#to where yang can trust that blake won't leave and blake can know they don't hate her

[razorblade180]

Hot Take: I wish Arrowfell had a mission where you worked with Robyn. It would have built up trust with Team RWBY and show why Yang and Blake trusted her. But nope. She's not even mentioned in the game. It just makes me feel like Yang and Blake's choice was a dumber risk then it already was since they where trusting a stranger that already didn't even know them. Yes, Robyn looked like a good person. But so did Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, and Lionhart. Ozpin didn't even tell them the whole truth (which, again, he had his reasons but still) You think after all that and agreeing to keep Ironwood out of the loop they would at least tell Ruby and the others they where taking a risk. But nope. It makes it feel like Yang and Blake don't trust the others, even if that wasn't the intention. I'm sorry for always bring this up, but that choice and what happened in Vol 8 still rubs me the wrong way, especially since they probably won't ever properly talk about it if/when RWBY comes back.

Actually, now that I think about it: Why wasn't it Ruby, Nora, or Ren telling Robyn about Amity. Robyn actually knows them, has talked with them, and can tell they mean well. Far as I remember, she's never met Yang and Blake before then. (Sorry, this got away from me. This topic just burns me up)

Arrowfell wouldn’t be able to have a Robyn mission because I’m pretty sure it takes place during the montage in V7, which is canonically before any of them interacted with Robyn.

I do wish Nora was the one to tell Robyn considering she was the one actively against Ironwood’s method. It also would’ve added more parallels and tension in the differences between her and Ren, who wanted to follow orders.

Honestly I do not fully believe what I am about to say at all, but if I think about it too long, it kinda feels like Robyn’s existence is a thing because RT still wanted the team to gain help from Atlas via an experienced adult with troops, but they made James evil.

It is weird narratively to leave from one place with a headmaster that turned foe, to go to the next destination and you gotta fight the headmaster again. Between that, and them being upset at Oz, you would think one of them would’ve said “Should we really be going to Shade?” There’s no positive experience going to an academy. 💀

[itsclydebitches]

They honestly could have made Ruby's ascension work if it was framed as a last resort.

Instead of being coerced into drinking the tea by Neo, have Neo mortally wound Ruby, and as she's fading away, Yang, Weiss, Blake, and Jaune make her a cup of tea from the Tree's leaves to find some way to save any semblance of her.

"any semblance" I see what you did there lol

But that's an idea, anon! I can buy that working as a solution, particularly in a version of RWBY that's done a better job with Volumes 7-8, specifically in teaching the girls that often you'll never have good options, only comparatively less shitty ones. Ruby ascending could be framed as a horrific choice based on all they've learned about the process, as tantamount to giving into the Cat's desires, as downright dangerous since they don't even know if she'll react the same way as someone from this world... but is all that worse than letting her die? If RWBY really has to delve into suicide allegories, there are compelling (and less insulting/triggering) questions surrounding our sense of self. Is it better to perish as you are, or live as a fundamentally new person? Does Ruby have a responsibility to continue this war, or has she earned the right to passively bow out now that Neo has forced her hand? I can imagine a strained, hectic, emotional scene in which the group agonizes over whether to give Ruby the tea or not. How far are they willing to go to save her? When does death become a mercy in the face of what "living" might entail, especially if they're not even sure if she'll ever leave the tree? Pit Yang's desperate need to save her little sister at any cost against Blake's horror that she won't be Ruby anymore; Jaune's total disgust over the Tree and his adamant refusal to do that to Ruby against Weiss' unyielding belief that surviving horrible circumstances is always the right call; those in the group who are still blindly optimistic vs. those who, in this moment when tensions are that their highest, are asking what they're even saving Ruby for. Salem is going to kill us all anyway.

