#I don't think I distrust her as much as I would Yang

[ficretus]

Theory: Speculating about Summer Maiden

So far Summer Maiden is the only Maiden we have no whereabouts of. Not even Vacuo novels provide anything about her or her Relic. I wanted to throw some thoughts around who I think will be Summer Maiden by the end of the Vacuo arc.

CURRENT SUMMER MAIDEN:

As I said, no idea. But let me get one thing out the way, I don't think Summer Rose is Summer Maiden or that she'll be at any point in the story. This might seem relatively weird considering so far characters with season in their name did eventually become Maiden of their respective season, but I don't think this is the case with Summer.

First of all, it would be bit random considering that power is tied to Vacuo and Summer herself doesn't have any Vacuo connections we know of. Second, it is somewhat implied that Summer is still alive, likely being Salem's Grimm experiment. If Summer was Summer Maiden and is under Salem's control, why would Salem bother with Cinder? Summer would be loyal subordinate that is second to none in combat. Why would you need to groom new subordinate of questionable loyalty and lesser combat ability? Third, in case she isn't Summer Maiden and is just one of Salem's thralls, I don't think she can inherit the power. Chronologically she'd be in late 30s or even 40s, making her too old to inherit the power.

For Summer to be Summer Maiden, it would mean she became one ages ago and isn't currently under Salem's control (because that kind of creates plot holes in Salem's plan). But I feel that both kind of damages her character (she becomes another Raven, abandoning her family for her own goals) and wastes implications Hound creates. I think her fate will be revealed during Vacuo arc, during summer portion of the story, if that makes sense.

I suspect we'll have another Amber or Fria situation with current Summer Maiden. As in, minimally established character that will give away their power to more important character narrative wise down the line.

GATHERING CLUES:

First place I looked into is The Four Maidens, in universe fairy tale about Maidens. For those uninitiated, it's a fairy tale about recluse Old Wizard being visited by girls representing Maidens. They visit him in sequence of Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, each teaching him valuable lesson.

Maiden lessons are key part to focus on here. While in the story, they are something Old Wizard has to learn, in RWBY it's something Maidens themselves have to learn.

For example, Winter appears in front of Old Wizard's house, sitting in state of absolute tranquility. Wizard sits down and copies her example thinking about his own strange predicament. This somewhat matches Winter, who in her own moment of clarity realizes Ironwood is lost cause and turns against him.

Other two examples are much clearer parallels. Spring shows up and plants flowers all over Old Wizard's yard, turning a pile of dirt into beautiful garden. This implies Spring Maiden is all about fostering life. This matches well as a lesson Raven needs to learn as a Spring Maiden, someone who both abandoned her family and used her protege as a decoy.

Fall Maiden urges Old Wizard to be thankful for what he has. This matches Cinder who needs to learn to be grateful for what she already has, instead of seeking out all other Maiden powers.

Summer Maiden convinces Old Wizard to step outside. Upon doing so, Old Wizard starts laughing at himself for even staying indoors all this time. So whoever becomes Summer Maiden needs to have a flaw that makes them distrustful of the world. Their character arc needs to be about opening themselves to the world.

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All three current Maidens also have personal connection to the members of Team RWBY. This is either set up for eventual transfer of power to respective members of Team RWBY or they simply exist as dark reflections of respective team members.

Raven is Yang's mother, Winter is Weiss' sister and Cinder is Ruby's nemesis. This mean, whoever will be Summer Maiden needs to have some kind of connection to Blake.

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Lastly, all three current Maidens were at some point of the story antagonists. Winter was an antagonist during the portion of Atlas arc as Ironwood's most loyal subordinate, Raven was antagonist throughout most of Mistral arc and Cinder is still major antagonist. So whoever becomes Summer Maiden had to have been antagonist at some point of the story.

CANDIDATES:

First candidate I have is Gillian Asturias, one of the main villains of Vacuo novels. She is leader of villainous Crown faction, who seek to restore Vacuoan monarchy with Gillian in charge. She believes she is descendant of legendary Vacuoan kings, albeit this claim is based on delusion her father convinced her of.

Why do I think she might become Summer Maiden? First of all, she is an antagonist. While at the end of the novel, she gets imprisoned... it's RWBY prison, nobody stays there. Her Semblance allows her to siphon Aura which theoretically means she could take the power all by herself (since all transfer methods we've seen so far were Aura based). She also has a motive to become a Maiden, what better way to show you are true heir to the throne then seizing divine power that allows you to control the elements.

She also fits with Summer Maiden lesson. She is extremely traditionalist, avoiding the use of both Dust and Scroll. Crown members are also xenophobic to some degree. Both of these traits make her good candidate for a lesson about opening yourself to the world.

Issue with her is that she has no connections to any member of Team RWBY. While it's not out the question they might eventually interact, I am doubtful writers will have her establish some really personal relationship with Blake. I think she might become Summer Maiden, but more of a interim Maiden like Penny was.

______________________________________________________________

My preferred choice so far is Ilia. She matches all the criteria I've set up earlier. First of all, she is a former antagonist. Second, she matches well with lesson of Summer Maiden. As an antagonist, she was member of more radical version of White Fang that was no longer about Faunus equality and more about their supremacy. This "us versus them" mentality symbolically parallels Old Wizard refusing to leave his house, closed off from everybody else.

Summer Maiden lesson can also be manifested in another way. If you think about it, it's almost inevitable White Fang will appear in Vacuo to assist the good guys. And who else will be there? Ace Ops. Ilia will be forced to work side by side with people who represent abuse she suffered as a child. This could create interesting dynamic of Ilia and White Fang refusing to cooperate with them, creating an issue for good guys cause (in fact you can have entire Volume 10 be about previously opposed sides coming to terms with each other for the greater good considering you'll have Ace Ops, Happy Huntresses, White Fang and potentially even Branwen tribe all working together). Her character arc would be about letting go of her hatred and trauma and opening herself to the world, fulfilling the Summer Maiden lesson.

Of course, Ilia is also personally connected to Blake. Yeah, she is "just" her friend, but when you think about it, that's the most personal relationship Blake has outside of her team. Unlike her other team members, she doesn't have a sister, her mother is too old to inherit the power and her nemesis was not only male... he is busy being dead. Ilia becoming a Maiden would also diversify the roster by giving us Faunus Maiden. After all, if all kingdoms are coming together why not also have that symbolically reflected in Maiden roster.

_____________________________________________________________

What are your thoughts? Do you have any other Maiden candidate you think is more likely? If you do, feel free to comment it.

[lemurdank]

Okay I know that "Qrow is Rubys dad" a bit of an infamous fan theory at this point but I think that unironically it would have been a great plot point.

Qrow "abandoning" ruby would recontextualize the vast majority of his actions and make him a lot more interesting, especially if the reasoning is him being scared of his semblance killing ruby like it killed summer, his semblance would go from an occasional punchline to a life runing condition that made him disown his child out of fear.

It would also give him a more interesting relationship with Raven, as they both distanced themselves from their children but for vastly different reasons, his distaste for his sister goes from a vauge moral conflict to an expression of his self loathing and gives them both space to have character driven discussions beyond their whole "you abandoned the cause" vs "ozpin is a nerd" argument.

Most importantly Qrow would have actual emotional baggage to carry around beyond the "oh my semblance makes people die" and "hunters live a dangerous life" bit he does, his alchoholism would be a coping mechanism that came from the trauma and guilt of a specific event and the reason he went from a functional to a nonfunctional alchoholic during the road trip arc would be contextualized by it getting much worse because of his extended close proximity to ruby and yang.

Through this Ruby would have a relevation that directly impacts her view of the world in a tangible way rather than just "oh magic is real and also the world might end". Finding out that the two people she trusted most as authority figures were lying to her throughout her whole life would be a very effective emotional beat and catalyst for change. If this reveal was done before they arrived at atlas her distrust in ironwood would make more sense because her reasoning would go from "I don't trust this man who welcomed us with open arms and explained his reasoning because he was mean to a bunch of teenagers in an emergency" to "how can I trust anything anyone says when they could be lying to me like my dad was".

This would also give Ruby and Yang a great chance to deepen their on screen relationship, a discussion between the two about how yang deals with raven having done the same thing would be a perfect chance to show how close the two are and to give more insight into Yang. Simmilarly this would open up the possibilty for interesting interactions between Weiss and Ruby, as weiss has a unique perspective on family units and would likely encourage Ruby to try to fix her relationship with Qrow because she knows what a loveless family is and Qrow was still a loving uncle, if not a loving father.

[tumblingxelian]

Something that makes Raven extremely fun as a character? Her initial leaving is very much structured as being about Ozpin, and for all that cowardice is an issue of hers - her asking questioning him isn't. We just meet her well after that, after she went Bandit Queen, and our first introductions are from characters who have reasons to dislike her or at least paint her in an unfavorable light even before factoring in Bandit Queen. Qrow and Taiyang for breaking up the team, Yang for leaving. Especially as uh, see previous two not mentioning that there was a large outstanding reason for Raven leaving.

Because there is a difference between not being the primary caretaker and not being part of someone's life. I think it was Raven's distrust of Ozpin and either her not telling the others or her not being listened to that actually cracked things. What made it a case of Yang staying with Taiyang/Summer/Qrow or going with Raven. Because Raven wasn't staying.

