#and I know rwby has pacing that is good and bad

[majoringinsarcasm]

The fact that Blake Yang and Weiss are all walking forwards / moving up in the intro from V1 to V9, but Ruby in V1 STARTS closest to the front / the viewer and regresses backwards. Thinking about her being there for Jaune, hyping up her team in volume two and their second semester of school. Comforting Penny and being her first friend. She’s there for Oscar always the first in his corner, she helps give Qrow his huge wake up call and her “I’m not leaving without the lamp!” which I loved in V6.

She started out on an 11 in terms of that upbeat / determined protagonist but she’s not Unaware. She’s never been Unaware. After V3 we do see her somber expressions and looking worried but it’s usually if not always when nobody can see her face. Again V4 when she and Jaune are carrying Qrow and she says that Ren and Nora will be fine after they split up. Jaune expresses doubts and it’s only when she turns her head forward again that worry fills her face. She has always put on that brave face even as she grew from naive clumsy new leader of RWBY to kings leading RNJR, friends who are putting their faith in her and Jaune who was meant to be the leader letting her take center stage. Her mother was the leader of STRQ, she has silver eyes and was trusted with so much. She learned so much. Lies unraveled and she had to make up plans and they failed but she kept going. She kept trying.

And then V8 happened. She saw the Hound. We don’t know for certain that Summer was / is now a Hound but if she went off to fight Salem and never came back then that’s what happened to her right? If the best of the best couldn’t do it when she was the proper age to enter Beacon and not some kid who cheated her way in then what makes her think She can do it. She can’t even fight without her weapon and that has gotten her and others into trouble time and time again.

With each big transition (and outfit change for the visuals) the girls have gotten stronger. They have found some part of themselves they have grown in some way. They had lost some insecurity or fear. And while of course this is not the end of their journey, and Yang I am looking at specifically because poor girl thought she was Dead and was pushed into leaving Patch maybe sooner than she was truly ready for, Ruby’s V4–6 self being behind her V1-3 self is so. That’s when she was making the most leader like decisions. Outside of the school setting with adults and vulnerable citizens now needing to be saved or convinced she and her other band of teenagers can save the day. And then the most recent version who Does have a legal huntress license and Did go on actual missions with other trained huntsmen, is the one farthest back and the most lost and scared and miserable.

Up until now Ruby has had the least amount of big character moments compared to her team, but I do not see her as stagnant so much as…. Her cheerful optimism and drive to keep moving forward was once her sincere true ideology and has now become a mask. She has growth as a fighter and a leader but she was not prepared for the gods and Salem. And in a perfect world she would not have to fight this. But she does, and she has not allowed herself to be seen how she truly feels because there’s no room for a little girl to cry and fret and prove those old hurtful true. She cannot Change from the cheerful go getter she started as because the people around her Need that now.

But that hasn’t been who she really was since the fall of Beacon and it’s catching up to her fast. She pushes the bolder up the hill farther than anyone but now it’s fast in its race to flatten her and she is Tired

[animebw]

Something I’ve noticed about RWDE and the asshole side of RWBY criticism is just how bad they are at reading anything into the things they don’t like beyond their initial dislike of them. They never say “I think X was done poorly, the writers were probably trying to accomplish Y but they fell short because Z and it hurts the show because ABC.” It’s always “X SUCKS AND THE WRITERS ARE AWFUL PEOPLE WHO HATE WRITING.”

Like, perfect example: I’ve seen a lot of people complaining about the pacing in the most recent RWBY episode, and I agree with a lot of their complaints. We weren’t given any time to see WBY’s reactions to Ruby’s choice in episode 8, how it affected them and what they thought about it before finding her at the tree. Hell, the way the start of the episode is written it basically feels like everyone forgets they exist so they can deal with Jaune’s trauma; nobody even really acts like Ruby just, you know, Did That. I get that WBY knows by now ascension isn’t death and Ruby’s probably not gone for good, but it’s still a hell of a sight to witness. And there needed to be, like, two more minutes dealing with that fallout before connecting it to Jaune’s catharsis and their mutual understanding that the people they care for aren’t gone forever. I know RWBY doesn’t have unlimited money to throw around, but it really feels like a critical scene was just cut out wholesome.

But there is a stark difference between how regular fans and RWDE voice these complaints. On one side, you’ve got normal people saying “Yeah, that was rushed, it needed a scene of WBY processing what just happened and it feels kind of callous for them to seemingly get over it so fast.” And on the other side, you’ve got the usual asshats going “OMG YANG HATES HER SISTER AND MILES AND KERRY ARE JERKING OFF JAUNE CAUSE HE’S MILES’ SELF-INSERT AND THEY HATE RUBY AND THEY HATE WOMEN ARGLABARLG.” No, you insufferable nimrods, it’s a very simple writing error, nothing more, nothing less. And you really don’t have to expend much brainpower to take that failure in context and move on. It doesn’t ruin the episode, it doesn’t take away from Yang’s scene with Ruby’s tree form, and unless you’re either stupid or deliberately arguing in bad faith, it’s not hard to take it on its own terms without blowing it out of proportion.

Despite what RWDE would have you believe, RWBY fans are fine with criticism. The reasonable, measured complaints I’ve seen from fans about this episode are proof of that. We have no problem discussing the issues with this show. But the bad-faith, poorly-researched, bias-driven, self-serving drivel that spills from these so-called critics’ mouths has no business sharing the same space as actual analysis. And we’re not going to insult our own intelligence pretending otherwise.

In short: RWBY fans have no problem with reasonable critiques. Maybe all these “critics” should try actually, you know, making some one of these days.

[darksaiyangoku]

RWBY Christmas Tales

Baby, it's Cold Outside

[Arc Manor - Charlemagne]

It was late in the evening and Teams RWBY, JNPR, Oscar, Sun and Neptune were having a wonderful time. They all crowded around the table as Weiss and Blake were head to head in a chess match. Both of them glared at each other fiercely. It was sudden death. Weiss grabbed her piece and made her move. Blake's eyes shrank as she sat there helpless. It was all over.

Weiss: *smirks* Checkmate.

Blake: *sighs and smiles* You win again, Weiss. Good game.

Ruby, Pyrrha, Nora, Whitley and Neptune all cheered while Jaune, Ren, Sun, Yang and Oscar all groaned.

Yang: *looks at her watch* Aw man. Girls, we gotta get going. Ozpin has a new mission for us tomorrow.

Ruby: Oh right! I almost forgot about that. Let's get going.

Jaune: Huh? But it's a blizzars out there! You're not gonna make it all the way back to Vale.

Weiss: Psssh, I've been through worse. This is a mild inconvenience in Atlas.

Whitley: She's right, you know.

Sun: Come on, don't be reckless.

Blake: Sorry, Sun. But if we don't do this, the headmaster will give us one of his creative punishments again.

Yang tries to open the door, but Ren tugs on her jacket.

Yang: *chuckles* Jaune, stop it.

Jaune: Come on, sweetie. Stay. For me?

Yang: *shakes her head* 🎶I really can't stay🎶

Jaune: *points to the sofa* 🎶Baby, it's cold outside🎶

Blake: 🎶I've got to go away🎶

Ren: 🎶Baby, it's cold outside🎶 *takes her scarf*

Weiss: 🎶This evening has been-🎶

Neptune: 🎶Hoping that you'd drop in🎶

Ruby: 🎶So, very nice🎶

Oscar: 🎶I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice🎶

Blake: 🎶My mother will start to worry🎶

Ren: *holds her gently* 🎶Beautiful, what's your hurry?🎶

Yang: 🎶My father will be pacing the floor🎶

Jaune: 🎶Listen to that fireplace roar🎶

Ruby: 🎶So, really I'd better scurry🎶

Oscar: 🎶Beautiful, please don't hurry🎶

Weiss: 🎶But maybe just a hald a drink more?🎶 *takes coat off*

Neptune: 🎶I'll put some records on while I pour🎶 *grabs bottle*

Blake: 🎶The neighbors might think🎶 *holds Ren's hand*

Ren: *twirls Blake* 🎶Baby, it's bad out there🎶

Yang: *smiles and sips glass* 🎶Say, what's in this drink?🎶

Jaune: 🎶No cabs to be had out there🎶

Ruby: 🎶I wish I knew how-🎶

Oscar: 🎶Your eyes are like starlight now🎶

Ruby: 🎶To break this spell🎶

Oscar: *grabs beanie* 🎶I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell🎶 *ruffles Ruby's hair*

Weiss: 🎶I ought to say, "No, no, no sir"🎶

Neptune: 🎶Mind if I move in closer?🎶

Weiss: 🎶At least I'm gonna say that I tried🎶

Neptune: 🎶What's the sense in hurting my pride?🎶

Yang: 🎶I really can't stay🎶

Jaune: 🎶Baby, don't hold out🎶

Jaune/Yang: *lean on each other* 🎶Baby, it's cold outside🎶

Whitley: ...are they always like this?

Sun/Nora: *nods head* Yep.

Pyrrha: Last year, they sang Holly Jolly Christmas.

Blake: *stands up* 🎶I simply must go🎶

Ren: 🎶Baby, it's cold outside🎶

Blake: 🎶The answer is, "No"🎶 *chuckles*

Ren: 🎶But, baby, it's cold outside🎶

Weiss: 🎶The welcome has been-🎶

Neptune: 🎶How lucky that you dropped in🎶

Weiss: 🎶So nice and warm🎶

Neptune: *points outside* 🎶Look out the window at that storm🎶

Yang: *drapes arms over Jaune's shoulders* 🎶My uncle will be suspicious🎶

Jaune: *holds Yang's waist* 🎶Gosh, your lips look delicious🎶

Yang: 🎶My puppy will be there at the door🎶

Jaune: 🎶Waves upon a tropical shore🎶

Ruby: 🎶My Maiden aunt's mind is vicious🎶

Oscar: 🎶Gosh, your lips are delicious🎶

Ruby: 🎶But maybe just another dance more🎶

Oscar: 🎶Never such a blizzard before🎶

Blake/Weiss: 🎶I've got to get home🎶

Ren/Neptune: 🎶Baby, you'll freeze out there🎶

Blake/Weiss: 🎶Say, lend me your comb?🎶

Ren/Neptune: 🎶It's up to your knees out there🎶

Ruby/Yang: 🎶You've really been grand🎶

Oscar/Jaune: 🎶I thrill when I touch your hand🎶

Ruby/Yang: 🎶But don't you see?🎶

Oscar/Jaune: 🎶How can you do this thing to me?🎶

Ruby/Yang: 🎶There's bound to be talk tomorrow🎶

Oscar/Jaune: 🎶Think of my life-long sorrow🎶

Ruby/Yang: 🎶At least there will be plenty implied🎶

Oscar/Jaune: 🎶If you got pneumonia and died🎶

RWBY: 🎶I really can't stay🎶

ONRJ: 🎶Get over that hold out🎶

RWBY/ONRJ: 🎶Baby, it's cold Baby, it's cold outside!!!🎶

Yang: *chuckles and takes off her coat* Well I'm convinced. We're staying. Mr Arc, please join me on the sofa. *kisses his cheek*

Jaune: Certainly, Miss Xiao Long. *kisses her hand*

[dragynkeep]

Oh boy! Time to be RWDE again!

Volume 1:

Why is Glynda set up with every possible anime trope of being Ruby’s mentor, yet she gets shafted?

Who thought two minutes and forty seconds is an episode? No, that’s a clip. A short.

