#rwby theorizing

[anthurak]

So this is almost certainly going to be an unpopular opinion for some, but for a long time now I’ve been feeling that the RWBY fandom puts just a bit TOO much stock in the various fairytale/mythology/literary allusions of the characters when it comes to theory-crafting. It feels like people find out that a certain character A is an allusion to another character B from an already completed story and go ‘Well that must mean that Character A is going to turn out just like Character B!’

Which of course completely ignores that these are allusions and references. Ruby Rose might have strong parallels and similarities to Little Red Riding Hood, but that does not mean she IS literally Little Red Riding Hood. Just as Weiss Schnee is NOT literally Snow White, Penny Polendina is NOT literally Pinocchio and Oscar Pine is NOT literally the Little Prince. Ultimately, whatever allusion a character might have comes SECOND to who they are as an actual character, NOT the other way around.

Whatever allusions a character has might inform what could happen to them, but that should still be treated as secondary to what we actually see them do in the show.

For example, I see a LOT of ships in the RWBY fandom that people seem to largely use interpretations of the characters’ allusions as ‘evidence’, rather than what the characters actually DO in the actual SHOW. Like has anyone noticed that discussions of ships like Bumbleby, Renora, Nuts and Dolts or White Rose have historically not involved much interpretation (relatively speaking anyway) of the potential ‘complimentary allusions’ of these characters? Because there is no NEED to, because all the evidence for these ships is right fucking there on the screen. Meanwhile we’ve got ships (and I am NOT naming names) that people will swear up and down are TOTALLY going to be canon for really-realsies where most or even all of the ‘evidence’ consists of people effectively playing some kind of matching game with their allusions. Or saying nothing more than ‘Character A kinda-sorta resembles the love-interest of Character B’s allusion’.

And ALL of this doesn’t even take into account the biggest factor which I keep getting the impression that WAY too many RWBY fans still having gotten the memo on:

The fact that RWBY literally NEVER plays its allusions STRAIGHT.

All the way from minute one when we saw an allusion to Little Red Riding Hood cutting down a horde of Big Bad Wolves, RWBY has ALWAYS been subverting, inverting, flipping, twisting and otherwise playing it’s allusions, references and archetypes literally ANY way but actually STRAIGHT.

Little Red Riding Hood hunts the Big Bad Wolf. Snow White is equal parts Princess AND Knight in Shining Armor. Cinderella is a tragic villain origin story. Pinocchio was always a real girl. The Great and Powerful Wizard Oz is far more powerful than anyone thought, but is ALSO far more of a fraud than anyone thought.

So when people use these characters’ allusions as some kind of rigid road-map to theorize what might happen to them, it’s not just that this detracts from their identity as their own characters; the story itself isn’t even using that map!

I mean speaking personally, that’s what has always made RWBY theory-crafting FUN. Trying to guess how the writers might twist and flip the allusions they’re using. But that also means that the allusions of the various characters simply DON’T actually provide ANY kind of accurate ‘road-map’ for where they might be going. Instead, the best we can do is use what the actual show has actually shown us to get any kind of idea where the characters are headed.

Ultimately, I feel like too often I see that when people are making theories about RWBY characters, they are treating them more like the characters they are based on, instead of the characters they actually ARE.

#rwby #rwby theorizing #rwby theory-crafting #rwby allusions #rwby analysis #rwby fandom #fandom criticism #the only way rwby won't play its allusions is STRAIGHT #i'm amazed there are so many people who seem to have NOT gotten that memo yet

[currantlee]

A few comments on a recent post about RWBY I made got me thinking about something. Basically, I think that Rooster Teeth – and possibly by extension its parent companies – have artificially inflated RWBY as a media project and franchise rather than letting it grow organically. Therefore, it became a bubble that was bound to burst at some point. RWBY might never have been a profitable IP, which might be very relevant for its future.

