#really doesn’t apply to what jaune did

[bestworstcase]

I don't understand why it's an absence of critical thought to say Jaune killed Penny, it isn't tantamount to saying he did it maliciously or anything. His hand was forced by circumstance and Cinder had already dealt a deadly blow but Jaune drove his blade through Penny to bring her a speedier death and it was the right move but yes, that means he killed her. Mercy kill, whatever you wanna add to contextualize it, but he killed her. It's not a condemnation. It's explicitly in the text that he needed to kill her quicker than she could bleed out so she could make the maiden transfer to Winter.

in the technical sense he ended her life a minute or two earlier than she would have died had he done nothing, yeah.

(cinder punched a hole in her chest riiiight around where the aorta emerges from the heart, so, like. she was dead. even under ideal circumstances, it took jaune like fifteen minutes of continual boosting of weiss’s aura to heal the—much less immediately dire—impalement wound in weiss’s side. penny would have bled out faster than even her amped aura could heal her.)

but that’s not. what a lot of “jaune killed penny” discourse is about; there is a large slice of this fandom that legitimately reads jaune’s decision here as murder, blames him for penny’s death, theorycrafts about how he’s going to learn that killing isn’t the answer… etc. in the same way that a large slice of penny fans read her death as a suicide and talk about how it was selfish of her to throw her life away (often as a justification for why she “needs” to come back, to learn that what she did was bad.)

and that’s um. not what happened. and it is genuinely EXTREMELY weird that a major portion of the fandom completely ignores the crucial context that cinder rammed her entire hand through penny’s chest in order to reframe penny’s death as a pointless suicide that jaune facilitated because he lacks moral backbone or doesn’t know how to do battlefield triage, or whatever. and that myopia gets projected onto the other characters too (e.g. the handful of weird takes i’ve seen on why weiss said “jaune tried to help”, including one that explicitly framed that statement as a borderline lie).

as an example my favorite variant of this phenomenon is the bonkers take that cinder “bullied penny into suicide” fbwndhfk

[arc-misadventures]

Faunas: Does, and Don’ts

Ruby: So, you’re dating, Weiss. Any does, and don’ts with her. Since she’s a faunas, and all?

Jaune: Why are you asking me this?

Ruby: Just curious how other faunas feel about having their tails pulled. Some people have pulled my tail too, and I didn’t like it. So, I was curious how others felt about it. And, if differently faunas feel differently about about their tails being pulled; me being a wolf, and Weiss a snow leopard.

Jaune: Okay, but why not ask, Weiss what it’s like to have her tail pulled?

Ruby: I have, but she starts blushing, and refuses to talk about it. So…?

Jaune: Weiss is a rather reserved person, she probably doesn’t want to talk about such private matters.

Ruby: Yeah, that makes sense.

Jaune: Yeah, so about your question: First things first: Never touch a faunas tail! If you accidentally brush their tail they will get incredibly uncomfortable! They may just slap you out of habit.

Ruby: Yeah, I can see that. Ha… I’ve even done that myself too.

Jaune: if you grab it though, well that leads to some other problems.

Ruby: Such as?

Jaune: You’ll be lucky if you just get slapped, they might try, and gut you if you did this. Mind you, these rules apply to a lot of faunas in general. No one likes to be inappropriately touched.

Ruby: A guy groped my butt once.

Jaune: Wait, seriously?! What happened, are you okay?!

Ruby: I’m okay. He was arrested, after they took him out of the wall, Yang punched him through.

Jaune: Ahh~! Yang’s such a great big sister.

Ruby: She is~! So, next question: What would happen if a faunas’s tail was pulled by someone?

Jaune: Well, they may try, and kill you. Yang punching that guy through a wall would be considered a nicety.

Ruby: Makes sense, but what would happen if they didn’t do that?

Jaune: Well, but I can’t say for others, but in my case: Pray that your pelvis can endure what is to come…

Ruby: Oh... Is that why, Weiss is walking funny..?

Jaune: Yeah, pretty much.

Ruby: I see… So, one last question.

Jaune: And, that is?

Ruby: Was it worth it?

Jaune: Oh hell yeah it was!

Ruby: Oh, okay then... So, Jaune… I’m a wolf faunas, with a tail, and all that.

Jaune: And, a pretty tail at that.

Ruby: T-Thank you… S-So… W-Would you like to touch my tail…?

Jaune: Sure.

Ruby: Really?!

Jaune: Yeah, why not?

Ruby: That’s great!

Weiss: Ruby Rose!

Ruby: EEP?! Weiss?! H-Hey… How’s… How’s the limp…?

Weiss: Manageable! Now come here, we need to have a conversation, privately!

Ruby: O-Okay!

Weiss: We’ll be right back darling~!

Jaune: Okay…?

Weiss: Now you listen here, Ruby Rose! If you’re trying to do what I think you’re trying to do, then I’ve got one word for you!

Ruby: A-And, that is…?

Weiss: Leg stretches. For the love of the gods do some leg stretches before you ask him to pull your tail. Trust me, you will not regret it.

Ruby: Oh… I thought you were going to gouge out my eyes for encroaching on your territory. You did mark him as yours, right?

Weiss: Oh silly little girl~! He marked me, I’m masters good little pet now~! And, master can have as many pets as he wants~!

Ruby: Oh… Okay…?

Weiss: Now you be a good little girl, flash that little tail of yours in front of him, and make sure he claims you as his personal bitch by the night, okay~?

Ruby: You meant that as a faunas thing right?

Weiss: Sure, why not. Either way, you’re walking funny in the morning.

Ruby: Aren’t the leg stretches supposed to prevent that?

Weiss: No, but it helps. Somewhat…

Ruby: Oh… Okay then.

[chittychittyyangyang]

I could be way off base, but I have been thinking about this since she said this and trying to figure out what moral? At the time, the best they could figure would be to follow Alyx’s path, but not make the mistakes she made. We now know not only was the story changed from what Jaune was there for, but Alyx wasn’t like the girl who’s in the story.

If there is some “moral” to be learned here, I did wonder if it was to respect and understand different people. Because that’s something up until this current chapter NONE of our main cast have done. RW.BY have been operating out of a story with people as a means to an end. They aren’t really people in their own right, just a way to progress forward. They never really ask anything about the Afterans, outside of asking Curious about ascension, and it’s not like they are a reliable source of information since they seem to have the ability to influence Afteran’s will and only will answer what is asked.

Jaune mentioned that Alyx was cruel and didn’t think the rules applied to her, and while they’ve not been cruel about it we’ve not seen anyone from Remnant treat the Afterans like actual people until (R)WBY listens to the Paper Pleasers. @professorspork spoke about Blake caring about the Paper Pleasers and speaking up for them, and it’s really the first time any of them think about the lives of the people there and not just getting home… Not that Jaune or Ruby agree that they are people.

Just because it’s a fairy-tale to them doesn’t mean it’s not real to the people there. It doesn’t mean they don’t have full lives, even if the visitors of Remnant don’t understand or agree with their culture. Ever After has shown Blake specifically that her culture is very important to her, and if there is some moral to be gained by Blake in this “story” is that understanding different cultures only enhances everyone and leads to greater cooperation. Almost like that’s a goal of hers...

[asm5129]

RWBY V9 E6 thoughts and analysis

Jaune, my poor boy

here he is having had to just kill a friend

Then he has the WORST luck and stumbles onto this weird-ass tree

(Love the clock tree’s design btw)

And then he picks the “time lime” (as a friend called it) and it sends him back decades, we don’t even know how much

And since he fell last, no one knows he fell at all

Meaning he has to wait even longer

In better news, love that Jaune sees Crescent Rose and immediately goes to save it when he’s falling

He knows how important it is to Ruby

(Or was. We’ll get there.)

We now have explicit time shenaniganery in the Ever After, and I doubt it’s our last

Poor Jaune though my god

What must he have gone through

GROUP HUG AWWWW

Weiss “if I knew he’d be this hot I’d have stuck it out” Schnee

“What good is saving anybody if Salem just destroys the world anyway”

I love how RWBY does this. This is a line that, on the surface, makes perfect sense. But it’s not the logic that’s flawed—it’s the mindset behind it.

Every moment of life is valuable. Every single one. (Link at the end to an amazing video essay on this using the lens of Life Is Strange).

Think about it. Otherwise, the fact that we’re not immortal would make our lives instantly meaningless, and that’s just not true.

On top of that, you could save the world, but if everyone (or nearly everyone) in the world is dead, that’s not really rational either

Like Yang says, the idea that saving individual lives doesn’t actually matter in the grand scheme of things is the path that led Ironwood to become a villain.

VILLAGE? Jaune has a village?! Who might we meet there? I’m intrigued

Jaune….why are you giving me Ironwood vibes? 😳

CC genuinely seems to be glad to see Jaune

The tree is what causes ascension!? What a twist

CC, you say that can’t happen to them, but you were also awfully worried that team RWBY wouldn’t be who themselves anymore after visiting Herb

Clearly you thought SOMETHING could happen

But…you were also worried something could happen….and actively tried to prevent it….So what’s going on here?

Ah, so THATS who the boy in the back of Alyx’s photo in the intro is

“You never asked, silly”

Thing is, I think CC is being sincere. I don’t think they were hiding it, they genuinely just don’t answer questions that aren’t asked. It’s just not part of the social contract from their perspective

A Punderstorm?

Also just realized

Jaune must have been actively fighting against the Ever Afters attempts to resolve his issues the entire time

Probably because of his trust issues which have only gotten worse over time it seems

Also first impressions of the Ever After being what they were for him probably didn’t help

But wow yeah

He must have been actively resisting healing from his pain for a ridiculously long time

Poor Jaune

Ah poor Weiss, she and the Ever After do NOT get along

“Something bigger to work out” eh?

“How do we take the next step” BEES

What do the symbols on these signs mean? Boy and paw?

SUMMER IN RUBYS REFLECTION

Oh my, it’s literally visualized in front of them but Ruby does not even notice her own trauma (Summer) yet ruminates on the trauma of others and her inability to fix things for them (Weiss and Atlas)

I do not trust Jaune’s story here, at least not completely. I don’t think he’s lying, but it’s very much filtered through a biased lens of trauma and trust issues

“She wasn’t just a little petulant. She was selfish, and cruel.” She also looks about thirteen

“Like the whole world was make-believe and the rules didn’t apply to her” MAYBE SHE THOUGHT IT WAS MAKE BELIEVE 🤯

We don’t know how she got to the Ever After, but it’s quite possible she genuinely didn’t think of it as “real”, which meant she didn’t have to feel bad about any of her actions

Just like how Alice in Disney’s adaptation (the animated one) didn’t really have to contend with her collateral damage since it was all a dream

What changed at the Herbalist, Alyx? What did Herb say to you?

“The more I tried to get the story back on track the more she distrusted me”

Honestly? That one I think is a little valid. You were trying to force a child’s life to fit a narrative you believed it was supposed to fit. If, say, she found out something along those lines, yeah of course she wouldn’t trust you Jaune.

Honestly, the more interesting thing for me is that she apparently lost all trust in Lewis as well.

“I couldn’t even be the make-believe hero”

Poor Jaune. For all the growth he had, there was still that part of him that saw himself as ultimately just “the lovable idiot stuck in the tree while his friends risk their lives” and he hates himself for that

For not being the hero he thought he should be.

