because Ozpin lied to her about important things? Oz should be the one apologizing to her, that’s a bad faith criticism.” “Why didn’t you realize that Ruby only lied to Ironwood because she wasn’t sure she could trust him? Her situation with Oz is completely different, he isn’t learning his lesson and hasn’t apologized. Ruby is going to trust James later and prove she’s better than Oz.” “Why didn’t you realize that Ruby never would have trusted James because he’s always been shady and she knew that and she only worked with him in the first place because she had to in order to use his resources?” “Why didn’t you realize that James was the one not trusting Ruby and she was the one trusting and he broke that trust and Ruby was willing to work with him only he wasn’t willing to work with her?” “Why didn’t you realize that Ozpin was always bad and incompetent and Ruby is being gracious to allow him back in her group now that he apologized for not trusting her?”

What we have is a bunch of people deciding what’s going to happen (and quickly forgetting they said that if it doesn’t happen,) re-writing what did happen, ignoring the canon as it’s happening, and filling in any blank they get with whatever makes Ruby look as good as possible, and then they consider anything that doesn’t comply with that to be bad faith.

Ruby is a flawed protagonist. In fact, she’s way more flawed than what the show expects us to think. She’s naïve, she lacks foresight, she’s reckless, she overestimates her own abilities and her friend group, she’s stubborn and only listens when she wants to, she’s arrogant at times, she’s become unforgiving, she’s at least somewhat controlling with her friends, she only sees in black and white and alienates anyone who doesn’t fit her exact moral code, and she’s recently taken to mood swings, shutting down, and bouts of indecisiveness that freeze her up and prevent her from taking possible life saving actions, she’s more ‘ends justify the means’ than she admits, and she’s hypocritical.

Now, if you don’t read Ruby with all of that and think I’m being a bit too harsh, that’s fine. There are good things about Ruby too (though admittedly I’m seeing her amazing traits from the early seasons way less in the recent seasons,) and she does some good things. But she does have flaws and she does make mistakes, and what I’d really like to see is less people constantly making excuses for literally everything she does or says, and more people admitting when she makes mistakes. Maybe a “she really should’ve asked Penny before turning her into a human” instead of a “of course she asked her it was just off screen you loser!” Maybe a “she shouldn’t have decided to lie to Ironwood without talking to her team about it at least,” instead of a “the team trusts Ruby and she would’ve asked them if she’d been given a chance you stupid freak!” Maybe a “Ruby really froze up for a good portion of season eight, she made quite a few mistakes, I wonder how she’ll come back from it,” instead of “Ruby was forced away from the fight because Ironwood would’ve had her executed and she’s smart enough to know that!”

Main characters in stories are supposed to make mistakes and have flaws, it gives a personal growth that’s relatable to their victories and gives opportunity for growth in character dynamics, and goes towards making them feel more realistic and likable. Of course not everyone is going to like, say, a main character who is arrogant and over steps boundaries, but that character also can therefore grow and change and adjust, and that is very likable to most audiences. The best protagonists in media are deeply flawed characters that try hard to overcome not only the big problems they face, but the small conflicts that come from their own actions and the reactions they have to what other people do. Ruby should have flaws, she should make mistakes, and she does! One of the biggest problems with the show RWBY is their refusal to treat Ruby’s flaws as flaws and their inability to let her grow. And one of the biggest problems with the fandom is people’s inability to treat Ruby’s flaws as flaws and their insistence that everyone adhere to the rules of ‘Ruby is always justified, always right, and will always fix everything.’

[extemely-thoughtful-person]

More Chapter 6 Predictions, more specifically: Idia's Unique Magic, and Pomefiore vs Ignihyde

For anyone who hasn't gotten the memo, unique magic plays a huge role in the twisted wonderland main story line. Each time a new chapter is released, we get to see the unique magic of the main dorm's respective students. With some exceptions from the most recent Chapter of course (we still don't know Rook's). Every unique magic reflects the personality of the user in some way, and this can be used for conflict in the story. So today, we're going to be looking at the possibilities for Idia Shroud's unique magic, and there are a few different possibilities.

So to start off, we need to look at the other unique magics used by the Overblot victims of the past chapters and find out what they have in common. And there are a few different things that all of them do have in common.

All unique magics are a direct reference to the person they're based off, and it is a reference to something the corresponding villain has done, or is known for doing. (Ex: the Queen of Hearts was known for beheading anyone who didn't agree with her)

This factor was pointed out by @mia-pon289 stating that the unique magic of the Overblot victims was a manifestation of what they hated the most, and that they reflected the trauma from their childhood, so when the magic is cast, the person they are up against gets to experience a small sample of their trauma. (Ex: Riddle was always restricted by the rules, and could never be happy or normal because of it, thus his unique magic allows the person to share in his restrictions by losing their magic.)

All unique magics (expect for the recent one) play the important role of setting off the Overblot. (Ex: Riddle used his collar on Leona, and the collar broke). However the exception to this rule is in Chapter 5, and the reason the pattern was broken is because Jamil is NOT a dorm leader, but a vice instead.

The unique magic is used on the person who is considered their enemy. This is definitely the case for all chapters, because in most of them, it was dorm leader vs dorm leader or vice depending on the circumstances. In chapter 5, Jamil used his unique magic on Neige because Neige was the one they were up against competition wise and not Vil. Neige was the enemy, not Vil.

