#v10; what comes after

[wexarethewalkingxdead]

sonofsaviors​:

Plotted RP with @wexarethewalkingxdead

Logan did his best to retain his calm, cool demeanor as the gates of Alexandria screeched shut behind him. He did his best to stand tall and unbothered by the people of the community almost staring at him. He resisted the urge to fidget and move under their burning gazes, forcing himself to breath slow and steady, showing a confidence that he certainly did not feel at the moment.

He wasn’t stupid. He knew what he looked like. Almost a carbon copy of his father. Fuck… the idea of Dad still hurt. He blinked quickly, feeling his eyes burn with unshed tears. He naively thought that after a year, he would of mourned and grieved enough, but every reminder of Negan was a painful wound that never refused to heal. Even if the man himself was dead and buried. Logan had done it himself, refusing any help from anyone else. It was his job. 

As a Savior.

As a son.

Logan wished he had Lucille, but he had left the bat on Shadow’s saddle. It was not wise to bring the weapon into Alexandria. Especially when he was here to beseech Rick for another mercy. All he held was a worn notebook of plans and ideas, idle comforts in ink and paper of a future he wanted to build for himself and for the people who wanted to follow him.

A nervous swallow, and Logan forced himself to speak with a self-assuredness he garnered from his mother and father’s memories.

“I need to talk to Rick.”

Rick didn't know how he'd managed to survive losing Carl. Following his son into death was not an option. He still had Judith. And Michonne needed him, too. She needed them both. So they'd grieved together and separate, and they did their best to ensure that Judith had everything she could ever need or want and that she was safe behind the walls of Alexandria. He focused on raising Alexandria up and making it something that his son would have been proud of.

The communities had been reluctant to welcome the Saviors that wanted fresh starts, but things were working out and some of them had found people to love them in the year since Negan's downfall and death. Now with the work on the bridge that would make it easier for the communities to access each other as well as have a regular route for trade and medical needs, he had found the Saviors from the Sanctuary weren't exactly willing so he'd promsied to make it worth their while. They had delivered on their end, but Rick was still waiting on the Saviors to follow through.

So when he was told that Logan was at the gates and requesting and auidence with him, he couldn't help but think that things might be starting to look up and be moving in the right direction. He slipped his Colt Python into his holster as he headed toward the gate with his mind on the mission of securing the manpower to get the bridge complete before winter set in.

He offered his hand to the younger man. The boy who looked so much like his father that even Rick had to do a double-take sometimes. "Logan," he gave a nod. "I was about to ride out to the Sanctuary in a few days. Thanks for saving me the trip."

@sonofsaviors

[wexarethewalkingxdead]

Rick wanted so desperately to roll his eyes at his friend, but he refrained from doing so as he bent to pick up the pack once again. He swung it over his shoulder once again. He instead clapped Daryl on the back and moved them toward the gate. He shook his head. "I was on foot. Not like I'm the Flash."

His heart gave an all too familiar twinge as he recalled a comic book character that Carl had once been fond of reading. He'd seen Michonne reading the very thing in bed the other night, and it had made him angry. He knew it was how she kept Carl close to her heart, but it made him miss his son more and more. He had closed Carl's bedroom door and had almost locked it and forbad anyone inside it, but he didn't. Michonne would have kicked his ass, and he knew it. They had to keep him alive for Judith's sake. For their own.

"Since your bike is packed and ready to go, maybe I can talk to you about this idea I had about D.C." He glanced up as the gate opened so they could move through it. "Had a lot of time out there to think. And maybe I've come up with a solution that could solve a lot of the problems we've been having."

@wexarethewalkingxdead || meme continuation || from here.

yeah. daryl can see the excuse for needing to go get a drop off for what it is. an excuse. a reason to get out. doesn't understand why rick can't outright say it for what it's worth. like daryl wouldn't get the desperate need to get outta these god damn walls and breathe when they feel like they're squeezing the life outta ya. he, of all people here, would get it. yet, rick seems to feel the need to feed him some line of bullshit to cover his tracks for disappearing the way he did.

daryl sees him. for who he truly is. he reads people. most people are easy. some make it a little harder. rick? rick he knows like he knows himself. probably better. so says the squint and tick of his chin accompanied by the little 'hmmfph' he gives that reason. thumb sticks between his front teeth. means he's mullin' over calling him out. takes his time thinking it through. weighing the pros and cons of opening up a can of worms that rick seems so desperate to keep closed.

this is about carl and he knows it is.

the ache in his chest swells up soon as he thinks of the name. sees the face attached to it in his mind's eye and promptly has to shut it off before he ends up getting lost in it. his thumb jerks away. moves with the rest of his hand to cup the back of his neck. looks like rick's getting off easy. for now. maybe later. his attention bounces to his bike and he snorts. "bout to go look fer your dumb ass. bein' gone that long fer a drop," he shoots him a level--do you know how many people you had worried including me--glare then sniffs in a breath.

"c'mon. let's go get breakfast then.. 'fore you go wanderin' off again."

[rwbyrg]

If it's alright, I'm just curious, do you have any thoughts of your own or theories about Oscar or Ruby or both of them in terms of v10? To add, do you have any theories for the merge and how it will end up for both Oscar and Ozpin? Like will it be a good or bad thing? Sorry if these questions seem vague lol

Of course it's alright to ask! I do have many thoughts and a handful of theories. I'll admit most of them are wishful thinking since there's truly no way to tell where the story will go until it actually happens. But if I were to distill it to the ones I'm most expecting and why, then I'd probably say:

Expansion on Ruby's solo arc that kicked off in V9

Acknowledging the setups (plural) between Ruby and Oscar's arcs

The merge-curse is eventually broken (blame the allusions)

I'll elaborate a bit below.

1. Expanding on Ruby's Arc

What we saw Ruby go through in V9 is very much not the end of that particular plot line, imo. We saw a bit of this in Justice League: Part 2 and the final ep of RWBY Beyond where she talks to Clark and Yang about her struggles a bit. Ruby needs to learn how to both ask for and accept help from those around her so the weight of everything she's carrying doesn't crush her. Especially now when they're down to the wire and she's come back as a resurrected martyr who's face has been used at the centre of the resistance movement she's now helping to lead. How will she live up to the expectations and pressures of that impossible pedestal when she's only a human girl with very normal knees who's barely keeping it together? Also, while I don't know exactly how they're going to address everything she experienced, and I struggle to imagine her speaking about Neo's Horror House to anyone directly... that sort of trauma doesn't just go away once it's over. So I would be very surprised if the effects of it didn't ripple throughout the remaining chapters of the show. Especially when every other member of RWBY has seemingly had the bulk of their main character arcs already. It's long overdue for Ruby to get that time in the spotlight. Which does sort of lead into my next point...

