#what was she saying to people to make them afraid of RUBY. SPECIFICALLY.

[claraoswalds]

It's racist, my dear, to be blunt. People come from outside, they think we're all witches and druids. For God's sake, child, you walked into a piece of string!

[goldenharmony]

On the topic of Akane being a plot device, I get both sides to the argument. Some people feel that she is solely used to push the revenge plot along while others argue that all characters are devices for their stories so its not fair to critic Akane specifically for moving the story along.

I think how she was used to push the revenge plot was fine up until the break-up, because I felt like we got plenty of her POV and those moments of her finding out information built on her own characterization.

Akane finding out the Ai secret progressed her and Aqua's relationship by bringing them closer but also highlighting both characters' worst qualities. Akane was an enabler and said she would support Aqua even if he was a bad person. Many fans also know of Akasaka's tweet of "Akane Kurokawa is the one takes you there, while Kana Arima is the one who brings you back", which frames Akane as a negative influence to Aqua.

For the whole Hikaru reveal, I would mostly prefer if it she found out the truth over the span of a few chapters rather than like 1 chapter. I definitely don't blame Akane for not wanting to tell Aqua the truth. But where she did go wrong was claiming that she wanted to carry Aqua's burden together with him, while she herself lied to him and was going behind his back to handle Hikaru herself - making her seem like a hypocrite.

I know people felt that she was too plot-device-esque in the Main Stage arc, but I thought the insight we got into her character and her semi-toxic relationship with Aqua was good enough for her to justify how she was used. The only thing I would complain about is that I wish it was a bit harder for her to figure out everything regarding Hikaru and to have it make more sense on how Aqua realized Akane was going after Hikaru (like have a note that falls out of the bouquet or something??)

I don't feel like we've gotten much insight into her character since then, which is why I feel the plot device claims have more weight to them post-Aquakane break-up than pre-Aquakane break-up, since Akane pulling 900 IQ moves wasn't SOLELY done to move the revenge plot along back then. However, I think just saying "Akane's a plot device" and ending the conversation there comes across as bad faith, so here's some random ideas I thought of on how she could've been used better.

Nino/Ai vs. Kana/Akane

A few people noticed that these 2 relationships parallel one another. Akane and Nino both admire and hold a bit of resentment towards their idols. Considering that Akane is the one to reach out to Nino and sympathize for her, I feel like we could've explored these parallels more in the movie arc. I know Nino/Ai already parallels Kana/Ruby, but we can do parallels with more than 1 dynamic.

Plus Nino going "Of course, Ryousuke would've fallen for Ai" and forgiving him...I couldn't help but think of this part.

Akane & Ruby

Both are pretty similar with how they have an unhealthy obsession towards Aqua/Gorou. It would have been nice if both of them confided in one another again, similar to what happened in the Private arc, which would ultimately help them understand the true nature of their feelings and move on from Aqua. We do get the conclusion of Akane - realizing that her feelings are more motherly to Aqua - but I would've liked more focus on how she came to that conclusion, even if the hints were there beforehand.

Akane and Ai

I'll admit that I was one of those people who didn't think Akane was ever imitating Ai. I mostly thought that if the story was going in that direction, then we would get actual focus on how that affected Akane. If she's imitating someone else, what does that say about her self-image? Is it because her experience on LoveNow was so traumatizing that she feels afraid in letting it go?

Although I still stand by the fact that when she competed with Kana on-stage in Tokyo Blade, those were her own stars based on how the scenario is laid-out, as opposed to when she wakes up as Sayahime. It's a bit hard to tell if her eyes having the double-stars in Main Stay is because those are her own stars or if she's suppose to be imitating Ai. I really wish we got more focus on this plotline because it sounds like it could've been really interesting. Instead, we get a few minor hints before the movie arc, and then the conclusion is suddenly given to us.

[walpywalpy]

//WEISS SCHNEE APPRECIATION POST//

I know. It’s not that obvious by my profile picture and my endless need to praise my queen to tell you that Weiss Schnee is my favorite RWBY character and my favorite character in general. But why? You may not have asked that but that’s not my problem because I’m gonna praise my queen to no end here. So kick back, grab your bowl of Pumpkin Petes, and listen to why Weiss Schnee is my favorite character of all time.

1. Growth

I’m going to be honest and say she wasn’t my favorite at first. She was a bratty, entitled bitch. At the time, Blake and Ruby were my favorite. And it would stay like that until halfway of Volume 3. Specifically, the scene of her and Winter. Winter was cold, direct, and militant. Meanwhile, Weiss was goofing around with Ruby by calling her a friend and rooting against her when her uncle Qrow fought Winter. I noticed that Weiss was someone who barely had a chance to grow up normally because she had high expectations thrusted upon her. Beacon was her first time breaking that. She got to get into food fights, go sight seeing with her friends, joke around with her team in battles, etc. She was no longer that entitled bitch we saw in the emerald forest. Instead, we see a girl having her chance to be free from expectations and trying to be the best teammate and friend she could possible be.

After Beacon fell, she was back to those expectations, and we saw a girl trying to survive a cruel man who didn’t care about anything but his own financial gain. However, that’s not all we got to see. We saw a girl who was formerly afraid of confronting her father and telling him what she has always held against him. After losing her title of heiress, she knew the only thing she had left to lose was her family at Beacon, so she left the home many would beg for because it wasn’t home for her. It was a prison, and she was done paying for the time that her corrupt father put on her.

That’s where she became my favorite. I personally have had problems with my parents and what they want from me. I won’t get into the details, but Weiss made me realize that I’m not alone. That I had people who would connect on that experience. She also made me realize that I did have power and control over my future. I didn’t have to follow what my parents want from me because this life is mine.

2. Music

When it comes to RWBY’s stellar soundtrack, there are very few tracks that hit me as hard as the songs written for Weiss. It’s also helped because it is likely that Weiss has sung them in canon. I won’t go into too much in detail because this post will already be as long as Yang’s hair. Just know that the opera style mixed with a somber piano that eventually turned into opera transitioning into hard rock fits Weiss so well, and I love it!

3. Relationships with Her Teammates

In Volume 1, Weiss was presented with a dilemma. She viewed herself as the perfect candidate for a leader, but Ozpin thought otherwise. She thought it was outrageous for Ozpin to think Ruby was a better choice, but Port knew her thinking was preposterous. Weiss wasn’t fit for a leader, and her teachers told her she isn’t. Instead of keeping up the fight to become a leader, she made a choice: be the absolute teammate she could be. Before I get to what that means off the battlefield, which is the kind of support many connect her being the best teammate she could be with, let me talk about her on the battlefield because I feel like that had to be brought up before I get to that. Weiss is the support of the group. Yes, she can fight amazingly on her own, but when the team is fighting as a unit, Weiss is the support. Her dust and semblance, which I believe to potentially be the best in the show, allow her teammates to bring their semblances to another level. Whether by creating space between them and opponents to catch a breath, allowing for diverse movement through her summons and glyphs, or making their position advantageous, Weiss as a support could change the tide of a fight drastically. Before she made the commitment to being the best teammate, her fighting style was very aggressive, which ended up giving her that defining scar. After said commitment, she focused on supporting her teammates on the battlefield.

Later in the show, however, Weiss would become the empathetic one of the group. If you had a problem, Weiss will probably give you a therapy session. The best example is the conversation between her and Yang. Weiss walks into the room and sits on the bed opposite Yang, silent. She lets Yang talk herself out. Even when Yang said she wouldn’t understand, Weiss listened. It’s only when Yang asked Weiss to finally speak is where she says what she wanted to say. She told her the story of her tenth birthday and the rift that was created on her birthday. She expresses her version of loneliness and how Yang’s is different. She may not fully understand Yang’s version of loneliness, but she understands that it’s there and that Blake has her own. Yang snapped back and Weiss was silent again. She then poses a question to Yang and she answers it. She explains to Yang that Blake watched the one thing she expected to happen happen. Yang expresses that she never blamed Blake and that she wanted Blake here for her. Weiss understands and also wants Blake there. Yang doesn’t believe Blake would return, but Weiss reminds her that the team is a family. Blake feels the same. They’re gonna be there for each other when the occasion arises. Then the occasion arose, and Blake wanted to prove that she was there for Yang. Yang let Blake know that although she doesn’t depend entirely on her, they’re there for each other and happy to be back together.

