RWBY Volume 5: Yang Character Short: Critique and Comparison

Hey, everyone.

Just want to let you all know that this blog entry is brought to you by my new book Remnants of Chaos: Chaotic Omens, available on Amazon now. The Kindle edition is free until Saturday, and the paperback is only $9.99. Get it here.

So, if you didn't hear, Rooster Teeth released a character short for Yang this passed Saturday which is sort of strange since that was also the day Volume 5 premiered on RTF. Anyway, if you haven't seen it yet, you can see it here. For the rest of you, for this week's RWBY post, I'm going to be critiquing Yang's character short. I'll be going over what was interesting or what I liked, what I didn't like, how it compares to Weiss' and Blake's character shorts, and I wanted to take this opportunity to address a strange phenomenon in the fandom regarding Yang's seemingly changing bust size. Let's get started. Oh, and by the way, I wrote another post about how RT can fix RTF. Read it here.

Disclaimer: These points are a combination of small and big things that I like or don't like. They're not all equal in terms of awesomeness or suckiness. So not everything I gush about or sh*t on is a big deal.

What I Liked/Was Interesting

1. Old Outfits, New Animation

With Yang's character short, this marks a momentous occasion. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but because all the character shorts are memories of events that came before, specifically before Vol. 1, this means we've seen all four girls in their original outfits in the new animation style. Now, this may seem like a small thing, but the new animation style actually looks like animation whereas the old one looked far more like CGI. In fact, I remember Kerry commenting on the Volume 4 trailer saying that when RT updated the animation, the program, or the engine or whatever, he said that this was the original program that he and Monty wanted to use. Which means, the way our girls appear in the Vol. 5 and the character shorts is the way that was originally intended. And there are some noticeable differences that we can mark off when comparing the two styles, one of which I'm going to be talking about later when I address Yang's bust.

2. The Ursa Major Looks Brilliant

If there's anyone in all of RWBY who has benefitted the most from the animation upgrade, it's the Grimm. The first time I watched RWBY, I actually watched Vol. 1 and I thought the Beowolves were the dumbest things ever because of how their tails were designed. Do you remember how in "Mountain Glenn" the Beowolves would be sniffing the ground and their tails were completely erect? So stupid. The original design of the Beowolves in the "Red" trailer was actually a lot scarier because of how unnatural they were. The animation limitations actually worked for the design. But then in 1 through 3, they kind of looked stupid. But then when we got to see them in the Vol. 4 character short--they looked f*cking awesome. They were actually intimidating and their tales weren't doing anything stupid. And again, with Yang's character short, the Ursa has been much improved. Of course, the Nevermores and the Nuckelavee from Vol. 4 all look great, too. So, I can't help wondering what Deathstalkers and King Taijitus look like now.

3. Ember Celica Has Different Modes

This isn't so much something I liked as it is something I found interesting. In the short, there are two instances of close-ups on Ember Celica where parts shift as if it has different modes. Now, what those modes are, I can't really tell because other than a plate shifting, there aren't any noticeable differences in EC's layout or design. What I think is happening is that in one mode Yang can actually fire Dust projectiles where as in the other one Yang is just using "blasts" of Dust energy. Thinking back to the "Yellow" trailer, Yang used two different types of Dust to get this effect. So the question is, is this an ability EC always had, or has the "Yellow" trailer been retconned?

I do however take issue with the fact that EC looks the same between both modes. What would be cool is if the gun barrels on EC changed depending on the mode. For the projectile mode, they extend outward giving Yang range, but in the "blast" mode, the barrel shrinks or opens up at its end sort of like what we see in the difference between a rifle's barrel and a blunderbuss' barrel. However, I will award the CRWBY some house points for showing us there's more to the characters' weapons than what we originally thought.

4. Yang's Fighting is a Throwback to the "Yellow" Trailer

So, in the character short, we see Yang pull of some pretty fancy moves and their all with the aide of Ember Celica. One minute she's shoot-sliding through the Ursa's legs, the next she shoot-jumps to punch it in the face, then shoot-dodges the Ursa's follow-up attack. We're all familiar with the fact that the characters use the propulsion of their embedded guns to accentuate their fighting, but with Yang, there's something different about it because EC is strapped right onto her forearms meaning that Yang isn't so much using a weapon as she is the weapon. And when she does these swift new moves in rapid succession, we're reminded of the "Yellow" trailer where she used the shot-gauntlets to elbow and spin kick enemies. So, that was great to see because it seems like all we get from Yang these days are her shoot-jumps and leaps.

5. Yang's Maternal/Sisterly Sacrifice

Yang is a very devoted older sister. Or at least she seems that way to me because I've never been smothered in a hug from my sister. And my sister has never taught me how to fight to make sure I can take care of myself. But anyway, Yang's affection for Ruby goes beyond sisterly and is almost maternal which shouldn't be a surprise considering how young they were when Summer died meaning Yang had to look after and take care of her sister. We definitely got a taste of that maternal instinct in the short when Yang threw herself into the maws of the Ursa to save Ruby. And then again with her saying "I've always got your back" at the end of the short. Very heartwarming.

What I Didn't Like

1. What's Going on with Dust

So, what the hell is going on with the Dust? Even in Vol. 4, it was displaying some unusual behavior that we haven't seen before. For whatever reason, the projectiles are now capable of changing direction mid-flight and I don't know if that's supposed to mean something or if it's just a style choice. Either way, I don't much care for it. I really do prefer my Dust to act like regular bullets.