Wait…Holy shit

In the Ever After, he was kinda stuck in a tree

Though not in it’s branches this time, he was stuck in its grasp nonetheless

“The Rusted Knight drank the poison in her stead” this is such a strange line

That’s gotta be intentional. Why does he refer to himself in third person as “the rusted knight”? What does he mean “in her stead”?!

It does obviously seem that the poison wasn’t lethal. So that’s another intriguing thing about Alyx. Jaune states that she said she “wasn’t going to let anyone stop her from leaving. She’d do whatever it takes”

And yet, she seemingly made sure not to kill him

“The cats role in the ever after…I figured it out later, when the cat came back for me once Alyx left” Okay so, I’ll admit there’s at least a chance it was lethal and the Cat saved Jaune somehow

But I think it’s more likely it wasn’t lethal, because the flashback had Jaune basically just falling unconscious to the best of what we can see. Of course, that doesn’t mean the Cat didn’t help him recover a bit….who can say, all I’m saying is it’s interesting the cat came back for Jaune.

Then again, maybe CC just genuinely didn’t understand there might be conflict between them now

Yeah so, lots of people have pointed this out, but this is where it becomes clear how biased Jaune is. The Cat took Alyx and Lewis to the tree, one of them got home—the assumption is it was Alyx since she supposedly wrote the book (many have pointed out it’s quite possible Lewis is the one who made it back, which is why Alyx is presented much more sympathetically in the story) and this is where all of Jaune’s issues finished the story for him.

He began to believe that the Cat was never helping anyone, that they were only ever manipulating them in order to feed the tree and keep the cycle going, and this is a clear indication of how his trust issues are affecting his ability to see things clearly

BZZZZZZZZZZZ ITS BEEEEEEEEES TIIIIIME BABYYYYYY

“I’ll feel a lot better when we’re together on that platform”

Just LOVE that Blake has been taking the lead this whole volume

She is ready to love and be loved

She knows who she is, she knows what she wants

And she’s done letting the memory of Adam or the threat of Salem or anything else stand in her way

“You’ve got a really good brain”

“You have cat ears!”

Yang flirting with Blake in volume 1 when they first met CONFIRMED

Also confirmed is that Yang’s inability to flirt with Blake is tied directly to her struggle with vulnerability

She’s scared to say what she means when it matters

THE MUSIC

YANG’S ADORABLE LITTLE “Shall we dance” ANIMATION

THE TEARS IN HER EYES

“I think you’re an extraordinary person. You’re always the first to lighten a situation. You act bravely when you’re afraid. You do what you say.

Try to keep up!”

“I like that you’ve never been intimidated by me….even when you didn’t like me very much.”

“I was a little weary of people in general…”

“But you never gave up on them, even when they hurt you. You never give up. You know what matters to you.”

This whole exchange is so beautiful

And I love that despite Yang’s comedy often acting as a defense mechanism and Blake’s unwillingness to give up on people causing her to stay with Adam, both are presented as something worth loving because that’s not all they are

Yang makes Blake smile. Sometimes it’s a defense mechanism, sometimes it’s not, but Blake loves that Yang makes her smile

And Blake’s refusal to give up on people was taken advantage of by Adam, but it in and of itself is hardly a bad instinct—and Yang saw that firsthand when Blake dedicated herself to making sure her team (and Yang especially) knew she was never going to run away from them again

And of course, that’s only the tiniest piece of why they love each other.

“You do what you say”

After all Adam’s manipulation, gaslighting and abuse, to have someone who says what she means and actually acts like it must be incredible

“You know what you want”

Yang’s always been a bit adrift, defining herself by her relationship to others. In v1 she mainly saw herself as Ruby’s older sister and parental figure; and she also defined herself by being abandoned by Raven and wanting to find her. It’s not that she never had wants of her own, but she her wants often depended on how she viewed herself in relation to others.

Blake took no shit, she was passionate, she took a stand when it was something she believed in—and maybe even inspired Yang to do the same in volume 8?

“Let’s make this quicker. Any big truths we haven’t dropped on each other yet?”

As soon as Yang says that, she knows the truth she has to say and the storm reacts and

THE COLORS

THE PURPLE AND YELLOW

ITS SO PRETTY

Everything in this scene is SO PRETTY

“It’s like…a cliff. And if I do it I’m just going to….fall.”

“I think we’re already falling…”

RWBY has played around a LOT with the idea of “falling”

Cinder Fall/the fall maiden and falling into the abyss after her fight with Raven

The fall of beacon

The intro to volume 3

Ironwood’s fall into villainy

Falling into the ever after

So much more

Hell, initiation literally launched them into the air and they had to learn how to develop a landing strategy as they fell!!! Fuck this show is so well-written

But here, Blake takes the idea of “falling”—presented as something dangerous by Yang—and reframes it into something explicitly positive for the first time

The big deep breath Yang takes…Blake is literally telling her she already knows, but poor Yang is still afraid she might not be loved back

But Blake doesn’t even let her finish before making sure she knows it’s real

I learned that apparently Lillies are the official lesbian flower so that’s just a wonderful detail

I love that this kiss isn’t rough and passionate like they’ve been waiting to get their hands on each other

It’s gentle and calm

Tender, and compassionate

And while it’s not verbalized, you can actually see them checking for the others consent!!!!

So CC definitely has been explicitly hiding SOME stuff

Like that they didn’t know Alyx wrote a book about her adventure

When CC implies Jaune isn’t particularly stable, his reflection becomes his younger self. Intriguing.

CC wanted to go to remnant? But Alyx didn’t take them. Intriguing. Also “through the door to remnant”?

And yeah, ultimately, team RWBY did not care about CC. They were using them. Despite everything they did for our heroes, they only saw CC as a guide and an annoyance to endure so they could get home

Blake’s leg is doing the thing and it’s adorable

“Feels like I’ve been waiting forever for that” WE ALL HAVE JAUNE THOUGH NOT AS LONG AS YOU BUT SEMANTICS IT WAS SO WORTH IT

Crescent Rose. Jaune found it.

And Ruby is straight-up disassociating poor girl

When she crafted Crescent Rose, she crafted Ruby Rose as well. And she doesn’t want to be Ruby Rose, so she rejects Ruby Rose’s weapon.

And tomorrow, my guess is we’ll get a return to the Blacksmith, and maybe some Summer/Salem info too.

That video essay I mentioned on why every moment of life matters (the thumbnail is a bit clickbaity, promise the video is exceptional)

And a fantastic breakdown of the Bumbleby Confession scene:

[doomalade]

I am curious about your ship opinion on holy bun:

Some don’t like it because of what Cardin did to velvet during school.

However considering we have questionable ships like blacksun: Blake abused sun while in her home kingdom yet many ignore Blake’s actions.

I guess what I am trying to say is: why is this particularly hated yet some toxic ones like cinder x jaune (surprising right), renora (at least the canon) etc are ok with many fans?

This is a great question, thank you Anon!

For me personally, Holy Bun is all about bettering oneself. Of course, this really only applies to Cardin, but don’t worry, I’ll get to Velvet in a minute. Cardin is an asshole. In canon, he is shown to bully others, not have respect for his teammates, and be racist towards the Faunus. Here’s the thing, that is V1 Cardin only. V2 and 3, he just has nonspeaking roles as a background character and nothing more. Cardin is a blank slate. His starting point is as the bully, and the closest ending point you can argue for him is fighting in the Fall of Beacon.

It’s at this point that from an AU/fanfic perspective, you are allowed to go in any direction with Cardin. I personally like to have Cardin going through a redemption.

Personally speaking, when I started writing my AU, it was a rewrite. And I took inspiration from how Fixing RWBY handled Cardin. He started to change for the better, especially by apologizing and learning to fight against any previous bigotry he had towards Faunus by educating himself. It’s a good message that even those we might see as irredeemable can change for the better. I think it’s in line for canon RWBY given that Emerald is going through that process now.

Now the other side of Holy Bun brings even more depth. Velvet doesn’t have to forgive or accept Cardin’s apologies. By that I mean she doesn’t have to be his friend or become romantically involved with him. She can acknowledge that he has changed for the better but owes him nothing for it. So, her choice to get closer to him just seems very in character for Velvet and really sweet. She wants to be there with him as he betters himself and learns.

This ship is based on the choices and decisions of characters, and not because of some outside force making the characters get together. EX: Renora and Bumblebee.

That is why I love Holy Bun.

Now why is this ship hated? Because people don't see Cardin's potential as a character past his appearance in V1. They only see the racist bully.

With Cinder, they see a girl who has been abused and controlled her whole life and is lashing out in the worst ways possible.

Cardin doesn't have the screen time and development that Cinder has had.

So while Knightfall has visible things in canon to point toward it having logical points towards Cinder's redemption, Holy Bun doesn't have that for Cardin.

His redemption requires creativity and even then, it has that layer of complexity that the characters' choices can make it sink in an instant.

That's my thoughts on the whole ordeal.

TLDR: Holy Bun is hated because it requires a lot of creative choices outside of what is shown in canon to work.

[palaceofpassion]

Power On

“So you’re saying I just have to record the stuff, then I can edit it?  Like change my voice and make sure my face doesn’t show up?”

“Yes, though only if you want to watch yourself doing... whatever it is you will decide to do.”  

“Ah.”

“It would be easier if you were to live stream though.”  

“I don’t know Ren.  Who’d actually be interested in watching me?  I don’t have much of a budget either way, so I can’t get that equipment.  I am trying to earn a little money after all, I want to get something nice for Pyr for her birthday.”  

The taciturn ninja simply shrugged, “I suppose, though I feel you’ll find a niche soon enough.  What is it you plan to do?”  

“OH uhm... well... I was thinking that maybe I could do shirtless readings?  Maybe do some cleaning?”  

Jaune wilted under Ren’s deep gaze, “Really?”  

“I dunno!  I’ve never done this!  You’re the one with the channel... what was it called by the way?”  

Ren simply shook his head, cocking his eyebrow in the process, “That’s my secret Jaune.”  

“Oh uhm... okay!  Well... can you uh...”

“Yes I’ll be going.  Just remember you have a few hours to do this, before the girls get back.”  

“Thanks man!”  

Ren walked away leaving Jaune to his own devices.

“Hah, like anyone would be interested in me... this is a stupid idea.”  

Not far away in a singles room one young woman pulled upon her mesh stockings, fitted her mask, and prepared herself.  “You’re beautiful, everyone thinks you’re beautiful.  You’re not the same girl who hides behind her beanie...”  

May Zedong prepared herself, both physically and mentally for the task ahead.  Her eye quickly roamed to her specially purchased camera.  The timer set, she began to do what she did best when she was alone, pose.  

Hours passed as she took various photos of herself, a smile on her face as she rummaged through each of them.  

“Perfect~  I’m not the same.”  

Her computer came up, and she prepared herself.

At another location, a personally rented room in Beacon, Ren jaunted in, quickly tossing his clothes aside revealing a rather shapely form.  Feminine in stature he lacked any real muscles that would have otherwise given him away.  

Turning towards his dresser he began to apply a soft coat of makeup, just enough to hide his visage from the more keen members of the school body.

HIs eyes turned towards the camera as he placed a light green mask around his face.  HIs fingers gently roamed through his long hair, pulling it together until he tied it into a long ponytail on the right side.  

HIs fingers quickly dashed towards his computer which waited on standby.  

“Testing testing.”  His voice soon reached a falsetto, “Perfect!  Teehee~”  

His computer powered on.

OnlyHunters Loaded.