2. Acknowledging the Setups in Ruby and Oscar's Dynamic

For starters, we've got the merge and ascension parallels to address. Ruby and Oscar have always mirrored each other's issues around identity, choice, fear, responsibility, leadership, etc., and this buildup seems to be coming to a head following V9. From Oscar's "I'm just going to be another one of his lives, aren't I?" to Ruby's "What if you could be anyone?", and how the two of them will relate to each other in light of those contrasting - but similar - experiences. Especially with Ruby having just come back from the tree to find Oscar fighting against the merge harder than ever before. But we also have their attachments to each other to sort out as well. Ruby and Oscar have been watching each other's backs in different ways since V5, their reunion hug in V8 was interrupted where no other "pairing's" was, and they were the only "pairing" still to be split up between the Ever After and Remnant. Not to mention that, while they were separated, Ruby was pushed to a breaking point after being shown an illusion of losing Oscar, while Oscar was back in the real world eulogizing about how he lost Ruby. CRWBY doesn't setup relationship parallels and focuses as intensely and intentionally as this without pay off at some point.

Again, while the specifics are nearly impossible to predict, I'm expecting a bit of a Dojo Scene Reprise, heart-to-heart of sorts, and/or, something that puts those attachments to the test. My immediate thought is that this test will finally push Oscar to unlocking his semblance since getting shot, falling from Atlas, being kidnapped, and tortured were all not enough to make it happen. (Although my wishful thinking is that it unlocks in a happier moment, I think that's much less likely.)

If I were to engage in pure speculation on this, my easiest bet is that it will come at the hands of Tyrian. When our Little Prince was first introduced, it was almost as if he was waking from a nightmare of that villain laughing with glee at the opportunity to hunt down a certain rose. And with this being the Vacuo arc with Ruby and Oscar getting a lot of focus, and Tyrian already on the prowl within the kingdom, it would make a lot of sense. The little prince fated to have a confrontation with a venomous antagonist in the desert over his attachment to a rose is about as textbook as it gets. (I could also see it go to Cinder or being delayed until they follow through on the threat of Ruby being kidnapped by Salem, if that's the route they decide to take. But again we'll have to wait and see how it plays out.)

3. Oscar and the Merge

I'm not entirely sure where they're headed with this one between now and the resolution... but I do think the resolution itself will otherwise be a happy one, if not bittersweet. RWBY is a story about breaking cycles, and Oz has been part of one of the longest on Remnant since the very beginning. Pairing that with this show being, ultimately, a happy story, as well as a looking at two of Oscar and Oz's shared allusions, I can only imagine they will be separated by the end.

The first allusions to mention are from The Marvelous Land of Oz. Princess Ozma (aka Oscar) is the rightful heir to the kingdom and next in line to take over when it's time for the wizard to retire. It's very clear that - however this plays out - Oscar is the final incarnation. Typically, when one ruler leaves the throne that's it. They're gone. Oz has fiddled with Remnant's history for countless millennia now in his endless fight against Salem. When the dust settles and it's time for Remnant to rebuild, it should be up to the new generation to take charge without his influence from "the old world" in the mix.

From a Little Prince lens - for those unfamiliar with the book - the aviator (aka Oz) spends much of the story waffling about the little prince he is stranded with in the desert... only to be very sad when his new friend leaves him behind to go home to the stars. RWBY is already subverting this story a bit with Oscar being the one wanting to be rid of his pilot instead of the other way around. If I were to guess how the show will carry this further, it would be that Oz moves on, but perhaps with some lingering attachment on either (or both) sides. Maybe a bit of a "all this time I wanted it to end, but now that it's finally happening, I wish I (you) didn't have to go".

At least that's what seems to make sense to me, thematically speaking. Oscar will be irreversibly changed by these events even if he is freed from the curse, however. There is no question about it. Because that is what the Hero's Journey is all about.

The hero leaves their farm and they fall through a new world. It is both horrifying and exciting in equal measure. And throughout it all they are changed by the experiences they have and the people they meet - both good and bad, within their control and outside of it. And when the quest is finally over, there is grief. Because you are not the same person you were when you left home, and you can never truly return to what you had and who you were before it all happened.

This is also, coincidentally, just what it means to grow up. Which - while not the only one, and certainly not unique to Oscar's arc alone - has always been one of the loudest allegories hiding within the merge to me. We meet and know people, we don't always have a say in how long they can stay and how they change us... and then one day they are gone, but their influence and our memories of them stay with us. And then, as RWBY has taught us since the very beginning, we keep moving forward despite it all.

( @creatoriamari tagging you here just in case to make sure you get the notif because I don't know if it still works if I saved the ask as a draft. 🙇‍♀️)

[octuscle]

Help!

I'm tired of being a skinny loser with no muscle. I wanna be a confident bro. I'll trade anything!

Really everything? Everything you own? Ever heard of DeepTraining? Actually, you must belong to the mega-rich of this planet to undergo a transformation there…. But IronData is sponsoring transformations for high school graduates, freshmen and sophomores. You just have to get through the selection process first. And you then commit to IronData for ten years after graduation though. And you really have to give away EVERYTHING you own to IronData. In return you can undergo the normal DeepTraining process. And IronData provides you with a starter package. Interesting? Then I send you the link for the application.

The selection process will take place in Lansing, Michigan. At the Red Roof Inn, a rather shabby motel. Not your world. Your R8 Spyder V10 quattro looks a bit lost in front of it. It was a last gift from your parents before they crashed their private jet. A beast. You love it. The motel doesn't have a real lobby. But there are a few fellows standing around. Every now and then, the cell phone of one of them signals and the owner walks wordlessly in the direction of the hotel rooms.

Your iPhone 15 Pro vibrates. "Please make your way to room 322." Okay, here we go. You knock. The door opens. No one there, a notebook on the desk. On the screen a form with the general terms and conditions. Seems to be what you have already received by e-mail. You click "I agree". And then you write on the screen. After that, there are a lot of tests. Intelligence tests. Personality tests. For a full three hours. Without a break. Then a window pops up. "Congratulations, you meet the requirements for our program. If you wish to participate in our program, click on 'Accept'. After that, go to room 118, and the transformation will start in half an hour." Fuck! Now? Right now? No one knows you're here. You didn't sign out anywhere. But this is your chance. You know that. You click on "Accept". And you go to room 118. A voice sounds "Please strip completely naked and proceed through the door." Okay, now there's no way back. The next room looks like a simple hotel gym. "Please put on the prepared clothes." Sure enough, there are jockstraps, sweatpants, a tank top, socks and sneakers. And a cap. And a pendant on a leather strap. You put it all on. There's a mirror. It looks ridiculous on your skinny body. "Please proceed to the cross trainer. The first workout will last 30 minutes. An aerosol comes out of nozzles on the ceiling. The light is dimmed. Loud hip-hop music blares from the speakers. Every now and then there is a command to change the machine. You work out to total exhaustion. Then the light goes on and the music goes off. The door to the first room opens again. You go in. And first you have to sit down. And you look in the mirror… Fuuuuuck!

