#and yeah i personally like ruby as a character but yeah she clearly was never gonna be happy in bluebell

[strideofpride]

#also lemon as a campaign manager you should have known to exploit that#they were both too blinded by ruby's beauty to see it#for real ruby is gorgeous#but she's so not a match for lavon!#she does NOT care about the town. and that town is lavon's life#lavon was more appealing to her in hs when he was the football player who could help her get out#and not as a man who came back and SETTLED#i do respect ruby for being a boss bitch but she had no business running for mayor. (via @terrainofheartfelt)

okay the real bee in my bonnet about this hart of dixie mayoral race, is that lavon had a really great argument he never used??

ruby says repeatedly that if she loses she's just gonna leave, and as a voter, I say that is some bullshit! oh, so you'll just leave? because you don't actually care about the place the office is supposed to be serving you only care about the title???? ruby! you don't deserve to be a mayor if you give fuck all about the good of the town?

lavon had a top notch rhetorical argument that would have destroyed his opponent's claim for the seat and he just? never said it? except as a romantic hindrance?

and that is why lavon is excellent at governing but horrible at politics

[number-one-castiel-apologist]

Why I think Sam Winchester is queer coded:

^specifically the psychic/demon blood storyline(s)

(my fuckass essay !!!) 

long + has spoilers for all of spn

So, lemme preface this by saying when it comes to this man, I reach levels of bein delusional that shouldn’t be possible. and, I don’t think every “tragic” character is or should be queercoded (that would probably be y’know, kinda problematic), I just relate to Sam a lot. I also think that he’s queer(bi*) but for different, separate reasons than being queer-CODED. (And Jared Padalecki supports that interpretation too sooo :) …) *I ship him and Eileen. 

Also, I’m probably missing some shit cause I didn’t start writing this til I was already on the later seasons. So, the early stuff is just from memory. And I have a shit memory. if you like, know me, please don’t read this. It’s very much tinhatting and it’s extremely embarrassing. -_-

So, first of all, all he wants is to be normal.. fuckkkk why the hell are you so relatable Sam?? Within the narrative he’s always called things like “weak and feminine”. + he’s shamed for his desires and actions. 

(This is why he’s my comfort character. That doesn’t directly tie into the queer coding, I’m just a guy with long hair, who was raised in the south, with a much cooler “typically masculine” brother figure, and a shitty dad. Also Sam dresses like me, has similar mannerisms, similar food shit, and tbh he made me not wanna die so much. Cause seeing him on screen helped me feel like I finally saw someone who reminded me of myself, who got a happy ending and could just live. So. Side note, I do relate more to Dean personality/social wise though.) Any character that gets called an abomination (by Cas in like s4 I think) is INSTANTLY my pookie. Sorry, I don’t make the rules. 

I wrote most of this while I was on weird ass allergy meds that did something to me. and yeah. none of it makes any sense. Enjoy!

First of all, the way his (presumably) first kiss(*) was with a person who was also a freak in every definition of the word… and she tells him that he’s a freak, but it’s okay because so is she. She makes him feel safe. For the first time, Sam finds comfort in who he is. In his differences from his “normal” dad and brother. That’s how I felt the first time I met another queer person (who I had a crush on). It’s like finally finding the missing piece of yourself. Community. And he can’t tell anyone about it or her because it would be seen as dirty and wrong. Now that I think about it, most of his love interests were other “freaks” or creatures like him— outcasts.**

(*from “the girl next door” season seven, episode three.)

** 1. Madison, werewolf

2. Ruby, demon

3. Amy, wraith

Then, there’s this scene:

(Sam), “You know, I’ve been remembering things, little things, so clearly—” (Sam), “You know, I’ve been remembering things, little things, so clearly—”

(Dean), “What, donkey rides?”

(Sam), “You used to read to me, um, when I was little, I— I mean, really little, from that old, uh… Classics Illustrated comic book. You remember that?”

(Dean), “No.”

(Sam), “Knights of the Round Table. Had all of King Arthur’s knights, and they were all on a quest for the Holy Grail. And I remember looking at this picture of Sir Galahad, and, and, and he was kneeling and— and light streaming over his face, and— I remember… thinking, uh, I could never go on a quest like that. Because I’m not clean. I mean, I w— I was just a little kid. You think… maybe I knew? I mean, deep down, that— I had… demon blood in me, and about the evil of it, and that I’m— wasn’t pure?”

(Dean), “Sam, it’s not your fault.”

(Sam), “It doesn’t matter anymore. Because these trials… they’re purifying me.”

(End scene)

(From “the great escapist” season eight, episode twenty one. All convos that are taken from official (I think?) transcripts.)

He feels like he can’t be righteous. This is exactly how I was when I was a kid. I thought I couldn’t be anything good because I was gay, even when I didn’t fully know/understand (the way he says it) that I was yet. I felt dirty and evil and wrong. I thought I couldn’t be close to god, to the point I was terrified of communion because I thought my uncleanliness would send me to hell. I was taught that was what would happen, so it was just a fact I accepted. Sam being the brother who had faith takes me out cause like, that was me. I was the person who prayed and believed and all it got me was rejection. I was labeled a freak. I’ve called myself one more times than I can count. Just like he did. 

But really, just watching this scene felt like it healed something in me. The first time I saw it I wanted to scream, THATS WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT! THATS WHAT IT MEANS! Amazing delivery. Amazing dialogue. Everything. Ten out of ten. This changed my brain chemistry forever. 

“I have a disease in me, pumping through my veins. I can’t rip it out or scrub it clean. I’m a whole new level of freak.” Sam, in season four, episode four. 

That pretty much sums up how I thought about myself in my childhood/teenage years. The way Sam thinks he’s wrong and “impure” from an early age has always connected with me. His character has always felt like a parallel to the (my) experience as a queer person. I just connect to him on an unexplainable level for equally hard to explain reasons. ig

Plus, there’s the way his love life either ends in death or tragedy(/almost(?) everyone he gets with dies). And that’s not rlly super queercoded (unless you think about AIDS or something) I just like that because I’m also traumatized and I’m a slut for characters’ pain. So I wanted to mention it.

Actually I take that back— it’s very HIV/AIDS. it’s a whole thing about blood and not being clean, and the way his “sin” is transmitted for the first time is through Ruby, his demon lover. 

Tieing into that, there’s something just so desire-repression-longing-shame-religious guilt-giving in to the pleasure about his sex scenes with Ruby. Dayummm. Also blood and sex as a metaphor (like with vampirism) has long been held as a sort of queercoded thing. (Bram Stoker’s Dracula-- my beloved. THE queercoded book.)

There’s also the little bit of subtext with male “supernatural creature” type characters that other people have mentioned/noticed. (ie, that one witch guy. Paul?) Don’t qoute me on that, cause that’s more relationship/character interaction based than subtext/metaphor based. 

———

(Season eleven, episode eight, “just my imagination”.)

Imaginary. Friend. Wearing. Rainbow. Suspenders. “You can be whatever you wanna be.” Aghhhhh. I. AM. FOAMING. AT. THE. MOUTH. I couldn’t make this up. 

(Note from my mom: “I think you’re reading too much into this.” Am I? Absolutely. But that’s why it’s called a hyperfixation. I’m putting a shit ton of sub into this text.)

In season two Sam goes on a brief journey of self discovery. This brings this quote: “I’m trying to find answers about who I am. And my brother means well but he can’t protect me from that.”* (I think he’s calling Ellen here?) I get this, though. When you’re trying to figure out who you are, and you’re different, everyone around you tries to “protect” you in a way. From the world. From yourself. 

*This was probably in season two, episode ten, and that whole episode takes me out. Cause John’s love was conditional when it came to Sam and the demon blood. 

His powers have to be hidden from the other hunters (society). Dean is afraid that Sam will be hurt because of who he is, and that’s what LGBT people have to go through every day. That’s exactly like my mother telling me she was terrified of what might happen to me if someone found out I was different. 

So, seeing Sam’s brother (who practically raised him) saying that really hit home for me. And the way Dean almost treats him like “one of the good ones” is how homophobic/unsupportive family members will act towards you. They’ll say that everyone else is awful and disgusting “but not you” because you’re their blood. (The layers, people. The layers.) Sam’s “one of the good ones” to Dean because he has to be— he’s his brother. And Dean can hate everyone like him but he can’t hate Sam. 

A good example of “society” was Gordon. Gordon hunting monsters was a strong parallel to other forms of blind bigotry, where someone is unwilling to see a person’s humanity no matter what*. The way he vicisouly hunts down Sam in (season two) after this when his psychicness is “outed” to him is gut wrenching. Shitttt. Exactly how former friends (re)acted when I wasn’t in the closet anymore. -Violent and angry cause I wasn’t like them. 

(*that faction of vampires didn’t hurt anyone and I’m still pissed about this. “But monster bad” - no. Nuance. Please. This makes me INSANE. a lot of the time, supernatural just basically forgot there were ever good “monsters”/creatures.. like??)

Sam is always portrayed as the open and accepting one when it comes to the possibility of monsters being good or human-like, as well. He’s empathetic towards others who are different, like him. This is in contrast to Dean, who basically is really the action hero type who wants to shoot, first ask questions later. 

He (Sam) takes Jack under his wing. The speech he gives him in season thirteen, episode three, “patience” that goes something like “I know what it’s like to feel different… and be afraid of who you are…”, (I’ll elaborate later) where Sam promises to help him— This reminds me of the “older queer mentor-mentee” type relationship that I’ve been on both sides of. 

———

I feel like Sam would’ve started trying to kill himself at a young age to drown away all the feelings that he didn’t (couldn’t) belong. This is just a personal self indulgent headcanon that’s a little too dark for some silly cw show about monsters. Giving himself up to Lucifer as a vessel is basically suicide. And this happens after he thinks (that Dean thinks) he is irredeemable. I honestly don’t know how to explain it well enough, but his experiences are everything I’ve been through if you put it through a different lense, (since I’m not a psychic and demons n shit don’t, yknow, exist.)

“You’re unclean in the biblical sense.” - Billie the reaper (in season eleven, episode two - “form and void.”) Kill me. Kill me. 

It’s a reoccurring theme that there’s something fundamentally wrong with Sam, expressed by multiple characters. There’s several different reasons this is said over the years, but it always comes back to “you’re not clean/right.”

His relationship to religion and himself is connected. He feels unclean. For me, my prayers and beliefs affected that. His longing for a normal life reminds me of mine. And he can never have that because of who he is and the life he lives. I actually love all of his conflict with religion (“of course I pray everyday Dean” + that short season 11 arc my beloved. And then it’s actually Lucifer all along who was speaking to him? DELICIOUS. I love his torment.)

I’m not ashamed to admit I enjoy supernatural completely unironically. The bad effects, the weird ass stories, etc. You have to love and hate it at the same time? Nah, I just love it. So much. 

He prays the same way I did/do. And I love that because I see so, so much of myself in him. (Sam. Sammy. Samuel. I love you. Never change.)

…I’ve genuinely put more effort into this than any assignment shit i ever did for school. Quit school and watch Supernatural instead. Trust me. 

———

When Sam meets Magda, the physic girl, you can see the moment in his eyes where he goes “oh god, she’s like me.” Magda’s hyper-religious family keeps her locked in the basement as a prisoner for who she is— a psychic. Some hardcore religious families will treat queer people this way. The way Sam reassures her that she’s not evil or wrong, and that he’s like her, reads like a coming out scene. “There’s nothing wrong with you because I’m the same way so I’d know,” type shit. Reassurance. 

The scene:

(Sam awakens to find himslef in the basement floor with his hands tied behind his back.)

(Magda, singing) “You may talk about your men of Gideon. You may talk about you men of…”

(Sam, NOT singing), “Magda?”

(Magda stops humming)

(Sam), “Magda Peterson.”

(Magda), “That’s not my name. I’m not Magda. I’m the devil.”

(Sam), “No. no, you’re really not.”

(Magda), “He’s inside me. I can hear him whispering. He lets me hear what people are thinking. He lets me do things.”

(Sam), “What kind of things? Magda, I’m here… I’m here to help you. Show me. Please.”

(Magda looks at the cross on the wall. With the power of her mind, she makes it come off away from the wall and hover.)

*Short scene cut out for irrelevance*

(Sam), “Magda… You’re not the devil. You’re just psychic. There are others out there like you, like — like me. I have powers, too. I’d get these visions sometimes and — and I could move things with my mind.”

(Magda), “You can do that?”

(Sam), “Well, no, not anymore, I don’t think. But that didn’t make me the Devil. It - it - it just made me who I am.”

(Magda), “then you are evil. Mother says I’m evil, cause I hurt people.”

(Sam), “Who did you hurt?”

(end (of the important part of the) scene)

In lots of different movies, tv shows, and books, being a supernatural type of creature has been used as an allegory for minorities and the bigotry they face. So, I don’t think it’s too big of a stretch to say that Supernatural, intentionally or not, made Sam’s psychic-ness a queer allegory. 

