#because Yang will have a better understanding of Raven by then

[howlingday]

Winter: He's a soldier.

Yang: A cowboy.

Raven: A knight.

Cinder: An asshole.

Blake: A terribly complicated man.

Ruby: Probably the easiest person to understand.

Tyrian: A riddle wrapped in a mystery wrapped inside an enigma~!

Nora: A real-real, no play, son of a bitch~!

Robyn: A true huntsman.

Mercury: He's a killer.

Jessica: A pretty good kisser.

Velvet: A man too good for his own good.

Neo: (Sighs, Shrugs)

Flynt: A damn hard target.

Coco: A damn good leader, even if he doesn't think it.

Emerald: The scariest guy I have ever met, and I've met Tyrian!

Cardin: The SECOND best huntsman from Ansel~.

Yatsuhashi: A thoroughly untrustworthy fellow who I'd trust with my life any day of the week.

Neptune: A terrible swimmer you wouldn't want to meet.

Fox: He's kind of an ass.

Sun: He's a damn cheater is what he is!

Russel: Talk about your laugh riots!

Qrow: Someone who knows where he's going, and he knows how to get there.

Marrow: A wet rat. He smells EXACTLY like a wet rat.

Weiss: I don't know if I'll ever get married because every time I meet someone, I can't help but compare them to him. And there's no way they could ever measure up.

Oscar: He never told me what he was like when he was my age. As far as I can tell, he's never told ANYONE. But there's something to him that makes me feel like he's been where I'm at right now; where you're not sure of who you are or what you're doing, but you just know you have to do it. He's gotten used to taking a life just as much as life has been taken away from him. And that's why I think he's the greatest huntsman I've ever met.

Ren: He's a man I know better than any other man alive, but I'll be damned if he doesn't find a new way to surprise me. And seldom is it in a good way.

Ozpin: I could tell you what I know of the man. Things I imagine few others do. But I must admit, I'm far more interested in what YOU have to say. So please, Miss Lavender, if you don't mind...

Ozpin: What do YOU think of Jaune Arc?

--------------------------------------------------

Jaune: They're all wrong, you know. Every single one of them.

Jaune: Well, except for Neptune. I can't swim to save my life.

Lisa: Okay, then why don't you tell me yourself... WHO IS JAUNE ARC?

Jaune: I... can't really say.

Lisa: Can't or won't?

Jaune: Can't.

Lisa: Why not?

Jaune: Because I don't know. The only thing I can say for sure about Jaune Arc is...

Jaune: He's a work in progress.

[miraculousagentsofkrypton]

Raven Branwen

Let's talk about the STRQ family because I adore them, but they are a bit of a mess. (inspired by deadbeatbirdmom's magnificent post). Today, I want to focus specifically on the individual relationships Ruby and Yang have to each of the adults. Because this family is far too complicated to be as simple as 'both kids' have a similar relationship to the parents'. (And I love that for us)

Raven is mostly Yang's emotional burden. A lot of Ruby's baggage is directly tied to her love for her sister and a little bit about her Mom. She doesn't quite have the same stakes in this as with the other adults. I'm totally down for making Rosebird canon. Give me some Ruby and Raven angst.

Raven abandoned Yang. It's as straightforward as that. The reason why, however, is unclear. A large part of it has to do with fear, no doubt about that. Did she feel inadequate? Did she start to fear getting attached and then potentially losing her? Was it Salem? Her relationship with the team or Oz? We dont know yet. And the specifics really don't matter much to Yang, not anymore.

What we do know is that Yang found out very young, after losing her real mom. Her dad shut down, her uncle got drunk, and she was left relatively alone. She desperately wanted the love and comfort of a mother back. She didn't know why Raven left, but like all small children, she related it back to herself. She was responsible. She made Raven leave, and maybe even Summer. If she could just find her and apologize or something, maybe Raven would come back. At the very least, maybe she'd realize that Ruby wasn't a mistake and she'd take care of *her*.

That small child understanding grew with her, but as the case with many things, some of that simplistic nature stuck. Yang spent years searching. For all that she grew resentful, a portion of her still wanted a mother, wanted to know Why? Another part of her wanted to spite her, to show her how she would become better. She would never abandon her family, abandon Ruby. No matter how much she wanted answers, sticking by her sister mattered more.

Then, come to find out, Raven had been aware the whole time. Raven knew exactly how desperately she had searched and had just WATCHED. This was no fairytale story where the mother would come back. Raven couldn't even bring herself to take on a little risk to keep Salem from coming after Yang herself. Raven, as far as Yang could tell, was *never* going to choose her. Therefore, she did not deserve Yang's care either. She had people who actually cared and loved her, and she would always choose them.

That hurt will never truly disappear, but Yang has made as much peace with it as one can in her situation.

Summer

Tai

Qrow

[invested-in-your-future]

In your rewrite, are semblances genetic? Is it possible that a person never unlocks their semblance due to a predisposition of just not having that semblance-gene?

There are essentially four rules:

Every person has an Aura, so every person has a Semblance. And every person can activate their Semblance with enough training. There's no person on Remnant who can't manifest their Aura or Semblance.

Every Semblance is a reflection of the user's soul/personality.

The way Semblance manifests is influenced by genetics to varying degrees. So parents, children, siblings, etc, might or might not have similarities between their Semblances, or stronger similarities might jump a generation.

Since it's a reflection of the person, the way a Semblance functions might change over the years due to their growth, trauma, or injuries. A child used to hiding might develop a Semblance that helps them hide better but their circumstances of life changing could lead to the Semblance adapting differently, where, for example, they could become more aware of the presence of others within a certain radius. A sharpshooter whose Semblance allows them to focus and enhances their eyesight, if they were to lose their sight, after some time, might develop a semblance that enhances their hearing or other senses.

For example, Schnee semblances are highly dependent on genetics, hence why all the Schnee family members can use glyphs and do some sort of summoning fueled by the enemies they felled.

However, while Weiss and Winter could use glyphs, it doesn't mean they use them the same way. And just because Winter has shown how she summons doesn't mean Weiss's summoning would work the same way either.

Another example is Yang, Raven, and Qrow — their Semblances are reliant on emotions. One of the reasons on why Yang has an incomplete understanding of how her Semblance works is that she bases it entirely on the knowledge she has about her father's Semblance, which is based on the transfer of kinetic energy.

Yet at the same time, while Yang, Raven, and Qrow's Semblances rely on emotion, the Semblances themselves couldn't be more different otherwise because of their personalities and experiences that shaped them.

Likewise, it would probably be safe to assume that Summer and Ruby, and Taiyang's Semblances could have similarities, but it's impossible to guess to what degree those similarities could go.

[one-real-wrimonkey]

I was reading your critiques on taiyang xiao long, and I want emphasize a criticism with the writers.

We don't see Tai enough to even know what he did or does.

Sure, he's by Ruby's bedside first time we see him, and he tries to help yang recover.

But the writers seem to not sure what to do with him.

RWBY Beyond has him going on a mission instead of seeing his girls back..why? so he can reunite with them in V10?

It took us 9 volumes for Tai and Summer scene. For goodness sake, even though it took about 10 years for the bees to kiss, at least we had buildup.

My point is, that Tai suffers from lack of screentime on the writers part, and that kinda makes it difficult for anyone to get a good feel for his character.

And while I ADORE RWBY Chibi (Ruby and Penny had a DATE!) that doesn't quite count towards canon, now, does it?

