RWBY - The Hindenburg on which Rooster Teeth rests its hopes, dreams and future

[Chilson]

By this time, Ironwood wasn't willing to trust anyone (and said so in the season finale that even the council he worked with couldn't be trusted), so arresting Robyn would make sense in his mind at this point. And the fact they end up doing so at the end of the season anyway kind of defeats the purpose of not having her on the warrant list.

That doesn't mean he won't play good optics with the council instead of outright declaring himself dictator. Of course this is assuming a competent writer is behind this, which Miles is not so Ironwood might as well be a dictator at this point.

 

[Random Internet Person]

I feel like I need the V7 commentary. It’s something to keep me occupied since coronavirus screwed everything.

 

[Chilson]

I feel like I need the V7 commentary. It’s something to keep me occupied since coronavirus screwed everything.

What a cuck

 

[Imperial Citizen]

I feel like I need the V7 commentary. It’s something to keep me occupied since coronavirus screwed everything.

Oh this explains so much. No wonder he can’t do any worldbuilding, he’s inspired by someone who doesn’t understand the fundamentals of economics.

I haven’t watched them in a while, but wasn’t Miles one of the writers for RvB seasons 11-13? I thought those were pretty good. Did Miles just handle the comedy aspects back then?

 

[Random Internet Person]

Oh this explains so much. No wonder he can’t do any worldbuilding, he’s inspired by someone who doesn’t understand the fundamentals of economics.

I haven’t watched them in a while, but wasn’t Miles one of the writers for RvB seasons 11-13? I thought those were pretty good. Did Miles just handle the comedy aspects back then?

*shrug* My thing about worldbuilding is that for the scope the show was, Monty, Miles, and Kerry didn’t do enough. Volumes 1 & 2 were condensed enough that they could have been their own show,..but then they introduced Salem.

 

[Dumpster dived waifu]

Oh this explains so much. No wonder he can’t do any worldbuilding, he’s inspired by someone who doesn’t understand the fundamentals of economics.

I haven’t watched them in a while, but wasn’t Miles one of the writers for RvB seasons 11-13? I thought those were pretty good. Did Miles just handle the comedy aspects back then?

Miles didn't have to handle any complex stuff. Just "we're here, get us there". Backstory and character motivations were already pre-established.

 

[Sayon]

In regards to Ironwood, Robyn was already a terrorist who RWBY leaked information to. He would be well within the law to order her locked up. To say nothing of how Robyn wouldn't be allowed authority in any non-shithole country since she engaged in terrorism without even bothering to do it through a patsy.

Anyway, Salem really was a bad idea to introduce at the point in the story she appeared. Ruby and Co. were struggling against mobsters. To put it in perspective, it was like having Sauron show up in the Hobbit as Smaug's boss. At the least there should have been a large enough timeskip (like long enough for Ruby and Co. to be full adults and out in the world) so that Ruby and Co. can believeably be on the same level as a posse like the Ace-Ops. The show ended up in the akward position where having Salem be capable and threatening enough to live up to hype raises the question of what stopped her from being more proactive all this time, yet making her weak enough that RWBY can remotely succeed against her makes Ozpin look like a massive failure since he's gone through so much trouble to not just foil her but keep her a secret.

 

[LordBaron]

What a cuck

No, now we have a new word to use: Simp.

 

[Cactuar King]

I feel like I need the V7 commentary. It’s something to keep me occupied since coronavirus screwed everything.

So, when is Blake gonna cry in an empty parking lot?

 

[Chilson]

In regards to Ironwood, Robyn was already a terrorist who RWBY leaked information to. He would he well within the law to order her locked up. To say nothing of how Robyn wouldn't be allowed authority in any non-shithole country since she engaged in terrorism without even bothering to do it through a patsy.

