[A/N]
And here is the second chapter! It didn't take that much time to write it out, since there isn't any Dueling to speak of. Looking up Decks, strategies, niche combo lines, combo lines that work, and sometimes trying to understand what a card even does takes some time. For example, I didn't know until recently that Vepartu's effect triggered Coppelia's since Vepartu specifies that Salem would've sent Coppelia to the grave, not Ruby.
Also, there was a mistake in Weiss' turn during her Ruby's Duel; Diviner of the Herald actually specials summons, it doesn't add. Would it have mattered at all? No, Andrabime would've still nuked the field since Light Law Medium's effect only activates during the Battle Phase. I'm just glad the error was a relatively minor thing that didn't impact the rest of the game.
[Shadow Drivver: Honestly, I love the idea of writing a Yubel Deck, especially with all the new support that has come out recently. I even have a few ideas of who could use such a deck… Add the Fiendsmith engine into the deck recipe, and our heroes are in for a tough battle!
The only reservation I have is whether or not I'm going to make Yubel by a spirit like she was in GX or just have her be a normal card. On one hand, I save myself from having to make a thematic connection between the cards and the pilot (since Yubel is both) but at the same time I also have to figure out how to work her into a plot that already has rather bloated cast. I'm not sure if I'll be able to fit Yubel's story in.
Regardless, thanks for the food for thought!]
Uh, that's about all I have to say for the preamble. Let's open the game.
Duel 2
Leading Lights
Ruby was sitting as straight as her back would allow her to go. And why wouldn't she? She's always been a good student, a good listener, a good order-follower. She's never gotten in trouble before.
And never, ever has she been sent to the principal's office. On the first day of school, no less!
Ruby let out a squeak of embarrassment. Dear lord, even thinking about it caused goosebumps to rise! What made everything worse was that she was sitting right next to Weiss. The SDC heiress was glaring at her from the corner of her eye. Weiss looked like she wanted 102 to pierce an arrow through her head. Which was completely understandable, 'Nibiru' is an extremely powerful card.
Speaking of the hand trap, the card in question had been confiscated by Glynda. Its owner, the rabbit faunus now known to Ruby as Velvet Scarlatina, was sitting to her left. She's a new student, just like Weiss and Ruby.
Ruby idly drummed her fingers against her thighs as she anxiously waited for Ozpin, the headmaster, to call them in. The wait made the already oppressive atmosphere heavier.
"H-hey…" Ruby turned her head to the left slightly to see Velvet in the corner of her vision. The poor girl looked like she was going to cry. Her warm brown eyes were hidden by a tress of chocolate colored hair.
"Yeah, what's up?" She whispered back. Beside her, Weiss rolled her eyes and looked away.
"Y-you didn't have to do… any of that, y'know? It's just a hand trap. Not the most important card in my deck," Velvet murmured half-heartedly. Ruby's anxious expression softened into a sympathetic one.
"So? I can't stand jerks," Ruby stated bluntly.
"I'm right here, you know," Weiss grumbled.
Ruby shook her head and ignored Weiss' snarky comment. "Nobody else was standing for you, so I had to help."
Velvet blinked at her words. She turned her head to look at Ruby fully. "...Still, now you're in trouble too."
"At least it was because I was helping someone, and not because I was a jerk myself," Ruby said with a slight shrug. Velvet blinked owlishly at the comment.
"I… Um…" She stuttered, unsure of how to take such kind hearted words. "Th-thank you… You have no idea how much it means to hear that…"
Ruby nodded. "Don't mention it." She went silent for a moment, and Ruby looked away. She pursed her lips and started to tap her feet against the floor. "D-do you mind if we… y'know… compare schedules…?" Ruby asked hesitantly. She gave herself a mental pat on the back once she realized she didn't stutter.
This whole "interacting with people whom you've never met" wasn't so hard after all!
"Oh, uh, sure!" Velvet nodded.
Next to them, Weiss bit her lip.
"Number 102…"
In Ozpin's office, he and his right-hand, Glynda, watched a replay of Ruby and Weiss' interrupted Duel with concerned looks on their faces.