Anyway, sorry, wanted to contribute my thoughts towards your input

Firstly, thank you for your thoughts. I have a few more of my own in answer/continuation. And yes, I’m taking my stuff from the OG show and not Chibi haha. Sorry this gets a little long.

I completely agree that he has very limited screen time but the screen time he does have shows him in a poor light, both when he’s on screen and when he’s spoken about. And we certainly get more where he spoken about.

Personally, I do think he has a fairly consistent characterisation when he is on screen/talked about, just a somewhat complex one.

He is their dad and he does love them and they do love him AND he’s also a bad parent who’s happy to let Yang do all the heavy lifting after Summer dies. He’s haunted by losing Raven and Summer and that may be why he acts how he does with the girls.

Some of the conversations he has with Yang in V4 make me think he’s seeing Raven in her too much, rather than fully seeing and understanding who Yang is, and it may be the same reason he left Yang in charge of Ruby, because she looked too much like Summer. It may be he’s looking at his girls and seeing ghosts.

I do believe he loves his kids, but that doesn’t make him a good parent. Everything we learn about his parenting post Summer’s death leans into that.

Yes he was by Ruby’s bedside when she was hurt and worried about her, but when she left she was on her own (aside from JNR and Qrow). He says he can’t go after Ruby to protect her or bring her home because he has to take care of Yang (which he is indeed trying to do) but once Yang is recovered, he lets her go off alone through grimm infested wilderness to look after Ruby instead. Despite the reasons he gave for staying, when those reasons are no longer there he doesn’t go after his kids to keep them safe, he lets Yang take over looking after Ruby… again.

At best this is parentification of Yang through neglect. At worst it’s parentification of Yang through manipulation (if he said that intentionally knowing she could hear to motivate her to get better) but it’s very consistent with what Yang and Ruby tell us about how they were raised after Summer died.

When it comes to looking after Ruby, Tai passes the parenting baton onto Yang (and Qrow) in just about every instance we see or are told about. It is consistent characterisation.

(And ok, benefit of the doubt maybe, he was running missions in Vale, but those aren’t the reasons he gave, and that doesn’t change the impact it had on his kids.)

Personally I’d love to see and know more, but I want them to flesh this out, not try and change it and make him a good dad when he wasn’t. He loves his kids and they love him, and maybe he did have other missions to complete, but he was a poor parent.

So yeah TL:DR, I agree he has limited screen time but I think his characterisation is actually fairly consistent, if a little complex.

[anthurak]

Hi, I'm a completelly new to RWBY (half way through volume 5 now) and I'm enamored with your rosebirds posting . First because it adds so much more drama if it were true. Second because a reactor I watch asked a very interesting question " why would Yang's mom look like Ruby ?" for the volume 2 ending commentary.And last but not least it's just so tragicomic that Raven is a deadbeat mom twice, like whyyyy ?

If I got it right it goes : she has sex with Tai , Tai gets her pregnant, she carries it to term and leave, then she has sex with Summer , Summer gets her pregnant (?) And she just decides to carry it again and leave once more for reasons known only be her ?

The only question that it leaves me wondering is if Raven got envolved with two people of her team separatelly or if Summer and Tai were already a couple and she just decided to help them out ? To give them kids (???) Help me understand please, unless it's spoilers.

Hey, glad to hear you’re enjoying them XD And yeah, I think I’ve seen the reaction you’re talking about. It’s always fun to see more people likewise get curious why exactly Raven looks so much like Ruby :D

If you’re currently only partway through Volume 5, I’ll try to be vague on details that concern future volumes, but yeah what you said is mostly how I’m thinking things went down. Though with the one difference that I think it was Summer who got pregnant with Ruby. Mostly because I think that provides much better plausible deniability that Ruby could conceivably be Summer’s and Tai’s kid. For example, I imagine that Qrow having never told Ruby about this is because he doesn’t actually know, at least not for SURE. And Raven being the one who got pregnant or just Summer showing up with a kid despite not having been pregnant herself means that Qrow would DEFINITELY know for sure.

And more importantly, this all means that Raven gets to effectively be both a deadbeat mom AND a deadbeat dad! XD

To your actual question:

I actually don’t think Taiyang was EVER in any kind of serious relationship with Raven or Summer, at least not romantically. Yes, we do hear that Tai loved both Summer and Raven, but we likewise have really only heard HIS side of things. Notably we see in Volumes 4 and 5 that Raven clearly doesn’t think highly of Tai at all or shows any sign of past affection for him. As for Summer, well that falls under spoilers for future volumes. Some of my later posts on the RBP Masterlist, particularly the ones analyzing the Warrior in the Woods animated short go into detail on this. Though again, beware spoilers :)

Basically, I think any idea that Tai may have been seriously romantically involved with Summer or Raven (at least mutually) can be chocked up to a combination of rose-colored nostalgia-goggles on Tai’s part, long-held assumptions/headcanons of the fandom and RWBY’s general use of Unreliable Narrators.

Instead, I think the MAIN couple here, both for this theory and broader narrative developments in the story, was always Summer and Raven. At the very least, Summer was always Raven’s true love, and that Summer did reciprocate those feeling to one degree or another. In particular, I definitely think those two were partnered together at Beacon.

The hunch I have is that Yang was actually an unplanned pregnancy. The result of what should have been some drunken, one-night-stand between Raven and Tai. Maybe Tai was Raven’s rebound after a bad fight with Summer, but it accidentally resulted in Raven getting pregnant. Raven carries Yang to term (possibly at Summer’s prompting) but due to a number of personal issues ends up leaving not too long after Yang is born.

Then at some later date during some clandestine meeting, Summer and Raven conceive Ruby. This could have even been at Summer’s prompting specifically, as some misguided plan to convince Raven to come back to the team, and to her. Basically the classic ‘having a kid will save our relationship’ ploy. Which of course didn’t work out. Particularly after… well, whatever happened to Summer.

Hope that answers your questions! :D And that I didn’t inadvertently spoil anything for you lol

[deadbeatbirdmom]

I think I've recovered enough from watching the episode to actually say something about it, or at least more than I managed right afterwards.

I loved it.

It's great to see chibi-ish!Ruby used for comedic effect again, for the first time since Volume 1 I think. First acting playfully mad with Yang, and then in her excitement at the boba.

On that note, it's great to see and hear Ruby excited again. It's impressive how high her voice can go without breaking, especially considering Ruby's VA's normal voice seems to be lower pitched than Yang's voice.

I'm not surprised Ruby's uncomfortable with the cult that has sprung up around her message to Remnant. She always wanted to be a normal girl, if one who became a huntress, which is a fairly normal thing in Remnant. Especially for someone born to a family of them.

It's good to see that refugees from Patch can set up their business in Vacuo, and even better that it lets Yang and Ruby carry on the tradition they had before Beacon. That it was something they did with Tai also ended up revealing why he isn't there with them: he's on assignment, according to Qrow. What is more important than being in Vacuo, where the majority of Remnant's population is gathered? And more important than being with his daughters, who he might have heard were presumed dead and miraculously reappeared.

I've seen the suggestion that Tai's guarding the Crown aka Relic of Choice, but I've also seen the great point that if that's the case and Salem finds him, there's not much he can do to stop her, no matter what his Semblance is. Although I guess Raven might feel that he's in danger and open a portal for him to escape through. It's not confirmed that's how her Semblance works, but it explains how she knew when Yang needed saving in Volume 2.

