#Salem is a bigger threat than these threads

[bridgyrose]

I don’t really need all those plot threads to be resolved fully before the series ends, I just want them to be acknowledge as more complex then something where people just need to “get along” I also would like to at least be shown that those issues are being left in capable hands, with Robyn I at least know mantle is but in the case of the Faunus with ghira in charge I’m not as hopeful

Here's the thing... that's probably not going to happen until the end. Simply saying "the people get along, Salem is defeated, the world is fixed," isnt exactly the end that's going to happen. But the thing is, these threads, these subplots, arent going to be the end goal of the story either. And the thing is, those issues being worked on probably isnt going to happen for a lot of them.

For instance, the SDC thread. That one isnt going to be something that's worked on until probably the end at this point. Atlas, the main kingdom the SDC is part of, is gone. Communications for the kingdoms are gone. As far as we know, the SDC as we know it is gone at this point and if its not, Whitley would be the one in charge at this point. So working on that... isnt exactly feasible.

And to continue, the divide between Atlas and Mantle will be worked on coming to Vacuo because they're going to be there. But even at that, its more going to be a focus on trying to get them to get along and things arent going to go well with Vacuo in the mix.

The systemic issues with racism, slavery, ect: that stuff we'll probably not see worked on completely until the end. Here's the thing, we'll see that things have started to be worked on with Ghira's group, but at this point, we're not going to see much until later.

Those are the main subplots I keep seeing people bring up and the thing is... this isnt an easy fix. But we'll have to wait to see a lot of what's been going on since a lot of these plot threads are going to be on the back burner. Atlas is destroyed, Vacuo is falling apart, Mistral is a cesspool with issues regarding its crime, and Vale has issues in backrooms with mafia crime and corrupt officials. If, and this is a big if, we see anything worked on before the end of the series, its more than likely going to be within the last volume. We're at a point in the story where seeing a lot of these subplots being worked on isnt going to happen.

If you're more focused on the subplots and seeing progress because you think the ending is just going to be "everything is magically better", you're focusing on the wrong part of the story. And that's the thing, these threads are being acknowledged. But right now, their at a point of recognizing that their world is more broken than they realized, that their goal to unite people is going to be much harder than they expected. Things will get brought up, but more than likely not yet. Especially for the bigger issues that cant be worked on with the world collapsing.

[itsclydebitches]

Related to the topic of underdeveloped deaths in RWBY. I think the only death after Volume 3 that has been dealt with with some kind of weight, we saw it happen completely on screen and affect other characters in the next volume, was Clover death and we know how was handled.

I was about to start this answer with, "Yeah, at least RWBY showed us his death on screen, rather than leaving it ambiguous by cutting away," but then I remembered the confusion in the fandom when Clover was shown across from Winter in the Definitely Not Dead ward, rather than a morgue. And on the one hand I get it. Fans aren't wrong for thinking that getting stabbed straight through the chest with a sword and then going limp as Qrow sky screams is as obvious a death as anyone can manage... for a normal show. But RWBY is the show that brought Penny back, that healed Weiss, that has characters like Ironwood who somehow lost half their body and lived to tell the tale. If he can survive that, presumably with time between injury and medical treatment, why not Clover? He's living in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy show where characters can be frozen solid, pushed off a cliff, and wake up totally fine weeks later. Taken from that perspective, it's not hard to understand why fans followed the thread RWBY was potentially dropping by putting him in a hospital bed, face uncovered.

Then we've got all the reasons why people wanted Clover to live in the first place: the incredibly stupid way he went down, his budding relationship with Qrow, the Ace Ops being underdeveloped as a whole, a lack of interest in Qrow's revenge plot-line, and some pockets (such as mine) wanting to keep someone around who doesn't think Ironwood is a bigger threat than Salem herself. Given that Clover's death was arguably unsatisfying, the instinct is to wish that he's not dead so that, hopefully, things will be more satisfying moving forward. (Excluding, of course, those who just aren't a fan of the character and were happy to see him gone, no matter how he left. I can understand that lol.) The impact of Clover's death amounted to something, sure, but nothing that made much sense. Qrow blames the wrong person before dropping that with a single speech from Robyn, one that shows a highly biased view of Clover even after he's gone. Harriet decides to drop a bomb on a city of innocents because she, apparently, was in love with him, despite never demonstrating that in Volume 7. Everyone else? They don't care.