Or it actually wasn't deadbeat going to the store for milk and never coming back most likely. Why Raven left in the first place Qrow and Taiyang probably know. It's also tied up in Oz stuff so yeah no one told Yang.

The part they don't get is why Raven stayed away after Summer "died".

Which at this point has a few colorful options.

Raven betrayed Summer - and is staying away out of guilt. The boring option in my opinion.

Summer caught/about to die. Still staying away out of guilt.

Saw Summer get transformed into a Grimm Wolf. (Not incompatible with 2. Especially as breakouts would be something Raven excels at) Mercy kill, succeed fail, attempt no attempt reason to not speak from guilt and "No one will believe me" because this probably all stated with Raven questioning Ozpin and possibly finding stuff that said he was hiding things.

Summer betrayed Raven. Take the no one will believe me and dial it up. Extra juice possible in that there are ways for former Spring dying in this option to actually be truthful in it "It was mercy." Especially as in this through line Raven is less liar and more coward for not speaking up and explaining what happened. To not trust anyone to believe her.

Throw in we don't know when Raven became Bandit Queen and this can happen to someone who is more sympathetic than current Raven.

So many options right now hinging on Summer's last mission because of how it colors in the reasons for Raven being on the sidelines looking in on the daughter she bore and Summer raised.

Yeah Raven is very much interwoven with CRWBY's penchant for long form story telling. Introduced as a classic, mysterious enigma missing parent who might be heroic, might be a villain you never know.

Then revealed to seemingly be a small minded, self destructive cowardly bandit whose smart but so desperate and selfish she is always left grasping at straws and running away. (With the Ozpin and leaving stuff being woven in between the two)

Then V9 swerves in and reveals she left because she felt she'd make a bad parent and is still helping with missions and that something seemingly broke her there.

All while leaving us with more questions like said mission, Spring, Summer, bandits and so many others!

Excellent breakdown on the various options there too, kudos and thanks for sharing! (Agreed on the first one being boring too, give us some spice CRWBY :D)

[varnaedhar]

Tai got to his feet, and Raven's posture stiffened slightly. Not out of fear -- he would never hurt her, not physically, not without one hell of a reason, but it was unusual for him to place himself on level with her these days. It was an almost aggressive motion, though she doesn't see any anger directed at her in his gaze. Distrust, perhaps. Irritation. But not anger, not truly.

He was crazy, but she held her tongue on that matter. 

When he so accurately dresses her down, Raven scoffed and turned her head, unable to meet that gaze of his. He had that look in his eye, the one he'd had all those years ago at Beacon. That fire that she had always been drawn to, the dragon which had become his namesake. She doesn't deny his accusation; there was no point, not when they both knew he was right.

Tai steps closer, and it takes everything in Raven not to retreat.

"I..." She starts without thinking, crimson gaze locking onto his own once again. Her throat tightens almost painfully, and she has to force out her words: "I don't know. I shouldn't have come -- I just... I needed..." She exhales a sharp breath, hand moving to hold her side. Wounds which should have healed by now, but she hasn't stopped to give her Aura the chance it truly needs.

She hadn't come here for pity, or sympathy, or any of that. She came here because of her daughter. Because she knew what was going to happen to Atlas. She'd been telling Ozpin and his followers as much for the last twenty years.

"...Yang isn't going to want to see me, Tai. Not after what I did. But I can send you to Atlas."

Raven is still on her feet, and those crossed arms serve to put yet another barrier between them, the way she'd been doing since she left, even when she dropped by, thinking he wouldn't notice. But he almost always knew when she was nearby, even in bird form. When your wife could turn into a bird at will, you got pretty familiar with exactly what that bird looked like.

Tai gets to his feet, ignoring Zwei's protests and crosses the room, so he's more on an eye level with Raven, even if there's still space between them. If they were going to talk about this, talk about his daughters, one of whom was hers, then they were going to be on equal footing.

Everything Raven was telling him…., it just got worse and worse, didn't it? Oz being back should have been some comfort, but he knows it's not that simple, that there's a hell of a lot involved with that, including whoever was carrying him…., Ironwood…., Tai hadn't seen James Ironwood in a while, but he'd hoped the man he had known, the man who had sent Yang a state-of-the-art prosthetic without even being asked could be counted on.

Salem had a maiden on her side, there was one in Atlas…., and now Ruby was fighting all of those forces combined.

Of course, there was always the possibility that Raven was lying….., but there wouldn't be any point to that. No, she was telling him the truth, which made it all that much worse.

"I know you think I'm crazy for wanting to go towards all of that," he started, and there was fire behind his eyes, steel in his voice, "But our daughter is there, in all of that. And don't you dare try to lie to me, to tell me that you don't care, that she made her choice and has to live with it. You wouldn't be here if you truly didn't care."

He takes another step towards Raven, closing the distance between them, so that he doesn't have to raise his voice as he asks again, "Why are you really here?"

[seyaryminamoto]

Any thoughts on the upcoming atla movie featuring the gaang in their adult years? I’m clinging to the idea that if I don’t like it, I can pretend it never happened and find solace in fanfiction, just as some people do regarding the comics and even LoK. But it’s not doing much to comfort me. I just wish they’d leave this characters and this universe alone and move on new things. But if you’re optimistic about it, please don’t let my skepticism ruin your excitement. It might be a good movie.

Oh, anon... me, optimistic about canon? There's a handful of franchises where I do trust the canon direction and where I do believe the authors/writers/showrunners/creators have a proper purpose in the content they're making. As active a fic writer as I may be, Avatar, I'm afraid, is not one of them.

This doesn't mean I believe the upcoming movie is guaranteed to suck... but it does mean that I'm hardly the most optimistic person when it comes to any post-ATLA content. To this day, I can't say I've been happy with anything they've created after the first show ended. I have a lot of gripes with ATLA's canon as it is, but as I find it so engaging and I think its potential is immense, I still can cherish the original show while acknowledging quite often that it's not perfect. Meanwhile... I can't really enjoy the comics. I enjoyed LOK Book 1 when I first watched it... the rest of the show soured the entire concept of the sequel series for me later. I haven't touched the novels because I'm afraid I won't like what's in there either, and I feel like me and the fandom will be better off if I don't read them because, if I find stuff there that sits ill with me, I'll probably criticize it for a long time and everyone who loved it will be upset at my criticism, while I'll just be upset at having things to criticize, and everyone will just be miserable...

Anyway. This movie, and Avatar Studios as a whole, have to achieve one thing in order for me to have even a smidge of hope for its future:

I need to know they have purpose and direction.

This is fundamentally what I've found lacking in everything that has followed the completion of ATLA. I really don't know what the purpose and direction of most post-canon content was, it felt like most of it didn't have any (and when they did have purpose, they didn't necessarily fulfill that purpose in a satisfactory way, either). If there's no purpose and direction? Then slice-of-life shenanigans would be perfect! Give me glimpses at how people live their lives after the war ended, simple plotlines that are character-centric and that allow those characters to have agency, to evolve as individuals and to make the most of a world where the war is finally over!

Without purpose and direction, there's no point to attempting to tell epic tales because they'll fall flat, especially when they're following up something that DID have purpose and direction, as in, the entirety of ATLA. Sometimes, stories feel complete because they are. When they're extended further just for the sake of making a bigger profit, the risk of breaking open that sense of completion means that what may have worked at first might stop working in the future. If you add too many pieces of machinery that just weren't part of the original design of a device, the once-smoothly-working device will get cluttered and eventually stop working: that's how it feels for me when I see stuff that gets extended without purpose and direction, be it in this fandom or any others.

I can't have blind hope for these movies. I won't have any real expectations from them until I actually understand what their purpose and direction will be. If that purpose and direction happens to be something like witnessing how our ATLA heroes built Republic City in the era of peace they've brought forward, and how they protect that peace from realistic and reasonable threats against it? (... as in, no spirit shenanigans, no exaggerated benders that retcon things that were established in canon, among other things that appear to be the bread and butter of post-ATLA storytelling) I'll be good with that. But if that purpose and direction is actually "let's make up a sudden, new, BIGGER threat than the Hundred Year War, a threat that was never referenced in LOK and that had no impact on the ATLA characters' story because there's no actual consequences to it in any of our other post-canon content, all be it so we can prioritize big, flashy and epic bending battles over story quality!" then... I don't need that in my life, simple as that.

In short, if I don't sense that there's purpose and direction, I'll just not watch the movies or anything Avatar Studios releases. Again, it will be for the best for the fandom and for myself if that's the case... because I think we all have more fun when I'm having fun too rather than just raging about canon's choices :'D feels like that should be the point of fandom after all...

So, I'm basically on the same boat as you. I don't really think they HAVE to stop producing content for the franchise, but I don't think I can genuinely enjoy what they do unless they actually commit to telling stories worth telling again. Evidently, I have no power over whatever they may do, neither do you, so they'll just do whatever they feel like doing... but if canon goes nowhere with these movies, I'll just wish them well and stick to what I love. It's what I'm participating in fandom for, to begin with.

[lavender-rosa]

resident evil or kny?

