Personally, I was very happy to hear about this. I mean, I wasn't jumping up and down with excitement, but I was excited. Not just because I am a fan of RWBY, but especially because Weiss is my favorite character in RWBY. I mean, sure, Ruby is the cutest and has the best post-timeskip costume, Yang is the hottest, even with the robit arm, and the battle for who has the coolest weapon is a tie between Ruby and Qrow, but my favorite character is still Weiss. Why? Well, because I identify with her.
To some that probably sounds a little weird--I mean, a dude identifying with a female character, but Weiss being my favorite character has nothing to do with her gender. I mean, it doesn't hurt as I am oddly drawn and more sympathetic to female characters, either because I've never had a meaningful relationship or it's just my natural male aptitude, but... A-Anyway, I'm losing the plot. Why is Weiss my favorite character? Well, let's break it down.
1. She comes off as stand-offish, arrogant, and spoiled.
When we were first introduced to Weiss, she was the stereotypical spoiled rich girl--in other words, a total Bitchface McGee. But as we learned more about Weiss, one of the things we learned is that because she's from such a high class family, she is almost a sort of princess or nobility. As a result, she was raised to be reserved, refined, mannerly, and always conduct herself with the highest degree of dignity.
Now, I'm not rich. In fact, I was raised in the middle class, and the lower middle class at that. As time has gone on, things have gotten better, but I've never been well off. But, I totally get that Weiss' default personality is to act refined. My parents weren't high class either, but I was raised with an expectation to do well in school, to be mannerly and respectful in public, and to act like a civilized member of society. Now, this manifested in a stand-offish, almost arrogant personality because I am, like my parents, an Introvert, but that's how Introverts act in public. So, when I see Weiss interacting with her friends, teachers, and others, that's more or less the way I act.
2. She looks up to her sister.
When we were introduced to Winter in Volume 3, suddenly all the blocks fell into place about why Weiss was Weiss--she adores her older sister. Weiss looks up to Winter and tries to emulate her, constantly seeking her approval. And sometimes, Weiss fails and Winter punishes her.
Now, I've never been struck by either of my older siblings, and at times, we've been the worst of enemies, but there was a time when I too sought the approval of my brother and sister. The thing about my brother and sister is that they are two years apart while I am nine and seven years behind them. It was just the two of them for a long time, and in that time, they shared a lot of experiences together and grew together in ways I can't possibly imagine. But one of the ways in which they did was that they both have similar senses of humor and I've always found them hilarious. They are seriously two of the funniest people I know. But when they're cracking jokes and they're on a roll, and I try to add my own bit in there... crickets. That's not every time, but it is often enough that I'm sure everyone has noticed. So, I get Weiss trying to be like her big sister.
3. She tries to be serious, reserved, and respectable, but her best friend is a loon.
No one in the whole world except for maybe Weiss herself will deny that Ruby and Weiss are BFF's. Hell, they're super besties-better-than-the-resties. But they are an odd couple. Weiss is ambitious and driven to succeed almost at any cost, while Ruby is just fine with being herself and spending time with her friends. But Weiss is better at dealing with people and social situations in general whereas Ruby's no good at it. In some ways, Ruby is a huge goofball and kind of awkward.
But in those social interactions, despite Weiss' impressive breeding, people tend to overlook her for the more charming, honest, and friendly Ruby. I have a friend named John, and while he is not awkward in the slightest, he's not above being a bit of a goof. He acts weird and gets laughs. He acts weird and people are charmed. He act weird and the girls smile at him. I do my thing with being refined and respectable, and I'm overlooked. Just like Weiss, I think myself amazing and worthy of recognition, but people tend to prefer our goofy friends over us.
4. Weiss' ambition to be the best and resulting humiliation after losing out to someone who seemingly barely tries or doesn't "deserve" it.
Speaking of thinking you deserve recognition...
When Weiss went off on Ruby in Volume 1 because she thought Ruby was too immature to be team leader, I completely understood where Weiss was coming from. We've both put in the time and hard work to be accomplished as we are, and although we don't show it outwardly, both Weiss and I are super competitive with our eyes on the prize. And although our humiliation may not be public, it can be absolutely crushing to fail and lose to someone who seemingly doesn't "deserve" it or was only victorious because of sheer dumb luck.
It's tough to be ambitious in a world where natural skill and ability can surpass ambition and hard work like they don't matter.
5. She's pursuing a vocation that her parents don't support.
Volume 2 is almost certainly my favorite volume of RWBY for two reasons: Dance, Dance Infiltration and Search and Destroy. DDI is awesome because it finally gives a release to the epic blue ballsing that is ship Arkos, and Mountain Glenn is awesome because it has character development. Character! Development! See, I'm a writer, and I love character development. Hell, I bop my baloney to that shit. But the best thing about character development is finding out why characters do what they do. And finding out that Weiss saw being a huntress as her "duty," rather than springing for a cushy job in Atlas was pretty cool.
But then when we found out in Volume 3 that Weiss wasn't supported in her endeavor to be a huntress by her father, well, it really hits home for me. As I've mentioned in an earlier blog post, my parents don't support me in my dreams to be a writer. They think it too difficult and too luck based to be a good life choice. But, writing isn't just simply a job to me--it's my purpose, my calling, my vocation, it is the reason why I exist. I am because I write, and I write because I am. So really, Weiss and I are in the same boat there, and while we're disappointed that our parents can't be there for us, we won't let that stop us. Hell, our parents' disappointment is one of the driving forces behind why we do what we do... because we have to prove them wrong!
6. Weiss has the best and most adaptable weapon and semblance.
Weiss isn't the best huntress or strongest or even the coolest, but Myrtenaster and the Schnee Glyphs are easily the most adaptable and best weapon and semblance in all of RWBY. I mean, think about it: the Myrtenaster has a spinning revolver full of different types of dust that can be used to charge the blade and be used to attack or defend. In one moment, Weiss is using a firebrand and setting forests on fire, the next she's blocking an enemy's chainsword or encasing herself and her team in a protective ice cocoon.
Then, there are her glyphs. They can be used as shields, platforms, control momentum, defy gravity, do time dilations, and of course, summon those she has struck down in battle to fight by her side. And, she can combine her semblance with the Myrtenaster and just break the system. Weiss can be a front line soldier, she can play defense, or she can support the other members in her team from making Ruby fly or run up Beacon's CCT to allowing Blake to move at speeds so fast she can slice and dice missiles. Tell me: what can't Weiss do? Maybe she can't absorb the energy of her enemy's attack and deal it out twice as hard back, but when you've got glyphs and a multi-action dust rapier, you don't need Yang's semblance.
Well, those are all the reasons why Weiss is my favorite character. If you guys haven't seen the RWBY Volume 5 Weiss Character Short, you can see it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZAS_rzgCE0
And if you want to see the video critique I did of it, here's the link to that:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-_UM0FZMX4&feature=youtu.be
Keep writing, my friends.
This blog is not endorsed by Rooster Teeth in any way. Views, opinions, and thoughts are all my own. Rooster Teeth and RWBY are trade names or registered trademarks of Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC. © Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC.
No comments:
Post a Comment