Speaking of episode length (or lack thereof), what is up with this pacing…

So…team RWBY aren’t going to ever speak to each other? Why not assign them to different teams?

Borrowing from Young Justice, Weiss could lead the team until Ruby is mature enough to handle the role. Why yes, I do think Weiss has the head to be a leader, or at the very least, try to be a leader and fail, teaching her how to be a better team player. Character Arcs 101.

You had Weiss having a internal dialogue (great! Do that!) and then drop it to never use it on her or any other character. That’s a staple of anime, geniuses.

-we’re not copying Soul Eater down to the school layout, we swear- Uh huh. Sure.

Why is Ruby giving Jaune advice she doesn’t know herself??? How did she learn/know that???

Also PS- While Emerald’s redemption is something RT did, it could have been pulled earlier in Volume 2 or Volume 5, but that requires actual good writing and planning.

So many points, so little time with this show fr.

1:

RWBY just hates women. Like I'm not even joking, this show hates women despite being a female-led show. Glynda was given the oppotunity to be this figure for not just Ruby, but the team as a whole, but every chance she gets is given to the male teachers for no reason.

Professor Port was the one to lecture Weiss about being a good teammate and to not allow her ego to blind her to her own shortcomings, even if that scene is dogshit in retrospect. Professor Oobleck was the one to challenge Team RWBY's ideals around being Huntresses, to the point where we got depth into his character on why he wanted to be a Huntsman.

Even when Yang had lost her arm and needed guidance, Port and Oobleck were there with Tai for that arc. Glynda never gets a chance to even talk properly with our main team, or even flesh herself out as a character to the point that the most we got is from the AA game.

2.

The reason why V1 was like 20 episodes long. The episodes were like five minutes long and would've done better just shoving the parts together. It also meant that the pacing was really slow because we'd be waiting a week for a continuation only to have another five minute long episode.

3.

Interteam relationship outside the partnerships have always been an issue tbh. It's just more egrigious now because it's been like ten years and Ruby/Blake are barely friends, let alone close enough that Blake would admire Ruby like she said she does. Classic told =/= shown.

4.

I think the whole leadership issues with Weiss and Ruby were concluded far too quickly, they could barely be counted as arcs. Weiss has justified issues with Ruby not taking Beacon or her role as their leader seriously, but rather than that being built up more and having the two actually grow together, they just get lectured at and immediately change.

5.

Unpopular opinion but I hate the inner monologue used in anime and I'm glad RWBY doesn't go into it all that much outside of that one time with Weiss. The issue rises because they don't ever let the watchers in on what these characters are thinking or feeling, and even contradict themselves over the volumes.

6.

The advice Ruby gave to Jaune is honestly bad advice? A leader isn't someone who puts the team before themselves, that just opens up for the burnout and idiolising the leader, which is exactly what happened to Ruby in the later volumes. But they didn't show that the advice she gave them was not meant to be something taken seriously.

If they even remember what Ruby told him when they can't even keep track what happen in the volume before.

7.

The whole thing with Emerald's redemption is that she really wasn't given much to flesh out. She started the show straight up ignoring Cinder's orders to go out of her way to be more evil and violent, murdering a minority who ran from an organisation she has no part of. Only for the show to try and paint her later as a lost soul who doesn't realise how bad Cinder is for her.

Nevermind the actual redemption doesn't have her face consequences for the fact that she murdered countless people without much care and only ever pulled sad faces rather than, you know, having actual character to push her redemption.

[citadelofmythoughts]

Here’s a tough question. Top 3 favorite and least favorite things about each RWBY volume?

Sorry for the delay, this is something I've had to really think about.

V1 Faves

The initiation/Nevermore fight. Let's be honest this is where these legends started.

Blake & Yang meeting for the first time

Weiss and Blake coming to terms with each other

V`1 least faves

The animation. I know it was Poser, they had no budget, etc. That doesn't make it any easier to watch

That one line from Yang about boys that has haunted the discourse for nearly a decade.

TBH barely anyone had a character any deeper than surface level

V2 Faves

Yang talking to Blake in Burning The Candle. This is where their relationship became more than partners, deeper than just friendship

The talk between Weiss, Blake and Yang at Mountain Glenn. Something that would be directly referenced much later in V9

"Best Day Ever" - the food fight between RWBY and JNPR is just big dumb fun

V2 least faves

Jaune and his pursuit of Weiss. Obnoxious to the extreme.

Sun - that's it

"Breach" in general was kind of a mess and really was there to have a giant fight scene.

V3 Faves

"Heroes And Monsters" - It feels weird listing something so horrible and tragic as a favorite thing but what happened between Yang, Blake and Adam in this chapter would define these characters going forward all the way until almost the end of V6 and was a significant point in Blake & Yang's relationship

Also from "Heroes And Monsters" - Velvet unleashing Anesidora with "I May Fall" blasting is still so amazing to this day.

Yang being framed for injuring Mercury and Blake deciding to trust in her.

(I really could go on about V3 with many more positives.)

V3 least faves

SSSN vs NDGO - I DON'T CARE

Might be controversial but Pyrrha's death. I understood the narrative need for it but it doesn't mean I liked it

Same for Penny

V4 Faves

Meeting Blake's parents. Ghira and Kali are treasures.

The fight with Tyrian

Yang getting her new arm and starting her healing process

(Honorable mention to Blake, with Sun's help, starting to understand that sometimes you have to let people in and it's THEIR choice to want to be in your life. Also honorable mention to Ruby's letter in "No Safe Haven")

V4 least faves

Tai's "advice" both in "Family" and "One Step Forward..."

Sun. (I didn't start to be able to tolerate him unti V5)

Not nearly enough Yang

V5 Faves

Yang and Ruby reuniting - I always cry

Weiss' talk with Yang in "Alone Together" (which is also when I'm convinced she realized that Yang loved Blake)

"Yang...?" *Dumbfounded stare from Yang

(Honorable mention to Yang reading Raven for filth)

V5 least faves

The pacing wasn't great and yeah the big fight was lackluster

While the animation was fine the colors always felt very muted to me

Lionheart (not that I resented his use in the story, I just hate the dude)

V6 faves:

The Bees Vs Adam (was I gonna say anything else?)

The Brunswick Arc (why is CRWBY so good at horror?)

The fight with the Leviathan.

V6 least faves:

These are mostly really minor complaints

Dee and Dudley - annoying

The big lore dump, while not BAD was a LOT

Oscar vanishing and getting a new set of clothes off camera not that I care that much but I think it could have been handled better

V7 Faves

The makeovers, with the possible exception of Wess I thought everyone looked great and TBH Yang never looked better

The Bees getting ready to go on a date

Nora spilling the tea ABOUT the Bees

(Honorable mention to RBY standing by Weiss when she confronted Jacqass. Also honorable mention to Yang/Blake VS Elm/Vine)

V7 least faves (not writing critical just characters getting on my nerves)

Harriet is annoying

The AceOps being Ironwood's unthinking lapdogs

Ironwood coming out as a complete dumbass.

V8 Faves

Beeunion 2.0

Yang, Jaune and Ren infiltrating Salem's HQ and the fight that ensues. Especially Yang getting to talk smack to Salem and blowing her tits off.

Penny frying Cinder

(Honorable mention to Maria kicking Neo's ass)

V8 least faves

Ironwood continues to be a complete and total dumbass

Ren being a jerk. Thankfully he gets over it

Yang's fall. (not bad on a value level but it HURT)

V9 Faves:

The Bees confession - absolutely perfect. Could not be improved on

The fight scene in Rude, Red and Royal

Ruby getting her groove back and showing CC just how powerful she really is.

V9 least faves: (and I'm allowing for what I know was a difficult production)

We could have used at least another two chapters because some scenes and transitions were way too brief and as a result didn't have the emotional impact they should have

We didn't get the prologue that was shown at RTX

Minor complaint but in Chapter 1 I wish Blake had been shown as being a bit more worried about Yang since she saw her "die"

Wow, this was a LOT!

[its-to-the-death]

Bracket B thoughts:

"Yodel-Aadle-Eedle-Idle-Oo" is better than I expected from the movie's reputation, but I really only have so much tolerance for yodeling. Also the lines "You'll suffer till the end of time / Enduring tortures, most of which rhyme" from "Robot Hell" are hilarious.

...It's fucking "In the Hall of the Mountain King." I don't need to explain that one.

"Kidnap the Sandy Claws" isn't as bad as I remembered it being, but the verses that don't rhyme really irk me for some reason, and Lock+Shock+Barrel's singing is just...not great. So I'll give this one to "Big Shot."

"Wait for It," I will begrudgingly admit, is a good song. It's not the best villain song in that matchup, though. It's not even Burr's best villain song (that would be "The Room Where It Happens"). "Want You Gone" still very clearly has GLaDOS' trademark condescension, snark, and vitriol towards Chell, but it's also mixed with her complicated need for her to be around that adds a lot of emotional nuance to her insulting goodbye. Does she really want Chell gone because she's a pain in the ass, or because she knows keeping her in Aperture will hurt her? Does she want Chell to stay to keep testing her, or because she's her only friend? Honestly, probably some of both columns. GLaDOS has very good villain songs.

"Magic Dance" just feels like an excuse to have David Bowie do David Bowie things while singing a David Bowie song alongside minions whose singing...really sucks. "Meant to Be Yours" is a really intense encapsulation of JD's character, swinging from slow, emotional expressions of love to fast-paced, aggressive vows of violence.

"Great at Crime" is just a fucking bop, IDK. It's very catchy and goofy (in an intentional way).

Both "The Mob Song" and "Biggering" are very good, honestly. Personal preference for me.

Have you heard that guitar in "E.G.G.M.A.N"?! That shit SLAPS. It makes the phrase "I am the Eggman" sound cool.

"Look Away" is...really just not a Villain Song. Doesn't focus on Olaf enough. "There Ain't Nothin But Bad Days Ahead" is not exactly what I'd call good, but it's more fitting for this tournament.

...fuck IDK, I voted for "Who Will Know" because it seemed underappreciated, but I get why "Nothing Left to Lose" is winning. That one is really good. Maybe I should have gone for that instead.

All of the IEYTD theme songs kick ass and "Cog in the Machine" is no exception. Those vocals are powerful and emotional and very good.

"Love Doesn't Stand A Chance" confuses me because it has Regina calling Snow White a "bitch," but also can't show her doing any villainy more intense than childish mayhem like ripping a grandma's knitting and pushing a dwarf over. The tone is very confused. Also, Jeremy Jordan sings the English version of "Hurricane" and I'm a sucker for him belting about justice.

"Les Poissons" is...fine. But "Hero" and the scene it accompanies are some of the few things I actually like about RWBY, which says a lot about how good that song is.

"Heffalumps and Woozles" is not about actual villains but mere products of Pooh's imagination, so I am disqualifying it in my books on the same grounds as "Look Away." Also, "The Hounds" is pretty damn good.

I really appreciate the sheer drama of Raphael singing his own damn boss theme, and I honestly could not give a shit about that rich white girl.

I always like a good Weird Al, and "Let The Pun Fit the Crime" is very good, but "The Pitiful Children" had already seared itself in my brain as one of my favorite villain songs.

I’m right there with in Great at Crime. Epithet Erased songs are just so good lyrically.

[waheelawhisperer]

I wish you weren't still hidden by tumblr both for yourself and so I knew when you reblogged my posts XD

Anyway, I get what you meant in the tags visa V Cinder's backstory coming too late. I confess I feel otherwise, I feel Atlas was the best time for her backstory to be revealed.