Given this information about the magic, we can now ask the question: what is Idia's unique magic?

Their are a four different possibilities I can think of off the top of my head, and some seem pretty accurate, while others might not be that close. I'll give the list and an explanation as to why along with references and possibilities. However there is a high chance none of these are actually correct because every prediction I've ever made has never happened.😑

1) Life for Life (let's make a deal)

This unique magic idea is a reference to Hades, and his ability to make deals with mortals. Basically how it works is that Hades can take away something from a person (like strength or freedom) and in exchange, preserve the life of another person. However, if the person under protection gets hurt, then the deal breaks.

How this unique magic would work for Idia is that its basically the same thing, exchanging a favor for a favor, but if he fails to hold up his end of the bargain, then the magic is cancelled. We've actually seen Idia doing something like this, except it wasn't magic, just a competition: the Star gazer event.

How does this fit into the pattern? Idia wants to be left alone and hates interaction. One thing that I can relate to in this senecio is that whenever Idia says something important, no one listens, and the only thing that happens to Idia is that he loses his confidence and patience. So having an interaction were you lose something instead of gaining something would definitely make a person see that Idia hates talking. So they would lose something in exchange for another's wellbeing.

2) Necromancer (bringing the dead into the living world)

This idea is another reference to Hades, or more specifically, his job as ruler of the Underworld. He keeps track of all the souls who come into the world of the dead.

Idia would be able to bring spirits from the Other side to Twisted Wonderland, and they would fight for him. One of the magic rules is that ghosts can only appear in places with a high concentration of magic. Idia would be able to sustain an area making it possible for ghosts to appear. He would also be able to vanquish them. The reason we didn't see him using this power in the Ghost marriage event was because he was caught off guard.

Again with idea of social interaction, it makes him uncomfortable. So imagine trying to appease a crowd of dead people, instead of living ones. Now try fighting them. You'll find it pretty difficult.

However, this one is the least likely to be the case, because Idia would've tracked down Ortho's soul and brought it back. But we still don't really know much about that. My money is on Ortho being dead from the start, so...

3) Misfortune ( bad luck always follows)

Unlike the previous two, this one doesn't have that close of a reference to Hades, maybe his terrible luck and things not always going his way, but besides that, I don't really know.

Unlike every unique magic that we've seen, this one would work differently. Every magic so far is active, meaning that it is a spell the people can cast against someone. This magic would be passive, meaning that it's always activated with no way to turn it off, but it can still be amplified and made stronger. This magic would bring bad luck to either himself, or everyone around him.

However, this might not be his unique magic, but it could tie into the Shroud family curse, or something. I think that Pomefiore going up against Ignihyde is a good, but also bad choice because Vil's unique magic is Cursing objects, and Idia has probably had bad experiences with whatever curse is running through his family. I think that since Idia is human, his inhumane traits of flaming hair and pointy teeth are a result of the Shroud family curse. As for bad luck, that's another result of the curse. And because of the bad experiences, in chapter 6 I believe Vil is going to cast a curse on Ortho. Vil can't curse people, but he can curse objects, and I think that Ortho would count in this case because he isn't a human being.

4) Gateway to Suffering (portals)

Hear me out on this one. We've seen teleportation magic before from the Diasomia students, but this isn't just snapping yourself from one location to another, this is literally tearing a hole through time and space and bending said space to open a gate from one location to another. This is a reference to the planets alignment in the Hercules movie, more commonly referred to as the prophecy of the Fates.

There are two ways this one can work:

Freestyle. Basically it has no limits to where you can open a portal or go to. You have limited magic energy, but the possibilities on where you can go is endless. However, you need to know where your going and what the place looks like in order for it to work.

Kindred Link. You can only open a portal that leads to a person you know. In other words, if you met someone, and you remember their name and face, then you can open a portal that leads straight to them.

I believe the second one is the more likely option. Idia doesn't like being around other people, but sometimes, you need help with something important and you don't have the right skills to do it then you could bring someone over to you who can help. Idia has stated in the past that he hates working with other people, but I imagine there's a time when he needs help with something, and he doesn't like to resort to that. But his unique magic betrays him by getting help. And he probably hates it. Or maybe the portals can open to where he's needed most.

There are a few other reasons why I like this one. If we end up seeing Idia playing against RSA in the upcoming Magift tournament, then this unique magic would be incredibly useful. It's against the rules to cast spells on players, but technically you wouldn't be casting magic on the player. You could easily move people around the field to where they're needed most, and it wouldn't violate the rules. Another consideration is Chapter 7 when we go up against Diasomia. If we, or someone else, ends up getting captured and imprisoned by Malleus, then this would be the magic used against Malleus to free the prisoner, causing Malleus to Overblot in the process.

And maybe there's a way to customize the portals with magic so we can go home. Who knows?

______________________________

Anyway, that's all the ideas I have for Idia's magic. I might make a later post about the possibilities for Epel's unique magic. If you have any other ideas on the topic, feel free to add to the list.

Thanks for reading and have a nice day!☺️

(Also yes. The kindred Link and the bad luck magic ideas are both references to the Brawen twins Raven and Qrow from RWBY :3)

[pilot-boi]

What are your favorite ships for each of the main cast members?

