#of course now the big questions are when did grimm realize and how has leo's feelings changed or did they change at all?

[everlastingfable]

I actually believe leo's curse was broken when they were in that cave/valley, because grimm told him to take out his sword when they saw the monster but leo didn't. also grimm absolutely threw himself in front of the arrow out of love

[oscar-lime]

Evil Oz / Salem reincarnates AU?

I'm not super sure what to call it yet... info under the cut because I've been planning this one for awhile now.

Feel free to ask me any questions about it!

• The rules for immortality are different. Salem maybe ends up in a soul different from hers that is meant to help her learn and grow. Maybe Ozpin has to live forever to learn a certain lesson as well (trust? Honesty? Just based on something he is known for doing wrong... I'm not sure on this one yet.)

• Instead of a merge, the more dominant soul in the body will eventually gain most of the control. The other will start to struggle to be in control at all until they are just a voice in the back of the other's mind.

• Salem took control of most of her lives by force... she hated not being in control. Oscar was her youngest host, and she ended up thinking back on her children... so she is now trying to make sure he is himself, and trying to make sure he ends up the body's main soul for a change. Even a heartless monster sometimes feels bad when she realizes her next life is a child.

• Oscar can control grimm, but it takes time and practice. Salem's magic is also extremely powerful, so he struggles to hold it in now since he does not know how to control it at all. (She just really wants him to hit the point where he can control the hound.)

• When using Salem's power to control grimm, Oscar's veins temporarily turn red/black (it's a gradient of both colors)

• "Hello Oscar, I'm Salem. Now leave this sad little farm and go to my castle." "*loud screaming*"

• Hazel is the one to realize Oscar is the next Salem. He has her inner circle. She gained them in slightly different ways in her past lives.

Hazel: Ozma sent his sister into another kingdom, then staged her death and made it appear to be a murder to cause conflict between the kingdoms.

Tyrian: Salem wanted someone ready to kill and cause destruction when she needed it. So she offered him the opportunity to kill whenever he wanted (as long as he followed her orders and didn't kill any of her allies.. she always provides him with grimm or prisoners to harm) and for her to hide him away from the law.

Watts: He could make whatever he wanted and she would provide the materials, but in return he had to help her with technology anytime she requested.

Cinder: She was offered revenge. Salem explained what huntsman and huntresses truly are to her, and offered to help her become strong enough to take revenge on the ones who ignored her when she needed help the most.

Emerald, Mercury, and Neo all still followed Cinder.

Roman was actually hired by Ozma for that whole thing with the trains, along with Adam and the White Fang. Ozma chose to destroy his school like that KNOWING it would cause conflict.

• Ozma is immortal. His inner circle is not actually aware of what he is planning. He wants to watch humanity tear itself apart.

• Of course even if they learn of Salem's existence and unite, it still benefits him since they would be fighting against her, and he could use the tension to draw in more grimm and doubt between the nations

• Oz is ALWAYS subtly feeding Ironwood's paranoia. He hopes James will cause a war for him amongst humanity.

• STRQ originally, like every other huntsman and huntress, believed they were doing good. They had no idea Ozpin had been manipulating all of humanity and the academies just to do his bidding. Some "criminals" are truly innocent. They just stood against Oz in someway so they were wanted dead or alive. If he gets them alive he makes sure to make them regret even daring to stand against him... and of course he doesn't want word spreading.

• Raven left when she found out Ozma's true intentions.

• Tai just settled down with his family and is staying out of it. He figures he has time before the world ends, Ozma can't work that fast right? His kids would totally have time to grow up. (He was heartbroken hearing them say they want to go to Beacon)

• Summer actually discovered Ozma's plans, and was killed for trying to fight against him. She wasn't aware of Salem, so she stood up to him on her own.

• Qrow couldn't believe Oz was bad, not after everything he'd done for them. So he stayed around. Ozma has his inner circle tricked into believing he is saving the world.

• Oz still gave out his magic. Two watchbirds are very helpful after all. The maidens are human, the potential they have to cause chaos and destruction is amazing! Plus then the relics are hidden, so Salem CAN'T summon the gods.

• Jaune died. Pyrrha found out something was fishy when she was supposed to be getting the maiden powers, so she got out of the transfer machine with her semblance when she and Jaune realized. She started out fighting Ozpin, but Jaune ended up taking her place because he had the big shield and told her to go warn the others about what was going on.

