u/OverpowerPilot

Well, this post isn't a critique. Or at least I'm not trying to be objective here. This is more subjective and personal. It has to do with times when RWBY didn't live up to my expectations.

Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing. It was ME who got my hopes up, often unjustifiably. So these are really cases where the series was disappointing for me. As always, I ask you to give me your opinions. What were some instances where RWBY was disappointing for you?

I won't mention anything about Adam or Ironwood because they're already overdone topics and because I feel it's better to let them rest for a while.

1. Bram Thornmane:

Okay, this is very personal. I'm one of the few unfortunate ones who played RWBY Arrowfell to get more details about the series' lore.

And initially, I liked it. New settlements, rogue huntresses, criminal organizations, union leaders, rebel army factions… It was all very interesting.

The handling of the plot and themes was… deficient, but oh well, I was there for the lore and the new characters.

While it was obvious that Bram was the villain from the beginning, everything still captivated me.

He managed to manipulate union leaders, criminals, huntresses, soldiers; his plan included the strategic use of Grimm.
I love manipulative villains, and I thought this was going to be a good one.

In the end, things fell apart. Bram ended up being a resentful individual for childish and pathetic reasons.

And of course, Watts was also motivated by petty reasons. But he had a charisma, intelligence, and malevolence that consumed him.
Watts seemed like a psychopath, which made him intimidating. The fact that his reasons were so petty didn't make him seem pathetic, but rather more unhinged.

Bram, on the other hand, has none of that. He's utterly forgettable and a disappointment as the mastermind behind the plot against Ironwood.

2.-Neopolitan:

This one is a bit simpler. I did want Neo to die.

She became one of my favorite villains after the tea party episode. She presented herself as evil, cruel, and ruthless. It's incredibly cool when a villain plays with a hero to the point of manipulating them into doing the unthinkable. Neo in that episode was great.

The arc where she was possessed by the Curious Cat was also interesting. However, the conclusion…
I wanted Neo to die for all her bad actions.

Adam died like a bastard for not wanting to let go of his obsessions. Adam died pathetically.

I wanted the same for Neo. Even after being free of the cat, she remained obsessed with Ruby and wanted to kill her. But in the end, Ruby's friends defended her and managed to kill her.

In contrast, Neo suffered no consequences for her bad actions (the cat possession was an external event) and ultimately had the opportunity to be reborn as a different person.

Neo didn't even try to become good so we could see her attempt to redeem her bad actions. She simply was going to reborn as someone else. We simply got a disappointing ending.

3.-Conclusions.

As I mentioned, this post is subjective. At no point do I intend to seriously criticize the series.

How would I have handled this better? I think that's for another day.
In general, I don't think it's bad to have expectations. On the contrary, it's good to speculate about what might happen in a story.

The bad thing is when you can't separate your expectations from what a story really needs.

What do you think? What disappointed you about the franchise?

Well, on Tumblr I already made a post talking about why I think Adam should have fought alongside the White Fang on Argus for a final battle against our heroes.
I plan to post it on the main sub to generate traction and all that. The first time I tried, it was deleted for "ranting." Anyway, I'm looking for a way to post it without it getting deleted.

The thing is, I'm proposing this idea. I know that the version many people like is the Adam from Fixing RWBY. But while I also like that version, I think a really good opportunity was missed.

Look, Adam is a character we've known for a long time. And the White Fang is also a group we've known for a long time. Why not have them replace Cordovin as the antagonists of the last volume?

Think about it. The plan to steal the Manta was problematic enough. Whether you support it or not, it generated controversy. So instead of a controversial plan that makes people question the morality of our heroes, why not a battle against an old enemy?

Besides, Cordovin is a character newly introduced in this volume. Do you really prefer her to Adam?

Imagine whatever excuse you want. Let's say Adam took his best soldiers with him to the battle in Haven, which is why they managed to escape, and he didn't abandon them; instead, they all went to the organization's lair. Okay, Adam maintains the organization's loyalty.

Then, Adam, wanting revenge on Blake and her friends, attacks Argus. He can also plunder the city and destroy the Atlesian forces present.

Perfect.

Adam releases Grimm into the city, which generates negativity, and the Leviathan appears. Caroline is very busy dealing with the Grimm alongside the Atlas army, so it falls to our heroes to fight Adam and his army.

Adam overloaded his Semblance, so he manages to fight Weiss, Yang, and Blake simultaneously despite now being insane.

We see the return of the lieutenant, Perry, and Deery.

And there you have it. Tell me, don't you think it would have been a more interesting final battle?

So tell me, Adam, with or without an army?

I think that if the characters have interacted more with him, things like the team splitting would end up being more painful.
But well, let's do this.

1.-Ruby

Remember what Ironwood said back then?