Anyway, back to Yang and Ruby! I love that Yang brought up what happened in the Ever After. That she's understands, or at least understands enough after what Yang herself has been through, and the important thing she gets across to Ruby is that she's not alone. That she's not going to carry the weight of leading them alone. Not anymore.

It's also important that they've figured out a code word to signal that Ruby needs help, because she doesn't always know how to reach out. I figure that they will tell Blake and Weiss about that, or it could confuse them:

Ruby: "Boba!"

Weiss: ...

Blake: :3 ???

Yang: Hugs Ruby. "I'm here for you."

Weiss: "Is. Is this another weird Xiao Long-Rose thing?"

What I particularly appreciate about it is that Yang acknowledged her mistake but didn't actually apologise for it, and Ruby didn't mind that. Because the important thing isn't saying sorry, it's changing things so that Ruby never feels that alone again. Actions speak louder than words.

It's also equally important that Ruby recognised she still has issues saying when she needs help. They're a team and they need to work together.

It just reinforces RWBY's message of hope, and to keep moving forward, and that no one is perfect but that they learn from their mistakes.

Asjhgsdkjghfdkshjkakjhdhlsj FEELS AUGH

Also that last line kinda hints that Ruby likes to go shopping with Yang, but they haven't got around to it. Shopping for new outfits, perhaps?

[citadelofmythoughts]

Think what strikes me most about the conversation between Taiyang and Yang in V4 is just how much he's simultaneously shown to be someone who does understand and is able to understand certain aspects of a problem, but is also constantly held back by his own inability to properly address his own biases, and how it affects the way he approaches conflict.

Like his point about finding other ways around a tough problem, which doesn't sound bad on paper, but it's also interesting how it's reflective of the way HE approaches his problems:

Namely, by not really dealing with them at all, and trying to go around them. Especially in regards to Raven and Summer. Rather than properly confronting his complicated history and difficulties with the former, he basically just avoids the subject entirely even when it means actively ensuring that the issue is never resolved and festers until it comes back when he doesn't want it to, or pushes him against the wall until he has no choice but to face the issue, IF he even chooses to do so.

And his interactions with Yang, treating her issues with her Semblance as if it's a tantrum, is also quite demeaning, since that really isn't the issue at all. Rather, it's that she has severely repressed anger and resentment that he and the adults failed to address, and she has to basically vent it out either via her Semblance and fights as the closest thing to a constructive coping mechanism she has, or by pretending everything is okay. She's shown pretty consistently to be a smart fighter, so that was never really the actual problem; it's that people around her depend on her, while very much overlooking how much she's having to bear a burden she shouldn't have had to bear in the first place.

I'm sure I might get some pushback on this but Tai projects, Tai projects A LOT.

And yeah, Yang's biggest problem is her trauma and it's only gotten better because of her friends and Blake but I'd say she's far from healed. The adults in her life and Ruby's failed them.

And before someone comes at me, that's also a theme of the show. How the previous generations have failed and the current one has to pick up the pieces.

[transsunwukong]

randomly thought about something that hasn't really occurred to me before: the difference in how yang expresses her confidence depending on who she's with. we all know and love her attitude when she's dealing with some stupid asshole, but that's more of an intimidation tactic than anything else - it's just her style. what i wanna talk about here is more about who yang really is when she's not putting up a front. not consciously, at least.

it's apparent in a lot of moments, but i wanna highlight this by comparing 4 specific scenes, all about the concept of (her) strength:

in v4c9, she has her talk with tai after their sparring match. it's pretty clear that yang and her father have a lot of mutual respect for each other in spite of their complicated history. i feel like tai is the only person who can really get away with criticizing yang on something so personal and essential to her identity as her fighting skills, especially with how much of an inspiration he's been to her on that front.

and she listens, because she knows he's right (even if she's sad and a bit sarcastic about it) - but also because, at this point in the story, she's still recovering from the lowest low of her life and her dad is currently the only one she can seek solace in. that's what this scene is all about! you can tell she's not happy with letting her guard down and being lectured/psychoanalyzed like this, but this is the one place where she can do so guilt-free.

her time back in patch is as much of an opportunity to reconnect with her family and sort out everything she's been dealing with alone in her head, as it is a literal recovery and training period. it's sad to see yang like this, but she's not really self-deprecating here - she just finally has a breathing room, and someone there to listen, who already knows and understands her better than she does herself sometimes, which i think is a really important part of it.

in v5c14 and probably one of my FAVORITE scenes in the entire show, it's the other way around, as yang is the one confronting her other parent. this scene beautifully mirrors her previous conversation with tai and shows how much she took it to heart.

the whole back-and-forth between yang and raven is so good. there's just something so satisfying about yang finally tracking down her mom, being the one to ruin everything she's planned up until now, standing her ground and calling out raven on her hypocrisy and cowardice in such a tense moment without letting her feelings get the better of her - and ACTUALLY getting through to raven. "yeah, i'm scared, but i'm still standing here. i'm not like you, i won't run." what else can i say?

and of course it's not until raven has left and yang retrieves the relic herself that she falls to her knees and cries. this isn't yang putting up a front to scare someone away, this is yang taking matters into her own hands because she knew she was the only one who possibly could. this is yang choosing to be the bigger, braver person, knocking some sense into someone who failed at that responsibility her whole life, because there was no other option.

even though she WAS terrified and heartbroken, raven didn't -deserve- to see her cry.

in v6c7 after That Whole Ordeal, everyone's still a bit on edge. this is such a small blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, but i think it's still relevant to point out.

"especially since some of you are clearly stronger already." it's no coincidence that the focus is on yang here, when maria talks about her guilt as a failed hero/role model for the next generation, but it's even more important how yang reacts to it.

for one, yang can relate to maria's guilt (even if she really shouldn't have to). we know how important it is for her to be viewed as someone strong and reliable - as a protector of the people, as a friend, as a teammate, and ESPECIALLY as an older sister (this just in: self-destructive hero complexes aren't just limited to the team leaders!!). despite how much ruby looks up to her, there's still a part of yang that won't forgive herself for not always being the person ruby needed her to be, and the same can easily be said for her other loved ones. especially here in v6, when she's still not really There Yet when it comes to the old team rwby dynamic. it's a complicated time.

she says nothing, but you can tell she's interpreting this like it's pointed directly at her. when yang feels exposed like this, she tends to either dodge it with humor or lash out, so in a way it's refreshing to see her just kinda....sit on this, silently and out of view, even if it's not necessarily a good thing to sulk about.

and of course there's this little bit in v8c9, courtesy of ren and his WONDERFUL AND HILARIOUS VIBE CHECK ABILITY!!!!

yang, jaune and ren are all -friends-. not necessarily teammates or family, but very close friends who understand each other. and they may be in some deep, awful, super scary shit at the moment, but that's nothing they're not used to. it kinda does feel like Just Another Situation With The Bros.

of course yang tries to lighten the mood! that's what she DOES with her friends, and they know this! i don't think it even OCCURS to her that the others might take it the wrong way, or pick up on why she's doing it. i don't think that she, in the moment, really thinks about why she's doing it, either. this is yang after all! confident, cool, funny, bright and happy yang. right?

so when ren of all people is the one to call her out on it, it catches her off guard so badly that it takes her a few seconds to even process it, and then she can't help but sigh and smile. it might have been a little embarrassing for her, but above all i think it's actually a relief for yang to be seen like this, especially from someone so unexpected. a less outspoken friend who she might not be as close with as some of the others, but who can therefore genuinely relate and sympathize with her anxiety in this moment without making her feel too self-conscious about it.

it's nice. it's just really cute and nice.