• So after the fall the group still travels on, just now they want to get the relics AWAY from Oz and to a safe place. They join up with Oscar + Salem's crew eventually

The lamp is the reason Qrow turns against Oz. When they ask what he is hiding the backstory reveals how he began to hate humanity with time, and the joy he took in watching them fight and destroy each other. Qrow is shattered by the truth since he was supposed to be the one hunting the kids down, but he then decides he has to protect them... and apologizes for not believing them.

Oz still has the upper hand though. Salem only has the fall maiden (the one with the hardest to find relic anyway), some henchmen, and a bunch of children. Oz has humanity already starting to argue and nations not trusting one another, plus the academies at his command. Atlas is going nuts because Ironwood is much more paranoid since Oz has been feeding into that.

• Leo did actually still have connections to Salem. His family was sent to live in her castle for their protection, and in return he snuck her team into Beacon. She gave the orders in her old vessel from her castle. But she made her way there around the fall because she wanted her team out safely. It's not always easy for her to find new minions after all, and she didn't want to lose the fall maiden.

• She had a team in the school to try and figure out what Oz is planning, exactly how he tricks the students, and where the relic might be hidden.

• Leo ends up killed by Qrow (poor bird man), as he is one of Ozma's most loyal followers before he turns and considers what Leo did a horrible betrayal.

The Atlas arc goes EXTREMELY different. Penny is sent to actually hunt down RWBY and co at first, but when she sees it's them she doesn't fight them very hard. She doesn't want to take them... they get away, and encounter her again when they head to Pietro for Maria's eyes. She prepares to fight them, but Maria and Pietro quickly stop both sides. After a long explanation of everything, Pietro and Penny are on their side (since Pietro already could see something was fishy just from his work on the inside)

The happy huntresses recongnize the main cast as fugitives right away and absolutely love them. They weren't sure what these kids did, but placed more blame for the main groups criminal status on authority instead of the kids. The group was happy to have allies to stay with and work with behind Ironwoods back.

Monstra pulls up (Atlas was raised, unfortunately) and RWBY, NOPR, and Qrow are like "Yeah that... that is our ride."

There was definitely still some bloodshed in Atlas. Qrow almost convinced Clover of the truth... buuuut then Tyrian happened and Qrow had the same reaction...

Now the group can't leave Atlas because Mantle is struggling and Qrow and Robyn got arrested.

Oscar is kidnapped by Ozma. He is trying to learn what Salem is planning, where she is hiding the relic of knowledge, and where she is keeping now her two maidens. Out of Oz's inner circle, he chooses to trust Glynda to do the right thing since for obvious reasons, Hazel is not torturing him this time around.

Oscar's outfit is different this time. Orange is his main color, so he keeps the orange. Maybe he gets some sort of cape, but with long sleeves for the cold he tosses over his farmer outfit. He could be influenced by Salem since she is a part of him without realizing and maybe change the gloves to red, and have some red (or red and orange) on his cape. I'm not sure the exact colors yet. Basically though his little cape thing is a jacket that just... doesn't really go past the sleeves. It was the only thing I could think of that wasn't just another hood, and the cape seemed fitting because of Salem's subtle influence. (Oscar does not want to kill people, Salem has no problem killing people. She will forcibly take control of him if she feels he is in danger.)

Silver eyes work a bit differently here. They are basically angels, and their power works best on grimm. However, if they begin to truly believe a human is just as bad as a monster or see them in the same light (even without realizing) they can do a bit of damage to them as well (Maybe turn a bit of them to stone, blast off part of them, badly burn them, etc.).

[anneapocalypse]

RWBY 7.01 - 7.02

There is so much to talk about here. Spoilers!

(Please note that I’m not currently a FIRST member, so please don’t spoil me, thanks!)

We’re in Altas now! I love the aesthetic of Mantle, and I like that they didn’t go for the kind of full-on steel-and-glass futuristic aesthetic you might expect for all of Atlas. Instead, it’s more of a Victorian-futuristic look, with brick buildings and cobblestones and narrow streets.

Qrow’s new voice actor is killing it. Jason Liebrecht delivers a performance that is virtually indistinguishable from old Qrow if you aren’t listening closely for it. akisawana pointed out to me that he’s emoting more, which I think tracks for his character growth, but his voice and inflection is spot-on Qrow.

Themes of distrust build immediately, with Qrow uncertain if they should take to Ironwood. Weiss is concerned about the increased military presence in Mantle. We see the face of Winter Schnee on a screen, apparently the public face of Atlas military, and perhaps despite Weiss’s confidence we wonder if our heroes can trust her.

There is a fair amount of talky exposition in these first two episodes and some of it is rather on the nose, as the story quickly tries to get us up to speed with the situation and the general atmosphere in Mantle. People don’t love the surveillance state—we see some children throw a rock at one of the camera bots. But people love Atlas, and they’re proud of their city, even if difficult times.