Honestly, I think Clover's death had the most comparative impact because 1. His death was conveyed in a shocking style that, notably, is reminiscent of Yang losing her arm. Volume 8 tries very hard to recapture the success of Volume 3. 2. His death was an iffy move that for many edged too close to Bury Your Gays for comfort, even if it was never technically that. 3. Fans were aware of everything above and the frustration of it all caused an influx of interest. Just not, you know, happy interest.

But again, it's a comparative low bar. Is a shocking, stylized, on screen death that leads to random outcomes better than Ironwood's ambiguous death after the downfall of his character, or Penny's assisted suicide after having her android identity stripped from her, or Vine blowing himself up after the show did nothing to develop him? Probably, but that's not much consolation when you're hoping for so much more.

[isafalco]

THE FINAL BATTLE

Location: The Barn

Summary: The wolves fight Merci in one epic final battle

Involved: Literally everyone

@cash-stone, @mehtawolf, @presleystone, @codiemohren, @luciolontoc, @isafalco, @puckrigby, @peytonavery, @reyessalex, @erickaholloway, @vesperlinwood

Merci: 

Merci stands at the end of the barn, with her hands on her hips, sizing up the empty space where her hose had been once. She lets out a frustrated sigh, and pivots on her shoe to turn back toward the exit, when the door opens. Two people come through it first. Cash and Moll. Followed almost immediately by Vesper with Salem, and Ericka. "I wasn't expecting visitors," Merci says with a tilt of her jaw. She doesn't know the social comings and goings of the manor enough to know that this is a strange combination of people. "Have any of you seen my horse?"

Cash:

He wasn't expecting to run into a vampire already in the barn itself. The vampire seems clueless enough, but that will change as more and more people file in. The entire damn manor is heading this way. His heart hammering in his chest, he puts an arm out in front of the group as he slowly funnels them in until he's the only one standing between Merci and the door, never taking her eyes off her. He thinks of Salem standing just feet away. "Your horse ran off," he answers. His throat feels tight with tension. "Don't think it's coming back."

Merci:

"Ran off?" She can't imagine where he'd have gotten to without some help. But even still. She takes two steps forward. And as she does, two more enter the barn. Puck and Codie. And then Cash stands in front of the door, his arm in the way. It's an immediately suspicious gesture. Merci's eyebrow raises. "What is this?"

Blair:

Riva might not be very big, but dead weight is still dead weight, and Blair has just been tased basically. There seems to be some kind of block in the doorway, and in her irritation, she shoves her way into the barn, nearly dropping the unconscious witch as she stumbles into Cash's back while the rest of the witches and wolves stream in behind her. Her eyes fall on Merci and flick to Cash, and she turns on a dime. Riva's body is haphazardly shoved towards Moll. "Stay back!" she shouts at them. "Cash, just like training." She goes for Merci's legs, hoping that she still has the element of surprise to get the vampire off balance.

Merci:

Merci is only staring at the scene in front of her, trying to parse why all of these people would be coming into the barn in this way. Something with the wolves, maybe. Though the full moon was recent. And then -- one of them yells, moves fast. But Merci is a vampire. She moves faster. She pulls the wolf up from where attacks, before she can reach her legs, lifting her by her hair to her feet and then wrapping her hands around the girl's throat, holding her feet off the ground. All so fast it is barely visible by anyone until Blair is in the air and Merci's hand is around her night. She narrows her eyes on Cash, as behind him the last of the escapees -- Alex and Peyton holding up haven, enter the barn. "I repeat. What is this?"

Cash:

"No, Blair––" He reaches for her, but his feet don't even move by the time Merci already has Blair in the air by the throat. Seeing how fast the vampire can move puts his senses on high alert and he becomes hyper aware of just how many people are now standing in the barn. Slowly, his eyes locked with Merci's, he lowers his arm. "Nico wanted us out of the manor, miss. Said he was done hiding out and wanted some entertainment with the others. Something big, for his wife. Silas is going to be here any second to make sure we all stay in the barn. But they've all been rough with us on the way out. We're all on edge."