ValiantVale signed in.

WallflowerSniper Signed in.

Flowerbud signed in.  

[fandomhasruinedmylife]

Weird RWBY Headcanons That Make No Sense pt. 1

Quick little note: This is all for a sorta ‘Beacon Never Fell’ AU type scenario, with the implication that RWBY, JNPR, Sun, Neptune, and Penny are all like a little squad. Some can apply elsewhere that’s just where my brain was when I wrote this so…yeah

I will die on the hill of Ruby being lactose intolerant. She gives off the vibe of someone who is lactose intolerant but just doesn’t care.

Ruby makes playlists for each of her friends. Their a mixture of songs that sound like music they like, songs that just give off their vibe, or songs with lyrics that remind her of them. It’s odd but it’s just a way that she shows affection.

Weiss is fantastic at board games when she knows how to play. This goes for all board and tabletop games, as long as she already knows the game and the rules. Chess was the first one she played, now she’s adores all of them. Thing is she hates cards and sneers at checkers (which is the only board game Yang can beat her at).

Blake has lovely handwriting, but she only writes in cursive. It’s either full on cursive or a melded together mix of print and cursive. Ruby can, has, and will complain about how it’s pretty but completely unreadable.

Also, Blake is surprisingly artistic. Yang bought Blake a sketch book after noticing how she drew in the margins of her papers. Now, in that sketch book, there are dedicated pages to certain people. She likes drawing different people for different reasons, and often times her style will kind of shift when she changes people. (which i could so talk about how she draws each person and why, but alas all for another time)

Yang nests when she’s having a hard time sleeping. Like, she piles up blankets and pillows and will create a nest-type thing for her to lay in. It usually puts her to sleep pretty quickly.

Speaking of Yang, she’s a little spoon. Loves to be held. She is completely willing to hold others but prefers being held.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, we have Jaune. Man’s a big spoon. Likes to hold people and make them feel safe. Makes him feel like he’s protecting someone.

Jaune listens to Taylor Swift. Don’t ask because I will not elaborate.

Pyrrha is like weirdly fitting for that one prince love interest in fantasy novels, and everyone makes jokes about it. Like, multiple times a day you can find her just sitting on a ledge, reading a book or eating an apple, and she’ll say some cheesy shit or something oddly deep. Nobody knows why she does this, but hey they aren’t complaining.

Nobody realizes it, but Nora is the therapist friend. Like, somehow nobody’s picked up on it yet, but Nora’s been giving away free advice and therapy since day one, it’s just so normal now that no one thinks about it.

Ren can make flower crowns. He’s made a sunflower one for Yang once, a lavender one for Blake, a dandelion one for Jaune, and many more. He’s honestly just really good at weaving things and can make things like baskets if he has the right materials.

Neptune hates body hair. Like, not quite a phobia, but it makes his skin crawl. He’s clean shaven and plans to stay that way no matter how many times Sun tries to convince him to grow out his stubble.

Also, Neptune and Pyrrha childhood friends because I just want that in my life.

When he was younger, Sun wanted to join the White Fang. He never did because of their actions later, but when he was little he always dreamed about being able to be on the front lines of a protest.

Also, Sun had an initial distrust for Weiss when they first met, though his was less faunus focused and more Vacuo focused. Everybody from Vacuo knows what the SDC did to their land, and their still pretty pissed about it.

Penny has a tendency to mimic people. Like, she’ll mimic their mannerisms, their vernacular, and even slight accents. Sun thinks it’s the coolest thing in the world, while Weiss gets a bit more annoyed about it.

If there’s an issue that’s relatively minor and doesn’t require too much work, Penny will let Ruby handle it rather than go to her father. While Pietro is a little worried about it becoming a habit, he does have enough trust in Ruby to know when something is severe and requires extreme attention.

[itsclydebitches]

Honestly a lot of what you said about Yang applies to like, most of the cast. The main problem is that, honestly, the writers don't respect their characters, or at least don't respect their legacies and histories. They view their characters as tools, devices to augment to their will to keep a story going.

Yang just got this particularly bad in Volumes 6-8, only managing to course-correct somewhat in the later parts of Volume 8 before getting tossed off a cliff for cheap drama. I'm a major Yang fan as you can likely tell, and it's been nothing short of exasperating watching the writers blatantly ignore all the strong aspects of her character established in Volumes 1-5 for the sake of pushing the plot they want instead.

As one example, that Yang/Ren argument? It was apparently originally supposed to be an argument in Volume 7, between Ren and someone else (likely Nora). And I'll bet you anything they just copy-pasted most of it while just swapping Yang and Nora's names.

Of course there's more (like Yang going from strong arguments in Ironwood's favor to "alright let's go behind his back now" in the same scene just because Blake got sad), but that just speaks to me about how they don't really care about keeping their characters consistent.

Yeah, no one is really exempt from this treatment, with Yang perhaps standing out only because she's one of the main four and has one of the most vibrant personalities. As a comparatively prominent protagonist who - as the show itself says - shines brightly, she stands out in a way that the others often don't. Weiss, for example, has the same contradictory writing in regards to a lifelong struggle with abuse suddenly becoming something to joke about, but because it's one, humorous line and not, say, a full scene involving yelling and intense accusations, it doesn't sit with us quite as much, once the initial criticism has died down. Same with Blake, who despite being a part of the Robyn debacle is not the one to admit that to Ironwood, or later try to put blame on Ruby, or later still get mad at Ren - Yang gets all those emotional scenes. Ruby, meanwhile, is her own kind of mess, but a mess that, as we've seen lately, is expressed by sipping tea and quietly crying on staircases. Outside of giving angry speeches, Ruby's problems are quieter. And the others, despite being involved in the main conflict for years now, are still considered minor characters in comparison to Team RWBY, by both the writing and the fandom (Jaune's unique troubles aside). Yang, by virtue of being one of the show's stars with lots of screen time and bearing a deliberately bright, loud, in-your-face personality is in a unique position where the audience more easily remembers the problems with her writing. We can forget Nora quietly being contradictory in the background of one episode, less so Yang being loudly contradictory in the foreground of a whole arc.

But yeah, all of this is very interconnected. As your example attests: taking a scene meant for Volume 7, meant for another character, and then giving it to Yang in Volume 8 hurts her and Ren, and Jaune, and (presumably) Nora who goes from potentially having a legit disagreement with her boyfriend to... being mad he was upset about all this trauma and that her kiss didn't magically cure things? Honestly, I'm still not even clear on what Nora's deal was the last two volumes. The writers really don't care about consistency anymore, which by default means that they don't care to follow up on the new characteristics getting introduced. That's why Yang's growth was dropped so she could charge at Ruby again. Why Nora wants to be more than the bubbly girl who hits things, but immediately hits something to knock herself out. Why Blake must be devastated over everything with Adam, killing him, theoretically admitting feelings for Yang (to herself), and briefly losing her weapon, yet none of this is addressed. Why Penny is thrilled about being human despite never expressing an interest in changing - only being accepted - and then is killed off again before she can learn to live like this. Why Weiss is flip-flopping about her family every few episodes. She's terrified of her father. She's glibly arresting her father. She cares enough to try and evacuate her father. She adores her sister. She doesn't care anymore. She's back to caring the second Winter calls. She hates her brother. Wait, she loves him. Wait, she loves her mom too. When did that change?

Everyone's character is all over the place, with Ironwood himself being the most extreme turn imo, regardless of what some say about the setup always being there. The only characters who remain consistent lately are those who, frankly, the show isn't interested in developing, like Ozpin who seems to forever be the dubious, apologetic mentor who may or may not be merging with Oscar. But Oscar himself? He bounces from seeing first-hand how dangerous Salem's people are, to trusting them completely, from preaching about the importance of honesty, to keeping more secrets from the team, from being the weakest member to suddenly having a nuke in his cane... "development" has come to mean doing something new every few episodes, regardless of whether it makes any sense. I used to laugh at the fandom's "The only canon is the most recent volume" claims, just an exaggerated joke about RWBY's struggles, but now? It's honestly true. Whether we're talking about major plot holes, or the foundation of these characterizations, things not only change randomly from volume to volume, but episode to episode. Yang, sadly, has been hit by that particularly hard, but she's by no means alone.

[a-southern-reader]

Chapter 2. Bouncer Jaune AU

“Oh please tell me!”

“No.” Said Jaune smiling and shaking his head in the campus cafeteria.

“Pretty please, I’ll let you beat me in Smash Bros.” Ruby stated like it was the best deal in the world.

“Then it’s not a true victory. Why do you even want to know?

“Well when your friend tells you they got a job you typically tend to ask where at.”

Jaune stopped his bite for his peanut butter sandwich halfway. “Well I can’t tell you because it’s a secret.” He said with a smirk.

“A regular secret or top secret?”

“Top secret.” As he said it with a smile.

“Dang it!” Ruby pouted, until Jaune gave her half of his sandwich. Which was promptly devoured in less than five seconds. “Still though working late hours is going to tire you some. You need to get good sleep if you want to keep your grades.”

Jaune turned and looked at her. “Really? This coming from the girl who stays up all night playing video games when her roommate isn’t there.”

“Hey I skipped a grade and because of that I get extra time to relax to make up for all that stress from the extra work.”

After Ruby and Jaune finished their lunch they decided to use the extra time to walk around on the campus grounds. “Why are you taking a job anyway, it’s not like you need the money?” Ruby questioned with her arms folded behind her head.

“Well I got a bunch a free time after my classes. You spend yours running for the cross country team. While I’m just doing nothing after I finish studying. Plus Sun works there so I’ll have a friend to hang out with.”

“Ah ha!” She shouted and jumped to look at him. “So Sun works there.” She accused to him. Jaune looks at the girl proud with her detective skills.

“Yes Sun works there, you got me.” He said with smile on his face.

She looks down at her watch, “Okay I got to go, I have practice in about half an hour. Good luck tonight!” She yelled already running towards the track.

It’s 2:50 and Jaune is walking to “Huntresses.” He stops in-front of a store to check himself out in the reflection of the glass. He makes sure his hair looks nice and he tucks his small black shirt in his pants. He wants to look decent not only for his boss, but to also show he’s taking his job seriously when facing people inside. Jaune finishes looking at himself in the glass and walks into the club.

“Ayyyyyye Jaune is here! Let’s get ready to party!” Yelled Sun in his DJ booth blasting music and showing off his dance moves.

“Hey Sun, why don’t you go dance on stage instead of the girls?” Yatsu asked while standing by the bar.

“Because Goodwitch knows that I would drive all the girls out of business!” Sun exclaimed while laughing.

Yatsu laughed at his joke as well and turned to look at Jaune as he walked up. “Hey I’m Yatsu, you must be the new guy.” He extended his hand out to shake. When Jaune reaches out to shake it he doesn’t even see his hand anymore because it got shallowed by his. Yatsu looks at Jaune and smiles, “Did Shade tell you to wear a shirt that was small to show off some muscles?”

“Yeah, I guess I’m just trying to get as much advice as possible. You got any to give?” Jaune asked.

“Yeah, try not to get a boner. It’s extremely awkward when you ask someone to get out with that pointing at them.” Yatsu jokes and gives a light punch on his shoulder. “Just stay close to me and I’ll show what all you’re suppose to do.”

It’s 4:30 and guys start coming into the club. “Shade is the guy checking who gets in. Our job is to look around and stop a problem before it happens. Especially if a guy starts getting too handsy with one of the girls.” Yatsu explained to Jaune.