There is a duffel bag and a sports bag on the floor. At the coat check hangs a bomber jacket. "Please take your personal belongings and proceed to your dorm." Inside your jacket is your wallet. With your driver's license, your ID, with your gym membership card. You remember the terms and conditions. You start your business degree at Michigan State today. You're a freshman on a football scholarship. You have nothing else. Outside the hotel, two more beefcakes are waiting for the bus to the dorm. You fistbump your bruhs. They still have their sweaty clothes on, too. The bus is coming. It's rush hour and you have to squeeze in. You have the sweaty armpit of one of your bruhs in your face. And the other one presses his hard-on against your thigh. Fuck, you can't wait to get to the dorm!

Like most of the hot pictures of bruhs with cap I also found this one @simonsx 

[beetletricks]

Balancing Out Ruby's Possible Story in V10 between Raven and Oscar

So some pretty likely arcs for Ruby in V10 are:

-Ruby confronting Raven about what happened to her mom

-Ruby making sure Oscar doesn't make the same mistake she did in being self-sacrificial while also making up for lost time as Ruby has done with in every reunion volume with her friends(Volume 4, Volume 6, Volume 7) and confirming that what Oscar said in the epilogue about her was only partially true

Even though Yang will likely deal with a majority of stuff regarding Raven they wouldn't introduce Raven this way in the epilogue without Ruby thinking about it

Since its likely a lot will be juggled, best way to handle this would be to to emphasize the parallels between Ruby-Summer and Oscar-Ozpin in the sense that both Ruby and Oscar are NOW BOTH hesitant in being just like their predecessors

Of course, unlike Ruby;s arc in Volume 9, Oscar is afraid of finding himself(the rwby song FEAR) since as they merge nobody, not even Ozpin, know what will come out in the end

On the flip side, you got Ozpin and Ruby who need to trust others more emotionally

hence why Oscar is important, since he wasn't that pressured to put on "superficial appearances" as much as the others from their backgrounds, thus deep down has that strong desire for meaningful connections, a theme important to Winter's arc as well most likely who, based the epilogue, won't do share with Weiss right away

Many didn't like how Ruby took a backseat to Jaune in Volume 4 and Penny in Volume 7 though that was partially due to the whole, Ryby repression thing being saved for the forefront later,

Ruby has been getting a lot more focus after Volume 9 with the JL Part Two movie and the RWBY Beyond Short,

So its likely she'll be more balanced out with Oscar who will also enter more of the forefront now

...

(NOTE: Oscar's arc is happening anyway based on the epilogue

you could have Blake, Weiss or Yang take the forefront in this story arc

But like I said out of the people left in Vacuo who would want to catch up, Qrow and Oscar are the closest to Ruby

and since Qrow is in a good place now, it makes sense Ruby would be at the very least be aware and invested in Oscar's issues as they catch up

Not to mention that have to deal with the irony that Oscar thinks Ruby is sure of herself in comparison to him when she literally went into depression because she wasn't in the Ever After(Volume 9 epilogue)

As for development, Ruby wants to be more honest with her friends despite her responsibilities

Yang and Ruby do open up in RWBY Beyond short, but it also implies it going to take time for them to open up to each other more casually

Ruby, is motivated in helping others, so in order to help Oscar being more upfront with her like at and regarding Ironwood in Volume 7, she would open up more easily)

[wexarethewalkingxdead]

Carol hadn't wanted anyone accompanying her to find food for the kids back at Alexandria. She was better alone if that meant the only person she had to get in and out of whatever situation without having to worry about anyone else and their safety. The drugstore had been the fifth place that she'd entered and taken what might be salvageable. And the truth was, it wasn't much. There wasn't much left anywhere. Too many years had passed and some of the canned goods they were lucky enough to find were well passed expired. Some of them were edible still, but they didn't have the best taste after all these years.

So when she lucked upon some medical supplies that seemed to be hidden away for someone to come back for them, she began to think that this supply run might be startig to look up. Her fingers ran over the labels, knowing they'd been looking for this stuff for a while and hadn't had any luck. She spoke out loud as a way to keep herself from going insane. Being alone had it's perks, but being alone had it's downfalls too. And not having anyone to talk to was one of them. Maybe even the worst of them.

It was then that her trained ears heard something. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, warning her that she wasn't alone. She knew it wasn't of the walker variety becasue it would have been on her already. As it was, it was stalking her. Or that's what it felt like. She didn't react and kept gathering the supplies and packing them into bag.

The air crackled with anticipation, and as soon as she had finished gathering the last of the supplies, she eased the pack onto her back and slipped between the aisles into the next one. It was then that she eased the pack onto the ground and left it so she could sneak up behind whoever had been watching her. With her finger trained on the trigger, she moved it to the back of the head of whoever was crouched down by the shelf.

"Don't move," she hissed, pressing the pistol barrel into the back of their head.

plotted starter for @wexarethewalkingxdead

The heat had a way of being unbearable, but even so Jamie wished the fall would hurry up and get there. The cold he could handle; he could always pile on more layers or shed them just the same; but the heat was just… hell. What was he supposed to do? Peel his skin off? Turn into wrinkly old wizard fingers?

He dragged the old bandana over his forehead and eyes and exhaled a breath. He could feel the exhaustion saturating his bones, but he needed supplies and the endless stretch of walker-less road had led him to what he assumed was a mostly deserted town. There were a few structures still standing; a couple buildings that looked more than habitable— for a second he even swore he heard running water nearby. His tongue darted out between his cracked lips as he wriggled his way in past some old barbed wire barricades and fencing, carefully aligning his own noises with the creaking of the rickety metal and weathered slats of wood.

Jamie let his mind wander once he’d slipped inside a darkened drugstore with yellowed glass and shelves full of forgotten necessities. He took slow, even footsteps; only allowing his fingertips to graze along the boxes and cases of liquids and snacks that had long since soured. He paused, sucking in a breath of air when he heard noise from a few aisles down. Shit. Shit shit shit. His mind raced, quickly eyeing all the exits and any smashed out windows he could easily get to. His panic quickly turned to curiosity when he heard voices— actual words, real humans- well, a human anyway, speaking actual sentences. He peered into the aisles, silently scanning for their form while nudging obstacles out of his way for a better look.

His hand lingered idly at the base of his gun still clicked into the holster at his thigh as he watched them. A woman who seemed less worried about the emptiness of the store than he could ever hope to be. It was like she wasn’t fazed by the constant threat of being eaten alive like a twizzler at any moment. His brows furrowed together almost becoming one, he mirrored each of her movements; making sure to keep his breath silent and his ears focused on any sudden ambush sensation. He’d heard stories about other groups— ones that lived among the walkers— others who ran things like a camp separating the weak from the survivors… often from unreliable narrators. But he didn’t want to actually find out if any of the narratives were true. He shifted sideways and crouched down close to the floor, hidden by a low counter and watched her grab a few items; his elbow bumped a dust ridden display and he turned to catch the item just as it nearly smashed apart on the floor.

