#more about the writing of that arc than weiss overall but y'know she's a character written by people

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You reblogged something once about how sometimes rwby quotes feel out of nowhere or make not a lot of sense for the character or situation. i wondered if you have a least favorite quote for any of the characters, not to like dunk on the writing or anything just like how you said sometimes they're mildly baffling. do you have a least favorite weiss quote? i feel like most of hers are good

That's a good question, thanks for the ask! Well, the dialogue exchange I'd had in mind when reblogging that (I think? It was a long time ago lol) was the end of v6

Ruby: Is it weird that I'm a little nervous?

Yang: No, I'll believe we've made it to Atlas when I see it.

Weiss: Well, believe it.

It just felt... off? Ruby asked about nervousness, not whether they'd actually get there. It feels like Yang's line was just meant to set up Weiss' rather than respond to Ruby's. (Also idk how much time passed on that airship but wow did they get to Atlas fast)

But that's a pretty inconsequential example :P If you're asking for a least favorite Weiss quote... I've got one, and oof, it's a doozy, I'm so sorry XD I can't just share the quote and leave it without explanation, cause it's all about the context, so this may get long. It's not just confusing for the timing or phrasing, but contrary to the situation, and actively (in my opinion) detracts from Weiss' character.

Now, to preface because I know how easy it is to see the beginning of something and assume the rest (especially if the topic is similar to one you've heard ad nauseam & ad hominem): this is not about whether Ruby should've lied to Ironwood. I'm neither debating that morally nor narratively (actually, I liked the initial decision to have Ruby do that; it was an interesting character moment!). This is about this specific line in this scene with these characters and how it impacts the larger message and themes in play. I love Weiss, she's one of my faves, but this particular writing choice irks me.

Ok, with that out of the way, here's my least favorite Weiss quote:

"Everyone thinks what they're doing is right. But usually, they're just looking out for themselves. And their secrets."

This was said to Winter in a scene alone together in v7ch5. She's drawing a clear line between their discovery of Ozpin's secrets and their worry about Ironwood. Which is good! The volume had been establishing the Oz parallel really well: ch 2 when Ruby lies (and Oscar's leitmotif plays during both her lies/half-truths) and glances to Oscar the exact moment he looks away from her in disappointment, and she looks hurt; ch 3 when Yang expresses discomfort with the choice but begrudgingly goes along, asking how Oscar feels about it, and we flash back to Oscar confronting Ruby by saying "doesn't that feel like what Ozpin did to us?" and Ruby looking guilty (as Oscar's motif plays over her once again); ch 4 where Ruby confesses to Qrow she can't tell if what's best is what's right, or if she's no different from Oz (I'm ignoring Qrow's response for now or this'll be way longer lol); ch 5 with this line to Winter.

The issue I have with this line isn't the first sentence, because it's by and large accurate: most people do generally think they're doing what's right. And oftentimes they're actually hiding things to do so. For example: YOU RIGHT NOW, WEISS.

Again, this isn't about whether or not I think the lies were justified. It's about how this line makes her seem like -- and I hate to say it, but it's the most accurate word -- a hypocrite. It'd be one thing if the show addressed this and had her realize that, but it never does. It doubles down in the later scene with the Winter Maiden. Winter says that Ironwood isn't keeping secrets, not from her. Weiss replies, "Can you be sure?" To demonstrate how crucial she is to Ironwood's plan and how much he trusts her, Winter entrusts Weiss with this huge secret: that she's planned to be the next Maiden. But rather than having Weiss reflect on how honest her sister is being with her while she continues to hide the very secrets they resented Ozpin for, she smiles and says they've both carved their own path :)

Eddy in the commentary for v7 said they were going to have Weiss tell Winter the truth there (I'd have to double check for the exact wording), but that "it worked better as Winter telling secrets while Weiss kept them from her." I have to disagree. It would have worked if the narrative addressed it, like if Weiss felt bad about it, or afterwards went to talk to Ruby about it. Maybe asking if she can at least tell Winter, to have Ruby respond that Winter would just tell Ironwood, and they couldn't risk that yet. Then later (and they can still do this in v9), have Ruby feel guilty when Penny gets the powers, knowing her choice to accept them was based on incomplete information, regardless of whether or not the complete info would have changed her decision. That choice is what made Cinder target her. That power is why she died. Just like Pyrrha.

I know Pyrrha had less information about Salem than Winter did at that point (correct me if I'm wrong, it's been awhile since I've watched v3), but in essence, important truths about the dangers of being a Maiden & fighting Salem were kept from them both. After Pyrrha's death and the Fall of Beacon, I'd expect the team to want to prevent anyone else from taking on that burden without knowing the price and full risks. But Weiss didn't bat an eye when told her sister was in the same position. We don't know for certain whether Weiss told her team about the plan offscreen, or what we're supposed to assume, but because it was never brought up and never reflected on, it comes across as Weiss bitterly (I say bitterly bc of the line delivery) insulting Oz and insinuating Ironwood is likely lying to Winter and may not be trustworthy, while she herself continues to remorselessly lie to her.

In one line, it shows her opinion of Oz hasn't changed, her self-justification for lying as an exception to the rule because they're actually "doing what's right" -- the irony of that line would've been so cool to explore -- her disdain of others' secrecy, and her complete lack of self-awareness that she's making accusations of things she herself is doing without a trace of regret or doubt.

It's just a frustrating line to me, because it takes a really interesting morally grey setup for the protagonists, makes it an even darker grey, and instead of challenging it, frames it as a cute sister bonding moment. All while simultaneously showing that despite making essentially the same decisions, the team (or at least Weiss, Qrow, Ruby, and Yang based on her line in the v6 finale) is still blaming and/or resenting Oz rather than reconsidering the difficult position he was in now that they're in it and following suit. Which, tbh, is where I thought that plotline was headed, but that's another conversation :P

If they'd followed it up and had the hypocrisy impact her view or lead to character growth, thus highlighting the complexity of these decisions and setting up the team's understanding of Oz (instead of a flimsy "trust is a risk"), it might have wound up as one of my favorite lines of v7. There was so much potential there, and the choice to ignore it as confirmed in the commentary is one that will forever flabbergast me.

Ok, all done! Sorry if this was too ranty, anon -- I uh. I get kinda carried away in analysis and sometimes come off as more emotional or upset than I am 😅 I just wanted to express my dislike for this line thoroughly to avoid confusion (and hopefully prevent people getting heated in the replies, especially since those often showcase they didn't actually read the whole post and/or took it in bad faith). I'm not bashing or saying you can't like this line or plot point! RWBY is a piece of media I enjoy watching, so when something like this happens that I feel is inauthentic to a character or message, I care about it strongly.