And we meet Giapetto—I meant Pietro! Something of a convenient character, as he’s both high up in Atlas security and living and working down among the common people; he knows Ironwood, and Maria Calavera, and of course, his daughter has told him all about Team RWBY.

And as many of us probably suspected as soon as we laid eyes on this man, our sweet Penny has returned! I loved it through and through. “I thought you were dead” is one of those tropes in fiction that just always gets me, so Ruby’s face when she realized her friend was a live, and Penny’s face when she saw Ruby and recognized her… I needed a minute. It was just a truly delightful moment, made even more so by Penny’s exuberant tackle-hug.

I’m curious how it is that flightless Grimm are getting into Atlas, since I would think part of the appeal of a floating city in the first place is to keep them out. It wouldn’t stop flying Grimm, of course, but these monsters weren’t flying. EDIT: They weren’t in the floating city, they were down in Mantle, that’s my bad. Anyway, it was a fun battle to watch, as Oscar has learned a few things, and Blake backing up Yang and giving her that little nod was very sweet.

I am still banking on Oscar becoming the official new leader of Team JNR, making them Team ORNJ. Oscar’s outfits even have orange in them, and for nothing directly to do with his name. It’s a sign, I tell you!

Sadly, Qrow’s optimism must never go unpunished! and our heroes are promptly taken captive by the Aesop’s—er, I mean, the Ace Ops. ;) This feels more for drama than anything else, and it’s kind of reminiscent of Wash, Donut, Sarge, and Lopez being taken captive by the Feds in season 12 of Red vs. Blue. But there’s a valid reason: the did steal a ship.

I love how Weiss says, “Ironwood’s Ace Operatives” like they’re a big deal, but as soon as someone else acts impressed by them, she’s like, “They’re not that big a deal.” Oh Weiss! Some things about her never change, and the way she throws shade is one of those things.

I also think it’s pretty obvious that Weiss is still influenced by her upbringing, both as an Atlesian and as a Schnee. “Tyranny” honestly isn’t that much of an reach from what Ironwood’s doing. It’s easy to sympathize with him, because he’s just so goshdarn likable and he make a sadface and we do kind of know his heart’s in the right place—but he’s misguided as hell and even the people close enough to give him the benefit of the doubt can see it. Ironwood puts his faith in technology, and when his tech failed him he only doubled down, trying to make it stronger. And now that we know who the leak is from Atlas security, we can pretty much assume it’s only going to backfire on him harder next time.

“Robyn Hill and her Happy Huntresses” sounds very intriguing, and I’m always excited to meet new female leader characters! I’m also thrilled to hear we have an old Winter Maiden, and I can’t wait to meet her. Really appreciating the introduction of cool old ladies in recent volumes.

I love Blake’s expression of trust in Ruby’s leadership, which seems representative of everyone present. Ruby really is the reason they’re all here—it was her journey to Haven with team JNR that brought them all to where they are. She is not just the leader of Team RWBY but the leader of this whole expedition, especially with Ozpin having lost the trust of so many of them, and now absent entirely. They all trust her.

Ruby, by contrast, is not sure if she can trust Ironwood. I really like this. I like Ruby learning to be cagey and not bestow her trust and optimism on everyone she meets. This feels more like character growth than frankly anything we’ve seen before, and I will take it!

Ironwood has brought Penny and Winter into the inner circle. That alone I don’t really question; they’re both loyal and responsible. What I do question is his decision to tell the Ace Ops, given that… well, I know they’re supposed to be the best, and they did capture our heroes, but it’s also been kind of hard to take them seriously thus far and I question that their discretion and judgment is up to the level required.

But Ironwood doesn’t just want to tell them. He wants to tell everyone. And this is where we’re reminded, not just of the constant threat of Grimm, but that they’re drawn by negative emotions. This is a world where fear brings literal monsters, and in a world like that… the rules are just different. It’s easier to understand Ironwood’s protective instincts, I think, in that context. Managing the emotions of the public is a question of national security. It doesn’t make him right, but… it’s important context.

And here we come back to Ironwood’s reliance on technology and military might. He believes the Atlas military can keep the Grimm at bay and keep people safe. I think he’s vastly underestimating how little anyone outside of Atlas trusts the Atlesian military anymore. They won’t feel safe under his protection, especially in Vale—they might even actively resist his aid. And the more afraid and angry they are, the more Grimm will come.

There is something comical about the fact that Ironwood’s grand plan is… to rebuild Amity Arena. Oh, with a comm tower. That latter part makes perfect sense! Why it needs to be attached to a colosseum, less so. Style points, I guess? Morale booster? Sure.

