#dang it miles and kerry

[acelioz]

Here, I was worrying that volume 8 was going to be volume 3 all over again, but it’s not...

It’s going to be so much worse 😬

#rwby 8 #rwby #rwby volume 8 #casey lee williams #dang it miles and kerry

[i-want-anne-hathaway]

IT’S HEATHERS TIME, BITCHES.

I am listening to the Off-Broadway version, the West End version is way further down the line.

“White trash,” the students at a school with a population of like one PoC say.

I’m just thinking about EMHS because of Heather M. Once this is over, I should listen to the EMHS playlist that I put together with Robin because it’d be funny. Only problem is that it’s like 8 hours long.

The ranking goes Heathers The Musical, Illegal Heathers, Riverdale Heathers, and Paramount Heathers. I don’t take constructive criticism.

I’m 79.69% sure that in LA Heathers Heather M told Veronica to sleep with her, and I think that should’ve stayed in there.

Is Heather M a bully? Yes. Do I love her regardless? Absolutely.

The fact that it took me weeks to realize that JD and Diggy from Liv and Maddie were the same person. It blew my damn mind.

Also, I love Ryan McCartan. His Tik Toks are top tier.

Freeze Your Brain is a whole mood and a half. Coping Mechanisms! Even though he still killed three people, that’s a minor detail

I’m pretty sure the general agreement is that Big Fun is the worst Heathers song, which is valid. I don’t hate it, I just don’t vibe with it that much.

JD: You don’t need drugs if you have a nice brain freeze

Veronica like an hour later: HEY, IS THAT WEED?! I WANNA HIT!

It took me watching a boot to understand “thanks Heather, but I don’t really have to vomit right now” and when I realized it I was like “:0”

I loathe the “dang dang diggity dang-a dang” part of Big Fun because of how many people say “oh, yeah, that song from Tik Tok” when I play Heathers around them.

Where does Heathers take place? Because my understanding was that it’s in Ohio, but then she said “ride up to Seattle,” which is a bit extreme if you live in Ohio. If she was in like, Oregon or some shit, it would make sense. But you’re going to go 2247 miles to get to Seattle cause some Junior in highschool said you’re dead? Idk Veronica that’s a bit extra.

Also Ryan McCartan’s Dead Girl Walking Pronoun Showdown where you can hear Barrett laughing in the background.

*One kid dies*

Ms. Fleming: Our children are dYING!

On one hand, Me Inside of Me is a very real song. People aren’t always what they seem, and you can never know what another person’s experiences are. On the other hand, this doesn’t really apply to Heather C in the musical. There’s no evidence pointing to much hardship from what I remember. She just fucking sucked, and I love her for that.

I have a friend who likes to take my headphones and listen to whatever I’m listening to, and I was listening to Blue and I think I traumatized her.

I wish that the Blue reprise was on the soundtrack because it’s funny as hell.

Throwback to when Our Love is God was my favorite song from Heathers. It’s like 50% dialogue, but I just jammed to the last part of it on repeat.

My dad finds the “we had to hide our gay forbidden love from a misapproving world” part the funniest thing ever. He heard it once, and he hasn’t let go of it.

“Ram, you’re just unconscious, right.” WELL, IF WE WAS UNCONSCIOUS, HOW THE FUCK IS HE GONNA ANSWER?! I get that it’s a rhetorical question, but it’s a stupid one.

The instrumental at the end of Our Love is God will forever be A Bop™️

“I never cared for homos much until i reared me one” is actually just my parents. Like, literally my parents.

In the video’s of them rehearsing Dead Gay Son, Veronica and JD are confused as fuck the entire time and I love it.

Dead Gay Son 🤝Love Thy Neighbor. They’re the same song, and I still don’t take constructive criticism.

Throwback to the time I sang Seventeen with a girl on my softball team, and then we just sat there staring at each other like “woah.” And if you know anything about my team, you’ll know that we’re all gay.

I feel like it’s a crime that I don’t know all the words to Shine a Light. It’s highkey a bop.

Okay, okay, okay. One time I was playing music with my mom, and I got Killer Instinct. And my mom said “her voice is so soft, why is she not singing about the struggles of peer pressure and anxiety” AND THEN LIFEBOAT CAME ON AND I WAS LAUGHING SO HARD.

Also the way that Heather M hugs Veronica after Life boat makes me soft.

I used to scream Shine a Light (Reprise) when I felt terrible because it used to make me laugh. I pick the worst songs ever as comfort songs, and I will continue to do so.

THE THREE GENDERS: KERRY BUTLER, AARON TVEIT, AND KATIE LADNER.