2. Yang's Fighting Seemed a Little Too Fanfiction-y

So, I know I went on and on about how great it is to see Yang fighting in the short like she was in the "Yellow" trailer, but there was a small problem with it. Besides Yang's shot-jumps, Yang only uses her shot-gauntlets the unique "Yang-y" way in the trailer twice: to shot-elbow a guy and then to shot-spin kick another. But in the character short, she was doing it all over the place. Now, you could make an argument that she was doing it to put herself on equal ground with the Ursa because it was so much bigger than her, but for quite a few scenes, Yang is doing her "Yang-y" action all over the damn place. As a result, it felt like it was overused as if I was watching something made by a fan, and not a real fight choreographer. It felt like fanfiction, and not actual canon RWBY fighting. That's probably because I think Monty used to do all the fights originally, or at least direct them, but now with him gone, RT is doing the best they can, but sometimes their work comes off more like fanfiction or as references to the first three volumes rather than original work straight from the creator himself.

3. How Did Ruby Get Knocked Out?

So, there's a part in the short where Ruby uses her Semblance to dodge a punch from Yang and she heads off into the woods. The next moment, an Ursa springs out and Yang starts fighting it. The next time we see Ruby, she's on the ground regaining consciousness, and my question is, how did she get knocked out? Yang calling her name in concern seems to hint at the Ursa having done something, but we don't see the Ursa ever attack Ruby directly. So, what happened? Did Ruby dash into a tree or a rock and knock herself out? Or was Ruby being knocked unconsciousness just shoehorned in there so Yang could have some alone time with the Ursa?

4. Why Didn't They Bring Crescent Rose?

When I first started watching the short, I was surprised like hell to see the Ursa because I thought the clearing they were in was near their house. The clearing itself along with the surrounding flora and fauna all looks like the clearing where Tai and Yang were training in Vol. 4 which was right next to the house. But as is revealed when Yang charges the Ursa, they're not right next to the house; they're somewhere off by themselves which forces the question why didn't they bring the Crescent Rose? I know Yang has a quick answer of she didn't want Ruby to depend on it, but they're both trained warriors in a world where Grimm could be lurking around every corner. Ruby should've had Crescent Rose with her just in case. The fact that she didn't smacks of either irresponsibility on their part or forced convenient writing on Kerry and Miles' part. I get it that they wanted to showcase Yang in the short, but there are better ways they could've dealt with Crescent Rose missing such as Ruby getting disarmed, actually knocking herself out and being too far from Crescent Rose when the Ursa charges, or even just having the scythe off somewhere that Ruby can't easily get to. All of these would've made a hell of a lot more sense. And did Ruby forget about her Semblance? Why wasn't she running circles around that bitch?

5. How Did Yang Beat the Ursa?

Now, this may seem like a stupid question, but I don't understand how breaking an Ursa's arm and then shooting Ember Celica point blank is supposed to kill it. The shot should've gone right into the Ursa's arm and shoulder in which there is nothing vital to survival. Now maybe Yang pushed the Ursa's arm in, dislocated its shoulder which then pushed its ribcage into its heart and lungs and punctured them, but that seems like a really big stretch. Would've made more sense for the Ursa's arm to collapse after being broken and then Yang hits with a second punch to its face or head. Otherwise, Yang should've been killed when she lost her arm.

6. I'm Not Sure About That Song

I don't know if I like the song that features in Yang's short. Maybe I'm just nostalgic, but I would've preferred something along the lines of "I Burn", either the rock or dance version. In fact, I went back to Weiss' and Blake's shorts to check their music, and Weiss' new song is based on "Mirror, Mirror" whereas I'm not sure if Blake's is, you can only hear it after the short, but a remix of "From Shadows" is playing during the main action of the short. So, I would've preferred a throwback to "I Burn" or maybe even something along the lines of "Armed and Ready." It's possible that the song is, but we won't know for sure until we hear it in its entirety.

7. Could Use A Little More Context on Yang's Situation

One of the things that sort of throws me off about the short is the context of it. In the beginning, we hear Yang's motorcycle. Then we go for a trip down memory lane. Then we come back to Yang on her motorcycle. So what? But the last line of the short is Yang telling Ruby that she always has her back and then Ruby smiles. Again, so what? Well, if you've seen Chapter 1 of Vol. 5, you finally find out who Yang is looking for, and, SPOILERS, it's not Ruby. So, why do we have this meaningful exchange between sisters that Yang is thinking about while on her way to find somebody else? It doesn't make a lot of sense. Maybe she's being nostalgic, but that's a big maybe.

Yang's Bust Size

Oh, boy! The part all the boys have been waiting for, but the one the girls will only read begrudgingly. Are you ready, everyone?! Let's talk about cartoon boobs on a girl who is barely 18! It's like Girls Gone Wild. Except there's no nudity or blatant stupidity.

So, why do I want to talk about Yang's bust? Well, when Vol. 4 was released and Yang had her new threads, it looked like Yang might've had a breast reduction. I remember one commenter praising RT for their commitment to detail about Yang's reduction because if she hasn't been training for 6 to 8 months, then her muscles have atrophied and she's going to look smaller. But there's a problem with this theory. The only times we really see muscles well defined is on Sun's abs, Sage's entire front, thanks to his open jacket and no shirt, and then Jaune's physique when he was wearing a dress at prom. But besides these three cases, RT doesn't take measures to make sure musculature is displayed despite the very active lives of the characters. And this rings no less true for Yang. If RT wanted to show her atrophied, she should've lost mass all over her body, not just seemingly her bust. So, what's going on?

Well, there are two things at play here. One is the animation style, and the other is the confusing nature and illusory effects of clothing, especially women's. Beginning first with the animation style, when it changed in Vol. 4, you may have noticed that some of the physical dimensions and statures of some of the characters changed. Now, while all of our girls look a little taller, the one who seems to be the most affected is Yang--she looks like she grew by six inches.

The scale may be wrong, but her legs do appear longer on the left,
and she does appear tall on the right.

Why does this matter? Well, because of appearances. A woman who's 5'2" and has a bra size of 34B may look average, but you put that same bust size on a woman who's 6'2" and because of her larger frame, she'll definitely look small. Similarly, if the bust size is 36D, a woman of 5'2" will appear top heavy, but a woman of 6'2" may look perfectly fine. If my theory of Yang growing is correct, then yes, her bust would appear smaller because she is bigger overall.