I might be re-watching The Walking Dead atm. There are lots of great conversations like that in the show

Plus, something like this would have been even better if the show had actually done something with Penny's resurrection. Give me a version of RWBY where Penny died at Beacon, Penny 2.0 is built with her memories, but she's still her own person working with what amounts to her predecessor's data without having experienced any of that herself. Ruby then spends Volumes 7-8 grappling with this. How can she love her as Penny when she's not Penny? How can she reconcile getting to know someone new who remembers everything Penny did? By the time they're separated she's come to terms with this, has come to love Penny 2.0 as her own person, and it's this acceptance that allows Ruby to choose to ascend. While everyone else is fighting over what they think she should do, she uses her final breaths to make the choice for herself, the choice to live, with the faith that her family will grow to love her despite the challenge of accepting someone new as "Ruby." What happens to Penny via technology happens to Ruby via magic, a parallel wherein horrible acts by the villains force them both to change, but they wrest back their agency after the fact and choose how they'll embrace the change, even if they didn't want it. Ruby, kinda literally, trusts in the love her teammates have for her and drinks the tea, knowing that whoever she is afterwards will be someone worth becoming. Her family's love will make sure of that.

[reashot]

Day 4 of 9 days of Lancaster. Game Night/ Do You Want To Play A Game?/Blake has gone lost her fu*king mind and finally went on the deep end.

Also sorta sequel to day 3.

Jaune: Uhhh. My head.... Ru-Ruby where are you!?

Ruby: Ugh....I'm right here Jaune. W-what just happened?

Jaune: Oh Ruby are you hurt? Please say you're not!

Ruby: I-I'm fine Jaune. I'm not hurt, I'm Okay.

Jaune: Oh, thank Oum! *embrace Ruby* If something were to happen to you I don't know I what I would have done. You're my best friend in the world.

Ruby:

Thank you Jaune, but you should care about yourself more.

Jaune: Ruby, you know I can't do that.

Ruby: I know and that's the part that I love so much about you. But I meant what I said Jaune. You should take better care of yourself.

Jaune: No promise. Now if you excuse me let me continue hugging you.

Ruby: Oh Jaune~💕

But their tender moment is then cut short by a loud sound coming from the monitor. The Voice sounds mechanical.

??? : Do you want to play a game?

Jaune: Who are you?!

??? : My Name is Jig Cat, I mean Black Saw... I mean. Just call me the "Shipper." Do not be alarmed but I have captured you two and if you want to be free, you have to play a game. So what do you say. You two are interested?

Jaune: We will not play any of your sick game! Look just let us go and we won't tell anyone. We promise.

Ruby: Don't try to reason with the deranged kidnapper Jaune. Stand back we're busting out of here.... Wait where's my baby? Where's my Crescent Rose?!!

Shipper: Are you looking for this?

Ruby: My baby! You monster give her back!

Shipper: Only if you play my game and I also have your boyfriend's sword with me.

Jaune&Ruby: *blush* We're not together!

Shipper: Lie all you want. But I know how you two acted around each other. Now do you want to play the game or not?

Ruby: uhh....

Jaune: Psstt... Ruby I say we play along until we figured out a way to escape from here.

Ruby: And also find a way to free our weapons too, right?

Jaune: Yes, Ruby and also free our weapons. Okay we agree to play your games.

Shipper: Excellent. Now for the first game is... I want to see you hold hand.

Jaune: Wait, seriously? I think we might be getting out of here sooner than we think Ruby...

Ruby: NO!!!!

Jaune: Why are you screaming Ruby?

Ruby: B-be-because holding hand is lewd, okay!

Shipper: But I just saw you giving him a lap pillow!

Ruby: But that's fine if it between friends. Holding hands should only be with your loved one.

Shipper: Y-you are absolutely unbelievable. Fine! If you don't want to hold hands with him then I will break Crescent Rose instead.

Ruby: You monster!!!

Jaune: Ruby. I think we should not anger the crazy person currently holding us hostage.

Ruby: Ugh okay fine. Here!

Jaune: See Ruby there's nothing to be embarassed about...

Ruby: *Ruby_EXE STOP_WORKING*

Shipper: Excellent, excellent. Now we shall continue. Now kiss him.

Ruby: WHAT!!!!!!!

Shipper: You heard me. Kiss him now and on the lips. I want to see tongue too.

Jaune: Look. This has gone too far. You can't force someone to kiss without their consent.

Shipper: Then the two of you will never leave this room and Ruby will never see Crescent Rose again.

Ruby: Let's do it Jaune!!!

Jaune: Ruby, are you sure you want to do this?

Ruby: I'm sure! If not she will break Crescent Rose.

Jaune: Ruby... *hugs her* You don't have to do this if you don't want it to. And even if Crescent Rose is broken I can help you fix it.