Lucio:

They're all threading very dangerous waters, following Cash and Blair to the barn like they're in line for their execution. And Merci, standing there like the executioner about to pounce at the first sight of a threat. His first instinct, after Blair launches herself at Merci and Cash tries his best to diffuse the situation, is to pull Theo closer to him, who he's been holding hands with this entire time. But he knows her, the last thing he wants is someone to provoke Merci... So he covers her mouth with his hand, makes sure they're somewhat hidden in the middle of the small crowd and he looks at her with warning eyes and shakes his head at her.(edited)

Vesper:

The moment passes faster than she can comprehend, and Vesper hates how things always seem so slow when the vampires are involved. Salem is in her arms, and she tucks her close, angling her body so that there is at least one more body between the vampire and the child. Her heart is beating like a drum, and her limbs still ache from the ritual they had done to create the hand of glory. But doesn't dare to even breathe, as though she might attract Merci's attention and put Salem in even more danger.

Codie:

Codie's heart is in her throat the entire way from the manor to the barn. She can hear Cash trying to speak and then she's in the barn with the rest of the people who weren't supposed to fight and another vampire. She just feels sick. The moment Blair leaps, she takes a half-step back, almost on top of Puck, anything to put distance between her and the way her feet dangle in the air like a rag doll. They're nothing to these things, and Codie knows she's no use here.

Merci:

It's a reasonable enough explanation. Her sire and her family toying with the remaining inhabitants of the manor. And yet the angry girl dangling in her arms and the tension in all of their presences suggests otherwise. She watches, for another minute and then, fast and hard throws Blair as hard as she can onto the small loft catwalk that encircles the bond. She crashes through the thin wooden railing and into a heap against the wall. And just as she does, Merci hears a loud crash inside. And Thomas -- scream Silas's name. Now Merci needs to make a run for it. "Move."(edited)

Cash:

Cash tries hard not to react to Blair being flung farther than any other non-magical being on earth could throw another person. Just the wrong look, the wrong response, and they'd all be slaughtered. But now Merci has a goal and he's in the way. The only thing that may still be on their side, perhaps for another few precious seconds, is the lone vampire not knowing that the 'no killing' rule has gone to shit. He shakes his head at Merci and responds softly, but firmly. "I can't let you do that."

Merci:

It's brave. Noble. But Annoying. So annoying. So Merci reaches forward, grabs him by the shirt and tosses the wolf clean across the barn into a stall. He's bigger, thuds louder. And when she turns, there's another boy. 

Puck:

Puck stands beside Cody, Ericka at his other side. And he doesn't know what to do. They're not strong. He can't fight. And yet -- "Hey, Cruella." It's unhelpful but it stops the vampire from stalking after Cash. Puck stands goes to step in her way and she moves at vampire speed, grabbing him by the throat and holding him far above her head as she squeezes. Squeezes. Puck's mouth gasps for air, he scrambles, hands searching for a grip to get her hands off. But she's so strong for someone who seems barely taller than him.

Codie:

Blair flies, then Cash, and Codie knows that if something doesn't give soon, they're all going to die right here and now. But she's frozen, eyes flitting back and forth between Cash and Merci, unable to bring herself to break the vow she'd made. For the first time, she finds she wants to do something but-- She doesn't have time to sit and analyze and wonder about why she wants to jump in, why she knows she won't because Puck is jumping in. The next few seconds seem to freeze as she watches the vampire's grip squeeze around his throat, and she watches the whites of his eyes turn bloodshoot. She almost jumps. Hesitates. He gasps for air, strangled and horrible, and she finally does, mimicking Blair's stance, but goes straight for her front and arm to hopefully try and knock her grip loose.

Cash:

Wood splinters in his landing beneath his body, but he's back on his feet in seconds, albeit a little disoriented. When he twirls around, everything's already falling apart. Merci has a witch by the throat and Codie's trying to get him free. Cash kicks the wooden gate he was thrown into and picks up a piece of it, long and sharp enough to be used as a stake. Propelling off the balls of his feet, he charges Merci from behind, raises the piece of wood above his head, and strikes down as hard as he can. The wooden point pierces skin and flesh and buries in Merci's back, but just misses her heart.

Merci:

As soon as the wood hits her back, Merci drops puck and turns around, swinging a fist square into Cash's face with vampire strength and sending him backward. Puck falls to a heap at her feet. She staggers a few steps away back toward the center of the barn and then pulls the stake out of her own back.

Blair:

Blair crashes through what feels like at least six pieces of wood, and she shakes out the ringing in her ears. The fight has begun in earnest, and it takes half a second for her to clock the situation. There is plenty of broken pieces of wood around her and she grabs one without hesitation. Blair jumps down from the catwalk, rolling neatly and using her momentum to barrel straight into Merci's body. Her ribs scream in protest as she raises her arm and stabs down, only send the stake into the vampire's shoulder as she fights back.