Now, moving onto clothing. It's no secret women wear bras. Now, while bras are mainly worn for the sake of support and restriction of movement, they have also become a method of shape wear, like a corset. Don't believe me? Then what do you think the purpose of a push-up bra is? Now true, not all bras are designed to be shape wear, but they do have an effect on the overall shape and, ah-hem, "presentation" of the bust. Some are very flattering; others not so much. And then when you put a top on top of that, whether it be a tee, tank, button down blouse, or sweater, the appearance of a woman's bust will change further. If a woman dresses smartly, she can make her bust appear bigger than it actually is. Similarly, if she dresses frumpy, she won't look very impressive.

So, this is the theory I put forward: Yang's bust was not reduced; it's just an illusion based on her clothes. Because she's a huntress, she likely wears sports bras quite often, whose first purpose is to restrict movement of the bust. And because sports bras do this, a woman's breasts may appear pushed-up, or pushed-in as if she's wearing a corset, when wearing them. Couple that with a low-cut crop top and a form fitting jacket, and Yang looks like she's busting out of her clothes. No pun intended. Put her in some regular clothes however with a standard bra and tank, and her breasts appear normal. However, after she's changed into her, what I'm calling cowboy/bounty hunter outfit, her bust seems to have enlarged again. I posit that she's gone back to the sports bra, crop top, and form fitting jacket. Let's also keep in mind that layers or thickness of clothing and cups can also lend to the appearance of a larger bust. Ergo, Yang's bust is not as gigantic as we all think. It's still pretty big, especially for a girl with such a small waist and butt, regardless of how tight, but then again, she is animated. Animated characters' proportions are often FUBU (word meaning here). In some animes, some girls look like they should be the victim of constant upskirts because their skirts are so short compared to the lengthiness of their legs.

Below you'll find a selection of screenshots of Yang in different outfits, angles, and animation styles. The purpose is to compare how her bust appears in each pic. I think my theory passes the test... to an extent.



"Yellow" Trailer and Volume 1

 



Volume 2

 

Volume 3

 

Volume 4

 

Volume 4 and Character Short

 

Comparison to Weiss' and Blake's Character Shorts

So then, how do all the Character Shorts compare? Should we throw in Ruby's from Vol. 4 just so we have all the major players accounted for? Well then, let's return to the original question: how do they compare? Who had the best character short and who had the worst? And are character shorts a valid option in the future?

Well, as for who had the best, my vote goes to Weiss. She had the best song and we got to see her at a time before her scar. We also saw the planting of the seeds that would lead Weiss to running away from home. There was also a decent bit of action in it and we got to see her use her glyphs in some interesting ways. However, like I've said before, Weiss is my favorite character, so I could be biased. I mean, the song in the Ruby's character short was good, and both Ruby's and Yang's gave the action in Weiss' a run for its money. But the main reason why I saw Weiss' is the best is because her short actually had something to do with her--the context was right on and relevant to Weiss' story from the end of Vol. 4 to the start of Vol. 5. So, guess what that means?

Well, if you guessed it meant that I think Blake had the worst character short because it was actually about some bitch named Illia, you're right. And it had no action, and the new song for it didn't pop up until the end. I mean, I think I know what they're trying to get at with including Illia in Blake's character short, that somehow their relationship is going to become important in Vol. 5, but with the fact that Blake has already left the White Fang, I think it's safe to assume she's left behind all her old comrades regardless of who they are whether they be Adam or Illia. So, that relationship is effectively dead unless they mean to redeem Illia, but if it doesn't go that, I don't care what happens to Illia and I don't care what Blake thinks or feels about her. What would probably have been better is if the flashback contained something between her and Adam, and then going back to present and showing how much better Blake has things now that she's with Sun.

So, where does this leave Ruby's and Yang's character shorts. Meh... somewhere in the middle. On the one hand, I want to say Ruby's was better than Yang's because the writing made more sense, but Ruby's action sequence was more over the top than Yang's. But then again, Yang's wasn't so much about her as it was about her relationship with Ruby despite the fact that Yang isn't looking for Ruby at the start of Vol. 5. So, they're six of one, and half a dozen of the other.

So, what about the last question: are character shorts valid methods of getting extra chapters out there to flesh out the story a bit more? At first, I wanted to say no, because while I enjoy them, I don't feel like they really add anything substantial. But then I remembered Jaune and the fact that his feelings for Pyrrha haven't really been fleshed out. He's been quite quiet about her death and how it's affecting him. I'm not saying that that should be told in a character short, but what I wouldn't mind seeing is a flashback from Jaune's perspective of a time when Pyrrha was still alive. Something we haven't seen before. It would also be a handy way to explore Qrow's and Ozpin's pasts better assuming we can learn something about those without spoiling future parts of the story.

So, what do I reckon? Yes, I would like to see more character shorts, but please make sure they have a point related to the character they're about, and the characters we see in the shorts. They're too short for fluff. Otherwise, they may as well just be full episodes.

Anyway you guys, that's it for my critique and comparison of Yang's character short. Overall, I liked it, but it could've been better. For next week's RWBY post, I'm not sure what I'm going to work on. I do have other theories to go through, but I was thinking of actually changing over to RWBY Critiques full time during Vol. 5. The reason is because of time; I'm sort of running out of it in a particular regard. No, I'm not dying. I'm just low on time whereas I should be focusing on other things. So, I'll probably be downsizing everywhere on my blog, not just in RWBY, hence, RWBY Critiques from here on out. The good news is that while I critique, I can also speculate! And because I'm critiquing behind the public release, there's no chance of spoilers! Course though, some questions will be answered immediately by the next episode(s) and I'll look the fool for not having seen them coming. So... But, until next time...