I hate when people say “I don’t like Kindergarten Boyfriend because it’s so stupid.” YEAH, THAT’S THE POINT. IT’S STILL SAD. IT’S JUST ALSO REALLY DUMB.

I’ve always been confused why JD says “date to the pep rally.” That’s not typically how pep rallies work. You don’t have a date to a pep rally.

I love that in the musical Veronica starts screaming back at her mother, but in the movie, she’s just like “chill out, dude”

Dead Girl Walking: SEX!

Dead Girl Walking (Reprise): DEATH!

Which is basically the entire musical.

I’m pretty sure that there are a couple lyrical differences in the I Am Damaged from the Off-Broadway version to the West End version, and I don’t know which I prefer.

I hated Heather Duke the entire show, but I simultaneously love her. Throughout the entire show, she sucks. But she’s a good character.

I love Seventeen (Reprise) because it makes me happy. Why? Idk, it just makes me smile.

Final Judgement: The line “sleep with me” should’ve been kept in.

Okay, but actually, Heathers is iconic as fuck, I think it’s a really good adaptation of a great movie.

#long post #brees favorite games #tw drug mention #tw death mention #tw sex mention #tw capslock #if i missed any triggers please let me know #im trying to make sure i tag triggers more often but please call me out on things i missed

[calliecat93]

RWBY V6, CH1 Review: Argus Limited

RWBY is back! YAY!!! SO last volume had some... lets say mixed reception. So much so that Miles and Kerry have changed the writing process to have more proofreading done and to have more reception from the higher ups. Regardless of how one feels about V5, it ended with RWBY reuinited, the bad guys being defeated, and the Relic of Knowledge being obtained. The next stop is Atlas. How will this wild and crazy journey go? Only time will tell. But lets see how it starts!

Overview

It starts off... pretty interestingly. First, the snow effects look SO PRETTY. There is no way that they could make natural landscape s look as pretty in Poser like they did here with Maya. Once again, the animation continues to improve and it’s just gorgeous in this chapter. But yeah, we start with a fight already going on on top of a train. The RWBY girls and Qrow are fighting I THINK a bunch of Manticore Grimm. Might be wrong about that one. It’s got a lot of good moments. Weiss saving Ruby with a ‘Thank Me Later’ (that Ruby repeats later), Blake and Yang’s combo, JNR joining in with Nora complaining about how stuff always happens to them, and... it’s just so good. But... how did we get here exactly?

Well before we answer that, we get a brief update about Adam. At first we only hear voices as the camera pans through the throne room. We hear Adam return, telling his remaining forces to get away form his throne. But they refuse. They are NOT happy that Adam abandoned the forces at Haven and got defeated by Blake. One guy even comments how ti seems she has more control over Adam than Adam does her. T His makes Adam snap... you know, more than before. We finally see some bodies... or should I say, corpses. Yep, Adam killed what I assume is all the remaining White Fang in Mistral. He also slashes part of his thrown, screaming in rage towards the sky while musing about Blake. It’s pretty clear that, as Ilia said, the WF is no longer with Adam and he is on his own. And chances are, his focus is going towards the girl who bested him.

So following THAT happy scene, we cut to a train station and Qrow narrates. He’s written a letter to Ironwood, explaining about the attack on Haven and Leo’s death... well sorta. He... bends the truth. The credit for the failure of the attack is given tot he Menagerie Faunus and he and the kids just happened to be there. He also lies that Leo died fighting to protect the academy, which we all know is a big fat lie. Why did he lie about this? Heck if I know. This seems dumb, especially since if Ironwood finds out I imagine that his paranoia will only get worst. I guess it was to be safe for if the letter got intercepted since Qrow DOES say that there’s more to the story, but still...

Anyways, Ruby is excited! We find out that the group is heading for a town called Argus, which is along the Northern coastline. They're going to be heading there via train... too bad that the Huntsmen that Mistral hired suck. But meh. Weiss is also a tad salty since she just got out of Atlus and went through a lot of effort to do so, and now she has to go back. Can’t blame her, poor ice queen. But Ruby assures her that Team RWBY will be there for her. Speaking of, they’re all waiting on Blake before they get going.