“Alright gentlemen it’s time for your hot stepmom dreams to finally come true. Let’s welcome Momma Manlte!” Sun said on his microphone over the whoops and cheers.

Jaune watched as the dancer walked out from behind the curtains. He started to believe maybe Yatsu’s advice wasn’t entirely a joke. She had a red top and bottom that really show off her mature body. Her boobs looked like they wanted to burst out of her top.

“She makes a killer casserole.” Jaune snaps out of it and looks and Yatsu. “I’m serious, she had some leftover casserole she made and gave it to me.” He explained.

Jaune tried to not get distracted by the show and just looked around watching out for trouble. The woman was fine, all the guys who were close to her were just slipping dollars inside of her tong. He looked at the bar, nobody causing any trouble over there.

“Jaune relax some it’s early. Nobody is going to cause a scene the second they get in here. Just walk around some and stretch your legs.”

He takes his advice and starts to wonder around, but is still keeping an eye on everyone. Every now and then he does look at the woman dancing on stage. Shes rolling her hips around, getting on her hands and knees so guys can look down her cleavage. Near the end she stands up and one of hers arms wraps around her chest. Her other one goes to the back of her bra and unclasps it. She grabs an end and slings it over her shoulder without exposing her chest, only teasing the men with the possibility of it. She walks away swaying her hips, but just before she disappears behind the curtains she stops and looks in Jaune’s direction. She flashes him and all the men groan wondering who got to be the lucky man who saw her rack when she walked away.

“She’s likes you that’s for sure.” Jaune turns around and sees it’s the bartender. “The names Neptune, and you are a lucky son of a bitch. Momma Mantle doesn’t just let anyone see her assets like that.”

“She doesn’t just do that for all the new guys?”

“If that was the case people would be applying for jobs twenty four seven!” He joked.

As time went by Jaune was more relaxed and was just leaning against the wall and doing a little search every now and then. He assumed maybe that casserole dancer told all the girls back stage that there was a new guy that she liked. Because every once in a while a girl would be dancing and send a wink in Jaune’s direction. One thing he likes about his job for sure is Sun’s creative introduction for all the girls.

“Hide your wallet and heart because this girl will steal them both. Here comes Princess Bandit!” As a tomboyish girl with a tattoo walks out with a “I can kick your ass attitude.”

“She maybe small, but remember dynamite comes in small packages. Plus her hair reminds us of that sweet Neapolitan ice cream. Let’s give it up for Chocolate Strawberry!” That girl was short, but her bust and bottom did more than accommodate for that.

Before Jaune knew it the last dancer was coming up. “Alright everyone it’s getting close to closing time, but one girl came in last minute to provide our final show. You all know her, you all love her. It’s the Ice Queen!”

Jaune looked at the stage as she came out. The name Ice Queen really nailed her appearance. Her white hair was a obvious reason why it was picked, but it only scratched the surface of it. Her outfit didn’t match the color of her hair, instead it was a light blue. Her skin was pale, but not in that sickly way. It was like pure snow in winter and her outfit’s color really contrasted with it making it stand out with her pale skin. She walked with an air of elegance around her that made you pay attention. They way she danced on stage and swinging around the pole was like a ballerina. Heck that’s what Jaune felt like he was watching. Not watching a sexy girl exposing herself to get some money, but a beautiful ballerina putting on a show that memorizes the audience.

“Hey man you there?” Yatsu asked Jaune while  nudging him. “We got to make sure that everyone leaves man. Don’t worry the girls will still be here when you come back.”

He didn’t want to leave, he continued to watch Ice Queen as she returned to back stage. He would throw some money out if it meant he could still watch her dance.

Once the club closed Sun and Jaune got out and started walking back to campus. “So what you think man? Easy job, rocking music, and you get to watch all those women dancing for free!”

“Yeah it sure was something, so a couple of them go to our university right?”

“Well yeah, a couple of those girls are around our age so it would make sense. But don’t think I didn’t notice it man.” Sun smirking at him as he said it.

“Notice what?”

“Dude! That Mantle Lady, she full on flashed you man. Do you realize how much money people throw at her to get a glimpse of them, and on your first day she just lets you see them!”

“Maybe if you show her your dance moves she’ll show you her goodies.” Jaune said laughing with Sun.

That’s the second part! I kept on walking up during the night until I said screw it and just started to write something. It started small until it just snowballed into this.

For those who may not know “Princess Bandit” is Vernal. Because Vernal deserves more love dang it!

[kitkatopinions]

Okay, so I’ve talked before about the many problems I have with James Ironwood’s semblance ‘Mettle’ here, but I wanted to make a post about what changes I personally would make to James’s semblance and how I would put it into practice in the show.

This is pro James Ironwood content. Ironwood haters, don’t @ me, don’t interact.

1. Change the phraseology and the way the semblance is presented. I would present it as a literal form of mind control, where his semblance makes him do whatever it takes to accomplish a set goal. Phrasing it as increasing his stubbornness and focus to the point where other things fall by the wayside makes it seem like his semblance just makes character traits much stronger, villainizes those traits, and is insensitive to people that hyper-fixate and can’t help that. Phrasing his semblance instead as centered around making him do whatever it takes to accomplish a goal, even if that changes who he is, is better in my opinion.

2. Change his semblance from passive to active This is good for a couple of reasons. People can’t control their passive semblances, which A. leaves James looking almost completely sympathetic (since, you know, he can’t fully control his actions) and it also leaves the casual viewer wondering what’s James and what’s his semblance. Did he bring his ships to Vale of his own volition or was it his semblance? Did he close the borders to Atlas himself or is it his semblance? Did he shoot Oscar himself, or was it his semblance? Etc. Etc. Making his semblance something that he himself chooses to use despite recognizing that it’s dangerous both gives James some level of culpability and it makes it much clearer to the audience what’s James’ personality and what is done under the influence of his semblance. I would make it so that James can turn on his semblance, but rarely ever does, because when he turns it on, he can’t make himself turn it off, and he can’t control himself or his responses in that state. I would make it so the only ways for James’s semblance to turn off again is if his goal is completed, his aura breaks, or he dies.

3. Make his semblance use clear through visual cues Honestly, this one isn’t as needed as the other two, but it just makes it much easier to understand and A. gives the audience another way to be clued in to when James is or isn’t under the affects of his semblance, and B. gives the characters a way to be clued in to when James is or isn’t under the affects of his semblance. In the first Avengers, when someone got possessed, their eyes would turn black and then turn a certain color of blue. A similar thing could happen with James, his eyes lightening, even if it was really subtle.

Also a change in body language would make for a subtle, but nice shift. James tends to put his arms behind his back, he tends to look people in the eye when he’s talking to them, he sighs, he acts tired out, he acts a little awkward, he gives little physical signs of affection like a shoulder to the hand, or a hug, or smiling softly. Having him do none of these things - keeping his arms at his sides, not looking at people when he talks to them or they talk to him, acting perfectly alert, not ever showing his more affectionate, warm, or awkward sides - all would make it clear that there’s something off. James isn’t acting like himself.  To be totally fair to the show, there’s for sure some of that ‘James isn’t acting like himself’ stuff in the show, buuuut to be totally honest about the show, it’s clear we’re meant to see James as just an evil villain and his semblance isn’t even mentioned in the show, so... Yeah.

So in my ideal version, James’s semblance is an active semblance he can’t turn off, that forces him to accomplish a set goal no matter what and will even change his morality and base personality in order to achieve it, and it has visual cues like a change in body language and eye color shifting. Another thing to note is that James’s semblance is a secret, even to many of his confidants. The people that James has told about his semblance are Qrow and Ozpin.

Now to apply it to the show.

Adding an extra scene into the early episodes of V7.

Qrow enters James’s office and the two start talking about James’ plans. Qrow notes that it all still seems like ‘a bit much’ and James dismisses this concern, talking about how drastic times call for drastic measures, and they have to do whatever they can to stop Salem. Qrow has a moment’s pause and a guilty look (since he’s keeping the secret of Salem being immortal,) but then narrows his eyes and asks James “Is that you or your semblance talking?” James sighs, he says “You know I don’t use my semblance.” Qrow looks unconvinced, and James turns to face him a little more fully. They lock eyes and Qrow seems satisfied, nodding a little and turning away again. James asks Qrow to trust him, and Qrow agrees, with the qualification that James has to let him - and the others - help him instead of taking it all on himself, which James also agrees to, if not a little reluctantly.

Later in the episode ‘Gravity’ when Ironwood makes the choice to leave Mantle, he does so clearly under his own power. As Team RWBY start opposing him and after realizing they’ve gone behind his back, we see James hesitate. He takes a deep breath with his back to the girls and the Ace Ops and then triggers his semblance, his aura lighting up for a minor moment and his eyes shifting color to a lighter blue. The Ace Ops and Team RWBY all have a split second moment of confusion - seeing his aura flash - but then James turns and that’s when he declares he’s going to enact martial law. The scene continues on as is, with Ruby contacting the others and the Ace Ops going to arrest Team RWBY, etc.

Meanwhile, Qrow, Robyn, and Clover are all left confused and uncertain, and then receive the order for everyone’s arrest, including Qrow. Cue more confusion, and Qrow says there must be some sort of mistake. Robyn starts up the fight, Clover and Qrow try to de-escalate things, and in this version of things, Qrow doesn’t really join in the fight (Oh, I should note, I’m also erasing the Oz-punch in this version because I can do whatever I want.) When the plane goes down, he’s still trying to defend and make sense of things, but Tyrian’s coming on strong, taking advantage of Clover trying to make sure Qrow can’t get away - since he literally doesn’t know that Qrow isn’t a criminal - and Qrow being unwilling to fight Clover, and Tyrian kills Clover himself. Qrow’s distraught and affected, but doesn’t blame James, and Tyrian gets away.

He and Robyn are both arrested, and meanwhile, James and Oscar’s confrontation happens, and right before Ironwood shoots him, Oscar realizes that his eyes are different, but is then shot. In season eight and in jail with Robyn, Jacques, and Watts, we see Qrow frustrated and upset as the three argue back and forth, and all three of them are blaming Ironwood, when Qrow gets up and again starts trying to say there’s been some kind of mistake. Robyn says he’s putting too much faith in Atlas’s higher ups, and Qrow says that she just doesn’t know James like he does - which is true. When the guards come to take Watts away, Qrow says “That isn’t like him,” And Robyn rolls her eyes, but we see Qrow’s eyes widen in realization and he tells Robyn that James must’ve triggered his semblance.

Meanwhile, Oz (now back and getting the lowdown on everything from Oscar) speculates on whether or not James’s semblance is affecting his choices, but the both of them agree that they’re not 100% sure if they can give James the benefit of that doubt after Lionheart and everyone else that’s ever betrayed Oz (Note this also leaves a place where at least Oscar can say he’s sorry for how the Jinn/backstory thing went down.) Oscar doesn’t ask how James’s semblance works and Oz only really mentions that it alters his behavior. Oscar doesn’t tell the others Oz is back and Oscar doesn’t mention the semblance to the others, since neither of them are sure if it’s really at play.

Next time we see them, Robyn is pressing Qrow for details on James’s semblance and he tells her what it does and how it works. Robyn isn’t sure, but Qrow insists. He does wonder why James even turned it on and takes a moment to be angry that he did when he knows how dangerous it is - and maybe makes some comment about ‘if I could keep mine off, I’d never use it.’ Robyn hesitates, and then says “Well, I trust you, Qrow. If you say it’s his semblance, and that’s what’s really putting Mantle at risk... Then how do we stop it?” The two start making a plan to break out of the jail to get to Ironwood so they can help him.