Keep writing, my friends.

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RWBY: The Novelization: Ruby Rose and the Shining Beacon

 

It was a quiet evening in the Kingdom of Vale. A Dust shop called From Dust Till Dawn was tucked away on one side of the city’s streets.

It was growing late, and in preparation for the next day, the old shopkeeper was hard at work cleaning his display cases and sweeping his floors. He looked up at the clock. Only a half hour left before he could close.

He went into the backroom and put his broom, cleaning spray, and rags away when he heard his shop’s bell ring. He looked to see who it was and saw a short girl in a black combat skirt paired with a red riding hood and cape walk to the back of the store. The old man smiled. He knew who it was. She was probably just here to check out the new Weapons Monthly. The old man wasn’t worried, but he did note a strange crimson metal object hooked onto her lower back.

The shopkeeper still paid it no mind and went back to his nightly cleaning duties. Finally he walked back up to the front desk and started locking his display cases which were full of Dust crystals, the number one energy propellant in the world used in everything from weapons to technology and even used in its rawest form giving its wielders control over the forces of nature.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, there were five shadows just outside his shop window.

Five men strode brazenly in. Four looked like Junior’s men from Junior’s Club. But the one who led them—there was a dangerous air about him. He had shocking orange hair slicked over one of his eyes with a black bowler on top. He wore a worn white coat over a tacky, outdated suit and he carried a cane with red accents. But the thing that irked the old man most of all was that the man was smoking a cigar in the store.

The five walked up to the front desk and the leader tapped the ash from his cigar onto the display case. The old man gaped.

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Dust shop open this late?” asked the man in white.

One of Junior’s men pointed a gun at the old man.

“Please!” he begged. “Just take my money and leave!”

The man in white shushed him. “Calm down,” he said reassuringly. “We’re not here for your money.” He smiled. Then turned to Junior’s men and demanded, “Grab the Dust.”

One of Junior’s men produced a case that was taller than it was wide. Inside were two rows of five canisters, each with a nipple on top. Three of the others each grabbed a canister and walked over to the glass tubes of raw Dust lining the store’s walls. Each put a canister beneath a different color of Dust and watched as a bar on the side of each canister began to light up telling them when the canister was full.

Another one of Junior’s men opened another case and demanded of the shopkeeper, “Crystals. Burn. Uncut.”

The old shopkeeper reluctantly reached into his display case and did as he was told.

As Junior’s men continued to perpetrate the robbery, one of them could just barely hear muffled music coming from somewhere. He looked toward the back of the store and saw the girl in the red hood reading a magazine.

The thief drew his red-bladed parang and demanded, “All right, kid. Put your hands where I can them!”

The girl didn’t respond.

The man sneered. “Hey! I said hands in the air!” He approached the girl and turned her by the shoulder. “You got a death wish or something?!”

The girl’s hood came off and she looked at the man surprised.

The man pointed at his ears.

The girl took her head phones off. “Yes?” she said casually.

“I said, put your hands in the air. Now!”

“Are you… robbing me?” asked the girl entertained.

“Yes!” said Junior’s man frustrated.

“Oh…” she said slowly. Her lips curled back into a smile.

The rest of Junior’s men continued the robbery while the man in white examined a Dust crystal. They heard a battle cry followed by a thump and the one henchman went flying past them and crashed into the front wall.

The man in white nodded at another and he charged the girl. This time a streak of red and mass of black flew past breaking the window out into the street.

The rest of the thieves looked out the window and saw the henchman knocked out cold while the short girl stood up proudly. The red metallic object hooked onto her back was now balanced on her shoulder and it extended into a large mechanical scythe. The haft was at least twice as long as the girl was tall, and its menacing, curved double blade was just as tall as her.

The girl looked at them and gave a confident smirk. She impressively flourished the scythe around hand over hand and arm over arm before bringing it to a stop on her other side letting its blade tip crash into the street.

“Okay…” said the man in white. “Get her.”

Junior’s men charged the girl. But using the scythe’s haft like a balance beam, she spun around it and kicked the first one in the chest with both feet.

The girl landed and held her scythe crossways behind her. She pulled a subtlety hidden trigger on it. A shot was fired and the recoil from the end of the scythe made the girl spin around with such force that when the scythe butt connected with the next henchman he was sent flying.

The third pulled a machine gun and started firing. But the girl kept pulling the trigger on her scythe and used the force of the recoil to dodge the gunfire not once, not twice, but three times. She dodged toward the henchman, swept him up with her scythe and then brought it around again knocking him back to the street. He landed pathetically at the boss’ feet.

The man in white looked down. “You were worth every cent. Truly, you were.” He took a step forward. “Well Red, I think we can all say it’s been an eventful evening.” He dropped his cigar on the ground and smothered it with the end of his cane.

“And as much as I’d love to stick around,” he continued, pointing his cane at the girl, “I’m afraid this is where we part ways.”

The girl gave him a quizzical look. Then the end of his cane opened up and revealed an aiming reticule. The gangster fired a shot from the end of his cane which exploded when it hit the road.

The girl managed to dodge using the recoil from her scythe to jump over the shot. She landed among chunks of broken road and looked for the ruffian. She noticed him behind her climbing a building’s fire escape.

He just barely cleared the top of the fire escape as the girl nearly flew to the top of the building using her scythe to propel her.

“Hey!” she called.

He growled. “Persistent little…”

The girl scowled and readied herself for combat when what sounded like an accelerating turbine engine reached her ears. A Bullhead-class airship shot into the night sky from behind the building. The girl recoiled from the wind it kicked up.

A hatch on the side opened up and the man climbed into it.

He turned and shouted, “End of the line, Red!” before throwing a burn crystal at her feet.

He took aim with his cane and fired. There was an explosion and he whooped with joy.