The main cast members? So I guess that would be RWBY, ALPN, and then Penny, Emerald, Qrow, and Winter

I’ll do the baddies in a separate post if anyone cares, but I mostly don’t ship them with anyone. Except Watts and Tyrian, because it’s hilarious

This is gonna be a long one folks, so strap in

Well Ruby I ship with Penny. Or I guess... shipped. God my heart still hasn’t recovered form that finale, and I doubt it will soon. Their dynamic and growth together was just so goo, and I’m pretty confident that this isn’t the last we’re seeing of Penny, so fingers crossed y’all

I just realized that I DONT really ship Weiss with... well anyone really. I am a fan of freaking what’s it called. Ruby/Weiss/Penny? I can’t remember what it’s called, but it’s cute. But yeah I don’t really ship Weiss with anyone atm

Blake and Yang. This one’s a given, at least in my book. I’m not a die hard bees fan, you’re never going to see me ranting about them for hours, but their chemistry and bond is undeniable

Jaune. My sweet boy. Y’all already know that he’s my favorite, I’m not exactly subtle, I could talk about him for hours. And god, if Arkos didn’t get me like...

Like I know it’s not gonna happen, but you have to believe me when I say that I literally didn’t ship anything AT ALL until I watched RWBY and saw Jaune and Pyrrha. I shipped these two instantly, and V3 was pain. I can and will talk about them for hours, I would’ve died for them

So Arkos first, obviously, but if I’m only allowed to pick from living people, then I do also REALLY love Renorarc and Guard Dogs. I just want my boy to be happy for once.

BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THATS NOT GONNA FUCKING HAPPEN. Ignore me.

Not the be basic again, but I do really like Renora. They’ve got it all, friends to lovers, childhood friends, shared trauma, tall stoic/short gremlin. Love them. And the freaking DEVELOPMENT they both had this volume, I was literally crying. And then once again, Renorarc is fire

Oscar my sweet green bean. He’s baby, your honor. I don’t know what it’s called, but him and Whitley is cute. But I don’t really ship Oscar very much. He’s VERY a kid, and it makes me slightly uncomfortable

As for Qrow, Winter, and Emerald, I don’t really know who I ship them with, if at all. Fair Game was cool, but really I just want Qrow to be happy for freaking once. Same goes for Winter. And I’m too busy being happy that Emerald is away from Cinder to think about shipping her with anyone

That... should be everyone. Oh and bonus Seamonkeys, because they’re my two special boys. You’re never gonna hear me shipping Sun and Neptune with anyone other than each other

So yeah! Hope that answers your question

[firelxdykatara]

bumbleby and kataang for the honest ship ask??

MONA PLEASE DO YOU REALLY WANT ME TO DIE -sobs-

I already answered kataang here and was pretty thorough, but one extra thing I will say is that I absolutely hate it when the response to someone not liking kataang or thinking they shouldn't have ended up together is 'but what about Aang? he'd be so hurt!' like... so?

I mean that genuinely. So what? He was a twelve, maybe thirteen-year-old kid by the end of the series. He'd get over it and move on and be just fine if his childhood puppylove crush didn't like him back and wound up dating someone else. 'But what about the cloudbabies???' Do y'all think Katara's the only woman on the planet???? I promise you, Aang would be able to have kids with anyone else if he grew up and fell in love with someone who could bear them--and considering that Tenzin didn't look anything at all like Katara, he and his airbending kids could easily have come from Aang's relationship to literally anyone else.

But also, like, heaven forbid I focus on Katara's feelings and what she'd get out of a romantic relationship without thinking about how much that might hurt her canon boyfriend. Who cares? This ain't about him. He could easily move on and find someone else, that's not the issue here. The issue is Katara. Focus on her, please.

Bumbleby:

Ohhh boy you really wanna stick me in hot water huh kdljfghkdjfhg OK BUT LIKE. REALTALK. At the end of the day, there's just... nothing there.

I know there's meant to be, and I know it's supposed to be a big deal that Yang lost her arm protecting Blake and then Blake ran away and then Blake came back and all of that, but like... it's really not reflected in their relationship at all. They don't talk about anything they went through. They get a couple moments in v6 (but no real conversation), they get Blake promising to never leave again (which is not even remotely a healthy mindset for beginning a relationship, especially when we see the fallout of that declaration--indirectly, because of course these characters never actually talk about anything important--in v8) without ever actually discussing why she left in the first place or why Yang was so hurt by it, then they kill a man together in the v6 finale and never talk about that (and this isn't me saying he didn't deserve it, this is me saying that I don't care what kind of wretched son of a bitch someone might be, killing another human being is traumatic and will have an affect on you, and the fact that Blake and Yang never fucking talk about or work through that trauma is.... very bad), and that was it for v6.

Then in v7, aside from superficial nonsense about going out dancing instead of to a political rally bc I guess Blake doesn't really care about Faunus Rights anymore, Blake follows Yang's lead and lies to everyone about the Robyn situation which leads to even more bad shit happening when Ironwood figures out what they'd done, and then in v8 you have the most bland argument ever between Yang and Ruby and Blake seeming to be ashamed when they reunite (as if she thought Yang would be disappointed in or angry with her for.... going with one half of the group to accomplish a goal???? yeah ok sure that makes sense), and like................that's it

There's nothing else to their relationship. There really is no relationship to speak of, and the fact that the shippers have said 'bees are definitely gonna kiss this episode for sure! they're super canon and are gonna show it!' every single episode for two volumes straight now is a testament to that. And you could maybe say 'you don't need a kiss to show a ship is canon' except that RWBY has said that you do. The only canon romantic relationships between main cast members have been confirmed via liplock--Arkos in v3, and Renora (whom a lot of people assumed had already been together-together by like v5) in v7. Other couples/feelings among the side characters have at the least been confirmed via dialogue--the Cotta-Arcs, Ilia's one-sided feelings for Blake, etc. In absence of a verbal declaration, the only way we have to know that two characters are a couple is kissing.