Ruby: Jaune.... I want to do it!

Jaune: You sure?

Ruby: Yes I'm sure. But this will be my first kiss, so I have to apologize if I did something wrong.

Jaune: This will be my first kiss too, Ruby. And I'm sorry that your first kiss have to be with me.

Ruby: No. If anything I'm glad my first kiss will be with you. Because I trust you.

Jaune: Ruby...

Shipper: (OMG, they're finally going to kiss!)

*sound of door opening*

Yang: Oh there you are Rubes, I been looking for you... And what are you and Vomit Boy are doing?

Ruby: *Push Jaune away* Nothing, nothing. We totally didn't try to kiss each other. Ha, ha, ha..... Anyway Jaune and I gotta go. Bye sis.

Shipper: No!!!!!!

[honeyby]

I can't believe I just read "I find b/umbleby can be just as toxic as t/auradonna" with my own two eyes

[juanarc-thethird]

The Sex Games! 

Inside Team RWBY's room.

Ruby: I'm bored

Yang: Me too. Do you want to hit things?

Ruby: No

Weiss: Why don't you review what we saw in class?

Ruby: Ugh, no

Blake: I can lend you one of my books.

Ruby: Do you have comics?

Blake: No

Ruby: Then no. I want to do something fun.

Their door bursts open.

Bleiss: How are you sluts?! You girls want to win a lot of money?!

Weiss: Bleiss, what are you doing?!

Bleiss: Relax sis. I'm only promoting the contest that I create.

Yang: What is the contest about?

Bleiss: Contestants will play multiple party games. One by one they will go out, until only one is left victorious. The winner will receive $100,000 in cash!!!

All the girls in the room, except for Weiss, were shocked to hear that amount.

Yang: $100,00 in cash!! Holy shit!!

Blake: With that money I could eat all the fish I wanted!!

Ruby: I could buy all the accessories for my baby with that money!!

Weiss: You guys get excited for such a small amount of money?

Silence

Ruby: ....Shut the fuck up, Weiss.

Yang: Where can we sign up?

Bleiss: Hold on, there is something else I must mention to you. The losers of each round will have a punishment. The closer to the end they are, the greater the punishment.

Ruby: Are they like dares? What kind of dares?

Bleiss: *Smiles* Something like that and is a surprise. Don't worry, it's not bad. It's pure fun for everyone!

Weiss: I don't trust that smile. What are you up to?

Bleiss: I'm not plotting anything. I just want to give away my money and have some fun. We girls need time to have fun and unwind.

Ruby: "We girls"? Guys don't participate?

Bleiss: Nope, it's for girls only.

Yang: I'm in!

Blake: Me too!

Ruby: Me three!

Weiss: Seriously, you girls want to participate in a contest that my sister created?! The same girl who rented Jaune for…obscene things!

Bleiss: Hey, there are a lot of girls who want a piece of my Jaune, who am I to deny them the sweet fruit of eden. Also two of your teammates, I won't say names, they are still my clients~

Weiss: What?!

She turns to look at her team and none of them look at her face.

Bleiss: So are you going to join them or what?

Ruby: C'mon Weiss, don't be boring!

Yang: Yes Weiss, loosen up a bit!

Blake: Leave her, she's a proper girl, she doesn't know how to have fun.

Weiss: What did you say?!

Blake: You heard me.

Weiss: Fine! I will join your stupid contest.

Bleiss: *with a dangerous smile* Excellent, when everything is ready I will send you the location where the event will take place. I just need to get more contestants. See ya~

Bleiss walks out, leaving the girls alone.

Yang: Did she mention what the contest is called?

Ruby: Nop, but we can ask her later. What would you two do with the money if you won?

Yang: Well...

While the girls talk about what they will do with the money. Weiss feels that something is wrong with this contest.

Weiss: (What are you up to sister?)

----------------------------------

I had this idea for a while after watching a Derpixon video. The idea is almost the same as that video but I plan to do it my way, step by step. Each new part of the story will lose someone and they will receive a punishment. From the name of the title they already know what types of punishments they will receive. If you have suggestions for games for large numbers of people, please share them with me in the comments. I know some but not many, and your ideas would save me time.