There’s a reason why Weiss is called the beekeeper. That conversation in Volume 5 is what propelled Bumblebee forward. As a WhiteRose shipper, I hope the same eventually happens for Weiss and her partner. Even if it doesn’t, we know Weiss will be there for Ruby because she promised to be the best teammate.

4. Design

I’m not an artist or a character designer, so I can’t go into the intricacies of her design. But I am someone with a pair of eyes, and I can tell you Weiss is beautifully designed. Out of all the initial designs, Weiss was probably the riskiest to use. Each member of Team RWBY had a defining feature that stood out. Blake’s ribbon from her weapon, Yang’s golden hair, and Ruby’s red cape. Weiss, however, didn’t have much. If I remember correctly from Ein Lee’s notes in the Mirror Mirror anthology, this allowed him to add intricate designs to Weiss. Her sleeves, for example, have an intricate pattern. Her glyphs change depending on what she’s doing with them. Most importantly, however, she is asymmetrical. She ties her hair to the right instead of the dead center as an act of defiance from her father. Her scar, which is even asymmetrical in her eye, keeps her face symmetrical. You’d think that a character so prim and proper would emphasize being symmetrical, but she is proof that beauty isn’t reliant on symmetry. As the Yellow Trailer states, “Scathing eyes ask that we be symmetrical, one sided, and easily processed. Yet every misshapen spark’s unseen beauty is greater than it would be judgement."

5. Me as a Person

I can praise a character until the end of time, but that won’t prove one thing: why is she my favorite? As stated before, I connect with her struggle, but that can’t be it. I mean, I connect with Mirabel’s struggle in Encanto, yet Rapunzel is my favorite Disney protagonist. Weiss’ struggle is only a fraction of why she is so near and dear to my heart. For that, I have to get into who I am. I am an aspiring writer and RWBY is the reason for that. It is the show that changed the directory of my life, and I don’t think that would be possible if the show didn’t have Weiss.

What Weiss means to me is a second chance. Her life is full of second chances. A second chance to be a better teammate. A second chance to be a better sister. A second chance to prove herself and uphold her family name. I mess up in life. A lot. I have been dealt some of the worst hands and I have to deal with it. My family isn’t kind to my aspirations, my sexuality, or my religious beliefs (or lack thereof). What can I say, some believe in fairy stories and the ghost that they can’t see. Weiss is in many ways who I want to be. She’s confident. She’s determined. She’s always in pursuit of improving herself. She isn’t perfect, but she doesn’t have to be. I’m not perfect, but I don’t have to be.

We’re not perfect, but we don’t have to be. Our lives aren’t over by one misstep. We can pick ourselves up and keep moving forward. We will fail over and over again, but it isn’t the end. We just have to get up and give it 110% the next time.

That’s what Weiss Schnee means to me: a second chance to prove myself and be the best version of myself.

Guys, thank you for reading. I hope you took something from this and that you have a wonderful day. Peace.

[weirdozjunkary]

I need to yell about the unnecessary hate that Ruby Gillman has been getting from most viewers, specifically a certain quote they keep saying or what they compare the movie too. Cause it makes me so fucking mad when I see it.

“Ruby Gillman is just Turning Red 2 (but bad)”

Now to be granted, I haven’t watched Turning Red (it just never really interested me much enough to go out of my way and watch it). I have seen a decent amount of clips, but I haven’t seen it in full. But to compare Turning Red and Ruby Gillman is just fucking infuriating.

Here are the resemblances from each movie from what I can tell:

A young girl who wants to fit in at school and has a crush on a guy, finds out that the women of her family are gifted with a magical form that turns them into a large creature. She has a fight with her mom at some point.

…. That’s it. That is the bare minimum of the resemblances that I can see.

Yes, they are obvious when pointed out. But the thing is, kids argue with their parents all the fucking time! Of course the quarrel between their moms are going to be similar. But thats not the point of the fucking movies!

Turning Red is about generational trauma, what it was like to be a Chinese Canadian in the 2000’s and healing from the trauma of your parents (that is what I have heard and seen).

From what I can tell, Ruby Gillman is, in basic terms, a teen superhero movie (with underlying messages to not be afraid to be yourself). Literally the whole ‘I don’t like my new powers’ to ‘I like my new powers’ then training montage, then ‘I’m gonna save the world’ mixed in with a Kaiju fight.

Yes, I can see the similarities. But comparing these two is like comparing an apple to an orange. There’s only like four things that are similar, but that’s it.

And again, those kind of tropes have been done before in their own ways! And it’s frustrating that they’re comparing this movie to only turning red, but not comparing it or turning red to other movies who follow a similar format.

Ruby Gillman is not a perfect movie, you can take a red marker to it and find some things wrong with it. But to blatantly call it a ‘bad sequel’ or ‘ripoff’ of another movie that has one or two obvious similarities is just fucking upsetting to me!

I like this movie! It’s just silly wacky nonsense with no real deep meaning that makes you think, it’s a good movie to just enjoy it! And I’m so upset that people think it’s terrible just because of A, B and C. And I’m not saying this because of the giant Kaiju stuff, even though that was a bonus. But really, it’s just a fun movie to watch! You can dislike it for your reasons, but to hate it just on what I said is stupid to me

[nikadd]

Not you talking about biphobia and then saying "bi women who date men are hot and lesbians couldn't even have them if they were single"most ugly women that I have seen were straight/bi and the hottest ones were lesbians

damn, way to misread what i said. i usually wouldn’t grace such misreading w my attention, but i guess i should here bc i hate being misunderstood.

i’m assuming you’re referring to this:

“like i’m so tired of ppl online being “heartbroken” over a hot woman (bonus points if she “looks” gay) being w a man - as if you ever had a chance w her if she was single!”

now, let’s break this down:

ppl - people within the context of the entire paragraph and this sentence, yes im talking mostly abt queer women, that including both bi women and lesbians and other microlabels. not just lesbians. in fact, in my entire post i always mean all kinds of queer women.

heartbroken - having a reaction of sadness/disappointment. put quotation marks around it to express my own frustration with the framing of the reaction.

hot woman - i’m guessing this is kinda the epicenter of your issue. what i mean by hot here is who the queer women in question are attracted to. i’m not saying that they are not attractive as well, i just mean that the woman im talking abt is attractive to the ppl having the heartbroken reaction.

bonus points if she “looks” gay - whatever this means to the ppl who see her w regards to current and past trends of looking gay so to speak. short hair/undercut/buzzcut, eyebrow slit, nose piercing, handmade earrings, some kind of alternative styling. basically anything someone could make a tiktok abt wearing and saying “why would ppl assume im straight if i look like THIS?”

being w a man - self-explanatory.

as if you ever had a chance w her if she was single! - this is another part of the sentence where i’m afraid you’ve misunderstood what i meant. ok, so obv i used a hyperbole to emphasize, but what i specifically mean here is that this behavior (expressing heartbreak over somebody being with a man when you expected them to be with a woman/single) is weird and invasive and offputting and unattractive, bc it just sounds like they wish this woman was available to them, and since she’s not, it’s her fault. it sounds like a guy in a teen comedy going “this hot girl is with a stupid ugly jock when she could be with ME” kind of plot, but bc it’s a woman saying it, it’s somehow not seen as weird.

i guess i could have clarified, but the rest of my rant had to w my frustration to reactions/expressions/behaviors, so i didn’t think what im saying might be influenced by the implication of somebody being hot or not.