But before the explosion had gone off, a tall figure had dropped in front of the girl. When the smoke and fire cleared, a tall, middle aged woman, with glasses and short blonde hair was standing there holding a riding crop with a purple glyph held up before her to shield her and the girl from the blast.

The man in white growled.

The woman brandished her crop and several purple streaks shot from its end and crashed into the airship making the pilot lose control.

“We’ve got a huntress!” shouted the man in white to the airship’s pilot.

The pilot turned out to be a young woman in a red dress with long black hair. She rushed to the side door as the man in white tried to control the airship.

The huntress shot a purple light into the sky above the airship and a storm manifested. Shards of ice descended from the cloud piercing the ship.

The young woman in red appeared in the side hatch. She took stock of the situation and seemed awfully relaxed. The sleeves on her dress burned revealing embedded Dust. She activated the Dust with her aura and cast a fireball at the huntress.

The huntress defended herself with another glyph splitting the ball into many tiny fragments all over the roof. The young woman raised her hand and the fragments exploded, but the huntress was able to back flip out of it.

The huntress used her psychokinetic powers and gathered the shards of the roof into a deadly spike and launched it at the airship. The young woman fired several blasts from her hands trying to destroy it, but the spike merely reformed and continued on its course.

The man in white, being somewhat clever, tilted the ship and managed to ricochet the spike off the top hull of the ship.

Not to be outdone, the huntress separated the spike into three streams and threatened to slice the ship to bits. But the young woman summoned the fire from her dress and expended it outwardly blasting the streams apart.

The airship was offered a brief respite and began to turn away.

The girl, not willing to let these crooks get away, transformed her scythe into a more compact shape that allowed her to use its embedded rifle more accurately. She charged the bolt and began firing, but the young woman aboard the ship was able to block each shot. She then cast a ring of fire around both the girl and huntress.

The huntress threw the girl out of harm’s way with her telekinesis before barely escaping herself.

Finally, the ship’s hull closed and flew off into the night. Everything was quiet again.

After a pause, the girl turned to the woman. “You’re a huntress? Can I have your autograph?!” she gushed.

Somehow, some time later, the girl found herself on the wrong side of a table in an interrogation room used by Vale’s police department.

The middle aged woman paced the room. “I hope you realize your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, young lady,” she said sternly. “You put yourself and others in grave danger.”

“They started it!”

“If it were up to me, you’d be sent home with a pat on the back…”

The girl brightened.

“And a slap on the wrist!” The woman punctuated her statement by slamming her riding crop onto the table making the girl yelp in surprise.

“But… there is someone here who would like to meet you.”

The girl blinked, and in walked an elderly gentleman of at least sixty. He had grey hair and wore an old-fashioned, but still stylish, three-piece emerald green suit. He had blacked out glasses that sat low on his nose, and carried a mug in one hand and a plate of large chocolate chip cookies in the other.

“Ruby Rose,” he said, addressing the girl. He leaned in, “You…”

Ruby raised her eyebrows.

“Have silver eyes.”

Ruby looked away confused. “Um?”

“So!” said the distinguished man. “Where did you learn to do this?”

The woman took out a full-sized scroll and pulled up footage of Vale’s security footage showing off Ruby’s impressive combat skills.

“S-Signal Academy,” replied Ruby unsure of whether or not she was still in trouble.

“They taught you how to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?” he asked intensely.

“Well, one teacher in particular.”

“I see…” he said, placing the plate of cookies before the girl. “Help yourself.”

Ruby looked at them both and hesitated. But only for a moment before shoving cookies in her mouth at will. They were delicious. Almost as good as her mother’s. In fact, they were strangely similar.

The gentleman continued. “It’s just that I’ve seen only one other scythe-wielder of that skill before. A dusty, old crow…”

“Oh!” chimed the girl, and she tried to speak with her mouth full. She stopped and gave herself a chance to swallow and cleared her throat a little embarrassed. “Sorry. That’s my Uncle Qrow. He’s a teacher at Signal. I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing. And now, I’m all like…” Ruby’s description devolved into faux karate moves complete with soft kiai and battle cries.

The gentleman smiled at her taking a sip from his mug. He enjoyed her enthusiasm. “So I’ve noticed.” He placed his mug on the table and sat down. “And what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?”

“Well,” Ruby began seriously, “I want to be a huntress.”

“You want to slay monsters?”

“Yeah. I only have two more years of training left at Signal, and then I’m going to apply to Beacon. See, my sister’s starting there this year, and she’s trying to become a huntress. And I’m trying to become a huntress because I wanna help people, and my parents always taught us to help others, so I thought, well, might as well make a career out of it.” She giggled nervously.

“I mean, the police are all right, but huntsmen and huntresses are just so much more romantic and exciting and cool and…” Ruby let out an excited squeal. “You know?!”

There was a brief pause. The woman blinked and frowned. But the gentleman’s stare was much more pleasant and understanding.

After a while, he asked, “Do you know who I am?”

“You’re Professor Ozpin. You’re the headmaster at Beacon.”

“Hm,” said Ozpin satisfied. “Hello.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You want to come to my school?”

“More than anything.”

Ozpin exchanged looks with the woman standing next to him. She rolled her eyes.

“Well,” began Ozpin, “okay.”

Ruby couldn’t believe her ears as a euphoric smile crept across her face. She still couldn’t believe developments when she was aboard an airship with other students being ferried to Beacon.

Her older sister Yang still wouldn’t shut up about it. “This is the best day ever!” she cried, embracing Ruby tightly.

“Please stop…” begged Ruby between crushed lungs.

It was bad enough that Yang was infamous for giving the sort of hugs that could collapse airways, but it was made worse by the fact that she was incredibly strong and topped all her hugs off with the sort of exuberance that can only come from an over doting older sister.

“But I’m so proud of you!” said Yang, releasing Ruby. She bounced on the balls of her feet overflowing with enthusiasm.