[everafterfrisk]

Wanted to leave this for my critique section for the Ruby Rose video Essay but I kinda want to share my thoughts at the moment regardless cuz this video is Horrendous(I'll still discuss it in the Full video when it's done though)

https://youtu.be/wLzGp8ZTg-U

For his main points/claims presented in the video:

-Jumps to the Assumption that -Focusing on Oscar/Ruby and Jaune/Ruby relationships = Shipping apparently

-Salem is just Crazy EX wife

-Ruby is Never Affected by Pyrrha's Death

- Activating Silver Eyes from only her Mother,despite No mentions of her Mother in Vol 4-5-6,

-Ruby is so Vapid and Empty that all her interactions are seen as Shipping Fuel

-Jaune conflicts with Ozpin makes no sense

-"Why should I believe these two close are close eachother when they have a lack of scenes"

^Talking about Jaune/Ruby and Blake/Yang

-Pyrrha could've been a factor in Oscar's Arc

-Jaune Fighting Cinder was Dumb

-Why aren't Nora & Ren in the scenes Ruby and Jaune

-Oscar is just nothing but Shipping bait for Ruby

-Ruby is Obsessed with Oscar with no reason?

-Jaune doesn't Care about Pyrrha's Death?

-Jaune Resolves his issues in One episode(The Whole Jaune Ozpin Argument)

-The Writers Hate Pyrrha

Time for My counter Arguments

Starting with the Main Bread and Butter

Lancaster & Rose Garden Critiques

>I find this section the most baffling because Adel aka goes on a full rant on how Ruby has moments with Jaune & Oscar ALONE(Without others like Ren, Nora etc) which totally equates to Shipping Bait and not well I don't know....

Building up the relationships of the characters while also simultaneously imply moments that can be read through a Romantic lense

Oscar and Ruby having a ton of interactions with eachother because in a way Oscar can relate to Ruby who had the whole world on her shoulders, while he has the bear the mantle Ozpin gave him by entering a War he shouldn't of had a part in.

-Them Training with Eachother in a H2H sparring Match(Vol 5)

-Ruby's Speech with Him about the fall of Beacon(Vol 5)

-Vault of the Spring Maiden(Vol 5) Oscar rushed to Ruby's side during the Haven fight & defended her against Lion heart

- Even after Ozpin's lie was revealed, Ruby was willing to reassure Oscar that he won't just be another one of Ozpin's Lives(Vol 6)

-"Seeing Red(Vol 6), Oscar shares his findings on the Colossus Atlas Mech with Ruby that aided in locating a weak point in its defenses.

Now Onto Lancaster,Adel points Out WHY ARE THEY SO CLOSE WHEN THEY BARELY INTERACTED throughout the volume?

>Sore wa Chigau Yo!!!!!

Maybe it's because They were friends from the very beginning(During the Events of Vol 1-3,Ruby and Jaune connected due to dorky and somewhat social awkwardness but later grew to see one another as a righthand partner when they're in a bind)

Jaune & Ruby was eachother's First actual friend in all of this before the teams were formed(during their first meetings,you can get impression of their parallels with both being the youngest members of their Semesters)

-In "Vol 1" Ruby helps Jaune out with his Leadership Skills

-Dance Dance Infiltration(Vol 2) had the pair share a moment together as the Social Awkward Duo

-New Challengers(Vol 3) Ruby does in fact cheer Jaune on when his team went up against BRNZ

- End of the Beginning(Vol 3) Jaune trusts Ruby enough to contact her on Pyrrha's location to stop Cinder

And in the final part, Jaune alongside Ren and Nora was willing join Ruby on her Journey to save what's left of the world

-In "The Next Step(Vol 4), We see more of their chemistry throughout the fight against the Giest w/ Jaune's Coordination skills and Ruby's nibble movements w/ her Semblance allowing them the W

There was also a scene where Ruby laughed on how weird yet Adorable that jaune has a Pumpkin Sweater

In the scene Adel points Out to ship Bait(Where Ruby watches over Jaune, it was meant to show the concern she had for him on how the loss of Pyrrha affected him so much that he trains practically every night in order to be strong enough(so no one could die again)

-Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back(Vol 5)When Ruby began to blame herself for Qrow's injury from Tyrian and wished for JNR to have never came with her into this fight

Jaune reassured her by saying how she gave them the courage to keep going and that they wanted to help her the whole way through

-In "Lighting the Fire(Vol 5) Ruby stays strong in believing that Jaune can eventually find his true Semblance which helped through away his seeds of doubt

In Fact, The reason why Jaune's and Ruby's moment of reunion(Vol 6) was wholesome is because they made a promise to one another to come back because of the Grimm attack during the previous volume.