Blake is saying goodbye to Ilia, who now has some super cute civilian clothes. While Ilia helps the Belladonna’s and Faunus improve relations in Mistral, Blake will be going with her team and therefore after the ones attacking the skills. Ilia is sad to see her go, but she now has a chance to start her life over and to make sure that the new Faunus movement doesn’t end up like the White Fang. Sun also shows up to say goodbye, and he brought Neptune! Yay! Sun explains that eh and his team are going to Vacuo with Sun intending to learn to be a better leader for his team. He also tells Blake that she doesn't need him anymore. She’s sad when he outs it that way, but Sun elaborates that Blake NEEDS to be with her team and that she’ll now be fine with them. But who knows? They may run into each other again. Blake seems to accept that, even giving Sun an appreciative kiss on the cheek. Aww~ Ship it or not it was a super sweet scene between them and I’m glad that it was there.

The train is soon on it’s way and we see Team RWBY chilling in their room. Which nice subtle callback tot he bunkbeds! They’re even structurally sound this time! When Yang goes to get her Scroll to kick Ruby’s butt at video games, Blake gets up to help her with her bang. It’s pretty clear that Blake’s still feeling guilty for what happened to Yang and probably for running away liek she did. Fortunately, Yang admits that, yes things are going to be weird, but it’ll be okay.. She’s just glad that they’re all together again. It’s such a good moment. Not only is it pretty much telling us ‘yes we’ll get to the emotional stuff with these two, but it will be okay”, but it shows Yang’s development. She’s not snippy. She’s not angry. She’s honest, but also calm and is trying to accept Blake back. It would be so easy to milk this for all the melodrama that it’s worth, but they’retaking a mature approach with it that doesn't damper the tone or Team RWBY being together again. I’m very appreciative of that.

Sadly, the fun times can’t last. A swarm of Grimm attack. God dang it Grimm,y ou ruined Qrow kicking his nieces butts at idea games! I was looking forward to that! But yeah, they go to face the Grimm as one of the two we saw earlier is knocked off and probably killed. The remaining one turns on the defenses, which includes turret guns. But since he’s at the front of the train, which is where the passengers are, it’s attracting the Grimm to them. Oscar, under Qrow’s orders, tries to make him stop, but he refuses. Which I can’t completely blame him since its his job to kill them and these Manticore are clearly NOT easy to kill. But things go bad for him when Oscar sees a tunnel up ahead and while most everyone gets back inside, the poor Huntsman knocks into it and breaks his arm.. Seriously that moment made me cringe.

When inside, Qrow starts arguing with the Huntsman about the turrets. During this, Ruby looks around, seeing that the Grimm are following after them still. She also looks and sees the passengers, clearly scared. Knowing that they can’t keep wasting time, RUby gets Qrow to back down as she and Jaune convince the Huntsman to turn off the guns, Jaune even using his aura amplification Semblance to heal the guy’s arm. Nora gets the idea of using Ren’s emotion masking Semblance to mask the passengers, and then the Grimm would leave them alone. Ren’s a little unsure of this, until the others point out that Jaune can use his Semblance to enhance Ren’s. So fi there’s still any doubt, yes Jaune’s power is to amplify aura, which in turn can enhance a Semblance. Our boy has become a true Paladin!

At this point, Oscar finally allows Ozpin to take over, who explains that part of the problem is the Relic. The Grimm are attracted to it. Even Qrow is surprised by this. Yang, clearly peeved, asks why he did this... though really guys? Is this really a surprise? You know that Salem is after it ad by now knows that you have it. So... while yeah Ozpin should have said something, is it really a shock that the Grimm are gonna come after it? Ozpin does get ready to explain himself, but Ruby interrupts. Right now it doesn’t matter why. Right now what matters is protecting the innocents. This does give her a new plan though. While JNR stays with the passengers, the rest of them will disconnect the cars with the Grimm. That way, they can take care of them while the passengers are protected by Ren’s Semblance and they can reach Argus safely. Jaune, while clearly not happy with it, agrees , but only when Ruby promises to meet them in Argus. 

With that, Blake cuts off the cars. But not before seeing what seems to be a hallucination of Adam. Was it really him? Maybe. But no time for that as we have a fight still. With the cars disconnected, Ren and Jaune do their thing and indeed, the Grimm don’t give chase. Which I’m just gonna say it now, the fights in this episode are AWESOME. A BIG complaint about last year was the fight scenes especially during the Battle for Haven. While I thought the one on ones were fine, the group fights seemed to have problems as well as giving everyone focus. Well clearly CRWBY listened because this fight is AWESOME. Everyone gets a moment to shine, Oscar (who I assume took back control) has greatly improved, Team RWBY is perfectly in sync, the action is fast but creative, and it ends with Ruby and Qrow double teaming with some scythe action. It is SO GOOD GUYS. All while a new rocking tune sung by Jeff and Casey plays and man it is WAAY too early to want the soundtrack, but damn it I want it!