Maybe, maybe V6 could work to help set up "Hey Atlas is a horrible place". But there's something about seeing more and more layers of terriblness in real time as the city comes crashing down that works for me.

FFS tumblr free me from this hell I love not being able to reply to things and not having my reblogs show up in notifications

Anyway I think my dissatisfaction with the placement of Cinder's backstory is more a function of RWBY's real-world runtime and release schedule than the in-universe pacing, and by this I mean Cinder's backstory coming out in Volume 8 would bug me far less if I knew nothing of RWBY, began watching it today, and binged it over the next week or whatever instead of waiting 8 real-life years to find out what was going on with the most prominent villain in the series (yes, Salem is the Big Bad, but Cinder has been the antagonist most directly involved with the plot. Until Volume 8, Salem just parked her ass on her throne).

Unfortunately, that's not what happened. We did have to wait 8-ish years for Cinder's backstory, and, as a result, it is demonstrably true that a significant subset of the fanbase simply isn't invested in Cinder anymore. They dislike her, they think she's boring, they're not invested in her anymore, they think it took too long to give her any meaningful depth, they're tired of seeing her on-screen... and honestly, I get it. I like Cinder personally, but I can certainly understand why people would be dissatisfied with her portrayal.

From a narrative perspective, considering what Cinder's backstory is, it makes sense to reveal it when the story travels to Atlas. Your post does a good job of illustrating why, so I won't go over it again. I think personally I'd have partitioned out a few more tidbits in Volumes 4/5/6 just to keep the audience invested, but I'm not sure how to squeeze the bulk of it in earlier without significantly restructuring the post-Beacon aspects of the show.

I think my issues here ultimately stem from RWBY's broader difficulties with matching the scope and complexity of its story to its available resources. RWBY is a very ambitious show and tries to tell a big, spectacular story, but it just doesn't have the runtime to do it effectively. I love the ambition, I really do, but I wish RWBY's showrunners would do a better job of aligning the story they're telling with the resources they have to tell it.

Of course, it's easy for me to say that when I don't have to write under the same constraints they do. I'm not pretending to be an expert on filmmaking or screenwriting, and I don't think what they're doing is as easy as some of the loudest critics seem to think. That said, I really think the show would've been better served by introducing Salem later, given that her presence kind of warps everything around her, but I definitely think the show would've been better served by either cutting out some of the less important characters and storylines (from what I know of what the crew has actually decided to cut, some of the things they chose to prioritize were... interesting) or by hiring more people, paying and treating them properly, and improving the production process so that they could actually tell a story that had the scope they want.

[fanstuffrantings]

About to ramble a bit about my thoughts on volume 4 now that I'm rewatching it. It'll be positives mixed with negatives. A bit long so under the cut.

I am enjoying volume 4 of rwby more now. Still don't like the Blake plotline, hurting knowing sun will be going away soon. Maybe he's not the best at reading situations but the way some fans act like he's the worst and are okay with the writers just massacring his character hurts. He's just trying to be a good friend to Blake and be supportive.

I wouldn't mind Kali and Ghira as characters if they weren't related to Blake. Or at least not her parents. Their designs are nice but I never have been a fan of her suddenly having parents when it always seemed implied that she was an orphan or at least from a lower class family. I also don't really like how Ghira treats Sun, maybe if he wasn't the overprotective father stereotype I'd have less issues with him.

I'm wondering why Oobleck and Port didn't get new outfits. Those men have been in their teacher outfits since we met them. They have no other clothes. Please I'm begging for them to get new clothes.

I don't have really any negative feelings about Weiss' plot currently outside of wishing her butler wasn't all seven dwarves in one. It feels a bit gimmicky and of they were broken into 7 workers at her parents home it would make the Schnee family feel wealthier through having more people employed.

I finally figured out what about Blake bothers me: She's running so the large amount of white feels like a weird choice, it being a long coat is something I don't like. If it was short all around, I'd prefer it, and I think it should've been closed.

I still think they were too heavy handed with Tyrion as a villain. I love unhinged villain characters but he seems more ridiculous than scary in his scenes. If they pulled back a bit and had him be more invasive when interacting with others than laughing all the time it'd work better. Specifically I really enjoyed how they handled his writing in the fight against RNJR. It's more noticeable because of how understated most of the inner circle is.

All the female characters having larger eyes and rounder faces bothers me mainly for the older characters. Raven having smaller eyes would make her look her age and work far better. Though I wish it general there were areas of hee design they altered to make her visually more mature and seasoned.

Things I do really like: the appearances for the new characters, weiss having moments where she lashes out after clearly feeling suffocated by perfection and angry at everything bad that has happened, yang and her quiet dealings with her trauma and feelings, getting to explore other towns and areas as team RNJR travels, the story being allowed to slow down more. The pacing of this and season 3 does make me again wish we had one more season to build up characters before the fall of Beacon. Overall I still do prefer season 3 over this season but it's not as bad as I remember it being.

[whitleyschn33]

RWBY V9, Episode 1: Liveblog Thoughts

This is the curse of long hiatuses, isn’t it? Back at the end of V8, I was like “I’m done. I hated the ending, the entire volume felt poorly done and uncomfortable, most of the characters I still care about are either dead or side characters, there’s no reason for me to watch V9, especially if we don’t see Vacuo.” But here I am, dragged back in by the separation of two years. The salt in the wound has stopped stinging quite so bad, and morbid curiosity has taken hold.

Against my own better judgement - pulls out the pirate hat - let’s take a look.

-Opening the volume with the narration from the teaser trailer, a voice we don’t know, is a choice.

-Close up of Blake does absolutely no favors to the models, I’m sorry

- Little would be a lot cuter if they couldn’t talk, but that would be inconvenient

-I know people have mentioned this before about the rain starting exactly when Ruby starts to cry, but it also stops when she stops crying, which is more evidence in the direction of Ruby effecting the weather. I am starting to hedge towards the island being connected to Ruby’s emotional state myself, but that would only be satisfying if the island is of Ruby’s own creation in her head, a delusion she’s made while falling to mentally process the fall. Otherwise, why would this other dimension island be connected to Ruby of all people?

-Blake and Weiss! Acknowledging the weirdness of them finding each doesn’t make the weridness go away, but since it’s whacko world where the laws of space don’t seem to work, I’ll allow it.

-And, uh, the vine scene is utterly pathetic. I get they’re exhausted, they can’t just burn the place down, but seriously? Weiss can create platforms, there’s no need for this reach down from the tree gag, Weiss is not the cheerleader type so that’s just jarring as hell, Weiss can also summon her knight to cut the vines for her or a flying Grimm to get them overhead - there’s a lot of smarter ways to go about this that doesn’t make our heroes look weak. Now, maybe they’re out of Aura still and exhausted from the fall. Okay, that makes sense - but it would also make sense for them to rest and regain their Aura and Semblances before attempting to retrieve Gambel Shroud and find the others.

-Laying on the “what is your purpose” theming very heavy

- “I don’t know if anyone else fell” I mean, a bunch of civilians got knocked in by Cinder, but I suppose they could be dead.

-Should have paid more attention in that hand-to-hand arc, Ruby. This creature though actually looks really cool, I do like its design and the twitching effect. Kind of a Grimm, but not. But... it wasn’t doing anything to them. Why immediately attack?

-And Yang’s here! That was fast. And apparently she fought the thing off and then decided to track it down to finish the fight? Okay... seems like a waste of energy if it had already left, but whatever. In character enough.

-”Damn it. You weren’t supposed to be here.” Okay, that’s a good line. I really like that and the delivery. 

-”if you didn’t think we’d come after you” - you didn’t. You got thrown in, Ruby.

-”What is that?” The skull beast thing was already talking, Yang, why does this surprise you?

-Cat pounce. Thought they’d go for a kiss, but that probably wouldn’t jive right with the pacing of the episode. We should get a kiss this volume, but I can see them waiting for either a moment when the two are alone, or a moment where they can build it up without immediately cutting to exposition.

-Ruby black out. I’m surprised her eyes didn’t activate, an instinctual lashing out like they did with Pyrrha. Ah well.

- Y: ”How are you feeling” R: Dodge roll!

- “Maybe we’re dead... I thought I was.” I mean, that would be more interesting, fighting their way outta hell, but unlikely.

- “I think we’re in a fairy tale” Not mutually exclusive, but okay. I’m going to assume that all these realms (that are so neatly sectioned off) are going to be Remnant fairy tale settings that Blake’s read over the years, which would indicate there is a way out.

-OP - chaotic, doing the progression of character thing V7 did and really hammering in the “Ruby’s really not feeling it”. Jaune is in the OP, but I believe only two or three times, and never with t!RWBY, which could either be a good or bad sign. None of the girls saw him fall, either, so they’re not expecting to look for him. Also, no hint of Vacuo anywhere in the OP, so odds are we’re staying here for the entire volume, or at least until the last episode where we’ll probably get a stinger for V10.

-New girl - Alice? I’m not sure why they bothered to hide her features for so long only to reveal them at the end. There’s also a shadow of a boy with glasses behind her in her portrait, so either another faller or maybe a denizen?

-Credits - “Jabberwalker” NOOOOOOOO, my snake dragon monstrosity jabberwocky T-T But if that poem’s on the table, I expect we may see some juju birds and bandersnatches (assuming that we haven’t already with the spoonbill and the thing that took Yang’s arm)

Overall? Not the worst episode of RWBY, but it just felt very... unpolished. The background animations have gotten a bit better, less unfinished (though still jarring in their vibrancy though at least that’s on purpose), but some of the dialogue and pacing feels like it was a first draft that never got refined. Like “Weiss and Blake find Gambel Shroud in vines that trap them as they try to get it out” was written, but wasn’t expanded upon in the individual actions, so you get some gestures at getting it out without any smarter actions that require effort in thought, and some of the emotional shifts felt jarring. For example, like the script said “Turn to Weiss, Weiss is crying”, and in the actual episode they click the emotion into place instead of giving Weiss a few moments to express that slip into despair. Just a few extra moments of Weiss’s face crumbling, her voice cracking, would have sold the emotion more, and there’s a couple moments like this, particularly when they go for humor. Speaking of, the comedy attempts were also not appreciated. Levity isn’t really something the show needs at this moment, and none of the jokes land. I don’t find Ruby screaming at a mouse or mice reacting in terror to Blake to be funny, and I can see the “Oh my God, this is so weird and strange” reactions getting old if it carries on for too long. I haven’t found RWBY funny for a few years now, though, so it’s not really surprising. 

Score that’s mostly arbitrary and will probably forget to keep doing: 5.5/10. Perfectly functional, not a pain to watch or boring, but lacking anything that really makes me enjoy it enough to rewatch or recommend. 0.5 points for Yang’s “You weren’t supposed to be here” line alone.