As for Jaune being a Dumbass for fighting Cinder(Looking at it Out of Context Yes it is but luckily we live in a world, where it's not black and white)

Jaune was an Emotional Wreck After the death of Pyrrha showcased in moments of prone aggression(I.E Being Irrational)

-Like during the Talk with Qrow about Ozpin's plan(Vol 5)

And Considering the fact that Cinder doesn't recognize him + Taunts him every chance she gets(I don't believe he is stupid for acting out on his emotions even if the situation he placed himself in wasn't the best choice)

"Cinder: You're just a failure with a death wish

Cinder: Are you going to let her die too?

Cinder: (chuckling) I'm starting to remember you, you're the dense one that can't tell when he's out of his league."

As for the "Jaune doesn't Care about Pyrrha point "

He brings this up because Jaune doesn't always show his grief for her and I'm like " Do I really need an Entire Volume dedicated to Jaune just whining about Pyrrha instead of idk walking forwards & improving to secure her Legacy as well as his?"

Also Adel (Pyrrha is Not Jaune's Girlfriend) While Yes the two became romantically interested in eachother at the end of Volume 3,they never truly got together & Jaune didn't truly realize his feelings for her until its too late(Adding to the tragedy of their relationship).

Now for Jaune's Conflict with Ozpin( the resolution) made sense because Jaune didn't want to believe that it was Pyrrha's choice to take part in becoming the Maiden for the people and trying to stop Cinder during the fall of Beacon;Jaune gaining closure with his issue alongside his team as he decides to apologize to Oscar for lashing out as the kid wasn't really responsible for Ozpin's lie at the end of the day.

"Pyrrha could've been in Oscar's Arc" I can see where he was going with this as Oscar and Pyrrha have similar journeys with Decisions that can change the world as we know it(However I believe Ruby and Jaune help do Pyrrha's job already well via their parallels with Oscar)

Especially Ruby's Speech w/ Oscar(Vol 5) on how although she's scared,the dead would've wanted us to live on & fight the good fight.

The Salem part is kinda irrelevant for the most part(Just him going on a tangent that RWBY writers always resort to Romance cuz they don't know how to write proper relationships(points to The Romance in Team JNPR being half baked and states Bumbleby makes no sense due to their lack of interactions in Vol 4 & 5 ignoring the ones that occurred in Vol 1,2,3,& 6)

Same goes for "The Writers hate Pyrrha" part(Just more baseless claims with no actual evidence; with at most the arguments revolve around her dying for only Jaune's development which completely Ignores the Nuance of her internally struggles and Hopeless fight Against a Half Maiden(to keep the school from falling & aid her comrades).

"Ruby is so Vapid and Empty that all her interactions are seen as Shipping Fuel"(So I guess we are just gonna discount how well her Optimistic and Hopeful personality mixing the other Major Characters like Say Weiss as an example)

And the Final Point

" Activating Silver Eyes from only her Mother,despite No mentions of her Mother in Vol 4-5-6"

Um Why exactly does Ruby need to think about her mom every time when she has mentioned her in previous volumes plus the Silver Eyed Blast was not only her mother's memory but also the beauty of life itself through her fun adventures and emotional moments with her friends during hardship.

But yeah I should just go back to the Main subject (The Ships),All in All

Oscar and Jaune Whether just a friend or maybe more have had more than enough moments as the volumes went on to provide the fans leeway into believing that either boy can be a suitable love interest for Miss Rose as a result of their Chemistry.