Merci:

Another stake sticks into her shoulder and Merci screams out. She swings fast again, tossing the girl that's on her back to the ground with the momentum and decking her square in the face too. She stops again, pulls the second stake of wood from her shoulder and this time, makes her way as fast her speed will allow her, toward the door.

Peyton:

The fight escalates. And escalates, and Blair and Cash get injured in the process -- she knows, in that moment, that she can't possibly let Merci escape without trying to stop her. She thinks of the people inside the manor and if she listens just close enough, she swears she can hear something breaking in the distance. She turns back from the manor and looks at Alex, then at Merci who yells out in pain. "Alex". She whispers. "Remember that frat party in college, that guy who got gropey and we tackled him in that room..." She doesn't elaborate more, but she points towards the door, right when Merci tries to swoosh past them. Peyton blocks her path and gets her arms around Merci's waist, but she's stronger -- without Alex's help, she'll just drag her along.

Alex:

Alex's full focus is on Haven. Making sure she's safe, because she's in no state to fight. And as long as she and Peyton stay there, working on making sure Haven is alright, they're all safe. But she knows that isn't true, knows the fight will come to them. She's no stranger to ignoring violence but it becomes impossible. Peyton's story draws her attention and she nods. She remembers. They'd tackled him and then when the football team had taken too long to come get one of their own, they'd blocked the door. Alex shoots to her feet just behind Peyton, who shoots up in front of the vampire. And with her own new, barely controlled strength and a flash of fangs, Alex grabs Merci and launches her in the air across the barn.

Presley:

Presley clears the space between the house and the barn at a full sprint. She catches a flash in the doorway, blonde hair and she swears she sees Merci but she's moving too fast. In a second, she's through the door, through the small crowd. She looks at all of them, growls low and warning. It means stay out of the way. Merci sees her and scrambles to her feet. Presley growls and lunges, and within seconds, they're tangled in a fight that no one can keep up with. At every chance she gets, Presley bites down, again and again, any piece of skin she can make contact with, trying to ensure that no matter what happens, the vampire ends up poisoned. But despite the loss of strength, Merci gets in a good hit. Presley's back hits the edge of the stall with a loud yelp. And before she gets back on her feet, Merci lunges for Blair.

Ericka:

The fight is escalating and the tension within the group trying to stay out of the way is exhausting. Since the moment Merci picked up the guy who gave her the finger guns back at the library, Ericka has been on her hands and knees with her eyes closed, searching for something in the ground, underneath the barn, with her magic. She finds something, a network of tree roots and just a small distance from the barn towards the forest, some vines. She draws them out, summoning them forth, but her concentration is broken when a wolf comes barreling into the barn and starts snapping at the vampire. The wolf whose coat can only belong to Presley Stone gets flung into the wall and Merci turns her attention to Blair who appears to be on their team now. Ericka huffs, takes a few steps forward away from the group, and holds her hands out in front of her towards Merci, fingers clawed, remembering the night that she definitely attacked Presley. Through the spaces in the floorboard, vines whip up and wrap themselves around Merci's ankles, calves, thighs, wrists, anything they could reach to slow her down.

Presley:

Ericka helps. She gives Presley the time she needs to get back to her feet before Merci can hurt anyone else -- hurt Blair again. The vines come up from the floor boards, wrap around Merci and take her down. They only hold for a second with Merci's super strength but it's enough. As soon as Merci breaks free, she grabs Ericka, holds her by her throat in front of her and stares down Presley who freezes where she stands. Presley growls, paces closer, backs her up and up as Merci tries to make her mistake, no shielded by the other witch. it's a smart move, an easy way to get free because Presley won't endanger Erick. But it also helps Presley get Merci out of the barn, away from the others, so she takes it, growls again, paces forward, again and again, until they clear the door back into the yard.