When Magda faces off against her mom, she tells her “I’m not the devil. You are,” taking back who she is, which isn’t anything wrong or evil. In the end Magda gets killed by a man of letters, because some people will never see past their hatred of something or someone that’s different from them. Someone they don’t understand (the metaphor).

All of the OG Azazel psychics’ abilities “activated” at twenty-two. Usually people will discover their queer identities and/or come out at or near that age. I just think that’s interesting/neat. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

—-

In season thirteen, episode three, “patience”, several things happen that I want to include in this essay. 

The episode starts off establishing that a wraith is going after psychics (similar to a hate crime).* Also while looking at the transcripts for different episodes, I’ve noticed that that Robert Berens (who I believe is gay? - idk don’t quote me) writes a lot of the episodes that I feel have queer themes. And, as a queer writer, a lot of times, intentional or not, we tend to write from experience and the thought process of someone who IS queer, which can make characters come off with a queer reading. 

*Missouri remarks that he’s “going after our kind”. (Also I’ll die on the hill that Sam should’ve stayed psychic/telekinetic at least a little longer. There would’ve been so much good conflict, like this.)

The scenes

Number one:

(Dean), “Alright, well that thing might come back, so…”

(Patience), “Why?”

(Jody), “Well, all we know is that he stalks psychics.”

(Patience), “Psychics? Then what does he want with me?”

(Dean), “What do you think?”

(Patience), “I... No, I'm not... I get déjà vu sometimes but that's normal.. I’m normal.”

(Scene end)

The “I’m normal” is very reminiscent of trying convince myself I could be something different, ie: “normal”, instead of gay. Patience desperately wants to be normal, because she’s afraid of being different, and thats just a universal queer experience, baby. If I had a nickel for everytime I thought “I just want to be normal” I’d be filthy fucking rich. 

Scene two:

(Sam), “Why is it so hard? I've seen you throw people across the room. I've been thrown across the room by you.I've seen you open a gate to hell and now nothing? It doesn't make any sense.”

(Jack), “It makes sense, if I'm evil.”*

(Sam), “What?”

(Jack), “Just, go. Please.”

(Sam), “No, Jack. Why do you think you're evil? Because when I look at you, that's not what I see.”

(Jack), “Yeah well, Dean sees it. That's why he says... he said he'd kill me.”

(Sam), “He what?”

(Jack), “And maybe he should. Mom said I could be good, that I had the choice to be good, that it was up to me. But she's dead, because of me. I've only been on earth for a few days and I've already hurt people. I've already done bad things, and no matter how hard I try I can't... I can't do the one good, stupid thing you want me to. So I must be evil, like Lucifer.”

(Scene paused)

[[*I personally headcanon that Jack couldn’t use his powers because he was repressing them. and boy do I know a lot about repression. (I like to project onto my favorite characters okay?) Like, he was afraid to be who he is, yknow what I mean?

(scene continuation/irrelevant part of scene was cut out)

(Jack), “Sam, why are you being so nice to me?”

(Sam), “Because I know what it feels like, to feel like you don't belong. To feel like there's this darkness inside of you, to be scared of who you are, what you can do. Dean, Cas, my family helped me through that. So now I want to help you, because you're not evil, Jack.”

(Scene end)

This is the “older queer mentor” thing I was talking about. Sam, here in this scene, is supporting him and showing him, “it’s okay, I’m like you, and I made it. I’m okay and there’s nothing wrong with me.” he’s basically going “i felt that way at your age, and it gets better”, and I don’t know how many times I’ve had to say that to my younger lgbt friends. WHICH MIGHT MEAN NOTHING. but it also might mean everything. (Can you tell i have no better shit to do?)

Scene three:

(Missouri), “James, you can't.”

(James), “I can. I have to. Patience, she's... she's all I've got.”

(Missouri), “You have me!”

(James), “I don't want you influencing her, poisoning her. You need to say goodbye.”

(Missouri), “James…”

(Scene end)

This (Painfully) reminds me of being cut out of friends or relatives (especially children or younger people’s lives) because who I am would “poison them” or influence them to become like me. Because that was “dangerous.”

Scene four:

(Dean), “Have you given any thought to what's next?”

(Patience), “I don't know. School is in an hour, so I guess calculus?”

(Jody), “And your gift?”

(Patience), “I talked to my dad. He thinks I should put it away. Dad says we should just get back to normal. Maybe he's right.“

(Dean), “He is. This life, hunting, monsters, there's no joy in it. There's nothing but pain, horror and death. So if you get a chance at normal, you take it.”

(Jody), “Patience, wait. I may be out of line here but you don't have to listen to him. To either of them, if it's not what you really want. I had a daughter, I guess, Claire*, and I asked her to stay in line, to fight who she really was because I thought it would keep her safe. It didn't work, it never does. Your gift... or maybe you're right, maybe it'll go away. But if it doesn't? You try to force it down to make someone else happy, you will only make yourself miserable. It's your choice. But if you ever need someone to talk to or someplace to go, my door is always open.”

(Scene ends) 

*it’s worth noting Claire is canonically queer. (My wlw queen.) Again, what Jody says fits with how in real life, even well-meaning people will tell us to hide who we are because of the dangers of being ourselves/being out. It’s unfortunate, but thats a lot of people’s lives. Also, again with the obsession with normal, which will never not mean more to be because of my own life experiences. You can’t hide who you are, even if it means getting along in normal society. Being queer and staying in the closet feels like a slow, painful death. It hurts. 

Scene five:

(Dean), “I told him the truth. See, you think you can use this freak but I know how this ends and it ends bad.”

(Sam), “I didn't.”

(Dean), “What?”

(Sam), “I didn't 'end bad'. When I was the “freak*,” when I was drinking demon blood.”

(Dean), “Come on man, that's totally different.”**

(Sam), “Was it? Because you could've put a bullet in me. Dad told you to put a bullet in me, but you didn't! You saved me! So help me save him!”

(Dean), “You deserved to be saved, he doesn't!”

(Sam), “Yes he does, Dean, of course he does!”

(Scene ends)

*everytime Sam angrily spits out that he’s a freak, you could replace that with the other f-word and it would read shockingly like someone struggling with internalized homophobia. I’d know. (When other characters say it, the way Sam recoils is like a punch to the gut. I know that feeling and I hate it so much. THANK YOU MISTER PADALECKI!! -People who say he can’t act watched a VERY different show than I did??) Sam’s self hatred/shame is so important to me. Also there are probably instances of him saying things like this that I missed, but I didn’t start writing this til I was about halfway through the show so some of it is just from memory. 

In this specific scene especially, when Sam says the word freak he sounds so, so angry and bitter. A+ delivery. Also, when he refers to himself this way in this scene, it doesn’t sound like he personally believes it anymore. And that makes me so undescribably happy. 

Additionally, Patience’s dad kicks her out when she refuses to hide herself. That’s what happens to a lot of gay or trans kids when their parents find out about them. 

**Dean, again, has a sort of complex when it comes to Sam that he CANT be “one of the bad ones.” He has blinders on when it comes to him cause he’s family. 

—

In conclusion, when it comes to Sam Winchester, no one is doing it like me (derogatory).

Additional notes:

Something something, male crossroads demon(s). (The evil manifestations of your desires.) Idk I’m tired. 

Just look up “queercoded Sam Winchester”. Someone else has probably explained this way more eloquently than me. Also lemme know if I missed anything. 

(When I was trying to explain all this to my friend, she made fun of me by saying “oh yeah he’s totally gay cause he sees visions and has nightmares of people like him dying.” Fuck off, bestie. <3 She’s also a Sam hater. So.)

He can never be happy + he’s “always felt different”. Also the way supernatural is always criticizing “that apple pie life” makes me lose it. Why? Why? (A little detail I like is that Sam is also very understanding to Cas, who also feels/is like an outcast in his own family.)

Sam himself was never approved of by his family. I know how crushing it feels to have someone tell you who you are is inherently wrong. When Dean called him a monster/freak early on, my heart broke for him (and my younger self.) None of this is Dean hate btw. I love him I’m just slightly more Insane(TM) about Sam. That’s why I wrote an over four thousand word essay (on a theory I have) about him. 

(I also think Dean is queer. But in the way that “I need you” is NOT something you say to your boy best friend, where Sam is queer cause his whole life is a reflection of The Experience.)

Just literally the whole blood freak thing is coding (which by itself can be an allegory for addiction, but the way he treats this different part of himself personally resonates with me. There’s also some tie in with mental health issues/possible neurodivergence there, and I’ve dealt with stuff like that a lot. I know Jared has too, and he portrayed Sam’s struggles really beautifully.) I’ve just always personally thought it was a metaphor. (I also have some of those other issues it could be paralleled with so maybe that’s why I relate to him so much? I don’t know man.)

(Take a shot everytime I say metaphor. You’ll die of alcohol poisoning. I’m just not good with words when it’s this kinda shit. So sorry to anyone who reads this lmao.)

Normally this is where I’d say im right, but since im aware this is a long winded rant, this is where I’m asking y’all to please be nice. If you disagree with me, I’m chill with civil discussions, but don’t send me hate. Please and thank you !!

[lovingdabeessss]

Your STRQ-Y fanart hurts me so bad , reminds me of a headcanon of mine that probably isn't true that Raven left because she saw how much better for Yang Summer was than she was

Glad you liked(hated) my art

I TOTALLY believe that’s at LEAST part of it 100% it fits in with the narrative pattern of Yang personally suffering because others are self destructive

Like say what you want about rwbys writing but thats always consistent

There’s a whole episode where she goes “hey don’t destroy yourself on purpose it actually fucks up everyone you care about more then it does anything else” and then tells a story that references At LEAST four people who did that and fucked up her life because of it (+Bby Ruby sleeping shes the mvp)

Also it fits with Raven characterization wise and all that and her CLEARLY loving people but just being really really bad at it

So it makes sense as a narrative pattern and also in character

I personally don’t think it was the only reason she probably had lore driven reasons

But yeah ravens definitely very never love an anchor by the crane wives

I think she loves and loved Yang a lot she’s shown checking up on her a lot as a child(not that she followed through with helping her but still it shows love)

Maybe she didn’t help her when everything fell apart because of how she herself was dealing with summers death, maybe she felt responsible and she didn’t want that to touch her family, maybe she saw Yang dealing with every other failure of a caretaker and didn’t want to add another disappointment, maybe she never even popped in because she didn’t want to pop in and out whenever it was convenient and destabilize yangs life even further, maybe she thought Yang was doing perfect as she was, maybe she thinks the suffering she was going through was good and made her stronger that children should go through that and that she was doing great

Who knows

Love to hear everyone’s thoughts on raven

[aihoshiino]

I honestly liked ruby a lot before. How she was so full of hope and all, then the character development she got after finding gorou's body. Even the recent part where she says she won't be like Ai and won't give up on her friends. But I think all the incest and related part ruins her character and reduces her to a simp. At least show some depth in it tho😭 like before whenever ruby talked about gorou that felt impactful. Man i miss the old ruby.

YEAH!!! This is pretty much exactly my issue as well. I know something a lot of folks have criticized about the story pre-Mainstay is that Ruby lacks development but TBH, I never really felt like Old!Ruby was a character who needed a more active arc in the way characters like Aqua and Kana did. She definitely had some Big Overhanging Issues dangling above her head that she was going to have to address eventually but on a moment to moment basis, Ruby was doing really well. She functioned best as a sort of guiding star for the characters around her, pulling them along through the force of her own positive energy and personality.

A big part of this is simply that a lot of the things that made Sarina's life miserable are not actually issues for Ruby anymore. She's healthy, she's surrounded by family and friends who love and support her, she's getting to pursue her dream and even has a pretty healthy relationship with her memories of and grief for Ai. That's not to say her history as Sarina has no effect on her, of course: her bull-headed stubbornness and willingness to charge on into things no questions asked comes specifically and explicitly from the ways she was disempowered and lacking agency in her past life and moments like her getting upset about Aqua no longer eating dinner with them on Sundays during the LoveNow filming pretty clearly stem from her issues with abandonment and lacking familial care. But her environment and the support system she has as Ruby very clearly did a lot to help her organically heal and start moving on.

New!Ruby really feels like a retcon in that regard, like Akasaka suddenly scrabbled to go "oh actually Ruby was ALWAYS secretly fucked up!!!!" for the sake of drama and ramped everything about her up to an 11 to try and convey this but the end result ultimately just feels inconsistent. I know I link this post basically every time I talk about Ruby these days, but @all-of-her-light's Ruby and the Unplayed Role essay really is the best at breaking down all these differences and inconsistencies and why it is they feel so jarring. But one of the things that stands out to me is the ramping up of the intensity of her feelings for Gorou.