[happy-tori-friends]

fate (khloe aliapoh ffxiv and rng) has decreed that i must post a preview of that self indulgent crossover with my silly omegaverse original work. one may notice some similarities to rwby (team names being acronyms, kemonomimis being called creatura (which are just bootleg faunus). this is because it was very heavily inspired by rwby (well an rp that was a crossover with rwby and something else). really, is it an original work if it's a bunch of things i went 'wow cool. im gonna take inspiration from this' and then. made a patchwork quilt. this is only a fraction of what is planned. before the story there will be some notes that may help you to understand

here is information about bloody war (fun fact: this title is stupid. i dont even know if there will be a war) that may be helpful for this section.

everyone has two blood colors - a main and a secondary, which is marble into it. this gives them cool powers.

the guardians of blood are this cool organization that defeats teros (aka bootleg grimm). you must be 13 or older to enroll in one four academies, but the most common age range is 17-20 (minors also need their guardians permission). usually, training takes two years but ti can take longer if one fails exams. once you have graduated, you are free to move to base on sanguine island (it comes with free housing.) for some reason you can then become a professor and teach shit (i didn't think this through tbh)

frost's guidance is in kaldsne, forest's illumination is in luctis, sea's sanctuary is on the gemsea isles, and night's shadow is in kagayatsuki. there are more countries than that but those are the four with training academies (the others got destroyed).

yes there's a white fang rip off it's called the ichor of the wild it might not come into play at all but... i really wasn't original at fucking all lmao.

theres also maiden rip offs. their the seasonal monarchs. their secondary color is a type of gold. but they dont come into play here right now. (except for the fact that miaki and hibiki are the fall princess and fall guardian. but they are only mentioned. whats a guardian. wait and see. why is princess and not queen. dont ask questions past me is stupid)

omegaverse but i make my own rules (i did Not mention it at all in this part tho). this was supposed to be fucking smut guys. it was supposed to be smut and then my stupid idiot dumb ass decided 'WaHt iF I WeNt tHrOuGh eVeRyThInG FrOm fIrSt mEeTiNg tO PoSt-gRaDuAtIoN WhEn tHe pOrN TaKeS PlAcE' like a moron and now here i am. still haven't written anything nsfw. the entire point of this bullshit.

@guardians-of-blood is the account for bloody war. it is on ao3 on my main pseud (AnemoVictorious)

splendont's from the gemsea isles. lifty and shifty were from luctis but stowed away on a ship to kagayatsuki and got taken in by a farmer.

team sfre = sapphire

this is stupid really stupid but it's my self indulgent heathen bullshit

okay i think that's good enough.

Two years ago, Splendid decided to attend Frost's Guidance Academy, where he became one of two leaders of Team SFRE, the other being his future boyfriend, Flippy Blair. At that point, Splendont was content with where he was and, though his abilities could be useful in combat, he didn't really think it was for him.

And yet here he was, a new student at Night's Shadow Academy. Older than most of the other new recruits at 23 years old, but he didn't really care about that. It wasn't even a big epiphany he had that made him decide to do it, he just wanted a  change of pace and scenery.

Kagayatsuki was nice enough - the weather was more mild compared to the hot summers of the Gemsea Isles, and despite being in the capital city of Yoruhoshi, the light pollution was surprisingly not that bad. He'd looked at them through the window, but tonight he wasn't all too tired. If he snuck out at night back home, his parents would scold him even if he was a grown man, but here nobody really cared.

There wasn't likely to be anyone else out this late at night either, so he made his way to the rooftop, the lighter and pack of cigarettes within his pocket just begging to be used. He didn't do it often, especially because his parents and Splendid frowned upon it, but sometimes he would smoke, just to have something to do. He didn't have an addiction by any means, it was usually only one or two every few months but it was sort of comforting to do something considered taboo.

He opened the door, already grabbing one cigarette and the lighter from his pocket as he left the building and saw the expanse of the sky over the rooftop. 

“Shit!” He heard a voice say. “I told you we should get off campus.”

“If we go off campus, we're more likely to get ID'd,” another, very similar voice, responded. Maybe a bit higher pitched. “Does it matter though? You forgot the lighter.”

“How'd we get ‘em in the first place? That's right. Fake IDs. Believable enough to get us cigarettes.” The first voice responded, clearly a bit agitated.

Once again his super-hearing caused him to hear things he didn't intend to. If only power limiters could limit specific aspects of one's ability, but alas. They limited everything. No getting around it if he wanted to use other aspects of his blood's ability.

It seemed these two were underaged and trying to smoke. Splendont didn't care - he, too, had done such things in the past, and had gotten caught. He turned towards the voices, and found two raccoon creatura  with messy green hair. One wore a hoodie, and the other a fedora and a bomber jacket. They both had similar shoes and ripped jeans, and the fedora-wearing one seemed to be irritated. From the back, they looked to be basically identical, save for clothing. Twins, maybe?

Well, it wasn't hurting anyone other than them, was it? Splendont approached, lighting his own cigarette as he did so. He then held out the lighter to them. “Here. I'm feeling nice right now, I'll let you borrow this for a second.”

The two turned to face him, and he saw their faces were basically identical too. Definitely twins. Their eyes were a brilliant golden color, which widened, and then narrowed, though the one with the fedora took it, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it before tossing it to his brother, who barely caught it and did the same, before gingerly handing it back to Splendont, though hesitating slightly.

“Thanks,” the hatless one, the second voice he'd heard, muttered, and Splendont nodded, taking a drag of his own cigarette and walking away, settling not that far from them.

Maybe he was curious about what they had to say, and maybe his super-hearing had a use when he wanted gossip or something like that. He tried to seem like he wasn't listening in, at least for a while, curious about what they'd say.

“You could've pocketed that,” the voice belonging to the fedora-wearing man spoke.

“Why bother? It's just a lighter. And we promised we'd try and stop.” The other responded, and Splendont raised an eyebrow, looking over at them

The fedora wearing one let out a snort. “Hah! Lifty, do you really think that Miaki and Hibiki would know, let alone their dad?”

So it seemed the hatless one was Lifty. Considering the weird names in his family, including Splendid's boyfriend, he wasn't too surprised at the oddity of the name. He did recognize the two that were mentioned - members of the first team formed in the year. They had different last names though. Maybe divorced parents.

“Shifty, he's staring. I think he can hear us,” Lifty murmured, giving Splendont another name.

Whoops. Oh well.

The redhead snorted, deciding to pipe in now that they were aware. “Duh. I gave you a lighter when you were whispering about needing one. It was kind of obvious, wasn't it?” he hummed, making his way closer to the two. “Not that I care what you do, though. I got grounded and chewed out for doing something similar, but I'm not going to pass on that pain to you.” He approached the one with the hat - Shifty, and extended a hand and offered an introduction. “Splendont Astra. You could say I'm a little late to the Guardians party ‘cause I'm 23, but I don't regret it.”

The other's eyes were narrowed as he took the hand and shook it, and they remained staring at him even as he did the some for his brother. “Shifty Steele. That's my stupid brother Lifty.”

“Hey!” Lifty protested as he pulled his hand away, punching Shifty in the shoulder before taking a drag of his cigarette. He seemed much more open than the other, but distrust was still evident on his face. “So… do you need something?”

With a shrug of his shoulders, Splendid took in another puff smoke. “Eh. Figured I'd talk to some kindred souls. Smoke together awhile. Better than doing it alone. And if anyone comes up here, I'll take the fall.”

“Cool. A scapegoat,” Shifty murmured, “Can't really say no to that.” It was clear he wasn't all too interested, but was allowing it nonetheless.

His brother, however, looked him up and down a few times before offering a hesitant smile. “Well, we were told we should make friends,” he let out a sheepish laugh before turning to his brother. “And before you say ‘how are they going to know’, if we just keep trailing behind them or hanging out by ourselves, Miaki and Hibiki are going to realize we haven't made a single friend besides them yet.”

“I'm fine playing the part of someone you befriended,” Splendont chuckled, breathing in the nicotine. “Makes me look better than some guy that always keeps to himself too. You get to fool those two and get a scapegoat for smoking and stuff. Win-win situation.”

Lifty let out another laugh, tail swishing beside him. “Yeah! C'mon, Shifts, don't be a stick in the mud. Splendont seems kinda cool! Maybe… maybe we won't even have to lie to them, and we'll have a real friend.”

“Ugh, you're so annoying. Fine,” Shifty scoffed, shaking his head. “You're such a people pleaser.”

Their conversation continued for a while - mostly talking about how things had been since they arrived at Night's Shadow - how Lifty and Shifty were expecting to be on a team with their friends and got surprised at the first assembly, how their courses were going, and some rumors they'd heard passed around. Eventually, the two could barely keep their eyes open, and Splendont walked them back to the dorms. He made sure to snag their numbers first though.

As Splendont found himself back in bed once more, he couldn't help but smile slightly. Considering that they were likely underaged and he could infer from what he'd overheard that they liked stealing, Splendid would hate these two. He'd just have to leave out details when he told his brother that he'd made some friends.

[dextixer]

The good, the bad and the fandom -V9E2 - Altercation at the auspicious auction - critical review (Spoilers)

Greetings, this post is a part of my ongoing series of threads reviewing the episodes of Volume 9. The link to the first episodes review can be found(On Reddit, under this same account name, cant link it because i think Tumblr doesnt like links).

This series was started so i could give me opinions, be they good or bad, about the new volume of RWBY and to cover some of the FNDM discourse that is inevitably going to happen over the episodes.

Keep in mind that all of these are opinions and not all of them are what one could consider to be "traditional" criticisms but rather personal preference. Also, for the most part i will not go into detail too much in these, just a general overview.

The Good

Little - Little continues to be a treat. And YES, every episode they show up i will include a blurb about them in these reviews. Because Little deserves it. They continue to be comedic and a good way to release some tension and lighten the mood, while they are not entirely effective as a guide, they still have a value in being more familiar with the world that the protagonists find themselves in.

Weiss - Some level of frustration from Weiss is nice. She serves as the straight man of the group without going into depression category as Ruby currently is. I do like her sarcastic self and being more expressive as she was back in V1-V3. And some of her comic relief scenes are quite welcome, like cringing when Blake says "What does your heart tell you?". Her being frustrated over not knowing what happened to the people after the fall of Atlas is also good. Of course, one also has to bring up that she thinks Jinxy adorable, and considering that she also found Zwei a cute little furball, that is great.

Blake - Blakes quality of being a reader of books coming back is very nice. Its a quality that she has had since early in the show, but it has not really been showcased anywhere besides now. While of course i will complain that this interest of hers did not show up very much before now, it is still great that it is acknowledged here, in a literal fairy-tale. Yang knowing the same story (Due to being a surrogate parent for Ruby) is also great.

Just Right - I have to say that i do like this episode more. Unlike the last one, the pacing of this episode seems a lot better and the humour is for the most part well executed. Not to mention that the plot is moving forward at a very acceptable pace, we have time to have character moments and move the plot.

It kind of reinforces the point that many critics have made over the years, that the cast of RWBY is TOO LARGE. Right now we are dealing with 5 main characters with most other cast being minor at this point in time, and that is how it should be. Jinxy  for example has been given enough time for now. The guards wont last long too i expect. And that is good. Just like with Pilot boy, or the waitress back in V4, it is good to have these background characters with not much else to them.

Penny - Ruby talking about Penny was a great scene, i think it could have been better without the comedic nonsense surrounding it, but the speech itself, was great. What Ruby says is true, Penny was a true hero who helped many people in her life. For Ruby to be making this speech is also great as she was the closest to Penny, i hope that something is done with the sword eventually.

The Bad

Silly Weiss - I like silly Weiss as much as the next Weiss simp. But i do think that this quality of hers has been overdone in this episode. Some aspects of it are fine as i have said before, the auction for example, but her being so comically frustrated over being in a fairy tale just did not do much for me. It feels overblown for little reason other than being comedic relief, when she does not need to be, Little serves that role just fine.