And if that's not the case, and we come to find out later on that Blake and Yang have been in a relationship this whole time, then that means that the one singular same-gender relationship among the mains is being treated differently (no kiss and no verbal declaration of a relationship) than the different-gender relationships, and that is, itself, a whole other level of Not Great.

Ultimately, though, I think what bothers me most about Bumbleby is that so much of it relies on like... color-coding, vague allusions, hand-holding and forehead-touching (all of which we already had two volumes ago) and not much else, which makes it seem like the show is just stringing along the audience, knowing they will keep tuning in waiting for the couple's inevitable canonization without having to actually commit any resources to developing or exploring their relationship. People keep calling bumbleby a 'slowburn', but the thing is that nothing is burning anymore. They are in the exact same place in v8 that they were at the end of v6. That's not a slowburn anymore, that's a holding pattern, and literally nothing has changed! Let them just fucking kiss for the love of all that is holy and put the rest of us out of our misery, please.

send me a ship and get my (brutally) honest opinion!

[fairy-writes]

FairyTailWzard’s New Annual tradition!

2020’s Top 10 List Part One!

So here’s a list that no one asked for of the top 10 anime series I watched this year. I wanted to put this in no particular order but I figured I might as well.  I’ll also be doing my top 10 fanfics from this year and my top 10 books I read this year so stay tuned for parts 2 and 3!

10.) RWBY

Uuuggghhh I really didn’t wanna put this on here… but I really didn’t watch much this year so I had to I guess :(((

I’m really not liking this right now… if my blog wasn’t sort of popular because of my rwby oneshots I’d consider just dropping the anime all together….

(I’m seriously debating on whether to watch the new season or not)

Honestly, the only thing bringing me back is my unhealthy love for Ozpin, Torchwick, and Ironwood.

Honestly, I’d give this show about a 3 or 4/10…

I used to love it so much but I think the quality of writing is going down and the show is trying to be too many things at once that I’m just losing interest.

9.) My Hero Academia

Why is this so low you may ask? Well, cause I think my main hype coming from this is the manga.

Yes I love the show, the animation studio is freaking amazing and the quality of animation never ceases to amaze me. But I love the manga a bit more.

This will probably jump up in rating around season 5 or 6 but for right now I’ll leave it in the 9th spot :)

8.) Sirius the Jaeger

Oh my GOSH, I want a second season so bad. One of my favorite OC’s I’ve ever made was for this anime (it’s Idris Tana btw) and I actually commissioned artwork for her recently and it’s SO PRETTY.

Anyway getting off-topic, the animation of this show and again with the dark and grittiness of it is what drew me in.

Actually, my late grandma and also my great aunt tagged me in a Facebook post with the trailer when it first came out cause they saw vampires and thought I would like it and that's what got me into this show in the first place.

So thank you grandma and auntie!

But I absolutely adore the soundtrack, the mix of orchestral pieces mixed with the more electro-kinda-vibes is my life (seriously go listen to “The Beginning of the Hunting” it changed my life, as an orchestra and cello geek it made my heart so happy)

7.) Tokyo Ghoul season 1-3

Ok, I’m currently reading the manga after I’ve seen the anime and lemme tell you I wish they didn’t censor the anime so much.

I can’t even find an uncensored version anymore and it makes me so upset.

The darkness and goriness of the manga is what appealed to me in the first place (yes I get weird looks for it, no I will not change my mind)

Kaneki is my CHILD and he CANNOT do any wrong. I don’t care who you are I love him

6.) Ajin: Demi-Human

Uuuggghhh to be honest the anime is kinda meh but my love for the manga is so great I am legally obligated to put this here.

Don’t get me wrong, the animation and soundtrack for this show is phenomenal and I think they got Satou down pat.

But they did dumb down and cut out a lot of interesting scenes. Scenes like how Satou takes down some of his opponents (which I can see why... many American viewers would most likely get offended by it… you manga readers know what scene i mean)

Nagai Kei turns into a bit of a whiny character instead of the smart but exasperated teenager I know and love in the manga is the anime version of Kei going to bite off his own fingers in order to climb a wall into a military base?? Definitely not. Would manga-Kei do that? Well, he already did… so... yes..,

Nakano Kou is still kind of funny but he is so much more fascinating in the manga (his backstory breaks my heart).

5.) Bungou Stray Dogs

Another new one that I was actually recommended by my friend @bright-like-the-sun-00 :) I ended up watching it originally in dub but then went back and rewatched it in sub because I love my children so much.

Chuuya is my bean and I love my OC that I created Charlie Dickens :)

(if you guys could go read her story I’d be eternally grateful).

Anyway!