Jamie felt himself exhale in heavy relief; his chest rising and falling at the idea of being discovered or captured while trying to feed himself and find fresh water. He convinced himself he was safe for the time being.

[bestworstcase]

(hi again fsdf)

If you haven't already touched on it, do you have any thoughts on Mercury's role in the narrative and his possible redemption in V10+? 🥺✨

first i gotta soapbox a little bit grfxvhk

redemption is conceptually fraught because it inherently entails forgiveness of a debt; to redeem someone is to save them, through either forgiveness or repayment on their behalf. the person redeemed by this transaction is often reduced to passive object, and even in circumstances when they do act, the extent of their agency is asking to be forgiven. within the context of fiction specifically this puts the onus for change onto the heroes—the villain is given salvation through heroic forgiveness—and generally elides both the villain’s agency and their emotional interiority because the focus of the redemption arc is on the villain’s salvation.

(this is fundamentally a christian narrative: sin begets suffering begets repentance, often in the form of sacrificial death, followed by forgiveness. it’s also why everyone went nuts for zuko, because his character arc follows the beats of redemption from inside his head, so the character interiority isn’t lost.)

anyway i bring this up not to be pedantic but because ‘redemption’ in rwby is treated as an innately coercive mechanism:

the albain brothers frame kidnapping blake and assisting in the assassination of the elder belladonnas to ilia as an “opportunity for redemption.” implicitly, forgiveness for her “past failures” and her continued place in the white fang is contingent on her obedient participation in what amounts to a violent coup and profound betrayal of someone she loves. redemption is the weapon used to keep her in line.

salem justifies her decision to abandon cinder after haven on the grounds that cinder failed and must therefore be “left to toil in her isolation until she has redeemed herself.” salem is willing to forgive cinder’s failure (and has thought about giving cinder her aid often enough that she feels compelled to raise the possibility specifically to declare that she won’t), but withholds forgiveness to force cinder into this penitent quest for the lamp.

the divine ultimatum is a redemptive project: if mankind is “unchanged,” they will be found “irredeemable” and wiped from existence. the question of whether humanity deserves to exist at all is made contingent on humanity coming together in humble obedience to the gods (humans weren’t executed because they fought among themselves but because they “demanded things of [their] creators,” thus the salient part of the mandate is “if you still demand our blessings” because that is the sin which must be redeemed). and salem phrases her rejection of this mandate as a rejection of redemption itself.

contrast this against the way the narrative handles actual villain-to-hero arcs:

blake confronts ilia directly on both the morality of her actions and how ilia feels about what she’s doing until ilia voices her internal conflict; after ghira saves her life, ilia intervenes to stop corsac’s vengeful retaliation, then becomes the first to step forward and say she’ll stand with blake for haven academy. blake’s emotional appeal and ghira’s decision to save her life both come from a place of wanting to help ilia, without any expectation that she now ‘owes’ them and the inflection point in ilia’s arc is her actions—stopping corsac and declaring she’ll stand with blake if blake will have her. blake’s forgiveness is (in contrast to the albains’ “opportunity for redemption”) an overt rejection of the idea that ilia deserves to be punished for her past failures.

similarly, emerald’s defection is motivated by her fear and moral scruples which she can no longer ignore, and oscar explicitly makes the point that whether they choose to forgive her or not has no bearing on the fact that she defected. the heroes are angry and distrustful but do not inflict any punishment or demand anything from her except that she keep her unhelpful commentary to herself. the idea that she could work with them is presented as an invitation, not a requirement.

winter defects from ironwood and actively reaches out to her sister to offer whatever help they need; there is never a question of forgiveness, only acceptance of her desire to do the right thing.

neo tortures ruby to the point of attempted suicide, and yet as soon as she decides to change herself for the better, she is given the freedom to do so, one way or another.

the distinction in essence is that redemption is explicitly punitive (“you have done wrong and deserve punishment; my forgiveness is a reward you must earn”) whereas the actual villain-to-hero arcs center atonement (“i have done wrong and now i’m trying to do better, whether or not you forgive me”) and compassion (“no matter what you’ve done in the past, what matters is what you choose to do now, and everyone deserves a chance to find their own way”).

SO all of that is a lengthy way of getting to: mercury isn’t due for redemption, by which i mean no one is going to ‘save’ him in the way a lot of the fandom seems to expect emerald to do. (although i do think emerald will play an important role in his story.) rather, i expect mercury’s arc in vacuo to be about what does he want?

narratively, the point of pairing mercury with tyrian isn’t about terrorizing mercury per se. it’s that both of these characters are nihilists. tyrian seeks total annihilation, mercury actively chooses not to want or care about anything because he feels that being an empty killer-for-hire is what he’s meant for. but mercury’s nihilism is a projection, a brittle emotional armor with obvious cracks (he cares about emerald, he resents cinder, he’s terrified of tyrian).

in a twisted way, tyrian is the idealized form of mercury’s projected self—a living weapon with no purpose other than to enact violence on salem’s behalf—and i think there is a degree of self-recognition lurking under mercury’s visceral discomfort with tyrian. now add to this duo the asturias twins: jax is so fiercely dedicated to his cause that he’s willing to die for it, and gillian loves her brother too much to let him die. the twins are defined by true, passionate, unrelenting commitment to what they want and what they believe is right.

so mercury is positioned between this extreme living embodiment of what he pretends to be, and two people who are exactly the opposite. he is also undoubtedly going to find out that emerald defected sooner or later, bringing his true feelings into conflict with his outward actions. i think it’s likelier than not that he and tyrian will be posing as supporters of the crown, which necessitates some degree of interaction with actual supporters—many of them driven by anger and fear of salem—so mercury is also going to be faced with the harm he’s helped enact in a way that will be difficult to look away from.

where do his sympathies fall in this situation? what does he want? does he know deep down what really matters to him? tyrian and the asturias twins represent the crossroads he’s approaching; at some point the narrative will force him to choose.

which is an interesting set-up because both halves of the crossroads are villainous, so the most intuitive path for a villain-to-hero arc for mercury is one that precipitates villain-to-hero arcs for the asturias twins too. i’ve seen a lot of speculation that mercury might get between emerald and tyrian, but mercury doesn’t pick fights he can’t win, as a point of pride. he does want to protect emerald, but getting himself killed won’t save her from tyrian and mercury isn’t stupid.

but if he and tyrian are masquerading as supporters of the crown, there is something mercury can do that will meaningfully keep emerald safe from tyrian:

tell jax and gillian the truth.

they want to protect vacuo from salem. mercury wants to protect emerald, who is in vacuo, from tyrian, who has infiltrated the crown on salem’s behalf. mercury can’t take tyrian down by himself, but the twins together pose a really credible threat—gil can outlast him, jax can overpower him. they are also generally safer than tyrian or salem, which makes it easier for mercury to take a risk on trusting them.

sure, they might retaliate against him by draining his aura or twisting his memory to ensure he’s loyal to them—but they will definitely take tyrian down. and if mercury comes to them and honestly says he’s been working for salem under extreme duress but he’s got someone he loves in vacuo and he’ll fight to the death on their side if they can help him kill tyrian, well, i’d put better odds on them taking him at his word than i would on mercury surviving if he got between tyrian and emerald on his own. and i bet mercury would run those numbers in his head.

and if he goes to the twins, and the twins hear him out and take down tyrian, then mercury kind of… ends up being a potential point of contact between the crown and shade academy, because emerald knows and cares about him and the twins 1. decided to trust him and 2. know salem benefits from vacuo’s internal conflict and might feel more inclined to set aside differences after being infiltrated by one of her lieutenants.

and. well. yknow. the mythological mercury is the messenger of the gods and all.