It’s also comical how much our heroes buried the lede on Oscar being the new Ozpin. And here, we get confirmation that Oz is still gone. Not present, not communicating with Oscar. I thought maybe they’d come to an understand, but… nope. He’s just gone. Which feels ominous, but also makes me wonder: what if Ozpin really is gone from Oscar? What if he’s in someone else? We’ve kind of assumed that couldn’t happen, but we don’t really know for sure. It’s a far out theory, and I don’t really think it’s true, but wouldn’t it be wild if he was now in Ruby—if Ozpin’s presence were at the heart of her reticence, her keeping Ozpin’s full story from Ironwood.

Of course, it’s probably better character development for Ruby if she just did that on her own.

But that leads me to another point, which is that it just kinda seems foreshadowed at this point that Ozpin will probably, somehow, be removed Oscar. Everyone’s been thinking of the aura transfer machine from volume 3, and at this point I’d say it’s likely that’s what the machine was always for in the first place: Ozpin, who after so many lives might be tired of having to inhabit the bodies of unwilling hosts. Ironwood, with Pietro’s help, was probably trying to find a way to free Oz from the cycle of death and rebirth, by transferring him permanently into a synthetic body. It seemed like a possible solution when Amber was attacked. But the machine had to have been in development before then.

When Ruby tells Ironwood that according to Ozpin, all the lamp’s questions were used up, Ironwood says “Right… right” in such a way that makes me think he either knows, or suspects, that this isn’t true. Probably suspects. He walks to the window and says thoughtfully, “Oz told us that too, a long time ago.”

So Ironwood no longer fully trusts Ozpin. And Ruby can’t fully trust Ironwood. Even Qrow is uncertain. I think Leo’s betrayal was a real blow to him.

But the moment that I think truly cements Ironwood’s character is that despite all that, he returns the relic to Ruby for safekeeping. It is a gesture of good faith that I think is pretty unlikely to be anything but genuine. I cannot imagine him parting with that relic if he truly only wanted power for himself.

The Ironwood and Qrow hug was beautiful. Whether friendship or romance, there is definitely some kind of deep connection between the two of them. Enough that Ironwood needed to tell Qrow, personally, that it was good to see him, and underscore his sincerity. And Qrow, when James hugs him… he smiles. He looks affectionate. It’s honestly really sweet.

Our heroes are about to get weapon upgrades! I do think it’s interesting the way Winter says this: “While assisting the military, we will provide you with the best equipment our scientists can devise.” And if they are no longer assisting the military…? Yeah, I do highly suspect our heroes will fall afoul of Atlas military again at some point.

This feels a strong opening to the new volume, and it’s laying out these themes of trust and distrust quite heavily, which I think will be very interesting to watch play out among all the characters involved. Most of all I’m looking forward to more of a character arc (read: any character arc) for Ruby, but there is a lot going on here in this new Atlas-centric part of the story. I’m excited to see more.

[calliecat93]

RWBY V5, CH14 Finale Review: Haven’s Fate

Well my friends, this is it. It’s been one Hell of a volume. It’s had it’s highs, its had it’s lows. But we’ve gotten through them all and once again, we are at the end of the season. To recap, Raven has thrashed Cinder, opened the vault, and is now faced with Yang. Who will leave with the Relic? Will our heroes fall all over again? Or will triumph be ours? For the final time this volume, lets find out.

Overview

The White Fang have been defeated thanks to a combination of Ilia, the Menagerie forces, and the Mistral police. Adam has risen back up, but Blake is already facing him. Once more, he tries to scare her. He mocks her on how she still couldn't face him alone, but this time our favorite catgirl is having none of it. She even outright tells Adam that she is not there for him, which noticeably ticks him off. But he still tries to talk her down, mentioning his new powerful ‘friends’. You know,t he same one who literally told him this recent development was his problem, haha. Thankfully, Sun joins in and points out to him that for all his talk, no one is standing for him. Indeed, the WF has been rounded up, none of Salem’s cult is beside him, and Adam is standing alone.

To rub salt in Adam’s wounds, Blake tells him that he can say what he wants to make her feel bad. But ultimately, she has better things to be worried about. Like I said in the last review, Adam has lost the power that he has over Blake. Is she still scared? Yes. But she isn't running away. She is facing Adam down and no longer gives a shit about him or what he tries to do for her. Her priority is Haven and her friends, not him. To Adam, hearing that Blake sees him as a mere roadblock causes him to finally attack. But Blake and Sun's combined efforts force him to run. Sun tries to go after him, but Blake stops him as all they’ll be doing is walking into a trap and allowing Adam to pick them off. Plus, now he can experience what it’s like to run. Farewell Adam, it’s not the end of you, but i will take the satisfaction of seeing you squirm for now.