This show has a fantastic cast in both Japanese and English and the music score is one of my favorites. The characters are so wonderfully hilarious and interesting and fhajxbqbaka I love this show okay??

4.) Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

I actually put this off for YEARS because my oldest step-brother kept saying I should watch it. At this point, I was refusing out of spite cause I’m petty like that. But I finally started watching and-

HOLY-

GUYS

I have never gotten so attached to a character (cough cough Giyuu) so quickly.

I have been listening to Gurenge and Kamado Tanjiro no Uta on repeat for literal weeks now and I still grin like an idiot when listening to them. I also have a potential OC/crossover coming out soon sooooo…. stay tuned??

I also broke my sister cause I showed her a post that said national donut day and had a picture of Rengoku on it… I didn’t understand it until she explained it to me and now I cackle every time I think about it.

3.) Jujutsu Kaisen

@plusultranerd​ got me into this blame her for the future spamming of your dashboards

GUYS GOJO SATORU IS MY LIFE NO QUESTIONS ASKED

He could literally murder me and I’d thank him. He is the prettiest anime character I have EVER SEEN and I love him so much.

Anyway anime. The show got my attention from the get-go. Itadori is such a fun main character and Megumi is me cause you know dogs.

I think I saw an ad for it and since I have Crunchyroll I figured why not and fell in love with it

AND THE ENDING SONG

BEST ENDING EVER YOU CANNOT CHANGE MY MIND

I put it on sometimes so me and my sister just start jamming out to it and we get the stupidest looks and it is amazing

2.) Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Another anime that I will rewatch over and over again until literally the end of time. Also, another series that I’ve already read/or am reading the manga.

Alphonse Eric is my cinnamon roll you can pry him from my cold dead hands.

I have cold hands and no heart by holy heck my BOY

I actually am buying the special edition hardback manga covers that are coming out and I LOVE THEM

THEY ARE SO PRETTY

Am I talking about the characters or the manga?

My answer is yes

Anyway, all of the characters in this are so wonderfully complex and have motivations and i fall in love with 99% of the characters (except for Shou Tucker, I even like Father actually)

1.)  Death Parade

This has got to be one of my top favorite anime of ALL TIME.

I rewatched it early this year and this is one of the very few anime that will get me to cry and this makes me cry every freaking time.

The music is stunning, the animation is magnificent.

For being based on an animated short film, this has such potential for a second season and such a complex storyline was packed into 12 episodes.

I will forever recommend this anime to literally anyone who is looking for something new to watch.

I’m also noticing I have a thing for white-haired male anime characters with really pretty eyes….. Kaneki… Gojo… Decim...

Honorable mentions!

Darker than Black

I didn’t rewatch the whole thing this year but this anime is literally my life. Hei is such a bean and I love him.

Hunter x Hunter

Another anime i didn't rewatch completely but still adore :) I heard they’re continuing it and I’m excited for the dark continent arc!

Dororo

Technically i watched this late 2019 but whatever; I do what I want. The animation was absolutely gorgeous and I loved the gritty darkness of it. Mio will forever be my favorite character; you cannot change my mind. Some parts I did find a bit boring but overall I’d rate this a solid 6/10!

The Devil is a Part-Timer!

I rewatched parts of it and not the whole thing, I also have the first two volumes of the light novels and I forget how funny it is until I actually watch it. It has me laughing every time and never fails to put a smile on my face :)

[davidmann95]

A rare unprompted post what with the RWBY asks lately, as it recently occurred to me and I don’t think I’ve seen this mentioned anywhere else: I’m pretty sure that, rather than the main cast, the Cinder/Emerald/Mercury/Neo ‘team’ is meant to map out as cracked mirror counterparts to JNPR specifically.

Emerald’s the obvious one as a counterpart to Nora, a homeless kid surviving by the skin of her teeth until saved by someone she comes to cherish, except here the person she bonds with is an uncaring manipulator who encourages and fosters the worst in her; her powers are rooted in subtlety and she doesn’t get RWBY’s open cheerfulness and affection, whereas Nora is Nora and also kinda-literally wears her heart for all to see. While Ren was shaped by the things his father passed down to him, Mercury is defined by the damage of what his father took from him (and both flashbacks to their pasts include the destruction of their childhood homes). Cinder we still don’t know much about, but aside from her obvious material connections and near-connections to Pyrrha, she’s openly driven by a quest for power and glory in opposition to Nikos’s awkward humility. Neo equating to Jaune is probably the least obvious, but maybe the most pronounced when paying attention. Whereas he’s a bumbling and at first unlikely leader, she’s maybe the most frighteningly competent villain of them all in terms of pure physicality, yet she’s proudly a follower. Her Semblance is to disguise herself while he lied to get into Beacon, her umbrella functions as both sword and shield with a literal sword hidden inside, and she wears an article of clothing commemorating the now-deceased person closest to her (though her quest for revenge ironically pits her against a Pyrrha equivalent).

What’s the significance here? Maybe it’s simply that, while they’re so much in the spotlight, they’re technically the secondary crew just as JNPR is to RWBY storywise (which I guess would make...Salem=Ruby, Watts=Weiss, Tyrian=Blake, and Hazel=Yang? That sorta vaguely tracks or at least could in the future, but there’s little to it at this point characterwise other than Hazel being an emotionally-restrained bruiser lashing out for having lost someone, and Jaune’s also the one Salem parallels more than anyone else). Or maybe prefiguring their arcs and final fates? Most of the villains are still broadly-defined enough in general that it’s hard to get much of a bead on them and their real place in things - I wouldn’t have much to say on these four without this connection other than *maybe* Mercury - but it’s pointed enough that I feel like it has to be deliberate and it has to mean something.