[rachetmath]

Jaune Vol 10 Character Analysis

You know what I planned to make this a few pages long, but screw it, let’s talk about it. In Volume 10, I want Jaune to have that same energy back in Volumes 9 and 6. I’m sorry, but after everything Jaune has been through should not go back to being a comic relief character. No, not a chance, considering they're in the kingdom of Vacuo.

Vacuo, the desert kingdom might as well be the crime invested, savage, and brutal nation in all of Remnant. And this was the best place to bring thousands of people to? Imagine the amount of stress Jaune will be under due to the amount of work needed just to have stability. And he just got back from the Ever After. Imagine how hard it will be for him to readjust to Remnant, especially if the people start losing faith in the hunters. Not only that despite being reverted to the age he left in, he still is mentally older than everyone else. 

Remember what Jaune’s mother told him, “A stranger is a friend you haven't met yet.” Well, that’s debatable now after being betrayed by so many people. So imagine Jaune thinking twice about trusting anyone, regardless of good intentions. Hell, have him question Emerald so she can prove herself or his allies for a change considering they barely do anything for him. Either way, Jaune… won’t be as trusting as before. 

Next, after failing his friends multiple times at least story-wise…Jaune might as well be more obsessed with getting stronger than ever before. Even though Weiss, Yang, and Blake slightly helped him, it’s not enough to help him move past the amount of pain he went through like isolation, paranoia, and self-doubt. These things can make Jaune question himself, and lead him to want to quit, leaving the hunter world for good. Or die. This isn’t a good idea, considering Jaune is needed and is a hero in other people's eyes. (Jaune has been doing a better job than most characters, despite being the weakest in the group.) 

Sadly, his friends may be unable to talk to him about it. I’m talking about Ren and Nora, mainly due to relating. But it's because they are both horrible teammates. 

Okay, I explain my beef with these two. Ren and Nora, I tolerated at the beginning volumes. However, after volumes four to eight, I got frustrated with them enough that I didn’t mind if either of them or both of them died. Jaune always has to be there for both of them but neither is there for him when he truly needs them. I get it he is their leader but still. And before you all say “Ren and Nora have moments with Jaune.” My counterpoint is that most of them are forgettable and were outweighed by their other actions. Don’t believe me? Then let us discuss the volumes.

In volume four, it’s crazy that Ruby knows what Jaune has been doing more than his team. Let’s not forget during a fight with a Nuckalavee they were conversing while Jaune and Ruby were fighting for their lives. Look I understand, the Nuckalavee killed Ren’s parents but still. And don’t get me started on how they were willing to stand aside in the fight with Tyrian. At least Jaune was trying to help in response to Ruby jumping in between Qrow and Tyrian’s fight by herself.

Volume five, not going to lie, Nora was worried about Jaune but that was in a trap set up by Cinder and Raven. And to make matters worse they fought one man together while Jaune faced a maiden alone. Then when Jaune was healing Weiss, not knowing how long it would take, the moment Ren got hurt, Nora rushed in to help him, knowing Jaune may need protection. (I know it was under Jaune’s orders but come on.)

Volume six…. No. Let us skip this because even though it was a bad time, at least Nora and Ren said the sweetest thing ever. It’s too bad I can’t say those same words held up for volume seven. Nora and Ren were barely with Jaune at all. Jaune is more with Oscar than they were combined. Then they were useless in the fight with Neo and argued half the volume onto volume eight.

In volume eight, I truly started hating these two even more. Nora seems to care more about Oscar, to the where she has hugged him more than once, while I don’t recall one time she ever hugs Jaune. So far, in many volumes, she was straight-up rude to him. And even when he and Ren return from almost certain death she never says “Hi” and after healing her, Nora and Ren start having their moment again. Nora never said “Thank you”.

Speaking of Ren, we can’t forget this man calling Jaune out like he did, over something they all agreed to do. Understand, the circumstances they were in. Oscar got kidnapped by an unknown enemy. They were in a snow field with no shelter insight and they could die. All while Oscar was in enemy clutches with no way to reach him. With the facts in mind, was addressing any of what Ren said, important? “No. Why?” because not only was it not of any importance, there were too many counterpoints to his statements.

And what makes this worse, is when the portal to Vacuo, appears before them, they immediately use Jaune as a test subject instead of Emerald. Nope, these two are unless to Jaune if he starts going on the deep end. Emerald and Oscar might be a better choice than either of them. Hell, I’ll take the red-haired woman over them. I want Raven to talk to him or at least Qrow. 

I want Raven to come back and talk to him, due to being one of the same. The only difference is Jaune’s actions were based on circumstances, while Raven’s were purely by choice. Imagine Raven telling Jaune every cruel thing she’s ever done. And how some of the decisions she’s made in her life, caused her more grief and hardship than good. She tells Jaune not to make the same mistakes she did. Telling him to press forward despite everything he has gone through. I wouldn’t mind if Raven bothers to train him if Jaune asks of her. And if that can't happen then give that role to Qrow. However, there is one person Jaune needs to stay away from and kill. Tyrian.  

Tyrian is one of those toxic individuals, who will use and manipulate people to do things recklessly. Like I said before, the people's faith in the hunters could be diminishing. People like Tyrian will take advantage of this by using violence and chaos as a solution. When it's simply him pushing his own agenda. Tyrian was already interested in Jaune, but he never expressed why. Tyrian, in theory was like Jaune but life changed him somehow to be a monster. Jaune who's already close to insanity might as well be another reason fueling Tyrian’s curiosity. Tyrian wants to see how long it will take to break the knight’s spirit until he becomes just like him. Or push him to become another ally for Salem. Basically, instead of like Marco where he just forgets and moves on with his life, Jaune, I agree, becomes more like Samurai Jack. Or in this case, Odysseus, who I probably talk about later.

Samurai Jack, as many know was a Samurai, sent to the future and out for revenge against a demon known as Aku. He has experienced multiple failures, especially trying to find a way home to the past. Soon, he lost all chances of getting home to his family. And to make matters worse, he loses his sword and his way. This led to Jack being on the run and hiding from Aku. Sending him into a downward spiral as he felt all hope was lost. It wasn't until he met Ashi and remembered the good he had done for the people is when he rose to fight again, overcoming his demons. Odysseus, on the other hand, learns a different lesson. Again later.

If that’s the direction Jaune’s character is taking, then these are the requirements. Jaune moves on and embraces the reality that he isn’t the same person he once was before the Ever After. And he needs to find his strength once again. Planning and making better choices than the supposed headmasters and rulers of the world. And the best way to do that is to work on himself while separating from the group. What I’m theorizing is, when Alyx said “You’re not meant to be the hero.”, what could she have meant by it? Probably because while being a hero is good, being a ruler and leader for the people is a lot better.

[bestworstcase]

This is just me noting two comparisons with Salem and Summer that would make their next meeting interesting.

Salem lost her daughters, partially her fault

Summer adopted Yang but was horrible at explaining the whole adoption but to her - compare to Salem emotionally adopting Cinder and also being horrible at explaining it to the adopted daughter. Just, Yang didn't have any reason to not see Summer as her mother.