Some of this makes perfect sense within the context of the narrative; finding his DESSICATED FUCKING SKELETON jesus CHRIST and realising he'd been murdered by the very same person who killed her beloved mother absolutely makes sense as the impetus for her feelings to go into overdrive. But as of the Mainstay arc onwards, we have continually gotten backfill that implies she has always been operating on this level of intensity, elevating Gorou to a position of importance in her life that matches or even exceeds Ai to a degree that feels retconny.

Actually, now that I've articulated that, I think that key difference is the core of what makes Old and New Ruby feel so split to me. Old Ruby absolutely still adored and deeply valued Gorou and wanted to be reunited with him, but she was nowhere near as emotionally dependant on the idea of him as New Ruby seems to be. Old Ruby was characterized much more strongly in relation to Ai, both in the sense of love for her as her mother and her legacy as an idol and while this is still true to a degree for New Ruby, the manga frames Gorou as being just as if not more important than Ai as a factor in Ruby's motivations for becoming an idol, when it really hadn't been framed that way prior to a certain point in the manga.

Ultimately, it's just kind of frustrating. Like you, I really loved Old Ruby and I think New Ruby is just kind of a flanderized and flattened version of her - though the story pays some lip service to her uglier and more complicated emotions, the story's failure to genuinely and seriously interrogate them and its consistency in reducing her to a gag character just makes her feel so much less lively and interesting that Old Ruby, even if Old Ruby was (at least on paper) a much more simple character. It really feels like the last time the story genuinely took Ruby seriously was prior to 123 when we were getting teased with the idea of her meeting Marina again but that thread has since been completely dropped and I'll be shocked if it gets so much as mentioned again.

[mariailoveyou-guerin]

People finding out Ruby Marina actress is in s3 and they are overjoyed because it means she’s gonna kill herself and they are happy about her ending herself for some reason weirdo pen stans as pen girly first and for most I’m beyond disgusted but not suprised and the people who ship Eloise and Philip girlies again white nasty woman like who’s shocked because this means to them Philiose introduction or met or season is near and them interacting I’m not one bit suprised it’s ugly yt woman who gonna use Pen and Eloise as self insert to be with their desired yt man character wanting to play out their deserted tropes, to see a black female character kill herself so they can get their self insert girl to be with the yt boy they wanna fcvk over tropes yeah

they such nasty humans and that’s why they are losers who’s never getting love like I’ve seen y’all TikTok’s and trust me there’s reasons y’all ain’t desired irl and it has nothing to do with y’all lack of self esteem social skills or y’all seeing yourself as certain size or as wallflowers it has nothing to do with that y’all just huge losers and it’s clear seeing as though y’all not only want a black female character to kill herself so ur self inser ship can happen but the fact y’all are literally getting immense joy and excitement out of the idea that she’s gonna end it all just so y’all yt characters can literally interact

nasty and you keep crying to yourselves about Colin not loving Marina or Philip not Marina and that their only love is Pen and Eloise but it won’t change the fact i don’t know Philip but I know for fact Colin loved her down otherwise he wouldn’t still be going to see her in s2 just because she was Colin first love doesn’t in any way take away from Penelope being Colin true love and soulmate two things can co exist actually colin loved Marina with everything in him she was his first love eveyone has first love they can never forget even tho they love their true love more then anything same way Penelope is Colin whole heart and he just didn’t and wasn’t seeing her earlier in life same way Marina had huge fondness for Colin but George was her true love!

He didn’t love her I mean Bridgerton kids literally from birth are thought to only marry for love and Colin is definitely not the kinda guy who marries just to marry the whole motto in that family ingraved into their mind is to marry for love and Colin wanted to marry that girl bad and he loved her down whether y’all like it or not it’s not gonna change the facts in the show or is his character nor is gonna change how Penelope is his one tue paring his soulmate his true and end love guys!

First love dosent have to mean true love/soulmate or endgame as y’all can clearly see it! y’all can accept that Anthony loved that other girl and Ben that dress maker but aren’t using that to undermine them or the love for their endgame characters or the love they felt had for these woman before they meet their person so why can’t y’all do that for Colin with Marina if it? I wonder? I know why so fcvk y’all who got all excited in the idea of Marina coming back means her dead her cruel suicide

After everything she went true just know your moms a hoe and May that be your faith not S but no love ever!

Tell me exactly how y’all saying what y’all wanna see on first part is Marina ending herself and you should see it so the story can build up to philoise starting to interact with each other like cant they just met in another way since the show ain’t following the books all the way and you know it and are completely fine with it nw but y’all want them to follow the books this one time when it’s a black female character ending herself interestin indeed

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

”Fiyero...didn't need to be the Scarecrow. Fair enough to that one, since it was clearly planned and a major part of the story (though it casts a shadow over his bond with Dorothy in all honesty) but Boq as the Tin Man? Give me a break.”

so funny that you mention this bc in the original wicked book (idk if you’ve read or not), they were all separate characters. I think the musical had to combine them since it only has so much time.

I have the book at home but I have not finished it. I have however seen spoilers for it. It is a lot darker than the musical adaptation, they really toned down a lot of elements. I think one interesting change is that Nessa’s disability is different. In the book, she was always able to walk but she was born without arms and she never gains them. This was changed to her being a wheelchair, likely because there weren’t many actresses without arms.

The fascination with limbs and the absence of them is a curious motif in Oz. Maybe it's just reflective of how so many of these characters aren't based on "real people" but are instead objects - like tin woodsmen and scarecrows. But there's definitely a section in the original book where there are people who break apart where they fall over, freaking Dorothy out, but they're mostly just annoyed because it's a hassle to put themselves back together again. I remember that distinctly. I also remember the little china girl in "Oz, the Great and Powerful." Which is a decent enough movie, though Mila Kunis' role is...odd. I'm also thinking about the severed heads from Return to Oz. Maybe it's just that detaching parts from people is spooky and Oz is spooky.

On the other hand, I think the change to Nessarose was plain and simply inevitable. Like, yeah, finding an actress without arms is difficult, but also, seeing a person without arms is less common than a wheelchair user and people are much more likely to react with confusion or...less savory emotions. (Which is their problem but the point still stands.) A person without arms doesn't strike the immediate chord of "pity" that a wheelchair user does and I think pity is what they were going for with Nessa. Also, also, wearing the Ruby/Silver slippers and that enabling her to walk? That just works really well. They affect her feet cause they're on her feet. It also gives us a demonstration of their power which we mostly don't get in the original story despite what an important macguffin they are. It would be a lot more difficult for them to depict the slippers growing new arms for Nessa onstage.

I've not read the book. I had it at one point, but I can't seem to find it now. Shame, because it was on my "to read" list. But I'm not surprised it's darker than the play. Oz books are always darker lol.

[acmartin]

Take Two: Scene Concept

Scene concept for my two main love interest characters in my WIP.

Context of Characters: Both characters at this point have strong feelings for one another if not in love with each other already. Character A is afraid because she has never been in a relationship before, she hasn't even ever been kissed. There is also the factor that her enemies would harm the woman she is interested in and it's a terrifying concept to put Character B in that position.

Character B has past relationship traumas and doesn't want to let herself fall for Character A, especially not in the middle of the war they are fighting. This causes her heart and brain to be in their own little war.

Scene:

Character A and B are getting ready on opposite sides of a door for a party that they have to infiltrate to get some information that will be vital to the war.

Character B: "Are you almost done getting ready for the party? We are going to be late at this point."

Character A:"Wasn't the whole point of this mission showing up late so we could capture our target off guard with our presence?"

Character B (clearly becoming irritated with Character A): We need to be late and not arrive after the party has ended.

Character A: "I- oh, sorry. I am just having some problems with my outfit. I should just be another few minutes and we can go."

Character B knows Character A better than that. It will be far longer than a few minutes if she doesn't intervene in some way.

Character B: "Do you need help with the dress?"

After some time passes without a response Character B calls out Character A's name.

Character A: "It's not that kind of problem with the dress. I'll be fine I just need to put on my heels and then I'll be ready."

Character B notices that Character A is doing a terrible job at deflecting.

Character B: "Is it alright if I come in?"

Character A: "I guess."

With the sound of the door unlocking, Character B opens the door to find something that she didn't expect. Character A was looking at herself in the mirror on the opposite side of the room, fidgeting with her golden and ruby dress. Seeing her fidgeting with the dress is not what she didn't expect, what she didn't expect to see was that with the open back design of the dress, she saw a back riddled with scars.

She knew Character A had scars on her back but she never laid eyes on them, Character A usually walked around with long-sleeved shirts or jackets and now. Now she is in a backless dress that shows off much more than just her scars. She has found Character A beautiful since the day they met, but she has never seen her like this and the only thing she can think is,

Character B: “Wow”

The second she said that she felt her body coil back in embarrassment. She didn't mean to say that, not that she didn't mean it, but that one word can be taken out of context and the last thing she wants is for that to happen.

Character A: "Yeah... I have a lot of scars. Sorry."

Just as she expected, it was taken out of context. Character B takes notice that Character A's eyes are closed as she is still facing the mirror. She knows that she has to tread lightly here, to not say the wrong thing.

She takes the last few steps to where Character A is standing. She is right beside her, close enough that the other woman can most definitely feel her presence but not so close that she is invading her personal space.

Character B: "Why are you apologizing for your scars?"

Another pause occurs before Character A responds.

Character A: "Habit, I guess? Sorry."

Character B: "Don't apologize for something that is a part of you. Your scars aren't what make you, you."

Character A: "I know that, but when I look at them that knowledge escapes me."

Character B takes a chance with something and moves in front of Character A slightly guiding her hand to her companion's face grazing the scar on her chin. She lifts Character A's head up slightly so that when her companion opens her eyes they will lock with her own.

Character B: "So don't look at them. Look at me instead."

Character A with her eyes still closed: "I don't want to."

Character B: "Why not?"

Character A: "I don't want to see the look on your face."

Character B: "And what look would that be?"

Character A: "Pity."

Character B: "Do you trust me?"

Character A: " What kind of question is that? Of course, I do."

Character B (as softly as she can): "Then open your eyes."

Character A does as she is asked and is not met with pity at all. She looks at Character B's eyes and almost gets lost in them. All she sees is adoration. Without hesitation, she takes a step forward and gives the other woman one of the biggest hugs she could.

The hug is reciprocated immediately and with just as much love and pressure behind it. They didn't know it but they both needed that hug. Once they separate, Character A takes a few steps back to properly take in what her travel companion fully looks like in her party outfit. She wishes that the look Character B was wearing would make her speechless but instead...

Character A: "You're terrifyingly beautiful."

A few moments pass before Character A realizes what she said.

Character A: "Wait, terrifying is the wrong word to use. I don't find you scary, I find you beautiful. I don't know why I said terrifying. Well actually I do, but that's not important. It is and I shouldn't undermine my emotions but, you know what. I am going to stop talking and just end this now before I keep going. Just forget I said anything, please."

Character B has known Character A for a few years now and has been rejecting the feelings she has for her for the last year. She knows Character A well enough to know just exactly what she meant by her first comment. Character A is afraid of her emotions, afraid of what may come from them. Emotions are a hard and difficult thing to wrap one's head around and in the midst of a war, it makes the difficulty tenfold. They are both lucky they have even gotten as far as they have.

Character B knows that this is a conversation neither of them are ready to have. Not yet, soon though. She begins walking to the door wondering if she should say anything or just leave in silence, but then she remembered something.

Someone once told her that when it comes to quiet moments of war where you can even look at someone the way they just finished looking at each other if something can be said, then say it. If you are in a war for the Gods' sakes and you don't know if you will be able to say anything later on because of the battles you will endure than say something. Say anything. So that's what Character B does as she walks through the doorway.

Character B: Take the time you need but I just want to say something before we move on from this. Something I think you need to hear as much as I need to say it. Is that fine?

She waits for Character A to give a small nod and look up at her.

With a sly smile, Character B says what needs to be said/heard.

"I find you terrifyingly beautiful too."

Character B turns as she states this knowing the message is well received and closes the door behind her.

[aspoonofsugar]

sorry if this has been asked before...

At the end of volume 7/8 Ozpin remarks that he was reminded by a fairytale of a young girl who ran away from her problems and went into a fairytale, he is talking about the ever after of course but what was the thing Alyx ran from?

are there any hints in V9, will it be addressed again? if we go along with the theory Lewis was Oz (which im not that into but devils ad.) then surely Ozpin knows what Alyx was running from and will tell the gang back in Vacuo?

and what if Alyx was a maiden? we know Oz always kept his girls close by, keeping track of them at all times, so was Alyx running from that reponsibilty and oz caught her and they fell into the ever after? if so then surely ozpin now hes not telling lies, will have explained this to vacuo?

Hi!

Sorry for the late reply.

I don't think Oscar and Ozpin's remarks about Alyx must be taken literally. As a matter of fact, they are clearly projecting:

Oscar:  I thought the idea of falling through Remnant into a new world was exciting. I never understood why she was so sad when she finally made it back home. But now it makes more sense.