Im going to do kny since Resident Evil is such a huge, plot hole ridden franchise i don't even know where to begin and I was always a Silent Hill gal anyways lol

Favourite Male Characters: Akaza, Douma, Kokushibou, Gyutaro and Tanjiro (well for the first part of the series at least)

Favourite Female Characters: Shinobu, Mitsuri, Tamayo and Koyuki

Least Favourite Characters: I am going to exclude characters that are meant to be disliked so:

Ok rants incoming under read more

1) Kagaya: Others have written much more detailed essays on why his writing is bad. The thing about Kagaya that annoys me the most are not exactly his actions but the way the narrative unironically frames him as this pure, perfect figure that can do no wrong. His most questionable actions like his very uncomfortable relationship with Sanemi, encouraging Shinobu to basically kill herself, him killing his own children etc. are all swept under the rug in favour of an extremely boring character. Imagine if Kagaya was actually presented as a flawed, human being.

Like, he wants to kill Muzan for the greater good, but in order to reach this goal he is willing to manipulate, deceit, encourage self-destructive behaviours among the slayers and throw anyone under the bus, even his own family that would make a much more interesting character and actually humanize him . It would even make him a parallel to Muzan by how willing they both are to ruin lives to reach their own goals (this would also require to make Muzan not be pure evil, you know a bit of a ying yang symbolism) but well we are stuck with this I guess.

Also on a sidenote am i the only one that gets weird cult vibes when it comes to Kagaya's relationship with the pillars. Especially in his introduction, Sanemi's flashback and Rengoku Gaiden (where Sanemi acts like a literal dog around him, yikes man)

2) Nezuko: I do not hate Nezuko but I hate her writing if that makes sense. Despite being the deuteragonist she is treated more akin to a cute mascot. She is constantly sidelined, her agency always taken away from her, she is given the most contrived power ups, she acts like a puppy (and I know that we are given an excuse in the manga on why she acts like this but i do not find that reason sufficient) and she is almost never allowed to talk nor are we shown her thought process.

Nezuko could have been such an interesting character. Maybe let her talk and express her thoughts and feelings, act like a girl her age (maybe she wears the muzzle only when she is in crowd filled with people and when the pillars and slayers that distrust her are around but removes it and talks when the Kamaboko squad, Kanao, Genya,Mitsuri, Aoi, Giyuu or Shinobu are around)

Edit: After this paragraph I made a huge rewrite of Nezuko's personality but since this is an ask game and not a how you would rewrite kny game I decided to edit it out. On a final note Nezuko should be given the same agency as her male counterparts ok goodbye.

Prettiest Characters: All of them tbh. Kotoha, mother spider demon, Kanae, Koinatsu-oiran, Haganezuka and the Tsugikuni twins being my favourites.

Funniest Character: Douma no competition, his first instict upon coming across two dying children on the street is to tell them wazzup, he gets killed and the first word he tells his murderer is "sup" like they are old college buddies. Kny AU where Douma says a your mom joke to Inosuke.

Favourite Arc: Despite it's myriad of flaws the Infinity Fortess arc is definetely my fav.

Favourite Episode: My favourite episode is Season 1 Episode 16. Spider mother demon's assisted suicide is one of the most beautiful and bittersweet moments in the series, def in my top 5. It perfectly showcases Tanjiro's empathy, it greatly humanizes the antagonist and just the music, the colours, the voice acting aghh.

Favourite Chapter: Akaza's backstory and death (i think it was chapters 154-156?) Just *sighhhhhhhhhh*

Favourite romantic ships:

Canon Ships: Hakuji and Koyuki is the only romantic relationship that Gotouge didn't manage to fuck up and i love them for it. How Koyuki and Hakuji clearly adore eachother and you can see why. How Koyuki and Keizou represent Hakuji's ability to love and his humanity and when they are cruelly taken away from him from other humans (recalling back to an earlier time where demons were portrayed as man-made monsters) it completely destroys him. I love a well-written tragic romance and those two just hit the spot for me. My emotional support bi4bi couple if you will.

Non Canon Ships: Shinomitsu like the power this ship holds... and how well those two compliment and parallel eachother with Mitsuri being insecure on her physical strength and Shinobu being insecure on her physical weakness and how they can help each other overcome said insecurities. We should have seen those two interact more in canon.

Kanao×Nezuko

I also like the Yoriichi× Sumiyoshi× Suyako polycule since Yoriichi deserves to be unconditionally loved, man went through a lot.

Favourite family ship: Gyutaro and Daki/Ume my beloveds. But like they are already related so idk what this question implies.

Favourite friendship: Kamaboko squad (when i say kamaboko squad, nezuko, genya, kanao,senjuro and aoi are always included the majority of their friendship is what i have written in my head but shh it's fine it's fine)

Worst Ships:

Canon Ships: Tanjiro × Kanao completely lacks any kind of romantic chemistry and it seems that they have been only paired up because she is girl and he is a boy,which, ughhhhh. Also the moment Kanae gives Kanao her coin and she implies Kanao will open up when she meets the boy she likes. Like babe, Kanao is so emotionally closed off due to trauma which was caused by being severely abused at home, the presence of a boy will not cut it.

Nezuko × Zenitsu is quite dreadful and it truly brings out the worst of Zenitsu's character. Not only does he act so obnoxiously and over possessive whenever he is near her but we also have no idea how Nezuko perceives him or if she is even able to comprehend his crush on her or if she can even form a romantic interest on her own since she acts like a kitten most of the time. Also the part where Zenitsu is frothing at the mouth because Sanemi pats Nezuko's head undermines his character development after his fight with Kaigaku. You are telling me the same manga that gave us this also gave us Hakuji and Koyuki? Like, okay.

Inosuke × Aoi: Aoi has more chemistry with the concrete wall in the Butterfly Estate than she does with Inosuke.

Non-Canon Ship:

Outside of the unmentioned gross shit like incest and pedophilia

Giyuu × Shinobu: I don't see it, i cannot see it, why is it such a popular ship ? (I mean we know why, that's rhetorical) I cannot perceive Shinobu and Giyuu as anything other than wlw×mlm solidarity/hostility. Like boys and girls can be friends with each other with no romantic motive, people.

Giyuu × Sabito: Someone described Sabito's and Giyuu's relationship as two 12 year old boys blowing raspberries at each other and...urmm...yeah...

Douma × Shinobu: No comment

Douma × Kotoha: heteronormativity is a disease

[itsclydebitches]

Ah yes, Ruby "Don't Need Adults" Rose is so trusting of Theodore, a man who she has never met, and the fact that he is not only alive but different from Leo "Do You Think He Was The First" Lionheart. "Ozpin trusted him so I do too... even though I distrust Ozpin, whose biggest crime was dying of sickness, and Ironwood, who was nothing but trusting and friendly when we reunited."

This exactly. Can we take a moment to acknowledge how absurd that line is from Ruby’s perspective? Put aside our own feelings for a moment about how accurate her perception of the situation is and just see the world through her eyes, specifically the headmasters.

Ozpin: Very kind at the start, but then we learned he led this double life against Salem. Worse, he kept a major secret from us and thus he’s no longer trustworthy. Sure, I haven’t said as much explicitly, but when I don’t demonstrate any remorse for how my friends and I treated him, don’t express gratitude at him saving our lives, refuse to reach out to him for weeks in Atlas... the message is clear. We don’t need him in this fight and we definitely don’t want him. 

Lionheart: Not trustworthy! How is this even a question? By the time we met the guy he’d already joined Salem and his trap nearly led to the Relic being lost and Weiss dying. I also, again, expressed no disagreement at my sister’s stance that the world should know about all of Lionheart’s mistakes. There’s no compassion for him here. 

Ironwood: We were suspicious of him the moment we flew into Atlas and then nothing he did could sway us from that stance. Spilling his secrets? Making us huntsmen, now a part of his own Inner Circle? Continually listening to our perspective even though he doesn’t agree? Ironwood was never someone we put our trust in, to the point where Yang and Blake outright betray him and I (again) have absolutely no problem with this. Now he refuses to save Mantle and is, thus, irredeemable. I have told the entire world not to trust him. Every single person on Remnant! There’s no coming back from that. I wouldn’t have taken such a drastic stance if I had any intention of making peace with him. 

So after all this, Ruby’s response to the fourth and final headmaster who she has never met and presumably knows nothing about outside of basic cultural knowledge is... trust him? Turn to him? Put him in a major position of power by making him one of two people leading the world in this fight while she’s cut off in Atlas? 