Isa:

She can hear and see the commotion inside the barn, but she can't get a clear shot. The windows aren't big enough, even the glimpses she catches of Cash and Blair getting thrown around inside like rag dolls. All she can think about, while the witches and the wolves deal with the unexpected, is Presley's whereabouts, even when she keeps a close eye through the scope, in case she can get a clear view of the back of Merci's head. Or heart. Its not until she sees that speckle of blonde dash through the yard towards the barn that relief washes over her, even if it mixes with her fear of Presley being hurt once again, defending magic and every single witch in that house. She counts the seconds. Ten, twenty, thirty -- no one comes out, the commotion gets louder, she can hear Presley's snarls even from the roof, and then it comes. Merci, dashing out the door clearly poisoned with bites on her body, holding Ericka like a human shield. Through the scope, she gives Presley a glance, and then she gets down on one knee. She's not very fast, with the poison running through her veins, but its fast enough to pull Isa's focus. "Come on motherfucker, keep going". And then, the shot. It resounds through the vast property of Carden Manor, but it travels lightning fast towards the front of Merci's head, right through the forehead. If this were any human, witch, or werewolf, they'd be down on their knees, dead. But for Merci, its a painful inconvenience, but inconvenient enough that when she angrily drops Erick to the ground to grab her head as she yells out in pain, Isa cocks and loads the rifle one more time. Then.... Another shot. This one hits her chest and she cocks the gun at the ready to fire again in case she'd missed (she never misses). The vampires stiffens, she hears something like a breath caught in her throat, and her body falls with an audible thump on the ground, rock solid... desiccated. Isa lowers her rifle and looks at Presley from the top of the roof.

Presley:

Presley Stone has only ever killed once. The Compound. She hadn't thought about it as she'd prepared for this. She hadn't thought about how she's not a killer, not prone to violence, not angry and consumed by emotion -- not ever. She hadn't thought about the place where duty mixes with humanity, not until she's growling, with her paws on the ground and she hears a gun shot and another and Merci drops. -- isa. If she were human she'd be grinning, ear to ear, proud at how well this had come together, at them as a team. But she's not human right now and it isn't over. Because under the duty to protect the people in the barn is the duty to make sure that this vampire never sees the light of day again. She snarls once, and lunges, one clear shot at the vampires throat. She doesn't mutilate, doesn't make one single bite further than what is necessary. And when it's finished, she howls, low and clear toward the sky, a thank you to Isa, before she stalks back into the barn, blood on her nose, and sits, firm and steady in the doorway, facing the outside.

[kitkatopinions]

@flawartist Thanks for this ask. You’re right, the Ren/Nora relationship arc featured sudden (but at the very least, understandable) conflict between them, which lead to some incredibly frustrating and pushy behavior from Nora, before this suddenly was turned on its head - with Nora deciding she’s the one getting swallowed by the relationship and requires space from Ren, which he grants. That leaves them in the exact same place they were in V4. Both of them obviously know they both have feelings for each other, but are choosing not to do anything about it.

On top of that, Bumblebee also winds up in the exact same place they were in at the end of V6. They ‘worked through a conflict’  by not talking about it and nuzzling foreheads, their body language heavily hinting at a romantic relationship, but no canon confirmation of it on either side existing.

Honestly, all of this doesn’t make me feel very good about the things that I’m expecting pay off for in the upcoming seasons. We expect that Penny’s death is going to result in the pay off of grief and growth specifically in Ruby, but when the time comes, they might wave that away. They might decide they don’t have time for it currently, the focus might be put on Jaune, Ruby might spill a couple tears in one scene and then immediately forget about it. We expect that the Atlas refugees are going to encounter hardships and will suffer in Vacuo, but that all might be waved away as well. They might settle everyone into the city of Vacuo somehow off screen. We might fail to see any struggle surrounding them completely. We expect that there will be pay off to Tyrian and Mercury heading to Vacuo themselves, but it might not result in any significant, meaningful growth for either their characters or Emerald’s and they might not wind up having an impact on any of the mains. We assume we’ll get pay pay off to the newly arisen conflict of Oscar merging with Ozpin when they use their magic, but that might vanish, and might now have any impact on the way either character operate. We expect that there will be pay off to Team RWBY + J + Neo being on the island, whether it’s a spirit world or an in-between world or whatever, because it’d make no sense to have them separated from the group and dropped into a special location if they don’t do significant growth, but there still might not be payoff. The entire Island arc might just center around patting Team RWBY and Jaune on the back for doing such a good job and being such good protagonists. It might amount to ‘learning exposition or backstory that we also think might amount to significant pay off in season 10. We assume that Winter is going to have to communicate with the other members of her family, but we might not get that pay off, because they might side step that and have our new Winter Maiden not interact with her family at all. We expect that now that Salem has two relics, she’s going to be a bigger threat and figure out how to use them with actually damaging results, but she might lose both before she ever uses them.