This is not a problem that arose after Monty Oum‘s passing, I feel like this was already coming before that. Shane Newville‘s open letter (which absolutely comes from an emotional, mentally unwell state of mind, but has had many of its contents confirmed over the years, even beyond being one of the first descriptions of the toxic work environment at Rooster Teeth) makes a few points that support this impression. Whether you agree with the letter or not, you cannot deny that the first two volumes of RWBY, while they also had merch accompanying them and stuff, were not produced following industry standards – starting with the 3D software used, Poser Pro (Monty Oum‘s preferred tool for animation). This led to some really creative animation work that, while not always high-quality by industry-standards, was certainly pushing boundaries. It was creative and it worked for what RWBY was: a passion project created by someone who saw animation as his strongest suit – as his preferred medium to tell a story. I‘ve seen a lot of people claim that Monty Oum wasn‘t a writer, and while that‘s true, I feel like the implication of that statement is always that he couldn‘t tell stories on his own. I don‘t think that‘s true. I think Monty Oum was a great storyteller when it came to expressing certain things through animated action scenes. It‘s just that he wanted to tell a story that included more than just that and a few lines of dialogue – which is where Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross come in, two at the time very inexperienced writers (who possibly had a fallout with Monty Oum over creative differences later), as well as some talented folks – people like Shane Newville. They were chosen to work on this because Monty Oum acknowledged their potential and liked to work with them, and I feel like that created an environment where they were really allowed to flourish. Volumes 1 and 2 are certainly not flawless, but I feel like I can tell the people making it had fun.

To Rooster Teeth however? I think RWBY (and by extension, Monty Oum as a creator) might have been little more than assets to them. RWBY was first created around a time when RT first tried to be more like, well, an actual company. At least from 2014 onward, but possibly even earlier than that, this included an effort to conform to industry standards more, mostly in order to be able to hire more people – very visibly so in RWBY in the form of the switch to Maya (my opinion about that is, the way they did it didn’t do RWBY any favors at all). I think they saw RWBY and Monty Oum as an opportunity to appear… More important, bigger, than they ever really were.

So what did they do? Again, I kind of have the feeling that they “upscaled” RWBY to a size where it appears like this big thing, but it became far too much to handle. Essentially, they created a mock giant, or a metaphorical quasi-star: something that can appear big from afar, but is actually very small / unstable (and if we go with the quasi-star metaphor, disturbs all of its surroundings). This is what I mean when I say that RWBY was a bubble bound to burst, because no star lives forever – and quasi-stars can only exist under very specific, very unstable conditions (I linked a Kurzgesagt-video in case you’re interested what exactly a quasi-star / black hole star is / was, cosmology is so fascinating IMO). Once these conditions exist no longer, they both fall apart and collapse into the black hole that is their core at the same time.

My main argument for this is that RWBY was essentially a huge money sink for RT (Source: Barbara Dunkelman’s unprofessionalism). They pumped so much money into this… Perhaps even more than they ever made from it. While this isn’t 100% confirmed, it is very much possible (and IMO not exactly unlikely) that RWBY was never profitable — which it might have been if RT hadn’t been so hellbent on creating the illusion of a multi-million-dollar franchise.

This is purely speculative, but this might also be why Volume 10 was never greenlit. We know that Volume 9 was to a significant part funded by Crunchyroll and in fact would not have been possible without them (probably because RT was already out of money at this point). They might have bought into this mock giant, then realized they had pretty much been scammed once Volume 9 aired. This might have led to Crunchyroll’s unwillingness to fund another season for something they knew now was effectively a money sink. Since RT at this point lacked the funds to produce Volume 10 alone and therefore was dependent on investors like Crunchyroll and Warner Brothers… Volume 10 was never greenlit, no matter how hard they attempted to get their fans’ hopes up and start a hashtag campaign on social media (as far as I remember, that was started by Rooster Teeth, not the fans. I don’t have my Twitter account anymore though, so I can’t check). Again though, this is speculation.