This is what I mean when I say they’re writing Ruby as stupid nowadays. She’s not capable of extrapolating anything. Three out of four headmasters have (to her mind) proven untrustworthy, yet she doesn’t even consider the possibility that Theodore is untrustworthy too. It’s a smaller version of Ruby hearing about and personally experiencing Very Bad Reactions to people learning about Salem’s immortality - Raven abandons them, Lionheart betrays them, she’s told by Ozpin he’s not the first, they freak out in the snow, Ironwood only sees escape as an option - yet still comes to the conclusion, “Telling the entire world is a great idea.” Actually, it’s not even a conclusion because the entire problem is we never see Ruby weighing these presumed benefits with the very likely consequences. If she had talked it out with her team and decided that telling everyone was still the best option for [insert reasons she has here], that’s fine. I might not agree with those reasons, but at least she has them. Instead, Volume 7 opened with Ruby working under the belief that telling the world is automatically a good thing, despite all the evidence to the contrary, and lacking a reason like Ironwood had: not knowing about Salem’s immortality means he thinks a massive army is a decent plan. What reason does Ruby have for telling everyone rather than just those leaders who can mobilize defenses? What reason does Ruby have for blindly trusting Theodore? This is no longer a generic Trusting People Is Good message because the show keeps telling us numerous reasons why people aren’t trustworthy, while simultaneously having Ruby reject those who do work to gain her trust. Having Ruby put her trust in a man she’s never met over the man who spent weeks working to compromise with her makes Ruby look foolish, in the same way that Blake and Yang trusting a woman they know nothing about (Robyn) makes them look foolish too. If you keep giving us characters who ignore the situation and the facts of that situation in favor of whatever random stance they feel like taking... they don’t come cross well. Whatever descriptor we might give them, it continually brings up the question, “Why are they the heroes when they can’t even justify the incredibly dangerous choices they’re making?” 

And yeah, none of this even touches on her vocal (and inaccurate) assertion that they never needed adults, they did everything themselves... and now here she is telling the world she desperately needs help. It would be nice if there was some sort of acknowledgement of that. 

[gingus-doon]

What if Keiji wasn't the Keiji we know before the first trial?

Okay, hear me out. What if Keiji wasn't as logical and cold hearted as he is in the game until his first trial? What if Megumi's death was what pushed him over the edge and onto that path?

—

I'm going to be talking about Shin a lot in this hypothetical, because they're the foil characters of the century lol.

If we compare Keiji's first trial to Shin's in the sense of this assumption (that the first trial made him the Keiji we ally with in the game) this might all make a little more sense.

First off, their trials could both be designed to shape them into a certain type of person. Shin's was to mold him into an antagonist reminiscent of Sou Hiyori (maybe to fill his absence?) while Keiji's could then be to make him a firmly logical figure in the death game.

If Keiji was less logical before the death game, still traumatized, but teetering between full-fledged, coldhearted logic and taking another shot at a more hopeful, emotional way of being, that would mirror Shin's previous state of being stuck between choosing trust and distrust of others in the vulnerable emotional state of recovering from recent abuse.

They would then both have been in vulnerable states due to trauma, and have had the first trial make that choice of what paths they should take for them. Shin's trauma stems from being weak, so for him, that would mean embracing his lack of trust in others to protect himself. For Keiji, his trauma stems from failing to live up to his moral ideals of what a policeman should be and instead killing someone innocent, so this trial would reinforce the belief that he really is just a cold-blooded murderer, prompting him to embrace this role during the death game.

Just as Shin's choice was between continuing to be Shin Tsukimi and living, Keiji's was a cruel and forced confrontation of his trauma as well. Letting Megumi live would be forgiving her for her corruption and the part she played in traumatizing him, while letting her die could finally be the thing that lets Keiji move on from his past. He didn't have the time to think about the choice between forgiveness or resentment, and his inaction made the choice for him. Instead of catharsis, though, it only solidifies his guilty thoughts about himself and makes him infinitely colder.

Keiji and Shin already parallel each other in a lot of ways– even now, their first trials alone draw some comparisons. How Shin actively (and metaphorically) killed 'Shin Tsukimi' while Keiji literally (and inactively) killed someone, how Shin dramatically and emotionally (that emotion being Paranoia) wields his distrust while Keiji protects himself by more subtle and logical means. And if the white room does turn out to be the room in which Keiji and Megumi's first trial took place in, then Shin and Keiji have a yin and yang colour contrast going on as well.

To break this down even further:

Before trauma → After trauma, before the death game → During the death game, specifically after the first trial

Trusting in others, maybe even naïve → Unsure of whether to trust others, doubtful of their intentions as a result of abuse → Does not trust others for shit, especially not those he perceives as stronger than him

Idealistic about the police, wants to follow in Mr. Policeman's footsteps and protect people → This new cynicism towards the police and people in positions of power and his failure to be different than them by shooting an innocent man makes him uncertain of himself → He lets himself shift from protector to willing to sacrifice others for his own safety completely

SO BASICALLY WHAT I'M SAYING IS, the middle step may have been different for Keiji than what I previously thought. Maybe he wouldn't be willing to do all the horrible, selfish things he did in the death game if it wasn't for Asunaro making that his first trial. (And sorry about that, I just wanted to make a flowchart lol.)

So perhaps the final parallel this assumption would present between Keiji and Shin is that while Shin's trial pushes him to drown his distrust of others, Keiji's pushes him to drown in his distrust of himself.

I really think that people forget sometimes that Keiji didn't necessarily want to murder Megumi. Not to pretend that what he did was okay, but had his trial been “press this button to kill your partner,” he may have not done it. He's obviously very unsure about his decision afterwards. He laughs and falls to his knees after she dies, which does not seem like the most calculating, malicious, and sane response to me. If it was just the laughing, maybe. But there's also this:

I find these screenshots very interesting, not only because they prove that Keiji didn't murder Megumi in cold-blood and is distraught over her death, but also because they draw another parallel between Shin and Keiji; Shin is very certain that others are not to be trusted. Delusionally certain to the point where he views a highschooler as the second most dangerous person on the planet and thinks it's okay to make her life harder because she's definitely trying to kill him and every other vulnerable person! While Keiji… Keiji is so painfully unsure of himself. He's unsure of himself to the point that this is his reaction to Megumi's death, despite him choosing to do that. He rationalizes everything in a desperate attempt to bury his emotions and make what he's doing okay. Shin trusts his thought process way too much and Keiji literally states that he has not been able to trust himself since the shooting.

Another small detail to maybe back this up is the above screenshot. This isn't much, but Sara said Keiji seemed “different somehow.” Perhaps a little less creepy? A little less untrustworthy? A little less willing to flirt, lie, or kill to save his own skin? There's not much insight to be brought by Keiji's AI since Sara didn't have time to talk to him here and it's impossible to talk to him through his me-tokens, but I feel this is significant. We don't know when the AI's are from, specifically– it could be just before the death game, or a couple of years before. Presumably, Keiji back then looked the same as Keiji now, but he may have been less ruthless than our Keiji, since generally, the AI's do seem to be somewhat behind.

There are still a few questions around this theory (if you can call it that), though– namely, why? Why would Asunaro want to make Keiji more logical? Didn't he fit the role of Sara's ally well enough without the extra trauma? To set up Keiji's trial in such a manner where it'd be easy for him to let Megumi die but intentional enough to feel like he caused her death… it seems like a very purposeful move on their behalf, but I don't know why they'd need to do that.

And also, would they even need the effects of her death on Keiji? Because it's not like her survival rate is 0%– there were trials in which she lived. If they needed to do that to him, wouldn't they ensure it happened? Unless, they didn't need it and it was just a side effect? I know I just said it seems very intentional, but it's still possible that it may not be lmao. But, of course, the trials could differ from the death game we know... perhaps her and Keiji's first trial could've been different in different simulations. But that still kinda pokes a bit of a hole in this assumption, lol.

I'm worried that this might be really obvious and I'm just over here acting like I've had an epiphany for no good reason LOL, but I don't often see people talking about Keiji's first trial in the same way as Shin's, in the sense that they were what made them snap– the final straw that set up their actions for the rest of the death game. So I wanted to introduce that concept specifically if people weren't already of that opinion 👉🏼👈🏼

I personally kind of like this… pseudo-theory, I'll call it. It feels like it'd exacerbate the guilt Keiji feels throughout the game, if he was more newly logical and less numb to these actions than originally considered. It's hard to say if it could be accurate, though, because we don't get much to see what Keiji's thinking much! It kind of drives me insane, please let me know what the hell is going on in Keiji's brain Nankidai ;;

That's all I got lol, thanks for reading ✌️

[cutiebeams]

Hello TWEWY fandom, it's meta time.

TWEWY is filled to the brim with symbolism and hidden meanings, as we all know. Even the partners and their colors when they sync with Neku; I realized, have some depth, and I'm going to articulate my thoughts on it. This is going to be long, so get cozy. 

Shiki

Let's start with the first partner we get. Her theme's red, and Neku's is blue. Before we even delve into this analysis, let's unpack the general symbolism of the colors themselves, because that is important as well.

Red: passion, love, anger, energy, courage

Blue: trust, loyalty, wisdom, intelligence, stability

These two colors are essentially on the opposing sides of the color wheel as well; the only shade darker than blue is purple (which is Neku's theme of his attire but that's not important rn stay with me fellas)

Red & blue are portrayed as opposites in a plethora of media and this is no exception: Shiki is the extroversion to Neku's introversion, the pathos to his logos, bubbly and chipper vs his stoic and reserved demeanor. Neku is outwardly hateful (towards other people and his circumstances), and Shiki is inwardly hateful (she hates herself to the point she doesn't think there's anything special about her)

As expected, they clash vehemently at first. Neku is extremely irritated by Shiki's energy and she is frustrated with how aloof and mean he can be. But as they get to know each other, they become like yin and yang; and Shiki's kinder qualities begin to rub off on Neku which he exhibits in the following weeks. Red is often symbolic of love; and Shiki shows a lot of it: she's very friendly and amiable, sympathizing with total strangers and getting along with almost everyone; but she's pretty feisty too- she gets visibly upset when Neku ignores her and makes himself difficult and she's not afraid to call him out (and she DOES, quite a few times). However, she is still overall kind to him, even when he's prickly; trying her best to be patient with him and her gentleness eventually wins him over.. eventually. 