“Really, sis; it was nothing.”

“What do you mean? It was incredible! Everyone at Beacon is going to think you’re the bee’s knees!”

“I don’t wanna be the bee’s knees. Okay? I don’t wanna be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees.”

“What’s with you? Aren’t you excited?”

“Of course, I’m excited. I just… I got moved ahead two years. I don’t want people to think I’m special or anything.”

Yang cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. She shrugged and wrapped an arm around Ruby’s shoulders. “But you are special. A lot of people may only see you as just small and helpless. They may see you as just a child. But they’ll be surprised when a warrior soon runs wild.”

Ruby thought Yang was overdoing the big sister act, but somewhere deep inside, Yang’s argument was hitting home. This only made Ruby feel more torn between trying to appear normal and feeling guilty for not taking Yang’s praise.

Suddenly, there was a telecast on the airship. “The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick who continues to evade authorities.”

Ruby looked up and recognized the man in the mug shot as being the one she had thwarted at From Dust Till Dawn.

“If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa.”

“Thank you, Cyril,” said a woman with violet hair. “In other news, this Saturday’s Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony. The once peaceful organization has now disrupted—”

The broadcast was interrupted and a visual of the blonde haired woman from the other night showed up on the screen. “Hello, and welcome to Beacon.”

“Who’s that?” asked Yang.

“My name is Glynda Goodwitch. I’m a professor at Beacon.”

“Oh.”

Professor Goodwitch continued, “You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future huntsmen and huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it.

“You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task. And now, it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world.” The visual of Goodwitch disappeared.

“Oh, wow!” said Ruby, rushing over to one of the windows on the ship. The view of Vale’s cityscape was breathtaking. “You can see Signal from here,” she said to Yang. “I guess home isn’t too far after all.”

“Beacon’s our home now.”

There was a groan from the rear of the ship. Yang and Ruby looked and saw a young man with his arm around his stomach and a hand over his mouth. He wore a white breastplate over a blue hoodie and had a messy head of blonde hair. As the airship came to dock at a cliff overlooking a grand lake that was just outside Beacon, the young man ran to depart the airship as fast as possible.

“Well, I guess the view isn’t for everyone,” commented Yang.

“It was a nice moment while it lasted.”

“I wonder who we’re going to meet.”

That was just like Yang. She loved meeting new people, and had no problems making friends.

“I just hope they’re better than Vomit Boy,” said Ruby.

Vomit Boy heard her. He twisted to look back at her. Ruby turned red and faced away. Fortunately for her, Vomit Boy had to turn to a waste can just outside the airship with all haste enabling Ruby to sneak past with Yang.

Yang and Ruby made it to the courtyard just outside of Beacon and couldn’t stop themselves from a simultaneous gasp of awe. Beacon Academy looked more like a Gothic castle made of alabaster stone than a combat school. It was truly enormous and the CCTS tower, Cross Continental Transmit System, was at the center of it all.

Yang said, “The view from Vale’s got nothing on this.”

Ruby didn’t hear her. She was too busy geeking out over other students’ weapons. “Sis! That kid’s got a collapsible staff! And she’s got a fire sword!”

“Easy, little sister!” chided Yang. “They’re just weapons.”

“Just weapons?! They’re an extension of ourselves! They’re a part of us! Oh, they’re so cool.”

“Well, why can’t you swoon over your own weapon? Aren’t you happy with it?”

“Of course, I’m happy with Crescent Rose,” said Ruby. She swung it out and cuddled it like a stuffed toy.

Yang had the feeling Ruby would sleep with it if she could.

“I just really like seeing new ones. It’s like meeting new people. But… better.”

“Ruby! Come on!” Yang said, pulling Ruby’s hood over her head. “Why don’t you go and try to make some friends of your own?”

“But, why would I need friends when I have you?”

“Well, actually my friends are here now. Gotta go. Kay. See ya! Bye!” And like that, Yang was gone in a flash after some group of people Ruby had never seen before.

“Wait!” she called after her. “Where are you going? Aren’t we supposed to go to our dorms? Where are our dorms? Do we have dorms?”

But Yang was gone.

Ruby sighed heavily and stared forlornly along the path that Yang had disappeared. She groaned. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” she said, collapsing to the ground. Or at least she would have if a luggage cart hadn’t slammed into her heel and knocked her back into several large suitcases.

“What’re you doing?!” someone shrieked.

Ruby looked up and saw a girl about Yang’s age dressed in a white combat skirt complemented by a vest and had long white hair. It had been pulled back into a pony tail, but oddly, not at the back of her head—it was off to the side. Ruby also noted that there were two men in extravagant suits with her helping to transport her luggage.

“Um, sorry!” said Ruby.

“Sorry?! Do you have any idea of the damage you could’ve caused?”

“Uh…”

The girl picked up one of her cases checking its contents. She pulled out a glass vial of red Dust. “This is Dust. Mined and purified from the Schnee quarry. What are you? Brain dead? Dust! Fire. Water. Lightning. Energy. Are you even listening to me? Is any of this sinking in? What do you have to say for yourself?!” the girl demanded, shaking the vial.

Some of the vial’s contents escaped and filled Ruby’s nostrils. She couldn’t stop herself from sneezing which would have been bad enough, except sneezing from the Dust created a fireball that completely engulfed the girl opposite her.

The vial of Dust was thrown across the courtyard into the ankle high boots of another girl who had long black hair and a black bow. She picked up the Dust with mild curiosity before returning to the book she held in her other hand. Finally, she gave the vial a good look and recognized the Schnee family crest.

“Unbelievable!” cried the girl in white. “This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!”

“I’m really, really sorry!” said Ruby, looking at the ground.

“You complete dolt! What are you even doing here? Aren’t you a little young to be attending Beacon?”

Ruby hemmed and hawed.