Meanwhile, everything with Ironwood keeps escalating, the Ace Ops are still following his orders, they try to arrest Penny, delivering the bomb to the whale, find Team JRY, Winter makes her compromise, Cinder breaks in to free Watts, yada yada. When the Ace Ops bring the bomb back to Ironwood and it’s revealed Qrow and Robyn have escaped, James starts talking about how he should’ve used Qrow to get to Penny, could’ve used Penny’s friends against her, and then decides to drop the bomb on Mantle. And Winter clearly figures out something is wrong and starts getting suspicious and freaked. She tries to talk him out of it and tells him “this isn’t you, why are you doing this?” but James will barely look at her and keeps insisting, and finally she ‘agrees,’ but clearly seems perturbed and very unhappy with it. 

Meanwhile, seeing the bomb threat puts Oz over the edge of thinking this is James affected by his semblance. Both he and Oscar still aren’t totally sure, but bring it up to Ruby and the others, and there’s a moment of “What the heck, another secret” before Oscar defends Oz “We didn’t know for sure, there was so much going on, I’m the one who didn’t think to mention it, it wasn’t our secret to tell,” and Jaune or something quickly says they don’t have time to argue anyway, and everyone moves on. No one is sure that it’s just James’s semblance, but Ruby declares that they have to try and break his aura and trust that there’s a fix - keeping the themes consistent, what with Emerald easily accepted right there. However, there’s still Salem reforming and the virus infecting Penny to think of, so they start making their whole plan as it is in the real show.

When Winter helps Marrow escape, she tells him that there’s something very wrong with James (even noticing about his eyes,) and he - like Robyn - thinks she’s just putting too much faith in him, and Winter sadly says that maybe he’s right, but that she just would never have believed he’d do something like that, insisting that his other choices made sense, that every war takes sacrifice, but this was just too far, cruel, evil, even. Marrow gets more serious and agrees.  Qrow and Robyn, having escaped, start realizing everything that’s happening, they start to become even more frantic to find James and break his aura, which kicks into overdrive when they hear the message saying they only have an hour to go before James drops a bomb on Mantle. Qrow says “James is never going to forgive himself if that happens,” and Robyn declares “I’ll never forgive him if that happens.” Qrow gets angry and Robyn gets angry in response, reminding Qrow - and the audience - that James is the one who chose to turn his semblance on.

When the two run into Winter and Marrow, Winter starts telling them that James is planning to bomb Mantle, and Qrow gives her a quick low-down of James’s semblance. Winter then gets a quick “I knew it,” moment. Winter convinces Qrow she’ll break James’s aura or die trying and for him and Robyn to focus on getting the other Ace Ops out of commission since James will let her get close enough to land a strong enough hit. Qrow is really reluctant to leave it in her hands, but she assures him “I’m not going to let the General destroy himself,” and Qrow - despite his clear early problems with Winter, says “I know you won’t.” The fight goes down pretty much the same, with the kids still all going hard and Winter getting in the final hit that puts James out of commission. Nora, Jaune, and Oscar are all like “Did that do it, is he back to how he should be?” And Winter says she’ll bring him to a medical room. Nora and Jaune exchange an unsure look, Nora ventures “Just a medical room?” And Winter sighs, looks a little unsure herself, but then nods. Ozpin then speaks up, saying “She’s right. I... I trust him. I have to trust him.” Jaune, Nora, and Ren then agree, nodding, and then things start continuing like normal, only Winter is keeping Ironwood in a medical room instead of a jail cell.

When James wakes back up, he’s himself again. He has to deal with the fact that because of his choice to turn his semblance on, he almost caused destruction and death to innocent people at his own hand and when there was absolutely no real reason to. He has to grapple with the hurt he caused as well as knowing he literally had no control and couldn’t even feel horror or guilt over what he was doing in the moment. He could go on to Vacuo, but he knows the general population of Atlas and Mantle won’t just accept that it was his semblance at work. He’s going to be hated, maybe even arrested as a villain, his position and his ability to lead that he’s strived for in an effort to help whoever he can is gone, many of the people who were his allies will never look at him the same way again, he hurt Penny so much, and he can’t just get rid of that because he never meant to and hadn’t been able to control it - and it was still because he made the choice to turn on his semblance in the first place. But. No, in this version, he doesn’t die, and Qrow would talk to him and connect with him again somewhere down the line, and when James started berating himself, Qrow would softly and sympathetically say

“You idiot. I know you didn’t do this.”

This is by no means perfect. This is by no means without flaw. And I know my Ironqrow shipping impacted it, but you know what? I don’t care. I wrote this for me. This is the headcanoned version that’s going to live in my head rent free, canon or otherwise. 

[starsplosion]

Thinking about the theme of freedom in RWBY and how it applies to Cinder, Salem, and Penny.

Cinder and Penny are contrasted many times, with Cinder calling Penny a tool, a toy, and a puppet, projecting her own unacknowledged feelings of being used. The main difference between them is that Penny has friends who care about her and remind her she can make her own choices, while Cinder has no one (Arguably, she had Emerald, who did care about her, but Em was her subordinate, not a friend. Others have talked plenty about the dynamic between Cinder and Emerald and the cycle of abuse). Cinder doesn’t really believe she has choices in life, instead claiming it’s destiny. Yet Cinder wants freedom above all else, and believes the maiden powers will grant her that. Unlike Penny, who sees the powers as a responsibility.

Cinder and Salem were both raised in abusive environments they were unable to leave. They did both eventually break free of their captors, but the effects of their abuse caused them to form unhealthy attachments. Cinder is now being abused by Salem, and Salem didn’t know how to cope with Ozma’s death.

Salem is an interesting case because in the present she has almost endless freedom. She’s so powerful, almost no one can really stop her from doing what she wants, except for one thing. Salem wants to die, and that is the one thing she can’t do. She’s still trapped, forced to keep living.

This is very different from Penny, who has a lot of responsibilities and pressure she feels bound to. Throughout Volume 8, we see her try to make her own choices as others try to control her. Her choices are tragically limited by circumstance, and in the volume finale, she makes the choice to not let Jaune heal her and chooses Winter as the next Maiden. She was able to choose to die, the one thing Salem can’t. (Though the validity of this choice is debatable, considering the situation was dire and it’s unlikely that they would have escaped Cinder even if Jaune had healed her. Penny didn’t necessarily want to die, but she wanted to choose who the maiden powers went to and dying—not at Cinder’s hand—was the only sure way to make sure Cinder didn’t take them from her.)

I don’t really have a conclusion for this, but freedom, along with choice vs destiny, is a theme throughout the series, that’s exemplified in many other characters as well.

[elcuervoborracho]

Ironwood as a Foil to Yang

A RWBY post. There’s this thing that’s been bugging me for a long time now:

Why did Ironwood personally request a prosthetic arm for Yang?  He didn’t even know her that well, among hundreds of students. At face value it makes no sense.

I think Ironwood must see some of himself in her. When it comes to heroes and villains, they’re very often thematically mirrored and linked.

Before I go into that, I’ll go dive a bit into Ironwood, and how he made terrible choice after terrible choice:

He’s been slowly occupying Vale, sending his troops in, selling robot soldiers in Vale territory.

He likely had Penny compete in the Vytal Festival so that when she won, Ozpin would hand her the Maiden powers, thus giving Atlas even more power. EDIT: (He's the one responsible for the aura transfer machine. He knows Ozpin is looking for a new maiden, and Pyrrha was chosen because she's the strongest Beacon student. Why else would Penny be in Vale competing in the festival, when she's from Atlas, doesn’t need to study, and Ironwood didn’t even tell Ozpin she’s a robot? Is it any surpsise that when Penny gets the winter maiden powers, Ironwood tries to have her hacked?) This makes it a literal attempt at using Penny as a Skynet Terminator, an infiltration unit with living tissue over a metal endoskeleton

He’s corrupt, holding two seats in the Atlas Council (Same council that made him responsible for the Vytal festival security)

This is just by Volume 3, the show made it painfully obvious he as never fit to lead, and is in fact a villain. Always was. It’s important to remember that throughout all of this, Ironwood doesn’t just feel justified, he feels like he’s a hero for doing it. Like he’s somehow protecting Atlas by doing all of this. This will be important later

What does this man--who made himself responsible for the festival’s security--see in Yang, the girl that as far as he knows, is just some girl that went ballistic after winning a match?

Up until this point there isn’t much to see. The most he knows is that her team was involved in Mountain Glenn and the Torchwick Paladin fight. Is it really enough reason for The Atlas General to personally request a high end prosthetic? not really.

The next part will be a little bit of a tangent, but It’l be worth it later. It’s about Semblances.

Ruby says there’s no way to know how to unlock a Semblance, but we see in the show that semblances aren’t just tied to the person, but also to the event that awakens them, like classic superpowers. And like those, they’re not just whatever, tacked on because it’s cool. If you’ve ever watched X-men evolution, Rogue’s powers are just a metaphor for intimacy. The same kind of applies to RWBY.

For example: Jaune’s Semblance is a reflection of himself. His worth is entirely connected to what he can give other people, so his semblance reflects that, and the situation it awakened in reflects that. This pattern continues with other characters. Cinder’s Semblance is the power to destroy anything she can touch, and re-create it to whatever she wants. This relates so obviously to her backstory it would be redundant to waste words there. I’ll go in-depth on semblances and how they affect other characters in another post. Maybe.

I believe Ironwood’s semblance reflects the situation that unlocked it. It basically lets him take decisions without second-guessing himself. To me this implies somewhere in his past Ironwood either failed to take an important decision, or took such a terrible decision that he awakened his semblance. Likely the same situation that cost him a limb, but not necessarily it

Losing a limb is a big deal. some people take it better than others, and while I don’t think RWBY handled Yang’s amputation that well, I do think the idea behind it is important, she was traumatized and living in pain. There’s a good chance that ironwood didn’t lose half his body at once. Even in in the world of Remnant, it’d be hard to survive that. We all know he likely lost limbs gradually, like the Tin Woodsman. Couldn’t have been nice, to say the least, and he still uses the excuse of Phantom pain to Glynda in V2, so I think it’s safe to say he likely has some of that trauma. This is something they both share too.

Recklessness is also a trait they both have, but throughout the series Yang learns to temper hers and think twice before making decisions, something Ironwood never did. He can’t, his Semblance is not thinking twice!

They’re also both very good close range fighters, When fighting Watts Ironwood even uses boxing techniques just like Yang, bobbing and weaving under attacks, delivering a flurry of hooks. He clearly prefers it too, given how most of the fight is Watts running away from him.

(As an addendum, they tend to rarely use their ranged weapons unless it’s so they can propel themselves forward, into melee range, but this is less of point because it’s a somewhat common strategy in RWBY, Ruby uses it , Nora uses it in a different way, so it’s not something exclusive to them.)

Then where does the foil part come in?

So here’s this promising, heroic Huntress. She’s a part of the team that fought against Roman and his goons multiple times, a great fighter who’s a bit of a hothead, but has a heart of gold, and in the heat of the moment took a snap decision after a match was over and hurt someone. She loses her right arm fighting a white fang leader, and after the fall of Beacon, they found out she was right, and that “student” she hurt was an infiltrator who’s directly responsible for the events that lead up to the fall. Maybe after that they find out she lost a limb while protecting Blake, not just while fighting.

