RWBY Volume 5 Chapter 2 Critique and Review

Hey, everyone.

This blog entry is brought to you by my new novels: Remnants of Chaos: Chaotic Omens and Heroes of Majestia: The Company of Flight. You can buy ROCCO here and HOMCOF here.

Anyway, this past Saturday, RWBY Volume 5 Chapter 2 came out to the masses. I actually saw it on a different website a week earlier. (No, not Rooster Teeth's.) So, as you can imagine, I've been sitting on this review for a week. I'm actually writing it on the eve of Chapter 3 so all my insights and questions are still relevant before I get to see Chapter 3 and that way, I won't feel stupid for trying to suppose questions that have already been answered. Anyway, moving forward I think I will be writing my critique/review in a different format. I'll break the episodes down by their major scenes and then talk about what I liked, what could've been better, and then offer any insights or questions these scenes may inspire. So, let's get on with it.

Critique

Scene 1: Evil Council

What I Liked: Alright, so the in the first scene, Lionheart and Watts hold a secret meeting/council with Salem and for some reason, Cinder's there too. What I liked in this scene was Professor Lionheart's cringing because I honestly think his fear will turn into hatred and then self-loathing, and then he'll turn good again. I don't want to see him become another Wormtail from Harry Potter, and I hope instead he does redeem himself. Some of the smaller things though that I liked about this scene is that Watts mocked Cinder, we know for sure that she lost her eye now, we know what the purpose of the Seer Grimm is, we know that Watts can make a tail for Tyrian either suggesting Tyrian isn't really a Faunus or Watts knows a thing or two about cybernetics--perhaps both--and, the last thing I really liked is Salem admitting Ruby could be more than a worthy adversary for Cinder. I'd love to see round two and see Cinder lose again.

What Could've Been Better: I think Salem is losing her touch. She's no where near as scary as the first time we saw her, and I think that's because she showed too much emotion in this scene. Like, she actually looked and sounded happy in this chapter. And, she showed that she too doesn't know everything like when Watts admitted that he learned of Spring's location through Qrow. Maybe "a little birdy" is a little too far for her mind to reach, but if Salem knows who's in Ozpin's posse, she should've been able to piece it together. A villain who doesn't know everything or who can't jump to conclusions on their own is more terrifying than one who can't. A truly terrifying villain should be in control at all times or at least the air they are, so then when something happens that is outside of their control, the audience knows how f*cked they are.

Another problem I had with Salem was her threatening Lionheart. I mean, he helped to find Spring and was just urging her to find Spring before Qrow does. Why did she feel the need to choke him and threaten to kill him? Has he become short with her minions as of late? Even if so, who cares. Is it really that important to keep him that far under her boot? I don't think it is unless there's something to Lionheart that we don't know.

Questions/Insights: The only major insight in this scene is the hint about how powerful Ruby's silver eyes can be. Now, Salem has said things before that make it sound like Cinder hasn't reached her full potential, but if the power of the silver eyes could match the power of the Maidens, what does that mean for the world of Remnant and the relics? Where do the silver eyed warriors fit into the creation story? I really hope we get more info on the silver eyes.

Scene 2: Lancer Fight

What I Liked: Onto the Lancer fight, there are a few quite satisfying things to see here. The first is the gravity Dust crystals. Gravity is one of the those types of Dust we haven't seen and we're not really sure what it does. In Chapter 2, it makes objects defy gravity; in RWBY Chibi, it threw Ruby back several feet. But, since RWBY Chibi isn't canon, I'm going to guess that defying gravity is actually what gravity Dust does. It was also exciting to see a new Grimm and the battle scene was pretty spectacular, especially the ending where Weiss' Gigas performed Omnislash on the Queen Lancer.

And finally, I really liked seeing Weiss' glyphs being used as shields to slow the airship before it crashed and as a way to keep her rooted to the airship without falling. Since Weiss is my favorite character, I do try to understand what all the varieties of her glyphs do, and black does stupefy me a little since in Vol. 3 Ch. 1, it looks like Weiss' black glyphs helped her kick what's-his-face across the arena unless they were actually there to stop her from flying after him.

What Could've Been Better: Now, despite the fact that I was excited to see a new Grimm, it is a bug Grimm. What's wrong with that? Well, tell me: what's the lamest type of Pokémon? Bug, right? I rest my case. Another problem is that the Lancers that hooked the Atlesian airship didn't try to pull the airship apart like they did to the ones from Anima. Why? It could be because the Atlesian one is made of metal, but I suspect it was actually because of plot armor. If the Lancers could pull the hull of an airship apart, and they can hook into metal, they should have been able to tear the Atlesian airship apart. Also, that part where Weiss used an avalanche to kill the Lancers was stupid. I was hoping for something more like out of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade. I was hoping the islands would move together or not all the Lancers could squeeze into the space and kill themselves. That would've been cooler. And my last problem with this scene was that Weiss extracted the Dust from the cartridges before loading them into Myrtenaster. Why is that a problem? Because it's inefficient. It would make more sense to load the cartridges straight into her sword. Now, maybe they were rifle cartridges and Weiss had to separate the Dust from the projectiles, but I don't think that's what happened in this scene. And how exactly does the hammer on Myrtenaster trigger the Dust without a primer attached to it? It could be that the hammer pushes the Dust into a small recess that then allows it to flow down along a hollow channel in the blade, but without ever seeing what the other end of the hammer looks like, who really knows.