i guess i could also bring some examples:

natasha lyonne - an icon for queer women, was/is w a man for the longest time. you can find ppl’s surprise and heartbreak and frustration with this fact anywhere on the internet.

the cast of bottoms - when the film came out, a lot of ppl were talking abt both ayo edebiri’s and ruby cruz’s boyfriends with a very strong sense of betrayal. i think being frustrated that a lesbian character isn’t played by a lesbian is understandable, but the way ppl were reacting felt like they were actively being hurt by their celebrity crush not dating a woman.

using the word “partner” - the frustration with ppl using a gender neutral term for their significant other and then it not being somebody of the same gender. some ppl simply prefer the term over boyfriend/girlfriend, some are not strictly cisgender even if they present in ways that ppl might assume they are, some ppl actually do like the gender neutral part of it and use it as a way of allyship to not give too much information when it’s unnecessary. in general, the term is more often used to protect ppl from homophobia by divorcing it from the implication that partner necessarily means a partner of the same gender, but ppl are too used to assuming

strangers on tiktok - i see a lot of tiktoks where a queer woman will have an interaction with a woman they find very attractive in a gay way bc she looks kinda gay and then find out that she is with a man and then feel very disappointed. and then everybody in the comments is agreeing with that sentiment. now, that woman might be with a man bc she’s straight, but she might also be bi/potentially be attracted to women. and if she’s also queer there is a chance she looks kinda gay bc it’s a part of her expression. but the reaction feels like she’s being accused of misleading the other person into believing in her availability.

tldr: i think it’s rude and invasive to make inferences abt somebody’s relationships and then reacting like it’s personally offensive to you if they are dating somebody who’s not you/your gender AND then framing it like a positive/feminist/queer/political reaction. this behavior is why the person in question wouldn’t want to date you, not bc they are hot and you aren’t.

like if i was with a man, then that relationship ended, then i was interested in a woman, but then i found out that she had some kind of weird opinion on me having been with my ex boyfriend (saying that since i have the option to date women then why am i with a man, saying that im wasted being w a man, implying anything abt our dynamic/gender roles without actually knowing details abt our relationship, assuming that he’s automatically dismissive/not respectful of my identity and/or fetishizing it), i wouldn’t want her.

if there are any issues with my explanation, feel free to let me know, because i genuinely did not mean what you’re implying i meant, im just frustrated with the popular rhetoric that perpetuates negative stereotypes while the concerns abt them are being dismissed.

[razorblade180]

RWBY V9 Ep8 review

We’re all fucked up. I’m kinda speechless honestly and took a lot of screenshots. Let’s take a moment to process how Ruby yelled at little in their conversation….

That was their last conversation and that’s terrible.

I should’ve made a bingo card for this volume. I actually do have things to say about this in particular! First, I love the idea of Neo making other people to talk for her.

Second, never in wildest dreams did I think they would do mirage Pyrrha for Ruby trauma instead of Jaune! I applaud for that.

Third, I actually like the inclusion of Leo because even though lots of people hate him, everyone glosses over how he basically had the devil holding him and whispering how she would rip him apart for years. Who wouldn’t be afraid!? Like honestly? I can see this bumming Ruby out because it caused a fight nobody wanted to have.

It’s him! It’s the boy! The man, the myth, the legend!

She is so good. In this volume, Neo filled the specific void in this show that Adam filled. Big bad villains are cool, but the problem is they have to scheme more and are a looming threat for the show like a hurricane. Adam and Neo are like tornadoes. They’re so much more isloated and show up unexpectedly to destroy your life. It allows them to be more active and cause immediate problems.

And then there’s this asshole! I’m relieved he’s evil honestly, only because I was scared they would make Jaune the problem somehow. It’s like the antagonists saw Ruby this episode and thought “ha, she thinks she’s having a bad time. Not yet!”

Ruby is done with her life. Very curious on what will happen to her. I also think it’s good that Neo got a taste of victory before…

Realizing it would be numbing. This cat is about to make the most vial creations. I don’t know how team JWBY will handle these two situations. Fortunately, they are both at the tree.

[sympetali]

Since it seems like CRWBY is heavily hinting at big Ruby and Jaune moments in the episode tomorrow, I thought I’d share this think piece drabble I decided to write in the middle of the day a few weeks ago (haha undiagnosed adhd, am I right?)

Here’s the thing about Ruby and Jaune: I think they have one of the most interesting dynamics in the series.

They meet in the first few episodes, and they’re immediately sort of bonding about being outsiders. They don’t feel like they belong in this space: Ruby is too young and Jaune literally bluffed his way in. Jaune calls Ruby cute (this is not an inherently romantic reading of their relationship,) and sort of hints at romantic interest in her before he sees Weiss and well… we all know how that goes. Ruby thinks Jaune is kind of a dweeb, but in the affectionate “you’re weird, I like you” sort of way. It’s a very light-hearted first conversation. But beyond those surface level introductory interactions, then we have the fact that these two become the most unlikely team leaders. They both become responsible for three other people, and Ruby points that out to Jaune in one of the most prominent moments for him early on. The others being his work with Pyrrha about accepting help and his confrontation with Cardin which is like, the defining moment for him—one where he puts both Ruby and Pyrrha’s advice to work. And that alone could be very telling about how close they are. But it doesn’t end there.

Something I think that makes these two so intrinsically linked is their very specific shared grief. No one else knew Pyrrha was going to die and no one else had to see Pyrrha die. Jaune knew the minute she kissed him and ran off. Ruby, still just a 16 year old kid, had to see it. And suddenly both of them are feeling this heartache in a way no one else can understand. But they can understand each other. We don’t know if Jaune ever even told anyone about that kiss, but we do know he called out desperately to the others about her going to do something reckless (hats off to Miles Luna for that scene because holy cow,) and Ruby was already barreling headfirst into hero mode. Pyrrha’s death will play in a loop in both of their heads for a long time.

Then we have the span of time that volumes 4-6 take place in. Ruby, with no team of her own, sets off with Jaune, Ren, and Nora. They acknowledge that at this point, things are incredibly different and they’re following Ruby. Jaune takes a backseat in terms of direct leadership, but he’s still a unifying voice. He understands Ren and Nora a bit more, and I think we see that in their battles scenes. But still, Jaune so easily follows Ruby. He believes in her. He doesn’t know what it is exactly they can do at the place they’re in, but he’s ready to figure it out with her. He’s going to keep improving and he’s going to keep supporting her. I think that’s really beautiful. Their like, little reunion at the end of Vol 3 is very sweet to me. It reads very much like a ride or die, I will follow you into the dark sort of situation. Everything these characters know has been completely flipped on its head, but all they can think to do is keep pushing on. Keep moving forward. And it’s clear that at this moment in time, Ruby and Jaune need each other to do that. Yes, Jaune has Ren and Nora but he lost his partner. And we know that that loss has him pushing Ren and Nora away for awhile. He doesn’t know how to grieve with them. He’s afraid. Ruby doesn’t have her team anymore at all. Yang is despondent. Blake is missing. Weiss was forced to go home. She leans on the people she knows she still has, but we have to assume she also feels the absence of Pyrrha in that space. Everything in Team RNJR/JNR is kind of fragile. They want to pick up the pieces and do the next right thing, but it’s also very hard to do so when there’s so much they’re not saying or doing.

Ruby and Jaune have excellent little moments of casual intimacy as well. There’s a real softness between them. And again, this is not necessarily a romantic reading of their connection, but it’s not NOT a romantic reading. Jaune’s double down on his belief in her before the fight against the Nukaleve, his determination to keep her safe from Tyrion, even butting heads with Qrow (another dynamic I love to scream about,) Jaune is always just so steadfast in his faith in her. The same way that past all the teasing, Ruby’s faith in Jaune is a huge part of his confidence as a leader. Their reunion in Argus is my favorite moment between them. He is so relieved to see her alive and she just wants that moment to feel good and light so she reminds him she promised they’d see each other there. And he has to smile. And they share this lovely hug that feels so cozy and safe and like something they both needed. There’s so many important relationships and bonds in this story, but I really do think that outside of the main four, this one is imperative to the narrative. It’s one that we as the audience have literally followed since the beginning. Any way you read the relationship, they are so important to each other and their connection is a driving force in their motivations. They make each other better.