The worst part? This refusal of RT to just… Downscale RWBY again, this determination that it had to be this huge franchise… Was all put on the backs of the creatives working on it. We know at this point, from multiple sources, that RWBY and other RT productions have had an incredible amount of crunchtime, working overtime, employee abuse, … going on behind the scenes, which seems to only have gotten worse after Monty Oum’s passing. At the end of the day, all RT does and has ever done is blame others for their incompetence. Like, no shit, I’ve seen fans claim that it’s the FNDM’s job to “keep the show alive” (particularly in the light of #GreenlightVolume10), which… No, that’s not the fans’ job. It’s the job of the company who has been entrusted with this beloved IP, and said company has proven to be utterly incompetent on multiple occasions, which is unfortunate, but a sad reality for all those who love RWBY. And while Rooster Teeth has never directly said such a thing, they have certainly implied it and taken advantage of the existing sentiment within their fanbase, as well as their parasocial relationship with it (again, see #GreenlightVolume10 for reference).

To clarify, I’m not saying none of this would have happened if RT didn’t insist on making RWBY this big franchise (and biting off far more than they could chew in the process) – again, RT was far too notoriously incompetent at everything a company should manage – but I do think it might have played a role. It also isn’t an excuse for all the employee abuse. Again, what they should have done is downsizing the project, not inflating it further and further.

If I’m not somehow completely in the wrong (because IMO this just makes way too much sense to not be at least partially true – but let’s face it, a lot of this is just me connecting dots, and there is always a chance I’m connecting them wrong, even though I don‘t think so), then it kinda blows my mind that there are still people who believe in this scam. Though I will say, emotional attachment can do that to anyone. If anything, I’m honestly sorry that those folks lose something that means so much to them, and that false promises were made to them.

At the end of the day, the story of RWBY (the “franchise”) is twofold. It’s a story about an incredibly talented creator who passed away far too early, who was given the incredible opportunity to make his dream come true. It’s a story of people he trusted taking up his torch, and maybe getting lost in the dark along the way. It’s an inspiring story regardless, and I hope to see it continued at a downsized scale so it can grow organically, preferably in the hands of an indie animation studio like Dillon Goo (🤞)

But it is also a cautionary tale to both creatives and companies who employ them, a tale about false promises, abuse of both employees and fans, as well as how to not run a project. Don’t blow your thing out of proportion too early, don’t create a mock giant / metaphorical quasi-star. Let your ideas and projects grow and flourish organically and sincerely.

#RWBY #Rooster Teeth #RT Shutdown #Rooster Teeth Shutdown #Corporate Meddling #Theorizing #Speculation #Behind the Scenes #Rooster Teeth‘s corporate incompetence #Rooster Teeth toxicity #Monty Oum #Shane Newville #Shane‘s Letter #Open Letter to All who Treasured Monty Oum #RWBY Volume 10 #RWBY Volume 9 #RWBY V9 #RWBY V10 #Greenlight Volume 10 Meta #RWBY Discourse #RT Discourse #RT Critical #Does this count as RWDE? #Anyway #RWDE #Currantlee here

[lilithfairen]

A fairy's size prevents her from holding more than one feeling at a time, so when she is angry she has no counterbalancing compassion.

#rwby #rwby neopolitan #neopolitan #rwby spoilers #rwby v9 spoilers #in case folks want to start theorizing for neo~

[yangsbandana]

Blake trying to catch Yang when she fell really fucks me up because she threw it with the belief that she would catch it like usual. Like you can really tell that messed her up because when she tries to save Ruby she physically throws herself (with Penny's help) this time thinking that would be a better option since the last time failed but it still wasn't enough

fucked up!!!

like it's painful that she takes a different approach with ruby that almost works after she fails to save yang,,, like it must have gone through her mind that she can't risk that maneuver any more because she lost yang,,,, hateful,,,,,,

#ugh now i'm nostalgic for that week after yang fell #asks like this left and right #pain and totally off-base theorizing #extremely fun #i can't believe rwby is going to be back in 10 days #wild #em answers #anon

[majoringinsarcasm]