Ozpin: She wasn’t the same girl anymore.

Ozpin: I was recently reminded of an old fairy tale. A young girl flees the consequences of a choice, to a magical place. But, having never learned from her initial failure, she only succeeds in spreading it.

On the one hand Oscar feels like Alyx in the sense he left home and has now been changed by his adventures and experiences. On the other hand Oz feels like Alyx because he has chosen to run away from the group the moment his lies were discovered. In short, here Ozpin is not really talking about Alyx, but about himself.

Notice, that these 2 ideas apply to the characters who fall in the Ever After, especially Ruby.

Ruby is growing up, so she is changing, but she initially refuses this transformation and is at a loss for who she is. Similarly, she runs away from herself and her own feelings.

Obviously, this is true for all the characters and I would say Jaune and Neo especially explore the theme of running away from their past mistakes.

So, Alyx is really a mirror for the characters and what is said about her is really important for the themes and the characters rather than for the Girl Who Fell Through The World herself. In any case, we know she isn't described as such a great person in the book:

Yang: Well, yeah. But she was kind of a mean person, right? She lied and cheated her way through most of the book.

Jaune: Like Alyx… she wasn’t just a little petulant or inconsiderate. She was selfish… cruel. Like this whole word was simply make-believe and the rules didn’t apply to her.

NeoCat: That cowardly, wretched girl whose story you’ve been foolishly following all along. The same girl that I followed too…

In the book she is said to be a coward, who lies and cheats. Moreover, Jaune describes her as even more selfish and cruel than her literary counter-part.

In short, in the fairy tale she is probably a mischievous child, who eventually changes and learns her lesson:

Blake: Yeah, but she learned her lesson in the end, right?

In reality, well:

Curious Cat: I’d certainly say so.

I love this exchange between Blake and the Cat (our 2 Cats and Beasts :P) because they mean different things and ultimately they are both right. The Cat means Alyx has learnt her lesson in a dark way, since they themselves killed her. Still, Blake's idea that Alyx changed and matured turns out to be true:

NeoCat: No, after talking to the Tree, she had a sudden crisis of conscience! Decided she wanted to fix everything that she had broken in the Ever After! Including poor Jaune!

It is just that Alyx's story is not a fairy tale, but a tragedy. And yet, even in tragedy there is beauty:

Blacksmith: When Alyx’s life ended, she chose to leave a part of herself behind. A wish to fix what she had broken.

Alyx poisons Jaune, but she fixes him in the end. Alyx dies, but her final wish grants Jaune a new life. And this duality is at the root of humanity (alchemy) itself. There is Destruction and Creation, which means death sure, but also transformation:

Blacksmith: She will have the chance to return her broken heart… And becomes something new. (flips and holds Alyx’s knife in their hand) Such is balance.

In summary, Alyx is a protagonist of a coming of age story, both in her book and in reality. As far as other ties to the plot are concerned, I don't think there will be. We might have them, of course. Still, I think the point of Alyx's fairy tale is more than anything thematic tbh.

In any case, I don't think there is any indication Lewis is Oz or that Alyx is a Maiden:

If Lewis were Oz, I would think he might have been able to protect her rather easily

Likewise, if Alyx were a Maiden, I don't think she would have needed Jaune's help that much and she might have resisted the CC more

My guess is Alyx and Lewis were two kids that by chance entered the Ever After and had an adventure there. From their names it is also possible they were born before the Great War, since they are not called after colors. Still, this is all we know really.

Finally, here comes 3 thoughts:

Alyx is the protagonist of her own story, so this is why the volume ends with her saving Jaune, rather than vice versa

All that the fairy tale says turns out to be true. The reality is simply more complex and layered, but the heart of the story is confirmed. The way home lies in the Tree and Alyx is a selfish girl, who by the end grows selfless

Alyx's fairy tale is an exploration of grief, as it is Lewis's way to deal with Alyx's death. It is how he wanted things to go. It is a way to celebrate his sister and to have her return safely home

These are my main thoughts on Alyx so far :) Sure, more twists are still possible, though.

Thank you for the ask!

[cdyssey]

Hacks (1.09) Reactions:

I thought it’d be fun to do half incoherent write ups for the s1 finale episodes ☺️

Ava lying about a doctor’s appointment to catch her flight… this is not gonna end well. 😭😭

“But do me a favor. Will you stay off WebMD? It’s bad for your personality.” This is the fucking funniest show.

“Great. Love you, bye!” And Deborah looks up and stares at Ava as she runs off. Oh, my fucking godddd. The first “I love you” between them and it’s so beautifully casual, like it’s something that Ava has said to her a thousand times before.

Deb at Marty about embarrassing herself: “Oh, well, thanks for looking out for me, you condescending piece of shit.” get his ass!!!

They did a really job of casting Ruby. There’s a lot of chemistry between her and Ava. You can sense the history between them.

Deb so nervous and worked up about the new set that she hasn’t eaten. ;w;

Ruby notices that something is different about Ava, and Ava says she’s happy.

Ooough, Ava being caught by the subletter, and Marcus is on the other end of the line. Jesus, this isn’t gonna be good.

“His job is just a series of high-cholesterol lunches.” FJSKSKSSN

Now’s as good as of a time as any to mention this—this season has done a remarkable job of showing the subtle tensions between Deborah’s various employees. There was Damien and Josefina in the kitchen during DJ’s party. And slowly but surely, we’ve watched Marcus grow increasingly discomfited at possibly being edged out by Ava.

Like their ambitious boss, they’re all jostling for their positions in the hierarchy—to be number one, to be the person Deborah relies on. Jealousies emerge, and that feels so real and painful and human.

Ava walking with so much confidence to her interview is nice. Such a huge change from her pathetic loser girl status at the start of the season fjskjdmsks.

Deb wanting Ava to come over now, and Ava making up a lie about bloodwork. Girllllll.

“You’ve been through way worse than silence, Deborah.” 😭

Ava: “Trust me.” / Deborah: “Okay, okay. I do.” Sobbing. OH, GOD, and this on the heels of Marcus questioning Ava’s trustworthiness.

MARCUS TRYING TO SABOTAGE WOWWW. OH, GOD. MY GUT IS HURTING. I LOVE ALL OF THESE CHARACTERS SM

“Okay, I’m getting my pussy waxed.” ALALWOQOFODKSKSOQA

Oh, jesus christ. The interviewers reveal the subject of the show, and Ava’s face immediately falls, and she’s immediately defensive because she’s gotten to KNOW Deb.

And she’s not a “crazy bitch.”

She’s someone that she loves.

And so she blows up this job to defend Deborah, even though Deborah is about to fucking find out that she was in LA in the first place. My Stomach is in Knots.

Ava tripping and her diva cup falling out of her bag after she tries to power walk away is perfect. Yeah

DON’T ANSWER THE JIMMY CALL NO

I’M SICK

FUCKING SICK

the heaviness in Deborah’s face. She trusted Ava, and trust does not come easily to her at all

“Actually, you made light of my dandruff problem and told me to fuck off, so we really don’t have to go there.” ALALAOSJSK

“And when you share a sense of humor with someone, it’s like finding someone who speaks your own, you know, private little language. And you make each other better. But his ambition got in the way, and he left me, and I was so scared because I thought I needed someone else and that I would never find anyone like him ever again.” HACKS WRITERS, GO SIT IN THE CORNER AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU’VE DONE.

SHE’S TALKING ABOUT HER EX-HUSBAND AND CLEARLY THINKING ABOUT AVA

Stand-up not being scary to Deb because no one can disappoint her. :((

“Isn’t that a little lonely, though?” / “It’s just true.”

FUCK ME

I’M SO???

I’M

Deborah in the kitchen, her apron bloodied, as she filets a fish… and it takes you back to earlier in the season as she fishes quietly on the pier while Ava watches her late night show. And that moment was important because it was the first time Ava really connected to Deborah’s humor, when she discovered that Deborah makes her laugh.

Goddamn.

(Also, something, something about Deb having a lot of practical skills that I really appreciate—fishing, cooking, etc. it would have been super easy to make her helpless about those sorts of things, but giving her that touch of competence helps to ground her, I think. Makes her feel more real.)

Deb pretending like everything is okay, and Ava continuing to lie—god god god—while Marcus is surprised to see Ava still by Deb’s side in the kitchen. So many unspoken dynamics and tensions here.

Deborah’s hatchet comes down SO hard, and it’s silent condemnation.

It’s a taste of what’s to come for what can only be a fraught and emotionally painful finale.

FUCK ME, this show is good

[oddlyhale]

I had this AU idea where Ever After is actually just a wonderful, nice and peaceful place that all the dead characters have gone to live happily and without the memories of their past selves.

Ruby gets separated from her team but is helped by a girl that looks exactly like Penny, but perhaps with a different outfit and hairstyle. Ruby noticed that the girl has a robotic body.

The girl leads Ruby to a cottage where she introduces her two dads to. One is a man that looks exactly like Ironwood, but the other is someone Ruby's never met before.

In the backyard of the cottage garden, two other people are there. One looks like Pyrrha and the other looks like Adam (although Ruby doesn't know who Adam is, so she doesn't think too much on him.)

While everybody seems very happy living together, they inform Ruby that there's someone looking for her. All they give is a name: Carmine.

Carmine is a wolf man among the Ever After, and he's hunting. He is known as the midhusband of death and he is out to take souls to Death. He has been given a list of those that need to die: "those that have avoided death."

(And maybe this is the part where I have been clearly watching too much violent magical girl animes) but Carmine will not hold back on massacring those that he finds. His power could be proven by tearing Neo apart the minute he finds her, taking her soul. He goes after the others that fell into Ever After, WBYJ.

But not only is Carmine a killing machine, but he knows why Death wants these people to be dead. He knows the truth about Jaune, how little purpose some teammates have lost, and the truth about Ruby.

I'd also like to put in that Carmine constantly baits Ruby with the undeniable truth she could get from him or Death. They know Summer Rose and they know what happened to her, but, they won't tell Ruby a single thing but torment her with the idea that she could get to know if she were to give up her soul.

Carmine never goes after the others living in the cottage. Shockingly, they're good friends with Carmine. Pyrrha knows he loves baked potatoes. Penny knows he likes fishing. Ironwood knows that Carmine has been interested in him at one point but grew out of that. Everybody thinks Carmine, a killing machine, is a good person because he is a holder of so many truths.

The truth is, why Penny in this world still has her robotic body, is because Carmine drops it on Ruby that she never saved the real Penny. He tells her that the Penny that was left to die after she thought she separated the souls with a real body was the real Penny. He laughs at Ruby, mocking her for trusting a genie.

Ruby realizes that she was the one that killed the real Penny.

"Trust is a risk. That was all you got right."

Any main characters that die? Yeah, Weiss and Jaune. He leaves Ruby with Yang as a form of torment because the two are so distant that their bond isn't strong enough to save each other. He also makes Yang choose between Blake and Ruby.

Very fun tormenting stuff lol.

[genderqueerpond]

ok so heres a few thoughts

in reverse order. because I'm thinking backwards after finishing.

I REALLY THOUGHT THEY WERE ABOUT TO GET HIT BY A BUS RIGHT AT THE END THERE

the girl in the dance scene. in the yellow hat and lavender tights. Susan Foreman. To Me. this is based on absolutely nothing but vibes and my faceblind ass thinking they look alike, but I think it would be so fucking cool if she was. therefore since it harms nothing and there's no one to tell me otherwise, I have decided to incorporate this into my worldview forevermore <3

just when I said there was nothing dr who could do that I wouldn't forgive, they say something that could almost be taken as teasing a christianity-real worldbuilding, probably the one thing I couldn't forgive. had more than enough of that already. however we won't be entertaining this possibility any further. it was very vague, and they're clearly not doing that, I won't allow it.

I thought it would be ruby who'd get the chord right when the doctor failed. literally the song that's embedded in her subconscious probably **IS** that song? still think that would have been best but I guess I'll take the beatles

idk how I feel about doing a drag queen villain. i know I know and they're absolutely WONDERFUL but I just don't know. torn about this.

alright so like... we've skipped an entire season. the dynamic between ruby and the doctor is so much more familiar by episode 2, "you never run away"/"you always know what to do", and it's June or July but hard to keep track, meaning she's been traveling with the doctor while keeping in touch with her friends and family by phone for approximately six months now

ruby in the most 60's fit anyone from 2024 could possibly wear: "we're in the 60's, but what about my clothes?!"