Yang’s heroic sacrifices are how he sees his actions, and while it’s far, far from reality, after seeing that, how could he not send her that prosthesis? It would be like not sending one to himself when he was hurt the first time.

Or maybe not. Maybe Miles and Kerry just did their thing, and I simply stared at the inkblots long enough to see a butterfly. 

Either way, this is fun to think about, and I it may be worth sharing the thought.

[arc-misadventures]

Reborn AU: since Jaune’s father now sees how good Jaune is at fighting do you think they’ll decide to sign him up for a tournament where he’ll meet up with Pyrrha earlier then original and hopefully start their relationship on a positive note with him being that friend she always wanted she had always wanted before beacon.

A Dancing Partner~!

Arc Twins: Age 12

Jaune: Okay… Do I have to do this?

Jeanne: Why not? It’ll be fun!

Jaune: For you. I’ll be out there getting my butt kicked, while you’ll be in the stands munching on the hotdogs!

Jeanne: Okay, but I’ve always wanted to try stadium hot dogs!

Jaune: Me too, which is also why I’m upset!

Jeanne: Look, out of the two of us you are the better fighter.

Jaune: Since when?!

Jeanne: Always, you have more practical experience that I did even in my past life!

Jaune: Shh! Not in public!

Jeanne: Sorry.

Jaune: If you want practical experience, why don’t you compete then.

Jeanne: Jaune, how many times have I tripped up during our training?

Jaune: In the last month, or the last year?

Jeanne: See! I’m still tripping up! The… Wait, hold on; Have you been keeping a tally of how many times I’ve tripped up?

Jaune: …

Jaune: Yes.

Jeanne: How bad is it?

Jaune: Well… You’ve been getting better.

Jeanne: …

Jeanne: W-Well… My gear is still being built so I can’t fight, so… Nehh!

Jaune: Gods, you’re such a child… Fine! Fine, fine, fine… I’m already here so I’ll do it, but only once!

Jeanne: Awesome! I’ll go find, Dad, and let him know. Good luck!

Jaune: Don’t pig out on the stadium food!

Jeanne: Hey!

Jaune: Hehehe~!

Jaune: Okay… let’s do this.

~~~

Jaune: I am going to gut you like a turkey, Jeanne…

Jaune may be seen as, for some unfathomable reason to him, as the smartest among all of the, Arc siblings. However, just because your smart doesn’t mean you couldn’t also be the biggest idiot there is.

He should have seen it coming, Jeanne wanted him to be here, she was the one who recommend to their father that, Jaune should compete. And, now at the final round he learned why she was so adamant on getting him to compete. And, Beacon was five years away. That was plenty of time for someone to win the, Mistral Regionals for years in a row.

A one, Miss Pyrrha Nikos.

Jaune: Yep… I’m gonna kill you, Jeanne, mark my words…

She looked younger then when he last saw her; of course she would, this was a younger, less experienced, Pyrrha Nikos. Not the, Pyrrha Nikos he knew, loved, and lost. That was an age ago, a lifetime that was now lost. He shook himself, trying to brush away the old wounds, and focus on the here, and now.

: You’re pretty good.

Jaune: What?

Jaune’s stance relaxed as he saw, Pyrrha step forward, twirling her weapon as she prepared herself for the coming bout.

Pyrrha: I saw your previous fights, you’re pretty good. I haven’t seen someone fight that well before. It was really inspiring.

Jaune: Oh… Uhh… T-Thanks… I would say the same to you, but… My sister didn’t want me to know who I would be fighting against next.

Pyrrha: Oh? And, why is that.

Jaune: She said training, but I would have preferred the before hand knowledge of who my opponents are.

Pyrrha: Because I have more of an advantage than you do now?

Jaune: Do you now? Well then, pretty lady…

Jaune drew his sword, and shield, and adopted a defensive stance as we prepared to fight.

Jaune: Care to dance~?

Pyrrha’s perfect smile beamed across her face as she too readied her weapons, and levelled them towards, Jaune.

Pyrrha: My pleasure~!

A sound of a bell rang throughout the air, and the two contestants charged one another as hardened steel cried in rage as their swords battered against one another.

There was a small rule, Jaune liked to apply in a fight: Never go all out. Use small, and precise strikes, strong enough to withstand an opponent’s attack, and strong enough to test your opponent’s attack. This was done usually by quick thrust, and strikes carried out with a quick, precise flick of the wrist. All of this was done to check an opponent’s defences, and find that one weak point he could exploit to its fullest potential.

This time it was slightly different; Jaune, wanted to test, Pyrrha, and see if she was well on the way to become the woman he loved, and lost. And, so far she wasn’t disappointing him.

Pyrrha’s movements, and strikes were quick, and as precise as he remembered, well almost like he remembered. Pyrrha as she was now hadn’t developed her muscles, her reflexes, her overall combat prowess, and hell, she was at least over a foot shorter then when they met at, Beacon. Then again, so was he.

Jaune shook his head of these thought, she wasn’t the, Pyrrha of his past life, and neither was he. They were in a sense new people, meeting for the first time. So, as a opening introduction, Jaune bashed, Pyrrha’s face with his shield.

Jaune never saw himself as an expect conversationalist

Pyrrha stumbled back, her hand twirling her sword, Miló with grace before changing it into a spear, adopting a crouched defensive position. She thrust her spear rapidly at, Jaune who easily blocked it with his kite shield. Jaune was impressed, her hits were fast, and accurate, but they lacked the strength she needed if she wanted to really keep him back.

So, Jaune simply bashed her spear to the side, as he brought his sword in from the side to strike at, Pyrrha. And, as he had her completely exposed for an attack, he felt something tugging on his sword, causing him to swing higher than expected, allowing, Pyrrha to easily role away, and take a defensive position, her sword held at the ready.

Jaune just stared at his sword for a moment before shooting a challengingly smirk towards, Pyrrha. He simple twirled his sword in his hand, and went back on the offensive.

~~~

Jeanne’s eyes we’re locked with laser like focus as saw the spectacle before her. The speed, and strength of their strikes sent shockwaves through the air that she could feel upon her face all the way from her seat in the bleachers.

Jeanne had never really seen how, Jaune fought. Well, how he seriously fought. A training bout, and a duel were vastly different. One is calm, and simple; meant to help improve one skills so they will be better capable of fighting. A duel was to show how your skills were better than your opponent by crushing them in submission.

And, as she watched the two exchange blows, she understood that in their training bouts, Jaune had been going easy on her. But, now she understood, how easy he had been going on her.

Jeanne: Does he think I’m made of glass…?

Acheius: No, no he doesn’t, Jeanne.

Jeanne: What?! Are you kidding me, I mean look at that! He’s never like that when he fights me!

Jaune collapsed his shield into his sheath mode. And proceeded to us that as a second blade, to deflect, and parry, Pyrrha’s attacks before opening it again, and bashing, Pyrrha away. Causing a massive chip of her aura to fad away, pushing, Pyrrha over the brink, and into the yellow.

Jeanne: See! He’s never hit me that hard before!

Acheius: Because he knows you can take it.

Jeanne: What does rhat mean?

Acheius: Jaune knows full well that he could clock you square in the face, and you’d barely bat an eye. His training, as well as my training with you was to improve your foot work so you’d stop kissing the ground. And, if you don’t believe me, well, just ask, Jaune to punch you in the face. Then you’ll understand why he never saw you as made of glass.

Jeanne: Fine…

Acheius: Good, and with that you’ll also understand why your mother is putting you in dancing classes.