Ruby did not pick Summer’s weapon bc that is what she wants to be one it was very clearly “we are about to have a vision” like the lost fable. If I saw my dead moms weapon I would reach for it too not bc I want to be her BUT BC ITS MY DEAD MOMS WEAPON I HAVEN’T SEEN SINCE I WAS A TODDLER

I’m not mad at anyone who thought this but that scene read to me so much as we are gonna go on a journey. Ruby is not gonna leave the tree as a copy of summer especially if the episode is longer than the others I can’t see any narrative reason why she would leave the tree AS SUMMER. I see no reason why this would be written she is gonna have some mind trip or see scenes of Summer or talk to her or something BEFORE she leaves the tree. She might get her emblem back but she’s not gonna be a mini summer when she leaves the tree that was never a fear of mine

#rwby 9 spoilers #this sounds so mean #but I’ve seen a lot of ppl say they hope Ruby doesn’t look like summer #or theorizing what happens if she does #and that scene read very much like we are about to see something #not Ruby deciding to ascend as her

[nyxlarkyn]

So, the Summer Reflection Is different from what we've seen of her previously:

(None of this is really a theory, just my thoughts about the reflection)

I've seen theories that this is what Summer actually looks like since the face is slightly different.

The biggest issue I have with that theory is that Ruby couldn't have forgotten what her mother face looks like when she has a photo of her.

This is what Summer canonically looks like with no Ruby altered memories.

And this is what Summer looks like in Rubys altered memory. Still practically the same as the photo.

Within the weapon we see summer with her emblem she gave Ruby and what looks like either silver leaves or feathers on the outside of the emblem. She still wears her white and red cape, but instead of the high neckline that her dress has been shown to have; she wears a red chocker and a red dress/shirt.

Now this could be:

What Summer looks like in the Ever

Summer just had a wardrobe change

This is what Ruby would be ascended (Which is why she has the red clothes and choker, along with the emblem Ruby always has. Summer hasn't been shown to have a red theme/choker/or her emblem.

That isn't Summer or Ruby but rather the ideal of Huntress that's been built up in Ruby's mind. Her ascended version.

Let's say this is Rubys ideal. We know she views her mother as the perfect Huntress hence why she looks a lot like Summer. This is a version she has always been chasing and basing herself off of. The girl in the weapon has a red theme because this is the perfect Ruby. This is Ruby if she had her mother. This is Ruby if she saved everyone and the day. The version of her who doesn't fail. Ruby if she was hero in the books.

#rwby spoiler tag #rwby #rwby spoilers #ruby rose #summer rose #throwing some thoughts out there rather than theorizing

[lee-rambles-about-rwby]

wait no Jaune has all the clocks in the background of that one shot in the intro, oh no, yeah he’s totally been in the Ever After for a long time and not just like taking over the role/appearance of the rusted knight after the knight Ever-After-died or something, oh no

#I've already seen people theorizing that Jaune is not going to make it out alive #and no pls not my boy he'll be fine pls #lee speaks #rwby #rwby volume 9 #rwby volume 9 spoilers #rwby spoilers #currently rewatching the episode on my computer so I can actually see details lol

[essentialthyme]

“this is a story about a girl,

who had a lot of problems”

it’s such a simple way to start a story, it’s almost silly, you know?

unless

it’s a mother reading to her children

#people are already theorizing the narrator is summer and i think they're onto something #rwby #rwby v9 #rwby spoilers

[scareqrowbranwen]

//also while I'm think about Sacrifice lyrics I've long held it's a Raven song but like

it's clearly Raven pov about Summer and Oz especially knowing Raven probably knew what Summer was up to (at least some of it anyway)

#out of minds || ooc #//it's late night which means I start rwby theorizing lmao #sorry the lyric 'the truth will rise revealed by mirrored eyes' just caught my attention #that has to be Summer right #this isn't a Raven blog but sometimes she sneaks in

[maskyartist]

Im very bored at the moment so I'm gonna ask whats your crack-iest theory for RWBY?

tbh i dont really got too many? i have a tendency, at least with RWBY, to sorta just roll with the punches so i dont set up too many theories for myself...