No wonder Salem in a Summer as General scenario would understand that Yang and Ruby being kept alive was a priority.

to be fair, yang was five when summer left and (despite body of evidence suggesting it’s best to be open about adoption from day one) it’s a really quite common assumption that it’s better for the child to wait until they’re old enough to understand, plus the situation with raven leaving seems to have been very messy and not something summer or tai handled well. so less that summer fucked up explaining adoption than that she and tai may have been planning to sit her down and explain in a couple years (with maybe a bit of “hoping raven would come back” in the mix, because: messy), and then that… got derailed by summer going missing.

(it seems to be a pretty widespread assumption that summer and tai fully intended to keep raven a secret from yang forever, which… seems like a bit of a leap to me. yes, the inner circle is in the habit of keeping secrets—when those secrets pertain to salem. when yang makes the jab “so now we can talk about her?” tai answers that well, yang’s an adult now, implying that the reason he refused before had to do with yang being too young/too immature in his estimation. that would track with a plan to tell yang at some threshold of “old enough to understand” and tai kicking the can down the road after summer’s presumed death broke him. anyway,)

yeah. the framing in 6.4 makes it pretty unambiguous that salem blames herself—tbh i am not even convinced it’s “partially,” because it stands out to me that her songs rage on behalf of the people ozma deceives and manipulates now but don’t express even a vague shred of condemnation for killing the daughters, i think she fully blames herself and only herself for their deaths. (if they died that night.) (as always i have to side-eye their Disappearance from the scene the moment the fight began; ozma Does Not Know what happened to them. though granted i think the most likely case is they died and salem saw it happen, hence her self-blame.)

bare minimum, she knows how it feels as a mother to lose your children and to feel their blood on your hands—ergo she knows it would shatter summer’s loyalty to her if salem did not make a serious effort to avoid killing them. if she, on top of that, cares about summer to any degree the pragmatic reasoning is secondary to not wanting to inflict that pain on summer. given how salem is about cinder, her consistent choice to prioritize “leave ruby alive” over eliminating a threat to cinder’s safety suggests to me that either she does care for summer enough for that feeling to be in conflict with her care for cinder, or summer is a load-bearing pillar in her plans that cannot be removed, or both.

it’s probably both

[zcricketz]

So I saw this in the tag and I’m sorry, but this is like the biggest reach to say freezerburn and ladybug should be canon (check the last screenshot)

So this person claims bumbleby is doomed by the narrative for reasons that don’t really make sense to basically claim this is why freezerburn should be canon. Because I don’t think this person understands what a foil is and how it was intentional for Yang and Blake to be foils to Adam and Raven and that having a similar semblance does not mean Yang and Adam share the same kind of flaws. Yang is nothing like Adam whose flaw is that he’s is an abusive maniac who only cares about power and control and Blake doesn’t run in high intensity situations or run for no reason. All the times Blake ran were legit. She ran from the white fang and Adam because she no longer wanted to be apart of their violence and didn’t need to be around someone who constantly manipulated and abused her, she ran to an area within Beacon in volume 1 because she outed herself as a member of the WF who her team already wasn’t fond of and who at the time she barely knew and didn’t know if she could trust, and she ran in volume 3 because she wanted to protect everyone because Yang got hurt from Adam and felt like she had no other choice, but to remove herself so that she could protect them and so no one else could get hurt because Adam was after her

Also if it were true that Blake does nothing but run in high intensity situations then in volume 5 she would have ran away when Adam tried to kill her parents, she wouldn’t have made a speech and gathered everyone to stop Adam in Haven she would have ran away, she would have ran the moment Adam showed up in volume 6 and not stay fighting him till the end, she would have ran away when Salem showed up in volume 8 when she came with an army of grimm and swarmed Atlas, and she would have ran away the moment Cinder showed up in volume 8 and surprised everyone attacking them and throwing each of her members off the cliff because all of these situations are high intensity situations that Blake did not run away from

It’s posts like this that really miss the point to Blake and Yang’s relationship and Blake and Yang as individual characters and their growth throughout the show because they want to claim that so and so ship would be a better fit by only wanting to focus on the negative aspects of their relationship and acting like Yang is like Adam and that Blake is stunted in her growth with running away and can never learn to stop or understand why Blake runs in the first place because Blake has no reason at all to run now

Blake and Yang will be in a long lasting relationship because they bring out the best in each other and love each other deeply. It’s nice to see a relationship like theirs in media and if people think ships like freezerburn and ladybug who have no romantic build or any attraction to each other should be canon then that’s on them I guess because even if Yang and Blake weren’t together that doesn’t mean those two ships would automatically become canon lol

[kitshune]

A Piece of you (Chp 3)

Pairing: Void Archive/Welt Yang

                           ————————————————

Morning arrived or at least that was what the Express clock system indicated. They open their eyes to the sight of a shorter brunette man right beside him, curls and holding onto their arm as he peacefully sleeps. It was…undeniably cute. Actually it’s extremely cute. They want to take a photo of it but damn they don't have their phone with them right now. Their phone was placed inconveniently on the far side of the table. Curses! Oh well at least they could save the memory as much as they can within themselves because they are quite literally an archive. 

The man had snuggle on their arm and showed no sign of letting go as Void attempted to pull away only to be met with Welt snuggle closer to said arm. They didn’t take account of the man's super strength also since the man is extremely strong for an ordinary human. Then again, he isn’t exactly one to begin with. So pulling away isn’t an option right now. Void has no clue what to do at that moment so they resign their fate as a body pillow for the sleeping man. Not that they are going to complain as the brunette does look awfully adorable for his own good. Makes them want to bite him. 

Heaving out a sigh. They lay back down facing toward the other man. They examine every bit of the brunette features. Admiring every single part that makes up the other’s facial. Even with the sight of wrinkles due to ageing on the man’s face, he still looks handsome. Talk about ageing like fine wine. Literally. His whole face looks softer as they are less strain currently rather than during his waking hour. Ah, Void felt like they could admire the brunette’s features for hours if they could. Maybe they should forfeit the self-organise mode to admire the man’s face each time he sleeps. Well that is if they were allowed to enter his room again. They aren’t sure if they are actually welcome in the other’s room. They kinda just barge in since they were bored and snooping around the brunette’s room is the only thing they could do for the time being. Of course there are other passenger’s rooms but they don’t think they should since both of the rooms belong to the girls and the data bank room is just an archive. Despite also being the raven hair’s and one of the trailblazers shared bedroom. They understand making the archive their space as Void is the same minus the fact that Void is the archive itself and not someone who lives in one. They were somewhat confused on why the twin trailblazers only have one room though. They understand that both are somewhat like twins even if they don’t admit to it, they require some sort of physical touch between each other if the express don’t want to deal with an anxious trailblazer. Void had ventured to their shared room of course and it’s only filled with their so-called ‘treasures’ which are trinkets they dug from a trash can and unopened package. Uninterested to them really. 

Back to the slumbering man next to them, they moved their free arm to caress the brunette cheeks. Moving some strands of hair away from his face so they could get a better look. The white streak on his hair does look good on him, Void thought. Everything about the man intrigues him from the moment they met him till now. Someone who isn’t afraid to stand against them despite knowing their nature and what they are but also still somehow treats them as an equal and as a living human being. Not as a weapon like the rest did and not as a clone of the tyrant with the same face. But an equal. They wonder if Welt does treat Otto as an equal despite being enemies. Should they ask why? No, it’s a stupid question but Void was sure that Welt would answer them sincerely like he always does. The man is really good at giving confirmation,doesn’t he? What the hell.