[kitkatopinions]

Just saw the extended animatic that was originally meant to end V9 and is now gonna get repurposed into the (possible) V10.

Let me just say, I still feel the same about the things I saw in the first animatic. I can now firmly say that Qrow has been replaced with a doppleganger same as Blake (I wonder if it's like a partial possession thing in this case where sometimes it's Qrow and sometimes it's the faker.) I hate the dumb Winter scenes about how disappointed she is that poor people aren't nice enough to her billionaire blue blooded mother in her silly little sunhat. I have no idea what the hell Raven is doing there. The 'Remember Her Message' thing is stupid because of how poorly done Ruby's message to the world actually was and what little impact Team RWBYJNOR has actually had on the world at large. And I still want to see Whitley without Willow for three point five seconds. And I'm still wondering why the presence of an army in Atlas was a sign of pure evil and was immediately seen as a horrifying threat but seeing an army in Vacuo is meant to be a sign of peace and hope.

But also, now I have more to say.

Like first of all, I'm even more confused on how Remnant managed to pull off any sort of army now that we know what remained in Vale after the Fall of Beacon got decimated. Where are they getting their army? From Mistral, where we know Leo had all the Hunters killed? Are we meant to assume that the people that showed up from Mistral are the cops Blake called on the White Fang? Or, maybe from Argus, even though we're meant to hate Cordovin and the Atlas military that was there? Second of all, this makes me even more annoyed at Winter for being like 'if my poor martyr sister could see how badly we're doing, she'd be disappointed,' Winter get realistic goals challenge 2024. Third of all, Team SSSN and CFVY made appearances and if I ever have to see Coco "based on a nazi" Adel ever again, it'll be too soon, but I still insist that it should've been just Sun, Neptune, and Velvet because none of their other teammates got enough focus in the actual show to be real characters. They could've been casually name dropped off-handedly and it would've been fine. Speaking of teams making reappearances, Neon is there, which means she didn't die in the Fall of Atlas and likely her teammates didn't either, but they had better have a full explanation in V10 for how soldiers on the field got back to the city and threw the portals, and it's weird that we saw Neon but not Flynt. Also can I just point out that "the people who were colonized by Atlas are being aggressive to innocent Atlas orphans and need to be told off" is a writing choice the writers didn't have to do, and considering all the whole history with RWBY and bigotry, I don't know why they did that. Neon and Nora had a moment though, and I was like... Ship material? Also, Tyrian and Mercury are working with the Crown, but... To be honest, if they don't scrap that in V10 (if V10 ever comes,) I'm gonna question their decision making even more, because they just did a new location with a new villain and it proved that this late in the game it's hard to set up or properly execute new threats, and if V10 ever comes out, it's a high probability that we're not ever getting a V11. So if you ask me, if they don't cut out the Crown, they're either gonna badly execute these new bads because they expect their fans to do homework to understand the main show, or they're gonna spend way too much focus on establishing them and the Mains will get sidelined again. Merc looks like a mess, though, and this would make me think a redemption arc is a-coming except that they're pressed for time like I said, so I'm not counting on it. The fact that I have to see Peter Port of all characters is also making me want to say a lot of bad words. Like I cannot emphasize enough how much I hated seeing him and his stupid face and how much I wish he'd never existed. What is this choice to not have the serious potential mentor character who had been part of Oz's inner circle come in and instead having the comic relief teacher who blathered about testosterone and flirted with an underage student be the one to break what should be devastating news that should by all rights get a lot of focus? And where the heck is Tai in all of this? Rip to Oobleck, but out of everyone from the Vale seasons, I would not have picked either of these men to bring back, I'd have brought in Tai and Glynda. It's just a bad choice. And still no sign of Maria and Pietro, so like... What the heck?

All in all, I thought before that I couldn't have less hope for the future of RWBY, but whoa buddy this extended animatic proved me wrong.

[hiru3152]

Have you done any team JNOR/team OREN volume 10 designs? If not is that something you have any interest in exploring? This comes with the disclaimer that: You don’t owe anyone anything draw what you like. Love your art it’s so expressive!

im not very invested in other characters beside team RWBY i think 😭 my fav that ain't rwby would be Pyrrha, then Raven/Qrow eventhough I barely draw them lol

For v10 expectations... I'd loveto see more about Raven-Yang relationship and Raven-Ruby after that v9 past with summer rose. I hope so

[wexarethewalkingxdead]

Only Kindness Matters || Daryl & Ellie || @secondhandmckie

Daryl isn't sure what the feelings he has going right now are or where they came from, but he knew he liked them. He liked the way she made him feel. It was as if he was buzzed on moonshine without having taken a single solitary drink. His blue eyes are soft and quiet as he watched her. He can't seem to take his eyes off of her. That had been happening more and more lately, and while it somewhat unnerved him, it also calmed him.

He could feel her fingers, feather-light around his wrist as he kept his hand where it was on her. He swallowed thickly, trying to clear the slight fog that had enveloped his brain. He cleared his throat gently, leaning into her space more than he probably should. "Wish we still had some of them berries like the last time," he reminded her.

They'd shared berries on the small front porch of the cabin while the rain fell in rivers and swirled around the campground. The thunder had rolled in the distance until the thunderstorm had reached them in full force. It was only then that they'd been forced inside as the lightning was too bad to risk being struck.

That day had been, for lack of a better word, perfect. His free hand moved up, brushing hair from her face and tucking it gently behind her ear. His head tilted ever so slightly as he leaned in. "The company was the best part of that day though." He felt his palm press against her cheek, holding it there as he kept his gaze on her, only flickering from her eyes to her lips. He'd never be brave enough to take that next step. In that regard, he was a coward. He always had been.

[virtueking233]

Oh wow… I said I was going to try and post here more often and tell my theories but I completely forgot to… anyways, is it just me or am being delusional?

And I don’t know if I have talked about this on here before but does anyone notice how Weiss Nevermore summon is possibly greatly connected to Ruby and Weiss relationship?