Anyway, Salem really was a bad idea to introduce at the point in the story she appeared. Ruby and Co. were struggling against mobsters. To put it in perspective, it was like having Sauron show up in the Hobbit as Smaug's boss. At the least there should have been a large enough timeskip (like long enough for Ruby and Co. to be full adults and out in the world) so that Ruby and Co. can believeably be on the same level as a posse like the Ace-Ops. The show ended up in the akward position where having Salem be capable and threatening enough to live up to hype raises the question of what stopped her from being more proactive all this time, yet making her weak enough that RWBY can remotely succeed against her makes Ozpin look like a massive failure since he's gone through so much trouble to not just foil her but keep her a secret.

The funniest part of this massive plot hole is that its so easy to fix. Just make it so Salem is limited to a certain area, like around the stupid black pools of literal evil and if she tries to leave she is severely weakened. Make it so that Salem has finally found out a way to take the pools with her or be able to retain her abilities outside of the pools influence (maybe its the maidens or whatever macguffin) and that's what starts off Ozpin's crusade to stop her.

This is so easy to write around it hurts my brain how anyone could be this lazy and stupid.

 

[Sayon]

So yeah if you paid me oceans of cash to make RWBY not trash I'd do at least the following:

A.Either keep it as a pastiche of JRPGs, "stylish action games" ala Devil May Cry, and shonen painted in magical girl colors or take it seriously (and I mean seriously). If the former, don't have cheap attempts to be deep and relevant n sheet by having RWBY Drumpf (Jacques) go to jail for conspiring with RWBY Putin (Salem) or a poorly thought-out fantasy racism plot.
B. Go full serious.

In the event of going full serious then do serious trimming/replacing/remaking/etc. while still making the overall plot go in the direction it did, I'd recommend at least the following:

Salem-Either:

A. No longer Ozpin's ex or even someone he met before they were enemies, Salem is now a divine/demonic force beyond Remnant in the cosmos who uses the castle as a way to project her will. Touches the mind/soul/aura/whatever of the likes of Cinder and Pals to make them into her heralds.
B. Is actively ruling a chunk of the world as her own empire with appropriate consequences for the setting. She's more magically potent in an obvious way ala Ainz from Overlord. To make-up for this, Salem's immortality is lowered to her only being unable to age or get sick or die from anything that's not violent with her durability not higher than any huntsman off the street.
Bonus Complaint: The plot was seriously undermined by the decision to make Salem a force so dangerous that someone like Raven would rather let her own daughter become a meatshield for her than face Salem's wrath, yet at the same time establish her as a present force on Remnant. Other "Dark Lord" villains like Sauron or Aku have obvious limitations in their abilities that prevent them from just trampling around their worlds or are weaker than Salem is in proportion to their settings (Aku for example is not strong enough that he can't be safely killed by Jack).

Ozpin-Now taking notes from Vandal Savage. His body swapping is now dependent on him taking blood descendants of past bodies with the proper strength to be worthwhile. He tolerates Jaune at his academy since he through some magical means can sense he's a blood descendant of his body as the Great King and his current body is wearing out.
Bonus Complaint: One of the big problems with Ozpin is that the shows toys with him being some eternal chessmaster using everyone around him as pawns in some eternal chessgame with Salem, but among other things that are problems he NEVER does any schemes that directly impact RWBY and their family/friends in a way that should make them at least suspicious towards him. When they finally make the arc where RWBY turns on Ozpin happen, it's over something like Salem being immortal (and to a lesser level Pyrrha's demise). Him taking Jaune's body not only addresses this, but gives Jaune a character arc that isn't muh pyrrha.

Raven and Qrow-The two belonged to a clan of raiders ala the Mongols or Comache. The two traveled to Ozpin's academy to learn how to kill huntsman. The two form their team with Taiyang and Summer then get their kids, but Raven turns out to quickly lose interest in playing mommy while wanting to be better than Summer. Ozpin, needing a guinea pig for the Maiden Magic tells Raven (seeing her as that best guinea pig) he knows a way that he can let her escape from the chains of domesticity and also gain power far beyond Summer. They go through making Raven a Maiden who proceeds to ditch her daughter to go back to doing what she does best (looting and beatings), letting Ozpin have a little weapon at his beck 'n call.