Unbeknownst to them, Welt has slowly woken up from his slumber. The brunette opened his eyes to the blonde’s face as they were deep in thought. Welt blinked a few times before realising they were too close to each other and he was hugging the blonde’s arm. Yet he doesn’t pull away. He simply continues to lay there while hugging said arm. Slowly drifting back to sleep as he melts back onto his bed. It was incredibly nice. He hadn’t slept this well in years. Not to mention no nightmares! He felt well rested. Would Void allow him to use his arm again on a later night? It feels wonderful knowing that he could sleep this well just from having the other man with him. Though it might be a bit strain with their previous topic causing him to break all his walls in front of them but he knows as much as them. They couldn’t harm him even if they wanted to. And so, he will use the fact that they needed Welt for their plan as a leverage for his own gain. Even if that means his own mental state is in shambles. At least he could sleep well. 

“...What are you thinking about?” He asked groggily, still half asleep. The sudden question made them jolted before meeting the sleepy man’s eyes staring back at him. It felt like they were caught doing something. “...n-nothing”. They answer with hesitation. “If it’s nothing, why did you stutter?” Welt chuckled as he watched the man slowly turn red from embarrassment. How amusing, he could cause this type of reaction from the blonde.”You!”. Welt laugh while snuggling closer to the blonde’s arm. Clinging to it and bringing his face to nuzzle against it. 

Void couldn’t get mad with how the brunette suddenly laughed and snuggled closer to them. They decide to reciprocate the act instead rather than trying to find a comeback seeing how the brunette is somewhat half asleep. They wrap their free arm around Welt and pull him closer to his chest. “You’re not going to get up? It’s already morning”. The question goes unanswered as the brunette has already fallen back into slumber. They huffed before pulling the blanket to cover both of them. Void makes sure Welt is comfortable before pulling him closer until there is no gap between them. They went back to comb his hair softly before slipping away into his archive to find a book to read mentally while still keeping an eye on the man resting against his chest. 

Welt woke up first this time. He was surrounded by odd warmth. Who would think a clone is warm? Then again he never knew much about soulium body to begin with. Welt did his best to detangle his body from Void. Carefully not to wake the man up. He propped his body up as best as he could. He watches the other man ‘sleeps’. Not exactly sure how but this felt more different than their usual self organising mode. This time it feels like they are actually sleeping. He was tempted to poke the other man's face as they were peacefully ‘sleeping’. 

This man… looks different don’t they? How come? Their hair is spikier? And more fluff? Than the original. They have somewhat the same speaking manners but most of that have to do with their own imprisonment. His sense of clothing is also somewhat the same. Quite flamboyant actually. They are more childish than they like to lead on. It’s amusing how much Welt could do or say to get an interesting reaction out of the man. Do they know that Welt finds them extremely amusing? Welt thinks they would get offended if they knew what Welt thought of them.

This temporary companion of his is very interesting to him. Would they allow him to poke him around? Maybe have them do some sort of favour perhaps? Would they mind if he asked something about the archive? Maybe not. He shouldn’t really entertain that idea really if he doesn’t want to be tormented by the blonde. Knowing his behaviour. He sighs before looking back at the blonde only to be met with a pair of green eyes. “...Is there something you want to ask?” He tilted his head, questioning the blonde looking at him. The taller man yawned before patting his head. “Mm…nothing. What’s with you?” Void stretch their body a little before sitting up. Welt watches the man stretch before sitting up himself. He took a moment before facing Void once more. He breathed in as much air as he could before pushing it out. 

“It was the only thing I have that gave me comfort’. Welt started. He crawled across Void to reach towards the other side table. Pulling on the drawers knob and retrieving the glove within before settling back to his original spot. He holds the glove near to his face before continuing. “You left the glove as a joke but truly, I don’t really see it as a joke. And I do in fact use it as a source of comfort. I had longed for my home ever since. Of course I enjoy each and every adventure the Express has given me but it won’t help with the loneliness and longing of comfort from what I call home. It would be a lie to say I miss my family, my son, everything. It would be a lie Void. And this glove right here” He holds the glove up towards Void. “This glove. The glove you jokingly gave while we spend most of our days stranded, is the one thing I found comfort in. Oddly enough. I’m not sure why of all things it was yours that gave comfort but it is and I have no proper reason to reject as much as I would like it.” With that, he ended. He let out a sigh of relief. He knows the others don’t really need to know but at the same time he knows them well enough that they would question it for a long while before they could let it go. Blame it on the extreme curiosity and their thirst to fill said curiosity.

They sat in silence for a moment. Welt cradling the glove toward his chest. Void Archive does not show any sign of emotion whatsoever for the time being. Welt let out a sigh. If the other isn’t responding he might as well get ready for the day. Though there isn’t much he can do since Himeko had forced him to take it easy for a couple of days as he had been stressing out about the kids being in danger again. Maybe he could catch up on his reading he had left yesterday. 

Just as he was about to leave he pulled back toward the bed and was pinned down once more. Doesn’t he have enough getting pin down already? Void looming above him. Watching for any reaction that the brunette gave out. Yet there isn’t. His expression was soft and calm as he looked back into those green eyes. He still held the glove in his hand, not letting it go. Before Welt could say anything, Void linked both of their hands together effectively pushing the glove out of Welt’s hand before guiding Welt’s lips to theirs by the chin with his free hand. Slowly connecting their lips together. They expect Welt to push them back for the sudden act. They however did not expect the brunette to reciprocate. Welt is kissing them back. Soft lips touching theirs. The grip on their hand increases as the kiss deepens. Welt broke the kiss first for air only to be pulled back in roughly into another one. As a normal kiss deepens their tongue starts to intertwine with each other. Fighting for dominance in one another’s mouth. 

When Void pulls back leaving a string of saliva connecting between two mouths, they caress the other man’s lip as they watch him trying to catch his breath after a heated kiss. And oh his expression is something Void would love to see more of. An expression of Welt’s face that they wished they knew long before. Such an adorable expression. Void wants more and Welt will have to give them more.  

Previous < Chapter > Next

[dextixer]

Bumblebee might not be Queerbaiting, but it is shit representation

Discussions about BB are as common as weeds in a garden. You cant even move a step without running into one. And its quite understandable in my opinion. After all, this is the "flagship" of the series. The main romance that is pushed by the crew, the fandom, and the show.

For a long time, many people, especially those in the LGBT+ community have called the ship "Queerbaiting", me being one of those people. But after some time, i do think that we should stop using that word. While the meaning behind us using it is clear, it is not within the definition of Queerbaiting.

"Queerbaiting"

Queerbaiting as a term is definited as - A marketing technique for fiction and entertainment in which creators hint at, but then do not depict, same-sex romance or other LGBTQ+ representation. The purpose is to attract ("bait") a queer or straight ally audience with the suggestion or possibility of relationships or characters that appeal to them.

Considering that BB is definitely confirmed by now. The term does not technically apply to BB as it is. However, we do have to keep in mind that many people used the term not with its technical definition.

As far as i have noticed, and used the term myself, it has mostly been used as a more general way to say that BB is shit representation that RT is capitalizing upon just to earn more money while behind close doors being a shit and not exactly accepting company. "Queerbaiting" was employed as a term to basically describe all of that and more. Because its easier to use one phrase than type out a paragraph of everything wrong with BB every time one talks about the romance.

