I do not own RWBY!

Author's Q&A

Okay, so, instead of a chapter today, I'm releasing a bit of a Q&A session here to answer some of your questions that don't involve serious future spoilers. There might be some spoilage here, so if you're really against knowing anything at all about the future, then I'd suggest skipping this for now. Now to lose 90% of my fanbase...

1.) Will this be a Jaune x Neo Paring?

Unfortunately, no.

…

Wait, come back, let me explain!

This won't be a Jaune x Neo paring for a few reasons. First, I'm trying to write Neo somewhat similar (Shut up, I said somewhat!) to the actual series. That is to say, she's a criminal. Not the fun, trolly, really actually helping people out way Jaune is, but in the psychotic, murdering, Cinder's right hand assassin sort of way. Because of this, and Jaune's moral compass (and yes, he has one, note how he's been stealing from mostly White Fang and now Junior, who has ties to crime himself) I just can't see him actually wanting to be with her in the end.

Second, as I've written her, I'm afraid there's no saving her seriously. (Yes, entirely my fault, but I wasn't aware of just how utterly popular Neo was in the paring community and was writing her as mostly a comedic obstacle Jaune has to encounter en masse.) Even if I did try to make her a serious contender for Jaune's heart, it just wouldn't work with how utterly absurd she was earlier on.

Thirdly, I don't know if I even could write a good Jaune x Neo romance. Such a thing has to be handled carefully. Perhaps writing her as a Chaotic Neutral trickster could work out, but I refuse to write her as a twee, sacchirne, good girl like some others do. Just doesn't sit well with me.

2.) Okay, so if no Neo, then who is Jaune being paired with? Winter?

Er...I...have no clue.

I know this was suggested, but the issue is, we just don't know that much about her! We know more about Neo just from her reactions and actions in RWBY thus far, but all we have about Winter Schnee is her name, and her appearance. That's it. She could be an unrepentant jerkass who has joined her father in being a Faunus abusing butt munch, or she could be a tragic figure who is caught between her father's stern rule and wanting to love her younger sister. There's just too much we don't know, and as much as I know as a fanfic writer I can write her any way I really please, I'm just not sure if I'd make her a paring.

3.) Okay, so if not Neo or Winter, then who?

Not really sure.

I have a few ideas floating around, to be fair, and the future of this story will veer into harem territory for a bit, as a number of female characters will acquire feelings for either Jaune, or the Phantom Nevermore. However, he will end up with one character for sure, so no harem ending.

4.) So Pyrrah then?

Possibly. She is a strong contender for Jaune's heart. I know it's an over done thing, and some people dislike it because it's canon. I however, love it because Pyrrah is a sweet girl who is obviously very lonely and has found happiness in Jaune's companionship. It's cliché, it's overdone, but damn it, let me have my sappy romance! (also, frustrated Pyrrah going no holds barred is hilarious)

5.) What about Blake?

Ooh, another one I really like. See, to me, Jaune and Blake are almost opposites. Blake is a cynical girl whose had to do a lot of things just to survive, never having anything and being toughened up by a cruel life, finding herself hiding in the shadows because it's the only place she can really call home. Jaune on the other hand is idealistic, almost naive at times. He's the bright ray of sunshine to her dark shadows. I like to think that they'd compliment each other well in the whole 'opposites attract' sort of vein. Jaune could brighten her world while she brings him down to earth.

Even as the Phantom Nevermore, his cheery, upbeat personality (as well as a few future events showing that he still has Jaune's good heart) could be a good thing for Blake. Think of it as Moonlight and Shadows. One of them sticks to the darkness to hide, while the other embraces it almost joyously, finding a freedom within.

6.) Lancaster perhaps? (Ruby x Jaune)

Hm, not sure. Ruby is adorable, awesome and sweet, but I'm not sure if I'd pair him up with her in this.

7.) Blondeshipping then?

Yang? That could be interesting. I can imagine Yang falling for Jaune because unlike a lot of others, he sees more than just her fighting and her drop dead gorgeous body. He can see her lust for life, her passion for adventure and her compassion for her friends and family. Once Jaune gets more confidence and is no longer so shy around here, I can see Yang becoming infatuated with him. Whether or not Jaune returns said feelings are something to be determined later.

8.) (Insert Character Here) x Jaune?

Well, I do have some really interesting plans for Velvet, so she could possibly be a contender as well, but as for anyone else, I'm just not really sure. I won't do any crack parings in this particular fic, so sadly, no Cinder x Jaune folks.

9.) Will Jaune ever perform any absolutely absurd feats of thievery?

Does the sun rise in the East? Of course! Maybe not in this particular book, but definitely in the next, I have plans for a heist that will put him forever in Remnant's history books.

10.) Couldn't you just make this all one book?

Yes, but I wanted to give myself a little bit of a break between books for other ideas. Also, at the end of book 1, there's a small time skip in which nothing really interesting happens besides basic school life, so I figured doing another book then might be interesting.

11.) Will Team RWBY/JNPR find out who the Phantom Nevermore is?

Eventually, yes, but not anytime soon. Half the fun of the second book will be people getting close to the truth, but Jaune being forced to find creative ways to get the heat off of him.

12.) Oh come on, it's easy to figure out who the Phantom Nevermore is! Why haven't they figured it out yet?

Think of it as a subconscious thing. See, they don't want to believe that Jaune would go, disappear and reappear as a thief who has been trolling them and kicking them around merrily the whole time. He's acting so un-Jaune-like, that no one can accept that it might possibly be him. One of the many reasons Jaune acts the way he does as the Phantom Nevermore.

13.) Isn't Jaune being kind of a dick to his former team and friends?

Yeah, a bit. As chapter 8 showed, he's torn about it, especially in regards to team JNPR. With Team RWBY, it was actually supposed to be more friendly. He's excited to finally be at a skill level where he can match them, but when Team SNPR started getting close to beating him, he had to anger them to get them to make mistakes. Not something he enjoyed doing at all.

14.) Any other ideas you have planned?

Yes! Quite a few actually. The Transistor crossover, a horrible summer vacation fic where Jaune ends up being shipped with everyone he shouldn't be, and a fairly run of the mill harem fic that I think could still be pretty good if written well. Among others.

15.) So...any Jaune x Neo?

Er...give me some time to figure something out.

This is LaughingLefou, signing off for now! Look forward to Ever Seen A Bird Dance (Pt. 2) in the next couple of days, and hope to keep getting reviews!