Hope yall enjoyed and see ya next time

[femininetea]

Volume 7 // Episode 9

Things I loved/liked about the episode:

- Winter speaking her mind and telling Jaques to shut the fork up

- Weiss "Can I do that?" as she arrested Jaques, strong baby girl ily

-everything about Robyn. Her passion for the people as she told off Jaques and talked to Ironwood. Fav new character of the volume

- Actually everyone talking in the dining room and not just being bystanders when sh*t went down (even if it was just 1 sentence)

- the characters reactions to certain things happening and how some of them were pretty unique. Like Robyn speaking up and Winter raised one eyebrow while the council looked rather surprised. Or Penny reacting rather shy and scared

- tension-building, I think it was done well in this episode

- General James Ironwood

- Renora/Bumbleby moment, I think this is one of the few moments where they handled Blake and Yang well. Yang seeing Renora and it reminding her of Blake and herself, what she should do etc. It came off as naturally and not as forced as some other moments

- that one Ace Ops woman putting her arm around Qrow and Clover, like yeah Qrow needs more friends

Things I disliked in this episode

- that timeskip, Winter was suddenly in the room again

- - - > I'm not a fan when story and character interaction happen separately. Which happens a lot in this volume. It's like they switch. For one episode drama, fighting and big story process and for the other the characters doing nothing but talk.

I was hoping that in the first half of the episode, we'd get more interaction. Like Winter and Qrow since they were by themselves (if you've seen my Winter post you know a few reasons why I think it's important) before she returns to the room / or Weiss and Whitley, especially after her mother said that she shouldn't forget about him. Maybe on her way she meets Whitley who's coming out of his room/dressing room. Even if it's just them staring at each other, then she smiles and just says "I'll come back. I promise" or something like that and then she walks towards the dining hall.

Then when she returns, the tea is spilled and the episode ends about where they all went to their transports (maybe after Clover told them about the Grimm or after Oscar told Ironwood)

BOOM character and story process

- that Ruby x Oscar moment. Seriously. Bad timing and inappropriate to be like "Aww no you go first bla bla", I WOULD'VE BEEN REALLY Happy for it to be Ruby putting a hand on his shoulder, showing him that she thinks very good of him and be like "You're ready for this. This is your moment. I believe in you. You've come so far Ozcar. I know you can do this." something like this instead of this silly ship moment attempt. In my opinion her, as a 'good' leader, putting her trust and respect on him would've had such more power

- sorry shipping fans, but that Clover x Qrow/ Fair Game moment. Again, thought it was really inappropriate. Like Clover, no. I'm really happy to have Clover in this volume because he plays an important part with Qrow as a character. Qrow needs friends his own age, after babysitting for so long. He needs someone he can trust but that shouldn't just be Clover. Clover and Qrow feel like a forced bond to satisfy fans, in case Bumbleby isn't enough. Instead of constantly pushing Qrow and Clover together with a mix of bad flirting, make Qrow a strong independent man who overcomes his problems and gets a group of friends who build him up and lift his worries off his shoulders. And to get more into the shipping aspect of these two: I'm all there for representation but I don't think Qrow and Clover would be fitting for that. Or at least Qrow. Who knows. Maybe Clover has a husband idk. Representation shouldn't be the reason to make characters fall in love with each other. Their personalities and stories should be the reason. If they actually try to force love on these two, I'll be questioning life choices. I don't want them to flirt, but actually bond and Clover to give him advice so that Qrow opens up more and learns to live a healthy life. Like Penny did with Winter.

- Neo and Cinder. I wouldn't really say dislike but it confused me. It didn't really surprise me or make me go "omg no", it kinda annoyed me. Plus I'm really confused with Neo. Wasn't she the servant in Ep 8 who talked?

- limitation of who the characters mainly speak to/interact with, with only a few exceptions. Yang mainly with Blake, Oscar mainly with Ruby and Ironwood, Penny mainly with Winter and Ruby, Qrow mainly with Clover, etc but maybe it's just me

-

There are probably a few things I forgot to mention in both positive and negative aspects, but that's just mainly what stuck in my mind after watching the episode.

Don't forget that all this is just my opinion and you can feel free to have your own. I'm also not trying to hate on the Fair Game ship. I'm not a fan of it, for story and character reasons but I won't stop you from the ship making you happy❤️ again, I think Clover and Qrow getting to know each other was very important.

Feel free to leave your thoughts/theories/etc in the comment section. I'd like to hear what you think! 😊💖

[musictatertot]

Walking a mile in their shoes (Yang)

A previous post about Ruby and her character development up until the episode "So That's How it is" has lead to this! Yang is absolutely fascinating!

Let me know if you guys noticed anything I missed or if you think I have misunderstood/misinterpreted something (highly likely).