While the good guys win, the dying Grimm still causes damage to the rails. Weiss uses her gravity glyphs to keep everyone in place, but nevertheless the train is derailed and crashes. Fortunately, everyone is okay! Yay! This includes, to everyone’s surprise, a goggled old woman who seems to have decided to stay instead of head for safety. This is Maria Cavadera, and with her pointing out how much of a close call that was, the chapter ends. Ho boy, is this gonna be fun!

Review

So I already wrote a review for the opening, so we’re gonna skip that other than me repeating that it is the best one so far and I want the V6 soundtrack like crazy.

So this premiere... HOLY SHIT. Just... HOLY SHIT.  While I still think that the V5 premiere was the best one, this one may be a VERY close second if I can decide if I still liked the food fight in V2′s better than this or not. I kinda worry that maybe they set the bar a little TOO high and may not be able to keep it up since that seems to be how people felt about V5. But were only one chapter in, so I’m not gonna worry about that right now. It set up a lot though very quickly without feeling rushed though, so that’s good!

Okay, so for the most part this was mainly a setup/fight scene chapter but we have plenty to talk about. Lets get to Blake and Yang first. So I had a LOT of issues with Blake during V4. I did NOT like how she was written there and only furthering hr problems. Now V5 fixed pretty much all of that, and this chapter sealed it. Her goodbyes to Ilia and Sun were so sweet and well done. I’ll miss them, but it’s like SUn said, Blake needs to be with her team. It’s also good to see that she’s still guilty about Yang and not quite sure how to act around her other than trying to help her. Fortunately Yang seems to have taken what Weiss said last volume to heart and is trying to give her a chance. As I said, I’m glad that we’re taking a mature approach to this and not going all melodramatic. Its gonna be weird for a little while, but it’s gonna be okay. Very happy with how things have started so far.

There’s not too much with the other characters aside from Oscar, but I want to talk about Ruby too. With Oscar, while it’s brief, he is clearly not okay with Ozpin taking control again. After what happened in V5, while Oz forcibly taking over was understandable due to Hazel being scary as Hell, that’s... not gonna help Oscar feel any better about his situation. Poor kid is trying so hard and we do see that he’s improved as a fighter. He’s not exactly a hard hitter, but he does good as a supporter. But going off this and the trailer... yeah I think that Oscar’s gonna feel like his control is slipping mroe and more as he and Ozpin’s souls become one. Poor boy...

With Ruby, my biggest problem last volume, like the only one I can say made me upset, was how badly she was handled. She was more or less a background character, received little to no development, her training arc was reduced to her learning how to give a headbutt,and worst there were PLENTY of character development moments available but NONE OF THEM were taken. I guess the focus was on Yang, Raven, and the Menagerie stuff but it REALLY upset me. My biggest hope has been that this volume will rectify that. While it’s brief, seeing Ruby’s clear concern for the passengers, taking the lead with both the plans and the fight coordination, and the hints int he opening with her eyes has given me a LOT of hope that that character development is finally coming. She actually felt like the cheerful but determined leader that she’s supposed to be, not the happy plucky anime girl that’s there for morale support like last time. Ruby is my favorite character, hence why I’m so passionate about this, so hopefully my prayers have been answered and my girl is getting the plot that she deserves.

Really, this whole chapter felt like one big showcase of proving the critics that yes, they listened and yes, they will be trying to improve. Lack of fights? We’re gonna start off with one big one. The fights are not good when it’s more than two characters? Not this time! Lack of new songs? Well you just got a badass Jeff and Casey duet! Lack of focus? Well the plotlines aren't split anymore, so here is where the focus is gonna be and who we’re going to mainly follow this volume! Seriously, aside from the brief cut to Adam, it’s clear where the plot’s focus is: with Team RWBY as they head for Argus. The split plots was fun, but it clearly caused a lot of problems with pacing and where the main focus was supposed to me. Now that the band is back together, that’s no longer an issue and it made the pacing feel SO MUCH BETTER because of it. I’m sure that were gonna have some subplots with other characters, but it’s clear that the main attraction is Team RWBY’s journey together, which I think will help keep things better rounded out.

I guess the final thing to talk about is the animation. Every year, CRWBY ramps it up and this year is no exception. The snow effects are beautiful,t he landscapes themselves look amazing, the character animation is energetic and expressive, and it just looks so good on screen. It’ crazy. I was rewatching V1 a few days ago and while still impressive considering the low budget back then... aside form Monty’s fights, it.... looks cheap and flat. Remember, they had to use shadow people and not actual character designs if they weren't important back then folks. I think that the switch to Maya and now having had over two years of experience with it has REALLY done wonders for the animation team. Everything looked great here, especially with the fight being fast but incredibly creative and fluid. Like if this was just Chapter One, I can't wait for what the other thirteen look like!