Questions/Insights: This scene didn't offer any insights, but it did provoke a question out of me: why was the cargo ship unofficially carrying Dust? The pilot said he wasn't officially carrying Dust, but in actuality, he was. Why is that the case? Is he a smuggler? Does he actually work for Raven and her bandits and he was delivering Dust to them? I mean, why else would he have all that Dust and be on his way to Anima? Unless the original plan was to go to Mistral, but he seemed awfully committed to making it to that shore/beach. I think he was on Raven's payroll.

Scene 3: White Fang Betrayal

What I Liked: Despite the fact that I don't have much respect for bad guys regardless of who they are, it was interesting to see Hazel trying to reassure Sienna and then later tell Adam that no one needed to die. He also seemed a lot more charming and talkative than he did when he was at Salem's evil council in Vol. 4. Maybe he doesn't much care for Salem, but I did enjoy his honesty, boldness, charm, and aversion to murder. I also liked how Sienna saw the White Fang attack on Beacon for what it actually was: a failure and good reason for humans to hunt down the White Fang with prejudice rather than a successful campaign. I actually quite liked Sienna because she believed in a sensible use and show of force rather than an all-out war, and I sincerely hope Sienna somehow comes back from the dead to rip off Adam's face.

I also enjoyed how Hazel now doesn't seem to be willing to trust Adam. Perhaps Adam's fall will come sooner than later since he's not being completely honest with Hazel.

What Could've Been Better: Adam's obvious hubris is obvious. It's pretty clear that while he may be popular, with him at the helm of the White Fang, they may be a lot more dangerous, but I agree with Sienna, the White Fang cannot win a war against humanity and especially not when most Faunus would fight against the White Fang. So, it's pretty obvious Adam has set himself on the road to ruin. Not to mention, everyone saw his plan to kill Sienna from a mile away. He had no reason to climb those stairs other than to kill her. Sienna should've been suspicious. Also, I don't care for his new clothes. Some in my RWBY FB group have suggested that he looks a bit like a Sith now, and while that is true, to me he looks like a lowly Sith warrior, not a Dark Lord of the Sith. Or at the very least, he doesn't look like a leader anymore like he did when he had his Yakuza suit. He just looks like a punk or a sh*tlord now instead of a cool guy. (I mean, he wasn't actually cool, but he did look like it.)

Questions/Insights: I only picked up on one insight in this scene and that was the fact that the leader of the White Fang is called "High Leader." I don't know about the rest of you, but I get a Nazi "der Fuhrer" vibe off that title. I mean, "Fuhrer" does mean "leader," and Hitler was called "Der Fuhrer," or rather, "The Leader." That's not too much of a jump from "High Leader." Makes one think the White Fang is about to start taking inspiration from Nazi Germany.

Scene 4: Raven Returns

What I Liked: The only thing I liked about this short scene is that Weiss ran into Raven. Why do I like that? Well, remember, Yang is out looking for Raven which means there's a good chance Yang will find Weiss, too, and we get that much closer to team RWBY reuniting. Add to that, if you remember in my last critique post, I mentioned how everyone seems to know who Raven is and that she's Yang's mother. So, I do wonder if Weiss knows as well. It does seem like Raven knows who Weiss is, but does she know that Weiss is on Yang's team?

What Could've Been Better: Do you remember how last time I criticized the fact that with Chapter 1 we had now seen most of the scenes from the Vol. 5 trailer? Well, now we've seen all of them. Which brings back all those questions I asked last time: are there going to be more trailers, is all the really important stuff only in first two chapters, or is the rest of Vol. 5 going to be packed with revelation after revelation? Doesn't really matter what ends up happening--it'll still be interesting to see, but I'm really hoping it's either the first one or the last one.

Questions/Insights: All questions are above.

Review:

So, what did I think of it overall? Well, when I first saw it, I liked it better than Chapter 1. But after doing the critique, I felt negative about it. Now, on the eve of the release of this post, I feel sort of ambivalent. I mean, I love the new information and the hints that are dropped, but the presentation needs a little work. So... yeah.

Anyway, that felt fairly organic, so I think I'm going to follow the same format hereon out for the rest of Volume 5. So, expect the next critique and review of Chapter 3 next Thursday. Also, I'll be bringing back the edited versions of RWBY: The Novelization this Friday. So, until next time...

Keep writing, my friends.

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RWBY Speculation: What Will Happen in Volume 5?