Yang Xiao Long

Out of every character in the show right now, Yang worries me the most. Her character development has been spot on and completely realistic, but not particularly in a good way. At least, not for the situation she is in.

Yang has been through some shit. Not even just recently, but her whole life. The feeling of abandonment that has followed her her whole life has never really gone away. In fact, it's only grown stronger.

In the first three volumes Yang was bullheaded, stubborn, energetic, and a large positive influence on her team. She had always been Ruby's cheerleader, pushing her to be more confident in herself and go for the gold! She was the main support pillar of Blake, working closely as her partner to make her feel safe and listened to. Those first three volumes we didn't really see many interaction between her and Weiss, but just because you aren't actively working to help someone doesn't mean you are not helping at all. Weiss is from a very tense, closed door kind of home. Yang, for all intents and purposes, was the Sparta kick to all closed doors she had never known was possible. Watching someone with that kind of confidence can be extremely inspiring, and I believe that might have been a strong portion of the respect the two clearly had for each other throughout those first three volumes, as shown in the two vs. two battle in the tournament.

Then Beacon fell and everything went wrong. Cinder was right to have them take out Yang the way they did (those rat bastards. I still love them as character portrayals but damn them!). Yang was the unshakeable foundation. She held absolute belief in herself because she had worked her damned hardest to be able to feel that way. She made sure her team, her family, saw her as someone they could depend on. Someone who was strong enough, and good enough, to defeat anything in their way.

Mercury and Emerald took that from her. I know we all place pretty much all of the blame for Yang's emotional turmoil right now on Adam (and rightfully so that dick) but I don't think we should forget that directly before that she had already been shaken down to her core beliefs. For a moment there, her whole team had been against her. Not aggressively, no, but it was clear that they were horrified by her actions (false as they were but no one had known that yet).

Suddenly her role was gone. Ruby looked at her as though she were the one that needed supporting. Blake, for a heart wrenching moment, believed she could become a cruel person. And Weiss...

Weiss actually surprised me. For all of her troubles with Ruby and Blake before I had expected at least a small confrontational remark. Nothing major, she had clearly already grown and opened up some by that point, perhaps just asking her why she did it. Instead she was completely supportive of Yang, immediately believing that she had a reason for what she had done and that the reason was valid. I knew she had grown but at this moment I realized how much. Good job Weiss.

I think that was a strong starting point for the supportive relationship (romantic or platonic, I just love the interactions and really, really want to see more so you can choose for yourselves) that they begin to develop in the fifth volume.

Weiss withstanding, Yang was still at a loss. Then she hears about her mother from Qrow. I won't say it was a wrong call, I don't have enough experience with either of their emotional states to say if it would have been better to remain silent or not, but it is factually accurate to say that Yang was in a very emotionally vulnerable state when she got the news.

Mentally vulnerable, mentions of absent mother thus bringing a strong reminder of those heavy abandonment feelings, Beacon falling, loosing an arm (another huge part of who she is) and then Blake leaves.

If the tournament had gone well, or at least Yang had been left alone, I feel like Yang would have reacted a bit differently about Blake's disappearance. She still would have been upset, absolutely, but the strong stab of betrayal she had felt would have been lessened. At least, I believe so. Too much had happened, she couldn't think about why Blake had left. Only that she had.

Thoughts of abandonment had already been on her mind. The situation exacerbated that and tore what little mental defenses she had left down. Losing her arm was, no doubt, an extreme blow to her core. The mental manipulation just added twice the impact.

(I actually think she should be equally, or maybe even more so in some cases, vengeful towards Emerald and Mercury, but I can see how the actual physical trauma has overwritten what they did in her mind a fair bit)

As such, I was supremely impressed when she was able to pull herself up again, and in such short time too! I know it was months covered in the fourth volume, but things like that can take up to years to even to begin making strong progress in. She wasn't completely stable, of course not, something like that doesn't just go away (and CRWBY you are gosh darn amazing for keeping that in mind you loveable masterminds) as shown by her shaking hand in tense situations and outbursts of anger whenever she is questioned but she was taking strong steps forward. She was trying, and really, that's all I wanted for her.