Raina Deerwater (Entertainment research and analysis manager for the GLAAD Media Institute) has even said this on the matter:

"If there's a very poor representation of a queer character, people are like, 'We were queerbaited.' No, there's an actual queer person there. Unfortunately, it's not good [representation],"

BB is not a good romance

I think many of us already believe that BB is not a good romance for many various reasons. But i personally think that those reasons should be repeated so that we all could learn and teach others about them.

First of all, BB is a toxic relationship. While some treat it as a "meme" or an out of universe joke, many people have noticed that Blake and Yang share uncomfortable qualities with the people who hurt their significant other the most. Yang sharing hers with Adam, while Blake shares her with Raven. And those qualities have been made manifest in the show itself. With Blake abandoning Yang at her lowest moment while Yangs inability to keep her anger in check has caused its own issues. Even besides that, there is a large issue of codependency between each other that the show depics, but does not acknowledge.

Yang and Blake have become less their own individual characters and more like planets orbiting each other. They barely have their own scenes or scenes with other people. This does not mean that those scenes do not exist, but most of what Blake and Yang do centers around their relationship. Many people have even noticed how this has come at the expense between Yangs and Rubys relationship as sisters. That relationship does still exist, but one can definitely notice that it is weakened. Be it the moment when in V8 Yang is more worried about Blake being dissapointed in her than having a fight with Ruby, or be it the entirety of V9 and the clusterfuck that was Rubys suicide.

Not only is this kind of co-dependance not very good writing, in reality, such a relationship would be considered extremelly unhealthy. A relationship is supposed to be a partnership, a close one. But its not supposed to turn into people being attached to the hip. And the show even encourages and shows it as a GOOD thing. Which is not a very great message to send people. Co-dependance can have a good effect to an extent, people bonding over trauma and getting better with each others help. But its not a replacement for actually dealing with those issues.

Moreover, the romance itself has been very vague. It seems that the writers did not want to commit to an actual relationship. Before V5 the most we got from BB was them being friendly or familial to one another. It is not until V6 that the actual romance starts. But its not an actual romance is it? Neither Blake or Yang confront the many issues that were caused by the finale of V3. They just kill Adam, and thats it. Nothing. No talking, no nothing. After that its only the most basic of interactions, them having fun or the show going "Aw, look, they are so cute together". Thats not a meaningful relationship. Its just empty calories.

RT Rainbow Capitalism

But that alone would not be much of a problem. After all, a shit romance is a shit romance. No need to care about it, right? Well, that becomes a bit difficult when the company behind the romance starts treating it as bigger than life. When the corporation starts using it as a smokescreen for their abuses, or when they use that to get more money out of people.

And that is what BB is being used for by RT and its fanboys.

Lets be very clear, part of the reason why RT and RWBY are so defended despite their writing and despite the many abuses by the company, is because some people just like BB and they REFUSE to believe that anything connected to a romance they love is actually made to trick them into spending money. BB is partially a tool to deepen the parasocial relationship between the FNDM and RT.

That was made very clear when the Voice Actresses of Blake and Yang did an underwear BB photoshoot on only fans. I have no problem with onlyfans or people earning money through sexual work. Go get the bag as they say. But the whole BB thing? The very clear parasocial relationship established? How the Voice Actresses of Blake and Yang are even seen by people AS the characters themselves? All of that is cynical exploitation meant to turn into support for the company.

Hell, even before the confirmation of BB that was in full swing. The BB song? The constant "hints", the constant references, especially by the voice actresses? BB did not take 10 years to come into fore because its a "slow burn", it did so because RT wanted to exploit the ship for as long as they could before a confirmation. And man, is it a very convenient "accident" that the confirmation of BB is happening right AFTER RT landed in hot water due to abusing their workers and the next volume is up in the air. Man, thats very weird /s

Let us also not forget the latest fiasco when BB was used to promote a... COMPLETELY UNRELATED thing by RWBY twitter. You would imagine that would give people some perspective. But besides the uproar things are the same as usual it seems.

Oh, and also the merch. That was sold out. Multiple times now i think? I wonder why its specifically BB merch that is getting sold out. Really makes you think.

And let us be clear, RT is not the only corporation doing this. Blizzard has become infamous with its BS and how its various LGBT+ character in Overwatch reveals just seem to "conveniently" coincide with yet another Blizzard PR shitstorm like a lawsuit. Or Riot, which confirms LGBT+ relationships and then... Does nothing with them. Like the character Varus who was retconned into a demon fused with a gay couple. Which noone will ever know unless they read the story of the character.

RT is not the only company doing this shit, but that dont make this shit good.

So basically, what i want to say is as follows. Despite knowing how we use the term "queerbaiting" to refer to all of the above. We should probably avoid doing so. Let us instead simply call BB a shitty romance meant to exploit LGBT+ markets.

[invested-in-your-future]

I can't help find it funny how Raven cares about her one-sided crush more than her own daughter. I guess Raven, like Qrow, value already forged connections more than anything, and it's because she knew that if she watched Yang grow, be a present figure in her life, she would never muster it to leave and come as far as she did. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the whole thing but Raven sort of reminds me of Ambessa who distanced herself from her daughter "Because you weakened me"

It's complicated.

For starters, I think Raven is almost incapable of not being this way by this point. Even if she genuinely wants to reconnect with her daughter, the walls and the mistrust are so ingrained into who she is that she likely can't function any other way. For what it matters, considering how much she values knowledge, the fact that she is willing to share all this information with Yang, even if as a transaction, shows that she does value her—at least enough as to not keep her in the dark. For better or for worse, she wants Yang to be the deciding factor in the story rather than a bystander.

Also, Summer is "someone already lost" while she hasn't lost Yang yet. Raven can't change what happened to Summer. So, just like with her parents, Raven clings to what remains.

As for Summer herself, the word "complicated" undersells it.

Summer is...fascinating. Mainly because if you were to ask Taiyang, Raven, Yang, Ruby, Qrow, Glynda, and Ozpin what kind of person she was, you'd get completely different answers from each.

One of the aspects I have been slowly building is Ruby's realization that she doesn't really know her mother as well as she had thought she did—her image of Summer is, in part, a projection of her hopes. Ruby's journey is littered with footprints of this whole other life Summer had.

Revealing more about STRQ as the story progresses is one of the goals. Those people spent decades as a team living the life RWBY wanted to lead, so seeing how their lives had been affected by that and what kinds of people they were(or are) is important. And at the center of that is understanding Summer.

[kob131]

RWBY WA here. Turns out that volume 5 got me...

So, I really loved Qrow, especially episode 1

The Belladonna family's arc was great, although I'm not sure what animal the father is exactly (I guess some kind of feline anyway. Maybe lion?)

Sun was still great.

I loved seeing Yang's development with Raven. It was really great and I hope that when the series end, we get to see her healing her inner child by being an amazing mom.

Speaking of Raven, I was like that all season: "I'm sure the Fall Maiden is Raven. Oh, the way they talk about it, probably not. Ah, I see, it's the woman from the opening. It probably won't end well so I guess that Raven will be transferred the power. Oh oh... I KNEW IT!"

(Turns out that this info never stuck to my brain, so I was half surprised by it but now that I'm thinking about it, I must have read somewhere that she was the Maiden)

I'm happy to see Weiss growing her power like that, along with how Jaune found his semblance. I also kind of wished I didn't know who are still alive by volume 9 because there was no tension for when Weiss got hit by Cinder... (and I'm also not worried about Cinder's fate for example...)