"I was aware that the Schnee family happened upon a powerful card years ago…" Glynda began, using her riding crop to massage her temple. "But for that card to be a Number…"
"And not just a Number… an Over-Hundred Number…" Ozpin continued. He placed his elbows on his desk, and tented his fingers. "A powerful floodgate at that. Any field spell that boosts power immediately shuts off a multitude of decks and strategies."
Glynda nodded. "A playset of 'Terraforming', 'Metaverse', and a handful of many early Field Spells, and suddenly, your opponent has no way to oppose you." Glynda frowned as she watched 102's arrow fly, and pierce through 'Vepartu'. "Perhaps it can even rival Shock Master in power."
The sound of a book slamming shut pierced through the silence. "Feh… you must be joking if you think that twink angel can match Number 16 in power."
Standing up from his seat, the owner of Beacon, of Haven, of Shade and of Atlas Academy,and the CEO of KaibaCorp, Seto Kaiba, approached Ozpin's desk.
"On the surface, 102 may seem impressive, but it pales in comparison to 16's effect," Kaiba claimed, crossing his arms over his chest. " 16 requires less set up, and does not care for ATK. All you need to do is claim a card type, and they're out of the picture for two turns. It even stops hand traps from activating."
"You are correct in that regard…" Ozpin nodded, but then he frowned. "That's simply another reason why we must reclaim Number 16…"
"Don't tell you still have Amber in cryo-stasis," Kaiba sighed. Glynda her head snapped when she heard Kaiba's insensitive comment. While the glare caused her students to freeze, it didn't even make KaibaCorp's president flinch.
"Kaiba…" Ozpin sighed, raising the glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Amber was Glynda's student."
"And look how much good that did her," Kaiba snarked. Glynda looked like she wanted to skewer him right then and there. "What are you teaching the kids here? How to make GOAT Format decks playable again?"
"Whose side are you on?" Glynda asked him hotly, slapping her riding crop against his chest.. "You're only stirring conflict, which fuels the Grimm."
"The side lets my brother come out alive in the end," Kaiba cooly sneered. Glynda's expression sobered slightly, but she still looked infuriated at him. "And if that means I have to replace you, then I will."
"Glynda…" Ozpin said in a tired voice. With a loud huff, she backed away from the CEO. Like it or not, they have to work with him.
"Don't think that you're off the hook either, Ozpin," Kaiba continued, turning his gaze at the weathered soul. "It was your agent that failed to rescue Amber in time, which left us with one less floodgate to work with."
"Kaiba, what is the point of all this?" Ozpin asked. Kaiba raised an eyebrow, which prompted the headmaster to elaborate. "We understand that we failed. We understand that we've made a mistake–"
"Simply calling it a 'mistake' is an understatement," Kaiba growled under his breath.
Ozpin frowned, then continued. "We are all… conflicted about this turn of events. Emotional. So, I ask again, what is the point of making us, in our already vulnerable state, more agitated?"
"The point is you need to get your act together," Kaiba answered. "You've been fighting Salem for who-cares how long. And the only time you've made any headway is when one of your own subordinates disobeyed your direct orders."
Ozpin flinched at his statement. Glynda took a sudden breath. It brought back painful memories. "In doing so, we lost a simple, more honest soul," He half-heartedly countered. "As well as all the Numbers we had collected up to that point." Ozpin added after a beat, knowing that neither he nor Kaiba would be satisfied with only an emotional explanation.
"At the very least, we have now reclaimed one…" Glynda sighed, stepping between the two. "That means we now have eight Numbers in our possession."
"Please. I'd say we have a higher chance of obtaining all Numbers by tomorrow than having the ice princess give us her Number," Kaiba snorted. "Even if she does, there's no doubt that Jacques, that snake, is keeping a close eye on her."
"All things to be concerned with in the near future, I'm afraid." Ozpin got up from his seat and cracked his back, letting out a tiny grunt as small cracks could be heard. "I believe it's time we put this topic to rest, for now. We do have a school to run, I'm afraid." He turned to Glynda. "Could you bring the girls in?"