Hey, everyone.

So, just in case you've been living under a rock for the past few months, we are only days away from the premiere of RWBY Volume 5. The official date is the 14th, but a limited screening is being offered through Fathom Events on Thursday evening. I've already bought my ticket. But anywhoozies, since we are so close to the release of Vol. 5, I thought I would take the opportunity to speculate on what I think might happen this season. Unfortunately, many of my speculations weren't based off anything that concrete. But two new pieces of information have arisen offering interesting insights. Those pieces of information are the official Vol. 5 poster and the official Vol. 5 trailer. Let's take a look at them and see what we can see.

Volume 5 Poster

Alright, so while I was looking at this thing, I had a bunch of possible insights.

Starting from the top, the first things we notice are how prevalent Raven and Cinder are. They're also located in the upper part of the poster. This is interesting because we know Cinder is a villain, and with her similar placing, it seems that Raven may also be revealed to be a villain this volume. Another thing I noted was Raven removing her mask, possibly meaning she'll be more prevalent this volume. (If you've already seen the trailer, you already know the answer to that one.) But, I also noticed that Raven is looking straight ahead whereas Cinder seems to be looking down at Ruby, or possibly even Oscar hinting at Cinder's desire for either revenge or destruction. But, I'll get more into that when I look at the trailer.

Moving down we come to Oscar and Qrow. Oscar is holding Ozpin's cane and he looks either pleased or excited as he looks up at Qrow who is resting an arm on Oscar's shoulder and almost smiling. It seems like Oscar is pleased to be of use to someone, and it seems like there will be a relationship of some sort between him and Qrow. Now, we know Oz's soul is in Oscar's body and Qrow will need to watch out for Oscar until he's combat ready, so there's probably going to be a mentor-protégé relationship of some sort between them. I think a father-son arrangement is a bit much at this time, but to me it does seem like Qrow approves of young Oscar. He's a character we'll be watching with a lot of interest.

Finally, we come down to our girls. But, there are two very important things to note here: Weiss and Yang are on one side, and Blake is on the other, and secondly, they all have very intense expressions on their faces. Blake appears to be grimacing, Yang is in the middle of a battle cry, and Weiss and Ruby both look quite focused, but Ruby seems to be a bit puzzled or confused in her expression. All this seems to hint at Blake's continued separation from the group as well as a possibly emotionally painful story in Vol. 5. Yang meanwhile looks like she's ready to throw down or even in the middle of a punch. Now, both of those are speculations, but again, if you've seen the trailer, you already know the answers to those questions. Honestly, I'm having a difficult time reading Weiss and Ruby's faces. The poster doesn't give enough information to draw any immediate conclusions. But, Ruby is the only one of her team with her weapon drawn.

Before moving onto the trailer, there was one more thing I wanted to mention about the poster. As you're looking at it, do you notice anything missing? Or rather, do you notice anyone missing? If you guessed Team JNPR, you're right. Nowhere on this poster is Jaune, Nora, and Ren. I thought that strange myself since they were on the poster promoting the release of Chapter 1 in theaters.

At first, I thought that maybe they wouldn't have as big a part in Vol. 5 as they did in Vol. 4 because of this. But, again, the trailer set me straight. One last little thing I wanted to mention though was that the Vol. 5 poster does remind me of the old Star Wars posters from the original trilogy. There's just something about it that suggests to me we can expect more action and more drama this season than we had last season. Which is a good thing because almost nothing happened in Vol. 4.

So epic.

Volume 5 Trailer

Now, some of you may be annoyed because I call this the official trailer when Weiss and Blake's trailers were official too, but they really had more to do with each character's past than where they're heading. And the interesting thing, and somewhat annoying, is that scenes from both trailers were shown in the official trailer. I would've preferred to see something new. Despite that however, there was plenty of new sh*t to see in the trailer. If you haven't seen it yet, you can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvVZMaIHhWM. As for the rest of you, let's move on to my analysis.

Alright, so there were a few major reveals in the trailer. The biggest one is that we get to see Raven as two armed men stand on either side of her as she walks up to what appears to be a pit opening. We then hear Qrow say that Raven has the Spring Maiden and that he knows where she is. So, yes, Raven will be featured more heavily in Vol. 5. However, I don't think she'll be an asset or an ally. She won't necessarily be an enemy, but I don't think she's going to play nice-nice with either side. On the plus side, we may get to see the Spring Maiden this volume and the story may quicken pace.