Skeptic Weiss - Does anyone remember how the protagonists treated the powers of the maidens as something special? Well, this is more of the same. While the protagonists can definitely be miffed and skeptical about being in a fairy tale, it should be more reserved than it is now. Weiss complaining about how the Ever After does not make sense etc has little effect when she is a bloody sorceress/summoner from a world that has soul powers, dust, grimm, flying islands, godzillas and who knows what else.

Again, do not get me wrong, it is fine for her to be skeptical and to be annoyed over the situation, especially since she is frustrated over not knowing the fate of the people after the fall of Atlas. But what we got was way over the top. ESPECIALLY after Blake literally tells Weiss that they have all experienced the same things as a character in the book, and Weiss seems to KNOW that book from what i can gather, which is just basic pattern recognition at this point.

Especially since one of these scenes results in a tonal clash with Ruby being all sad over being reminded of the death of Penny while we see Weiss in a comedy routine, that was a huge tonal clash in my opinion.

Instant motion overusage - This is probably gonna be a common complaint from me, but there is definitely an issue with overusing instant motion for me. Currently it has been in 2-2 episodes of the volume, and it is very obvious it is used focusing on Little a lot. In my opinion that is way too much. It should be a rarity. I have a suspicion that it was done to save animation time, and i find it suspicious that it is used mostly for Little.

For those who do not know, one of the model creators for these volume revealed that they poured a lot of blood and sweat in Littles 3d model being able to do upright animations and animations on 4 legs, apparently such a thing is difficult and most of the time 2 separate models are created for such things, at least that is what multiple animators/artists have told me.

For me the instant motion is weird because it could be easily used to hide the changing of models of Little from the upright one to the 4 legs one. But that should not be required since Littles models is said to be able to do all animations without needing to change models.

Right now i can claim no definitive concerns, but its definitely weird to me and i have to bring it up.

The Fandom

Of course, it would not be the RWBY fandom without disagreements and arguments inflaming in it. This episode most arguments centered around the BB hand scene and Tonal shifts/clashes and Weiss character "changes".

Tonal Clash - Currently the most present discussions that i have seen were over the feeling that there was tonal clash in the episode. There is no problem with comedic scenes relieving some more sad ones and the like, but tonal shifts are difficult things to actually execute. Tone is on a scale, if you go from one side of the scale to the other too fast or at the wrong time, the effect can be bad.

Now, for the most part i think it was handled well in this episode. For the most part. Like i said, the Penny scene after the Auction definitely had a tonal clash problem especially since sadness + humour was happening at the same time and the timing wasn't right. I do think this is a fair complaint to bring up. And i think that it is going to be a constant worry with this Volume.

We are right after the fall of Atlas, arguably the most intense/sad moment of the series and we are instantly thrown into a fairy tale world with wacky rules and even wackier characters. It is definitely a brave choice by the writers as this is a minefield of tonal clashes that now has to be navigated, we will see if it is done well. For now, it is fine, for the most part. But that might change.

I was thinking of writing a big thread of this, and will probably do so after the end of the Volume, but not right now.

"Weiss is OOC" - Related to the aforementioned point is of course the discourse about Weiss, and whether or not she is acting way too OOC as she currently is. The opponents of this claim bring up how Weiss can actually be very goofy and has been in the series, while the proponents think that after the fall of Atlas, Weiss should be more serious.

I know im going to be a filthy centrist here, but both sides have a point. I think that Weiss is fine being goofy. Her sarcastic remarks, how she acts during the auction and the like. These are fine and do not clash with her also being annoyed/frustrated with the situation.

However, a lot of her scenes are way too extreme for that. Sure, its comedic, but its too goofy. While her V1-V3 self had some BIG goofy moments, the show was completely tonally different from what it currently is.

So basically, I agree that Weiss is a bit too OOC, but i think that some people want Weiss to lose her goofyness completely, something that i cannot abide by. Geiss is going to be free! HONK!

BB Hands/Extreme Fandom - Yeah yeah, the BB discourse started again because Yang/Blake ALMOST touched hands, wooooo. Look, my opinions about BB have always been clear, i dont think its well writen, i am not a fan of the relationship, but i dont mind it either and i think it should be finally confirmed/progressed.

Besides that, the arguments and discourse is the usual sparring session with the SAME arguments that have been in the fandom since VOLUME TWO! So no, im not going to comment on this because i am tired of the same argument over and over again.

I am of the same opinion as Weiss - "Finally" - Weiss 2023.

However, i think it is important to bring something else up, and that is some of the extremes parts of the fandom have ALREADY retreated into. Some people are overpraising the show way too much at the moment and are way too protective in my opinion, others are looking WAY too much into ways to rip into the show when the problems they notice are minor at best.

What we have in these two episodes, i do not think it deserves nearly as much anger/vitriol in arguments as some people are engaging in. The episodes are fine. For some they are great, but even at their worse these episodes are fine as they are, they have some minor issues, but that is all they are, minor issues.

Let us not descend into extremes just yet, we will have an entire hiatus for that.

Ending Word

I have little else to say for this episode. I think it is definitely an improvement over the first episode and i await the rest of the episodes. Just as i have said last week, we all just need more information/episodes to have a more clear picture of the volume. I also love the short episode commentaries that get released weekly too.

Of course, these are all just my opinions, everyone else is welcome to agree/disagree or to add on to this in way they deem proper. All opinions are welcome within reason.

[swan2swan]

I think the thing that makes me love RWBY so much is that they’ve escalated their progressivism with the times.

So many shows and franchises I loved years ago have now become “eh” these days because they reached some sort of limit. Star Wars had the most spectacular nosedive by completely erasing their black protagonist from the narrative and eroding any depth from the white woman protagonist (while sabotaging the Heroic Space-Dominican by making him overconfident comic relief), but while they worked in some more diversity with The Mandalorian, they obviously had...a number of issues. SNL could be doing skits every week about the continued police violence in DC, utilizing the platform to do new things, but they’re quickly recessing back to their typical stuff. When Samantha Bee and other comedians got too on-point with their skewers, they had to offer apologies and retract statements. Disney’s mainstay cartoons have done a great job diversifying the color palette...but they’ve also failed to progress in a lot of other regards, and unless Zootopia+ goes on a full binge of exposing corruption and violence among cops, I’m very wary. Even Rogue Squadron has side-eye because I suspect it’s going to be Air Force propaganda--which brings us right over to the Marvel Universe and its, well...you know all about that. 

I know I spent pretty much that whole giant paragraph talking about Disney, but, hey, that’s a monopoly for you. The Jurassic franchise has done well (the Prattster being a major detriment, though), and there have been a number of other sparks, but you can tell that a lot of franchises aren’t going to take major steps foward. A lot of others do stand to be progressive...but remain unappreciated (Thundercats Roar...) or end up underfunded or poorly-written, or left in the hands of people who make bad decisions (the DC cinematic universe has a lot of good potential and doesn’t seem afraid or limited, but also, “pushing the envelope” for them is “Batman drops an F-bomb”, so...yeah). 

RWBY? It’s super-popular. It’s brilliantly written. It has an immense and talented cast of actors and actresses, animators, directors, producers, and is even working with management that is willing to allow delays and schedule shifts in order to avoid crunch and overwork (so I hear). 

And what have they done? 

They started by being revolutionary by having all-female protagonists. Then they had a few subtle same-sex hints (Reese’s wink, Bumbleby foreshadowing, Coco, Emerald...), but nothing major...until they pulled out the wives a few volumes later. And Ilia. And they’re racing toward Bumbleby. It was pretty obvious that Qrow was into Clover (bless his poor taste...). They didn’t do Pilot Bro. And today? Straight-up Trans story to the face, spoken by a trans voice actress.

All wrapped tightly within stories calling out authoritarianism, bracketed by songs about how you shouldn’t give up hope just because it’s dark, and deliverring messages about fighting for the future. 

While Star Wars preached “you should always be hopeful!” while spreading misery and deflating fans’ optimistic bubbles left and right, RWBY keeps heading forward and providing victory and spectacular moments, allowing characters to grow and change and develop. 

RWBY feels like it will stand the test of time, but it also feels like it belongs in the present--and it’s not just because it’s adapting to the current day and age. It’s a year behind and still on-pace, because it’s trying to push forward. It’s smart, it’s full of heart, and it’s good. 

[kitkatopinions]

Thoughts on Arcane?

NOTE: I know nothing about League of Legends, I came into Arcane with no knowledge of anything to do with League, so everyone, please try to refrain from possible future spoilers by discussing major plot in the OG product. My brother-in-law already dropped some very big info and similar to going into the Final Fantasy remakes, I'm trying to avoid any other spoilers for something that's been around for ages. Thanks!

First thought, the animation is very good and very iconic.

Sometimes the faces seem a little off, but the whole effect looks almost like paint, and overall, it is very good. This is such a well made and just beautiful show in terms of the art, animation, and aesthetic.

The combat is a step above most things I've seen, but not as good as the early RWBY seasons by a long shot. On top of that, some of the weapons looks... Over the top, particularly the gauntlets the Vi eventually wears.

They're just a bit too big imo, it makes scenes go from cool to goofy really quickly. Still, the fights are worth watching and by no means are they bad!

Most of this show was directed very well, but they would do these strange jerky cuts that often didn't work for me. There also was this weird scene where two characters were about to fight, and then it suddenly changed into those characters doing the fight in slo-mo while the show switched to like, a completely different design, and then they just... Did the battle like normal all over again at normal speed. I can't blame them for experimenting with styles and stuff, but it just really took me out of the moment.

Some of it felt a little rushed and hurried in act two especially, where it's like they were trying hard to establish character dynamics early on to get to the juicy stuff later. I don't mind it so much especially since it's just the first season, and as a general rule, I try to give grace during a first season. But I'm really hoping we get to see more from many of these character interactions that feels a bit more fleshed out next season.

On that note, there were some writing choices I thought were strange. Characters that I kept waiting to have at least something of a good storyline that haven't gotten one, story elements that had suddenly come out of nowhere and didn't add much at all so far, moments that I feel didn't make much sense or things they had characters do that I thought either should've been gone into more detail around or should've been different. During the last three of four episodes especially, my sister and I were watching it and going "if they just tweaked this, this scene would be so much better," and "if this had been set up like this, this would've been such a compelling moment!" I feel like the show could be better than it is. The writing isn't life changing, it could be stronger and fuller, but it's still for the most part good, especially when you compare it to a certain color themed webcartoon.

But as for some praise, most of the characters are nuanced and interesting, the concepts are amazing and could lead somewhere great, the design is off the charts, the voice acting is pretty dang good, the dialogue is nice and even if the pacing is a little rushed, the way everything was delivered including stellar VA performances and animation makes everything feel more genuine and believable. Also I don't know how to describe 'this piece of media feels like it would be great for transformative works, even more so than most pieces of media,' but Arcane has those vibes. The more simple looks the characters sported in the first couple episodes were okay, but the character design in the post-time skip looks were really good. In fact, the show generally did a very good job at the time-skip. I was seriously thrown off and worried when I realized one was coming so early, but they did it well and the results were cool. Also, the battles are never easily won, our mains always seem to take hits, both emotionally and physically, and that's good. Also, they know how to get tension into a scene in this show, they're really good at using their music, too. The show is exciting, it throws curveballs at you in a way that (most of the time so far,) doesn't feel cheap or badly set up. Best of all, they're really good at making you care about the characters and what happens to them. I've mentioned before that I tend to consume media primarily for character arcs and character interactions, and I think this show has the potential to serve up some amazing ones. One of my favorite characters in the series - who I won't name atm because of possible spoilers - is so cool, and I just want the best for them because they deserve it.