like i am NOT the person for this, im an au kinda bear not really a theorist unfortunately >3>

like the closest i got is Roman in V9 being an illusion made by Ever After itself and not Neo?? but thats about it, hate to say

#masky gets the mail #rwby #unfortunately! not the person for this! :D #i tend to not theorize because i dont wanna set myself up for disappointment :D #like sometimes i'll get super attached to a theory and will be IMMENSELY CRUSHED by reality so i hold off #NOW AUS ARE MY SHIT I'LL TELL U THAT #I can fuck with a good au every now and then #but im not too in the theorist scene so i got nothin for ya! sorry bestie

[tempoaryblogformightyjensblog]

One thing to bear in mind: the author of "Alice in Wonderland" was named Lewis Carol.

While I would not be surprised if Alyx attempted to sacrifice her brother in order to escape, I highly doubt her attempt was successful.

The Ever After is a living Fairy Tale, after all, and Fairy Tales don't reward treachery.

In short, Alyx did "learn her lesson", it was probably closer to a "karmic downfall" than a life lesson she'd actually have the chance to apply.

She might not even be human anymore.

A solid theory

#rwby #alyx #Lewis #theorizing

[pandoratheprocrasticreator]

rubys going to try to sacrifice herself to the tree to get her friends back to remnant isnt she

#rwby #ruby rose #not me theorizing that the plucky teenage protag with depression is going to do a suicide metaphor again #shut up pandora #she isnt going to sacrifice herself ofc #shes the main character and they have 3 seasons left #but i think there might be an attempt #ruby babygirl get therapy

[epic-arc]

My analysis and theory for a possible arc for volume 10 of jaune

Good afternoon everyone, Just a warning, this post contains some spoilers.

Something that I analyzed with the episode is this issue of Jaune's time on the island and off it, and this issue of mentality divide and well the only thing that left him standing was his friends and the comfortable situation shown in the bonfire scene. In my view, Jaune is going through the ''spider man'' dilemma. He unintentionally achieved something that put a history in the world, a symbol for many people, but he also still feels confused because of the issue of becoming old and young again, Jaune He is no longer just a hunter, he is one of the historic figures in the RWBY universe.

Having him and Oscar talking about this is something very incredible to see because both characters are going through something similar.

Theory session

That's why I theorize that if we had a volume 10 it could explore a lot of things but for me I hope it explores Jaune apologizing and renewing his friendship with Ruby, It's something that very well established in volume 9 explores Weiss and Jaune's relationship because they were both helping each other a lot during the screen time they both had, and there's also a very good analysis about the ship on tumblr that I recommend you all read too.

#rwby #jaune arc #weiss schnee #ruby rose #oscar pine #rwby analysis #rwby theory #save rwby

[earth-unicorn]

I know I'm not important to the RWBY community. I don't have hundreds of followers or post anything worthy of anybody's time but I wanted to say something. I've seen quite a few people losing hope for the future of this show.

Someone made a post on Reddit about their thoughts on what the future of RWBY may be and everyone took it to literal. You have to remember that one singular person's thoughts don't confirm anything. RT will give us news on V10 eventually.

Whether it is good or bad you have to be patient. There's plenty of stuff you can do while waiting. Rewatch V1-9. rewatch IQ. Rewatch the movies. Reread the manga or DC Crossover comics. Introduce your friends to it. Be nerdy, theorize about it.

Just don't give up yet. Be patient.

I know that nobody will listen but that's all you have to do.

#rwby #ruby rose #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #greenlight volume 10

[blujaymi]

qrow's growth is just so beautiful to me.

just...the way that many people were theorizing he would relapse following the fall of atlas, only to see him be the most fervently optimistic member of the vacuo group in practice.

the way the guy that walked past qrow tripping can be interpreted as a consequence of his misfortune semblance, yet qrow nonchalantly and almost cheerfully catches him before he falls without any of the bitterness and self-contempt he would have displayed in the past.

the way that he then says, "it's all a matter of perspective."

the way that his friendship with clover influenced him so profoundly that it helped him become a more hopeful person.

the way that qrow has so evidently learned to grieve in a healthier way than he has been shown to previously.

the way that in almost every frame of the epilogue, qrow is just smiling.

the way that this just demonstrates how RWBY is truly a show about perseverance and hope.

the way that qrow—who was introduced as a funny drunk uncle side character—has become these themes' latest exemplar.