Final Thoughts

When Volume 5 ended, I was so done with the drama and negativity that I saw about it that I very nearly quit the show. I guess putting my attention on RvB up until now helped me feel better about it because by the time the premiere came, I was actually feeling excited about the show coming back. This chapter reminded me so much of why I love RWBY. Great animation, amazing music, likeable and fun characters, and a tam of people who love and care for this property. This chapter brought me so much excitement and happiness that I had missed with this show. I am legit excited (and terrified) for the rest of the volume no matter what happens. Welcome back RWBY! It’s gonna be one Hell fo a volume!

#rwby #rwby6 #rwby reviews #callie reviews

[wikitopx]

There are miles of beautiful Chicago beaches, Chicago museums that rank among the world's best and the friendliest city-dwellers out there (if we do say so ourselves).

Whether you’re an out-of-towner or a tried-and-true Chicagoan planning a staycation, we’ve assembled the 25 best Chicago attractions for your touring convenience. Oh, and if you’re feeling decadent, cap off your day of sightseeing with a meal at one of the best restaurants in Chicago. What can you do in Chicago for a day? Ready to dive in to the windy city?

1. Millennium Park

What must see in Chicago? Millennium Park - This vast 24.5-acre section of Chicago’s front yard is one of the most popular places to spend time outdoors in the city, look at public art and attend special events.

To take a selfie in front of Cloud Gate (a.k.a. the Bean), go for a stroll through the serene Lurie Gardens, catch a free concert in the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion (in the summer) or skate on the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink (in the winter).

2. Art Institute of Chicago

What is the most popular tourist destination in Chicago? One of the city’s most well-known cultural institutions, which houses more than 300,000 artworks and an on-site restaurant, Terzo Piano (Italian-Mediterranean food).

Acquaint yourself with classic paintings like Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte (as seen in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) and Grant Wood's American Gothic, or explore an expansive collection of contemporary works in the museum’s Modern Wing. Check the museum's website for more information on temporary exhibitions.

3. Lincoln Park Zoo

Located in the middle of Lincoln Park, this 35-acre zoo houses more than 1,000 animals and is one of the few remaining free zoos in the country.

Watch lovely African penguins frolicking, observe majestic cats in the Kovler Lion House or visit the scaled residents of the McCormick Reptile House—all entirely free of charge. Trust us, it’ll get wild.

4. Garfield Park Conservatory

Among the largest conservatories in the United States, this giant greenhouse in Garfield Park provides a home for some 600 species of plants (most of which aren’t indigenous to the region).

Stop by 365 days a year to admire the gigantic trees that fill the Palm Room, see a depiction of ancient Illinois vegetation in the Fern Room or window shop for succulents and cacti in the Desert Room.

5. Wrigley Field

Built in 1914, Wrigley Field has been the home of North Side baseball team the Chicago Cubs for more than 100 years.

To watch baseball at one of the oldest ballparks in America, sing along during the seventh-inning stretch and see one of the only manually operated scoreboards in existence, controlled by three members of the Cubs staff.

6. Museum of Contemporary Art

Take in a constantly changing lineup of exhibitions, including touring shows from the likes of Takashi Murakami and Kerry James Marshall, or stop by the museum’s in-house restaurant, Marisol, where chef Lula Cafe chef Jason Hammel serves an inventive menu.

7. Time Out Market Chicago

Opening in 2019, Time Out is curating a 50,000-square-foot food hall in Fulton Market, hosting some of the city's top restaurants and chefs.

Time Out Market Chicago is a living, breathing version of our magazine, stocked with 18 different kiosks where you'll be able to enjoy dishes from folks like Brian Fisher of Michelin-starred Entente, Thai Dang of HaiSous and Zoe Schor of Split-Rail. There will also be three bars on-site, a demo kitchen and plenty of events taking place within the bustling space.

8. The Second City

Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert and Joan Rivers are just a few of the famous folks who honed their talents onstage at this theater devoted to sketch and improvised comedy.

You’ll see some of the most talented rising comedic talents (and maybe a couple future Saturday Night Live cast members) on the Second City’s Mainstage. If you want to learn more about improv, stand-up or sketch writing, you can sign up for a class at the Training Center.

9. The 606

A 2.7-mile stretch of an abandoned elevated rail line that has been transformed into a pedestrian path that connects Logan Square, Humboldt Park, Bucktown and Wicker Park.