I think the show maybe could've benefitted from taking a bit more time, but hey. they wanted to set the groundwork early, and I can't blame them.

There are some red flags. There were some things that made me feel uncomfortable at the very least. SPOILERS INCOMING: SKIP THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU WANT TO AVOID SPOILERS.

For example, the main villain in the first season is someone who revolutionaried too hard and was actually super detrimental to the people he was supposedly advocating for to the point where the lead yells at the people oppressing her and her people to go wage war on her people in order to take him out - which I feel like something like this could've been done, but the way they did it was clunky and sent some weird messages imo. And for another example, in the last three episodes, they kill off two different dark skinned women (or at least, I think, the second death hasn't been exactly confirmed, but I'm pretty sure it happened.) And one of those women hadn't been given much outside of a flimsy connection to one of the main male characters, who was Very Sad about her death. In another scene, our main protagonist tore a prosthetic off of someone's body in a fight, etc... On top of that, I'm always annoyed when there's some piece of media that establishes a clear system of oppression - in this case the privileged Piltover versus the poor Undercity / Zaun, including a thick layer of obvious classism - and then instead of the main villains being say the people who helped build that system or the people who have worked to maintain that system in clearly corrupt and selfish ways, they say "Hmm, who will our villains be? The people who grew bitter after being oppressed for so long? The children who were traumatized and also suffered from this oppression?" Idk, it's all red flags. I'm really hoping that the show gets better after season one, but I can't pretend that some elements of the show so far didn't make me at least a little uncomfortable. There were ways that the writers could've gotten the desired effect without doing anything problematic. There are ways Vi could've won her fight with Sevika without ripping off her prosthetic, there are ways they could've portrayed Viktor's experiment going wrong without murdering Sky. Also, I'm already side eyeing some of the fandom for hating on one of the women of color essentially for getting in the way of a ship they - and I - like. I love Mel Medera and nobody has to put her down in order to stan Jayce and/or Viktor.

Aaaand on the subject of Jayce and Viktor, for my final thought, I wanna say that Jayce and Viktor is an amazing ship that I adore, and I love them so much. They had such a well done, natural dynamic. There's tension, but they obviously care about each other so much, and this ship has all the makings of a great 'mutual pining / they both think it's unrequited' dynamic and would make for an amazing slow burn. I'm going to ignore that the writers made Jayce say that Viktor is like his brother. Omg the looks, the energy, the way that Viktor smiles at him, the way that Jayce seems touchy feely with him, the deep connection and friendship, the great back and forth... I love this ship.

[razorblade180]

Interdimensional Moms pt3

Part 2 right here! <-

Team RWBY continue their interesting chat about their respective worlds. After the emotional roller coaster that was Weiss’s, a bit of light hearted stories would be welcomed.

Yang:Okay, does anyone have some real feel good things to talk about for their world? Just run of the mill pleasant life?

Ruby:Guess I’m going last....

Yang:Oh no!

Weiss:We’ll circle back to you then. Blake, I guess you’re up.

Blake:Wouldn’t you want calmer stuff at the end?

Yang:Blake, I would very much like to go at least ten minutes without wanting to cry.

Blake:Hmmmm I can guarantee you like...six I think.

Yang:I’ll take it! Blake Belladonna, tell me about a world where you and Jaune Arc are happily married. How did such stars align?

Blake:You make it sound crazy?

Weiss:Blake, there’s list of people I could see you with. Now I’m not saying Jaune couldn’t be one of them, but he’d have to fight his way up that list.

Blake:You...that’s kinda fair. It’s a bit hard to explain really. It happened back at Beacon initially, or our bonding did. Some days his team was busy and I didn’t tag along for the crazy antics you three wanted to do all the time, so we occasionally bumped into each by circumstances. He’d go to the library for a book, I’d do training and he was there, or sometimes he’d knock on our door and not realize I was the only one around.

Weiss:Was he trying to sing to me?

Blake:That plan did show up at our a few times, yes. One of those times I asked him out of nowhere to sing the song anyways because I just had to know if it was any good. Hehe, it wasn’t sonically pleasing at times, but you could tell it was genuine. Eventually though...he just sort of gave up on you. It was actually a little sad to see, even you thought so. It was strange. Jaune was definitely stumbling through his flirting and it came off as childish, yet the day he gave up, it was easy to see his heart was breaking a bit. Like all his insecurities ate even the faux confidence away.

Yang:Ma’am, it has barely been three minutes and I’m getting sad about thinking of Jaune being sad.

Weiss:Yeah don’t tell me I broke his heart!

Blake:Whoops, sorry. It’s important though. Jaune kinda kept to himself a little more after that. He still chatted pretty regularly but it was easy to tell he dived more in studies as a way to keep his head clear, which lead to us being on a project together. I was the only person in our friend group that wouldn’t actively try to make him open up about how he feeling. At first I thought it was a bit rude when he told me that, but I didn’t room to talk when it comes to socializing.

Yang:One more time for the people in the back.

Ruby:I’m the back.

Blake:*smirks* I was very against socializing about my feelings at Beacon.

Ruby:Yeah you were.

Weiss:I couldn’t even ask if you slept well without a lukewarm answer sometimes.

Blake:I’m better now. That’s all that matters. Romance and feeling love is a personal thing and talking about it is uncomfortable. I think we both recognized that in each other during our project. Trouble is, there’s only so many conversation starters and small talk subjects. Talking only about the project was dry and eventually all the facts a person could say about themselves ran out. Favorite food, color, hobbies, etc. We eventually had to dig a little deeper into those topics. To our surprise, we actually more in common than we thought when it came to how we felt about certain pieces of literature and music.

Ruby:Awwww, bonding over smut.

Blake:*red* It wasn’t all adult literature! Some were poems and stuff. Even when the project ended, we began being less formal around each other and hanging out. We went to the bookstores we mentioned and he even got us tickets to bands I liked. It...it was nice. I never really got to have just a normal teenage experience before without it being political. He always felt bad about being average compared to everyone but average was so foreign to me that I welcomed it. I liked having a normal time out. It was a thing we all took for granted. Especially when Beacon fell.

Yang:Yeah, that probably put a real bind on your relationship.

Blake:Actually....we technically never officially started to date.

Ruby:What? You courted each other all of Beacon.

Weiss:Ruby, who the heck says courted? I’m a Schnee and even I have never used the word courted.

Ruby:Hush, I read a lot of bed time stories to a five year old.

Blake:We were a bit shaky on labels. Me for obvious reasons. As for Jaune, it’s really true about what they say about guys when they get heart broken.

Yang: “Never again.”

Blake:Hehehe, it’s funny to look back at it but he’ll tell you it’s a bit cringy. He was so on gaurd. I could tell all the time when he was mentally telling himself to not be excited whenever we hung out or I complimented him.

Ruby:Hey it takes guts to shift feelings to a teammate of your first crush. That could blow up in your face.

Blake:Yeah...about that. *looks at Yang* you...were another reason why nothing was official. You uhhh, we actually had some jumbled up emotions.

Weiss:*sarcastic gasp* You and Yang, liking each other? Who could’ve seen that coming?

Yang:Was it mutual or...

Blake:Very mutual. Also...intimate at times.

Yang:*red* Oh....yeah. Yeah that tracks.

Blake:That jumbled mess was only more confusing after you got hurt trying to rescue me from Adam. Meeting up with-

Ruby:Question, so was Sun just not on your radar?

Blake:Sun? We’re just friends. He’s cute and I’m glad he was there for me when I needed help but things between us were always pretty calm. I think he noticed how confused I was with other people in my life and chose to not add to it.

Ruby:Bless him. Please continue.

Blake:Learning about Salem and reconnecting with you all was a lot. I’d really been out of the loop and my Yang and I were on....shaky ground.

Yang:That’s what happens when you leave someone who’s been left their entire life.

Blake:Sigh...yeah. It was a trying time, but not with JNPR. It’s funny, Oscar and I also hit it off quite well from the jump. I think we were both glad to have each other learn on the craziness at once. Even with readjusting, Jaune and I fell back into a groove naturally. Instead of doing average things we day dreamed of the things we did. Once again we become this little slice of simple life in this crazy adventure. Still didn’t date.

Weiss:What is this, a slow burn!?

Yang:Weiss, you literally didn’t date your Jaune until Atlas.

Weiss:There’s a difference. I didn’t make any heart eyes at him until around Atlas. I say I may have been a little quick. These two were “courting” for over a year at this point.

Ruby:Stop making fun of me!

Blake:Well anyways, I wouldn’t say much was too eventful in terms of romance with world destroying things happening. Salem, she was way too much to deal with. Every move age did was calculated and unrelenting. Keeping our head above water wasn’t easy. In fact, it was boarder line impossible. Yang and I barely beat Adam after all.

Yang:How’d you two feel about that?

Blake:Relieved. Huge weight off my mind, and yet...a piece of me still wishes things never got so dire. At least now I know that in another world, things aren’t.

Ruby:Sounds like your world was put through their paces? You survived though.

Blake:Not conventionally. I gotta say, hearing the ages and how you beat Salem so far makes me feel more than a little embarrassed. To be frank, we didn’t have this grand battle that involved the entire world making a final stand. We had Atlas, and then we had Haven. With their might and a plan to gain more time, we managed to seal Salem in a vault.

Yang:*chokes on water* Y- cough what!?

Ruby:You put her in a vault!?

Weiss:Thah sounds harder than a last stand honestly.

Blake:No matter what way we looked at things, we just weren’t ready for her, so we locked her away until we were. Two years on constant defense from her followers and grimm until Ruby had trained enough to use her silver eyes and we were all strong enough.

Ruby:Two years!? How old was I then?

Blake:Twenty I believe.

Weiss:Hey, you beat mine by a year.

Yang:Not mine, I think we either tied or just narrowly beat yours by like a year. Honestly it hard to keep track of birthdays and stuff.

Ruby:Wow. No offense to myself, but that’s a little disappointing. I guess being the same person really doesn’t mean we were all at the same level.

Blake:Hey, my Ruby put everything she had into saving the world. There wasn’t a second she wasn’t trying her best to defend it!

Ruby:My point exactly. If that was her at her absolute best then by all accounts, she doesn’t hold a candle to me; at least back then anyways. But I have no reason to believe she would be at my level now.

Yang:Okay little miss prideful, care to tell us when you saved the-

Ruby:Seventeen.

The reaper took a long swig of coffee while the others processed that information. It took a her a couple of seconds to realize she may be acting just a tad bit arrogant.

Ruby:Uhh, sorry. I think I was tooting my own horn a bit there.

Weiss:Seventeen....why so soon?

Yang:Why? Don’t you mean how?

Blake:That’s....almost unbelievable.

Ruby:Really? I don’t think so. I’ll dive into it when it’s my turn but for now all I really gotta say is people needed help, and I was going to answer those cries. I bet your Ruby had a similar urgency in her, but for some reason or another just had different limitations. I got hurt a lot as a kid. Maybe an injury did more damage in one universe than another? Who can say?

Blake:I...wouldn’t know. Odd, I know if my Ruby heard this, then she’d probably be more than a little upset. Saving lives is still what she’s all about. I know when she put everything she had into fighting Salem when the day came. All that training paid off. Her skills were polished and her silver eyes eradicated the grimm essence in Salem.

Ruby:Wait, she’s not dead?

Blake:No. Salem roams Remnant with Oz keeping an eye on her until one day she can finally grasp the lesson the gods wanted her to have.

