#give kali a more interesting outfit! i want the severed heads back!

[texanredrose]

Black and White

Hey, so, has anyone else noticed how, the more the show goes on, the more Blake and Weiss become polar opposites who are still friends? Like, how they are becoming almost entirely diametric opposites who keep meeting in the middle? Let's cover the basics real quick:

Black and White - don't need to go further on their colors; enough said. Although, I will note that it's interesting how Blake's outfits keep finding ways to incorporate more white while Weiss' are getting darker and more colorful.

The Rebel and the Heiress - Way back in V1, we get the first hard contrast. Blake and Weiss argue about Faunus and the White Fang, revealing Blake as a former White Fang member. During this argument, Weiss' frankly racist diatribe is informed by her experiences with the White Fang attacking her family and company. Blake's rebuttals are informed, of course, by her experiences with discrimination and being in the White Fang under Adam's sway. While both of them give ground by the end of the Volume (and I swear, Weiss, why didn't you apologize, you idiot) there's still a bit of work to be done there. This actually comes back up here in V6, when faced with the racist little gremlin commander.

This is particularly interesting because... it's basically a call back to V1. The commander is implying that, because Blake's a Faunus, she's trouble, almost exactly like how Weiss assumed Sun to be up to no good for a similar reason. But note the change in reactions to this sentiment: Weiss is the indignant one and Blake looks away, ashamed. This is Weiss, who used to harbor that same mentality, reacting in indignation because she knows it's wrong. This is Blake, who's truly come to terms with what the White Fang has done and the mistakes made since Ghira stepped down. This is as much an acknowledgement to the nuance of what's going on in the world of Remnant as it is to how their mindsets have changed; Blake's aware that events have occurred that would throw suspicion on the White Fang and, because the organization is the face of the Faunus to the people of Remnant, the ramifications of having someone like Adam calling the shots and Weiss is aware that it doesn't matter, it's still fucked up and racist.

Do I still hope we get a scene where Weiss directly addresses, takes responsibility, and apologizes for her behavior back in V1? Absolutely, and I'm hopeful that it might still come up. But it is interesting to see how this continues to develop and shape their personalities.

Swords and Semblances - This is actually one of the things about V2 that I noticed: they fight together- as in side-by-side- really well. But, it's more than that; in key moments, Blake and Weiss tend to rely on different aspects of their respective fighting styles. As seen in most of Blake's fights, she uses her semblance a lot and that's part of her character, it's even mentioned in the show. Weiss, of course, uses dust- is the only character really shown to do so, especially to the degree she does. This isn't so much middle the road in how it's developed; Blake still uses her semblance a lot and Weiss, though she's certainly using her semblance more than before, hasn't quite found the proper balance to it. But it is interesting that her interactions with Winter in V3 seemed to hint that she hadn't developed it to the level she should've while V2 saw Weiss give Blake the ability to use dust during her fights. Blake uses dust when it's appropriate and Weiss is still struggling to use her semblance with the same effortlessness as Winter does, and one could argue these developments are entirely independent of one another, but it's an interesting thing to consider. As the two sword users, one might expect their fighting to clearly mimic each other, but they have distinct styles that mesh well and they appear to be learning from the other, though there's still work to be done on that front. I really do hope to see this continue to develop, though I don't expect them to adopt similar balances. Blake's strengths clearly lie in her semblance and utilizing it effectively to outmaneuver her opponents while Weiss could be a total powerhouse when using her semblance to summon and dust as AOE attacks, more long range with the ability to defend herself. Blake's a flanker, Weiss is a glass cannon, and they are growing into their fighting roles while also picking up tricks from the other. (PS: Weiss, please, for the love of all things holy, remember you have the ability to dilate time. You!!! Have these skills!!! Use them!!! Please!!!)

Tea and Coffee - I realize this might seem like a minor thing to bring up but I'm going in order of Volume and things that stuck out to me in regards to this specific topic. In V3, we get the little exchange with Weiss asking Blake if she wants to get a drink. Now, as someone who enjoys both drinks, I'm gonna be honest: I strongly associate coffee with being hot (not too hot) and tea with being cold (not too cold). They're both caffeinated drinks and, where you can find one, you can usually find the other, because they are made using the same basic method/appliance. It's small, it's cute, it doesn't really inform anything aside from their preferred caffeine drink, and it's very possible that other people associate them differently. But I still find it interesting that even something as small as this still fits under this umbrella, and one could argue that it's more similar than different if they both got hot drinks or cold ones. It's just another point where they're different but also surprisingly similar, when you get right down to it, so I figure it's appropriate to include.

The Belladonnas and the Schnees - Arguably, they seemed more opposites in the early volumes, when it seemed like Blake was a street wise orphan and Weiss had at least some family, and a well-to-do one at that. There’s also the fact that Weiss not only acknowledges her family several times in V1-3, but she also defends them to an extent, as with her introduction and dismissal of Blake’s points, her stated motivations in V2, and rooting for Winter in V3. On the other hand, Blake doesn’t mention her family in any way, not aside from her ties to the White Fang. Again, they’re set up as opposites. 

Then, they grow even more opposite in V4, with the introduction of both full families. I don't think I have to really point out the differences between Ghira and Jacques or Kali and Momma Schnee (who I will continue to call Willow, fight me) because they're pretty obvious. I'd daresay the only similarities the two sets of parents share is that they are parents. And Blake, being an only child, is pretty far away from Weiss' experiences as the middle of three. What really marks this as a change from the previous Volumes is that these two families are literally the opposites of one another- one is supportive and loving while the other is cold and distant, but both Blake and Weiss leave their families behind for, well, actually very similar reasons. Blake's looking to help her friends and take personal responsibility for what's going on WRT the White Fang. Weiss is looking to find her freedom and perhaps even redeem her name and herself along the way, while also helping her friends. Ultimately, they both leave home to reclaim a sort of agency, responsibility for their own lives, and shape their own futures. Maybe even leave an impact along the way. 

They’re now... somewhat in the exact same position, but in reverse; they’re both attempting to reclaim something they deem as good that has a direct tie to their family- for Blake, it’s the White Fang, and for Weiss, it’s her family name. Blake repaired the relationship with her family- her previous silence makes sense due to the shame she felt for leaving them in the first place, but they love her and accept her back with open arms- while Weiss has all but severed ties- I think Winter will likely be spared this but it’s pretty clear she’s broken away from Jacques and she and Whitley may never see eye-to-eye, and Willow’s too drunk to count how many kids she has anyway.

I'm really looking forward to how this develops- which, I honestly think it will, in some form or fashion, seeing how everything else has. 

These are just some observations off the top of my head, really, because it suddenly occurred to me. I'm sure there's more I missed or even more developments I've yet to recognize. For all my fellow Monochrome shippers out there, all of this comes off as great because part of being in a relationship with someone is how you grow together- not necessarily change entirely or lose some part of your personality, but begin to incorporate things and habits your partner has by sharing time and history with each other.

However, even if you don't ship it, it's still really interesting to see how these two characters- who would probably be pit against each other in most other situations- are growing more similar as the volumes march along. They're learning together and making their own unique mistakes and dealing with those as best they can. It’s a fascinating study of compare and contrast where, for every detail they don’t share, there’s one or more than they do. I have a feeling the idiom “black and white” is going to become muddled for RWBY fans; it’s very clear that these two characters represent the idea that nothing is quite that simple.