It’s a great place to go for a jog, zip around on your bicycle and quickly transverse some of the most popular North Side neighborhoods. Plus, you’ll spot some art installations as you go.

10. The Green Mill

Once you’ve snapped a picture of the iconic Green Mill marquee, head inside, order a cocktail and take in a set from some of the city’s top jazz musicians. The music typically goes late, but you’ll need to show up early if you want to score a good seat.

See also: Top 10 things to do in Pittsburgh

From : https://wikitopx.com/travel/top-10-things-to-do-in-chicago-702902.html

#Wikitopx #Wikitopx - Feed

[callie-the-snarky-geek-blog]

RWBY V6 CH1 Reviews: Argus Limited

(Repost from old blog)

RWBY is back! YAY!!! So last volume had some… lets say mixed reception. So much so that Miles and Kerry have changed the writing process to have more proofreading done and to have more reception from the higher ups. Regardless of how one feels about V5, it ended with RWBY reunited, the bad guys being defeated, and the Relic of Knowledge being obtained. The next stop is Atlas. How will this wild and crazy journey go? Only time will tell. But lets see how it starts!

Overview

It starts off… pretty interestingly. First, the snow effects look SO PRETTY. There is no way that they could make natural landscapes look as pretty in Poser like they did here with Maya. Once again, the animation continues to improve and it’s just gorgeous in this chapter. But yeah, we start with a fight already going on on top of a train. The RWBY girls and Qrow are fighting I THINK a bunch of Manticore Grimm. Might be wrong about that one. It’s got a lot of good moments. Weiss saving Ruby with a “Thank Me Later" (that Ruby repeats later), Blake and Yang’s combo, JNR joining in with Nora complaining about how stuff always happens to them, and… it’s just so good. But… how did we get here exactly?

Well before we answer that, we get a brief update about Adam. At first we only hear voices as the camera pans through the throne room. We hear Adam return, telling his remaining forces to get away form his throne. But they refuse. They are NOT happy that Adam abandoned the forces at Haven and got defeated by Blake. One guy even comments how ti seems she has more control over Adam than Adam does her. T His makes Adam snap… you know, more than before. We finally see some bodies… or should I say, corpses. Yep, Adam killed what I assume is all the remaining White Fang in Mistral. He also slashes part of his thrown, screaming in rage towards the sky while musing about Blake. It’s pretty clear that, as Ilia said, the WF is no longer with Adam and he is on his own. And chances are, his focus is going towards the girl who bested him.

So following THAT happy scene, we cut to a train station and Qrow narrates. He’s written a letter to Ironwood, explaining about the attack on Haven and Leo’s death… well sorta. He… bends the truth. The credit for the failure of the attack is given to the Menagerie Faunus and he and the kids just happened to be there. He also lies that Leo died fighting to protect the academy, which we all know is a big fat lie. Why did he lie about this? Heck if I know. This seems dumb, especially since if Ironwood finds out I imagine that his paranoia will only get worst. I guess it was to be safe for if the letter got intercepted since Qrow DOES say that there’s more to the story, but still…

Anyways, Ruby is excited! We find out that the group is heading for a town called Argus, which is along the Northern coastline. They’re going to be heading there via train… too bad that the Huntsmen that Mistral hired suck. But meh. Weiss is also a tad salty since she just got out of Atlas and went through a lot of effort to do so, and now she has to go back. Can’t blame her, poor ice queen. But Ruby assures her that Team RWBY will be there for her. Speaking of, they’re all waiting on Blake before they get going.

Blake is saying goodbye to Ilia, who now has some super cute civilian clothes. While Ilia helps the Belladonna’s and Faunus improve relations in Mistral, Blake will be going with her team and therefore after the ones attacking the skills. Ilia is sad to see her go, but she now has a chance to start her life over and to make sure that the new Faunus movement doesn’t end up like the White Fang. Sun also shows up to say goodbye, and he brought Neptune! Yay! Sun explains that eh and his team are going to Vacuo with Sun intending to learn to be a better leader for his team. He also tells Blake that she doesn’t need him anymore. She’s sad when he outs it that way, but Sun elaborates that Blake NEEDS to be with her team and that she’ll now be fine with them. But who knows? They may run into each other again. Blake seems to accept that, even giving Sun an appreciative kiss on the cheek. Aww~ Ship it or not it was a super sweet scene between them and I’m glad that it was there.