Jeanne: …

Jeanne: She’s doing what?

~~~

The duo were sent skidding across the ground until they stopped several feet apart from on another.

They crouched on shaky legs, their respective blades probing each other up as the stared down one another their breathing heavy, and faces dripping with sweat. Their fight had been gruelling, un relenting, and unforgiving, and the duo were having a blast.

Jaune looked over to the, Aura meter, and saw that they were both around, 50%. An annoyed chuckle escaped his lips as he looked over at, Pyrrha’s challenging smirk.

Jaune: I don’t suppose we could settle this by, ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors?’

Pyrrha: Haha~! No, no I don’t think they’d let us do that.

Jaune: Odds, or Evens then?

Pyrrha: Still don’t think they’d allow it.

Jaune: Naww…

Pyrrha: Cheer up, besides this has got to be the best fight you’ve ever had! You’ve been smiling the whole time!

Jaune: Aye, but we’ve been at this for ten minutes, and so far our auras are barely at 50%.

Pyrrha: And, that means I have to get you to 25% to win~!

Jaune: Haa… If that’s how it’s going to be…

Jaune shoved his sword back to his sheath before raising his weapon, and activating its bastard sword mode. Pyrrha stared with wide eyes, and this shocking new development, all while, Jaune smirk deviously at her.

Jaune: You best prepare yourself little lady~!

Jaune charged, Pyrrha, raising his weapon, high before he brought it down hard on, Pyrrha’s shield. Causing her legs to buckled falling into a kneeling stance from the force of the impact. Jaune brought in a hard slash from the side that sent, Pyrrha flying.

A shocked expression was engraved upon, Pyrrha’s face at the shear ferocity, and power behind each swing, until, Jaune’s struck with a force of a storm, that sent, Pyrrha’s weapon flying,

Pyrrha looked in stunned shock as her weapon was sent across the arena. She head turned to see, Jaune hold his sword above him, before thrusting towards, Pyrrha’s chest, striking with a deafening clash of metal, upon metal, that sent her flying. But before she fell, a loud, ‘bong’ sang there the air, to signalize that the match was finally over.

The colosseum erupted into a chorus of cheers as, Jaune walked over to, Pyrrha dazed form as she look skywards, his face filled with a shock, and confused expression as she saw, Jaune come into her field of view.

Pyrrha: I-I lost…?

Jaune: Yep, you lost.

Pyrrha: Really…?

Jaune: Haven’t lost a fight in a while have ya?

Pyrrha: N-No… No I haven’t.

Jaune: Oh, then its a good thing you lost then.

Pyrrha: It is, how?

Jaune grabbed, Pyrrha’s arm, and hoisted her up. He made sure she was okay, before walking over to pick up, Pyrrha’s weapon.

Jaune: Well for starters, it stops you from getting cocky. Makes you realize you are not invincible. This could probably save your life in the long. Stop you from running head first into a situation that could get you killed because of your arrogance.

Jaune picked up, Pyrrha’s spear before passing it back to her her, who caught it with ease.

Pyrrha: That’s… That’s some pretty good advice…

Jaune: Any advice that will keep you alive is good advice.

Pyrrha: Haha~! That is true.

Jaune: Besides, you did learn some valuable lessons. Which are more valuable that some shiny cup.

Pyrrha: Hmm, that I did. More so that I need to focus more on muscle strength, my flexibility, and overall endurance.

Jaune: And, learn better control of your semblance.

Pyrrha’s eyes widened in shock as she looked away nervously.

Pyrrha: I-I-I don’t know what you’re t-talking about… I-I don’t have a semblance.

Jaune laughed as he watched, Pyrrha try, and stumble her way out through a terribly concealed lie.

Jaune: One: That was adorable, trying to lie like that.

Pyrrha: A-Adorable?

Jaune: Second: You really think I didn’t feel that little tug on my sword now did you?

Pyrrha: You noticed?!

Jaune: Barely, most people probably wouldn’t notice it. So I recommend you work on your control of your semblance… Whatever it is. Might save your life one day.

Pyrrha: I’ll… I’ll go do that.

Jaune: Well, It has been a pleasure, Pyrrha. I look forward to our next fight.

Pyrrha: So do I. And, thank you for the lesson, Jaune.

Jaune: No problem.

Jeanne: Jaune!

Jaune: Uh oh…

Before, Jaune could turn around, he felt his younger sister jump on his back, and hug him.

Jeanne: You won, you won, you won!

Jaune: Yes, yes I won. Please get off of me.

Jeanne quickly got off her brother before bouncing in front of, Jaune’s face with a wild look in her eyes.

Jeanne: Now, before you go, and collect your fancy cup, you need to do something for me!

Jaune: I do?

Jeanne: Yes!

Jaune: And, that would be…?

Jeanne: Punch me in the face!

Jaune: …

Jaune: Okay.

Jaune reeled his fist back, and threw a solid punch dead centre on, Jeanne’s face. The force of the punch rocked her head back for a moment before she went back up. She looked at her brother with a wide smile on her face before her hands shot up, and she cheered loudly.

Jeanne: Whooo! I can take a punch! I can take a punch! Take that, Nikos! I can take a… Whaaaa?!!

(Thud!)

Jeanne: Oww…

Jaune, and Pyrrha looked down as the sad form of, Jeanne as she face planted the floor.

Pyrrha: She needs to work on her foot work…

Jaune: We’ve been trying… But, yeah…

[rwbyvein]

Firen Lhain: Chapter 704: Shaken:  Part II / III

Blake's head appeared from overtop of the guardhouse atop the tower, looking upside down at Aurora. She was shocked when Aurora looked up at her, though smiled when she saw her smiling face. "You're really good at that."

"Anticipating your mistress' needs is quite important for a servant."

"You are a REALLY good servant." Blake said, her head still upside down.

"I am paid QUITE well for it." Aurora stated. "You seem to be more comfortable." Blake flipped off of the roof and stood in front of Aurora, who was seated at the comms station. Blake looked at her curiously. "You seem more at home."

"Maybe because it is a home." Blake said, and spun about, "Castle?"

"It's not just that," Aurora said to her, "you are more comfortable being a Faunus." Blake gave her a shocked look. "Was it Jaune?" Aurora asked. Blake paused for a moment before lightly nodding. "He has done wonderful things for me as well." Aurora stated, and stood, taking a couple of steps towards her until the two were but a few feet apart, looking into each other's eyes. Aurora then looked out over the parapets and down the mountain beyond. She walked over, and Blake stepped up beside her. The two made their way to the parapets, looking between two of the rocky hills. "Before my mistress hired me, I had been rebuked at every attempt at improving my lot in life. I had worked long and hard to develop my skills, but... was only hired by unsavoury sorts. I honestly don't know why I applied to be her assistant."

"Did you know?.."

"Of course not." Aurora stated, "her father spends a lot of money to make sure that information does not get out."

"Well," Blake said, "it's a good thing you did." She then jumped up to the top of a parapet, sitting like a cat. She looked at Aurora and nodded her head to the other parapet. Aurora simply looked at it, nervously, hesitantly. "I know you can climb." Blake said to her.

"It," Aurora voiced, "doesn't mean I'm okay with heights."

"You wanted to be a CEO and are afraid of a little tower?" Blake asked her.

Aurora slipped off her shoes, felt the parapet with her hands. Her fingera stuck to it, and then her toes, and she breathed in deep before climbing up. Slowly she ascended, until she reached the top, eight feet higher than when she started. She squatted down, ensuring all of her fingers and toes were stuck to the parapet.

"In Menagerie, we have the greatest taboo." Blake voiced.

"There is... one thing..." Aurora slowly voiced, "that all cultures consider taboo..."

"Acting like an animal." Blake said, and Aurora's head snapped over towards her. "We spend all of our lives trying to be Human, but... we're better than Humans." Aurora scowled at her. "I don't mean it in that way. We can do things they cannot. I don't mean that any one person is worth more than another. But, I have cat ears, so I can locate things better than Humans. I can climb and jump better than Humans, and I can see at night better than any Human. Why should we spend so much time focusing on being Human?"

"To guess?," Aurora asked, "to prove to ourselves that we're not just wild animals." She paused for a moment, and turned to Blake, "Do you know what separates people from animals?"

"Uh, tool use?" Blake asked.

"A good answer, but no." Aurora stated, "I watched a video of a crow using the principle of displacement to solve a puzzle."

"Opposable thumbs?" Blake asked.

"Monkeys and Beringels." Aurora stated.

"Aura!"

"Ruby and Yang have a dog, right?" Aurora asked, and Blake instantly, reflexively recoiled. She stood on her feet before Aurora continued, "Now, did he really get launched at high speed into a Paladin?"

"In a fire ball." Blake said, nervously nodding her head.

"Aura?" Aurora asked, and Blake's eyes grew wide with shock.

"Alright?," Blake asked her, "what do you think it is?"

"Cooperation between unrelated males." Aurora said, and Blake looked at her curiously. "No other species has that level of cooperation between them."

"Wolf packs?" Blake asked, thinking about Ruby.

"Families." Aurora said with glee. "No one else has kingdoms."

Blake thought for a moment, ants were all related, and their armies female. A lot of species had groups of females, typically related. Herds weren't cooperative, they just followed each other. She looked over at Aurora curiously.

"The kingdoms are what make us people." Aurora stated.

"But what about Menagerie?" Blake asked.

"Basically a kingdom. None of the kingdoms are really kingdoms anymore."

"We are like a republic," Blake voiced, "sort of. So as long as we maintain social cohesion?," Blake asked, "we'll still be people? That makes a weird kind of sense. Are you sure about this, though?"

"This is what I can gleam from Jaune," Aurora said to her, "who seems to have a vital definition of self. For him, being a Faunus isn't really a thing. Sure, we have traits different from Humans, but that doesn't change our value. Our differences are what define us, not divide us."

"Are you sure you're not into him?" Blake eagerly asked her, head rapidly moving towards her, "like, seriously into him?"

Aurora thought for a moment, "I have a lesbian boycrush on him."

Blake thought for a moment, "That," she voiced, "makes a lot more sense than it should. So, what were you up to?"

"Making contacts." Aurora stated.

"Of course." Blake added.

"I don't have the luxury of being on a honeymoon."

"Are you jealous?" Blake eagerly asked, her head once again lunging towards her.

Aurora smiled before replying, "Of course I am."

"Of course you are..." Blake voiced.

"But," Aurora continued, "don't mistake that as a complaint. I am more content than I have ever been in my life"

Blake just smiled and looked out over the rocky approach. Aurora smiled and joined her.

* * *

Jaune leaned back on the couch with eyes closed. Weiss was elegantly snuggled up beside him, eyes closed as well. Ruby and Yang walked up to them. Weiss opened her eyes, "Can we help you?"

"Ruby and me want to fight."

Jaune's eyes opened, "You mean spar."

"Yeah, that." Yang said, and a pregnant pause followed.

"Can?," Weiss asked, "we help you?"

"We need a place!" Ruby exclaimed.

Jaune's head turned around a few times, "Uh?' he asked.

"Like, flat." Yang said.

"That is a quandary." Weiss stated.

Jaune's eyes unfocused for a moment before refocusing, "Well, I guess we have to use the space we have."

"I guess that makes sense." Yang said, and turned to leave, Ruby eagerly turning to follow her.

"But," Jaune said, and they stopped and turned around. "Two conditions."

"Shoot." Yang stated.

"And they are?" Ruby added.

"One," Jaune said, "when knocked down, the fight stops until you recover."

"I guess that makes sense?" Yang asked.

"But?!" Ruby asked.

"Her fighting style..." Weiss stated.

"Involves ground fighting." Jaune finished, "But until you get comfortable fighting there, that's the rule."

"And if we don't follow the rule?" Yang asked.

"You will be spanked." Weiss quipped.

Both of the sisters just looked at them blankly. "You keep this up, Ice Queen, it might be your pretty little butt that gets whacked."

"I shall endeavour to keep it's integrity." Weiss stated, "Except, well, you know..."

Yang started snickering while Ruby's head and tail nervously moved about.

"And the second?" Weiss asked.

"Have someone to watch you," Jaune said, "to make sure you don't hurt each other."

"What?," Yang asked, "like Ren?"

"Yes." Jaune stated.

* * *

Aurora awkwardly, nervously climbed down the parapet until she was back on the roof.

* * *

Jaune sat on a rocky prominence, Weiss sitting elegantly beside him, looking down at RBY + NR below him. He looked around curiously. "Ilia?" he asked, and she appeared beside him, her skin returning to normal. "And I thought Contrary was bad at that." he voiced, "We're all here!" he shouted, "Alright, here are the rules!"

Nora stood up, augustly inflating her chest, "Says who?!"

"Your king on high!" Jaune bellowed.

"You're not so tall!" Nora shouted at him, which caused Yang to start snickering. "What?" Nora asked her.

"Perhaps because he quite literally is." Ren stated.

"Okay, yeah?," Nora asked, "but he's still sitting?"

"Still taller than you." Ruby said to her.

"A lot of people are taller than me." Nora replied, "I just don't let it bother me."

"The rules are for everyone's safety!" Jaune shouted. "Now, we don't have much of a training area, so we have to use what we have!"

Blake's eyes quickly looked around, Nora craning her neck. "Where is it?!" Nora asked.

"Everywhere!" Jaune stated, "That's the problem. We have a lot of space, it's just a bit uneven."

"And a high grade!" Weiss added.

"I don't know what makes you think it's so good?!" Nora asked.

"She means steep." Ren stated.

"It is kind of steep." Nora replied.

"This is the terrain we have!" Jaune continued, "Which, would teach us to fight better on uneven terrain! Anyways, rules! Rule 1, you need a referee!"

"For like points?," Nora asked, "because, like, I'm really bad at that!"

"No!" Jaune simply stated, "To make sure we don't get hurt. If the ref tells you to stop, you stop."

"That seems too easy?" Nora asked, "What's the catch?!"

"The what?" Jaune asked.

"She is waiting for the other shoe to drop!" Ren shouted with a bright smile.

"Stop when the other person gets knocked down!" Jaune shouted. "As long as we have enough aura to take the fall... and a bit of rolling down the hill, we'll be fine. Worst thing that's going to happen?," Jaune asked, "is I break my antlers, and I'm not going to get too worried about it. I just don't want to see anyone get hurt."

"Except him." Yang stated.

"Exactly." Jaune replied.