The next reveal I want to cover is Salem telling Cinder that the White Fang were promised the destruction of Haven and that they will have it once Salem has what she needs. Now, I'm not too sure what Salem means by what she "needs." She could be talking about the relic from Beacon, or she could mean the Spring Maiden's power. It's odd that she would speak so vaguely about either. It's possible she's referring to something that the audience doesn't know of yet. But the really interesting thing about that scene is that she seems to be chiding Cinder who looks like she's walking about the room, disappointed. I think there may be a spat between Cinder and Salem over the fact that Cinder is eager for revenge against Ruby. I had never really thought that Cinder would want revenge, but seeing as how she grimaces when Tyrian makes fun of her in the Vol. 4 Ep. 1, "An eye for an eye," and then we see her destroying an illusory Ruby in Ep. 12, we can assume that revenge is definitely on her mind. And who knows what lengths she's willing to go to see it done. Maybe she'll even disobey Salem.

Next, I want to move onto the White Fang. In one scene, we see Adam, who looks like he got a new outfit, walk up some stairs to what appears to be a throne with what I thought was a woman sitting on it. Now, we don't know who that is, but there are White Fang banners in the throne room and the guards standing around the "monarch" are wearing Grimm masks. Adam also makes the case that Faunus are better than humans, that they "have everything that humans have and more." It appears Adam isn't content with just fighting for Faunus equality, but wants an all out race war, and whoever was sitting on the throne, I thought it was implied that this person was holding him back from doing what he wants to do.

Now, moving onto Blake and Illia, we see Illia make a plea with Blake to leave Menagerie and tells her that her plan will fail. But, Blake says that Illia will have to make her leave, and Blake says that if Haven falls, things are only going to get worse for the Faunus. To some extent, it seems like our little kitty cat has finally learned to stop running, but we won't know for sure until we see it. But, as to why Blake is by herself on the poster has been answered: it's because she's still separated from the others. And, she's probably grimacing because of the emotional battle she'll be facing. I was also somewhat disappointed that we didn't get to see Sun in the trailer except for one brief scene from Blake's trailer. Something I just thought of is that it's possible that we'll get to see that scene again in Vol. 5, but with more context and less Illia backstory.

Moving onto Yang and Weiss, we actually don't get to see much of them. We see absolutely nothing of Weiss except for what was in her trailer and one additional scene where her Arma Gigas summon is diving straight out of the sky. I believe her Arma Gigas is in Mistral due to the blue sky and I thought I saw one of the floating islands native to the area, but who can say?

As for Yang, her most prominent role in the trailer is her telling some stoop she's looking for someone and then punching said stoop with her prosthetic arm, and her eyes are red and she's got her teeth clenched. Now, I'm pretty sure the guy attacked her first as she's holding his wrist in the scene right before, but I am concerned as to what it may spell out for her. At the end of Vol. 4, Yang seemed to be upbeat and cheerful again, but seeing that scene makes me wonder if something happens to her that ticks her off and she starts picking fights all over Mistral and in turn, becomes a wanted woman. Interesting to note is that she says she's looking for someone, but doesn't say whom. It could be Ruby, as I thought that's who she was looking for at the end of Vol. 4, but Tai never got an answer out of her when he asked her where she was going. Qrow did tell her in Vol. 3 that he knew where Raven is; could that information still be valid, and could Yang actually be looking for her mother whereas Ruby is second on the list? I think it's possible given the vaguery of her statement as shown in the trailer.

That last major reveal in the trailer is the old guy with the grey hair and beard. I believe this to be Professor Lionheart, the headmaster of Haven. We see him in two scenes: one explaining how difficult some mission that's being undertaken is because of how expansive Mistral is, and in the other one, he's being choked by the tongue or tentacle of what I think is the floating crystal ball Grimm.

Apparently, this thing is called a Seer Grimm.
Who knew?

I must admit I am kind of surprised he's talking about how "we" only get one shot at protecting Mistral because if you remember from Vol. 4, Salem sends Dr. Watts to speak to their informant in Mistral. It's never said who that is, but the next time we Dr. Watts, he's having tea with the headmaster at the end of Vol. 4. At first I thought that maybe Prof. Lionheart may have been a turncoat, but if he is, why is a Grimm strangling him? He could be working as a double agent, or maybe Dr. Watts failed to convince him to change sides.

Anyway, that's it for the major reveals. There are some minor ones suggesting there's something wrong at Haven Academy and that Oscar can't shoulder the burden of what's been put on him, but who cares? Haven being empty might be a blessing because then there are fewer characters to get entangled with, and Oscar will probably come around. Remember, he is smiling in the poster. And there are things I could mention about what I thought we might or might not see, but... screw it.

So, like I said, I will be writing RWBY Critiques posts from here until Vol. 5 ends. And, this will probably include the World of Remnant episodes they release as well. But, like I said, to keep everything spoiler free, I won't be uploading my Critiques posts until after YouTube gets the episodes. So, that means that my first critique will probably be up on the 22nd. And, I'll include the stuff I see at the premiere on Thursday. So, until next week...

Keep writing, my friends.

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RWBY Speculation: The Importance of Silver Eyes

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.

Hey, everyone.

So, I know for this week I said I would be going back to RWBY Theory, but screw it, this is more of a speculative blog. Plus, people can't rub it in my face as hard if I get something wrong. Anyway, for this week's topic, I'll be covering...