"Yes, Ozpin," Glynda said. With a slight nod, to which Kaiba rolled his eyes at, she walked over to the door and opened it.
Weiss was the first to enter, sitting on one of the seats in front of Ozpin's desks. More timidly, Ruby and Velvet walked in after her. Velvet stiffened when she noticed Kaiba looming over them.
"Welcome!" Ozpin said somewhat cheerfully. "If I recall your names correctly, you must be Weiss Schnee, Velvet Scarlatina and… Ruby Rose."
"Y-you know who we are, sir…?" Velvet stuttered, playing with a lock of her brown hair. Weiss rolled her eyes at her statement.
"Of course they do, we go to their school," She huffed. Glynda frowned at her. She was about to open her mouth to reprimand her, but Ozpin raised his hand, which made her pause.
"I do, at the very least, glance at every application that comes to my desk, Ms. Scarlatina," Ozpin said in a soothing voice. "Now, I should assume that you three know why you are in my office today?"
"On the first day at my school, no less," Kaiba said. He made Velvet and Ruby flinch.
"I caught Ms. Scarlatina stealing a card from my bags, sir," Weiss said instantly.
"Th-that's not true!" Velvet cried.
"Yeah! She's lying sir! She was trying to take my friends–!" Ruby's voice trailed off when Kaiba glared at her.
"Are you kindergartners?" Kaiba asked. "You were not speaking first. Let Weiss finish, and then you can make your argument."
Weiss smiled smugly, and subtly glanced at a shivering Velvet and Ruby. "Mr. Kaiba, Headmaster Ozpin, Ms Goodwitch; as I was saying, I found Ms. Scarlatina low to the ground, seemingly struggling with something. I then noticed she was struggling to open my suitcase, which was locked via a combination. I confronted her about it, and as I did, Ms. Rose came along and began to slander me, claiming, without evidence, that it was I who was stealing Ms. Scarlatina's card."
"I see…" Ozpin nodded calmly. He glanced at Ruby, and then at Velvet. "Ms. Scarlatina, do you have anything you might want to add?"
"Y-yes! Everything Ms. Schnee said about me is wrong!" She answered timidly. "I was heading from the museum to the amphitheater for the opening ceremony, but I tripped on a loose patch of concrete and fell next to her bags! My deck spilled out of its box!"
Kaiba sighed. At first, Velvet thought he didn't believe her. Ruby noticed the fear growing in her eyes, and she was just about to argue on her behalf–
But Glynda stopped him. "I'll call the construction company."
"Good. And sure to buy the one that did the walkways this summer as well. My schools shouldn't even have a speck of dust misplaced," Kaiba said. Glynda nodded and walked away to make the call. Three students watched her leave, their faces ranging from surprised to dumbfounded to relieved.
"Continue," Kaiba ordered. Velvet clammed up.
"Y-yes, sir!" She squeaked. "I was scooping my cards back into the box and that's when Ms. Schnee found! She then claimed loudly that I was trying to steal her cards! Many of our classmates heard us, which caused a crowd to form around us!"
"I see…" Ozpin muttered. He placed a hand on his chin. "Ms. Rose? What do you have to say about all this?"
"W-well… I didn't see anything… but I did see Weiss yelling all sorts of mean things at Velvet! She called her a disgrace, and that she should be expelled!" Ruby explained hotly. When Velvet nodded, Weiss stiffened in her seats. Both Kaiba and Ozpin glanced in her direction. "After that, that's when I challenged her to Duel! We wagered the 'Nibiru' card and my entire collection!"
"It's true, sir…" Velvet muttered. "Everything she said is true! Ask anyone who watched, they'll tell you the same!"
Ozpin nodded slowly. "Ms Schnee… do you have anything to say in your defense?"
"I regret my words and actions, Headmaster Ozpin, Mr. Kaiba," Weiss immediately said. She surprised the other two girls when she got up to her feet and bowed deeply. "My actions today were unbecoming of a student at–!"