[davidmann95]

Thoughts on the RWBY Finale?

On a scale from ‘capable of empathy’ to ‘psychopath’, that beautiful, uplifting final song was a solid ‘would stab you without so much as twitching just to see what your blood looks like’. Fuck.

* The minor note upfront for some spoiler buffering: so there are three Ace-Ops sticking around in some capacity? Huh. And I thought Vine’s sacrifice was the reason for the NSH phone number being listed before the description at first.

* I’m gonna say it’s 50/50 on a Penny resurrection. On the one hand that scene and that final song screamed “we’re not fucking around, this is not a fakeout, she’s gone now”, and as sudden and horrible as it was it does feel like a fair-game end to her arc as presented, plus even if she doesn’t fully come back there’s still a good chance of a further goodbye. On the other there was the conspicuous hanging thread of “Pietro could bring her back one more time but maybe at the expense of his own life”, and if we are getting an afterlife arc I could easily see a situation where only one person can come back and Pyrrha insists it be Penny because she had the absolution of her blood being washed off her hands and she wants that for Jaune. And with the former there’s the additional complication that she’d be put back in a robot body, which would still be her permanently losing something precious to her she only got to experience briefly that’d be cruel in a way I don’t see the show going with.

* Speaking of the afterlife, that’s the general consensus for what the next season is going to be about (though if so I expect the first episode to be all about the rest of the cast, so that trailers don’t spoil it) and that’s what I’m leaning towards myself. There’s the easy ‘this is how Pyrrha becomes involved again for awhile’ angle, and if Neo’s there that means Roman will be, but does it also mean Adam and Jacques will be? Clover and Vine? Hazel and Watts? Sienna Khan? And assuming we won’t be seeing Summer, how will they be able to effectively wring that for drama when Ruby and Yang have already guessed she’s alive? If it isn’t the afterlife I’m guessing it’s a new world the Brothers created since leaving Remnant - it’s definitely connected to them somehow with the tree mirroring theirs - and that’s how you get that confrontation.

* I wonder how things are going to go with Nora in terms of finding some distance from Ren when he’s 33.3% of the people she knows still around. And did Winter know what Jaune had to do, and if so are Ren and Nora and Oscar going to have to live with that being their final memory of him for the time being?

* Suppose Jaune needed something after plateauing for the last couple volumes, and dammit this actually is a really good twist of the knife to apply to him. He’s basically built his identity around becoming a protector, going from the boy consumed by grief who upgraded his weaponry to forsake his shield in favor of a bigger sword, to the man who finally accepted that no, he’s the shield-wielder and the healer, and in that found the heroism he’d always sought. And now...what? For all that, he has another death he couldn’t stop that he’ll feel responsible for, and his family’s heirloom is shattered (and how will he react to that in and of itself? Did he at least keep the hilt with pieces of Pyrrha’s circlet embedded that he’d consider the most important part? Definitely reinforces that we’ll see some kind of reunion/confrontation with his parents before the end). How does that alter his mindset going forward? How will he face Ruby? Pyrrha, if that’s what’s coming? How does he ever fight again, or think of himself as a leader? You could argue he doesn’t need to go through that crucible, but the show’s still got however many seasons left, gotta give the man something to do and this is as on-point as anything possible.

* Well heck, I thought for a good long time “I hope we get some kind of substantial interaction between Jaune and Penny, there’s a lot there you could unpack!” and well it’s not like I was wrong, was I. Hell, half-considered early on if they might become a thing just because of that thematic weight + her being so aggressively his type, guess that’s out the window (though if anything should she be resurrected I’ll go from ‘hmm, that’d be interesting and probably sweet, won’t break my heart if it doesn’t happen though’ to actively rooting for it just because that would be the most hilariously horrific meet-cute of all time).

[valkyrieelysia18]

RWBY Rewrite: The Jaundice Arc

Hey there everybody! Sorry it’s been awhile since you’ve heard from me, but I’ve got a job now and less of writing drive than I had when I was high school/college. Doesn’t mean it’s completely gone though and now I’m going to tackle the point that people started to really have problems with RWBY: the Jaundice Arc.

I know, big guns, but frankly I wanted to get this one. Partially because I want to do Jaune’s post eventually and I feel like I need to do this one before I can do that one, and partially because like I said before: this point where people really started to have problems with the show. And more specifically, this when people REALLY start to dislike Jaune.

Now, I’ve touched on my feelings on him before, but let me get this all out and over with. I don’t hate Jaune and I don’t think he’s an inherently bad character. Almost everyone on this show has been written badly and I think the absolutely simmering undercurrents that some parts of the RWDE community have for him is perhaps a little over the top. Personally, I think the core idea of his character is pretty good and he’s at his best in my opinion when he’s playing support to the other characters.

That being said, I completely understand why people dislike him. He has been constantly given focus away from the main team, which started in Volume 1 which was already short as it was to devote about a quarter of your episodes to a non main character in your first season. He also doesn’t suffer nearly as much for the consequences of his actions while the female characters get constant crap for theirs. I’m not even going to go into the Miles Luna Author Self Insert thing.

After having read fan fiction and seen some rewrite scenarios on Youtube, I personally think that Jaune can be written well so long as he’s not being written by Miles and Kerry. With that, I’m ready to take my crack at it.

Setup

As I said, Jaune took massive screen time away from the main characters since early on in the series. There’s an easy way to fix this. As I stated in an earlier post, I was going to spend the first volume/season focusing on Team RWBY aside from a small potential team up with Team JNPR. Jaune, and his other teammates, would mainly be relegated to comedy and background support for the main four girls after the Initiation. I’d throw in a few hints of what’s to come with them, but that’s it. Thus, I’d actually put the Jaundice Arc in the second volume/season which would be significantly larger than the first.

Because we’d be doing it then, we’d have bit more buildup for this story. Cardin’s bullying and enmity towards Jaune would be set up in the prior volume/season’s class interactions. As I noted in my School Rewrite, Jaune’s strategic abilities would also be showcased early on as well as Cardin’s tendency to go head on and brutal without realizing potential problems with that approach. Jaune’s relationship with Pyrrha and the rest of his team would also be better set up.

Now that the board is set, let’s get to it.

Student Days

The first thing I would absolutely change is making it clear that Jaune is actually trying. That was the thing that really did irk me with how Miles and Kerry wrote this arc, despite having gone through the effort of cheating his way into a huntsman academy, he then proceeds to goof off and put absolutely no effort into it. So, before and during this arc, it’ll be clearly shown he’s been studying like crazy and putting in extra time into the fighting simulations that are available for students. He’s not failing in terms of his regular studies, but he’s not top of the class either. In terms of physical combat, he’s the worst in his year, but he’s exceptional in Strategy and Tactics. This I think would be a good and reasonable place for Jaune starting out given his character and background prior to the series.

Thing is, this pisses Cardin off. He sees how much of a weakling Jaune is as a fighter and can see that he is so out of place at Beacon. Despite this, he’s paired with arguably the strongest person in their class who hangs on his every word and has (unintentionally) been showing him up as a leader during Strategy and Tactics. He knows something is off with Jaune, leading him to spy on him to figure out what’s up.

I wouldn’t change that much with him and Pyrrha’s interaction on the roof, I already briefed the reason why Pyrrha trusts him as a leader in her rewrite post. Maybe throw in a hint that his father really didn’t want Jaune to become a huntsman, but I’ll get into that when I get into his backstory proper.

I also wouldn’t change that much revolving in his talk with Cardin straight after save for one thing. After Jaune is left alone with his thoughts on this situation his lies have gotten him into, the scene shifts to being shown on a screen, making it clear that this is being watched from a camera on the roof. A finger taps on the screen a few times and we hear a familiar pensive hum.

The fall out with his team and his one on one with Ruby isn’t really changed, aside from Ren and Nora being more vocally concerned about Jaune’s actions and Pyrrha’s frosty change in behavior which the latter shoots down the concerns sharply.

Forever Falls/Aftermath

I don’t think I’ll change that much regarding the trip itself. I was thinking of mentioning the reason the teams are there is because this is their group task for the month (gathering sap for Professor Peach, who would actually be here taking originally Glynda’s place) and that’s why it’s only these three teams here. Same overall events occur: CRDL tries to get Pyrrha, Jaune stands up to Cardin, Grimm take down with Pyrrha’s unknown aid.

Jaune does apologize to Pyrrha like in the original and ask to train him. Though I was thinking that he’d get something a bit more painful than just a hard shove. I was thinking she’d take his hand and tackle him to the ground hard while pointing out his weaknesses.

This will cut to Ozpin’s office, with Cardin finishing up with telling his version of events who is obviously very agitated from the day’s events. In this Rewrite, there is no reason why he wouldn’t just tell on Jaune. Ozpin merely takes it all in with pensive expression before asking about the light that seemed to protect Jaune. Cardin answers this with confusion and some surprise, Ozpin nodding with a “Good to know” before updating a file on his tablet. Cardin is even more confused and asks what the Headmaster is going to do about Jaune. His answer: Nothing.

Cardin is shocked and furious at the Headmaster, going into him a bit before threatening to go to the board with this. Ozpin responds that even if he did so, he wouldn’t have a case. Cardin is completely confused as Ozpin explains: When students apply for Beacon, their applications go through extensive background checks before there are selections for the second round (ie the Entrance Exam). Such fake transcripts would have been discovered around that time.....had they actually gone through the admissions board. As it was, Jaune’s was accepted through an alternative.

But honestly, that’s not to say the admissions board is completely infallible, Ozpin would muse. Some are very inclined to promote those connected to them, others are interested in advancing their career elsewhere,.....and some might be inclined to take money from very influential people, such as a well meaning Uncle whose Council seat is up for reelection soon. Cardin gets noticeably stiff at that last one. Then Ozpin bring up some videos to the screen, all of them showing Cardin and his team bullying others, particularly Faunus students. The headmaster then would muse aloud that he wonder how Councilman Winchester, or moreso his Faunus opponent, would react to such un-Huntsman like behavior getting out into the news. Cardin immediately gets what the headmaster wants and goes completely quiet. Ozpin would merely say that he is a big believer in second chances and that while he understands that shenanigans in such as a school as this is to expected, Cardin would do best to remember that even if he thinks no one is watching he should act like there is. This cuts the meeting to a close with Cardin leaving quietly and Oz going back to his tablet, clicking back to a file with Jaune’s symbol on in it amongst others files with symbols on them. Only Jaune’s is a different color than the others and a scroll up would show us only one other file with that same color: Ruby’s.

Okay, it feels like I spent a lot of this post musing on the Cardin and Ozpin scene (really I could have done a oneshot on it), but this really was an important scene to establish some very important things to this Rewrite.

1. Ozpin is not an idiot. Ozpin is shown to be very aware of what’s going on at his school. While he may not get directly involved with things, he is shown to be watching his students. And while he is shown to be merciful in giving Cardin a second chance after the crap he pulled, he is also shown to not be a pushover. With such vigilance showcased, it will the Fall of Beacon even more devastating in how Ozpin missed his enemies working under his nose.

2. Ozpin’s true nature and goals are thrown into question. This rewrite is going to be more morally gray, especially in regards to Ozpin. Not only has he blackmailed a student to keep it quiet about another student, he knowingly let someone into his school he knew wasn’t qualified. In this rewrite up until this point he would have been shown as a distant but well intentioned headmaster. Now, he’s just gotten plenty shady. It would also bring into question Ruby’s enrollment into Beacon given that she got in in the same way (also strengthening those two’s parallels, but I digress).

3. Makes us question why Ozpin let Jaune in and sets up that Jaune is important in some way. As noted in my musings in a previous post, it makes no sense for Jaune to have gotten into Beacon unless Ozpin saw his transcripts and accepted him on that alone. Since we are shown in this scene Ozpin is aware of the transcripts, it makes us question what did he accept Jaune for. This also sets up that he will be important to the story moving forward, and not just as the revenge driven not ex boyfriend of the girl who tragically died.

Now, why did Ozpin accept him? Well, that will be covered in his own character post. I think this is plenty long enough and I think I will do something different before I get back to these Rewrite post. I hope like this one more than the last.

See you all! And stay save in this Covid time!