#can you tell qrow is a favorite #i really love his development #qrow has fallen to some of the Darkest Depths of any of the protagonists #so to see him grow so much after that is just really nice #you really do love to see it #rwby #rwby9 #qrow branwen

[anthurak]

Okay so Salem steamrolling into Vale, as we find out in the Volume 9 Epilogue, honestly makes PERFECT sense both in-universe and narratively.

See, going back to Volumes 4 and 5, we know that Salem hasn’t been able to actually FIND the Beacon Vault yet. So assuming that’s still the case, it honestly makes perfect sense that after getting the Lamp and Staff, Salem would set up shop in Vale in order to deal with locating the Vault herself. As to why she’s going after the Crown in Vale and not the Sword in Vacuo?

Simple; she KNOWS where that vault is, plus she’s already got Tyrian, Mercury and her two latest patsies the Asturias siblings handling that. Plus I imagine Salem’s gotten a bit annoyed at the lack of progress at Beacon, so she’s decided to handle locating the Vault herself. Not to mention that unlike with Vacuo, Salem already has the key to the Fall Maiden Vault (Cinder), so once she locates the vault, she can just swipe up the Crown of Choice no problem.

And from a narrative perspective, Salem now being in Vale nicely streamlines and ties together multiple story threads for the final battle against her: Now Team RWBY and co. can do a ‘triumphant return to Vale’, ‘retaking Beacon’ AND a final showdown with Salem all at once!

Now for a bit of fun theorizing on what’s actually gone down at Vale and the status of the Crown of the Choice:

First off, I don’t actually think that Ruby’s and Yang’s home and adoptive father have been overrun by Grimm. Let’s not forget that Patch is an ISLAND off the coast. And that Salem coming to Vale was almost certainly less about totally subjugating/destroying the kingdom and more about finally getting to the Vault under Beacon. Meaning that Salem is likely satisfied with simply securing the city and probably doesn’t care about a random island off the coast.

Which in turn nicely makes Patch, Ruby’s and Yang’s home, very important going forward. Both as a last remnant (pun intended) of resistance against Salem in Vale, as well as a natural beachhead for when it’s time for our heroines to finally take the fight to Salem.

In fact, this could neatly explain why Taiyang isn’t in Vacuo: He’s still on Patch helping to organize evacuation/resistance efforts, and more importantly to provide Raven a portal-anchor to the island. Heck, this could even mean that Team RWBY might be taking a trip to Patch during Volume 10 via Raven. Particularly if there needs to be a STRQ family meeting…

Then we have the status of the Crown of Choice, and for that I think we have to go back to a little line from Ozpin back in Volume 5: He mentions to Ruby that the Crown is safe, and curiously does NOT seem all that worried even with Salem’s Grimm infesting and presumably strip-mining Beacon and the Fall Maiden herself currently in her employ.

As I have brought up a few times in the past, I’m pretty sure at this point that the Crown of Choice ISN’T actually under Beacon, and may not even be in a Vault. Instead, Oz pulled a fast one and squirreled the crown away in a place much more inconspicuous.

Which in turn, by law of narrative foreshadowing, means that the Crown is almost definitely squirreled away on Patch. Effectively hidden right under Salem’s nose at this point. (I won’t say it’s been in Tai’s basement this whole time, but you never know…)

And by the way, this would also nicely set up our heroines to secure the Crown in the leadup to the final battle against Salem. They get the Sword of Destruction during their time in Vacuo, and then pick up the Crown of Choice when they arrive on Patch in preparation to retake Vale and Beacon.

#rwby #rwby spoilers #rwby volume 9 epilogue #rwby volume 10 theory #rwby theory #Salem