Yang:That uhhh sounds risky.

Weiss:Yet oddly okay?

Blake:Funny, my Weiss said that too. Those two get checked on in secret. Can’t be too careful. With Salem beaten though, Remnant entered a state of...let’s call it average chaos. All in all, it’s way more peaceful but you know, people will be people. Downside about a secret war is you don’t get the unity of the masses. Atlas and Haven working together was still a great step in the right direction though.

Yang:Woah, I’m a little jealous. My world felt like a race against the clock. The pressure either broke you or made you harder than diamond, with most people crushing under it.

Weiss:Yeah. The tension and meet of extremes I had on the frontlines was beyond imagination. The unity was great, but to feel it on the battlefield against the odds was feeling with way too much adrenaline and stress. Can’t say I enjoyed it. I simply lived through it.

Blake:Well it isn’t like I had a walk in the park. But I guess in comparison, my experience was a tad more mellow. Still, people were lost and hurt. Oscar isn’t himself anymore, don’t have Penny, former classmates and a few enemies turned allies fell in battle. Family.... it took a bunch to get the plan of containing, then it took a lot more to do it. In a way though, the two years of training is time I can’t regret. It tested bonds, strengthening and reestablishing others.

Ruby:I take it since love couldn’t bloom on the battlefield, it bloomed in the training yards?

Blake:*red* You can say that. That’s when Jaune and I got serious. *frowning* But.....

Yang:We fell apart?

Blake:Yeah. I didn’t learn my lesson well enough the first time about the potential problems of dating a partner. Only difference this time was I felt like I was the one being cruel. We had gotten into arguments and apologized more than once. Your fear of being left and my own insecurities just kept butting heads. I’d cry, you’d cry, our friends would be concerned. Then the day came where you put it all on the line. You confessed genuinely how much you loved me and how you felt a bit jealous when it came to Jaune. I had never seen you look so vulnerable; letting your gaurd completely down. And though a piece of me loved you and wanted you in my life for ever....this sense of genuine comfort Jaune gave was something I want-needed for so long. So I did the one thing I didn’t want to do. I broke your heart. I hurt you again.

Yang:Sigh....*leans back in chair* Okay, let’s see how well I know myself. My eyes went red automatically, followed by tears. I lashed out at you angrily out of pain and embarrassment until I was probably blue in the face. But to take make things worse, somebody probably overheard. No matter who it was, I yelled at them too for trying to calm me down and then I eventually run off leaving everyone unhappy. A good old meltdown. Sound about right?

Blake:To the letter. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so distraught.

Yang:Of course not, I’ve never been in love before meeting you. I....did a similar thing with my Blake over the stupid Adam shit. *covers face* of all the things to be similar, it had to be my temper. Please tell me our team didn’t suffer too harshly?

Blake:The good thing about two years of training was it didn’t have to be together all the time. Team RWBY didn’t fall apart, but it didn’t feel comfortable either. Outside of missions, the four of us didn’t hang out as much. It was three at the most. Nobody pinned blame on me or Yang for it but it was obvious.

Ruby:I mean how can you blame someone for feeling sad or not in love with someone? Pointing fingers doesn’t do anything. However, I bet missions were rough.

Blake:Bumblebee was shelved. We did any other team up we could. When push came to shove, Yang and I did put feelings aside. Neither of us wanted our feelings to get anyone killed. That’s probably what kept us connected for awhile, especially with Salem. I don’t think we questioned each other when it came to watching one another’s back. Slowly, our relationship got a bit better. Until....we stopped speaking to each other altogether about a couple years later.

Yang:Wait, why!?

Blake:I got pregnant.

The three listeners’ faces scrunched up and they let in a sharp breath like they just got cut. No one had considered that bombshell.

Blake:Marriage was rough enough. Having Jaune’s kid and starting a family just...cut deep I guess. You didn’t make a scene or anything if that’s what you’re worried about. One day you told me “I just can’t do this” and exited my life. I wanted to keep you close to me, but you wanted to be closer. That was a thing I couldn’t do. Hehe, I can’t tell you how weird it is talking to you like this again.

Yang:So that’s it!? We just don’t see each other at all!?

Blake:Certain events and celebrations have us in the same room, but that’s all. Ruby is the only thing that regularly links us, but she’s busy living life too.

Ruby:Is it a good life?

Blake:The best. You’re the huntress you always wanted to be and a hero to many.

Ruby:*smiles* Really? That’s good. May she ride that high for as long as she can. Though I bet she wished she had a special someone to share that with.

Blake:Huh? Oh, you married Weiss.

Weiss:*red* What!?

Ruby:Aye, nice.

Weiss:Weren’t you upset about thinking of other people with Jaune besides you!?

Ruby:Yeah, but I won’t deny if I am going to be with someone that isn’t him, I’m very happy it’s the other special person in my life. I mean come on, the only reason we don’t get weird in your universe is because I married your brother and you already invited my sister.

Weiss:I mean...it’s mainly the brother portion. The second part...

Ruby:Weiss, that’s weird.

Yang:Eh...

Ruby:IT’S WEIRD! YOU CANNOT TELL ME OTHERWISE!

Yang:*sips coffee* Eh.

Blake:Anyways, Weiss, you’re running your company. The Schnee Dust Company was scrubbed top to bottom to remove as much corruption as possible. No department was overlooked. In times of money, there’s a notable decrease in how much the company used to make.

Weiss:Gee, I wonder if that’s because the other me is doing oh let me guess, paying all their workers and not cutting corners in safety?

Blake:The SDC people approval has gone up considerably, just so you know that too. Turns out people like it when the company they buy from have good morals.

Weiss:Am I happy though? I make time for my social life and hu- I mean wife?

Blake:Yea, you’re happy. In a way I think we’re all happy, but....

Yang:We’d be happier if we were all happy together? Yeah, that’s how it works. You’re only as happy as the most miserable person in a family or group; if you all care about each other that is. Ugh, I wanna punch the other me. I get how she feels but it’s fucking immature to just ignore years of teamwork and family. At the end of the day, team RWBY is a family! Can’t believe I’d runaway from it instead of figuring out...I don’t know! Something!

Blake:*small smile* Well if you feel that way then there’s no reason to believe she doesn’t. My Yang just struggles with it more I guess, but I hope she can come around one day. Not really for my sake, but for her own peace of mind. As well as Lucas’s.

Ruby:Lucas? Your son I take it?

Blake:Mmhmm. My strong and lazy young man. He got his father’s hair but my eyes and ears. I can’t think of a person who warms my heart quite like him. He acts uninterested in a lot of things, but his heart is so big.

Weiss:Ah, so he’s just you?

Blake:More or less hehe. Though I’d say I was passionate about things all my life. Lucas will sleep all day if he could and doesn’t like going out without a reason.

Weiss:Still sounds like you if I’m being honest. Teenager?

Blake:Seventeen, almost eighteen.

Yang:You said he’s need peace of mind too? I’m not...hostile towards him am I?

Blake:No, not by a long shot. On the occasions you two have meant, you were polite. It’s just he knows why you don’t visit or talk to me. That’s rough, knowing your parent’s closest friend stopped being apart of their life because you were born. I think sometimes he believes it’s actually his fault.

Yang:I really, really want to meet this other me and have a few words. She needs to know she isn’t trying hard enough. I’m proof.

Ruby:Yeah, but you’re only well off because the person that helped you get over Blake, was Jaune. Yeah she still can find love, but who that person will be would be uncharted territory for everyone.

Blake:Also I’m not entirely sure exactly if my Yang is even bi like you.

Yang:Sigh....

Weiss:Love.

Blake:Huh?

Weiss:As long as a person shows your Yang genuine love and a place in their heart where she’ll remain forever, Yang would fall for them. They just have to make it a point to make her feel like they’ll stay. Yangs are softies like that.

Yang:Wow, you an expert on me and all the versions of me now?

Weiss:No, you’re just a bleeding heart that’s super emotional. Let me guess, you fell for Jaune the moment you realized just how relaxed and vulnerable you could allow yourself to be around him.

Yang:*red*.......he holds me when I’m overwhelmed.

RWB:Awwww

Yang:Shut up! Blake, take the heat off me.

Blake:Not too much more. Lucas is a smart kid who generally stays out of trouble. Unfortunately, trouble finds him. Mainly because of his semblance.

Ruby:Don’t tell me...

Blake:No no, it’s not bad luck like your uncle, but Lucas can’t always control it so their similar in that regard. Premonitions, that’s his semblance.

Weiss:Like...the future? You child can see the future?!

Blake:Yeah. *sips drink* it’s terrible.

Ruby:What? That sounds so handy! Man, if I could someone fighting me before it happened, I’d be a monster on the battlefield.

Blake:Lucas isn’t a fighter. Well, he’s not aspiring to fight. He can fight, pretty dang well in fact.; but randomly seeing the future is not a gift. Imagine picking up a book and you suddenly know the ending, or watching a movie and you start seeing the middle of it right after you press play?

Yang:Ahhh, that’s why he’s lazy and unmotivated. His semblance is massive spoiler alert. Half the fun of new things is not knowing what will happen.

Ruby:Oof, you have a point. I’d be paranoid to no end.

Blake:To a point, he was. Ever since he was ten. Disasters happen at the drop of a hat. Lucas isn’t the kind of person to watch bad things unfold, so whenever it was possible or even if it was risky, he’d do whatever he could to prevent said disaster. But.....there’s only so much anyone person can do. There’s only so much information he sees. The constant strain and guilt that came from failing ate him up. The. There’s the incidents he’s seen that didn’t show him how it began or how it will end. *rubbing her hands* It’s bad...

Weiss:Hey, I...I’ve noticed your hands and frankly even your face are a bit....slim. Your skin isn’t as colorful as I’m used to either. Almost like it’s regaining color.

Blake:Hehehe.......I guess you were bound to notice of all people.

Weiss:Of course. I may not run a a company in my world but I keep tabs on my brother and have had my fair share of visits to a doctor. Why wouldn’t I notice.

Yang:So can we talk as if there are people who have no clue what’s going on?

Weiss:Blake has had one of two things happen to her. She’s either worked way too hard to the point she’s not taking care of her health, or she’s fallen very ill and her body is still recovering.

Blake:Yeah, it’s more of the second one, but probably because of the first one as well. Forwarding equality, I was overzealous with it. One day Lucas just started shaking and crying when he was twelve and I couldn’t understand why. Turns out he kept seeing me bedridden and unconscious without a reason. Day in and day out he simply cried and tried his best to get another premonition to learn more, but couldn’t. A week later I started feeling a little dizzy, and then blacked out after vomiting. At first I thought maybe I had the flu or something. Nope, a tumor.

Weiss:What?

Ruby:Blake!?

Yang:Oh shit, are you-

Blake:Perfectly fine! *smiles* I’m fine. Liver cancer, but it was caught early. No more tumor what so ever, but the meds and the entire process was really draining. Got sicker a couple of times. Not once did I feel like I was dying necessarily, more like...slipping? I felt myself getting drained. The whole time Lucas was so scared; blaming himself for not preventing this or knowing how to fix it. Though simply knowing he saw me like was a warning most people wish they got. I know I said seeing the future is terrible, but the scariest part through all of this was not knowing how it ended. Choosing medicine, doctors, surgery possibilities, it made me crack under pressure a little. I think he noticed that. I wasn’t sure if I picking an option that lead me dying or getting better. The stress alone may have killed me. Ever since then Lucas hasn’t been so outgoing.