When confronted with an issue, Shiki seems to lean towards the emotional aspects of the matter, such as when Ai and Mina were at odds, she hesitated to bring the truth to light because she didn't want to jeopardize their friendship and emotional wellbeing; in contrast to Neku who wanted the truth to be brought to light as soon as possible because he felt that lying was wrong and it needed to be addressed sooner, rather than later, or things would just get worse. Or when 777 couldn't find his tech, Shiki listened to him vent out of sympathy while Neku agreed to help because of the logical results it'd bring- 

Shiki is also very outwardly emotional: she's very chirpy but she also isn't afraid to openly express her sorrow, anger, or fear, and sometimes she gets overcome by her emotions. But for the most part, she exhibits high emotional intelligence and understanding of other's feelings; and she's essentially the group's moral support: she's one of the most verbal about being sure that they'll make it back and that they all need to work together. Shiki is also extremely passionate; about other people, about the things she creates, it spills into virtually every aspect of her life.

The sad thing though, is that Shiki seems to love everybody but herself, and we see tiny glimpses of this in her small moments of passiveness (such as telling Neku he doesn't have to shout when he snaps at her) On the flip side, Neku's blunt honesty gives Shiki the inner strength to not only face her self-hatred; but overcome it. And that brings me to Shiki's other color: green. You can see it in her stickers + it's her nickname in Another Day. 

Green: nature, rebirth, growth, harmony, healing

I believe that this choice is two-fold: green also symbolizes envy and jealousy and this is something that Shiki's character battles with. She wants to be like Eri- beautiful, smart, charismatic; to the point she even tells Neku that she emulated Eri's personality at first because she was so excited to be in her body. But she then realized that she wasn't Eri, and would never be; nor did she ever want to be. What Shiki truly wanted was to love herself: and that's what her character arc encapsulates; a journey of self-acceptance and self-love. 

When we finally get to see real game Shiki, she's wearing green because she's a new person, hence the themes of rebirth and harmony: she's confident and happy in who she is; and so the green changes from the negative connotations of jealousy and envy to the positives of steadiness and self-harmony. There's also healing, for both her and Neku: she helped him to open up emotionally and become gentler, and he helped her accept herself. We don't get to see her face because it doesn't really matter: as Neku himself said, "You'll always be Shiki." It's her character that is important, not her appearance. Green is also red's complementary color, and we see that rather than doing a complete 180 in personality, Shiki just gets a little milder. She's not quite as bubbly, but a lot of her passion is still there, it's just gentler. 

In short, Shiki is Neku's opposite. They're like night and day: completely different, but inseparable. 

Let's talk about Neku a while now, shall we? His color choice seems contradictory given his personality when we meet him: he is extremely distrusting, volatile and aloof. The thing is though, Neku's arc is also about growth and while he does not exhibit any of the traits of his color scheme at first; during the entirety of the game, he regains himself. Neku's character is about relearning how to trust people and not being afraid to be open and accept different points of view and values- and that diversity is good and healthy! During his first week with Shiki, we get very small glimpses of how emotional Neku actually is, particularly through inner monologue. 

When Rhyme is erased, he's distraught (his thoughts tell us he feels awful) but he masks it with blunt logic ("Because we couldn't. That's how it was meant to be"), perhaps to avoid showing vulnerability, even declaring teaming up is a dumb idea- because people get hurt and there are situations where there's nothing you can do about it. Neku's rant when Shiki declares that Beat and Rhyme were their friends takes us right into his psyche:

"Who needs friends?! They just laugh and talk like idiots and pretend to agree with you- so you end up caring about them….exposing yourself...getting HURT..Screw it! We're better off without them! You want other people getting in your way? Dragging you down? I don't!"

And suddenly, Neku's prickliness makes sense- he views attachment as painful and vulnerability as a risk, and so he vehemently avoids them. He's mean because he's hurting and he's sad: and how fitting, as one of the negative connotations for blue is sorrow and grief. Remember how I said Neku didn't exhibit any traits of blue? Well, that was specifically for the positive ones. 

Negative symbolism of blue: coldness, aloofness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness, sorrow

And that's Neku to a tee: at first, anyway. While his behavior is not justifiable, it is understandable.

When Shiki snaps at him and tells him that he's inhuman Neku doesn't show any outward response during the actual conflict, but the next day when she apologizes his sprite changes to the "sad turtle" and we get to see his thoughts again:

That I was no better than a Reaper…

Rhyme…

……………

Well...right now…

Neku proceeds to tell Shiki that they need to focus on the mission, and she agrees. While he isn't being especially friendly with her, it's leaps and bounds from his initial open hostility: he's more willing to work with Shiki towards a common goal and one could argue this is when his paradigm shift begins- her comment rattled him a lot, and Neku makes baby steps to change. The daily mission (which involves helping two friends address a misunderstanding) gives us more development for him, too. At this point, he still doesn't think conflicting views and values are a good thing and that relationships only hold him back; and he voices to Shiki that he doesn't see the point of friendships built on falsehoods (which is an excellent point and one that she actually agrees with) and we get to see one of Neku's good qualities: he values truth and honesty a lot. 

She asks him if he truly thinks that people are better off without friends, and when he doesn't answer; Shiki talks about how meeting Eri made her want to be her best self (which is how ALL healthy relationships should be, whether platonic or romantic). She mourns Rhyme again, venting that it isn't fair she'll never know what dreams are like and this time, Neku doesn't deflect. He sympathizes, and for the first time since entering the game, allows himself to be emotionally vulnerable: 

"I know. I…. I'm sad too. We'll just have to live a little extra. For her sake."

From this point onward, Neku begins to grow positively, slowly but surely. He's not friends with Shiki yet, but he feels safe enough in her company to not only express sorrow but caring enough to encourage her to keep pressing forward; for Rhyme's sake. The next day Shiki is quiet and sad due to being confronted on her self-hatred, and Neku doesn't know how to deal with her lack of cheeriness. But instead of being annoyed with her like before, he's visibly concerned and wondering what's wrong; and he tries to engage with her as much as possible: asking for her viewpoint on the daily mission and what they should do, etc. When he learns the truth about Shiki's identity, Neku just listens patiently and afterwards, his monologue is much more positive and understanding:

All this time..she's been as confused as me.

He now realizes that she's just as scared and upset as he is and he empathizes with that, going even further to say that "I like you the way you are" when Shiki expresses fear in being brought back due to her underlying jealousy: he appreciates her, every aspect of her; not because she's perfect, but just for who she is. Later on when Shiki hesitates to scan Eri and runs away Neku gives her the push to do so: as said earlier, he values the truth, and he knows that Shiki needs to face it if she's going to improve as a person- and we see him beginning to exhibit his wisdom. He's not really gentle, but his honesty is needed. When Shiki begins comparing herself to Eri and self-deprecating, he intervenes, in his own way: 

"Oh, would you cut the crap? Who ARE you? You're you. You're not Eri. You'll never be Eri. You'll only ever be you."

Neku reiterates what Shiki told him earlier, about never wanting to be Eri, but he goes a step further. She only went as far as to say she wanted to love herself, but that she never could; while Neku asserts to her that being herself is absolute and unchangeable. Shiki mildly protests this though, saying that Eri is "so much better". To her, while she does value her identity the most, Eri's identity makes her feel inferior. She wants to be her own self, but Eri, in her eyes, is perfect, something that she cannot achieve. And that is why Neku's reply is so important.

"Forget her! You need to live your own life. If she can do it, so can you. All that matters is that you try. You're lucky you're jealous. It gives you something to shoot for. So..shoot."

Up to this point, Shiki has measured the worth of her identity based upon comparison to others, and Neku understands that and tells her upfront  that she needs to stop trying to be somebody that she isn't and be confident in her own self, and just do her best- and that'll be enough. He also encourages her to use her jealousy in a productive way, to find her niche; her drive. This gives Shiki the courage to go back and listen to what Eri has to say, and in doing this she hears her friend praise her positive traits, ones that Shiki herself most likely never even realized: her empathy and love for people, her eye for detail, her skill in creating things, her passion and motivation-

 ALL things, that according to Eri, "I don't have." And Shiki finally understands that Eri saw her as her equal and that who she is, is valued. Of course, a few positive reinforcements is not enough to do a 180 from most likely years of self-hatred, and so she asks Neku again if she's okay the way she is; and his reply shows yet more growth:

"Hey, Shibuya's got room for all types."

This is a STARK contrast to his dialogue when we first meet him- "All the world needs is me," "You have your values, and I have mine," etc. Neku valued his identity, but he took it to the extreme in that he ONLY valued his identity, values, and morals. After meeting Shiki though, his viewpoint changes a bit and at this point Neku now appreciates diversity- he's still not at the point that he feels he can understand other people, but he at least doesn't see conflict of morals as a bad thing anymore. And in turn, this gives Shiki the inner strength to want to go back to the RG and start afresh. He gives her one last push to go back when she hesitates since she was the only one granted a second chance, with the promise to see her again; and in just a week, Shiki goes from being the biggest pain in Neku's side to his biggest motivation for surviving the second game and one of his best friends.