Like… if you think about it for a moment and just analyze what the Nevermore possibly symbolize/represents (as a great deal of Weiss summons are allusions to something or share some sort of connection or mean something), you sort of just notice that Nevermore is practically directly linked to Ruby and Weiss relationship

(Which makes sense given that Weiss wasn’t really the one to have killed the Nevermore… it was Ruby who cut off its head)

And the way this Nevermore summon connects to Ruby and Weiss relationship symbolically is possibly through it representing Trust, belief, connection, understanding and Freedom (possibly)

(Which again, makes sense for the Freedom part due to how birds are symbolically used to represent freedom)

But the thing that made me think this and made me sort of notice this connection is when the Nevermore is first killed and the slow gradual attempts by Weiss at summoning the Nevermore until her first actual summoning against CC (also some stuff about what Winter said about summoning/the Schnee family semblance back in V3)

And the reasons these make me think of this… well, starting off with the Nevermore being killed

This part is rather simple since It’s the beginning piece of what creates and gives way for Weiss to be able to summon the Nevermore

In the beginning of the finale fight of the Emerald forest arc against both the Nevermore and the Scorpion (brain fart, forgot its name), both Ruby and Weiss sort of come to a small mutual understanding about each other and both chooses to accept and trust in the other

When Ruby comes up with a plan to kill the Nevermore, a plan that Weiss chooses to trust in and chooses to believe in Ruby (and Ruby chooses to trust in and believe in Weiss as well) being able to kill the Nevermore

And this belief in Ruby is quite easily proven true

Now moving on to the bit about Weiss attempts to summon the Nevermore till she truly does in the finale of V10

And before I fully go into depth on it, I would like to say some stuff about how during the atlas arc… Ruby and Weiss slowly got more and more distant from each other due to being too busy, having issues with some burdens, or possibly some miscommunication

And this is important because this is slightly reflected in Weiss first attempt to Summon the Nevermore in order to try and save Ruby… but yet she fails due to not being quick enough in summoning the Nevermore (and partially because of a Grimm attacking her before she could summon), because her connection and sort of understanding about Ruby has sort of… fades a bit due to distance

But this slightly changes come V9, after RWBY reunites

With how Weiss comes to learn and understand a bit about Ruby’s current emotional state and tries her best to help her a bit by trying to talk to her and get her to open up… but fails as Ruby doesn’t want to talk right now and chooses to focus on the task at hand

Something important to note is how Weiss not only understands that Ruby is hurting and something is bothering her… but Weiss also partially misunderstands when Ruby walks away when Weiss is trying to talk to her about Penny… that Ruby wants to be left alone for now and wants to get things handled first before she opens up

And Weiss (believing in that little misunderstanding since Ruby does want someone to support her or talk to her and help her) chooses to trust and believe that Ruby will talk to her and open up to her about what’s hurting her and will rely on her as well as coming to accept that Ruby needs some time

Leading to Weiss being able to almost fully summon the Nevermore but only being to summon the wings and use the wings

But not yet being able to manifest it yet

Until Ruby breaks and Weiss comes to understand and fully realize what was wrong with Ruby and what she needed most

Until the group arrives at Tree statue Ruby and Weiss comes to understand, trust and believe and accept that whoever or whatever comes out of that statue, will still be Ruby Rose

That whoever Ruby chooses to be and comes out as… Will always be Weiss’s partner, leader, and best friend to her

Which once Ruby comes back and once again… proves that belief true

Weiss is fully able to summon and conjure up the Nevermore to help in the fight against CC

But who knows… I could just be coming up with this is or looking a bit too deep… but what are all of you folks thoughts?

Also, I didn’t really get into the “Freedom” part about the whole Nevermore thing and might just make a part two to fully explore it

But to simplify it just to put it in here

The Nevermore represents Freedom because through Acceptance and Understanding, through trust and believing in one another

Ruby and Weiss manages to come together and learn to be free together

Free to choose who they want to become and who they wish to be

Free to follow their own path and define their own name

Free to find joy and love wherever it may be… to be free to find comfort and warmth in friends, family, and partner quite special

But again… what are your thoughts on it

[strqyr]

thinking out loud here, but... now with all of the beyond episodes out, i'm starting to wonder if the goal is to actually return to vale for the final battle.

for one, the final battle of the great war that lead to peace happened in vacuo, exactly the kingdom everyone is in currently. that's where the preparations are happening, that's the kingdom that everyone is primed to defend. but what i also find interesting about the great war battle is that the king of vale arrived with what are very likely to be the sword of destruction and the crown of choice—exactly the relics salem currently doesn't have.

then there's 'boba' and the very on-the-nose way of pointing that tai is doing something important in vale / patch that prevents him from being in vacuo. and like. it's the crown, right. or specifically, the vault that houses the crown; the whole point of the academies was to house the vaults that house the relics so that they would be surrounded by people capable of defending the academies at all times. and if the vault isn't at beacon—which is likely because salem hasn't found it yet, and at haven cinder points out how that vault looks way cooler than the one in beacon so what's the extra effort for, and i get the feeling it's not so much that any extra effort has gone to haven's vault, but rather that beacon's "vault" isn't really a vault to begin with—then obviously ozpin wouldn't leave it completely unguarded, but it also must be done discreetly as to not give the game away; and that's where tai comes in.

and because they made it so apparent in 'boba', it doesn't sound like a thing that's going to get addressed once they're done in vacuo and are ready to move back to vale, it sounds like it's imminent, something teased for V10 if / when it happens.

the king of vale had the sword and the crown. the resistance in vacuo is still in possession of the sword so that's accounted for, but getting the crown is a trickier problem to solve (if they're going for "ozma's side has the crown and the sword (like the king of vale did) while salem has the lamp and the staff" angle here).

enter 'the adventures of somewhat'. somewhat, in their cloak reminiscent of ruby's, talks to the red prince, who still has the scar on his face.

the red prince's purpose is to win the game. cinder holds the key to their victory. the red prince has sent all his followers away. cinder no longer has emerald and mercury by her side.

the red prince promises to help somewhat in their task if they beat him in the game. his purpose is to win that game.

"that doesn't seem very fair. what if my purpose was to win, too?" "such is the way of our life." "what if it doesn't have to be? i'm still new here, but i've met loads of afterans and people that have grown and found new things to do, even without going to the tree."

what if they don't need to be enemies locked in a battle they both want to win. what if it could be different: "who knows, maybe you could teach others to win. speaking of, i won! i think? i'm sorry."

with this little, simple conversation, somewhat left a somewhat of a big impression on the prince; and while he didn't join somewhat to keep his promise of helping them (that we saw of), he also dropped the tree leaves he could use to ascend.

and there was one less wrong thing in the ever after.

cinder holds the key to salem's victory. could she hold it for someone else—"maybe you could teach others to win"? could ruby get a chance to talk to cinder in the same way somewhat did with the prince, leaving an impression that gets cinder to change her mind? what if they don't need to be two enemies, pawns on a board, locked in battle?

the red prince promised to help if somewhat beat him in the game. they did. and i think this is something that might just happen with ruby and cinder too, and that's how the vacuo resistance gets hold of the crown.

all they need is a small team to head to vale to retrieve it, return to vacuo, and the grand stage of the final battle of the great war is once again set.