“This isn’t your ordinary combat school. It’s not just sparring and practicing, you know. We’re here to fight monsters, so—watch where you’re going!”

“Hey! I said I was sorry, princess!”

Ruby finally had the nerve to look the girl in the eye and noticed a rather nasty scar across her left eye. For such a well primped girl, it was a unique oddity that should have been hidden, or at least attempted to be hidden. It was the girl’s only noticeable flaw besides her terrible attitude.

“It’s heiress, actually,” corrected the girl in the ankle boots. She walked up to them. “Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. One of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world.”

“Finally! Some recognition,” said Weiss, her tone changing.

“The same company,” continued the dark haired girl, “infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners.”

“Why you—! How dare—!”

Weiss let out a disgusted sigh and took her vial of Dust before walking off. Her servants attended to her luggage.

Despite her horrendous attitude and seeing how sweet it was for Weiss to get her just desserts, Ruby still felt guilty. “I promise I’ll make this up to you!” she called obsequiously. “I guess I’m not the only one having a rough first day.

“So…” said Ruby, turning back to the other girl. But she had already left.

Ruby was depressed. She collapsed. “Welcome to Beacon,” she said to herself.

Suddenly, someone’s shadow crossed her face.

“Hey. I’m Jaune,” said a boy. He offered her his hand.

“Ruby,” she said, unsure of whether or not to take it.

She did and Jaune pulled her up.

“Wait. Aren’t you Vomit Boy?”

The two walked off together and found themselves alone in a different part of Beacon’s enormous and maze-like courtyard.

“All I’m saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on,” Jaune explained, defending himself.

“Look, I’m sorry. ‘Vomit Boy’ was the first thing that came to mind.”

“Oh, yeah?! Well what if I called you ‘Crater Face?’”

“Hey! That explosion was an accident.”

“Yeah. Because like anybody pukes on purpose,” said Jaune. “Anyway, the name’s Jaune Arc. Short. Sweet. Rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it.”

Ruby stifled a laugh. “Do they?”

“Th-They will! Well, I hope they will. I mean, my mom always says—uh, well, never mind.”

Ruby laughed nervously. Desperate to change the topic to anything else, she said, “So, I’ve got this thing,” and pulled out her scythe.

Jaune jumped back. “Whoa! Is that a scythe?”

“It’s also a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle.”

“Huh?”

“It’s also a gun.”

“Oh. That’s cool!”

“So, what have you got?”

“I got this sword,” said Jaune, unsheathing it.

“Ooh!” said Ruby genuinely.

“I’ve also got a shield.” Jaune took the sheathe off his belt and it expanded outwards in both directions into a classic shield.

“So, what do they do?”

“Um, the shield gets smaller,” explained Jaune as it did so. “So, when I get tired of carrying it, I can just… put it away.”

“But…” said Ruby, grabbing onto the obvious logical problem, “wouldn’t it weigh the same?”

“Yeah,” said Jaune, sounding defeated.

“Well, um, I’m kind of a dork when it comes to weapons. I guess I did go a little overboard in designing mine.”

“Wait! You made that?”

“Of course! All the students at Signal forge their own weapons. Didn’t you make yours?”

“It’s a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used it back in the war.”

“Sounds more like a family heirloom to me. But, I like it! Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days.”

“Yeah,” agreed Jaune bolstered. “The classics.”

“So why did you help me out?”

Jaune sheathed his sword. “Enh, why not? My mom always says, ‘Strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet.’”

“Hm. By the way, where are we going?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I was following you.” Looking around, Jaune asked, “Do you think there’s a directory or food court around here?”

Ruby stifled another laugh.

“Is that a ‘no?’”

“That’s a ‘no.’”

Eventually, Jaune and Ruby found their way to Beacon’s auditorium. New students were milling about everywhere waiting for the headmaster to make his opening statement.

“Ruby!” called out Yang, waving. “Over here!”

“Hey,” said Ruby, turning to Jaune, “I gotta go. I’ll see you after the ceremony.”

“Hey, wait!” called Jaune after her. He groaned. “Great. Where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?” He stomped off with his shoulders slumped forward. “Every time I think I’m getting somewhere, they always leave. My luck with women is terrible.”

Jaune looked at the floor and continued to curse his luck. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a girl wearing bronzed greaves over knee high boots. He looked up and briefly made eye contact with a tall, beautiful girl with long, red hair wearing a golden circlet and bronze breastplate with a red miniskirt. She gave him a smile and a little wave. But that was lost on Jaune.

Ruby joined Yang but gave her the cold shoulder. She hadn’t forgotten what Yang had done.

Sensing the tension, Yang asked, “How’s your first day going, little sister?”

“You mean since you ditched me and I exploded?!”

“Yikes. Meltdown already?”

“No, I literally exploded a hole in front of the school. And there was some fire, and I think some ice.”

Yang smiled. “Are you being sarcastic?”

“I wish! I fell over some crappy girl’s luggage and then she yelled at me. And then I sneezed, and then I exploded! And then she yelled again. And I felt really bad and I just wanted her to stop.”

“You!” said a shrill voice from behind Ruby.

“Oh, god!” cried Ruby, jumping into Yang’s arms. “It’s happening again!”

“You were lucky we weren’t blown off the side of the cliff,” continued Weiss.

“Oh my god,” replied Yang. “You really exploded.”

“It was an accident!” cried Ruby, jumping down.

Weiss stuck a pamphlet in front of Ruby’s face titled “Dust For Dummies.”

“What’s this?”

“The Schnee Dust Company isn’t responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee company product….”

Weiss continued to ramble off the fine print legalities while Ruby just stared at the pamphlet blankly wondering if this situation could get any worse.

“You really want to start making things up to me?”

“Absolutely.”

Weiss shoved the pamphlet into Ruby’s hands. “Read this, and don’t ever speak to me again.”