I KNEW they were about to start playing the dw theme on piano and segue into the real thing and I still screamed when it happened. absolutely phenomenal

------

crying because you almost killed your monster baby..... good stuff. queer subtext

15 shaping up on track to be extremely Inconsistent and Hypocritical about killing monsters/villains or saving them. some may see this as bad characterization but really it's very The Doctor of him. always has been governed by whims on this

I really believe the entirety of Space Babies was manifested by Ruby's subconscious.

as in, none of that existed until she arrived, and then it did. because of her. it came out of her mind, beginning with the butterfly effect, to the orphan babies who never grew up. it all says a lot of compelling things about her as a person. she's secretly terrified of getting things wrong, the abandoned child part of her still feels much younger than she is.

oh boy this character is so new and I'm already writing meta for her this is great. also her limitless compassion is a great strength. top tier companion material, no wonder the doctor wanted her.

"the human race we survived." --- coming from the present day, this really is a time when that feels surprising huh. yeah

the way fifteen says "Gone!" to Ruby's question about Gallifrey. The tone of voice fucking killed me. "and I am so glad to be alive" --- yeah but its also like he's saying, meet me on this level, we are happy, we are doing happiness. do not challenge this. reminds me of eleven. by which I mean hoo boy

also I love him. easily on track to be my second favorite doctor in a few more episodes.

[kob131]

So yeah, on my bullshit about Taiyang again.

So I've heard a lot about how Tai had abused Yang and Ruby by shutting down and thus subjecting Yang to 'parentification' since she had to raise Ruby for a time.

My issue here is that aside from one time, Yang never shows any issues with what happened. She's cheerful, happy, able to relax- Yang is by all means a well adjusted person. Yeah she had anger issues- she's better than me and I function. Yang only ever shows any problems about that situation in V5 E8. And speaking from experience- she was likely so caught up in overwhelming emotion that she wasn't thinking clearly. Been in that situation myself. So...it doesn't really fit.

'Well, Tai doesn't have to be malicious to abuse his kids!'

... Okay, ignoring how half the people who argue this tried saying a joke was abusive-

When I think of a character who abused their kid but still loves them- I think of Raven.

Raven abused Yang. She abandoned her daughter thrice, crushed her heart by sending a message through Qrow, never talked to her even after losing her, tried using said abandonment to influence Yang to her side, tried to convince Yang the uncle and sister who loved her where brainwashed (aka gaslighting) and used her as bait.

But she still loves Yang.

Raven is a parent who abused Yang but still loves her. Tai isn't that. He's a flawed parent who made a serious fuck up but kept going.

To be fair, I'm not surprised people automatically assume people defending Tai think he's perfect. RT has a habit of making Tai cleaner than he is. But thar doesn't mean you can just default to 'abusive' in response with a begrudging 'loving' stapled on.

[alitgblog]

s11 vol 3 thoughts

rip Zabrina and Kane, suffered two deaths: one by the islanders and one by the litg writers. I don't know if anyone else will miss you but I will bc of the wasted potential.

Also I know I said Vida was hot but if she's just gonna be mean we could've kept Zabrina (also hot even if disproportioned but so are the guys). At least Zabrina is also embarrassing.

also you're telling me Zabrina isn't my rivals to friends character where they're both mean to each other but the competition drives them to be better when she says stuff like this? their mutual hate of Vida should've brought them closer is all I'm saying

Pay to win challenge 🤮

I wish Callum told off Vida in the challenge. Want an LI with a SPINE. also I think this would piss her off and then give her even more reason to try and dump MC's COUPLE since she can't dump an individual islander.

I finally like a dress in the game! Had saved up a bunch of gems before the new season and then did not use them until now for cosmetics at least. In other news the new hairstyles are okay? some of them like the wavy ones seem so chunky and stiff in the front? idk not the worst ig

don't think I said this last week but Jace's fits are so badly tailored but I choose to believe that's a narrative choice like he's supposed to look like he doesn't fit his clothes and is just trying to play the part of sophistication and maturity and he's gonna break Esme's heart

also decided to play a straight MC this season and without that, I kinda am not a big fan of Ruby? Like idk if it's the no wlw route thing or just the writing this season but she just feels like she's always complaining about being in her friend couple or having to fight off Zabrina (which like thank god it's not just MC). But I feel like Bella never complained that much about Lewie/Jamal (tbf they're not as bad as Ren is acting) and Lisbeth actually was so justified in defending MC (ig she is also sorta coded as MC's friend that season though, where here we're closer with Esme). Just interesting to note but like yeah I haaate to agree with these guys

Dates were fun. No distinct personality still coming from Callum but I hardly ever do terrace chats or whatever so I coughed up the 17 gems for that and that was actually a little cute but I shouldn't have to pay 17 gems for that?? also just really annoying you only get to see your LI's personality when they're apart from other people (clearly that's the easiest to code to separate the islanders) but I think a lot of a character is in their actions and how they treat others so it sucks they always have generic dialogue then.

absolutely hate messing with the format once again. like the bombshells coming in are supposed to shake things up so why couple them together? why couple them at all when we can have single islanders around?? if it were up to me (and i was restrained by the rules of keeping these numbers the same), they vote the two least compatible couples and the remaining couples have to come to a consensus on who to send home. Make it that Tunde has too much integrity to let the real couples be at risk, so much to Vida's disappointment, it's Ren/Ruby and Kane/Zabrina. (also gives you a little bit of drama for wlw routes if Ruby is in danger and maybe more reason why she is scared and gonna keep pursuing a straight relationship despite really no rules in love island that she CANT couple with a woman). Zabrina goes home and the second least compatible couple splits. So Vida is partnered with Ren (which still has tension the way she doesn't agree with Tunde because of the reveal she rejected Ren prior) and Tunde with Ruby (which is still a friendship couple so doesn't change things for Ruby but hopefully he's written nicer to her than Ren was since Tunde at this point is still going after MC so he cant be mean yet)

I am the number one and only Zabrina supporter though and if I'm being real, I would've rather Zabrina and Kane cut out the antics because they did have real chemistry before the first recoupling and I want them to have a toxic love story too a la Allegra and Miles/Jasper except Zabrina is constantly chasing other men. Then, Tunde, with all his integrity, decides the least compatible couple is Ruby and Ren and instead of a couple dumping, then they split up and the remaining islanders choose which to vote out. Ren goes home and Ruby stays in the game but single. And in my head if you take her to the tree house it's funny bc it's under the guise of comforting her after Ren went home

Also the tree house option was more expensive for the OG partner than Tunde/Harvey? wasn't gonna do it anyway but that doesn't seem right

fuck the sleepover hideaway (re: my last post about this volume)

[billerak]

RWTC 2

Time for the sequel! My volume 1 post did great, a grandiose 3 notes. I can already smell the internet fame. Clearly, the fans want what I have to offer (That being: incredibly random thoughts and my always correct opinions), and I am here to give it to them.

Anyways when we last left off: We'd just stopped a grand robbery of dust in the docks! Well, Penny did most of the work, but it's the thought that counts. The ending was kind of abrupt! What wonders will V2 have to offer? How much of a mess will it make of things? I wonder!

Ep 1: We start the volume and the first thing Mercury does is… flirt? The way the line is read is so fucking awkward tho, lmao. I know the tukson scene was meant to be tense and menacing but, and I know I said I wouldn't do this much, but it's important here: The voice acting doesn't really sell the scene. It's not laughably awful or anything, it's just not very strong. Wow, Blake and Yang actually get an interaction where Blake actively replies to her! How wonderful. Thank you Ruby, that IS the current circumstances in which you find yourselves! The audience appreciates you for the explanation. Wow Neptune look at you I'm sure you'll be a super important character moving forward, relevant, always in the depths of the plot. No comments about the food fight. 10/10. Still my favourite secene from RWBY. Now Glynda I understand your frustration but everyone else ran away, these eight stuck to the food fight and wrecked each other's shit, I'd be impressed if I was the teacher of a combat school. I love Roman. He's a little shit. I'd bash his head in if I could, but that's why I love him. He's underutilized but his VA is clearly having a lot of fun and it seeps into the character. Do you think cinder uses her powers to make her eyes glow for effect at all times or only when she's tryning to be menacing?

On the Bees: Wow look an interaction! Clearly this has convinced me the writers had planned for it all along.

Ep 2: I do like Ironwood's always had that subtle tension to him. He's a man with good intentions but too much goddamn power for his own good. Leaving aside te absolute stupidity of a 'semblance' they gave him which was of course never mentioned in the show because it makes no goddamn sense. This is a general complaint I have, not only with RWBY but with pretty much all shows I've ever watched: JUST USE REAL BOARD GAMES. PLEASE. CALL THEM SOMETHING ELSE BUT MAKE THEM THINGS THAT ALREADY FUCKING EXIST. The only person I've ever seen who makes 'fake board/card games' funny is ProZD and dude literally makes a living out of playing and reviewing those. Anyways that's a me thing, otherwise it's a fine scene. Better than fine, really, because WHITE ROSE BABEEE THAT'S 2 EPISODES IN A ROW WHERE THEY'VE HELD EACH OTHER LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOO "But Neptun-" Nepwho? Ah, blue haired guy. Right. He exists. Aight I'll just say my piece here because I don't wanna be saying the same through the whole volume: The whole Weiss/Neptune thing is just horribly heterosexual people writting terrible heterosexuality. Neptune's entire personality is being heterosexual. Literally. If a gay character acted the same as him, he'd be criticized for having 'gay' be his personality, or he'd be considered a token gay, or smth. Seen it a million times. Comes out of nowhere, any time Weiss does or say anything involving Neptune I wanna unalive myself, the two have the chemistry of water, and I consider this fanbase got off lucky that Neptune ended up being only a plot device to get Jaune to move along his own arc. So yeah any time anything happens with Neptune, unless I state otherwise, assume I'm vomiting loudly. … Honestly Blake and Weiss are kinda shippable here. 'Nooo blake why won't you talk to me- I mean us you promised' gay ass. Anyways while I understand Ruby and Yang going with the stupid plan and Blake has personal reasons for it… It does feel a bit OOC for Weiss to agree because, well, she's fucking right. These four are just students and they only managed to deal with Roman and the White Fang last time because Penny came in clutch. They're fucked if they do this alone. How… old is cinder? I'd say she couldn't pass herself for a student due to credentials but we know salem has Lionhart by the balls so… ???

On the Bees: Weiss and Blake had a nice moment.

Ep 3: You know, I never understood what Jaune saw in Weiss. Like, ok, she's probably cute at first sight. But she's fucking insufferable otherwise. Her team can deal with her but I'd fucking despise her v1-3 self if I went to the same school as her. I prefer the other outfits tbh. Where… Where was Sun hanging from? He was like, some ways away from the window, but there was nothing there to hang to. I guess his semblance could help but would he really- Yeah he would. Ruby here know's what's up and she wants none of it. NONE. It may look like Ruby is making fun of Weiss, but she doesn't understand that's just flirting. But her heart pulls her two ways, OH NO. By the end of this story, she must choose- Well, no, not really, since one of the options is literally twice dead. (yes I ship Nuts n' Dolts too, sue me) Weird that Weiss didn't ask to see Winter when the woman said she was around, given that later it seems like she'd give an arm and a leg to speak to her. Ok, the reveal that Penny is a robot rings a bit… hollow, since, uh, we already knew that. Her back literally opens into blades, the weird thing really is Ruby not knowing.

On the Bees: Nuts.

Ep 4: OOOOH that's why it's called Nuts n Dolts, innit. Normally I'd say the Ruby/Penny friendship feels forced, but this is probably the only two people in this show where something like this works. Penny has no real frame of reference for friendship and Ruby is just like that. Once again Blake and Sun out here exploring Blake's past together, nothing narratively important going on! Roman is so charismatic. Honestly I'd like to pound his- Oh hi Neo didn't see you there. Ok, see what I mean with "Adam could've made the jump"? Look at Blake and Sun here. Jumping gaps way larger here. I guess he was too stunned for too long or smth idk. Cool fight scene. Gonna be honest, I fucking hate that the fandom took these combo attacks for ship names. Like the concept is cool and all but at least back in the day following ship discourse could be so fucking annoying. Anyways here we have our first canonical explanation of how Yang's semblance works. "With each hit she gets stronger, and she uses that energy to fight back". Which implies she needs to take the damage to get a boost, something something equivalent exchange, but it wasn't something that was happening first volume. Unless we count 'getting a hair cut' to be taking a hit. That being said, I still wonder what's stopping her from, idk, hitting herself or asking someone else to hit her before a battle (assuming she can predict a battle is coming, ofc) to at least have some energy stored up in a safe environment instead of having to risk tanking hits from her enemies. Never quite understood how Neo's semblance works. It's illusions but they leave behind a physical glass form. But how exactly does it make her vanish? In most cases it doesn't feel like she's creating a flat screen surface but just a second body and… teleporting away. Feels like Blake's semblance but more overpowered, but also she can make anything out of it as shown later… Ah, whatever, I don't think the writers think about it too hard, making sense of it is impossible.

On the Bees: Well, they had their ship name called out.