"You can stop sucking up to me. It won't save you," Kaiba interrupted Weiss' apology, making the girl freeze.
"I-I… huh?" Weiss muttered. She got up and looked at Kaiba before continuing. "I- No, I wasn't– My apology is genuine!"
"Really?" Kaiba asked in a condescending, almost smug tone. "I can already tell what was going to come out of your mouth," he claimed, making Weiss gasp quietly. "You were going to say that you dishonored your family name and my school, which you have, and that your actions were because of your emotions and that you were going to swear on your family's name that you were going to improve."
Weiss was silent. She opened her mouth to speak, but Kaiba had taken the wind out of her sails long before she even set the boat on the water bed.
Next to her, Ruby turned around and pointed at Weiss with an ecstatic smile, mocking her. Velvet had to hold in laugh, which made it sound like she was weezing.
"Well? Was I wrong?" Kaiba asked, smiling. Weiss remained silent as she struggled to think of what to say back. "It's the same dribble your father says whenever he gets a new lawsuit. It's not hard to assume you'd try the same."
"I-I… If my father hears about this–!" Weiss began, only to be interrupted by Kaiba again.
"What's we going to do, hm? I use his Dust to mass produce Solid Vision projectors. Had Gozaburo Kaiba not created them when he did, the world would've been overrun." Kaiba kneeled down, his burning cold eyes staring into Weiss' frigid ones. "What choice does he have? He either works with me, or the world dies. So sit back down in your chair, and stay put. Do I make myself clear?"
Weiss remained frozen on her feet. Ruby and Velvet looked at the young CEO with widened eyes. Even Ozpin was taken aback by his words.
After a moment, Weiss silently nodded and sat back down.
"Good." Kaiba stood up as well, towering over everyone. "Weiss Schnee. In two weeks time, you will undergo a Penalty Game. Wagering a single card is one thing, but wagering an entire collection prevents a student from excelling in this school, and limits the number of warriors out fighting the Grimm."
"I understand…" Weiss murmured
"Good." Kaiba says. "Now, get out of my sight."
Weiss did a double take. "But what about 'Nibiru"!?"
"I'm afraid that matter has already been resolved since before you stepped in," Ozpin said. He tapped a few buttons on his deck. Two Deck Lists appeared on the screen, which belonged to both Velvet and Weiss. Most of the cards were blacked out, aside from a playset of 'Nibiru' in Weiss' Side Deck and a single copy in Velvet's Main Deck.
"These are the Deck Lists that both of you have submitted alongside your application to Beacon," Ozpin explained. "As you can see, Velvet did not lie. She does indeed own a valid, legal copy of 'Nibiru, the Primal Being'. This is irrefutable evidence."
Weiss blinked in surprise, as did Ruby and Velvet. The girl in the red hoodie frowned.
"So you did lie about losing your own 'Nibiru'!" Ruby said, her voice laced with disgust. It made Weiss stiffen.
"No, that's not the case," Ozpin interrupted Ruby's accusation. "Ms. Schnee is missing a copy of 'Nibiru'," He said, pulling up another Deck Lists; it was Weiss' again, but without the hand trap.
"I understand that you are concerned about losing an expensive and powerful card. Rest assured, we will do everything in power to help you recover it," the Headmaster reassured Weiss.
Slowly, Weiss nodded. She silently got up from her seat, and after bowing again, she walked towards the door. Before she opened it, she turned around and glared at Ruby. When Ruby felt her gaze on the back of her neck, she turned around as well. The two glared at each other. The Number 102 burned on the back of Weiss' neck. The Number 39 blazed in Ruby's left Silver Eye.
With a huff, Weiss turns around and walks out of the room. The door shuts with a quiet click, one that sounds much louder with how silent the room was.
"Wh-what about us, sir?" Ruby asked tentatively. Ozpin glanced at Kaiba. The younger man sighed and said nothing.
"Well, seeing as you only initiated a Duel and wagered your cards for someone else's benefit, it's fitting that I let you both go with only a warning," Ozpin said. Both Velvet and Ruby sighed in relief. He then turned to Ruby and said, "Though, if you do see something like this again, I implore you to seek out Campus Security or the faculty instead of trying to handle the situation by yourself."