With things under control, Sun reminds Blake of her team needing her. So Blake heads back for the school , and good thing too. Even after being impaled by Weiss’ summon, Hazel is still going strong with Nora even noting how fast he’s regenerating his Aura. That is some massive will power, man. Everyone is getting exhausted, and things don’t get better when Hazel manages to break Weiss’ summon. Thankfully, Blake lands a blow on him and joins Ruby and Weiss. She’s alarmed by Weiss’ injury, but there’s no time to worry. Ruby shoots Leo’s weapon before he can fire it, provoking the headmaster to run for it. That leaves only RWB against Mercury, Emerald, and a still raging Hazel. With Ruby leading the charge, the three girls face them off... but sadly we won’t get to see it. Which is my only criticism of this chapter, but... it’s pretty minor because of what happens next.

In the vault, Raven tries to talk Yang into leaving. But Yang is having none of it, figuring out that Raven is the Maiden and having been told of how the process works, there’s only two likely chances of how Raven got the power. Raven gets angry at Yang seemingly obeying Oz and Qrow, but Yang points out that she’s asking questions, advice that Raven herself gave. And it’s not long before through those questions, Yang deduces that Raven did indeed kill the former Spring Maiden. Raven confirms it, trying to call it a mercy kill. Spring was a scared girl who failed at Raven's training and since she’d be hunted with her power, Raven built up the girl’s trust in her before killing her. Wow, just... wow.

This provokes Yang to call Raven out BIG TIME. She calls Raven out on flip flopping between being merciful and a survivor. How she let Yang and the others walk into the trap not because she thought Yang could handle it as she claimed, but because it meant she could have an easier time getting her way. Raven, growing more and more angry, tries to defend herself. She says that Yang doesn’t know her or how many hard choices she 's had, which... Yang agrees with. The only Raven that she knows is the one her father told her of. A woman who was complicated, but always fought for what she believed in. whether it was for her team or her tribe. Then she asks if Raven killed ‘her’ too. At first, I thought Yang meant Vernal, but after like five rewatches I realized that Yang meant Raven herself. She’s asking if Raven killed the Raven that Yang had heard so much about. The Raven that Tai had fallen in love with and had a child with. Had Raven killed any good and just within herself and become nothing but a cold, cowardly ‘survivor’ who only knows how to run? Because to Yang, it sure seems that way.

Raven snaps, her Maiden mask even flaring up. She yells at her own daughter for her harsh words, trying to claim that she’s stared down death multiple times and did what others won’t. Yang shuts her up. Remember how Qrow said Raven has a skewed view over family? Well she has a skewed one over strength too. Strength isn't about doing things that others won’t or being able to punch something harder than anything else. Strength is when you face what scares you and put others before yourself. It’s when you do the right thing and face up to your mistakes. It’s when you take what’s happened to you, and grow into something better because of it. Yang knows this better than anyone. She got dismembered and abandoned. But she grew past her more violent approaches to things, she faced her fears and went to Mistral and her mother, she chose to join the war to be there for her sister, and now she’s here facing her own mother for her loved ones. What has Raven done? She’s abandoned her family. She’s ran away when things got too stressful. She used others for her own gain, which led to Vernal dying. Raven is powerful, but as Yang’s arm trembles once more, she points out that power doesn't equal strength. I am so proud of this girl right now, you have no idea.

Raven snaps once more, yelling at her own daughter for speaking to her that way when she herself is trembling. But Yang, clearly on the verge of tears, admits that yes, she is scared. But she’s still standing there, refusing to run. And for that reason, Raven is going to step aside and let Yang take the Relic of Knowledge. Why? Yang angrily says why, because Raven fears Salem. If Raven takes the Relic, then she’ll be painting an even larger target on her back. Salem will come at her with everything that she has and on top of having the Maiden powers, the bandit leader will NEVER be able to get away from a conflict that she’s tried this long and hard to avoid. But the solution is simple, Raven can let Yang take the Relic, become the target, and Raven can go off with none of the villains knowing that she’s Spring (until Cinder comes back, if she does at all) and be left alone once more. In other words, Raven can let Yang, her daughter, take the fall for her and get away scott free.