[dustypotion]

as someone who admittedly has problems with taking Oz Criticism bc,, dumb monkey brain projects too much, GOD THE WHOLE ATLAS THING WITH OZ STANS IS SO DUMB. the 'cordo is just doing her job!' excuse IMMEDIATELY became invalid when she brought out a GIANT FUCKING MECH AND TRIED TO KILL THEM. like what do u think causes more panic. some airships flyin around, or a giant mech yelling out literal threats. like PLEASE yall just use your braincells

my biggest gripe with it are people saying “the kids were so egotistical thinking they’re better than the adults!!” how many adults HAVEN’T failed them at this point? i can only think of glynda and oobleck. they’re better than 90% of the adults they’ve come across through virtue of not standing on their laurels and waiting for salem to come fuck their shit up before doing anything. ozpin would’ve let the whole of the volume 2 breach come into fruition without a hitch if rwby hadn’t gotten involved because it was always “wait to see how they play” except they’d wait too damn long every time. and that’s supported by the fact ozpin was outed for stalling against salem for years.

and no, they weren’t cheering and clapping about putting argus in danger. they weren’t being egotistical. when cordo starts screaming at them that it’s their fault, do they scream back at her “no, it’s YOUR fault, bitch”? the fuck they do. they immediately look at each other and FUCKING SAY OUT LOUD “we helped cause this, we can’t leave argus without helping them against the grimm”, or something similar to that effect. if they really thought they were blameless and that this was all cordo’s fault, obviously they still would’ve stayed, but don’t you think they would’ve at the very least berated her over the comms? or call her out on her bullshit like they did so freely before they stole the airship? do you think anyone would’ve looked grateful for the fact that cordo wasn’t going to mention them in her report on the incident?

people are literally taking their cooldown in the airship as they were 100% having a fucking party over the fact they did something illegal and it bugs me so much. so what if they’re joking around to ease the tension after a massive fight where they almost died? they didn’t even insult cordo during it, they didn’t berate qrow or rub in his face that they were ‘right’ and that they’re better than him, they didn’t react with “fuck ozpin’s help, we could’ve done it ourselves!” when oscar reveals ozpin helped him land the airship. they just say, “so he was watching the whole time?”. no being disrespectful to the adults, no high horses, and the fact that they’re trying to lighten the mood is played off as “the kids think they’re hot shit and better than all the fucking adults!”

also, ruby told qrow off not because she thought the plan was fucking brilliant, it was because he refused to help point blank. if qrow had helped them, or offered any sort of other option instead of just giving up and drowning his sorrows, maybe there could’ve been a different plan. but the kids had to work with what they had because the capable huntsmen in their midst essentially gave up and retreated. how is that their fault?

so anyway

the kids accepted help from adults during the heist.

the kids didn’t scoff at the fact ozpin helped them, even with all their rightful suspicion of him

the kids didn’t wholly blame cordovin for the whole ordeal and took responsibility and risked their lives to save argus from the grimm they unwittingly drew in

so tell me, how the fuck are they selfish, egotistical and think they’re better than fully trained huntsman, just because they took initiative when two capable adults refused to help them until they had a plan and made their move? how the fuck can you call them that when they continually risk their own lives for the sake of the world, and a dumbass racist woman with too much pride and an unhealthy amount of nationalism decides she’s going to cause widespread panic without them even knowing she could do that? i don’t get it. just say you personally don’t like the main cast and go. 

[pompeiibonzai]

6 Things RWBY Volume 7 Needs to do

With RWBY Volume 7 literally days away, there’s a lot of speculation about what will happen to our heroes in Atlas.  Volume 7 is shaping up to be a pivotal time not only for teams RWBY, JNR, Qrow, Oscar and Maria, but for the series as a whole.  The group has come a long way since leaving Vale and Atlas needs to be the biggest challenge they’ve faced yet. 

With that in mind, here are 6 things that Volume 7 needs to do in order to make this volume stand out. 

1. Focus on Weiss

It can’t be argued that Weiss has come a long way from her introduction in Volume 1.  Volume 4 especially laid the groundwork for Weiss’s development when she chose to forge her own path rather than stay under the cold thumb of her father.

Since then, however, not a lot of attention has been given to Weiss.  We got a touching reunion between her and Yang (and later Ruby) and she certainly kept her cool when she set the Brunswick house on fire to stop the Apathy’s pursuit.  Now, with the party arriving at Atlas, it’s important that the volume take the time to focus on her, her feelings about being back so soon after leaving, reactions regarding what Atlas has become and (hopefully) a showdown between her and her father – or at least Whitley.  Hell, a reunion with Winter would certainly be welcome as would an introduction to the elusive  Willow Schnee.

Of course, I’m not looking for the rest of the cast to take a complete backseat (some attention thrown Oscar’s way and how he’s dealing with his situation, would be nice), but the main focus of the volume when it comes to characterization needs to be on Weiss.  The volume should take the opportunity to develop her character further, work on the relationship between her and Yang that was touched on in Volume 5, and lay the framework for continued relationship building with Blake and Ruby and maybe members of team JNR as well.