[dizzyduck44]

Play your own kind of music.

One thing that struck me last weekend at Silverstone is how different cars sound from each other. Once you have sat for three days listening to cars go past you begin to notice and I was very lucky in that I got to sit in multiple places and hear the sound of the cars accelerating, at high speed, braking for slow corners, even going down the pitlane. Here’s what I learnt:

Mercedes - Mercedes has a very high pitched engine sound. It’s distinct from anyone else.

McLaren - The McLaren sounds like it wants to be an old school V10 when it grows up. It’s has the sound you expect of an F1 car. You always knew when Lando or Oscar hit the fast pedal out the pitlane.

Ferrari - Ferrari has a weird popping sound in their engine in acceleration. Almost like an internal backfiring sound. There is a deep grunt to the engine but it doesn’t last before it sounds like a popcorn machine.

Red Bull - As stupid as this is going to sound this car has a growl. It’s deep and guttural, even when slowly coming down the pitlane.

Aston Martin - There is no nice way to put this. The Aston sounds awful. Its worst feature is when moving slowly, like in the pitlane, it sounds like there is something rattling round in the engine.

Williams - I have to admit this car has no distinctive sound but it some how manages to mix the characteristics of all the other Merc engines. It can sound very deep like the McLaren when slow but slightly high pitched at top speed. However there was a hint of the Aston engine rattle.

What I will say that was very noticeable, the Mercedes, McLaren and Williams all started hitting the ground at the same point, you could hear it. The Ferrari and Haas a fraction after. Not sure I heard the Red Bull do it.

[chibrary]

ARTICLE: "How to stay friends when you're F1 rivals" (Autosport Plus, 2019)

There's always one, isn't there? Just after you've comfortably settled into your seat, clicked the seatbelt across your lap, and are scanning for a decent film on the seat's screen in front of you - someone asks you to move.

It was on the late-night flight out of Bahrain after this year's race that F1 Racing became aware of such a scenario unfolding: passengers being politely asked if they wouldn't mind moving seats so two chums could take up seats together. The architects of this kerfuffle, the two friends who became reunited at 30,000 feet, were none other than Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc.

"We grew up together," explains Gasly. "We first met in 2005, when I was about nine and our parents became really close. As families, we spent holidays, staying on boats together in the south of France and five years later we became team-mates in karting. That year I probably spent more time with Charles than I did with my own parents.

"One of my first F1 memories was when I went to visit Charles at his Monaco home during the grand prix weekend. His parents' house was miles away from the track and yet I could hear the cars, 3-litre V10s, in morning practice. We were so far from the circuit - yet it was super impressive."

Perhaps it was no surprise Gasly was so enchanted by the sound of a racing engine, as he comes from a family steeped in motorsport. In fact, he is the third generation of Gasly to become successful on four wheels.

"I don't think a lot of people know this, but my grandmother, Yveline Gasly, was a karting champion. My father was also a racer in karting, rallying and in endurance events - and a French champion too. I also have four older brothers and three of them raced in karting.

"So, from three years of age, my mother used to take me in a buggy that she pushed around and I would make engine noises. From a very young age, I was always part of motorsport."

Gasly won the French karting championship in 2010 driving for Sodikart when he was team-mate to his younger friend Leclerc, who was runner-up that year. It is the pictures of the two of them together (aged 14 and 13) that Gasly has shared with F1 Racing this month.

"We had a really good fight for the championship and it was a good time testing on tracks together and racing," says Gasly. "Although I moved on to single-seaters before Charles, we still have a very close friendship as he's a nice, kind guy."

Fifteen years after they first met the pair find themselves racing together in Formula 1, and following their recent graduation to Red Bull and Ferrari, they could easily find themselves sharing a podium once more.

In the early part this year, it's been Leclerc that has made more of an impression with his assured performances for Ferrari, while Gasly admits he still isn't yet fully comfortable behind the wheel of the Red Bull RB15.

Pre-season was blighted by two large accidents in testing and it's taken him time to get up to speed.

"It's fair to say that I don't feel as comfortable in the Red Bull as I was in the Toro Rosso last year," concedes Gasly. "In a way I found a direction quickly in the Toro Rosso to get the best out of it.

"But I've found it's a bit tricky in the Red Bull. I don't feel I can have the input I want inside the cockpit - it's quite inconsistent. It doesn't do what I expect it to do in one corner and then in another it's different again. The main thing is trying to drive the car as I would like it to be."

The environment at Red Bull is notably pressurised, as former drivers and power unit suppliers will attest, but Gasly hopes he will be afforded the time to adapt. Before the season began, team boss Christian Horner admitted Gasly has been "elevated 12 months before we'd ideally like" but more recently suggested his confidence had been growing.

"He had a tough pre-season, with the two incidents in testing putting him on the back foot, but at each grand prix he's got stronger and stronger," says Horner.

"I think more seat time will be extremely beneficial to him and as we come back to circuits that he's more familiar with, I think we'll see him make further progress."

The continuity for Gasly after his first full season at Toro Rosso has been the Honda power unit - which Red Bull is using for the first time in 2019. In addition, his engine engineer has moved over from Faenza to Milton Keynes with him.

Gasly has a familiarity with the Japanese manufacturer's working practices and culture, learning much when he spent most of 2017 racing in Super Formula in Japan.

Gasly made a surprise F1 debut in Malaysia that year when Daniil Kvyat was dropped by Toro Rosso, and he was surprised again when he was promoted to Red Bull for this season when Daniel Ricciardo made his unexpected decision to quit the team for Renault.

"When [Red Bull consultant] Dr Marko called me I could not believe it," says Gasly about the turn of events last August that led to his drive at RBR.

"I was so sure he [Ricciardo] was going to stay at Red Bull. At first Marko told me they were going to take their time and look at the options for next year - he said to enjoy the summer break and to try and disconnect from everything.

"Of course, it's not possible when you have something like a Red Bull drive in your mind.
I was waiting and there were two clear options, either to stay at Toro Rosso or move to Red Bull. Then Helmut called me back about two weeks later to say they had decided to take me for this year and that they thought I was the best option for the team for 2019."

Gasly's promotion has pitched him as a direct rival to his old friend Leclerc, but don't expect their on-track duel to come between their friendship. Indeed, don't be surprised to see the pair holidaying together again this year.

"We still text a lot, although it's harder now with our agendas to organise things, but every year we try and plan a trip away together in the summer," says Gasly. "It didn't happen last year, but we'll try again this year."

Better make sure they book the plane tickets at the same time then, to avoid any more last-minute seat-swapping...