Ruby frowned at first, but nodded. "Right, will do, sir."
"I understand. I'll do better next time," Velvet added.
"Good. Now that we've come to an understanding, I think our meeting has concluded," Ozpin said with a wry smile. "Welcome to Beacon Academy, Velvet, Ruby. I do hope you enjoy your stay."
"R-right! Thank you for having us, Headmaster!" Velvet said, speaking for both her and Ruby, who was nodding. They both got up from their seats and left the room, leaving Kaiba and Ozpin alone.
Kaiba sighed.
"Summer… it seems your daughter is going to give me as many headaches as you did…"
"Oh, my gods, that was nerve wracking…!" Ruby exclaimed once she and Velvet had closed the door.
"I know! I thought I was going to die each time Mr. Kaiba looked at me…!" Velvet agreed in a slightly whiny voice. "I didn't know he'd be there! I thought he was handling the opening Ceremony in Shade!"
"Oooo, you guys met Kaiba?" Ruby and Velvet shrieked when they heard Yang's voice from behind them. They quickly turned around, Velvet holding out a copy of 'Grandpa Demetto', as if to defend herself with it.
"Yang, don't scare us like that!" Ruby yelled, gently pounding her fists against her older sister's bare shoulder. Yang giggled at the weak hits, her teasing smile growing wider as Velvet breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sorry, sorry! I just had to come over when I learned you got sent to the Headmaster's office!" Yang explained, her expression becoming a bit more serious. "A duel on the first day, and you skipped orientation? I didn't know you had it in you!" She joked.
"W-well, it's not like I meant to skip! I was just… h-helping out my new friend!" Ruby said, pointing a finger at Velvet. Her knees turned red, and she gave Yang a small wave.
"A friend? Already? I knew you had it in you!" Yang said cheerfully. Ruby started to laugh with her, but they soon became pleas of mercy as Yang pulled the smaller girl in for a bone-crushing hug.
"I'm proud of me too…!" Ruby exclaimed, though her voice was slightly muffled. "C-can I breathe now?"
"Huh? Oh, sure, I guess," Yang muttered. She let go of Ruby, whose face returned to its natural pale color. "So, how'd it go with Kaiba and Oz?"
"N-nothing much. We just received a warning," Velvet answered for Ruby, who was still recovering. "The, uh, other person does have to undergo a Penalty Game, however," She added.
"Weiss Schnee, right?" Both girls nodded. "Wooo, boy! There isn't a day where something interesting doesn't happen in this school…"
Ruby and Velvet glanced at each other, somewhat worried. "I-is that, like, a bad thing?" Ruby asked. To their discomfort, Yang just shrugged.
"Depends on who you ask. I find it exciting!" She said, pounding her fists together while her eyes flashed red briefly. "Oh, that reminds me, do you guys know where you're going for your Placement Test?"
"H-huh? Placement Test?" Velvet wondered.
"Oh, well, you know how the student body is divided into three Dorms; OBELISK, RA, and OSIRIS? These placement tests determine which one you're put into," Ruby explained briefly. Yang nodded, and adjusted the yellow collar of her outfit.
"Oh, I see…" Velvet murmured.
"Yup, what she said. Though, I heard you're going to go against another upperclassman instead of the teachers this time," Yang said, crossing her arms under her chest. "I wonder why that is…"
"Well, if these Duels are important, then we should probably head to them right now!" Velvet said. She turned to Yang. "Where are they being held?"
"Your test rooms should've been sent to your Scrolls already," Yang said. Ruby and Velvet both reached into their pockets for their respective devices. "Oh, and by the way, you don't want us lightly just because we're students. We have some Dragon Duel winners, and some of us have even qualified for YCSs and won multiple WCQs," She warned them, with a slight hint of smugness in her voice.
"Don't worry! It's unbecoming of a Duelist to underestimate their opponent!" Ruby said proudly, puffing out her chest.