2. Show (Don’t Tell) the Civil Unrest in Atlas…and some Faunus Discrimination too.

RWBY has a bad habit of telling us a lot of things, but not actually showing any of it to us.  Volume 5 spent too much time in the teams’ safe house and not enough time out exploring the Kingdom of Mistral.  Not to mention that we have had our ears talked off about how badly the Faunus are treated, but to date have not seen much to back that up.  With the exception of Jinn’s vision in Volume 6, exposition has been given by way of a lot of talking and little showing. 

The trailer for Volume 7 teases us with scenes from a very dark city (Atlas? Mantle?) where the people are very unhappy and we hear a voice over from Weiss observing that “This isn’t right”. 

It’s hopeful that this means we’ll actually get to see the affect the fall of Vale and the subsequent closing of Atlas’s boarders has had on the people of living in the kingdom.  Has Ironwood gone too far with the idea of a military state?  Has martial law been declared?  Are things so bad that civil war threatens to tear apart the country if the grimm don’t get to it first?

Whatever is going on in Atlas, it’s vital that Volume 7 takes the time to show it to us rather than have Ironwood (or anyone else) simply explain the situation to Ruby and the others. In order of us to really grasp how things “are not right”, we need to see it for ourselves.

Same goes for some negative treatment of the Faunus.  Mistreatment, even oppression, of the Faunus has been something repeated again and again over the course of the series, but not something we have actually seen much of.  Granted, it’s not easy to write (much less watch) the cruel treatment of others, however, it is something that needs to be seen in order to carry any kind of weight.  This is especially true if the audience is meant to be sympathetic towards the Faunus.  Considering Atlas is supposed to be the most offending country when it comes to Faunus rights, Volume 7 absolutely must show how the Faunus living there are treated, especially during this time of social strife and unrest.

3. Ruby Learns that there are Consequences to Her Actions

Ruby really came into her own as a leader during the events of Volume 6, something that was a long time coming and was fun and rewarding to watch.  However, there is a significant difference between being a leader and being overconfident to the point where you’re reckless – like diving headfirst up the barrel of a buster cannon during combat.

Part of being a good leader is realizing that your actions have consequences, not only for yourself, but for your team as well.  This is a lesson Ruby hasn’t seemed to have learned yet and one she should have learned back in Volume 4 when she butted into the fight with Tyrian after Qrow told her to stay back.  Qrow, fortunately, recovered from that encounter and for whatever reason, the event has never been brought up again.  Furthermore, Ruby’s “We Don’t Need Adults” speech in Episode 9 of Vol. 6 (Lost) underlines the fact she has a lot to learn when it comes to the idea that her actions have consequences.  Especially considering that no, Ruby, you wouldn’t have gotten to Mistral had it not been for the adults in your life stepping in and helping out.

I will admit that the fight with Tyrian showed Ruby’s sense of responsibility (“I can’t stand by while someone gets hurt”).  However, she hasn’t quite learned about taking responsibility when her actions cause problems for others or puts them directly in harm’s way, or risks her own life needlessly.  Ruby needs to learn this lesson and she needs to learn it the hard way. 

We all make mistakes.  Let Ruby make her own that have serious repercussions not only for her but to those who follow her. Let her face those repercussions.  Doing so will not only make her more relatable as a character, but will help her to continue to grow into the great leader and hero she is being set up to be rather than being a girl who can do no wrong (even when she does).  

4. A Limit to the Silver Eyes

Ruby has learned to control her Silver Eyes too easily and too quickly. Yes, it took her two tries in order to use them on the Leviathan at the end of Volume 6, and she didn’t freeze it permanently, but she still was able to do it just with the meager information Maria had given her earlier in the volume.

The other two times Ruby used her eyes she was under great emotional distress and she had little to no control over what she was doing, much less an understanding of what she was doing.  This is what made the concept of Silver Eyes so appealing and so mysterious.  The appeal was taken even further when it became obvious that not a lot of people knew anything about the Silver Eyes (if anyone did at all), and that Ruby was going to have to figure it out on her own and we would figure it out with her. 

However, by the end of Volume 6, and after one conversation with Maria (in which the huntress didn’t provide Ruby with much information we didn’t already know), Ruby seems able to use her eyes no problem and against a gigantic beast that was supposed to be an imposing threat against Argus.  The issue here is since she was able to use her power on something so imposing, any time she doesn’t use it on much smaller grimm will come across as being forgetful at best and negligent at worst.  It also mitigates any threat the grimm still have, turning them into more of an annoyance than anything else. 

This can be avoided, however, if Ruby learns that there is some kind of limit to her power.  I’m inclined to believe that there is considering that in Maria’s flashback, she only used her eyes against one nevermore and only after she had defeated the first using her weapons.  This is only a theory, of course, but a limitation on the power will keep it from becoming too powerful too quickly and keep the grimm a reasonable threat. 

5. A Reconciliation (of sorts) with Ozpin

Volume 6 changed Ozpin from a righteous and wise figure our heroes followed without question and humanized him, giving him flaws and faults and casting him in shades of grey.  I loved every minute of it! 

But Ozpin has had his time to brood and has made it clear that he hasn’t completely retreated to the recesses of Oscar’s mind.  So, now is the time for him to attempt to reach back out to the people who are still carrying on his mission, with or without him.