[etinceelle]

So I was able to watch the RWBY Volume 9 epilogue shown at this year RTX, they weren't able to make it for V9 because production stuff happened and it will probably be shown in V10 with some changes according to how V9 actually changed.

First I'd like to say that (SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT) this epilogue is everything ♥ The message of hope and kindness is just there, it's fully there and I'm just so happy to see it on screen. Winter feeling guilty for everyone's death and Penny's death, Qrow being optimistic and changing his perspective, the Schnees helping how they can, the end with the memorial and the reunion..... I just can't I'm freaking crying sdfgdfgf

Just, please be kind, even if life is shitty and complex, kindness is everything and so precious, kindness and love are just so special and I hope everyone can be inspired by that. RWBY might not be perfect, there are a lot of things that could be done in a better way, but I still love this show and story for how much it grows and changes and evolves with the people who're making it and the community watching it.

Also, of course I have to add my little not so delusional Penny moment for this krkrk--

In the epilogue, Winter mentions Penny twice, when she says it should have been her to die, not team RWBY, Jaune, Penny and everyone else. She's feeling guilty she got to survive when Penny's (and team RWBY) the one who believed in people and had hope. Winter mentions Penny again right after by saying "Because of me, Penny's gone, forever", IS IT JUST ME or is that kinda odd there's so much insistence around Penny's death since V9 and again like that ?

I wrote whole threads about it already for why I can see her coming back, but stuff just keep piling up and I might starting to just be sure she'll come back later. Most of the time, when a character is mentioned to be "gone, forever", it just feels like it's strange and this might not be the case. Especially after what we learned in Volume 9, I just think there's something cooking but I'M NOT CRWBY I CAN'T BE SURE BUT THERE'S SOMETHING I CAN FEEL IT----

I talked about it with the friend who made me discover RWBY tonight btw, they haven't even seen V9 yet (only 2 chapters that we started together) but they also think that scenaristically it can totally make sense and they can see Penny coming back, the 3rd time finally being the good time and for it to be permanent and confirmed. And I agree, in a larger view I just think that it is logical, the whole thing about Penny is that everything feels odd and weird and strange and ANYWAY it feels like they're really cooking something

But yeah this "Penny's gone, forever", it's just so strange omg. I know that Winter is feeling guilty, but you know, it's still something they REALLY insist on and they make the viewer know about that, almost as if they wanted to say "SEE, that's what everyone think, everyone think she's gone forever but SURPRISE NOPE SHE'S NOT-"--

ANYWAY I'll stop rambling, I love RWBY omg. I love Ruby and Penny for their hope and kindness, for the perfect ship vibes they share together, I just need them to be reunited whoooaaAAAAH

[bluecheeseinmyoffwhites]

Very late, but, https://www.tumblr.com/blue-cheeseinmyoffwhites/756639587329277952/rwby-asks-are-open-im-bored?source=share

Who's you're favorite character?

Quick shoutout to the lovely @tumblingxelian for their amazing RWBY content check them out on YT

Let’s do Top 5

Mercury Black

This is solely because of his fighting style. If I could fuck up some stuff with my legs I’d probably be a dick about it too. I started RWBY during V2 & he was one of the first faces I met. I remember LOVING his design & liking his cool laid-back attitude. He started gaining my attention in Volume 3 after his fight with Coco & Yatsu, then won me over after his fight with Yang. I remember being baffled after his prosthetic reveal, & after learning about his allusion it all came together. For the longest time I was trying to decode his semblance (I thought it was something to do with wind manipulation) then V6 came around & shut all that down. I understand he hasn’t been very popular as of late, but I think he has so much potential & they just need to give him more screentime in V10+

Sun Wukong

I appreciate an unconditionally positive character. Sun & Mercury have always just been so cool to me. His design is great too, I like his monkey traits & how he shows his abs. His weapon is genuinely top 5 in the series, & his semblance matches his bright personality. One of my favorite fight scenes is Blake & Sun vs Sea Feilong & his contribution played a big part of that. I did like his appearance in V4-V5 & I was excited to see his gun-chucks return against Ilia. I think he is a great foil to Blake & serves her character arc really well.

Cinder Fall

Sorry but Cinder Fall is just that bitch. I hate everything she does & that’s why I love her. She knows what she wants & can easily get people on her side to do her bidding. She actually pushes the narrative & I consider her to be the main antagonist. The animators take real care when it comes to her battles. She has not missed a SINGLE fight she has been in. Seriously every one has been a hit: Glynda, Amber, Ozpin, Pyrrha, Raven, Neo, Winter, Penny, etc etc. Anytime there is a fight involving Cinder it’s going to be rememberable in some way, especially the Raven vs Cinder fight. I vividly remember my mind going numb watching it for the first time. I do feel they made her a little OP but it’s whatever. I really like her character arc & how she’s slowly turning into a Grimm. I loved her backstory, a lot of people didn’t because it’s just “Cinderella but dark” but like…..that’s kinda the entire point of this series, dark retellings of fairytales. She’s a great foil to Ruby & actually learns from her to gain victory in V8. I just want them to have a proper fight.

Qrow Branwen

Qrow Qrow Qrow. I love their man & want to give him hugs. If there’s one thing RWBY does amazingly, it is setup & payoff. I love his they slowly teased him in V1-V2 as a badass & then finally let us visualize it in V3. He doesn’t take crap from anyone & says what’s on his mind. Love Love LOVE his relationship with Ruby (forever holding onto my cracktheory that he’s her real dad). He acts as her mentor & influenced her fighting style. I like how he became the leader of the team for some time & how his laid-back attitude conflicts with him suddenly having to take care of 8 kids. But he does it anyway. His fight scenes are also amazing. He always looks so confident. His first appearance in V3 he had that super dynamic fight against Winter. In V4 he fought Tyrian & showed Team RNJR (& us) the difference between students & Huntsmen. V7 is where he really shined for me. He finally had a relationship that wasn’t affected by his semblance & can just chill for a while. I very much enjoyed his relationship with Clover & was heartbroken by what happened after. But those last 2 fights with them were pretty great. I hope his semblance evolves into Good Luck as well.

Yang Xiao Long

I like all members of Team RWBY but Yang stands out for obvious reasons. She had the best Trailer for one. Also her fighting style is the most different from her teammates. They’re all swing-swing-slash & she’s all punch-punch-kick. Like Cinder, Yang gets the best treatment when it comes to fight scenes. She’s been marketed as the strongest member & it shows over & over again. Her semblance is super cool & makes her look like a Goddess. I like how her character arc revolves around her fighting style & we can actually see her improvement throughout the volumes. I like how she is the most vocal about the whole trust situation in V5-V8. She lost her arm for this war, she of all people deserves some answers. I really adore her relationship with Blake & I think their story is perfect. She’s the heart of the team & it’s most present in V5 when she is the one reuniting the team.