Throughout all of this, it is clear through Raven's expressions that she knows fully well that Yang is right. But through stubbornness or guilt, she has yet to confirm it. But in a genuinely heartbroken tone, she tells Yang not to take the Relic, saying that she doesn’t want to get involved in any of this. Yang agrees that she doesn't want to... but she will anyways. She’s not going to run away. If Salem wants to come after her, she’ll wait for her. She walks towards the gate, shoving Raven aside. The bandit is left shocked before, in one moment of vulnerability, cries. She says she’s sorry, and all that Yang can say is that she is as well. A familiar sound effect then plays. When Yang turns around, Raven is gone and all that remains is a lone black feather. Yang goes forward, arriving at the Relic which... looks like an oversized ornament, But it looks cool! When at the podium, all that Yang can do is give in to her emotions and fall to her knees, crying over everything that has happened over the course of the volume.

Meanwhile, Lionheart rushes into his office. He goes through his desk, clearly trying to gather up any possessions he needs before making a run for it. But he’s stopped by the Seer Grimm. Not gonna lie, with everything else that had happened, I had completely forgotten all about that... thing. Salem questions what is happening and after failing to play if off, Lionheart confesses everything. How Cinder changed the plan, how Qrow had the students with him, how the White Fang got stopped, essentially how things went to Hell but weren't his fault. Salem’s response? Well... she doesn't have one. The Seer remains silent, which is never a good sign. Leo tries to beg for a second chance, but still silence. Realizing that something is up, he aims his weapon... and the Seer knocks it off his arm. Leo tries to run, but his leg is grabbed. All that Leo can do is beg for forgiveness and be shown mercy before the Seer’s tentacles wrap around him and drag him off-screen. All we hear is the sounds of... something... there’s stabbing noises but also some kind of disgusting monster noise. Considering that Grimm do eat humans, ugh... yeah... the last we hear of Leo is him, in a pained, anguished voice plea one more time before he is finished off. Salem, looking outright bored, merely says ‘Coward. Damn, that was... that may be one of the most gruesome scenes in RWBY history. Which with Cinder’s attacks on Amber and Vernal is saying a LOT.

Back with the others, the three remaining villains are completely cornered by RWB and JNR. Even so, Emerald insists that Cinder will come back soon and have the Relic. They will win... but unfortunately for her, she is proven wrong. The elevator rises and with it Yang, who is holding the Relic. No Cinder in sight, and we have no conformation on her being dead or alive at this time. Ruby is relieved as Emerald falls to her knees. Mercury, realizing that they've lost, tries to get Emerald to move. It’s actually kind of nice to see some form of concern from the assassin, even if IDK if he’s genuinely worried about Emerald or about getting away. But Cinder's loss causes the thief to have a complete breakdown and to lose control of her Semblance. It causes the room to go dark and a disturbing image of Salem to appear. I... I honestly cannot describe it in words guys. It’s even more creepy than Leo’s death. It doesn’t last long, but everyone is left shocked and trembling as Ozpin confirms that despite it being an illusion, that was indeed Salem. We then see Hazel, who is carrying Emerald, and Mercury running away as Adam watches form the trees. The Battle for Haven is over. The triumph goes to the heroes.

With the fight over, Blake is able to meet back with her parents and Sun. The WF have all been taken into custody, but Ghira confirms that Adam did indeed escape. But Ilia walks in, pointing out that the WF won’t follow someone who ran out on them and now the organization will be left divided. Safe to say, they won’t be causing any danger to anyone for quite some time. For now, Ghira suggests forming a new Faunus brotherhood that will remain committed to bringing peace and equality. Sun, in the meantime, sees the others and pulls Blake away, encouraging her to go to her teammates. Have I ever mentioned that I love Sun? Because I love him.

Yang hands Qrow the Relic, confirming that Cinder is gone, Vernal is dead, and Raven has escaped. Qrow’s not happy to hear that, but he is relieved to see his niece safe and back with them. With the fight over, Ruby finally collapses in exhaustion, but luckily Weiss is there to hold her steady. Blake approaches the two as Yang runs over to check on her sister. Ruby asks Blake why she’s there, which Blake is also wondering. That’s gonna be a fun story to tell, huh? But luckily, Blake confirms that she isn’t going anywhere. Ruby says that’s all that matters before she and Weiss look at Yang, clearly worried about her reaction. And as a new, absolutely beautiful song titled All That Matters plays in the background, Yang slowly begins to smile, agreeing with the sentiment. Weiss holds out her arm and the four girls embrace. My friends, after two volumes and over 20 chapters of being splintered apart, Team RWBY is together once again. I won’t lie, I was crying throughout this moment. Heck, just typing this out is making me teary eyed. It made this finale worth it to me. It was what I was hoping for since the end of V3 back in 2016, and at last it’s happened in the most beautiful way possible.