Faunus-Absent.
Bonus Complaint: Oh boy where do I begin with them. First obviously is that the fantasy racism has never been done well, and part of that is that RWBY is ultimately not a series designed for such. The faunus being "animal men" doesn't matter outside of jokes like Blake chasing pointer light and they don't have any solid culture of their own. The White Fang has never been relevant to the overall plot (read: not just making Blake cry) beyond providing goons to fight. I'm thinking of Human Blake taking Ren's backstory and coming from a wrecked village (hence her joining this universe's closest thing to the White Fang).

Gods and Theology-Stay strictly in the background with as little info as possible.
Bonus Complaint: Remember how right after the Big Flashback just about none of RWBY with Friends dwelt on learning that there are gods who made Remnant and that they know for sure what happens after one dies?

Technology and Overall Society-RWBY is at the point of overall being at their version of the '60s with maybe a few exceptions. That means no internet, no cellphones (or any analogues of them).

Grimm-Are just a piece of fauna in the world. Only the biggest baddest Grimm can threaten settlements solidly. Others range from threats to single warriors to nuisances.

There's more I can throw in but that's just the most notable ones.

 

[Random Internet Person]

The funniest part of this massive plot hole is that its so easy to fix. Just make it so Salem is limited to a certain area, like around the stupid black pools of literal evil and if she tries to leave she is severely weakened. Make it so that Salem has finally found out a way to take the pools with her or be able to retain her abilities outside of the pools influence (maybe its the maidens or whatever macguffin) and that's what starts off Ozpin's crusade to stop her.

This is so easy to write around it hurts my brain how anyone could be this lazy and stupid.

Sounds like Salem is the Madara of this universe.

 

[Sayon]

Even more:

1. There is only one humanoid race/species. All the different polities are of this race/species, they differ in culture and phenotypes (like Emerald being animu brown).
2. Adam is Raven's pupil and perhaps surrogate son.
3. No election subplot whatsoever. Atlas is strictly a country with a council that has no "higher" members.
4. The Maidens and Relics are one. Maiden Magic is now more eldritch and abstract to make the differences between it and Semblances more solid.
5. Pyrrha is killed protecting Jaune like how it was supposedly planned. This has the bonus of making Jaune's fraud actually have significant negative consequences.
6. Ozpin and Qrow's relationship is far more filled with suspicion to make a future fallout work smoother.
7. Adam is now Fantasy Irish.

 

[BroccoliBrain]

I like all these ideas you guys are spitballing. Honestly though, what I'd want out of RWBY if I still cared would be for it to return to its roots as a series where the story is just an excuse to watch cool anime characters in OTT fights, none of this fake deep plot shit. Even in V1 with Monty on board, his writing and worldbuilding was still very 'stock anime tropes'. I think he needed an editor or someone to reign him in and properly direct him with the other staff, I remember a lot of shit like Monty sneaking in that entire piece of animation for V2's stinger where Yang finally meets Raven unmasked which the other writers weren't aware of at the time. When you do things like that, you are asking for plotholes to pop up - how is a team supposed to make a quality story when one of its members keeps introducing random shit? Doesn't matter if he's the original creator, tons of 'geniuses' must get their efforts cut and rearranged by their editors all the time.

I get the impression Monty withheld a lot of his ideas (unwittingly or not) from the others like this which is why we have such a mess with everything post V3 because interpreting a dead man's notes is not the same as him telling you his direction, like what he wants with the Maidens, and planning it with you. We're so far into the future now it seems like they dropped all pretense of working with whatever he left behind - M+K are basically making original DARK fanfic flavour nonsense with the remains of a series that was half baked anyway.

 

[Sayon]

I DID suggest to just keep it as a pastiche that isn't serious in any way whatsoever. Anyway, any suggestions for those "serious ideas" I have?

 

[Random Internet Person]

I like all these ideas you guys are spitballing. Honestly though, what I'd want out of RWBY if I still cared would be for it to return to its roots as a series where the story is just an excuse to watch cool anime characters in OTT fights, none of this fake deep plot shit. Even in V1 with Monty on board, his writing and worldbuilding was still very 'stock anime tropes'. I think he needed an editor or someone to reign him in and properly direct him with the other staff, I remember a lot of shit like Monty sneaking in that entire piece of animation for V2's stinger where Yang finally meets Raven unmasked which the other writers weren't aware of at the time. When you do things like that, you are asking for plotholes to pop up - how is a team supposed to make a quality story when one of its members keeps introducing random shit? Doesn't matter if he's the original creator, tons of 'geniuses' must get their efforts cut and rearranged by their editors all the time.