But we’ve reached a point now where these two haven’t had a lot of time with each other since they took on their own challenges in Mantle and Atlas. Not to mention the new and unique position they’re in with Jaune having aged rapidly in the Ever After. We have Ruby at her weakest mentally. She’s lost all hope. She’s feeling the weight of everything she’s learned and she’s seen and she’s done, and she’s gonna have to reckon with Jaune’s decision to mercy kill Penny on top of that? Now, I fully believe that Ruby is typically the kind of person that after an emotional initial reaction, she would sort of step back and be introspective. She would offer that understanding to the best of her ability. It would be hard no matter what, but she would see Jaune, Jaune especially actually, for who he is and why he did that and not focus on the action itself. But again, this isn’t Ruby like we know her. This is Ruby already wrecked by grief and on the cusp of just completely giving up. She might really lose it over this, and her and Jaune could have an incredibly difficult moment. Maybe even a division we see follow them for awhile. But I think that would only add to the emotional impact of their relationship. Again, they are sharing a profound grief that cannot be felt by anyone else. Ruby did everything she could to keep Penny around, and she lost her anyway. And Jaune would have never wanted to do what he did but he put Penny’s wishes first, even if that left him in a much worse state. We all love Penny and we understand her naivety in that request, but it’s hard not to at least think about the quiet cruelty of it. We know Jaune agreed because he wanted to do what he thought was best in that moment, but we as the viewer have to try to see it from all angles. He’s the one who has to live with that decision, not anybody else. And he has to know the way that might affect his relationships with other people, particularly Ruby. They are always balancing on these scales, I think. They’re trying so hard to do the right thing and when either one of them makes a misstep, it’s the other that seems to help move the weight. Now we’re in this precarious position where it could be Jaune’s actions that tip Ruby really far down. And that’s fascinating because it’s so easy to sympathize with both sides. We hurt for Ruby’s loss and we hurt for Jaune’s too. He also loved Penny, but there’s all these other layers. He had to take a life, which isn’t something he ever wanted to do, much less an innocent one: one of somebody he cared for. But also— there’s one other person who once ended a version of Penny’s life. Pyrrha. And I know deep in my bones that that thought crossed his mind. Pyrrha is always with Jaune. Literally and figuratively. What is the sword he carries, and killed Penny with, forged from?

This also draws a new and specific thread from Pyrrha to Ruby and Jaune’s relationship. Ruby knew Pyrrha didn’t mean to kill Penny 1.0. I don’t think she ever even thought about that. But again, Ruby isn’t the same person she was the first time she lost her.

Idk. Much to think about. I love Ruby and Jaune so much, individually and together, and I’m very anxious to see what’s in store for them.

[deadendtracks]

Unfollowed already. All this rant you made up is just a cover up. You hate Grace, admit it or not. If you were really sensitive about fictional character deaths, you wouldn’t talk about Grace the way you do *you cannot cheat on dead wife* post. Sick. You also seem to feel better if Ruby or Polly were in *that* moment not Grace. Sick.

Okay, goodbye! I'm glad you are making the right choice for yourself.

I mean. You can't? cheat on a dead wife? Because she's dead? Literally you cannot cheat on someone who is not alive. The marriage contract does not extend beyond death in the Peaky Blinders universe.

you literally cannot comprehend anything i have said if you think this is about "being really sensitive to fictional character deaths" after everything i have taken the time to be specific about, but all you guys can do is completely misrepresent anything i say (i guess because you can't think outside a very very very narrow tunnel) so ... okay?

Why is it sick to think that *if* there is an afterlife and *if* Tommy were to die and see someone welcoming him it would be his daughter or his aunt?

I... don't know... what is "sick" about... that? I am a little afraid to ask.

I mean I actually do think if that were to happen chances were good he'd probably see grace as well, but i was trying to make a point.

In fact the only person we know he actually saw when he was dying in canon was his father. The only other person he saw when he thought he was dead was his daughter. This doesn't mean he wouldnt' see grace but like... all of this is completely beside my original point.

Which, to restate, because you refuse to acknowledge it: it's very gross to keep talking about how a character is so traumatized the only thing for them is to die.

i have said again and again you can feel whatever way you want about wanting tommy to die in the end to be with grace. what i have been criticizing is framing it in terms of "well traumatized people have no hope but to just die, that's the only peace for them."

that's gross and you should stop.

[caddeter]

A few months, I made a post talking about how the ‘planned from the beginning’ excuse the RWBY FNDM loves to use makes no sense.  I got into a very brief argument with @crimsonxe before deleting the post and apologizing for writing it out of anger.

I am now taking that apology back, because the RWBY FNDM has repeatedly proven it deserves no form of respect no matter how small or basic.

I was hoping to rewrite the post using the other user’s replies, but unfortunately I couldn’t find them in my email trash bin.  So I’m going to be rewriting it based on memory.

One of the points I made was that, in Volume 3, there was a short scene where Penny expressed a desire to stay at Beacon, specifically saying that she ‘had an idea.’ The person who responded to me said that this idea didn’t ‘go nowhere’ because Penny dies at the end of the Volume

...  Bitch, that’s why it goes nowhere.

It’s like saying the ending of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom where dinosaurs are now loose on the mainland wasn’t completely ignored by the next film because Dominion was all about an evil corporation trying to kill competitor crops with a swarm of prehistoric locus.  It doesn’t change the fact that Fallen Kingdom’s ending was very clearly setting up a different story.

Or that the Pokemon anime didn’t drop the golden Pokeball plotline because it was delivered to Professor Oak and we never learn what it was about.

They also said that all that really mattered to Silver Eyes was that the Grimm are afraid of them, and it’s perfectly okay that CRWBY didn’t figure out why until Volume 3

That’s like saying it would have been perfectly fine if Avatar The Last Airbender took three seasons to figure out what an Avatar is.

Ruby’s Silver Eyes are strongly implied to be the reason Ozpin let her into Beacon.  If I’m expected to believe they’re important, why the fuck wouldn’t you figure out what they do first thing.

A plothole is when there is a hole in your plot’s internal logic.  How are you supposed to avoid plotholes if not even you know what’s going on?

Another point they made was that the writers figuring out their worldbuilding before they start the story or where they want the plot to go is them ‘doing me a favor’

As I said in the original post:  No, that is the writers doing their JOBS!

Let me put it to you this way:  Imagine you go into a restaurant and order a cheeseburger:

Do you expect that burger to be cooked?

Do you expect it to have a bun?

Do you expect a plate or a tray to carry it with?

Do you expect the restaurant to have tables you can sit at?

Do you expect the floors to be clean with a wet floor sign warning you of when it’s slippery?

Saying that the writers are ‘doing me a favor’ when they figure out where they want their story to go or how their magic systems work or what their world is like is like saying that one manager I had was ‘doing me a favor’ every time he came in half an hour late rather than miss have his shift like that one time.  That’s not doing a favor, that’s doing the least they could.

Doing me a favor is when Ben 10 throws in nods to fan opinions and responses in their show as quick little gags without mocking the people who hold those thoughts.

It’s when William Hartnell, the actor who played the First Doctor, kept track of what every button and switch on the TARDIS console did because he wanted to make sure he never used the wrong one because he feared viewers would notice.

It’s when Arkhane Studios defines the world of Dishonored down to the calendar.

It’s when the Ink Tank makes And Beyond, a series dedicated the the culture and societies of each of Ben’s aliens.

It’s when Linkara, GOAT he is, makes an entire, full length analog-horror movie as an April Fools joke.

Doing the audience a favor is going the extra mile.  It is not figuring out your plot points the moment they become relevant.  If that’s what you define as good writer, than please, do tell me, what’s bad writing?  If your standards are this low, then what would you consider a bad story?