To make a long post short, we can’t assume they’ll be pay off in this show, because the writers have proven that they’re more than willing to establish threads and drop them or muddle through tying them off in incredibly unsatisfying ways, and they seem to shy away from growing their characters in any meaningful capacity.

First I thought what the hell is MKEK? Is that a new team? Then I remembered RWBY has 4 writers...why is the story still shit with 4 writers?

I really have no idea. Their unprofessionalism is incredibly clear in their writing imo. The show is riddled with plot holes, confusing situations, characters that don’t feel like people, retcons and walk backs and lines that make no sense, warped timelines, breaking the rules of the universe, etc. And I’ve never consumed any media where the hand of the creator was so obvious, either. It’s honestly mind boggling. So many times, I just can’t fathom why MKEK make the choices they do, and the new writers don’t seem to be helping literally anything. But one of the worst things about the writing in the last three volumes is the lack of pay off.

Looking back at volume six, it has some problems and I was definitely really frustrated with it when I watched it (I think I even walked away from RWBY for a bit,) but it at least had some well done concepts - the Apathy, the backstory in and of itself was pretty good, some of the dialogue, the train station scenes, interactions between Oscar and the others - and other concepts that came a bit too late, but were still fine - Neo’s return and her fight with Cinder, Jaune getting some element of closure for Pyrrha, Qrow’s alcoholism being treated seriously, Ruby displaying some character again. But the best thing that Volume six did was giving us the expectation that something would happen with these plot threads. And most of the plots threads were tied off very haphazardly at best, and ignored at the worst in V7 and V8. Neo has very little real character still, Jacques was brushed aside as a comedic nuisance, Weiss doesn’t have to do any growth to make up with Whitley, Qrow’s alcoholism vanishes with no real sign of withdrawal, Oscar has started assimilating with the rest of the group and becoming yet another occasionally sassy mouthpiece for Ruby’s goals, the team don’t really apologize to Oz and the narrative acts like they’ve grown despite the fact that they haven’t, Qrow and James barely interact and their friendship is thrown out the window for a forced hero-turned-villain plot that had no real emotional depth... Even plots introduced in Volume Seven that could have been interesting - like Salem coming to attack Atlas, Ren and Yang doubting Ruby, Ruby having made obvious mistakes, Penny returning, Penny being the Maiden, Winter and Weiss on opposite sides, Qrow promising revenge on James - All of that amounted to next to nothing, too! Even plot introduced in season eight amounts to next to nothing, like Penny getting hacked, Penny becoming a flesh human, May arguing with and challenging RWB, the whole of James’ villain arc, Cinder learning to work with people... MKEK’s weirdest problem that I just cannot understand is their aversion to pay off. The characters don’t feel like they grow, because when they’re challenged, their isn’t pay off. Watts yelled at Cinder that she’s a selfish brat making stupid choices - something the fandom has been saying for years - and Cinder responds by deciding to work with a team, thus becoming more of a threat, which is real, good growth, whether or not it makes total sense since she kind of always worked with others from volumes one through five. BUT THEN SHE TAKES IT BACK and betrays Neo and Watts and flounces away in her cloud of selfishness to rejoin Salem after killing one of her best people. Penny becomes a flesh human and as rife with problems as that is, she now has to go through the full experiences that come with squishy guts including not being able to do any of the ‘robot’ stuff she could do before - only she’s not discombobulated and she can do all that stuff still because she’s a Maiden and now she’s dead just hours at most after getting a flesh body just like she was dead before and just like she could’ve died if she were still a robot. May tells Ruby she has to make a choice and that there are no perfect solutions, and Ruby gets distractions dropped in her lap so she doesn’t have to make a choice, while May then takes back what she said, and then seventy five percent of Ruby’s problems get taken out for her so she can work on solving the last couple without any consequences the audience is supposed to care about, learning that she can always find perfect solutions if she believes.

MKEK are allergic to pay off and growth, I think lol. it makes what were fairly good moments feel worse. I was weirded out and unsure when Penny came back, but I’ve been on board with it because I’m a fan of Penny and I thought she was one of the best things about season seven. Now I look back at even her better V7 and V8 moments and cringe at how bad it was they ever even brought her back, if they were just going to kill her. I was happy with Watts yelling at Cinder and thought that their team up with Neo was a big step in the right direction, and now I’m once again despairing that they didn’t just kill Cinder in volume 5 if they weren’t going to do anything with her and keep her stale as old bread. Etc. Etc. It’s so mind boggling.

