RWBY: The Novelization: "White" Trailer

On the frozen continent to the north known as Solitas, there was a kingdom known as Atlas. The most influential family of Atlas owned an enormous mansion that was more like a castle and fortress than a home. One of the structures on the property was known as the White Cathedral due to its architecture rather than any religious reason.

The White Cathedral was a great cavernous hall left abandoned long ago and haunted by the ghosts of a resplendent past. The only thing left to guard the hall was a suit of armor, more of a sculpture than an actual bodyguard. But recently, an evil entity had taken up residence within the suit of armor drawn by the family’s bitter resentment towards one another. The entity was a Geist, a creature of Grimm, and by merging its being with the suit of armor, it became a manifestation known as the Arma Gigas.

The possession of the suit of armor had come to the family’s attention, and the father of the family took it upon himself to pull the strings necessary to have the Atlesian military come and destroy it. But when a challenger did finally come, it was not a soldier, but instead a girl. She bore a regal stature wearing a strapless, white combat dress with a white and red-lined bolero. Her long, white hair was tied into a ponytail off to the side of her head rather than behind, and she carried a weapon known as a Multi-Action Dust Rapier.

The girl was Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company’s vast fortune.

Weiss willingly walked into the White Cathedral to fight the Arma Gigas herself to prove to her father she could become a huntress. Her father forbade it, but entitled by her sorrow and becoming the loneliest one of all, Weiss was determined to become the strongest huntress in the world.

Weiss stopped before the Arma Gigas regarding it with her blue eyes as it rose. It towered over her and took hold of its gigantic sword. Weiss drew her rapier in her left hand and pointed it at the Grimm. It swung its sword, but Weiss disappeared in a white flash as she dashed around behind the Gigas striking it in the knees.

The Gigas swung again, and Weiss dodged its attack jumping into the air and stabbing it many times over. The Gigas took no damage and whacked Weiss away with one giant swing. Weiss defended herself with her rapier, but she was knocked back several feet sliding against the floor on her toes.

The Gigas leapt at her and brought its sword crashing down. Weiss managed to dodge, but the Gigas moved quickly and hit Weiss again. She was still able to defend herself, but this time she landed on her back.

Weiss flipped back onto her feet and revealed her Semblance by summoning a white glyph beneath her. She dashed forward at impossible speed dodging another swing. She backflipped into the air and made several slashes to the head of the Gigas. Weiss summoned another glyph and shot herself to the ground where with several dainty and dance-like movements, she made several hits to the Gigas’ knees.

She jumped into the air again and used another glyph to propel herself forward. She made several cuts on the Gigas’ chest and then summoned another glyph on which to land. The Gigas swung its sword and Weiss jumped over it, but then the Grimm slammed its enormous fist into her and launched her back several yards.

Weiss went to stand, but found herself nearly beaten. She had little strength left and was out of breath. But worse than that, a jagged spike on the Gigas had connected with her face and left a cut down her left eye. Blood streamed down her face and splashed on the floor.

Weiss managed to stand, but she was forced to keep her eye closed. She pulled the trigger on her rapier and the barrel revolved until it stopped on a form of pale green Dust. Weiss pulled the trigger all the way and the hollow blade of her rapier was filled with the Dust’s energy.

The Gigas charged and swung its sword down on Weiss. She lifted her rapier up and when the Gigas’ sword connected with hers, the pale green Dust took on the shape of a circular shell shielding Weiss from the attack.

Weiss then spun and selected an ice Dust on her rapier. She impaled her blade into the ground and a train of ice crystals shot forward trapping the Gigas’ foot and immobilizing it. But the Gigas was close enough to strike Weiss and it tried to do so, but she jumped onto its sword and switched back to the pale green Dust. She ran up the Grimm’s sword and slashed at its hand. The release of energy caused the Gigas to be disarmed.

Weiss landed on the other side of the Gigas and faced it. It charged her, but she summoned a glyph at her feet and rolled out of the way. The Gigas landed its heavy fist onto the glyph and shattered the stone floor. Weiss waved her hand and the glyph exploded launching the suit of armor into the air.

Weiss waved her sword in a circle and five miniature glyphs appeared. She cast them out and they flew at the Gigas each entrapping a limb and suspending it in the air. Weiss then summoned a glyph beneath her and launched herself into the air. At the apex of her climb, she selected a new experimental form of Dust known only as Ultima. It filled her blade with a glowing white energy, and Weiss shot downward with another glyph and struck the Gigas.

Weiss landed on the floor kneeling and heard the suit of armor clatter against the floor behind her. The Geist Grimm had been defeated.

Weiss stood and wiped the blood from her eye. Now, maybe her father would let her train at Beacon Academy in the Kingdom of Vale.

Keep writing, my friends.

Stalk me everywhere:

BLOG: https://blaeschportfolio.blogspot.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/thewriterbryanlaesch

BS Page: www.facebook.com/bawdyscholar

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bryanclaesch

PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/bryanclaesch

TUMBLR: https://bryanclaesch.tumblr.com

TWITTER: https://www.twitter.com/BryanofAllTrade

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLeDVBfO7mR0s-eyGPCZlTQ https://www.youtube.com/c/bawdyscholar

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.

An Open Fan Letter to RWBY: Why Weiss is My Favorite Character

So, assuming you guys haven't been living under a rock, surely you must know that Rooster Teeth released a character short for Volume 5 today and it featured everyone's favorite little snowflake--and I don't mean those bozos who are still butt hurt over Trump winning the election. I mean Weiss Schnee from RWBY.

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.