Ruby:....

Weiss:....

Yang....It was already said, but there was no way this wasn’t going to get sad was there?

Blake:Take it from me, there’s joy in pain. So many people came to visit me when I was recovering. Even Yang dropped by for a bit. After I got out, I don’t think Lucas ever hugged me so hard. Jaune tried to stay calm through the whole ordeal but it was rough for him too. He was all but spent emotionally when I came home.

Weiss:I’m surprised Lucas didn’t become an older brother.

Blake:The last thing a recovering patient needs is a pregnancy, but as far as missing me goes...

Ruby:You can stop right there with that tangent.

Yang:We’ll talk about that in private. I wouldn’t mind that story.

Blake:*playfully rolls eyes* These days I try not to over do things. I’ve only officially been deemed completely cured for about a year. I can feel that I’m still not entirely up to strength. It’s fine though. It gives me an excuse for Lucas to dote on me a little. He’s a mama’s boy at heart. My biggest worries these days is peeling him out of this shell his semblance had put him in. At the very least I want him to smile like he used to and find away to live in moment when possible. His entire life is ahead of him. Hopefully he doesn’t see all of it.

Ruby:I guess too much of anything really is bad. Knowledge included. I hope things work out.

Yang:Me too. A happy life is something you definitely earned.

Blake:Thanks. That seriously means a lot, which is why I made sure to not end this on a sour note.

The happy faunus pulled out her scroll to scroll through pictures and her friends eyes lit up. The first one was a beach photo. This Jaune was different from what they were used to. He let his hair grow a little bit longer and the back went down his neck, but it was definitely still him. This jaune was pretty toned and went for a lean look than bulky like Weiss’s, but a tad slimmer. On his shoulders was an adorable toddler with wide amber eyes and big blonde cat ears. Both men were enjoying the sunset on the waves.

The next photo was more recent with Blake right in the middle of hopping into Lucas’s arms. Weiss noticed the girl still had on the hospital bracelet. She must’ve just gotten cleared. Lucas had grown like a weed. He was now roughly Jaune’s height. His hair was messy and looked like Jaune’s in his younger years. Also like his father, Lucas was jacked! His sleeveless purple shirt should off his biceps as they wrapped around Blake’s torso for a hug. His baggy purple shorts had black and gold trim through the seams and the shorts stopped right below his knees; but showed of his well defined calves. A smile of pure joy and what could’ve been a few tears were visible as he looked lovingly at his mother. It warmed all of the ladies hearts. Still, the girls also could tell under his eyes were a little dark. Lucas must’ve been very tired.

The final picture had to be the most recent. It was Blake and Lucas sparring. Both looked at each other with excitement and ease as their wooden blades clashed. Their clothes mirrored one another by being black and white kimonos. They even wore the traditional shoes and everything.

Weiss:Yeah, that’s your kid.

Blake:Damn right. Unfortunately that makes him a little too stubborn. But I guess that’s okay. Without a doubt, someone’s gonna break through that shell of his.

Yang:Oh? It sounds like you already know who?

Blake:Well....I have a hunch.

xxxxx

RING! RING! RING! Lucas’s scroll chirped, in the middle of the night. The boy let out a long, agitated groan of sleepiness as he rolled over in bed; reaching for his scroll on the nightstand to answer.

Lucas:Hello?

???:Did you know you are mathematically more likely to choke on a hotdog than get attacked by a shark?

Lucas:....Serenity, who gave you my number?

Serenity:Your parents, and it’s Serendipity!

Lucas:Too many syllables. Also a bit ironic given who you are. With the way you act though, my name for you is better.

Serenity:Ooooo so we’re moving on to pet names? How forward of you.

Lucas:Five seconds before I hang up. Three...two-

Serenity:You’re late! You promised to guide me around the beach at twelve. That’s now.

Lucas:.....P.M. Twelve P.M. Serenity. Why in the world would I mean midnight!?

Serenity:It’s romantic and personal. Nobody else is around. I thought you were trying to use that Belladonna magic on me by acting all cool and aloof in the moonlight.

Lucas:.....

Lucas:Please delete my number.

Serenity:Not on your life, my whiskered bodyguard!

Lucas:Don’t have whiskers-

Serenity:If you don’t wanna move that butt of yours to hang out with a pretty girl in a floppy hat and sundress with a bikini underneath, that’s your loss. I’m still going for a dip.

Lucas:Do not go in the water when nobody is around.

Serenity:Pfft, I’m a strong swimmer.

Lucas:Sharks.

Serenity:It’s more dangerous to eat a hotdog.

Lucas:Sharks feed at night.

Serenity:Are you trying to tell me the statistics aren’t as reliable just because it’s nighttime.

Lucas:That’s exactly what I’m saying.

Serenity:Then you better move your butt just in case. Either you get a snack or the sharks do. Either way, I get attention.

Lucas:Difference is one wants to eat you.

Serenity:My goodness Lucas, oh brazen of you.

Lucas:......

Lucas:Tell the sharks I said hi.

Serenity:Okay! Byyyyyyeeeee! *hangs up*

Lucas:(She’ll be fine.)

..........

Lucas:*putting on shoes* This is bullshit. Who thinks midnight!? *walking down stairs* Can’t have a peaceful day or night....

Jaune:*watching tv* Hey Lucas, going some-

Lucas:I’m giving out your phone number to a homeless man the first chance I get! *walks out door*

Jaune:.....(Whatever gets you outside more.)

It took about fifteen minutes of aggressive walking for Lucas to wrap around to the back of his house towards their section of the beach. Where Serenity walked around humming and collecting seashells without a care in the world.

Lucas:The next shell you grab will have a crab in it.

Serenity:Huh? Oh hey you’re finally-ahhhh! Ow ow ow ow ow ow!

Lucas:Should’ve listened.

Serenity:Have a better warning!!!! It won’t let go!

Lucas:Pull it off.

Serenity:That’s hurt!!! Lucas, help!

Lucas:Fine, if you delete my number.

Serenity:*sniffling* Stop being mean!!! This really hurts, it’s breaking the skin. Isn’t a young and pretty girl’s tears payment enough!? I thought you were getting paid to-

Lucas:Oh my goodness! Okay, just shush. I’m too sleepy for this.

Serenity:You’re mean when you’re sleepy. At least your waking up voice sounds handsome though.

Lucas:Please....stop. Stop everything. *removing crab* Happy?

Serenity:No, you’re not happy. Also my finger is bleeding.

Lucas:Yep, looks like you can’t go swimming now for real.

Serenity:Eh, I lied anyways. I’m not getting in that water. There are sharks in that watery grave.

Lucas:So. Why. Did. You. Wake. Me. Up?

Serenity:....*red* I...don’t really, have friends here. Besides you. Umm *points to pail and shovels* sandcastles?

Lucas:*inhales*......I’ll get the water.

Serenity:*smiles* Yes! I’ll delete your number later.

Lucas:*red* You....can keep it of you really want.

Serenity:....Kek, okay Mr. Tsundere

Lucas:You can remove the next crab alone.

Serenity:Don’t joke like that! That was a joke, right?

Lucas:Welp that pail isn’t gonna fill itself. *leaves*

Serenity:What!? Lucas!!! You were joking right!? Right!? *looking around the sand* you’re a lousy bodyguard!

Lucas:Good, fire me.

Serenity:I...you....ugh!

Lucas:Cheer up, I’m happy now after all. *smiles*

Serenity:*pouting* This is why I’m a dog person.

[rwde-chibi]

It feels weird that RWBY has to make every non-Ozpin headmaster into a villain when we already had a team of four villains and their lackeys set up to be our baddies before the big bad, and also Adam is there I guess.

We had Watts, Tyrian, Hazel, and Cinder as our “actual threats” and then had Emerald, Mercury, Torchwick and Neo as underlings for them while Adam does his own thing with the poorly done racism sub-plot. Lionheart makes sense because of how Cinder sneaks into the Vytal Festival, but why does Ironwood need to suddenly be a bad guy?

If we add Ironwood and the (surviving and not defecting) Ace Ops to the bad guy count, that’s four new bad guys. That’s fourteen antagonists, with most of them dying off or being redeemed before we’re halfway through the plot. As it stands we have four whole real antagonists before the final boss. Cinder, Tyrian, Mercury and Neo (who will probably defect or get left in the void during this upcoming volume.)

Why do we keep making up new allies only to make them into antagonistic forces when there were already so many antagonists in the first place? Why do we keep blowing through antagonists at a breakneck pace when there’s nothing of value being gained from killing them off or by turning them good? I don’t know, but I don’t like it.

[gorgeousgalatea]

"After" for the ask meme! :D Also, I don't think I'd heard of Bungou Stray Dogs before, but as a big fan of detective fiction and supernatural stuff, I'm intrigued... 👀 ~ Clyde

Thank youuuu <3

I'm gonna talk about Bungou Stray Dogs first because it's easier and I admit it took time to grow on me, I started out groupwatching the anime with some friends and the pacing's a bit clunky in the beginning (although better in the manga; the anime adapted some side material and its first integration was not elegant) plus some "anime, why?" tropes, but overall it's fun and unhinged in ways I jive with very hard. It is on the surface about Hot Troubled Superpowered Detectives vs Hot Troubled Superpowered Mafia but the extra zest to the premise is that most of the major characters and their respective powers are based on famous literary authors and their works. And I admit I didn't have enough familiarity with Japanese literature to have taken too much note at first, but naturally the Hot Troubled Superpowered Detectives and Hot Troubled Superpowered Mafia need to have desperation team ups, so enter the antagonistic American Guild. At which point if you want to see Herman Melville summon a giant flying whale ship and F. Scott Fitzgerald punch people with the power of money...you can.

Anyway, After! This is going to date me because I know for a fact I came up with it in late 2012, early 2013 and it explains everything about why I keep circling back to it and why I haven't managed to get it to work yet. I've always been a fan of fairy tales, especially fractured fairy tales, and in 2012 I was *deep* into MCU fandom and still riding the high of the first Avengers movie when this deeply cool animated action trailer came out for a new fairy tale inspired show called RWBY. So y'know, naturally this resulted in a plotbunny for my own dark, action heavy, overambitious would-be saga featuring reinterpretations of all those greatest hits destined to collapse under its own weight. But at the very least I'd like to do the beginning of the story justice and hopefully trim the fat from there; every child in the kingdom is taught to fear the fae and keep their true name hidden, but bastard daughter Cinder has only ghosts for company and is desperate to do whatever it takes to escape her abusive household, no matter the cost. (Excerpt under the readmore since I yelled about bsd too long lmao)

Talia had taught Cinder the spell, the most beloved of her dead. 

Radiant, lovely Talia, with her fair skin and gold curls–Cinder had always felt so ugly beside her, although Talia had always insisted it was not so. Talia, who’d laughed when Cinder had protested the danger.

“How strange the world has become,” she’d said, hands cool and insubstantial as she guided Cinder through the motions. “You hide your names, call the Fae monstrous–perhaps you’ve simply confused the good with the bad! The Queen That Fell cursed me at my birth, it’s true, but three of the court offered me blessings to take its teeth. I fear I will find this world a stranger when I wake, to hear it so.”

How are you so certain you sleep when I have only ever seen the dead, Cinder tried to ask, but Talia had laughed and waved it off.

Your rose-tinted world must be nearly a century old.

I have never heard of your kingdom.

But Talia had simply shook her head and pressed her hands back to her. “Hold it close,” she had said. “It is the only comfort I can give you till I wake.”