[yangingaround]

So do you have any hopes or expectations for Sienna Khan? Sorry, just curious what other people might be hoping for them.

no worries

yeah, i’m expecting them to be a very charismatic leader - after all, they twisted a once peaceful protest organisation into a militant terrorist cell - being able to inspire loyalty and fanaticism, able to convince others that the violent acts the White Fang commits are justified and necessary - i expect that

i also expect them to be The Dreaded, to a degree (they are based off Shere Khan) - an extremely powerful and brutal combatant that can be very terrifying, even in non-hostile situations, without even raising their voice

this is the person who corrupted and perverted everything Blake stands for, they basically took everything from her and turned it into something wicked. Adam is Blake’s monster, who abused and hurt her - but he’s nothing but an Elite Mook to Sienna’s Big Bad. Sienna is what enabled Adam to come out of his shell and reveal how rotten he is, they created Adam - it’s like what we’ve discussed in the past, how Ozpin may be the connecting thread for how Yang’s life ended up so terrible, even though he never did anything to her directly; those Yang is close to end up leaving her hurt due to his schemes and manipulations informing their decisions or ending up in harms way, Sienna is a similar connecting thread for Blake, bastardising something that was very important to her into an environment that allows dickheads like Adam to flourish, almost corrupting Blake herself. a strong case could be made for Sienna Khan being Blake’s true nemesis

because Adam, what purpose does he really serve once Blake’s (and Yang’s) character development in this present arc is over with? his presence in volume 3 served as a reminder that Blake is still severely impacted by what he did to her, tying Yang irrevocably into Blake’s narrative, and that the girls are still way out of their league against these opponents. but he’s not the root of the problem with the White Fang, he’s a product of the problem. he’s not really much of a leader, sure he can give orders but all he’s really doing is relaying them with some basic expectation of being able to handle responsibility and act accordingly without someone breathing down his neck. he’s still only ever answering to somebody else, whether it’s Khan or Cinder or Salem. he’s middle management, and as Yang and Blake’s current arcs are dealing with what he did to them, and ultimately overcoming it, after that he doesn’t really have much purpose in the narrative, i don’t actually expect he’ll last much longer once they’re at that point, as bigger threats are emerging

and that sort of brings me to my hopes with what they do with Khan and that is that they don’t have Adam try to supplant them. as i mentioned, Adam was a product of the problem, part of it, but not the problem itself. in addition, if Khan is that cold, brutal fighter, then they would far surpass Adam (due to having far more experience, if nothing else - age-wise Adam’s not much older than a Beacon graduate, Khan’s gonna be closer in age to Ghira or Raven), so Adam being able to supplant them wouldn’t make sense other than gloryboying him (plus he’s shown to be intimidated by power) and it would rob Blake of that chance to actually confront what happened to the White Fang because Khan would never answer for it - plus Adam’s just not that good a leader, as detailed, he’s middle management. he’s certainly not that charismatic

also, Khan’s thematic source has a fear of fire, i’m thinking burn scars as part of their design could be used as something of a reference to that, and hoping that, as Yang is now tied deeply into Blake’s narrative and would almost certainly aid her in getting to that final showdown, Yang’s fire might play into things in terms of setting the stage for that fight

[maneaterwithtail]

This is what is *normally* decried as filler but damn has animation and use of production and so on improved.  Menagerie looks full and bustling.  And we’re mainly in isolated plotlines, minus the Yang, Weiss, Raven one that got plenty of room last week, to take stock.

I like Ozpin’s bemused assessment.  And it feels this is a follow up on Ruby Rose and her thinking and assessment.  she’s INTENTIONALLY positive looking and maybe a little simple but she DOES think about this stuff.  Her disgust at Salem how she killed Penny “Just to make a statement” means she gets it.

Sun and Blake I feel worked the best here.  I think Blake needs to start to see people as the nuanced flawed monsters who somehow pull off being kind and noble we are than the archetypical representatives she wants to be.  I like her assessments and associations.  I like her reflection and delivery on her teammates and past.  Its also a nice contrast and a “see how far we’ve come.”