Qrow goes to check on Ozpin, but he has reverted back to Oscar. The poor kid is exhausted from all the strain and used up energy, but he has a message from Ozpin. The next step is to take the Relic and go to Atlas. That’s all he gets out before passing out completely. Qrow watches the girls reunion before turning to the relic. It glows and you can hear a kind of whispering noise coming from it, which really sells it’s otherworldly feel. And as Qrow lets out a resigned sigh, the chapter, and with it the volume, ends the same way it began: a cut to a black screen. A perfect bookmark.

But of course, we’re not completely done yet. First, I LOVE THE CREDITS SONG. It is called This Time (From Shadows P2) and not only was a new Blake song long overdue, but it is just an awesome, uplifting song that shows how Blake is no longer hiding withing the shadows. If I didn’t want the soundtrack already, I absolutely need it now. But there is still the stinger to go into. When the credits end we, surprisingly, cut to Patch. Tai is there, so this stinger already wins points cause I have missed best dad so much OMG. Tai is tending to his sunflowers... but is stopped when he hears something. He stands and turns, seeing a lone black feather fall before him. Three guesses on who it is. Tai is surprised, but his expression soon turns into a serious, almost angered one as the volume truly ends. IDK if this is gonna be like V4′s stinger and be used in V6 later, but regardless... yep, Tai and Raven reunion is finally happening guys. And going off Tai’s face, it’s not going to be pleasant.

Review

My God... I do not at all know where to begin with this one. Well... lets talk about Raven and Yang first. Because Dear Lord, this episode, just... just this episode.

I have made my stance on Raven very clear. I do not like her. Sure the previous chapter showed that she isn’t evil and has some humanity, but I still don’t like her. It’s like Yang said, she used people, abandoned people, and we can confirm that she murdered an innocent girl as an act of ‘mercy;. My final stance on Raven is that I like her as a character, but I hate her as a person. And yes, there is a difference. Raven is a very complex character. She is cold, cowardly, intelligent, and cunning. She may be distant and dismissive over her family, but she does care about her tribe and did show to sincerely care about Vernal. She’s an interesting anti-villain who is willing to do bad things, but does have humanity.

However I still ultimately hate her. I am sorry, but she is a coward who willingly used and abandoned others for her own gain. While she clearly feels guilty for letting Yang take the Relic and bury herself into a fight that in her eyes is unwinnable, she brought all of this upon herself. She abandoned Yang. She tried to manipulate Yang. When Yang failed to take the bait, she was as cold to her as she was to her own brother. A brother who has now disowned her for willingly aiding a monster wanting to kill humanity BTW. Raven made these choices, gave Yang every reason to want nothing to do with her, and see her for what she truly is: a coward. Does Raven have a chance at redemption? Maybe. And with how she has gone to Tai, I am very interested to see what’s going to happen between them. Is Raven going to try to make things right? Or did she only go to Tai because the portal to him, and by association Tai himself, were all that she had left? But yeah, in the end Raven still allowed Yang to take the Relic and become a target, but does seem to realize that everything that Yang said was true. We’ll see how things play out in the future. But I am glad that Raven ultimately survived, there’s a lot of things that can still be done with her such as her relationship with Tai, the Maiden powers, and of course any info on Team STRQ. So I happily wait to see what happens next.

But the true champion of this chapter is Yang. Oh my God, Yang. She has had a lot of development this volume, which is both good and bad. But I’ll elaborate in my overall V5 review. For now, lets just talk about the chapter. Yang had come a long ways from the early days. She has come to understand what strength truly is. Like I said, it’s not how much power you can dish out, it’s facing the things that bring you down and owning up to them. Yang both in this volume and V4, has face her demons. She learned to calm down and think smarter. She faced her mother after years of searching. She made it to her sister and joined the war to be there for her. She confronted her abandonment issues and while I wouldn’t say she’s over them, she’s willing to let Blake back in. Yang rose from the ashes, and became a stronger person due to it. She has become calmer, smarter, and despite her fears she will face them and anything else that comes her way. It’s one thing to not be afraid, it’s another to be scared but face those fears anyways. Blake put it best, Yang is the embodiment of strength. Both physically and mentally, and I could not be more proud of her.