“Look…” began Yang, “it sounds like you two just got off on the wrong foot. Why don’t you start over and try to be friends, okay?”

“Yeah! Great idea, sis. Hello, Weiss. I’m Ruby. Wanna hang out? We could go shopping for school supplies.”

“Yeah!” said Weiss excitedly. “And we can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys like… tall, blonde, and scraggly over there.”

Weiss jerked her thumb in Jaune’s direction. He took notice.

“Wow! Really?”

Weiss gave a consummate glare. “No.”

At last, Ozpin appeared on the front stage and cleared his throat. “I’ll keep this brief. You’ve travelled here today in search of knowledge—to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you’ve finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you and all I see… is wasted energy, in need of purpose.”

Yang’s eyes narrowed. She had plenty of purpose if someone just cared to ask.

“You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only take you so far. It is up to you to take the first step.”

Ozpin stepped aside and Glynda stepped up.

“You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You’re dismissed.”

Yang noted, “He seemed kind of… off.”

“Almost like he wasn’t even there,” added Ruby.

Jaune materialized next to Weiss. “I’m a natural blonde, you know.”

She facepalmed.

Later that night, all the new students had gathered in the ballroom as instructed. Bedrolls had been laid out for them. They changed into their pajamas and started going to bed, but some still milled around.

“It’s like a big slumber party!” said Yang, flinging herself down next to Ruby.

“I don’t think Dad would approve of all the boys though,” observed Ruby, writing something.

“I know I do!”

Yang looked up and saw several flexing their muscles, stretching, and horsing around. She growled amorously at them. But then Jaune walked into her line of sight wearing footie pajamas. She grimaced.

“Ugh. What’s that?” she said to Ruby.

“A letter to the gang back at Signal. I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going.”

“Aw! That’s so cute!”

“Shut up!” cried Ruby. She pelted Yang in the face with a pillow. “I didn’t get to take my friends with me to school. It’s weird not knowing anyone here.”

“What about Jaune? He’s… nice. There you go! Plus one friend. That’s a hundred percent increase!”

“Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend. Back to zero.”

“There’s no such thing as negative friends,” said Yang, her mood not dampening at all. “You’ve just made one friend and one enemy.”

Yang got another pillow, this time in the shape of a Corgi head, thrown in her face.

“Look,” she said, becoming serious, “it’s only been one day. Trust me. You’ve got friends all around you. You just haven’t met them yet.”

Ruby doubted that, but before she could really think on it, a flickering light distracted her out of the corner of her eye. Over by the wall was the girl with the dark hair and bow reading a book by candlelight.

“That girl.”

“You know her?”

“Not really. She saw what happened this morning but left before I could say anything.”

“Welp, now’s your chance!” Yang bounded onto her feet and pulled Ruby with her.

“Wait! What are you doing?!”

They approached the dark haired girl with all the subtlety of a dump truck.

“Hell-o!” said Yang in a sing-song type of voice. “I believe you two may know each other.”

The girl said to Ruby, “Aren’t you that girl that exploded?”

“Uh, yeah. My name’s Ruby,” she said, extending her hand.

The girl didn’t seem interested.

“But… uh, you can just call me Crater Fa… actually, you can just call me Ruby.”

“Okay,” said the girl, continuing to read.

Yang whispered to Ruby, “What are you doing?”

“I don’t know! Help me!”

Yang turned back to the girl. “So! What’s your name?”

The girl sighed. “Blake.”

“Well Blake, I’m Yang. Ruby’s older sister.”

Blake gave them a hard stare. They were sisters? One was tall with long blond hair, and the other was sort of short with short black hair and dark red highlights. Were they adopted?

“I like your bow!” said Yang.

“Thanks…”

“It goes great… with your pajamas.”

“Right…”

“Nice night, don’t ya think?”

 “Yes!” said Blake, her patience wearing thin. “It’s lovely. Almost as lovely as this book.”

The sisters stayed where they were.

“That I will continue to read. As soon as you leave!”

“Yeah,” said Yang. “This girl’s a lost cause.”

“What’s it about?” asked Ruby.

“Huh?”

“Your book. What’s the title?”

“Well… it’s about a man with two souls each fighting for control over his body.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Yang uninterested. “That’s real lovely.”

“I love books,” said Ruby. “Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters. They’re one of the reasons I want to be a huntress.”

“Why is that?” asked Blake, half laughing. “Hoping you’ll live happily ever after?”

“I’m hoping we all will. As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books. As someone who fought for what was right and protected those who couldn’t protect themselves.”

“That’s very ambitious for a child. Unfortunately,” said Blake, tuning sad, “the real world isn’t the same as a fairy tale.”

“Well, that’s why we’re here,” reasoned Ruby. “To make it better.”

Yang couldn’t stop herself. “Oh! I’m so proud of my baby sister!” She embraced Ruby in one of those near death inducing hugs.

“Cut it out!” said Ruby, slugging Yang.

Blake giggled. “Well, Ruby, Yang. It’s been—”

“What in the world is going on around here?!” said Weiss, suddenly appearing. “Don’t you realize some of us are trying to sleep?”

“Aw! Not you again!” cried Yang.

Ruby shushed them. “Guys! She’s right. People are trying to sleep.”

“Oh!” said Weiss disgusted. “Now you’re on my side.”

“I was always on your side!”

“Yeah! What’s your problem with my sister?” demanded Yang.

Weiss stomped. “She’s a hazard to my health!”

Blake blew out her candle and walked away. They’d probably be squabbling for a while, and tomorrow was a big day for them all. Blake wanted to get an early start, but as she headed for her bedroll, she couldn’t stop herself from thinking fondly about Ruby and Yang. One was living her dream and doing it for the right reasons. And the other was trying to help her along, picking her up when she stumbled. If only more people were like them.

Weiss Schnee on the other hand—that girl… was still a problem.

RWBY: The Novelization 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.