Ep 5: While I love Pyrrha winning against team Cardinal, I have to wonder… why was she even fighting all four? Were the teachers like "Cardin your team is so shit all four of you against Pyrrha seems fair, go fight" or what. See what I mean? Mercury clearly thinks of his discovery of Pyrrha's semblance as something interesting, but Ozpin himself says they make extensive tests to the people entering Beacon. Even if semblances aren't a matter of 'public' record, Cinder later gets into the systems, so couldn't she just have just… checked then? I understand the 'blake needs to relax' bit but also, trying to force her into the dance? Sun clearly has a crush on her so him asking makes sense but the rest of team RWBY probably should've been more like "you need to fucking sleep" rather than trying to get her into a dance. I really like Pyrrha and I am really sad the crux of her character is "crush on Jaune." She has a lot of interesting shit to explore WHY IS THIS HER FOCUS. Like it's RIGHT THERE. A girl prodigy with an amazing semblance that everyone places on a pedestal. But instead of being about her it's about fucking Jaune.

On the Bees: Well Weiss continues to be the one pressing Blake to be more open. Is their ship name Checkmate? No, doesn't sound right. Uh… Black and White? No. Grey… Monochrome? That one sounds familiar. May be it (Yes, I wrote this as I thought about it. No. I'm not cutting it down). Anyways whatever the ship name is, so far I kinda dig it more than bumblebee. It's amazing really.

Ep 6: Here it is bois the big chapter for bumblebee oh boi let's gooooo Aight Yang attracting Blake with a laser is pretty hilarious. The Jaune/Ren moment did make me chuckle too. Comedy seems to be on point (for my tastes) this episode. Nora/Ren not being 'together together' is a point they make many times and I only ask… why? Nora isn't subtle about her crush on Ren. I guess Ren is quiet and timid but it's clear- Hey wait why is their ship name 'renora'. Don't they get a combo name? I know I complain about them but like. Feels unfair anyways. Other ships involving them get the stupid combo names. Why not them? What was I saying? Oh right it's clear they have a thing going on and like, they've known each other all their lives. This isn't made a point of until like, 7 volumes in. Eh, idk. Honestly, very impressive Pyrrha can just walk and talk normally with that knife—well, more of a fucking sword—on her back. Bla bla Bees conversation comments at the end let's move on. Oh hey that's Qrow's emblem isn't it? Who designs the emblems anyways. The owners of them? Some are unique, some are inherited. They're kinda like Cutie Marks tbh. Jaune offering a White Rose to Weiss, clearly a reference to THE BEST SHIP. MAYBE 2ND BEST SHIP IDK I'M TORN HERE. ENDGAME CONFIRMED BOIS. Blake's first dance is asked for but she still goes to the dance explicitly with Sun. Of course that is meaningless, nothing here ever built them up to have a thing and it is clear Blake never had absolutely any interest in him whatsoever. Anyways look at those background characters. All heterosexual, not a single w/w m/m pairing dancing, other than the 5 seconds of Blake and Yang. The pinnacle of queer representation right here, folks! Ozpin is a little lying shit but I guess experience does let him give good advice.

On the Bees: Ok. I want you to understand something. This? This is the F I R S T time Blake and Yang have a long, one to one conversation. In the show. Volume and a half in. They're not only teammates, they're partners. Ruby and Yang had a couple of conversations. Weiss and Ruby have had many. Even Ruby and Blake, famously interacting very little, had that conversation about books and fairy tales when first meeting. I don't care about the fact that they've spent months together at this time. That's not the point. The point is this conversation? It's the first actually shippable moment between them. Anything prior is /nothing/. You couldn't fucking write a developing relationship out of them with the interactions they've had before this point. From here on out at least there's a base to work with. That established, it's not the best base. Blake isn't her 'usual self' here. She's exhausted and in a terrible mood. The scene is mostly taken over by Yang's backstory. The conversation is Yang trying to make a point. It's a good conversation, and it finally establishes an interaction between them that doesn't feel loose. It's just a conversation I think would've been far more effective if we'd first seen them have more interactions under normal circumstances. Yang does wink at Blake and 'saves her first dance'. I believe this is the only time in this show where she's flirtatious towards a girl. Wonder why they didn't go togehter to the dance, instead of, well, I already said it above.

Ep 7: What was Jaune gonna do here? Beat up Neptune? Don't get me wrong I find him vomitive, as stated before, but the guy doesn't really deserve a beating for not agreeing to a dance, you know? Or was he heading towards Weiss? Kind of unclear, but he did look kinda angry so I assume he was going after Neptune. Like I get Pyrrha being drawn to Jaune for his ignorance of her and I do think that now it makes some sense she may be into him but I still don't buy how into Jaune she originally was. I do like this conversation between Pyrrha and Jaune, though. And, despite everything, this may be the only moment with Neptune that's genuinely funny. The 'I can't dance' part I mean. Usual applies to everything else. Nora and Ren are dancing, and Blake and Sun are… /still/ dancing? I can only assume they took a break, or they just really like dancing. Still not a single background gay! Dress moment is another Top 10 scenes of the show tbh. Throwaway gag turned funny/wholesome moment. Normally I'd call out the synchronized dance but these are hunters I can assume they have the reflexes to pull it off… assuming Jaune leads, anyways. Ah, yes, the legendary terrible running across rooftops scene. Here it is. It's legendary and terrible and funny. For real though I think I've seen worse animation moments before. I think it's just that this one likes like 5 whole ass seconds and gets full focus. Really? Karate chop? I know it's probably for the memes but girl, you can summon crystal blades at a distance. I reckon using those would be more effective. So… who picks the lockers and brings them back to the school after they hit, anyways? Is tehre a fine related to misuse of the feature? It can't be cheap, between reparations to the ground of wherever the locker hits, the damage to the locker itself, and the fuel used to launch it. RWBY giving pursuit and not immediately throwing away the shoes is the most unbelievable thing that has happened yet in this show. I… what? I don't understand teh architecture here. Did Cinder run all the way back to beacon? is the tower connected to beacon? That cut was real strange. Still no background gays! No but guys RT was really forward thinking they were totally queer-minded and had planned bumblebee from the beginning, clearly caring about rep and all that! They just coudln't be bothered to spend a single minute making two men or two women dance.

On the Bees: WAIT IT'S CALLED BUMBLEBY? NOT BUMBLEBEE? WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME, I MUST HAVE LOOKED STUPID! I'm gonna keep calling it bumblebee, idgaf. anyways I think this may be the only time we see Jaune's knees? I'll keep you posted.

Ep 8: APOLLO JUSTICE TRILOGY WAS CRACKED! I WAITED FOR SO LONG!!!! What has that to do with RWBY? Uh, nothing. What was I doing? Oh right rewatching. Anyways- Never fully understood why Ruby wouldn't go to Ozpin about the info before. Sure they were breaking rules but sis this is a lot bigger than you four. The dog. Right. Forgot he existed. I will forget it again. How… how does war work in Remnant, anyways? If you take to a battlefield, Grimm would eventually overrun both forces. It'd be a three-way fight constantly. You'd think kingdoms in general wouldn't ever bother with war. Right? Ozpin giving the job to RWBY instead of a more experienced team could be considered as the reason it all fell apart really.

On the bees: I actually just finished ep 10 and thought this chapter's notes looked weird and that's cuz this episode had literally nothing despite ample chance and I forgot to add this section.

Ep 9: I like Ooblek or however that's written. He's never relevant again aftert his arc but this is how you make secondary characters memorable. "By giving them a gimmick?" Yes! That's actually exactly how you do it! Ace Attorney is an expert at this! Still don't like the dog. Also no huntsman we've ever seen has a dog, right? Weird. See, this seems to imply the Goliaths here are like, the same as Beowulfs or whatever that just lived that long. but… This is later retconned. As far as we know, Salem just creates whatever the hell she needs, and Grimm don't change forms over time. It does appear like they gain more armor over time… sometimes anyways. Like, they probably do grow within a single 'species', but these goliaths aren't any different than the newborns we see later. I also do like Ooblek's motivation. That is a valid reason to be a teacher in this shitty nonsensical world.

On the bees: They, uh. Talk. For like one minute. Weiss is also there.

Ep 10: I appreciate this conversation but here's the thing: Blake speaking of her semblance this way implies they're aware semblances are, well, tied to their characters. This isn't necessarily a problem, if maybe a bit on the nose, but then… wouldn't it also imply everyone should consider what their semblance means? What does Sun's semblance say about himself? That he's always willing to lend a hand? What about, idk, Pyrrha? How does metalbending (And yes, it's metalbending, not polarity, she makes shit levitate not just attract or repel from herself) tie to her personality? Is it just a reflection of her prodigious skill? You'd think it was the other way around. Yang's is obvious (She prefers rolling with the blows), Weiss's too (it's a hereditary semblance), and Ruby's… well, depending on whether we consider the V7/8 development a retcon or not it could change meaning, but let's say it's meant to represent how she's always rushing ahead. So, this being said, woudln't character development change one's semblance? It would be interesting, in fact. Maybe Ruby's semblance wasn't always what it later is, but her experiences changed it. Maybe the inconsistency in Yang's semblance is a reflection of this. I know I'm thinking too hard and nobody ever thought about it, but it's sort of a Jojo's stands situation. In Jojo, your stand is a manifestation of your soul and can develop alongside you. Ruby, girl, NEVER SPLIT THE PARTY. Ruby, girl, you have SUPER SPEED. HOW HAVE YOU NOT TRAINED YOURSELF TO ACTIVATE IT WHEN SHIT LIKE THAT HAPPENS TO YOU. Ruby, girl: you. have. SUPER. SPEED. RUN AWAY. I know he says he's stupid but he really kind of is. Wouldn't 'underground city' be the first place you look at when looking for crime organizations?

On the Bees: Uh… yang calls out to Blake first? Sure, let's go with that.

Ep 11: RUBY GIRL YOU HAVE S U P E R S P E E D RUN AWAY FUCKING HELL YOU'RE NOT EVEN TIED YOU JUST WOKE UP SO YOU CAN'T BE SPENT Jesus, FUCKING FINALLY WHY EVEN TRY TO FIGHT IF YOU'RE THIS USELESS. Which makes no sense, tbw. Crescent Rose, even if it was built with ultralight metals, would still require strenght to use just based on the recoil those shots have and the balance of the whole thing. Ruby should pack a punch. Anyways giving your MC super speed in any capacity is a problem because of shit like this. Superspeed is the most powerful of the 'basic' superpowers (That is: Strenght, Flight, Speed and Endurance. Most stories with superpowers include these 4 in some capacity and speed tends to be the most limited one). I like the bombs moment. It's pretty funny. See what I mean? Ruby shooting herself like that means her arms must take the recoil! Even if we take Aura into account this girl should be at least decently strong. I… could do without the dog moment. Like… it's just more offputting than anything else. Ooblek does take another paladin by himself, which is nice to see, in the 'oh yeah he's a step above the MCs' way. Why does Weiss suddenly give Blake the dust bullets? Why not before? Why not… idk, talk to her about it? Why even make them? Did Weiss ask for them? If so, again, why not give them to her before? I mean I know the answer is probably 'Monty fight scene had this thing and writers had to scramble to fill in the gap' but still. Why does Yang have that moment with Neo? They've only had that one 'interaction' which wasn't particularly personal before. See? The WF leader(?) here makes some sense. We know the Schnees have beef with the Faunus and the White Fang (That being, they're slaver pieces of shit and all that). And, uh, Blake against Roman is… I get what they're going for, but… Idk, I feel Ruby and Roman would've felt more natural. Given they do have that in V3 so I'll let it pass. Man, I love Roman so much. Have I said that before? The biggest crime in early RWBY is not giving him enough screentime, really. I love the theory that he doesn't even have Aura unlocked, since he's clearly not the best fighter out there, man's just very skilled at doing his job. Which doesn't often involve fighting wannabe hunter teenagers. It's why he's basically knocked out after so few blows. Weiss should do the 'haste' glyph thing a lot more often really. Action economy, girl! Everyone knows it's the key to win! I wish Neo had more of a… thing. Like, in general. Her fight against Yang is great, but how the hell did she get that skilled? Why's she working for Roman? Why does she care for Roman so much that she later becomes obsessed with killing Ruby so hard that when she thinks she's done she loses all purpose in life? Not really sure how to feel abotu Raven here. At least we got the Yang backstory to even explain there's something going on there but it feels so… random. And why is Neo so scared? What does she know? Why would she know it? SHE HAS NO BACKSTORY And THIS is why you want your general population with their fucking Aura unlocked!

On the Bees: Man the second Dual Destinies turnabout is kind of a chore so far. Like, I figured pretty much everything by the middle of the first day and I still got another day of investigation and trial to go through? I think the case could be improved considerably by just not showing the face of the killer. I know it's ace attorney tradition to show you the first couple of killers, but still. I like Simon well enough I guess. What happened to Gavin? I don't remember him being fired at the end of AJ.