Strangely, I feel like there haven't really been a lot in this volume. It didn't feel like 14 episodes but more like... 8. It was a nice volume, and I'm still highly enjoying the show.

Will see when I start volume 6, but I'm confident that that after 5 volumes, I cannot be disappointed.

Well, I'm glad you liked it. Volume 5 is the roughest spot in the whole show due to the higher ups, one guy in particular, being dicks which exasperated RWBY's issues. So that's a big sticking point.

Once again- Qrow is great. He's a very versatile character who can act as the cool mentor, the cynical professional, the overly jaded broken man and the powerhouse of the team.

I actually really do like the Belladonnas. They're loving parents to Blake even after she ran away, which kind of shows why she's so ashamed to come back: she kind of spat in their faces when they were kind of right all along. Kali's great acting as the subtle jokester to Ghira's very serious and somewhat awkward demeanor, especially when she pushed for them to talk in Volume 4. Kind of reflects what Sun did. And Ghira's an upstanding, moral guy who actually shows were Blake got her personality from...and it logically leads to them being very awkward around each other until they finally have an understanding.

Yeah, Sun's great once again. He's a fucking great contrast with Blake with his louder vocal delivery, jokester personality and little to no knowledge about the WF. A better contrast (specifically) than Yang whose a little more soft spoken, moody and just isn't connected to the WF though is more connected to Adam than Sun is. I love that: the two characters contrasting Blake do so in subtly different ways.

So fun fact: I'm not a big fan of Raven. Granted, this is partially because her fanbase loved to bash on Taiyang during V4-5's run but I'm just not a fan of her cowardice, hypocrisy or her utter use of her family (Qrow and Yang) as bait.

Though don't get me wrong- she's not badly written. Raven is MEANT to be cowardly and hypocritical. Those are intentional character flaws that catch up to her in the finale, as her hypocrisy is due to her just doing whatever benefits her. Meaning she has no reason to think things through, like taking a Relic Salem wants to get out of the conflict. Or how her cowardice leads her to being unable to stand with her own daughter and brother, leaving her to run away to the only place she has left- Patch. And even that probably didn't give her solace, given Tai's look. And it does make sense that she cares about Yang with the context of her watching over Yang for a long time now alongside her Semblance so she is set up for a redemption. But-

I just like the heroes in RWBY better than the villains. I like about two villains and one of them was a former hero.

I'm not surprised you may have heard that- The fanbase FLIPPED when Raven revealed it. Because the writers did a REALLY good job using misdirection and common narrative build up to convince us Vernal was the Spring Maiden. So you likely caught some of that from the aftermath of that big flip out.

All I can add is- Jaune's Semblence fits his arc perfectly in recognizing that he ISN'T the big, proud hero and...yeah, spoilers can suck.

Really now? I guess I can see that- the episodes do flow together very well so it may have made it a breeze.

Before you go to V6 though, make sure to check the Adam Character Short before you do. It's important supplementary material.

P.S. I'm surprised there's no talk of Illa. Because I think she's still one of the best written characters in the show. She demonstrates why someone would join the WF, how their pain and the slow progress of equality would lead someone to radicalism and how even her feelings for Blake gave her a mirror image to Adam and how it really drives home that Adam could have been good once upon a time...but he choose to be malicious and petty.

[foulfirerebel]

Do you have any complaints About rwby? Or at last something you think could’ve been done better?

A lot,of fellow rwby fans seem to agree the white fang storyline wasn’t handled very well. But at the same time I keep seeing those same people acting like ghira did nothing wrong, that Blake is some badass rebel when canon doesn’t seem to support that currently, etc.

Oh boy. Strap in for this one.

So, I thought as much as I could focus on this since I've had the flu for the past three weeks. And I realize my complaints and thoughts are very small when it comes to this particular subject. But, if you're curious, read on below the cut.

Spoilers for RWBY V1-V9, the books, and games.

So, let's just get one thing out of the way first: I loved Monty Oum's fight scenes but they hurt my eyes to watch now. And I'm not sure why. To preempt a long rant, I'll say this. I prefer the fight scenes we have in V4-V9 to the ones in V1-V3. They contain more narrative tension to me then the earlier ones (Except for the train fights in V2, and the entirety of the Fall of Beacon in V3).

I'm not a huge fan that Yang doesn't get much in V1, with a bulk of her character starting in V2. I'm even less of a fan of the fact that Weiss' racism toward Blake in V1 felt a little swept aside instead of one of the many facets of her character that evolved over time. Ice Queendom, to me, helped this a lot but there's a lot that could be said there too.

As everyone seems to hate the Jaundice part of V1, I will also throw my two cents in: it went by fast for me given V7 was my first "live" volume and I binged all the others. It could've been shortened, made way for Yang characterization or otherwise. Cardin can get yeeted into the sun for all I care.

Now, of course, there's the White Fang part of the Faunus plot. For the record, I don't think it's the WORST racism storyline or allegory attempted (See: Overwatch, Detroit: Become Human, and others for worse) but it definitely needed more polishing. Give Sienna Khan more screentime and more of a presence, show more of the distinction between Ghira, Sienna, and Adam and either 1) Make Sienna's death a full-blown fight scene and last stand, 2) A sneak attack rigged heavily in Adam's favor that gets exposed later on and causes the White Fang to disown him, or 3) Have Sienna live and aid Blake and the Faunus militia afterward.

There are other changes too, mind you, like having the White Fang under Adam express doubt in what they're doing only for Adam or Cinder to silence them or something like that. We got that with Ilia, and I love her story, but we needed some more like that.

The following are going to be under the "just bugs me" complaints, nothing too huge or rant filled and I can elaborate if needed:

I wish we got more Happy Huntresses stuff, because I find the Ace Ops/Happy Huntresses ratio in V7/V8 to be...unevenly weighted toward the Ace Ops. Understandable, but still.

I'm sure we'll get this in V10, but I'd like an update on the rest of the world's current situations. Vale, Mistral, Menagerie, the changes that occurred, etc.

I'll be happy when Penny returns or is confirmed officially to be truly dead. If the latter, I'll be complaining more about "wasted potential". If the former, I'd like to see how she'd be revived.

Summer Rose. I need more answers.

Just something fandom related: Stop going after Ghira and Tai Yang for the love of all that is holy. If you'd like examples of awful parentage, Jacques, Marcus Black, Cinder's wicked Stepmom, Neo's parents, Roman and Nora's unnamed mothers, Raven Branwen and even Lil Miss are right there. Also, Jax and Gill's guardian too.

Grimm Eclipse was fun but...wow, Arrowfell was better as a video game in a lot of ways. Told a better story than GE too.

The only thing I can complain about in the books is not giving much to Sage of Team SSSN, though given "Before the Dawn" had to juggle so many characters I'm cutting it some slack.

Obviously the obligatory "Rooster Teeth isn't a good company"/"The Upper Management are terrible" and all that jazz, please support all the staff and former who have Patreons, Kofis, Twitch Streams, etc.

That's about all I can think of. Again, I'm still addled by the flu and medication I'm taking for it.

TLDR: I just think RWBY needs...well, more of it. More time and budget and space to fully flesh out everything. What we got is superb, especially for starting so small, but I always find more better than less.