But regardless, this took quite a tool on Yang. After so long, Yang finally met her mother... and it went as badly as it can get. Their relationship is incredibly bitter, but it’s clear that the two do still have some familial feelings towards each other. I think that Yang does want to have her mom in her life... but she knows that it’s unlikely. And ultimately, she’s going to stick with her sister and her uncle. Her family. When she collapses in the vault, it’s clear how much all of this has had on her. Yang has ultimately pushed Raven away and the chances of making amends is more slim than ever before. Now Yang is left in a war that she knows that she could die in and now has a target on her back. Raven ultimately left her to take the fall, and she’s stuck with it. But as she said, she’s going to face it. For Ruby. For her family and team. For herself. She is Yang Xiao Long, and she will be armed and ready for whatever comes her way.

What sold this scene was, of course, the voice acting. Barbara and Anna Hullum did a fantastic job in this scene. You can feel the anger, contempt, and heartbreak radiating off of them both. In a dialogue-heavy scene where you absolutely had to nail the performance to get the emotion across, they both nailed it. Not gonna lie, this might be Barbara’s best performance as Yang yet and Anna has done an amazing job across the board. Major props as well to Miles and Kerry for directing them and getting the to give the best performances that they can give. Barbara did warn us that the finale was gonna be emotional, and boy was she right. Kudos to you ladies, you’ve come a long ways!

As for everything else... man, what else can I add? I am disappointed that we didn’t get to see more of the fights not in the vault, but again I understand that they needed to focus on those moments. I honestly really loved this finale. Yeah there was no massive brawl, but honestly topping last week’s Maiden fight was going to be very difficult. Some have complained about the length, but remember that we got 14 episodes instead of 12. They didn’t need to cram a whole bunch of stuff into the finale, hence why we got the Maiden fight last chapter and the final confrontation between mother and daughter here. There didn't need to be a huge fight. This volume was focused on character moments and development. Sure, fights are nice, but this was always a show about it’s characters and how they handle the events thrown at them. I feel that the volume nailed that and this chapter in particular showed that. I am very satisfied and anxiously await more.

So... what happens now? Our heroes have won and retrieved the Relic. The next step is to go to Atlas. Whether they’re going to head there immideatly (which is gonna be hard due to the lockdown) or we get a bit more time in Mistral is up in the air, but we’ll find out eventually. As for whose going, Team RWBY most likely will and chances are, we’re going to get plenty of Weiss and her family drama. We may also get to FINALLY meet Professor Polendina and learn more about Penny’s purpose. And there could still be a chance for her to be rebuilt if the professor has a memory unit, albeit she may not remember Vale or Ruby, But hey, she’d be alive again! As for the girls themselves... there may still be some issues between Blake and Yang that have to be sorted out. But we can assume that they’re going to try, and i n he end the team is back together.

As for everyone else... who can say? Qrow and Oz/Oscar going to Atlas is also pretty guarantee. But IDK about JNR, Sun, Ilia, or anyone else. Ilia would be possible since she comes form Atlas and specifically Mantle. But I can see her and Sun being left behind to help the Belladonna’s with the Faunus. Sun would likely come back for when they eventually go to Vacuo, so he wound’t be excluded forever. As for JNR... IDK. I could see them staying in Mistral to let Jaune train with his Semblance, but again who knows? 

As for the villains, it’s probably safe to say either Emerald will want vengeance and stick with the bad guys or she’ll break away since with Cinder gone, she has zero reason to stay and take out her vengeance herself. Cinder herself... it’s still unclear if she’s dead or not. But either way, it’s probably going to be a while before we see anything about her again. Also, remember that Watts is a disgraced Atlas scientist, so it is very likely that we’re going to get some dirt on him. But it’s safe to assume that with the failure of the Attack on Haven, the baddies are going to be going at our heroes harder than ever. Can they face it? Well, we won’t know until Fall. But it’s going to be a wild ride regardless.

Conclusion

There is nothing else that I can say. The finale was heartbreaking, disturbing, and beautiful all at once. It allows closure for some things, but leaves plenty of doors open for the future. I loved this chapter, and I find it a very fitting conclusion to one Hell of a volume. I’m going to be doing a full V5 review in the future, where we’ll go over both the bad and the good of the volume. But until then, this is the end my friends. Thank you for reading my reviews, and than you Kerry, Miles, Gray, CRWBY and Rooster Teeth for all the hard work that you have put into not just V5, but the entire series. It was an exciting ride from start to end, and I am sure that Monty couldn’t be prouder of all of you. 

So that’s it for me guys. As I said, a full V5 review will be out soon. I also will be reviewing RvB Season 16 (and the other seasons) when it begins in the next few months. I’m also going to be watching Gen;Lock when it premieres, but I’ll have to see if it sticks with me before I decide if I want to review it. So if you follow me, keep an eye out for all of that. RWBY Reviews will return this Fall with the start of Volume 6, so until then thank you for reading and remember to keep moving forward.