Joshua

Another week, another partner.

What's interesting about Joshua is that he is also blue, just a lighter shade. While Shiki is Neku's opposite, Joshua is more akin to his shadow- a mirror, of sorts.

Light Blue: peace, serenity, ethereal, spiritual, infinity

Josh and Neku are extremely similar, but their personalities still converge at enough points that they're starkly different: their tempers especially are a separating point as Neku is much snappier than Joshua (especially if provoked), and despite Josh being represented by a lighter color, in a lot of ways, he symbolizes his partner's negative traits in even more extreme ways in a subversion to expectations; a "darker" version of him, in a sense. 

When they first meet, these two also clash, but for entirely different reasons. Joshua's attitude, as well as his dodginess, pisses Neku off immensely. While his first week with Shiki is about relearning how to build trust, his second week is a test of said trust by giving him a partner very similar to his former self: distant, aloof, uncaring. It gets especially tricky when Neku scans Joshua and sees himself dead, and he begins to distance himself again; deciding that there is no way that he can trust him- and not only that, but that it'd be ridiculous to do so. Neku senses something is off: he doesn't know what it is, but it unsettles him enough that he is steadfast in his decision to keep Josh at arm's length.

...Until he and Josh visit Mr. Hanekoma, and upon learning that his teammate and Mr. H are acquainted, Neku decides that perhaps Joshua isn't as bad as he initially thought: but he's still pretty hesitant; and understandably so. Mr. H gives him some backstory of his partner, and his motives start to come to light - turns out, Joshua has been able to see the game while living, and that alienated him from other people since Hanekoma was the only one he could confide in. Just like with Neku, this doesn't justify his behavior, but it does make it understandable: Josh pushes away people by playfully antagonizing them and making himself difficult, and Neku pushes them away through hostility. 

When he and Josh visit Udagawa, they connect on both not doing well in groups and Joshua comments that they're more alike than he thought, which leads into a conversation about people not being able to understand each other as long as they have their own worlds and Neku begins to backslide a little:

"Right? They're them, and I'm me. Talking to them gets me nothing."

He goes on to say he respects CAT and their philosophy about doing your own thing and how he needs to just enjoy his life and forget about others, and Josh agrees. While Shiki is Neku's friend, she is the exception, not the norm, and Neku still doesn't trust most people. However, when Josh expresses not needing other people's values, Neku's reply is interesting. He agrees outwardly, but it's hesitant, as if he's unsure of himself. 

"Yeah..."

His inner thoughts show us that once again, he is changing.

But...I don't feel that way anymore. Since coming to the UG, reading people's minds- Shibuya's full of people with just as many viewpoints. Mr. H said the world ends with me. To expand my world, I have to learn to look farther- not write off other people's values as inferior. 

….Maybe I had it backwards. Maybe I need to open up to really enjoy- 

Josh calls him and snaps him out of his thoughts so we don't know what he was going to think next, but Neku has definitely experienced a massive paradigm shift in his way of thinking: he's inwardly questioning himself and acknowledging his wrongs and showing willingness to trust again and is showing a lot more empathy to other people. However, this resolve begins to crack when more holes in his memory get filled. Neku is angry and confused, but most of all, he's hurt and we see it in his reaction when Josh asks if he's okay; because he distances himself again. This situation causes him grow distant once more and he also gets more openly prickly since his trust is shaky. Josh relating to him that he feels he belongs in the UG doesn't help matters, either.

However, a later conversation has him moving forwards again. While acknowledging that people are not meant to see eye to eye, he thinks to himself that perhaps it is better that way. People don't think alike, but they can at least try to understand each other; and he then gets the resolve to actually counter Joshua's argument of solely reading people's thoughts and not talking to them.

"But why? Where's the enjoyment in that? I'd rather broaden my world my own way."

And again, we get a small paradigm shift of Neku feeling comfortable enough to express the positive changes that he has slowly been experiencing: blue symbolizes stability, and by this point in the story he is obtaining more and more of it: in his values, in his emotional expression, in how he deals with people, etc. He gets thrown for an immense loop learning that Joshua is alive though, and Neku finally snaps when his teammate brushes it off claiming they're "just like any other pair"-

He's utterly disgusted by Joshua treating the Game as an adrenaline rush- even when Neku first got into the Reaper's Game, he never enjoyed it, even if he initially was only looking out for himself at first; and the idea of getting excitement from toying with death is foreign to him. It only gets worse when Neku accuses Josh that HE killed him, and simply is taunted in return. From that point onward, he becomes openly hostile and snappy again, throwing the idea of trusting his teammate to the wind and tells him upfront that he's only going to tolerate him to survive; leaning back on his negative qualities (because growth is a process and there will be moments of wavering and backwards steps, and that's normal!)

Later on he also shows open distress when a Reaper is attacked and they are unable to save him; declaring they "left him to die." Even though it wasn't any fault of their own, Neku self-blames just like Shiki did in the first week- thinking that he could've done something, maybe if he had gotten there sooner, or defeated the Noise faster. While not 100%, Neku is comfortable enough to openly express sorrow, and Joshua underhandedly sympathizes and takes the blame off him ("We did what we had to do Neku.") He also protects Sota from Noise later down the line even though his partner is already erased and he's going to die anyway and again expresses sadness ("If only we'd gotten here earlier") and even indignation after the older man dies, screaming in anger about all the people who have been erased ("These are people, not toys!!"). When Josh questions him about the interest in others, he then explains that he's gotten to know folks better and that "it's different now".

"They're not just strangers. I can't shut them out like that." 

This is really important because in this, Neku is essentially declaring he cannot go back to who he used to be; nor does he WANT to. He refuses to, and he is making a conscious effort to be open to other people even if he doesn't understand them. Neku goes on to assert that one needs to reach out to others as well in counter to Josh asserting that he won't ever be able to understand others and this time, Joshua responds positively. Through Neku's steadfastness and refusal to waver on his viewpoints once he truly feels solid in them, and his courage to express them and not back down; he influences Joshua into thinking that perhaps people truly do need each other and can understand each other, even if it isn't easy to do so. In showing sympathy towards his enemies, he also proves again and again that people can change too, for the better; and his wisdom begins to shine once more. (And it is this change that ultimately leads Joshua to decide to save Shibuya) Unfortunately, Neku is thrown for yet another loop upon getting more of his memory back and thinking that Sho killed him, and Josh sacrificing himself is absolutely world-rocking.

He blames himself again, angry at himself for not opening up; and it is with this mindset that he is thrown into the Reaper's Game for the final time. His trust is in shambles, and the third week is Neku's personal test to see if he is willing to reach out despite being recently wounded by his partner.

Speaking of, Joshua doesn't really have an arc compared to the rest of the cast: rather, he serves as the catalyst to their growth instead. His character is interesting because from beginning to end, he expresses essentially none of the positive attributes of the color he is represented by; he only appears to at first glance. While Josh does change his mind about destroying UG Shibuya and is convinced that people can change for the better, whether he himself changes for the better is up for debate. Orange is the second color associated with him (it's the shade of his cell phone and his stickers), but just like with light blue, he expresses none of its positive traits.

Orange: enthusiasm, happiness, creativity, determination, encouragement

Negative symbolism of orange includes insensitivity, pessimism, and being unsociable, all aspects of Joshua's character. He doesn't think that people can change; and that it is impossible to understand them (he even goes as far to express "I'd rather just get rid of them" in a dark contrast to Neku, who is content to merely ignore people). Josh doesn't like groups of people either, and he exhibits insensitivity many times throughout the second week, merely behaving charismatic in order to interact with others. He doesn't really grow outwardly, but that's not the point of his character; he's Neku's test to see if he's truly changed or not.

Joshua is Neku's shadow, he's in the same vein. Rather than night and day, they are as dusk and midnight.

Beat

Beat is interesting because his color was actually switched for Final Remix: in the original DS version Beat is green, and in the Switch version he is yellow. I'm going to dive into both because I feel they're equally important. I already covered green for Shiki, but green has yet another meaning which describes Beat to a tee- safety. While Shiki is the moral support and mediator, he is the protector: he's extremely sacrificing for his sister and the people he cares about to the point of putting himself in physical danger to keep them safe (such as jumping in front of a car to save Rhyme, or jumping in front of Neku to protect him from a brainwashed Shiki). That much stays constant throughout the game. Healing also applies to him, as he helps Neku to open up and feel safe being emotional again by not being ashamed of being emotional himself: Beat openly cries over Rhyme and Neku mourns with him, and they help each other heal by learning to rely on one another. Not just as partners, but as friends.