That's correct--the importance of silver eyes. This is one of the most overlooked and least understood aspects of RWBY. In fact, when I think about it, I get a little annoyed because of how quickly it's glossed over at the end of Volume 3. Anyway, let's take a look at Ruby's silver eyes and see if we can't piece together anything important.

Why Silver Eyes?

Why does Ruby have silver eyes? From a canon perspective, it's because Summer did. But from a writing perspective, what purpose do they serve? And what's the big deal about eyes in RWBY, because remember, both Amber's and Cinder's eyes burn when using the power of the Maiden. And why are Ruby's eyes silver?

The Symbolism of Eyes:

To understand eyes better, I dug into their symbolism. Most of us are probably aware of the saying "eyes are the window to the soul." And what with aura and Semblance being based off the soul, it'd make sense for this connection to be in RWBY. One website I found listed several other interesting qualities associated with eyes including intelligence, light, vigilance, moral conscience, and truth, all of which are noble qualities I would expect a huntsman to uphold. Eyes can also represent judgment, authority, clairvoyance, and omniscience. And of course, the site mentions eyes being the gateway to the soul. But, that's not enough to go on alone. None of us can really look Ruby, Cinder, and Amber in the eyes and see into their souls. But, something that the website did mention is that eye color carries with it its own unique meanings too, which brings us to the next component.

The Meaning of the Color Silver:

We're all familiar with the usual color meanings: red is passion, blue is calmness, green is earth, yellow is happiness, black is death. But what about silver? What does it mean? Well, according to this site silver can mean illumination, reflection, feminine power, dignity, responsibility, insight, and wisdom. Illumination and reflection actually remind me of the virtues truth, light, and moral conscience that are associated with eyes. Never mind the fact that silver can also be related to insight. Perhaps all those Madman's Knowledge items in Bloodborne should've been silver.

Perhaps Micolash should've been praying to these to grant
him eyes.

But, there's another quality there that I'm sure you picked up on: feminine power. Colors are a big deal in RWBY, and while the usual four came to Monty in a dream, it's possible that he knew or found out that silver was feminine, hence why he gave Ruby silver eyes. Some may say that's looking into it too much, but he also gave Summer silver eyes. Could just be genetics, but it could be more. It could be that all silver eyed warriors are women. That'd be interesting.

But, I think there's another, more obvious connection to the color silver in RWBY. Perhaps you remember Qrow telling Ruby the legend of how people born with silver eyes were destined to live the lives of warriors, that the Grimm feared them, and that a look alone could kill a Grimm? While humanity's greatest enemy is the Grimm, it seems like only those with silver eyes are the enemies of the Grimm. Why?

Well, what's the stereotypical Grimm? By that, I mean, what's the most common Grimm we see? Beowolves, right? Which are... wolves. And I'm asking questions about silver. Do you see where I'm going with this? Sure, the Beowolves aren't werewolves, but they are evil. And evil things are supposed to have an aversion to silver. Hell, it can be used against vampires, too. So, could it be that the silver eyed warriors have silver eyes due to some concept of good versus evil? It's possible. But, what does that mean for the show?

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Silver Eyes in RWBY:

Do you remember Salem's opening narration in the first episode? This opening narration gave us quite a bit of information, but there is a part of it that is overlooked. When she's talking about how the Grimm attacked early man, she says, "it seemed like darkness was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void. However, even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change, and in time, man's passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds."

Now, some may think that Salem was talking about Dust since that's what that line leads up to. But, let me draw your attention to Ozpin's rebuttal in that episode, and then Salem's response to Ozpin at the end of Volume 3.

Ozpin: But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten. Things that require a smaller, more honest soul. [camera pans down to Ruby]

Salem: "A smaller, more honest soul." It's true that a simple spark can ignite hope. Breathe fire into the hearts of the weary. The ability to derive strength from hope is undoubtedly mankind's greatest attribute. Which is why I will focus all of my power to snuff it out. [...] So you send your guardians, your huntsmen and huntresses, and when they fail and you turn to your smaller soul, know that you send her to the same pitiful demise.

Hopefully you can see the parallel I'm trying to draw between the "smaller, more honest soul" and the "simple spark" that can ignite hope, change, and strength. And hopefully, you get the fact that I'm trying to say that the smaller, more honest soul that brought about the salvation of humanity is from the silver eyed warriors thus meaning simpler souls have silver eyes, or that people with silver eyes have simpler souls. And this theory does work when we consider what we know about Ruby. I mean, she is kind of simple. She says she wants to become a huntress because she wants to help people. That's all she wants; no more, no less. It's very direct and honest. It's not slightly backhanded like Yang who's in it for the thrills, and it's not complicated like Weiss and Blake who are fighting for honor and justice. Ruby is doing righteousness for the sake righteousness. In fact, we could even use words like innocent and pure to describe Ruby, but not so much with the other three.

"Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"
"I'm hoping we all will."

Now, while this seems nice and tidy, I'm still lacking proof for my claim. The biggest problem is that we don't know anything of substance about Summer, the only other character in the series with silver eyes. But, given her similar appearance to Ruby, we could assume they have similar personalities or at the least, similar thought processes. One thing that bothers me about the Xiao Long-Rose family is why Tai thought it would be a good idea to get into a relationship with Raven, and then how easily and quickly Summer filled her place because remember, Yang has no memory of Raven being her mother. So, I wonder quite a bit about Tai's mindset and Summer's. I mean, they were partners. Was there an actual romance between them and Raven was a fling or the other woman? Or, was Summer Tai's consolation prize; was she the girl who had been pining for Tai ever since the beginning and managed to luck out when Raven went AWOL because Tai was on the rebound?

She's got a hood, a cloak, bobbed hair with
the same coloration. And a combat skirt!

But, if we accept the fact that Summer has a simple soul, she doesn't get caught up in complex reasons, she just does what's best for the situation, because her becoming Yang's mother was what was best in that situation, then it's easier to understand why Summer married Tai. Summer is a warrior of justice and virtue like her daughter.

But! There's still a problem. I still haven't answered the question why is having silver eyes important. Well, if Ozpin is doubling down on the fact that victory lies within a smaller, more honest soul, and silver eyed warriors have simpler, more honest souls, then Ruby is going to be the hero of our story. Not like that's a surprise. She's the main character after all.

But, this doesn't answer everything. For instance, why did Qrow side step Ruby's question at the end of Vol. 3? Why didn't he tell her how he knew what Ozpin said to her? And how come Qrow doesn't know more about the silver eyes? If it was so important to Ozpin, why didn't he tell Qrow? I mean, Qrow's teammate/sister-in-law and niece both have silver eyes. How come they don't know more? This also begs the question was it Summer Hazel was referring to when he said they've "dealt with their kind before?" Or, did he mean other silver eyed warriors? How many of them are there? And if there are plenty, where do they come from? Perhaps they're the ones Salem spoke of in the introduction when she said that humanity is the remnant of a "forgotten past."

And if you like Heroes and Halfwits,
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Get it here.

This also brings into question the origin of Dust. Monty said Dust is like materia from FFVII in how there are different kinds. But maybe he hid the fact that that similarities go deeper than that. Maybe Dust is the actual dust of an ancient, long dead civilization. I mean, Pyrrha did turn to dust and thus kindly scatter when she died. Maybe Dust is the remnant of silver eyed warriors who mastered their auras in amazing ways.

But, I'm rambling now. There are still unanswered questions such as the eye connection. It could just be because the eye is the gateway to the soul and the power of the Maiden and the power of silver eyes comes from the soul, but we can't make that claim until we understand the weaknesses of the Maiden's powers and what actually causes the power of the silver eyes to awaken and what they do when they're used. As far as we know, they're good for petrifying a dragon, blinding people, sprouting angel wings from one's eyeballs, and putting out some bitch's eye. And there are painful side effects to using the power. Hopefully, some of these questions will be answered in Volume 5. Honestly, I care more about the mystery of the silver eyes, Dust, Jaune's bloodline, and why the moon's f*cked up more than I do about Remnant's creation story or artifacts.

Speaking of Vol. 5, it premieres next week Saturday. But, only for First Members. Hopefully RT will let others watch it for free on Sunday because f*ck First Membership. But, my point is, for next week's post, I'll be doing a "what I think will happen in Vol. 5" post. Also, if you're on RT's mailing list, you'll know about the exclusive event in which you can see the first chapter Vol. 5 next week Thursday. Here's the advert.

Go to Fathom Events to learn more.

Until next week...

Keep writing, my friends.

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RWBY Theory: The Mysteries of the Grimm

Hey there, everyone.

With the completion of my series on why each member of team RWBY should be your favorite, I wanted to take the time and explore some of the things that we the fans may have questions about on the world of Remnant and see if we can't figure out any answers. In this post of RWBY Theory, I'm going to be looking at the mysteries of the Grimm.

But before we begin, I want to remind everyone about my RWBY mailing list so I can keep you all up-to-date about everything I do RWBY related: http://eepurl.com/cWX8Fj. All who join will get to see the newest versions of RWBY: The Novelization ahead of everyone else. And if you really want to show me the love, support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.con/bryanclaesch. The first few will be privy to novelizations of the Red, White, and Black trailers before their official release.

Let's get started.

The Grimm--where do they come from and why are they on Remnant? According to Qrow and  Ozpin, the Grimm were created by the younger brother of a pair of gods known as the god of darkness. His focus on destruction is what led him to create the Grimm so he could destroy whatever his older brother created. But there are a few problems with this story.