Ruby counselling Ozpin’s new incarnation.  The way things are shot and how she’s emotionally affected but doesn’t lash OR show hurt but comforts.  And the First person view of Oscar’s bag...I wouldn’t be surprised its making us think he wants to or tempted to run away. So Ruby calling him brave makes sense in that.  She wants to let him know he’s not a coward and while he has a way to go she sees him moving forward

@sunder-the-gold​  I hope you felt SOME relief at the frontiersmen portrayal with Oscar Pines, a mere farmhand, expressing some familiarity with “fighting some small Grimm”  Its likely the issue is the original trailers set the wrong idea.  The Grimm aren’t supermonsters all the time. they are pests and threats.  Or can cycle into being pests and threats, until they aren’t like happen with the Nucklavee.  Likely Beowolves and Nevermore and so on aren’t that nasty until they pack up and hit at a harsh time.    Or some Grimm get faster or tougher without necessarily bigger.

Interesting how cult about Adam is so eager for their leader they are ignoring the massive red flags he exudes.  Contrast the collected rationalized, and so on, entreaty to Ilia with the playback we get after

No NO NO the messenger was killed. Haven is unawares.  Does explain, what with the time shennanigans, how Sienna got caught unawares.  And as noted info control is a hella advantage ALONG WITH the predisposition to turtle up and do nothing.  Adam’s position also isn’t that secure.  He needs to keep winning and not letting his personal ambitions and focus make it so he’s replaced with ANOTHER warlord more extreme and able to meet his followers’ desire for retribution.

Adam= Spite

Interesting.  Hatred or anger while “negative” are in many ways desired, admired.  Spite is...different more petty but not in a limited sense of scope but depth?  Just loved Blake’s word choice and insistence.  and her, something of, an apology to Sun and reason for her appreciation of him.  It also helps his overly pushy and showy nature and snap judgements and insistence is aimed not just at Blake.  Its easier to interpret as earnest as to Dogged Nice Guy-ism.

Mainly this episode is about reflection on the fighters and how they are doing and how they keep going.  How their spirits are training as to their combat abilities, with hints of the latter but focus on the former.  something I complimented ATLA for doing when handling Aang and the other bender’s training.  Most of it was off screen with highlighted updates.  This worked considerably. And Rooster Teeth drawing from or doing something on those lines is very appreciated.

Overall a much appreciated episode and one that feels fun and decent to watch made the more fascinating for RWBY as a work we’re effectively doing new and advanced forms of previous scenes.  With fleshed out setting, in the form of on screen art, AND fleshed out setting in terms of where characters are how they think and why and their set up and emotional concerns.

Also how the thematic thread is sacrifice, necessity and what is a good way of handling it versus a bad way and the ends of such means.

[caeloservare]

littleblackqrow​: 

With his free hand, Qrow cupped the back of James’ head. His fingers threaded through short, grey-streaked hair, and he sighed, “I know. I’m tired too.” They had different responsibilities, different demons, but the weight of the world pressed down on them equally as hard. Such was the price of being in their exclusive club. 

“I think your bigger, more pressing challenge is convincing Robyn that the two of you have the same goals,” he murmured softly as he carded his fingers through Ironwood’s hair. “All she’s ever shown interest in is Mantle. Her ambitions don’t go further than that, and why would they? She doesn’t know what we do about the bigger threat to all of Solitas, all she sees is we’re taking away resources from the people who obviously need them. 

“If we can convince her that the pain in Mantle is only short-term, and make sure they have what they need to protect the city until Amity is done…” He left it hanging, hoping James would start exploring that possibility. Robyn Hill was a potential ally, and Qrow hated leaving resources free on the board for someone else to potentially snap up.

It feels so right, so safe and comforting to be understood in things he can't usually voice, that part of his mind wants to scream about how much of a mistake this surely is. How sloppy he'll inevitably get. How this is going to be his undoing.

Well, he doesn't mind. And if that's what will allow them to save the kingdom, so be it. He moves his hand from Qrow's arm to wrap around his waist, but doesn't pull him closer. It's just another way to cling a little more to him.

“Do you really think we should trust her? Tell about Salem?” He obviously doesn't. Then again, whom James trusts after the Beacon at all... The chance for Robyn to be the traitor was rather slim. There wasn't much to gain for her from destabilizing the kingdoms, but he wasn't so sure about her views on destabilizing Atlas, if just to shift powers towards Mantle. “Her semblance is basically a lie detector. She won't settle for half truths.”