Yellow: joy, warmth, positivity, friendship

From the get go, Beat is a huge bundle of energy and he's extremely kind; although he gets rather volatile if he feels slighted. But like with Shiki, he's overall a very sweet person and openly emotional: he gets angry in a heartbeat, laughs heartily when he's happy, and cries freely when he's sad- and his tears are never portrayed in a negative manner either; they're just a normal reaction to a sad situation and this normalization of sorrow leads to Neku getting comfortable again in being vulnerable- one could argue he's the most emotional in Week 3. Yellow is the complementary color to purple, which is also the main shade of Neku's design. Rather than an opposite like Shiki, or a shadow like Joshua, Beat is Neku's foil. He's a lot kinder and he's got a big heart but he is also extremely impulsive and acts w/o thinking. In contrast, Neku thinks things through logically, but he's a little lacking emotionally; and so they balance each other out. He's also highly attune to when Neku starts withdrawing into himself and gently snaps him out of it constantly; showing once again his sensitivity to emotion. (He consistently asks Neku if he's okay when he gets lost in thought; which Neku does a lot, especially if he's upset. Beat keeps him grounded.)

Beat's arc is finding value in himself again + doing his best; not for other people, but for himself and finding his drive. When mourning Rhyme, he vents that "she thought I was worth dying for" and that she had much more to live for, and he doesn't understand why she'd sacrifice for him. (And he blames himself for her death, as well) While Beat is protective out of the kindness of his heart, it also comes from a lack of self-worth: he places other people above himself, to a fault. Neku sympathizes with his grief but then goes a step farther to encourage him to not be regretful. In another contrast to Shiki, rather than another's identity making him feel inferior to the point of emulating them and overshooting, Beat jumps to the other side of the ditch and loses his passion altogether. 

Rhyme refused to give up on him, but eventually Beat began to resent her pity and he began to push her away as well. After they both died and came to the Game though, Rhyme's declaration that she had nothing to live for startled him into realizing that she meant a lot more to him than he thought and more than anything else; he wanted to be there for her as she was for him. After beating himself up, Neku comforts Beat in his own way, telling him that he needs to focus on the now and not let his sorrow overcome him, in essence; but also to go the distance just for himself, not for anyone else.

And Beat gets his fire all over again, eventually declaring that Neku isn't his partner anymore- he's a friend, and one that he cares about a lot.

Through his partners, Neku finds himself, they all strengthen different aspects of him. He learns to trust, to be open, to find value in friendship again and him taking off his headphones is the ultimate metaphor of him letting the world back in.

Shiki, his opposite.

Joshua, his shadow.

Beat, his foil. 

They all shaped his world, and showed Neku just how wonderful it really is.

And that is beautiful.

[musictatertot]

Walking a mile in their shoes (Yang)

A previous post about Ruby and her character development up until the episode "So That's How it is" has lead to this! Yang is absolutely fascinating!

Let me know if you guys noticed anything I missed or if you think I have misunderstood/misinterpreted something (highly likely).

Yang Xiao Long

Out of every character in the show right now, Yang worries me the most. Her character development has been spot on and completely realistic, but not particularly in a good way. At least, not for the situation she is in.

Yang has been through some shit. Not even just recently, but her whole life. The feeling of abandonment that has followed her her whole life has never really gone away. In fact, it's only grown stronger.

In the first three volumes Yang was bullheaded, stubborn, energetic, and a large positive influence on her team. She had always been Ruby's cheerleader, pushing her to be more confident in herself and go for the gold! She was the main support pillar of Blake, working closely as her partner to make her feel safe and listened to. Those first three volumes we didn't really see many interaction between her and Weiss, but just because you aren't actively working to help someone doesn't mean you are not helping at all. Weiss is from a very tense, closed door kind of home. Yang, for all intents and purposes, was the Sparta kick to all closed doors she had never known was possible. Watching someone with that kind of confidence can be extremely inspiring, and I believe that might have been a strong portion of the respect the two clearly had for each other throughout those first three volumes, as shown in the two vs. two battle in the tournament.

Then Beacon fell and everything went wrong. Cinder was right to have them take out Yang the way they did (those rat bastards. I still love them as character portrayals but damn them!). Yang was the unshakeable foundation. She held absolute belief in herself because she had worked her damned hardest to be able to feel that way. She made sure her team, her family, saw her as someone they could depend on. Someone who was strong enough, and good enough, to defeat anything in their way.

Mercury and Emerald took that from her. I know we all place pretty much all of the blame for Yang's emotional turmoil right now on Adam (and rightfully so that dick) but I don't think we should forget that directly before that she had already been shaken down to her core beliefs. For a moment there, her whole team had been against her. Not aggressively, no, but it was clear that they were horrified by her actions (false as they were but no one had known that yet).

Suddenly her role was gone. Ruby looked at her as though she were the one that needed supporting. Blake, for a heart wrenching moment, believed she could become a cruel person. And Weiss...

Weiss actually surprised me. For all of her troubles with Ruby and Blake before I had expected at least a small confrontational remark. Nothing major, she had clearly already grown and opened up some by that point, perhaps just asking her why she did it. Instead she was completely supportive of Yang, immediately believing that she had a reason for what she had done and that the reason was valid. I knew she had grown but at this moment I realized how much. Good job Weiss.

I think that was a strong starting point for the supportive relationship (romantic or platonic, I just love the interactions and really, really want to see more so you can choose for yourselves) that they begin to develop in the fifth volume.

Weiss withstanding, Yang was still at a loss. Then she hears about her mother from Qrow. I won't say it was a wrong call, I don't have enough experience with either of their emotional states to say if it would have been better to remain silent or not, but it is factually accurate to say that Yang was in a very emotionally vulnerable state when she got the news.

Mentally vulnerable, mentions of absent mother thus bringing a strong reminder of those heavy abandonment feelings, Beacon falling, loosing an arm (another huge part of who she is) and then Blake leaves.

If the tournament had gone well, or at least Yang had been left alone, I feel like Yang would have reacted a bit differently about Blake's disappearance. She still would have been upset, absolutely, but the strong stab of betrayal she had felt would have been lessened. At least, I believe so. Too much had happened, she couldn't think about why Blake had left. Only that she had.

Thoughts of abandonment had already been on her mind. The situation exacerbated that and tore what little mental defenses she had left down. Losing her arm was, no doubt, an extreme blow to her core. The mental manipulation just added twice the impact.

(I actually think she should be equally, or maybe even more so in some cases, vengeful towards Emerald and Mercury, but I can see how the actual physical trauma has overwritten what they did in her mind a fair bit)

As such, I was supremely impressed when she was able to pull herself up again, and in such short time too! I know it was months covered in the fourth volume, but things like that can take up to years to even to begin making strong progress in. She wasn't completely stable, of course not, something like that doesn't just go away (and CRWBY you are gosh darn amazing for keeping that in mind you loveable masterminds) as shown by her shaking hand in tense situations and outbursts of anger whenever she is questioned but she was taking strong steps forward. She was trying, and really, that's all I wanted for her.

Honestly, I think at this point she has genuinely moved on from the trauma of what Adam has done to her (not the feelings they inflicted, but the trauma of it), taking that pain to make herself stronger, but she is still struggling immensely with what Mercury and Emerald did to her. This is especially worse because I don't think she even realizes that there is a problem that needs to be addressed (Jinn, can we please have some more questions please? We need a therapy circle, stat).

There are a lot of different ways to process trauma. It all depends on the person and what works for them! For the trauma with Adam Yang has turned her pain and fear into vengeance and anger again. Awesome for her, she's moving forwards! Unfortunately, by not paying attention to the mental attacks she suffered she is using those same tactics against those without fully being aware. In volume five it was not quite as noticeable, a few moments here and there (shouting at Ruby and Weiss, losing her cool when asking about her mother being turned into a raven), but I especially noticed it in her character songs. Especially "Ignite".

Yang's songs have always been about self assuredness, fighting, and unwavering confidence. These were still there, and I loved it.

There was also a lot more... aggression. "I Burn" as well as "Armed and Ready" were about fighting and fighting back against an oppressive force. "Ignite" was a bit more brutal. Slowly but surely her actions are taking on more violent means. She has always been a fighter, so violence is par for the course, but the line in particular in "Ignite" that caught my attention was "Didn't mother warn you, now she's going to mourn you". Several other lines follow this thread and I can clearly see that her anger and bloodlust is on the rise.

Not necessarily a bad thing, when fighting enemies. Not a great thing when it is directed at the people closest to you as well.

I adore Yang, but I am growing increasingly worried about her more constant bouts of anger. They are valid reasons for anger, but she is losing the restraint she once had. My main case in point is when her, alongside Weiss and Blake, turned their weapons on Qrow.

Weiss and Blake I can understand. They don't know Qrow. All they know is that he is extremely loyal to Ozpin so of course they would be wary of him approaching Ruby when she stands against him.

Yang, however, knows better. She's known Qrow even longer than Ruby, and his actions were clearly pacifying. Standing between him and Ruby, sure. Letting him know you stand with her, even if he disagrees. Pointing her weapon at him, that's too much. That is a reaction without thought, which is becoming more common.

I also find Yang acting more and more like, well, a rebellious teenager. Teenagers go through a hormonal period where it is literally almost impossible to see things from a point of view different from their own, particularly when they are upset. Everyone has it at different times in their lives ranging from preteens to even their early twenties, but it is still a process of growth. It is very egocentric, very normal, and a very bad time for it.

Yang has no patience anymore. She is acting hypocritically more and more often. Being angry at Ozpin for hiding things is natural, and I expected it. But the amount of anger she held and self righteousness she showed was at odds with her own secrets regarding Raven. Protecting her mother is something I empathize with, but Raven is also a Maiden. If you're going to get mad at someone for hiding things about the fight you are in, you should be aware enough that you are doing the same. She is not; this the teenage egocentrism.