They also claimed that I was wrong to make such criticisms of RWBY because Miles Luna is just a human being

I could make an entire post detailing how ‘people make mistakes’ is a terrible way to counter criticism (and in fact, I did), but instead, I’ll just leave you with a choice quote that describes one of the biggest problems with it:

There are writers and directors out there who put painstaking efforts into their stories to make sure everything is as concise and logical as possible. There are also writers and directors who don't put in those efforts at all. If inconsistencies in plot and character action "don't matter at all", then how can you even appreciate those efforts made by filmmakers who legitimately care? You're not just delegitimizing those who discuss their films. You're delegitimizing the filmmakers themselves. You're saying there's no difference between a lazy script littered with inconsistencies versus a thoroughly researched, laid-out, thoughtful script that made every effort they possibly could to make the story, characters, and universe as consistent and believable as possible. That's just nonsense and it's upsetting that you refuse to see any value whatsoever in filmmakers who put those extra efforts into their work.

Adam from YourMovieSucks.org, a professional movie critic.

They also said that they, as a writer, have reworked entire timelines because they came up with one new character

First of all, what you describing here is the planning process.  It’s revise then release, not the other way around.

Second of all, real nice anecdotal evidence you have there.  Wanna hear some of mine?  I wrote up history and culture for vampires and werewolves, notes detailing my own soft magic system, and worldbuilt an entire underwater society down to the clock for fun.  At that point, it shouldn’t feel like I’m asking the writers to reverse the Earth’s rotation when I expect them to figure out why Ruby’s Silver Eyes are special or how Magic works.

Another one of their ridiculous claims was that foreshadowing could ruin a show’s mysteries

Dumbass, mysteries are where you need foreshadowing the most.  Ask any established mystery writer, they’ll all tell you the same thing:  The best practice is to figure out the ending first and work your way backwards.  It requires thought and care to make sure the ending is satisfying and the journey to it is enjoyable and engaging.

Even if the audience figures out where the story is going, that just means their paying attention and are invested enough to think about the story.  And last I checked, the audience being invested in your story is a good thing.  Take it from me, I have a very strong idea for where Slime Rancher 2′s story is going, and I would be elated when it turns out I’m right.

If the only quality your story has is that it’s ending is ‘a surprising twist,’ then that just shows how shallow the rest of the story is.

Edit:  Linkara has a quote that perfectly explains why this idea is stupid:  “Of course we can’t [solve the mysteries].  It’s not really a mystery.  It’s you guys making up random contrivances to resolve each new cliffhanger.”

The last thing they user did was perpetuate the conspiracy theory that the RWDE tag was created to somehow destroy RWBY and Rooster Teeth while also saying the show doesn’t need defending from us as they defended it.

Ah, yes, because criticizing something is such a threat to it and the people who make it.  Just look at what happened with Twilight.  That series became the laughing stock of the internet, and then it...  Kept going.

Or what about Sword Art Online.  Mocking it became ingrained in the anime community, and then it...  Kept going.

Or Sonic The Hedgehog.  That series has a bad game every other release, and then it...  Kept going.  And each time it actually listens to the feedback it gets and tries to fix the problems people had.

Criticism is not a threat to a piece of media or the people who made it.  If anything, we’re doing RT a favor by criticizing RWBY.

But even then, let’s pretend, for just a moment, that there somehow was a conspiracy to destroy RWBY and Rooster Teeth for whatever reason.  Do you know what our EEVIIIILLL plan would be?  It’d be a simple two steps:

Step 1: Sit back

Step 2: Watch

Anything we could say or do to Rooster Teeth wouldn’t be nearly as bad as what they do to themselves.  Or do you think all those ex-employees reporting workplace discrimination and crunch culture so terrible it caused PTSD are in on it too?  We aren’t the ones trying to destroy Rooster Teeth.  Rooster Teeth is the one trying to destroy Rooster Teeth.

And even if that wasn’t true, why would an easily blockable tumblr tag be any threat to them?  We say this about a hundred times a day, but the entire point of the tag is for the FNDM to blacklist it so that they don’t see criticism.

And just to articulate how easy it is to blacklist a tag on this website:  I figured out how to do that all on my own and I can’t find my blocklist.  If that’s not good enough for you people, then what do you want us to do, go to an entirely different website?  Yeah, like that would stop you from complaining about us.

Furthermore, out of all the series in all the media in all the world to try and destroy, why do you think we would target a low profile web animation from a company that’s only really popular in machinima?  Don’t you think a more high-profile franchise would get this treatment?  Like Star Wars?

They probably said some more dumbass claims, but these are all I can remember.

[certifiedwerewolf]

One of the things that makes me a good writer is that I treat "the words on the page/screen" as a visual medium that is part of the story. (And if people are adapting my work into an audio or other form of medium for accessibility, I would expect them to consider these things when translating the story into the new medium, not just the words themselves).

For example, here's the opening narration of Merriment and Mirth:

See how the justification bounces from one side of the page to the other? Bryory, in this scene, is at odds with himself. Part of him is horrified by what his queen has asked of him-- and the other, while not justifying the ask itself, is trying to find some way of justifying that she would ask it. Part of him is realizing his queen is a monster, while the other half is trying not to.

Bryory is of two minds here, and by splitting the justification- such a simple little trick!- we get to really lean into that conflict.

I've talked about this one before, but there's a place in dtls where Jaune and Ruby are both texting Gyro about the same thing at the same time, and to convey that synchronicity, when I was archiving the threads, I put those threads side by side. You can't literally read them at once, but by putting them that way, it highlights how much Gyro was dealing with that morning- which is doubly conveyed by the slightly messy way this formatting makes the page.

This was when the clock was striking the thirteenth hour of Aziraphale being in the Labyrinth. I don't think anyone ever counted, but there are thirteen dots there, and not only do they signal the clock striking, they also create a moment of catharsis as we the audience take a moment to live in Aziraphale's relief before we move on to the next scene.

I don't know what I'm really getting at here. I mostly wanted to talk about one of the things that makes writing fun for me, and that makes me good at it and suited for this specific medium. I guess if there's a takeaway, I'd say it's don't be afraid to play around with your formatting and presentation- not just with writing on the page/screen, but whatever medium you use to convey a narrative. Find ways to use the secondary aspects of a medium to enhance your tone; make them bring something to the table too. Not only is it fun, it will make your writing stronger.

[destinygoldenstar]

The Spitfire Twins Are Growing Up

Toddler-hood is done for these two spitfire twins. Our two aggressive angry twins.

Happy birthday you two!!

Ruby is the heir, so of course her first trait is hot headed. It’s the only one of the three available for kids. And you know what? Makes perfect sense for her anyway as our feisty practical queen. And she’s a Social Butterfly because the heir skill needed is Charisma. And this might help. I usually ignore the child aspirations, but this is an exception.

And Kian… at random, is ALSO a hot head. Wow.

Yeah, this is why I call them the Spitfire Twins. Later in, I’m definitely making their traits different. But I’m fine with this cause it makes sense for them both.

They BOTH have significant anger problems and have AWFUL emotional control. (If one of these twins die, I’m gonna be so upset. I hope I didn’t jinx anything.)

This is Ruby and Kian.

Ruby is a deep regal crimson red. Kian is a bright fiery red.

Ruby loves the color red. Kian loves red and orange. They both love affection, arguing and complaining. And discussing their interests. In Rubys case, debating and fairy tales. In Kians case, music. Ruby loves stories, specifically love related stories full of shipping content. It’s also a trait she inherited from her father being a famous writer. Kian loves music, energetic and rock music in particular. He loves singing and dancing.

Personality wise, they’re both hot heads. They both have anger problems and actually bond through bickering. It’s their way of communicating.