Ep 12: Jaune taking command, nice. Was that foreshadowing for Ren's backstory? Honestly, not a huge fan of this fight. It's supposed to be super big in scale but I guess the budget didn't allow it? It also feels like it kinda lacks momentum. Also didn't we just spend like 3 episodes exploring Ruby doesn't have physical strength? Why's she kicking the Grimm like that? Don't get me wrong, this makes more sense, I'm just confused. I know it's a common complaint that team Coffee shows up here to steal the show for a bit, since they barely get any screentime ever. It's a fine complaint, understandable. I… actually kinda like it. Also ONE OF THE GUYS IS HOLDING OATHBRINGER. WHAT'S HIS NAME. GREEN GUY. Based. I feel like we should have seen a few adult hunters showing up, though. Non-teachers I mean. Huh. Ironwood did always have his sinister authoritarian vibes. I like that. I still love roman. And that ending dream thing huh. I'm sure the eventual meeting of these two will be totally worth it.

On the bees: Did you know I have written more Ami/Minori (from toradora) than the rest of the internet combined? Irrelevant to RWBY I just wanted to let you know.

For an extra this volume: I watched some of the shorts! I think these were the ones around by V2? Or maybe up to V3? Idk.

WoR "Dust": I assume V6 retroactively kind of explains Dust as the literal dust old humanity was turned into? Which is why it can interact with Aura? Very fucked up, but I like it. I'm on the fence on whether I think they had the creation myth figured by this point or not, but I do think they probably had the rough draft for it. Anyways this short doesn't really add much? It explains the 4 basic types and that you can mix them to make new ones, but everything else we probably could've figured ourselves.

WoR "Kingdoms": Ok so, Vacuo and Vale share a continent, while the other two are in split continets. Just taking note for later, not sure how relevant it becomes. In a worldbuilding sense, I don't think it's very reasonable to actually believe small towns could ever be built outside of big cities protected by natural barriers. Most people are clearly useless in a fight against Grimm, and honestly, just leaving the city shoudl be more than enough nervousness and doubt to attract hordes of them.

WoR "Grimm": Not much to say here, other than just generally wondering why Salem wouldn't just wipe out humanity herself sans a small amount of people who she could pin as Oz and the maidens. And don't say she couldn't have: If she can create that giant whale thing she could've done so a couple thousand years ago when technology wasn't so advanced. If you told me she was purposefully playing this game with Ozma, trying to keep it somewhat fair, I'd understand, but she clearly isn't. Oh well.

Anyways, I think I enjoyed this volume more than the last! Which is weird, I think people consider this to be the weakest of the first three. Idk, despite everything, I found the overall pacing to be slightly better, and we get some deeper info on our characters which is always appreciated. Not much else to say in general, but hey. Also yes, it's still a mess.

Also I'm fairly certain Pyrrha still not passing the bechdel test.

Also, if by any chance you're reading this, Crimson: 1) Why. Why do that to yourself. 2) Last volume you kept flipping your shit at me shipping whiterose and such (and other stuff but idrc about that). You seem to be unaware of the concept of chemistry. Ruby and Weiss are shippable because they have chemistry. Ruby and Penny are shippable because they have chemistry. Actually, all the characters I mentioned as potentially shippable displayed fair amounts of chemistry. And that's always my main concern with bumblebee. Sorry, but "vibing" while not interacting is very much NOT chemistry. It's kind of the opposite. Right now, with the information these two volumes have offered, I could write a lot of dynamics with a certain amount of ease. Bumblebee… not so much, because their interactions are still blank fucking slates. And I'm sorry to say this, but no, emptiness isn't 'complexity' or 'depth'. The only complex thing here is the fucking mental gymnastics you're doing to justify not only every bumblebee moment but also the show's writing as if it was flawless and perfect lmao.

V3 be done!

[oshinohoshi]

Claire is so lovely for giving us this treasure trove. I picked out a few of my favorite bits:

There’s a line in Ai's monologue where she says "I wanted to love someone, I wanted someone to love." Why do you think Ai wanted to give love rather than receive it?

It could be that she's looking for somewhere to belong, hoping that "if I can love, I might be loved in return". Ai's history of abuse and mistreatment likely made the love she received feel very different from the love most people experience. I think it all stems from Ai thinking of herself as an abnormal person - she might have believed that to be loved, she needed to become someone who could genuinely love others. It’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation with a lot of complex feelings. That’s just how I interpret it, though.

YES. She never mentioned wanting to be loved, but of course she did. She just didn't think that someone who is "underhanded and dirty," as she refers to herself, could be loved. It's hard to feel deserving when you grow up with a parent who tells you at every turn, whether explicitly or implicitly, that you are not worthy of love.

It's possible that the love she did receive - from Miyako, perhaps, who turned out to be so caring, and from her kids - felt unearned because she was hiding parts of herself from everyone.

I can't imagine she didn't realize her kids loved her, but accepting that love is a different story. I hope that in the end some part of her realized that because she loved, she was loved (sobbing).

And in the end, she realizes her love for the twins is not a lie.

I think that Ai loved the twins all along, not just in that last moment. But the word “love” was like a curse for her, so she couldn't actually say it. That feeling only intensified after I watched the anime. There's an anime original bit where Ai kisses the twins on the foreheads and says, “I'm off,” when she leaves for work. That's the kind of thing you can only do with love - she was just too scared to actually put it into words. Though she was able to express her love fully in her final moments, it’s still sad it took such an extremely situation for her to be able to say it. If it’d never happened, or if she’d simply put the door chain on, she might never have said it. She might have always struggled to say those words. But it’s thanks to the twins she learned how to love. Even the love she has for her fans, that she derided as a lie, was always true. And when she told Ryosuke-kun, “I want to love you,” I think she was already loving him even then.

Yeah... the tragedy and triumph of Ai Hoshino. Realizing she loved all along but it happened mere moments before her death. Fuck. The genuineness of her love for Ryosuke is such an insight into her character.

I do think in that scene there was an element of strategy. Keep talking, keep him distracted, to protect the kids. But it's also clearly not a lie. It's an outpouring of her innermost desires. She's looking at her most devoted "fan" (imagine that said in the most sarcastic way possible) and baring her soul.

In the audio commentary included on the Blu-ray & DVD bonus disc, I was struck by the mention of Ai being so nervous before she says “I love you” to Ruby and Aqua, that she takes a deep breath. What sort of direction were you given for that line?

There wasn’t any direction, actually. During the recording, my focus was entirely on expressing Ai’s breathing after being stabbed, how much blood she was losing, and the urgency of conveying her final words.

The breathing really elevates her performance in my opinion. It sounds like Ai was just stabbed and is struggling to hold on. Ai's breathy, shaky voice as she tries to speak is very affecting.

If you were to send a message to Ai, what would you say?

There’s so much I’d love to say to her, it’s hard to pick just one thing. Still, I think Ai was really happy in her life because she got to say "I love you" in the end. Even though her life might seem tragic to others, the feeling that stuck with me from playing her was a sense of incredible contentment. So, I’d probably just want to have a casual chat with her and watch over everyone together. Oh, but I’d definitely tell her to keep that door chain locked!

This is why I never thought Aqua would kill his dad or that any of the main cast would die. OnK can be really dark, but the tone of the story was set during Ai's death scene. Ai's death is tragic as hell but it's also hopeful. Imagine if she died and never said "I love you" or said it and it was a lie. That would be really depressing. But she realized her lifelong aspiration which I think tells us that this story will end in a hopeful, if bittersweet, way. I hope to see all the characters step confidently into the future, with Ai forever in their hearts but able to move on from the trauma of losing her.

Rie Takahashi Interview (Oshi no Ko Anime Guidebook: First Report)

In the recently released First Report guidebook, a number of key staff members from the Oshi no Ko anime project were interviewed about their work on the show - so you can imagine my excitement when I saw that not only was Takahashi one of those interviewed, but that she had a lot to say about her performance as Ai and how she interpreted her character. I just had to translate it!

I will say up front that I have no intention of translating the other interviews in the book - this one took me long enough as it was and I fully admit it was pure blorbo bias that kept me going the whole time lol. Given that an English release of Glare x Sparkle is already in the works at YenPress, I imagine an English version of First Report might not be far behind so be sure to support it when it comes out. I'm just impatient lol.

As usual, this TL is a combo of my own comprehension, various online dictionaries such as Jisho.org, some MTL and me collapsing, weeping into smarter people's DMs to beg for their help. If you catch any mistakes, please let me know!

Anyway, enough rambling. Check out the interview behind the cut!

Please tell us about your favourite scene and line from episode 1.

Since Ai only appears in the first episode, I really wanted to make every moment count, so each and every one of her lines are special in their own way. It's hard to choose just one, but as a fan of the original work, the line "lies are an exceptional form of love" was one I was especially particular about. Since it's the line that truly encapsulates everything about Ai, I wanted to make sure that one stuck in people's minds.

You've said in the past you were an 'Oshi no Ko' fan even before being involved in the project.

While I was reading the original work, I actually admired Akane-chan the most. Obviously, I loved Ai as well, but being a voice actress myself, I was particularly interested in how a genius actress like Akane-chan prepared for her roles and what performances she'd go on to give. The chapters where she rises above all the online harassment especially left a huge impression on me. Anyone who's worked as a creative or even just in the public eye probably knows what a pulse-pounding experience it can be when you see slanderous comments about yourself - feeling like all of society has turned its back on you and you have nowhere to belong, and not being able to talk to your parents about it. It was depicted with such care and detail that I ached with her as I read it. But then, seeing her rise back up and declare "I don't want to quit like this" gave me a lot of strength. I wanted to become an actress like Akane-chan, who could come back to acting no matter what struggles I went through.

Since I loved Akane-chan so much, when I heard there were auditions for 'Oshi no Ko', I thought "I want to play her!". I even had the thought of 'Since the original work touches so deeply on what it means to be an actor, if they don't get a good actor for this, I might end up hating Oshi no Ko!' (laughs)

As a result, when I was cast as Ai, I knew I had to step up my game. I told myself, "If I'm going to play Ai, I need to give it my everything. Anything less won't do." I gave it my all with that in mind.

Did you audition for the role of Ai?

Yes, I did. But I couldn't get Akane-chan out of my mind, so I gave her a shot at the table audition. When I was preparing, I went over the manga at home and tried voicing each character and scene and there's a part in episode seven where Akane-chan mimicks Ai as she says "I sure am sleepy. We record way too early". When I tried that scene, I went "Hold on, maybe I really am the best fit for Ai?"

I guess my hunch was right because I didn't even make it through the first screening for Akane (laughs). Because of that experience, I'm deeply grateful to (Iwami) Manaka-chan for playing my beloved Akane-chan. I love both her work and her approach as an actress, so I'm thrilled to be working alongside her. I started off as a troublesome hardcore fan thinking "If they don't cast good actors for 'Oshi no Ko,' I might end up hating it!" but now I'm just like "thank you, voice actors!!" (laughs)

Were there any scenes you thought would be particularly difficult to perform based on the script or the original work?

So, I prepared for the role by going over volume 1 of the manga, the scenes where Akane-chan channels Ai and the short story, but there wasn't much more material at the time (laughs). So just preparing for the role was tough.  During recording, I sometimes checked in with (Akasaka) Aka-sensei about Ai. Now the story has progressed and Ai's character has become more defined, I secretly get a little nervous every time I read a new chapter. "I hope my performance in episode 1 wasn't off... I hope...!" (laughs) Obviously, Aka-sensei and the team were present during recordings, so my portrayal was probably fine but a revelation about her could still catch me out (laughs)

What sort of things did you hear from Akasaka-sensei?

There's a scene where Ai talks to her ex on a public payphone. I had to make sure there was the right amount of distance between them, and whether or not Ai still had any attachment to or fondness for him. I'm the sort of fan who enjoys analyzing the original work so I had mixed feelings about getting told the answer (laughs). But because I knew all the ins and outs of her backstory, I could contextualize her behaviour and the things she says and does.

Another scene was when Ai was scouted off the street and talked about her past, mentioning being abused by her mom. She wasn't saying it with the sense of "it hurts, I can't take it, I want to die" but instead she weaponizes it like "look at what I've been through, poor little me, right?". I tried to make my performance a balance of resilience with her vulnerability.

Also, I was directed to keep the monologue before Ai gets stabbed "emotionless", so I ended up giving a much more detached and matter of fact performance than I'd initially planned.

Were you mindful of the differences between Ai in her private life and Ai on stage when performing?

The tricky part of portraying Idol Ai is that if I make her too distinct, she'll stop being Ai. For example, if I play her as an innocent, optimistic idol, she'd be Ruby, not Ai. I focused less on "what to do as Ai" and more on "what not to do". In "Viewpoint B," Ai says, "The "idol" Ai is pretty much the complete opposite of who I really am, but she's the person I'd like to be." so that was the feeling I used as my reference when portraying Idol Ai. Incidentally, in my work as a performer, I purposely try to avoid drawing a line between my public and private self. So for Ai as well, the switches between the real Ai and the idol Ai feel surprisingly seamless to me. It's not that there are two distinct faces, but that Idol Ai exists inside the real Ai so it's more a question of which side of herself she shows at any given moment.