I get the impression Monty withheld a lot of his ideas (unwittingly or not) from the others like this which is why we have such a mess with everything post V3 because interpreting a dead man's notes is not the same as him telling you his direction, like what he wants with the Maidens, and planning it with you. We're so far into the future now it seems like they dropped all pretense of working with whatever he left behind - M+K are basically making original DARK fanfic flavour nonsense with the remains of a series that was half baked anyway.

I feel like 1 and 2 were condensed enough, which probably makes the tone shift in 3 pretty jarring. You had Roman and Neo who were small enough to be considered "recurring villains", with the White Fang you had goons for action scenes and Adam and Chainsaw Guy for boss fights. And if you want endgame, there's Cinder and her henchmen in Mercury and Emerald, especially since Cinder was shown a lot to be like a final boss in those volumes. Combine that with the "anime high school" that Beacon is and things going on "in the shadows" for Team RWBY to just stumble upon or press further on and you got yourself a pretty neatly packages web series....and then they revealed Salem and made it into a bootleg Final Fantasy game.

I think he needed an editor or someone to reign him in and properly direct him with the other staff,

Wasn't that what Miles and Kerry were for as two additional writers? I mean, Monty was the director, so it was either Miles and Kerry as writers or Gray Haddock as the producer.

 

[Sayon]

Alternatively, I had the idea of just making RWBY have no Salem, Cinder, White Fang, etc. (or at least radically changing Salem and Cinder), and just make it a show all about Humies and Grimm. Actually showing how society would be if humanity had to deal with an endless horde of monsters who targeted them alone for their negativity. Examples of such details in this setting:

A. Entertainment is strongly encouraged to be light and fluffy. The likes of horror movies if not outright banned is strongly discouraged.
B. Huntsmen academies do all they can to keep the inhabitants from becoming too negative or otherwise through their moods be a danger to themselves, their comrades, and settlements. That means zero-tolerance for bullying, no Snape-Style jackass teachers, etc.
C. No mass enslavement. What slavery there is happens to be restricted to ultimately indentured servitude, debt payments, etc. who have rights and work in acceptable conditions.
D. All population centers are either settlements which are extremely fortified cities or nomadic hordes ala the Mongols where proportionally more of the population is able to fight.
E. Far more decentralization. No empires or grand countries. If King Will of Smaller Vale declares he's doing his own thing now then King Ozpin has to accept it since it's too risky to send an army to subdue Smaller Vale.
F. The Grimm have no solid origin.
H. Criminals are either beaten then sent on their way, executed, or sent out in clutches to be devoured. Prisons are too much negativity to build.

 

[Random Internet Person]

Here's a question: go back to when Monty died was breaking news. If RT decided to either end the series after Volume 3 since it was already in production, or cancel it leaving Volume 2 to be the last thing made of RWBY, and RT just released a blog post or a video detailing Monty's future plans for the series and just leaving the fans that, would that be something you'd be cool with?

 

[Chilson]

Here's a question: go back to when Monty died was breaking news. If RT decided to either end the series after Volume 3 since it was already in production, or cancel it leaving Volume 2 to be the last thing made of RWBY, and RT just released a blog post or a video detailing Monty's future plans for the series and just leaving the fans that, would that be something you'd be cool with?

I was never that invested and already moving away from RT's content as a whole at the time. So frankly I would see it as sad that a promising series was shit-canned but have complete understanding as to why. That is assuming I didn't know what it would become of course. if i did know, then I would be happy it left off on a flawed and unfinished, but ultimately entertaining end rather than wallow in the dog shit pandering and, frankly, insulting mess it has become.

 

[Sayon]

The series went from being an okay enough pastiche to outright bad. So yeah it should've ended ASAP.