The train is soon on its way and we see Team RWBY chilling in their room. Which nice subtle callback tot he bunkbeds! They’re even structurally sound this time! When Yang goes to get her Scroll to kick Ruby's butt at video games, Blake gets up to help her with her bang. It’s pretty clear that Blake’s still feeling guilty for what happened to Yang and probably for running away like she did. Fortunately, Yang admits that, yes things are going to be weird, but it'll be okay.. She's just glad that they're all together again. It’s such a good moment. Not only is it pretty much telling us “yes we’ll get to the emotional stuff with these two, but it will be okay”, but it shows Yang’s development. She's not snippy. She's not angry. She’s honest, but also calm and is trying to accept Blake back. It would be so easy to milk this for all the melodrama that it’s worth, but they're taking a mature approach with it that doesn’t damper the tone or Team RWBY being together again. I'm very appreciative of that.

Sadly, the fun times can't last. A swarm of Grimm attack. God dang it Grimm, you ruined Qrow kicking his nieces butts at idea games! I was looking forward to that! But yeah, they go to face the Grimm as one of the two we saw earlier is knocked off and probably killed. The remaining one turns on the defenses, which includes turret guns. But since he's at the front of the train, which is where the passengers are, it's attracting the Grimm to them. Oscar, under Qrow’s orders, tries to make him stop, but he refuses. Which I can’t completely blame him since its his job to kill them and these Manticore are clearly NOT easy to kill. But things go bad for him when Oscar sees a tunnel up ahead and while most everyone gets back inside, the poor Huntsman knocks into it and breaks his arm.. Seriously that moment made me cringe.

When inside, Qrow starts arguing with the Huntsman about the turrets. During this, Ruby looks around, seeing that the Grimm are following after them still. She also looks and sees the passengers, clearly scared. Knowing that they can't keep wasting time, Ruby gets Qrow to back down as she and Jaune convince the Huntsman to turn off the guns, Jaune even using his aura amplification Semblance to heal the guy's arm. Nora gets the idea of using Ren's emotion masking Semblance to mask the passengers, and then the Grimm would leave them alone. Ren's a little unsure of this, until the others point out that Jaune can use his Semblance to enhance Ren's. So if there’s still any doubt, yes Jaune's power is to amplify aura, which in turn can enhance a Semblance. Our boy has become a true Paladin!

At this point, Oscar finally allows Ozpin to take over, who explains that part of the problem is the Relic. The Grimm are attracted to it. Even Qrow is surprised by this. Yang, clearly peeved, asks why he did this… though really guys? Is this really a surprise? You know that Salem is after it ad by now knows that you have it. So… while yeah Ozpin should have said something, is it really a shock that the Grimm are gonna come after it? Ozpin does get ready to explain himself, but Ruby interrupts. Right now it doesn't matter why. Right now what matters is protecting the innocents. This does give her a new plan though. While JNR stays with the passengers, the rest of them will disconnect the cars with the Grimm. That way, they can take care of them while the passengers are protected by Ren’s Semblance and they can reach Argus safely. Jaune, while clearly not happy with it, agrees , but only when Ruby promises to meet them in Argus.

With that, Blake cuts off the cars. But not before seeing what seems to be a hallucination of Adam. Was it really him? Maybe. But no time for that as we have a fight still. With the cars disconnected, Ren and Jaune do their thing and indeed, the Grimm don’t give chase. Which I'm just gonna say it now, the fights in this episode are AWESOME. A BIG complaint about last year was the fight scenes especially during the Battle for Haven. While I thought the one on ones were fine, the group fights seemed to have problems as well as giving everyone focus. Well clearly CRWBY listened because this fight is AWESOME. Everyone gets a moment to shine, Oscar (who I assume took back control) has greatly improved, Team RWBY is perfectly in sync, the action is fast but creative, and it ends with Ruby and Qrow double teaming with some scythe action. It is SO GOOD GUYS. All while a new rocking tune sung by Jeff and Casey plays and man it is WAAY too early to want the soundtrack, but damn it I want it!

While the good guys win, the dying Grimm still causes damage to the rails. Weiss uses her gravity glyphs to keep everyone in place, but nevertheless the train is derailed and crashes. Fortunately, everyone is okay! Yay! This includes, to everyone's surprise, a goggled old woman who seems to have decided to stay instead of head for safety. This is Maria Calavera, and with her pointing out how much of a close call that was, the chapter ends. Ho boy, is this gonna be fun!

Review

So this premiere… HOLY SHIT. Just… HOLY SHIT.  While I still think that the V5 premiere was the best one, this one may be a VERY close second if I can decide if I still liked the food fight in V2's better than this or not. I kinda worry that maybe they set the bar a little TOO high and may not be able to keep it up since that seems to be how people felt about V5. But were only one chapter in, so I'm not gonna worry about that right now. It set up a lot though very quickly without feeling rushed though, so that's good!