For starters, we learn in World of Remnant that the Grimm don't skirmish with wild animals unless they're fighting over territory. This is a problem because according to Qrow, animals, plants, and nature in general are all creations of the elder brother. Therefore, we would expect to see the Grimm devastating everything that could be associated with the elder brother's work, but we don't see this. WoR specifically tells us that Grimm only attack humans and their works.

Another issue is the creation of the Grimm. In RWBY, we have seen Grimm created before our eyes in two different ways: springing from the black bile dripping from the Grimm Dragon and from pools around Salem's Domain. Add to that, WoR has said that new varieties of Grimm are being discovered every day. Hell, in Volume 4, we hear the salty, sea dog captain say he's never seen a Grimm the size of the Sea Dragon that attacked the ship. So, new types of Grimm are being actively created when according to Qrow, the god of darkness created them, but after he and his brother created humans, they left Remnant. Therefore, we're still stuck with the questions of why the Grimm exist, who created the Grimm, and how?

The by whom seems to be obvious: Salem. The why however isn't entirely clear. While domination seems likely, or so that Salem can get all four of the relics, this seems too basic of an answer. There has to be a twist somewhere. But even after looking at Salem, we're still left with the question of how does she create the Grimm? What are the black pools? What is the ichor that drops from the Dragon? Well, this wouldn't be much of a theory post if I didn't have one, so let's talk about it.

As mentioned in WoR, the Grimm don't require sustenance and will dissipate after being slain. And unless the Grimm reach old age, they're barely more than big, growly monsters, which is another interesting aspect to the Grimm. But, there is something that all Grimm have in common and that is that they're drawn to negative emotion. Do you guys remember the mood slime from Ghosterbusters II? The psychomagnotheoric substance--the stuff that was produced by human emotion and then reacted to it. Basically, that's my theory. The Grimm are born from all the negative emotion of humanity. It's why they're drawn to it and why the Dragon was able to wake up and make more Grimm from itself: because the level of fear and anguish surrounding Beacon was strong enough to wake it up.

Now, while this is interesting, it doesn't help solve the question of what the black bile is that surrounds Salem's castle. Is it a type of psychomagnotheoric slime, like concentrated negativity? But how did Salem get it or make it? And why is it she can breed Grimm without concern for her own well-being or the possibility that the Grimm could swarm her? Why is it she's able to control Grimm like servants? Unfortunately, there aren't any answers to these questions. But, they all do point at Salem. Unfortunately, that's a blog for next time.

So, are there any conclusions we can draw about the Grimm? Honestly, I can't except for the fact that because the Grimm focus mainly on humans, they were not likely created by the god of darkness but rather as a response to humanity, or humanity is the catalyst for their creation. And, we know Salem has some sort of control over them and possibly knowledge about all existing variations. After all, how did Cinder know about the Dragon in Mountain Glenn? Salem told her. And according to Qrow in Volume 3, we also know that Salem has most likely created new variations that are fear themselves. Therefore, we must look at Salem, which I'm going to do in my next post.

 



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RWBY: The Top 10 Reasons Why Ruby Should Be Your Favorite Character

Hey, everyone.

So my blog post on why I like Weiss was so popular that I decided to keep it going. Not about Weiss, but about all of Team RWBY. Today, we'll be looking at Team RWBY's leader, Ruby Rose and the top 10 reasons why she should be your favorite. I'd like to thank my friend Michaela Roan and RWBY Wonderland admin Blake Belladonna for helping me put together this list.

And if you guys want to stay up to date with everything I'm doing RWBY related, then you can sign up so you never miss a beat. (Get it?) http://eepurl.com/cWX8Fj.

Let's jump in!

"Ruby!"

 



So, why would anyone like Ruby? Isn't she just a naïve, inexperienced, and socially awkward, 15-year old? What about her is so great that anyone would call her their favorite character?

1. And victory is in a simple soul

In the opening scene of RWBY, we are introduced to man's creation on Remnant and how he first fought against the grimm. Finding strength in dust, man was able to fight off the grimm, and not only survive, but thrive. But when Salem turns the tables and tells us the end is coming, that "there will be no victory in strength," Ozpin replies, "Or perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you have long forgotten. Things that require a smaller, more honest soul."

Within Ruby is this pure and more honest soul. Ruby is good for the sake of good, and wants to become a huntress for the simple reason to help and save others, and to make sure that everyone lives happily ever after. Is there a nobler virtue?

2. "It's going to be tough. But I know we can do it. We've never back down before, and we're not going to start now. Besides, it won't only be us out there. We'll be fighting alongside a genuine huntsman!"

Ruby has a bright outlook on the future. Thinking back to Field Trip, after Team CFVY returns from their mission that ran long, Team RWBY seems worried about their own mission to Mountain Glenn. Ruby admits that their mission is going to be tough, but she reassures her team that they can do it. Having never backed down from a challenge and coming out smelling like roses every time (to that date), Ruby's pep talk warms the spirits of her team and they get pumped for their mission.

3. "Of course, I'm excited. I just... I got moved ahead two years."