"R-right!" Velvet added. "Well, I'm going to my Duel now! Ruby, when we're done, can we…" She stuttered, and awkwardly rubbed her arm. "Y-y'know, hang out?"
"Huh…?" Ruby blinked. After processing Velvet's statement, she nodded eagerly. "I-I mean sure! Yeah! We can!" She exclaimed eagerly.
"Great!" Velvet said. The girls stared at each other awkwardly.
They don't usually progress to this stage of friendship without assistance. Ergo: they have no idea what they're doing.
"Sooo… see you later, I guess?" Velvet muttered.
"Th-that sounds right…" Ruby nods. She gives Velvet a timid thumbs up. The girl returns the gesture just as nervously, and she runs off for her duel.
"So, what dorm do you think you're gonna get?" Yang asked.
"OBELISK Blue, definitely!" Ruby said, making Yang choke on air.
"What about me!? I'm gonna be so lonely without you in the RA dorm!" She cried playfully, her eyes filled with crocodile tears.
"Don't worry! I'm sure I'll get to my level… eventually!" Ruby smirks, making Yang shake her head.
"How cruel…" Yang whimpers, wiping away the fake tears. "Still, good luck! You're going to need it!"
"Thanks, Yang! I'll see you later!"
Ruby waves goodbye and spins on her heel, sprinting out of the main castle and towards one of the other buildings surrounding the old castle.
A short run later, Ruby pushes open a large door and enters an empty arena. She gulps at all the empty bleachers surrounding it. It looked like the ones pro duelists used in major tournaments. She shivered at the thought of that many eyes on her, criticizing her every move.
She shook her head and climbed up to the arena. As she does, somebody is already on the opposite side of the field.
"H-hello?" Ruby cautiously calls out. "Um, my name is Ruby Rose? I'm here for my Placement Test," She announces a bit louder.
The person turns around. She's a girl with long black hair, wearing an OBELISK Blue coat. Her eyes are a striking shade of amber, and she has cat ears on either side of her head. A feline tail also sways lazily behind her.
"Ruby…?" She mutters. "You're in the right place. My name is Blake. I'll be your opponent," the cat faunus announces. The girl then tilts her head to the side, and her eyes narrow. "You're also… Yang's sister, correct?"
"Oh, yes!" Ruby nods. "Are you friends?"
Blake shrugs. "I wouldn't say 'friend', exactly. But we do know each other." She reached into her coat and pulls out a standard-issued Academia Disk, though this one had blue highlights along the blade and around the center.
"I have high hopes for you. Yang told me you've beaten her on some occasions," Blake continues, sliding her deck into its slot.
"Those were all tough battles, and they took all my brain power to win!" Ruby says, activating her own Duel Disk. She could feel her blood starting to rush as both disks ejected their starting hands.
"Really?" Blake asks, a smirk crossing her otherwise placid face.
A giant coin appears; one side had a giant rose, and the other was a black flame. The coin flew into the air, and landed with a loud, echoey thud. It landed on the rose.
"Alright! I'm going first!" Ruby exclaimed.
"Don't think that will help you," Blake said calmly.
"We'll see about that!"
Ruby Rose (4000 LP) VS Blake Belladonna (4000 LP)
Show Her What You're Made Of!
DUEL!
[A/N]
Is it just me, or are some parts of the extended and even main cast treated… weirdly?
For example, take CFVE. What do these guys… even do? Really, the only member that serves a narrative purpose here is Velvet, which is to show Faunus discrimination. The rest just… kinda exist? They look cool during the breach, they get their asses handed to them by Mercury and Emerald, and following that, they vanish.
Even Velvet, who actually does have narrative importance fails to deliver why we should care about faunus discrimination. For one, CRDL are just assholes that would probably pick anyone they deem weaker. Also… Velvet's scene is only one of a handful of times where such discrimination is shown on screen. And by the end of Volume 6, that entire subplot completely disappears.