Ruby (the heir) is the more practical of the two. She’s a feisty stubborn young girl who works for what she wants. She has glasses, she wore them since she was an infant, she can sometimes be wild with her brother when she wants to, and she’s a bit of a glutton, and a messy one at that. It’s not ‘fitting for an attractive lady’, and she wants to hide these parts of her. Doesn’t know how yet in childhood. She grew up in a successful family of her mother being a genius scientist and her father being a famous author. She heavily looked up to them due to this, and she was around to witness the proposal of her parents, and their wedding, seeing ‘the ideal life’. Ideal life involving people changing the world positively, and finding the perfect love interest to ‘get married and live happily ever after’. It’s shown as the ultimate perfect outcome in her life, and the bedtime stories her father read to her. So therefore she must have a life like that as well.

(But due to gen rules: None of her dates are that perfect love interest)

She’s very upfront and blunt. Intelligent-wise and emotional-wise. She also has a sailor mouth cause why is a nine year old swearing so much already?! (That’s how you know she’s Peppers kid) She cares a lot about her own image. And she’s a determined girl who values the perfection of her own life and those around her.

She also has a hard time understanding the phrase “I love you”

She thinks that’s only a romantic thing to say. That people who say it mean it to their romantic partners only. That romance love is the only form of ‘love’. Maybe she’ll learn that it’s not, and embrace family love, especially for her twin brother. Who knows?

Kian is a wild kid with wild dreams. Like his twin sister, he has anger issues, and aggression problems. But he openly has a sunny side, and is far more naturally social in platonic sense. He’s almost always full of energy and isn’t afraid to show it, be reckless, and be weird. He’s also full of pride in himself, and doesn’t like to admit when he’s kind of a meat head. He’s very protective of people he cares about. He loves his sister, (even if as a toddler, he took too much influence from the cat and showed that love by biting), and will fight people who hurt her. Or disrespect his parents in any way. He will be nice. Very nice. You can bully him all you want if you want. But if you do anything mean to his sister, or his friends, he WILL FIGHT YOU. He’s also more loose in his dreams than his sister. He is a HUGE music guy. Maybe a music nerd? And is so devoted to trying to come up with music of his own. Especially rock music. It might turn into his own career one day.

They also both love cats. They adore their cat guardian, Bubbles.

These twins, despite their issues, despite them loving to bicker and fight, love each other more than they can put into words.

Rose Gen is gonna be wild with these two. I just know it.

[bestworstcase]

other people have brought this up also but the girls confront themselves as they were before even the trailers, and that is generally interesting for the implicit callback to 5.7 (“well, that embarrassment, that desire to go back and tell yourself not to be so stupid? that just proves you're not the same person you used to be. you're smarter, you're kinder, you're stronger, and you're not done growing yet. none of us are.”) and for the implication that the herbalist showed them who they used to be in order to prompt them to reflect on who they are now, that is, what we see in this episode is not a series of confrontations with manifested self-doubt but, instead, conversations with past mistakes: yang pouring her energy into searching for her mother to find answers that would make her feel whole; blake drawn to the huntsmen academy by the allure of simple nobility, of solving difficult and complicated problems by finding some innate goodness; weiss uncertain of her family name and her place in the world and worried of never escaping her father’s long shadow. the herbalist shows them these childhood stumbles and in doing so reveals to them how far they have grown beyond the frightened children they once were, how they can look their younger selves in the eye and say no. you were so very afraid, but you were stronger than you ever imagined. this thing that felt so big and so terrible to us then is so small now, so trivial. we’re going to be okay.

but it’s also, specifically, fascinating for how it lands on ruby. there’s a contrast here that i haven’t seen anyone point out yet: ruby rose arrived at beacon brimming with hope and confidence, yes, but also socially anxious, isolated, uncomfortable. she did not want to meet new people or make friends. the idea of being paired up with anyone besides yang during the initiation sent her into a panic. this girl whipped out her fuckoff huge scythe to avoid having to talk to people about herself and whined about having to interact with her new classmates!

that’s the version of herself that ruby confronts during the herbalist’s trial—the awkward, socially isolated girl who desperately wished she could just do everything alone because she didn’t know how to talk to people. and ruby overcame those challenges, sure, but not through any soul-searching or emotional introspection or prolonged reflection on the importance of making friends—she got plonked into a situation where she had to be social and made some friends and (in classic angsty under-socialized fifteen year old fashion!) realized hey this isn’t so bad, actually.

it’s clarifying to imagine how this confrontation might have gone had ruby been in a healthier state of mind; younger ruby would be like “but wouldn’t it be nice if you could just hide behind crescent rose all the time and get on with killing grimm and not have to talk to anybody except yang? don’t you want to be normal?” and ruby would be like “??no??” because holy moly there is nothing in this world she loves more than she loves her friends. there’s no triumphant speech to make here. it’s just the before and after on ruby getting comfy socializing outside her immediate family.

but ruby is not in a good place so instead what happens is this: the ruby who dreamed of being a lonely hero and vibrated with anxiety whenever she had to talk to a stranger looks at the ruby who’s quaking under the weight of all the love she wants to protect, and the isolated child she used to be recoils. through those eyes the friendships ruby has found these last two years become nothing but another burden to carry on top of everything else and the childhood fantasies of heroism are warped into a nightmare by the things she knows now. it doesn’t seem fair. it isn’t fair. we didn’t want this—who would ask for this?

so the problem ruby had then is not made small by the passage of time; it becomes, instead, a magnifying glass for the problem ruby has now. and whereas yang, blake, and weiss are asked to consider emotional fantasies they felt once but have long since grown past (to feel whole somehow, to live in a world with simple answers, to disappear and be free)—ruby comes face-to-face with the reality that she is living her childhood fantasy and the fantasy is a nightmare; thus the only temptation this trial can offer her is the fantasy of nonexistence, of a transformation so complete that she is no longer herself, of escape through the annihilation of ruby rose.

this is why the cat intervenes for her and her alone. the trial was meant to illuminate and affirm the present by looking to the past, but instead it slapped ruby across the face with the reality that she DOES NOT WANT to be herself anymore and that if given the chance she would destroy herself to escape from being the person she has always been. that is a realization she did need to have, but not like this, not without making the choice to face it and certainly not alone.

[twilightguardian]

Well well. Looks like Lil is still up to her incoherent screaming. Let's take a look, shall we?

I gotta wonder what she means by 'absolutely nothing'. Like by definition 'absolutely nothing' would mean that there has been nothing going on. At all. The equivalent of sitting at a desk, not even twiddling your pencil between your fingers because twiddling would be something.

Episode 2 continues on from episode 1 with what Ruby bought at the festival, revealing them to be friendship bracelets for WBY, establishing how happy she is that not only her team, but her friends are back.

Qrow is still drunk, and unlike in the show, it's becoming actually debilitating for those around him, with Jaune and Ruby having to carry him to the station.

Blake says goodbye to her parents, Sun and Ilia just like in canon. (But I guess since Lilith thinks that's absolutely nothing, we can count that as nothing of worth to canon, either.)

There's also brief mention about the White Fang going to help Vale's recovery.

First episode we saw Roman and Neo pickpocketing people at the festival, and that got paid off when they got into first class on the train.

Mercury and Emerald have a discussion about Cinder and their differing views on her and parenthood.

Cardin and Russell replace Dee and Dudley both as characters we care about and filling in some exposition about the status in Vale.

Brief comedic scene where Yang tells Neptune the truth about 'Jane', because why keep friends in the dark about such things.

That's 8 'nothings' that have happened in the episode. So if you want to break it down into the most important things, we can say establishing RWBY as rekindling their bond, Cardin and Russel's cameo, Emercury's discussion and Qrow's drunkenness as being the core elements.

Ooof. You've never actually read fanfiction, have you, Lilith? You should join the Tundra discord server and join us for bad fanfiction night. Because all this tells me is that you don't know what incompetence is.

Actually, I have no idea if you even read. That's not an insult, that's just a general statement of fact. I've never seen any mention of books on your blogs, and I don't know you as a person.