Ruby is a competent and skilled huntress. If she wasn't, Ozpin wouldn't have let her into Beacon. Thinking about Ruby's combat history, she has fought alongside huntresses and huntsmen at least two years older than her, she has faced villains single-handedly, and slain dozens of grimm. While I don't like the fact that the Beowolf is regarded as RWBY's version of the slime from Dragon Quest, because the Beowolf is really cool, Ruby has fought multiple packs without a problem. She fought one in her trailer, she criticizes Weiss for not being able to handle a pack alone, and then there was the Volume 4 character short where Ruby took out a Nevermore, Beowolves, and a Beringel all by herself. Girl's got skillz.

"You better hurry."
Translation: I'm not saving any for you guys.



4. "I have a plan."

Regardless of what the situation is, Ruby always seems to have a plan in mind. From taking down giant Nevermores to giving Weiss obvious advice in class, Ruby always manages to find the solution to her combat problem and is remarkably adaptable. If it weren't for Jaune and high heels, she could be the best strategist in the show.

5. "You've been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Ruby. I advise you take some time to think about how you will uphold it."

One of the things working against Ruby is her age. And with her youth comes immaturity. Everything from making fart noises in class to balancing a binder on a pencil. But when her immaturity creates friction between her and Weiss, with some help from Ozpin, Ruby realizes that she has to always be at her very best so that those who follow her will be, too. Even in Volume 4, Jaune tells Ruby, that despite everything she's lost and could still lose, she gave the rest of JNPR the courage to follow her.

6. "And what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?

"Uh... well..."



Okay, so this is a little shallow and mostly opinion based. I do know that Nora and Penny seem to be in the running for cutest character in RWBY, but my money is on Ruby. While all three girls have what I consider to be essential cute girl qualities: short, upbeat, high energy, and short hair, sometimes I find Nora really annoying, and Penny's too naïve. Even in her sexier, timeskip outfit, I still think Ruby is as cute as a button. I really wish real girls looked like that.

7. Little Red Riding Hood

Very few people can deny that Kerry, Miles, and Monty did good basing their characters off fairytales, but besides Yang, I think Ruby is really where they did super well. Little Red Riding Hood is one of my favorite fairytales, and why wouldn't it be? It's essentially a Bloodborne side quest.

*Wink*
*Growl*

I also dig hoods. I used to wear hoodies all the time and a common theme in some of my novels is that characters who are author inserts often wear hoods. Add to that, I dig Ruby's Gothic threads and if it were socially acceptable, I would dress more Gothic myself. (That and I'm basically an emo teenager at heart.) Whether it be Ruby's original outfit or her timeskip one, both are good on her with her timeskip outfit easily being my favorite in the series. And lastly, my favorite colors are red and black. So, yeah...

8. "Got your back!"
"Who's got yours?"
"My BFF!"

"No..."

Besides Ruby's noble soul, her most virtuous trait is that she's a loyal and loving friend. The thing about people like Ruby is that while they're terrible in social situations, they often make the most loyal of friends. (I should know being an INTJ.)

Remembering back to Ruby's introduction to Weiss and Blake, she really wasn't comfortable in either situation. And then at the prom, she was hiding out at the punch bowl. But despite her social awkwardness, Ruby doesn't let that get in the way of her duty to her friends. She accepts them as they are whether they be Faunus or made of bolts and nuts instead of squishy guts. She's there for them in a pinch whether they need to escape Atlas personnel or when one is being attacked by a Nervermore, (even though that friend just made quarters out of a penny). She's willing to stare down almost certain death just to save a friend.

9. She Goes Naaaarrrroooo!

Ruby's semblance is speed. Or is it turning into rose petals? Either way, Ruby can go super fast. So fast that she becomes a red tornado capable of creating a vortex that sucks up things and people in its wake. Ruby's speed allows her to get the drop on her enemies, flee when necessary, or even use it to augment others' abilities such as when she and Nora defeated the Geist grimm in the first episode of Volume 4. And honestly, after being able to read minds and turn invisible, super speed is number one on my super power list.

10. "It's also a gun!"

Scythes are cool. Why? Probably because they're associated with the Grim Reaper despite the fact a scythe makes a terrible weapon. (Yes, I know about battle scythes. No need to tell me.) Therefore when you see a character wielding a scythe as a weapon, it makes them an instant badass. (Except for Dante from Dante's Inferno.) But scythes are great regardless of their inception, whether they be Crimson Rose, the Burial Blade, or Qrow's scythe, it's just a cool weapon and turns its wielder into Death's Apprentice. (Hey! Death's Apprentice. Cool story title.)

Well guys, that was the top 10 reasons why you should like Ruby. If you think I missed anything, let me know what it was in the comments. And don't forget to sign up for the mailing list so you don't miss anything RWBY. http://eepurl.com/cWX8Fj.

Keep writing, my friends.

The moment we all fell in love.



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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.