I think part of the problem is how the fight scenes are handled. They feel like… roller coaster rides, I guess? I don't want to say after thoughts, because they have so much work and care put into them and, no matter what I feel about RWBY, I greatly enjoy them. But some of them feel like they're there because somebody thought of a cool action sequence.
And I bring this up because a lot of these fight scenes are to show off how cool and awesome these new characters are. They're made to get you excited for potential match-ups with or against RWBY and the Villains, but half the time, the characters introduced in this way don't really show up at all past that point, or minimally impact the plot, making the scenes with them… effectively pointless.
Literally, Neptune who?
Even those that don't feel lackluster from a narrative perspective. One fight that comes to mind is one top of the train during the breach. It's cool, it's action-packed, Zwei can solo the verse and anybody who argues will get Exodia Obliterated, but there are a bunch of little things that make me feel like things could have flowed way better with a second draft.
For one, faunus discrimination. At this point, the only examples we have are Weiss and Cardin being assholes. We're TOLD that they are discriminated against, we're TOLD that the SDC treats Faunus workers like trash, but we aren't SHOWN anything. Not even in the White Fang rally. Honestly, I wish they had shown something at the rally. Nothing to graphic, I don't need to see lynchings; but a bruised faunus with a human looming over him, maybe a homeless faunus starving while people pass by not giving a damn, or eben something as simple as 911 operator hanging up on a faunus caller would've been enough to get the point across. It would've given an emotional weight to this fight, on both sides. The White Fang sincerely believe if they don't do something drastic, things will never improve because the status quo prevents it, and Team RWBY hesitates, not because they think they're doing the wrong thing, but because these clearly brainwashed people who genuinely think they're doing something good for their friends and family by sending a message. Also, they don't want to inadvertently kill misguided individuals by throwing them off a high speed train that's also being tailed by Grimm?
(why do they do that, genuinely? Why doesn't Ruby, or even Blake, the ones who will obviously be opposed to that, say nothing? Do they not care? Did they not notice? Are they stupid?)
As they stand in season 2, the White Fang come across less as misguided freedom fighters rebelling for a genuine cause… and more like whiny, sociopathic brats who decided to call up the squad (and some terrorists) because somebody called them weird. It's not a good look for them.
Also, your representation for discriminated minorities is generic enemy fodder, and you throw them off a train to die.
Your representation for discriminated minorities is generic enemy fodder.
I think I'll stop here, for now. I don't want the author's notes to be longer than the chapter itself. I want to talk about more important things; children's trading cards.
Oooooh, leaving the chapter on the anticipation of battle. Leaves you wondering, doesn't it? What Deck does Blake use? Tri-Brigade? Performapals? Raidraptors? Will Ruby come out on top? Is Weiss getting OTK'd because her end board will probably just be Glorious Halo with Hierarchia in the grave maybe? Who knows!
I also teased Velvet's deck! To be honest, I didn't know what to give her, since she's an extremely limited character whose only character traits I can think of off the top of my head is timid, bri'ish, and camera. According to the RWBY wiki, she's supposed to be an allusion to a book called "The Velveteen Rabbit," which is about a toy rabbit that wants to become real for their owner.
Already, that's extremely limiting because there's very few decks based on toys. There's… well, 'Toys', but those only serve as an engine for White Forest, which has nothing to do with Velvet (then again, very few of the other storybook allusions actually inform anything about the character that they supposedly inspired). The only other toy themes that come to mind are Wind-Up and Doll, which is used by a character from the Zexal Manga, Cologne, who is a living doll. A Doll deck also places emphasis on Normal monsters, something that Ruby's Magikey deck also does.
(Hell, while I was writing this, I found a deck list for Magikey/Doll. Maybe I should change the ship to Red Velvet…)
There is Number 25: Force Focus, which is a big ass camera, and Cologne does use Number 22: Zombiestein in the manga. Maybe Velvet gets possessed in the future?
HMMMMMMMM?
Honestly, the more I think about it, I'm leaning towards Velvet using a Cologne Deck. As for Blake… well, I've already decided on a deck for her. It's probably not what you're expecting!
(hint hint, there's no beast/beast-warrior cards).
K bye