Why would Cardin's return make you want to watch Fixing RWBY unless you had the expectation that Cardin, who you think only abuses women for some reason, would abuse a woman. Is abusing women something you like to see? People generally avoid things they don't like, you know. That's pretty dang weird.

Emphasizing again that Cardin isn't an abuser of women, specifically. He was a general bully in canon and a rather toothless one at that. He more went after Jaune in canon. Raymond gave him some teeth and his ass was still humbled for it. Now he knows better. When was the last time we've seen Cardin 'abuse' a woman?

Casually insulting all fanfic writers while trying to shit on one guy you have a hateboner for. Nice. You know there's not a single thing you said here that also can't also apply to your average fanfic author. Authors that may like a male character for whatever reason and may want to focus on that male character. Fanfic authors in general create derivative works that aren't 'their own' and many take from each other based on common fanfic tropes, themes and scenarios. The point of Fixing RWBY is to keep as close to the original as possible while also not being afraid to cut unnecessary fat and rearrange things. There isn't a single thing done to Fixing RWBY that one could say impacts the story in any substantially detrimental way. Oscar not being around doesn't matter because Ozpin still has a host. Expanding Menagerie's arc still resulted in Blake meeting up with everyone at the school.

lol

And she wonders why I have no faith in her ability to write when she doesn't seem to understand the concept of foreshadowing and Chekhov's Gun. No, he didn't do the Apathy Arc in V4. It was establishing when the backstory that Maria read in that book took place.

Also prove that the Apathy Arc is going to be 'all about Roman Torchwick' because you're just pulling that out of your ass with no basis other than you want it to be that way. You know, criticism comes after something you disagree with happens, not before.

I don't mind if you think that the first two episodes are slow. That's perfectly fine as valid criticism as not everyone is going to feel the same. Doesn't make it bad, it just means that's your preference. But that doesn't mean you get to pull shit out of your ass like you're fucking Jillian Epperly.

I don't understand this criticism. Are you saying that because Adam has a bike that Yang doesn't have her bike? Or that Yang owning a bike gets diminished because Adam has one because only one person is allowed to own a bike at a time?

Hey @iamafanofcartoons, hello, we haven't formally met yet. I've actually been very interested in talking to you at some point, and I'm sure this might wreck that a bit. But permit me to ask you what this even means lol

When has Raymond ever said that CardinxVelvet is going to for sure be canon in FRWBY? Because like... there's a difference between shipping a ship and then making that ship canon in the story you're working on. And really, obsession? How is Raymond obsessed with men who harass women? Because so far the one who talks the most about Shiloh is you.

And I wouldn't even say that either Shiloh or Shay D. 'harassed' Yang. The dude was drunk and tried to flirt. She wasn't interested and while touching her could have been assault, she was the one that touched him first to hit him instead of moving out of the way and verbally telling him off. Harassment actually deals with continued intimidation and threats. Yang was never threatened by Shay/Shiloh in either version. Yang was not a victim of harassment. So I would appreciate it if you would not infantilize Yang by saying such an innocuous altercation was harassment as it really makes out real harassment out to be not that bad if that's the comparison.

Yeah. I can't wait to see him prove you wrong because you're saying this with no proof.

[cocained]

her  eyes  shine  a  little  too  bright  specifically  when  he  says  the  word  stolen.  it's  clear  that  he's  paying  close  attention  to  what  is  really  going  on  in  this  speeding  game.  there  are  plenty  of  secrets  and  hers  is  the  part  he  mentions  —  thieving  expensive cars  and  their  parts.  "i  mean,  i  wouldn't  say  it's  totally  wasted.  someone's  out  there  making  very  good  use  of  their  incompetence.  and  beating  them  on  track  is  still  funny  as  shit."  while  biting  back  a  chuckle,  she  flicks  the  ash  off  her  cigarette  and  takes  another  drag  of  smoke  without  looking  away  from  him.  "really?  even  in  front  of  all  these  people?"  her  gaze  briefly  aims  towards  the  other  racers  and  their crowd  surrounding  them  —  all  making  use  of  the  asphalt  to  hang  out  post-race.  ruby's  attention  is  quickly  drawn  back  by  his  arm  wrapping  around  her,  followed  by  a  touch  against her  lips.  she  smiles  as  she  sees  by  the  look  in  his  eyes  that  this  is  just as  much  of  a  game  to  anthony  as  it  is  to  her.  he's  clearly  not  afraid  of  getting  his  hands  dirty  and  she  can  only  admire  it.  "alright then,  but  i  doubt  they're  gonna  come  over  to  me  if  you're  standing  this  close to me.  if  you  wanna  fight,  you  should  let  go.  let  another  man  have  his  chance."  she  taunts,  whether  he  agrees  or  not  she  wants  to  see  what  he  would  do.

another laugh leaves him as he shook his head. "fuckin' stock racers. shouldn't even be allowed to buy the damn cars. and we both know in three months they're gonna be repoed, taken in a race, or stolen by chop shops. daddy's money just wasted." ant had seen it too many times, the amount of people that tried to get into this type of life only to burn out in less than a year and spent the rest of their lives shit talking racing because they couldn't cut it or were too ignorant to learn anything. his irritation began to melt slightly as the girls hand slid up to his neck, smirking at her words while tilting his head down to look at her. "won't stop you if you're tryin' to pat me down." he teased, free arm looping lazily around her waist as he studied her as well. the question only elicited a shake of his head, finger coming up to tap against her lips in a sign of keeping quiet. "let them be dumb enough to figure it out. it's more fun that way." he grinned now, mischief dancing in his eyes now at the thought of another fight.

[rubyinasnuggie]

Random Headcanons No One Asked For:

-Both Ruby and Weiss are left handed

--Yang was 100% prepared to tease them about it when Blake very pointedly uses her left hand to write something

--Blake is ambidextrous

--which makes Yang the only right-handed one on the team

--until the fall of beacon oops

-Ren is fully color blind

--once baby Nora figured that out, she made it her mission to explain to him what colors are based on other sensations (sue me I love this trope)

--she describes pink as the quiet comfort they share in each other's presence

--Ren finally sees color for the first time when his semblance upgrades, and he can finally see the pink petals with Nora

-Blake likes to climb on things and find random nooks and crannies to read

--it turns into a game of reverse hide-and-seek when someone needs her: depending on how urgent it is the entire squad will drop everything and look for her

-team STRQ won the Vytal tournament their first year, specifically Summer was the champion

--Yang was more upset about the disqualification than she'd ever admit, because she secretly imagined Summer was out there somewhere watching the tournament, proud of her babies

-Tai pulled himself out of his depression by gardening: having a routine helped him, so he encouraged baby Ruby and Yang to get similar gentle hobbies

-Ruby raises chickens at home

--she very lovingly feeds them corn and calls them her ladies

--Yang affectionately calls them creatures and cluckers and other such rude things to get a rise out of Ruby

-Ruby deeply wants a cow

--this is her one and only retirement dream

--although honestly she can never imagine herself living past her 20s

-Yang struggled with picking a hobby, she gets bored easily and hates the expected

--its only post-Beacon that she understands the benefits of a routine

--thats why she ends up with a ton of chores, just some structure to help her through the day

-Ruby will drink any type of milk, but Strawberry milk is her favorite

-Sun is allergic to bananas but he doesn't know

--he thinks bananas are supposed to be spicy

-Weiss loves sour apple

-Pyrrha loves chocolate almonds

-Yang thinks fish are creepy, she just generally doesn't love the ocean

--she thinks Neptune is a little clown though

-Oscar gets dressed by putting on his left sock, left boot, then his right sock and right boot

--RNJR made it their mission to interrupt him during this just to see him walk around with one boot on

-Ruby likes to bake, it's one of the few solid memories she has of her mom

--one night Weiss was feeling homesick and Ruby taught her how to make mug cakes

--"its probably not that good compared to your cake butler, but it's pretty simple, and I like them!"