Even during Jinn's story about Ozpin's past, Yang's expressions were more often anger than anything else. And not really anger at anyone other that Ozpin. She can not break herself from her original thoughts that he can not be trusted, regardless of his reasons.

I am especially worried about her thoughts on her mother now. Because she did not trust a word her mother said, but as it turns out not everything she had said was a lie. This, almost scarily often, had the ever present thought of "what else was she right about". Now I am worried that her mind will make that emotional leap of distrusting Ozpin so much that she believed everything her mother said. She still is angry and hateful for the abondment but now there is a valid reason for it. Her mother abandoned her for a reason, and that reason is currently locked away inside a lost farmer boy.

Im hoping Weiss or Ruby is able to get through to her. I wish it could be Blake, but with the previous abandonment and Yang's feelings about it I don't think she will really be willing to listen to what Blake has to say while her emotions are still high. Ruby has a very special connection to her and has the best luck of making her step back, but I think Weiss has the best chance of making her reflect. Speaking from experience it is kind of hard to take when you get a younger sibling's criticism for you choices. It's both a matter of pride and a matter of you, being the oldest, are supposed to be taking care of them and showing them the best way. I hope it will be Ruby who makes her take a step back, Weiss who makes her reflect, and Blake who listens and supports thus bridging the gap between them and restoring that trusting relationship Yang desperately needs.

I love Yang. I hope she looks in and works to help herself soon, before she does something she will regret.

[piloversfinestbees]

To add to @primalinfinity you are absolutely correct

Remember though everyone felt the burn of Yang's words to Ruby at the beginning of vol 8 but let us not forget how action forward Blake was in vol 6 on the train "what's the plan Ruby?" and in vol 7 "we'll follow your lead.." in the elevator when Ruby says they need to watch what they say.

She isn't just supporting Ruby in vol 7 she also supports Yang. They together chose to stop Robin and guess her much of the truth as possible before the ace-ops got there. When questioned by iron-word, Yang admits to them telling Robin but from there on out Blake is the vocal one "what about Robin?" "you'll be leaving mantle to die... "I say we stand our ground." "don't make us have to get out of here by force." x you're turning your backs on the people you swore to protect!"

Then boom Yang finally speaks up... Telling Blake to save her breath because the ace-ops are follows orders like drones pretty much, but in the midst of that fight all it tales is a glance and a smirk and they are on the same page. Yang stumbles into vol 8 rattled with distrust... Their honest attempt to tell Robin the truth backfires... Blake and Weiss both stating that Ironwood is prone to overreact and even after giving him time to trust the team he clearly doesn't care and like he says to watts "he will sacrifice everything" to face and fight Salem.

I don't think Yang is worried about how Blake will see her as a huntress or a fighter because Yang is "Strength" personified in Blake's eyes. I think she is afraid Blake will think differently of her because they looked in each others eyes after killing Adam and promised one another that they were going to protect each other. They are one another's partners on and off the field. They go so far as proving to Marrow that they in fact do great paired together. So Yang breaking from the pack and on her way out telling Ruby in front of everyone that Ruby's plans haven't gove the way they wanted them to creates a mental canyon in Yangs' thoughts.

Blake knows that if she can't be at Yang's side she can do the next best thing.. She can do right by Yang by sticking by Ruby and being there for Ruby and support Ruby she does! Blake even becomes the witty banter member of RWBY during vol 8 and its refreshing. But never once does Blake's belief in Yang waiver. Its why she greets her loving and caring only letting Yang know (with action) "l missed you and thank the Gods you came back safe."

Everything Yang tells Ruby is what Yang would have told Blake but Yang also knows that Blake cherishes the personal freedom she has around Yang, and Blake would never try to strip away that radiant and warm free spirt Yang still has even after all that she has endured. That same spark, flame, and warmth like Yang is the sun itself is what grabbed Blakes attention that first day in the forest at Beacon.

Yang is purely questioning whether or not Blake will think less ot her because she now sees that their partnership is evolving she loves Blake and she knows that Blake loves her. Beacon fell, Blake left because she thought that would keep Yang sate som Adam, Blake came back to Haven to take down Adam's twisted white fang and well would you believe it Yang was there too (this is meant to be rang in both their ears ), Haven didn't fall, but Adam did get away. They made their way to Argus and while making their attempt to go to Atlas Blake was faced with fighting Adam, courageously Blake held him at bay, she knew that Yang would jump into action if Blake didn't check in and she did. Yang took Tai's teachings to heart and listened to Blake when she told Adam about his semblance. So she fought smart not just for herself but for Blake, to protect each other.

This is what weighs heavy on her during vol 8. Ren is brooding and Yang used to deal with a brooding Blake that pushed everyone away, so it makes her all to aware of this feeling... Blake... Is she okay... Is she mad I didn't stay... Does she think less of me for going against our leader/ruby... Is she stressed because she thinks we might be in trouble???

This is Yang starting to verbally express her feelings and emotions, the exact same things that she has always put as 2nd behind her worry and love for everyone else. She knows she isn't alone anymore she sees that, she knows that so now she has confront her feelings, her emotions, her wants, her needs, all of which she has had but not with this new found freedom of "The person I wanted to stay is here but we just split up to tackle multiple missions and now flood gates to everything I have set aside to put others first are flooding my mind!"

“Will she think less of me” is such a specific expression, and it tells us a lot about Yang and her relationship with Blake. In the past, Yang has worried: 1) that Blake didn’t trust her (volume 3) ; 2) that Blake didn’t care for Yang as much as Yang does for her (volume 5) ; and 3) that Blake didn’t understand Yang and what Yang needs from her (volume 6). 

It’s always been about Blake’s feelings towards Yang though. This latest instance is different, in that Yang wonders what Blake thinks. It’s a facet of Yang we’ve never seemed before: Yang has never been concerned about what other people think of her. But she certainly cares about Blake’s opinion, and she’s self-conscious about it, which is fascinating to me.

Yang has grown into her own these past volumes, but here I think we’re touching on a newfound, deeper insecurity: she’s found herself, she’s found her purpose, but what if that person is not enough? Yang isn’t like Blake, who thinks about the big picture, the state of the world, systems of oppression and civil rights movements. Blake, a political activist, a leader of her people. 

Yang is smart, and strong, and a skilled Huntress, but what if Blake needs more from her? What if she finds her wanting? Will she think less of Yang, if their priorities don’t always align, and Yang chooses the more practical, immediate course of action? Will she think less of Yang, if Yang is a Huntress first, and not someone whose goal is to change the whole damn world?

Of course Blake doesn’t think less of her at all - but it makes so much sense, given where they both are in their personal journeys, given that they’re closer than ever before but haven’t explicitly labelled their relationship, that Yang would harbor these very realistic concerns. I hope we get to see them talk about all of this soon - it will be a pivotal conversation.

[yang-did-everything-right]

Antis love to talk about what was meant to be, and what was planned, but do they have the scripts? They sure don't. people that actually watch the show do have something though, they have what the people involved in the process have said, and that means a hell of a lot more than what some clown thinks. Yang was intended to be in that scene since before the first trailer, that's been confirmed across any number of cons.She's the one that called for Blake, she's the one Adam heard call for Blake. Adam hearing someone come for Blake told him that she had built strong enough bonds in this school for someone other than him to care for her and a human at that. Adam saw how Blake reacted when Yang called for her.Adam didn’t -need- to know Yang at that point, he knew -Blake-. He knew how anti social she was, how distrusting she was. Why do you think he was so paranoid, so controlling? Would he need to be with someone docile and accepting of him? She used to be, certainly. But she grew and kept growing and eventually she ran. Yet here she was, building bonds with someone that -was not him-. That was all he needed and the rest was history. You know what though? I’ll say this. I absolutely think that had it been Sun instead of Yang? She would have reacted with just as much distress and he would have attacked Sun instead. But it wasn’t sun, it was Yang. It’s never been about who it was, but why it happened. It could have been ruby, weiss, velvet. Etc. That point is fine to make, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that it was -Yang-. Yang was given that connection in Adam’s mind, Yang was the one that took Blake from him, so Yang would be the first. Keep in mind what Adam said, he said he was -starting- with her. That meant that the others were on the table too, anyone that Blake had built a bond with, he’d destroy them and only once every last bond was gone, then and only then would he kill Blake. But Yang was the most important one, because even though Adam didn’t know her, Yang was the -first- one to come calling for Blake, when Sun had all the opportunity in the world to do so instead and chose not to.

And few other similar arguments that I've seen used over the week. How Adam would've said "starting with them" to anyone, or how anyone could've gone to find Blake and that Yang going after Blake means nothing and that Yang isn't special cuz she was written into that position.

But guess what, Yang IS special for being put into that position. This is a show, this isn't real life, which means everything that happens in the plot has a meaning and significance to things that will happen in the future of the story. Nothing that happens in the story is "coincidence" or "futile".

Yang being put in that position, Adam saying "I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love...... Starting with her " and Yang losing an arm to Adam didnt happen in coincidence. It happened because it was meant to happen and because it means something to the future of the plot and to the development of Blake and Yang's characters and their mutual reletionship.