Okay, so for the most part this was mainly a setup/fight scene chapter but we have plenty to talk about. Lets get to Blake and Yang first. So I had a LOT of issues with Blake during V4. I did NOT like how she was written there and only furthering hr problems. Now V5 fixed pretty much all of that, and this chapter sealed it. Her goodbyes to Ilia and Sun were so sweet and well done. I'll miss them, but it's like Sun said, Blake needs to be with her team. It's also good to see that she's still guilty about Yang and not quite sure how to act around her other than trying to help her. Fortunately Yang seems to have taken what Weiss said last volume to heart and is trying to give her a chance. As I said, I'm glad that we're taking a mature approach to this and not going all melodramatic. Its gonna be weird for a little while, but it's gonna be okay. Very happy with how things have started so far.

There's not too much with the other characters aside from Oscar, but I want to talk about Ruby too. With Oscar, while it's brief, he is clearly not okay with Ozpin taking control again. After what happened in V5, while Oz forcibly taking over was understandable due to Hazel being scary as Hell, that's… not gonna help Oscar feel any better about his situation. Poor kid is trying so hard and we do see that he's improved as a fighter. He's not exactly a hard hitter, but he does good as a supporter. But going off this and the trailer… yeah I think that Oscar's gonna feel like his control is slipping more and more as he and Ozpin's souls become one. Poor boy…

With Ruby, my biggest problem last volume, like the only one I can say made me upset, was how badly she was handled. She was more or less a background character, received little to no development, her training arc was reduced to her learning how to give a headbutt,and worst there were PLENTY of character development moments available but NONE OF THEM were taken. I guess the focus was on Yang, Raven, and the Menagerie stuff but it REALLY upset me. My biggest hope has been that this volume will rectify that. While it's brief, seeing Ruby's clear concern for the passengers, taking the lead with both the plans and the fight coordination, and the hints int he opening with her eyes has given me a LOT of hope that that character development is finally coming. She actually felt like the cheerful but determined leader that she's supposed to be, not the happy plucky anime girl that's there for morale support like last time. Ruby is my favorite character, hence why I'm so passionate about this, so hopefully my prayers have been answered and my girl is getting the plot that she deserves.

Really, this whole chapter felt like one big showcase of proving the critics that yes, they listened and yes, they will be trying to improve. Lack of fights? We're gonna start off with one big one. The fights are not good when it's more than two characters? Not this time! Lack of new songs? Well you just got a badass Jeff and Casey duet! Lack of focus? Well the plotlines aren’t split anymore, so here is where the focus is gonna be and who we're going to mainly follow this volume! Seriously, aside from the brief cut to Adam, it's clear where the plot's focus is: with Team RWBY as they head for Argus. The split plots was fun, but it clearly caused a lot of problems with pacing and where the main focus was supposed to me. Now that the band is back together, that's no longer an issue and it made the pacing feel SO MUCH BETTER because of it. I’m sure that were gonna have some subplots with other characters, but it's clear that the main attraction is Team RWBY's journey together, which I think will help keep things better rounded out.

I guess the final thing to talk about is the animation. Every year, CRWBY ramps it up and this year is no exception. The snow effects are beautiful,t he landscapes themselves look amazing, the character animation is energetic and expressive, and it just looks so good on screen. It's crazy. I was rewatching V1 a few days ago and while still impressive considering the low budget back then… aside from Monty's fights, it…. looks cheap and flat. Remember, they had to use shadow people and not actual character designs if they weren’t important back then folks. I think that the switch to Maya and now having had over two years of experience with it has REALLY done wonders for the animation team. Everything looked great here, especially with the fight being fast but incredibly creative and fluid. Like if this was just Chapter One, I can’t wait for what the other thirteen look like!

Final Thoughts

When Volume 5 ended, I was so done with the drama and negativity that I saw about it that I very nearly quit the show. I guess putting my attention on RvB up until now helped me feel better about it because by the time the premiere came, I was actually feeling excited about the show coming back. This chapter reminded me so much of why I love RWBY. Great animation, amazing music, likeable and fun characters, and a tam of people who love and care for this property. This chapter brought me so much excitement and happiness that I had missed with this show. I am legit excited (and terrified) for the rest of the volume no matter what happens. Welcome back RWBY! It's gonna be one Hell of a volume!

#rwby reviews #rwby6 #old blog repost