Ai’s fans in the original story only know the Idol Ai. What do you think draws them to her?

Like in the lyrics of YOASOBI's song "Idol," she's nonchalant, carefree, and easygoing. I could've portrayed Idol Ai as more cutesy, bubbly and flirtatious, but I felt that wouldn't have a convincing appeal to characters in the story like Gorou-sensei and the otaku who support her. I wanted to make sure it was believable that idol otakus in this world end up falling for her. I think it's her more laid back vibe, not the hyper energetic or "look at me!" type, that charms people.

So what would you say is the appeal to fans in the real world who know her full backstory?

Firstly, Ai-chan's overwhelming visual appeal. When you think of shocking pink and purple, you think of Ai! (Yokoyari) Mengo-sensei’s art is so powerful, and the glittering animation is also fantastic. I also find Ai's professionalism in her work really appealing. While she has the cuteness of an idol, she's not just cute—she works with an incredible level of dedication and professionalism. I admire and love her for everything, including her behind-the-scenes efforts. It's impressive, she’s really cool! 

I’ve ended up with a lot more respect for the word ‘idol’ as a result. In the past, when my voice acting involved singing, dancing, and participating in unit activities, being described as an "idol voice actress" didn't quite sit right with me. But now, I realize how honorable and responsible that title is. Idols work hard behind the scenes, constantly smiling while singing and dancing, and performing so brilliantly. If there are moments when I'm called by the same title as those incredible idols, I feel I need to make an effort to match their quality, or it would be disrespectful. It really motivates me to do my best.

There’s a line in Ai's monologue where she says "I wanted to love someone, I wanted someone to love." Why do you think Ai wanted to give love rather than receive it?

It could be that she's looking for somewhere to belong, hoping that "if I can love, I might be loved in return". Ai's history of abuse and mistreatment likely made the love she received feel very different from the love most people experience. I think it all stems from Ai thinking of herself as an abnormal person - she might have believed that to be loved, she needed to become someone who could genuinely love others. It’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation with a lot of complex feelings. That’s just how I interpret it, though.

And in the end, she realizes her love for the twins is not a lie.

I think that Ai loved the twins all along, not just in that last moment. But the word “love” was like a curse for her, so she couldn't actually say it. That feeling only intensified after I watched the anime. There's an anime original bit where Ai kisses the twins on the foreheads and says, “I'm off,” when she leaves for work. That's the kind of thing you can only do with love - she was just too scared to actually put it into words. Though she was able to express her love fully in her final moments, it’s still sad it took such an extremely situation for her to be able to say it. If it’d never happened, or if she’d simply put the door chain on, she might never have said it. She might have always struggled to say those words. But it’s thanks to the twins she learned how to love. Even the love she has for her fans, that she derided as a lie, was always true. And when she told Ryosuke-kun, “I want to love you,” I think she was already loving him even then.

In the audio commentary included on the Blu-ray & DVD bonus disc, I was struck by the mention of Ai being so nervous before she says “I love you” to Ruby and Aqua, that she takes a deep breath. What sort of direction were you given for that line?

There wasn’t any direction, actually. During the recording, my focus was entirely on expressing Ai’s breathing after being stabbed, how much blood she was losing, and the urgency of conveying her final words. It was an intense experience. It’s a rare moment as a voice actor to feel like me and the character I'm playing have our hearts beating in sync, but this was one of those times. I think I was genuinely nervous myself as well. I could feel my heart pounding and my chest clenching like when you’re about to make a confession. That feeling still hasn’t left me.

Additionally, in the last monologue of episode 11, where Aqua reflects on Ai's words after she was stabbed, we couldn't use the original recording from the first episode. The recording from the first episode captured a raw and genuine emotion, as Ai was gasping for breath. So we re-recorded it with the intention that the more it resonated warmly within Aqua, the more unforgettable those words would become for him. I wanted to make sure that Ai’s final words would leave a lasting impact, something Aqua would revisit in his mind over and over again. Personally, I approached the recording with a deep sense of love, like passing the baton and saying, “Thank you, everyone, for your hard work in the first season.” There was a lot of warmth during that session, not just towards the twins, but towards the entire cast, staff, and the "Oshi no Ko" project itself.

What were your thoughts upon reading 45510?

I got to the end and I was like “Don’t delete the blog! I want to know more!” (laughs) The entire story felt like a box that really shouldn't be opened. Everything from the meaning behind the password numbers to the fact that Ai left behind a blog wanting to reconcile made it feel like Ai really, truly wanted to love the other girls in B-Komachi even when they were jealous of her.

In the anime, we only get a brief moment of interaction between Ai and the other members - that moment during dance practice, when one of them says, "You look kinda down, Ai-chan" and Ai replies with a smile, "That’s not it. I didn’t get to eat lunch!" So I was careful that Ai’s response didn't feel sour at all. If the sigh she let out before they spoke to her had even a hint of annoyance, it would’ve been a reason the other girls took offense with her. I felt like Ai’s invincibility should’ve been the main factor for their issues with her.

It’s just a brief interaction in the anime, but ‘45510’ really fleshed out that distance between Ai and the B-Komachi members. I based my understanding of these boundaries in her relationships on ‘45510’ and ‘Viewpoint B’ and I also read ‘Oshi no Ko: Spica, the First Star’ to get a fuller picture. The more I read, the more I understood - Kana Arima’s got the right idea!

YOASOBI’s song ‘IDOL’ closes out episode one.

The music itself was impactful, but the music video that was released after the first episode aired was something else altogether. We watched the first episode together with the cast, and then, after seeing the music video, I felt overcome by Ai’s presence all over again - I was left speechless by how powerful the experience was. "Oshi no Ko" really is an immersive experience. I mean, you willingly open YouTube and relive Ai's death yourself. Even after everything was conveyed in the main story, the music video introduced new layers of emotions and concepts. Seeing how YOASOBI's song "Idol," which was about Ai, resonated with so many people really made me realize all over again just how significant Ai's impact was!

And then you yourself sang IDOL at the Strawberry Productions☆Fan Thanksgiving Festival 2023 (FanFest).

For me, "Idol" is a challenging song to sing even at karaoke. So, when they asked me to sing it at the FanFest my initial reaction was, "Oh, that might be too much!" (laughs). It’s not a song that you can easily perform live (laughs). It's a song that only an incredible artist can pull off, so when I thought about singing it live on stage, I was like, "Really? Me?" But when I saw the setlist for the live part of the FanFest, I started feeling like, "Actually, I think I should give it a shot." As a performer, I had some reservations about whether I could deliver the quality it deserved, but the "Oshi no Ko" fan in me couldn't resist. I was like, "Everyone wants to see Ai's voice actress sing 'Idol'" (laughs). After a lot of back-and-forth, I decided to go for it. I understood how Kana Arima felt when she joined the new B-Komachi. The joy of being relied upon by the team and the desire to meet the expectations of the work won out in the end.

Between “Our Sign is B”, “HEART's♡KISS” and “STAR☆T☆RAIN”, which is your favourite B-Komachi song?

That’s a tough one since they’re all A-side quality! (laughs) It was like, "Wow, B-Komachi is seriously awesome!" You can really feel the passion from the music team, like they were determined to bring the world of "Oshi no Ko" to life through these songs. It was also surprising to see how the series expanded from the manga into this whole new realm of music.

Was there anything specific you focused on while recording the project’s songs?

I tried not to change my tone just because it was a song. My focus was on making sure that when people listened, they could immediately recognize it as Ai's voice. At first, it was really hard to come up with a solid idea of what "Ai singing” sounded like. Usually, she's a pretty laid back and carefree, but she can’t exactly sing like that during a live performance. Ai’s a pro when it comes to entertaining the audience and enjoying the moment with them so I was constantly trying to find the right balance between Ai’s characteristic nonchalance and the high energy of a live idol performance. The first recording I did was for "HEART's♡KISS," and honestly, I ended up putting too much force into the opening line, "I'll send you a cheer." Since the song's theme is about sending everyone good vibes, I got too intense with my delivery. I got an ‘OK’ on that take but when I listened back to it, I felt that it wasn’t quite right, so I asked to redo just that part. If people didn’t immediately sense Ai at the very start, I worried that they wouldn't feel her presence throughout the entire song.

If you were to send a message to Ai, what would you say?

There’s so much I’d love to say to her, it’s hard to pick just one thing. Still, I think Ai was really happy in her life because she got to say "I love you" in the end. Even though her life might seem tragic to others, the feeling that stuck with me from playing her was a sense of incredible contentment. So, I’d probably just want to have a casual chat with her and watch over everyone together. Oh, but I’d definitely tell her to keep that door chain locked!

[itsclydebitches]

"Weiss likewise hasn't expressed any impatience, knowing looks, or other background hints to tell the audience, "I know they like each other and am waiting for them to overcome their fear and just SAY IT already."

Was that not what was shown when she was visibly annoyed with there dancing/flirting in V7 and immediate agreement to go to the movies with the boys?

Personally, I don't think so. Blake and Yang are flirty from the beginning of the scene with Yang fondly watching Blake put on makeup and then the two of them giggling over not having to hear the "annoying" FNKI thanks to loud club music. This is Weiss' reaction to that flirting.

It's a nearly completely bland expression, edging just slightly into amused when animated. Weiss only starts getting annoyed when Ruby announces that she's also ditching her: "But a victory party? Really?"

Then we cut back to Yang and Blake doing their awkward dance-off which doesn't amuse Weiss.

But there's nothing to imply that she's unamused with the flirting. It's because they're acting dumb. Weiss is annoyed because she's just learned that the rest of the team is ditching her and she doesn't like either option presented to her: hang out with Blake and Yang as they make fools of themselves at a loud, chaotic club (remember, outside of a few gags Weiss' whole thing is playing the sophisticated, 'Why I never!' princess archetype), or go to what she considers a stupid, preemptive victory party for her father's rival. Both of those outings sound awful to her, so when Jaune pops in with a movie option, yeah, she instantly agrees. The joke-y message of the scene via Weiss' perspective is, 'Why are all my friends lame and annoying?' not 'Why can't Blake and Weiss just admit that they love each other?'

I definitely don't mean this in an accusatory way, anon, but I'd like to point out that this is precisely the kind of rewriting that RWBY thrives on. Far more overtly, I've seen the fandom spend the last two years framing this scene as a super intimate date between Yang and Blake, proof that they're in love... never-mind that we're explicitly told they're going out with four other people. Now here, it's easy to misremember the scene via the context of Volume 9. We've confirmed now that they are in love and Weiss said it was about time they admitted it... so clearly a moment when they were flirty and Weiss was annoyed was setup for this! But the reality is that they were two separate bits of characterization, with Weiss' annoyance having nothing to do with the bees' relationship - because the relationship wasn't established yet.

Even if we wanted to read this as proof of Weiss' knowledge, it's still an incredibly weak example. There are ways of writing a 'This character knows two others like each other and makes a comment to inform the audience of that knowledge' that in no way relies on that level of subtly, potential misreading, and a Volume and a half of nothing else in-between. This isn't by any means an uncommon trope. Characters frequently share Knowing Looks with one another, make sly comments about the would-be couple's obliviousness, or just outright comment on how they're clearly in love, even if they won't admit it. I'm in season 4 of Voyager at the moment, so here's an example:

B'Elanna: "Harry, you might as well wear a big sign that says 'I'M IN LOVE,' everyone sees it."

There, done, it's really that simple. At any point across four Volumes (if we're only going to go back to Volume 6) a member of the group could have confronted Blake or Yang about their feelings, allowing them to deny it until their magical confrontation in the Ever After, but confirming the romantic interest for the audience. We could have gotten a thousand scenes where someone nudged a teammate and gave a simple line like, 'So, when do you think they're finally going to admit that they like each other, hmm?' with some retort about how it'll take another century at least, giving the story that space to keep the relationship ambiguous for a while. Any random side character of RWBY's could have assumed they were a couple, causing them to blush and stammer out denials while their friends rolled their eyes. It really isn't difficult to establish a slow-burn, they're-just-not-admitting-their-feelings arc. In fact, that makes up a HUGE portion of American television, with most protagonist duos going through a seasons-long slow burn that won't come to fruition until the final hour, but that's okay because the show has already confirmed that yes, they love each other, they just won't say it out loud. But just because it's easy to pull off doesn't mean RWBY did it. If the show had, we wouldn't have spent so many years begging for confirmation or, now, side-eyeing the two characters suddenly going, 'Oh yeah. I knew it all along. I just didn't ever mention that across nine Volumes.'