--Weiss secretly makes them at least once a week, even back home in Atlas

-Weiss has taken flight lessons, at one point Ironwood really pushed for her to become a pilot in the military

-Blake has a field journal of the different types of Grimm she's encountered

--team RWBY & JNPR have spent several nights sitting in a circle talking and adding to the journal

--while traveling across Anima, Ruby sketched and took notes on all the Grimm she saw, just in case she ever found Blake again

-Weiss collects rocks

--no, not crystals. actual rocks

--shes rarely spent time in the real outside, but whenever she has, she picks up little rocks and puts them in her pocket before anyone can see

-Jaune never actually stopped writing left and right on the bottom of his shoes actually

-Weiss had never been allowed to paint her nails as a kid, she'd always get weekly French manicures instead

--by the second semester at Beacon, Ruby, Weiss, Nora, and Ren would have weekly manicure nights where they'd paint each other's nails

--there were several times they'd rope the rest of the teams into it, especially during the Vytal tournament where they'd write team names on their nails

--during the singles round they'd write Yang on one hand and Pyrha on the other

--"we couldn't make it fit without cutting one of the R's!"

-Pyrrha and Weiss became each other's default plus one's for fancy events, to the point people began to speculate that the two were dating

--Jaune was somehow jealous of them both and it was very confusing to him since he had poor self awareness

-Yang cuts Ruby's hair, but after she lost her arm she lost the fine motor skills to do a good job, so Blake started to do it

-Blake is always there to help Yang with her phantom pains and residual limb pain

--she helps massage Yang's arm while leaning close and purring

--Yang cried the first time Blake did this because she's not used to being taken care of

-Nora never gets sick and is the designated nurse when a bug goes around the teams

--the electricity incident was the first time Nora has ever been bed-ridden

-Weiss took ballet as a child

-Jaune is actually pretty good at the guitar

-Pyrrha is not musically inclined at all its a miracle she managed to do the iconic JNPR shine dance

--jk but actually she's a decent dancer when she has the steps choreographed for her but she has no natural rhythm

-in the last few months before Pyrrha's death, she and Jaune would waltz on top of the roof together

--there were several almost kisses

--maybe a few successful kisses who knows

-there are occasions (obv extremely rare) when Ren actually takes the bulk of the energy from Nora

--this leads to thrilling game nights where Ren makes multiple 40pt remnant-equiv-of-scrabble plays while Nora naps

-Oscar is the only person who can beat Ren in scrabble, although it's very closely matched

-Oscar is amazing at chess and will play it against himself like a little square

-Yang and Ruby are experts at the tabletop war game they play in the library

--9 times out of 10, the winner is one of them

-Oscar is the only one who also knew about Compost King, which was very exciting for Jaune

--Compost King is a common game night activity while they were in Haven because its so hard to say no to Oscar

-Yang is a straight-A student and has always been

-Blake never had any formal education and she finds a lot of the classes incredibly dull or ineffective at teaching the material

--she's always the one convincing Yang to skip a class and lie in the sun-warmed grass with her

--she still gets Bs easily

-Oscar is a very fast reader and will devour any book he's given

--his aunt would frequently bring home books from town just to keep him entertained

-Ruby has suffered from migraines and nightmares her entire life, post-Beacon they only got worse

-Weiss shops at local dust stores whenever she can, even though she could get shipments for free

--however she does have Ron Swanson's "I know more than you" energy when she's shopping

-Blake and Ren will sometimes take naps together

--not cuddling, just occupying the same general space

--wake them up at your own risk

-if Ruby isn't engaged with something, she can start to scatter and dissolve into rose petals

--its a very slow process and someone has always snapped her out of it before she's fully vanished, but Yang is worried about what would happen if no one caught her in time

-Ren is afraid of horses

-Blake hates being cold

-Yang naturally radiates heat cause semblance duh

-Weiss glued the tiniest gravity crystals to the underside of Ruby's bed to ensure it never falls

-JNPR likes to push their beds all together so they can sleep in one big pile

-Nora can only sleep if she's holding someone's hand

Hope u guys enjoyed! These are in no particular order, sorry that I kinda jumped around a lot 😅

Feel free to reblog and add your own ideas and headcanons! ❤

[roobylavender]

do you have any specific non-comic quotes that remind you of bruce?

any asshole can open up a museum / put all of the things he loves on display / so everyone can see them (it's a hit, rilo kiley)

but grieving people are selfish. they won’t let you comfort them and they say you don’t understand and they make you feel useless when all your life you’ve been functional to them. (the piper’s son, melina marchetta)

i should live in salt for leaving you behind (i should live in salt, the national)

oh joy i'm afraid of the light / as the jewel of my mind begins to fall apart / do not destroy what has taken its time / as the lord would abide in murder and crime (murder and crime, sufjan stevens)

grief paralyzes. motion continues; time departs. something’s left with no means to retrieve it. a candle out in the down-clap of darkness. then to wade and wade—in grief: i, detached from place and time. (dream of the divided field, yanyi)

one peculiar way to die of loneliness is to try. pretend november has a sliver of ice in her throat. (trances of the blast, mary ruefle)

shame creates imaginary worlds inside your head. this haunted house you’re creating is forged from your shame. no one else can see it, so you keep trying to describe it to them. you find ways to say, “you don’t want any part of this mess. i’m mediocre, aging rapidly, and poor. do yourself a favor and leave me behind.” you want to be left behind, though. that way no one bears witness to what you've become (i'm broke and mostly friendless, and i've wasted my whole life, heather havrilesky)

i've spent most of my life and most of my friendships holding my breath and hoping that when people get close enough they won't leave, and fearing that it's a matter of time before they figure me out and go. (shauna niequist)

cause if i can learn to love your shadow / when your shadow hits the light / and there ain't no trace of what we've been through / then i'll shout it 'til the day i die / but i'm still in sight / your fast machine / always holding your love supreme (45, bleachers)

a loss of innocence is the impetus for a journey to find inner truth. in the film, dorothy returns to the world of oz to find its landscape in ruins and its citizens turned to stone. only she can find the ruby slippers and return peace to oz. only we can save ourselves, but first we have to remember who we are. (sufjan stevens)

shall we look at the moon, my little loon / why do you cry? / make the most of your life, while it is rife / while it is light (fourth of july, sufjan stevens)

the bleeding heart, on the other hand is fundamentally incapable of being anything other than themself. they love the way an open wound does. it’s hemorrhagic and contagious. faithful to a fault. they will jump without hesitation, though they’ll hit the ground consumed with guilt. (hauntdom)

i’ve listened to people in the media say that nothing beats the love between a mother and the child she births. i’d have to challenge that. nothing beats it, but something equals it. because i feel a deep love at my heart’s core for this child. i truly believe we were meant to be. (the gift of love, melina marchetta)

hector believes in—he believes in institutions, he believes in—in country, he believes in family, he believes in the army. isn’t it funny how hard it is to describe a good man? he’s a brave man, but deep down, he’d rather be taming horses. (an iliad, lisa peterson) 

responsibility is what is incumbent on me exclusively, and what, humanly, i cannot refuse. i am i in the sole measure that i am responsible, a non-inter-changeable i. i can substitute myself for everyone, but no one can substitute himself for me. such is my inalienable identity of subject. (ethics and infinity, emmanuel levinas) 

the violence that superheroes commit against themselves, for the good of the community—sometimes pushed by a community that worships them, fears and loathes them at the same time—is akin to the violence of every self-sacrifice, even if it is not performed by a masked champion or by the son of god. (christ, batman, and girard, lorenzo magnani and tommaso bertolotti) 

we keep fixing what we know is only bound to break / what's worth saving is never worth letting go to waste / i want to mend what i've got, instead of throwing away (theseus, the oh hellos) 

froi saw the foolishness of dreamers, and he decided he'd like to die so foolish. with a dream in his heart about the possibilities, rather than a chain of hopelessness. (the lumatere chronicles, melina marchetta)