Honestly, I think at this point she has genuinely moved on from the trauma of what Adam has done to her (not the feelings they inflicted, but the trauma of it), taking that pain to make herself stronger, but she is still struggling immensely with what Mercury and Emerald did to her. This is especially worse because I don't think she even realizes that there is a problem that needs to be addressed (Jinn, can we please have some more questions please? We need a therapy circle, stat).

There are a lot of different ways to process trauma. It all depends on the person and what works for them! For the trauma with Adam Yang has turned her pain and fear into vengeance and anger again. Awesome for her, she's moving forwards! Unfortunately, by not paying attention to the mental attacks she suffered she is using those same tactics against those without fully being aware. In volume five it was not quite as noticeable, a few moments here and there (shouting at Ruby and Weiss, losing her cool when asking about her mother being turned into a raven), but I especially noticed it in her character songs. Especially "Ignite".

Yang's songs have always been about self assuredness, fighting, and unwavering confidence. These were still there, and I loved it.

There was also a lot more... aggression. "I Burn" as well as "Armed and Ready" were about fighting and fighting back against an oppressive force. "Ignite" was a bit more brutal. Slowly but surely her actions are taking on more violent means. She has always been a fighter, so violence is par for the course, but the line in particular in "Ignite" that caught my attention was "Didn't mother warn you, now she's going to mourn you". Several other lines follow this thread and I can clearly see that her anger and bloodlust is on the rise.

Not necessarily a bad thing, when fighting enemies. Not a great thing when it is directed at the people closest to you as well.

I adore Yang, but I am growing increasingly worried about her more constant bouts of anger. They are valid reasons for anger, but she is losing the restraint she once had. My main case in point is when her, alongside Weiss and Blake, turned their weapons on Qrow.

Weiss and Blake I can understand. They don't know Qrow. All they know is that he is extremely loyal to Ozpin so of course they would be wary of him approaching Ruby when she stands against him.

Yang, however, knows better. She's known Qrow even longer than Ruby, and his actions were clearly pacifying. Standing between him and Ruby, sure. Letting him know you stand with her, even if he disagrees. Pointing her weapon at him, that's too much. That is a reaction without thought, which is becoming more common.

I also find Yang acting more and more like, well, a rebellious teenager. Teenagers go through a hormonal period where it is literally almost impossible to see things from a point of view different from their own, particularly when they are upset. Everyone has it at different times in their lives ranging from preteens to even their early twenties, but it is still a process of growth. It is very egocentric, very normal, and a very bad time for it.

Yang has no patience anymore. She is acting hypocritically more and more often. Being angry at Ozpin for hiding things is natural, and I expected it. But the amount of anger she held and self righteousness she showed was at odds with her own secrets regarding Raven. Protecting her mother is something I empathize with, but Raven is also a Maiden. If you're going to get mad at someone for hiding things about the fight you are in, you should be aware enough that you are doing the same. She is not; this the teenage egocentrism.

Even during Jinn's story about Ozpin's past, Yang's expressions were more often anger than anything else. And not really anger at anyone other that Ozpin. She can not break herself from her original thoughts that he can not be trusted, regardless of his reasons.

I am especially worried about her thoughts on her mother now. Because she did not trust a word her mother said, but as it turns out not everything she had said was a lie. This, almost scarily often, had the ever present thought of "what else was she right about". Now I am worried that her mind will make that emotional leap of distrusting Ozpin so much that she believed everything her mother said. She still is angry and hateful for the abondment but now there is a valid reason for it. Her mother abandoned her for a reason, and that reason is currently locked away inside a lost farmer boy.

Im hoping Weiss or Ruby is able to get through to her. I wish it could be Blake, but with the previous abandonment and Yang's feelings about it I don't think she will really be willing to listen to what Blake has to say while her emotions are still high. Ruby has a very special connection to her and has the best luck of making her step back, but I think Weiss has the best chance of making her reflect. Speaking from experience it is kind of hard to take when you get a younger sibling's criticism for you choices. It's both a matter of pride and a matter of you, being the oldest, are supposed to be taking care of them and showing them the best way. I hope it will be Ruby who makes her take a step back, Weiss who makes her reflect, and Blake who listens and supports thus bridging the gap between them and restoring that trusting relationship Yang desperately needs.

I love Yang. I hope she looks in and works to help herself soon, before she does something she will regret.