Let’s be clear here: Ozpin was 100% in the wrong for keeping secrets from those who were loyal to him. However, I can sympathize with his reasoning and I can certainly sympathize with the overall reaction from Team RWBY and Qrow when his secrets finally came to light.  But here is the main take away from this scenario: no one is absolutely right or absolutely wrong.  No one is meant to be.  It isn’t about who is right and who is wrong.  I mentioned this before, but its about taking responsibility for the decisions you’ve made, right or wrong, good intentions or no.  

I’m not talking about total forgiveness here.  There was a gross betrayal of trust on Ozpin’s part and he should have to work hard to gain that trust back.  However, having him reach out to the group, and having them respond (perhaps having an actual conversation about what happened), would provide for some fantastic character moments during quieter scenes.  It would also be a great parallel for Ruby, as she too comes to understand that there are consequences for her decisions as well. 

6. A Defeat at Atlas

The end of Volume 3 changed everything for RWBY.  Though technically Ruby, her team and her friends weren’t completely defeated at Vale (the relic there still remains unclaimed...as far as we have been told...), they were shown for the first time that there are forces closer than they think that are incredibly strong and just how unprepared they were to face them.

Volume 7 needs to do something similar.  The convergence of Watts, Tyrian, Cinder and Salem (along with her flying monkeys) on Atlas at once is the perfect time for our antagonists to re-establish their threat to RWBY and Co., as well as to us as an audience.  Salem, especially, needs to continue to be a considerable looming threat and its time that she come out of the shadows to show our heroes just what she is capable of and why their mission against her is so important.  

Now, I’m not calling for Atlas to come crashing down to the ground (though wouldn’t that be a spectacle), but the group needs to experience some kind of loss – either the loss of a relic, a maiden or even a teammate – to show them how far they still have to go if they ever hope to stand up to Salem…much less the gods themselves.

There you have it.  The 6 things that (I think) RWBY Volume 7 needs to do in order for it to be as epic as I think it could be.  There are a couple other things that I’d like to see this volume: Some good team combos (we got a great teaser with Weiss and Ren in the scene that was recently released), learning more about Summer (come on!  Its been 7 years, throw us a bone already!) and Ironwood sporting the world’s best beard.  However, that’s more of a wish list and doesn’t really have a lot of baring on whether or not the story will be good.  Maybe I’ll do a post sometime between now and when the volume premiers talking about that.  Maybe.

[bloodraven55]

they do have lgbt characters in rw/by ilia, coco, Scarlett, Jaune’s sister & wife. There could be more they have planned later so sir Adamus point is moot. & avoid talking about it what are you on they avoid talking about hetero ships because of the rabid lgbt fan base. The rw/by lgbt fans especially bb are by far the worst group I’ve seen. No wonder they always bring up bb as if it’s going to be canon. I’d be terrified to bring up them just being friends & BS because of the backlash.

I didn’t say they avoided talking about the same sex ships completely in other cases, just that they avoid addressing the issue of whether it’ll be canon because they know they’re not going through with it, and the point being made was that RT is free to do what they want with their show unlike the other examples you listed where they were under the control of networks and they’ve already proven that they want to have LGBT+ main characters in their shows, but asking you to learn to read at this point is a waste of time.

And I still don’t know where you’re getting the idea that anyone avoids talking about the straight ships from when in RWBY’s case you have Nora and Ren’s VAs both constantly hyping R/enora and in literally every other show I’ve seen the cast and crew do discuss the straight ships too. You’re literally just inventing reasons to justify your homophobia now.

You’re also still not getting that no one thought B/umbleby would actually be canon until V6 and no one at RT acted like it was going to be until then either. You blame everything on the “rabid lgbt fan base” (nice homophobia you got there once again) without considering that maybe people just... saw that B/umbleby was happening and so the audience and the people involved in the show both reacted accordingly.

I’ve seen ten times as many anti-B/umbleby people coming into every B/umbleby-positive space just to shit on the ship than I have B/umbleby shippers behaving in a toxic manner but sure, everything is our fault and every other part of the fanbase is made up of perfect saints who never behave badly.

And you have the fucking gall to say this as you spend years harassing people just for liking a different ship and never fucking go away no matter whether they ask you to stop, block you countless times, reveal who you are, or stop replying to you completely. But yes, I am the toxic one here and not you. Thank you so much for trying to victim blame me.

Look, dude, there’s a reason why even the vast majority of the people who hate B/umbleby have acknowledged that it’s going to happen, and it’s because it’s obvious to everyone except those who are wilfully choosing to blind themselves like you. RT aren’t “scared” of showing support for B/lacksun or saying that Blake and Yang are just friends. They’re just not doing either of those things because they know they’d be misleading the viewership.

The only times anyone at RT has recently spoken out against parts of the fanbase it was because homophobes and fanatical anti-BBers were making disgusting edits of Blake and Yang murdering each other and tagging the cast in it, using Monty’s name as an argument against BB, and sending death threats to BB shippers just for liking the pairing. If they’re scared of any part of the fandom, it’s those people, not BB shippers like me who just want to enjoy our content in peace without bothering anyone else.

Anyway I’m publishing this to show y’all the depths of the homophobia in this fandom and as a rant because I needed to get this off my chest.