"Ruby, I feel it's appropriate to let you know that I think what you did last night is exactly what being a Huntress is all about. You recognized a threat. You took action. And you did the very best you could."

They could have a conversation about what being a leader means. Ironwood would give some advices.

Also they would talk about how they don't agree with Ozpin's methods. Of course, Ruby would not reveal what happened with Ozpin. But still.

And about reuniting the world. About how they must do their things and such.

They could also talk about the duty of a Huntsman. Which would make more tragic when Ironwood decides to not help Mantle.

2.-Weiss

Something I would like would be for Ironwood to transmit certain idea to Weiss.
Both are atlesians elites. Yet Ironwood doesn't see himself, the rest of the military nor Weiss like the rest of the atlesian elites. For him, they are actually doing something good.

Basically would be like "Weiss, I'm glad that you are on our side. We are different from Jacques. On us depends the future of the kingdom, and we must do our best to say Atlas and Mantle".

You know, Ironwood with Atlas complex. Thinking that he must carry the weight of the world himself. But he would try to share somewhat of that mentality to Weiss.

They would discuss somewhat of the decisions of the kingdom and what would be the best for it. For example. Remember this?

"It's just… Our kingdom isn't supposed to be like this. Fearful, and withdrawn. We should be opening our borders to help the world, not closing them down."

Weiss could say those things to Ironwood, and he would give his arguments.

All of this, to make more dramatic when Ironwood decides to not make their dream come true of a better Atlas. Since he would lift the city in the air and would leave Mantle to die.

3.-Blake

This is the most interesting.

Blake would talk to Ironwood about the kingdom oppression over the faunus. She would tell him that he should change the legislation for the faunus to not be oppressed.

She would also confront him about him not arresting Jacques or not stopping the SDC from exploiting faunus.

You could say "We all know why Ironwood is not stopping Jacques", but even so, I would have liked that we received an official answer. You can also say "Ironwood can't change legislation to help the faunus". But still, I think that it would be the best if the CRWBY confirmed us that. I mean, there is certain discussion and doubts of the people about what Ironwood can and can't do.

Also they could talk on the fact that Blake left the White fang. That means that both were on different sides of the conflict. And yet, they are allies now.
It could be very interesting, think about it, Ironwood decided to forgive and not arrest a former criminal, why? We could see his motivations.

All of this so when he abandon Mantle, she would feel like they lost a valuable ally. After all, Ironwood changed things in the military and the academy.

4.-Yang

This is easy. She thanking him for the new arm.

"When you're out on the battlefield, your judgment can become clouded in an instant. Sometimes you see things that simply aren't there. Even after the fight is past..."

They would talk about the PTSD. Maybe even Ironwood could reveal how he lost part of his body.

Yang would tell about how she was affected by Adam cutting her arm. And would tell about how her friends are helping her deal with the PTSD.

They would even talk about the people close to them. About how they have to stop Salem to not only save the future, but also protect the ones they love.

5.-Conclusions

I think that these could have been interesting moments that would add to each character and make more dramatic the division that was going to come.

I'll open my heart with you all; personally, I didn't like what CRWBY did to her.

Up until that point, I liked her writing. Yes, she was a henchwoman of Roman and later of Cinder. But even without talking, you knew she had a distinct personality. Besides, she was the partner in crime of the best villain in the series.

And when we got to volume 9, everything was perfect. She behaved like those villains you love to hate. Obsessed. Crazy. Malevolent. She forced Ruby to self-destruct. It was physical, emotional, and psychological torture.

In the end, Neo achieved her goal. That's what it means to be a great villain. One who is capable of entering the mind of the hero and making it collapse.

Then Curious Cat got inside her, and okay... that was unexpected. I had no problem with that, and as a villain, they were very powerful. But in the end... she killed Curious Cat.

And it feels like she didn't deserve that. You feel like Ruby's friends should have been the ones to finish off Curious Cat.

And in the end, Neo had to die. At the hands of Ruby's friends. Let's suppose Ruby is exhausted from the fight and momentarily falls unconscious. Neo is still insane and wants to kill her. So she tries to attack her. But Ruby's friends intervene and kill her after a fight.

That's it. It's just that after all the bad things Neo did, she doesn't deserve a second chance. She doesn't deserve to be reborn. She deserves to die like the evil being she is.

And that's what frustrates me. I want to know what you think.

I loved Neo in Roman Holiday. And I liked her in volume 9, before the final part.

Even if Neo redeemed herself and joined the others to get revenge on Cinder... that would have felt more satisfying than Neo simply walking away without consequences for her misdeeds. Because at least that way she could atone for her crimes.

A rather sensational title, but it's the truth. In that fight, it feels like both Winter and James are acting dumbly.

Okay, Ironwood arrives, tries to kill Winter, and then the two exchange a few words. When Winter decides to fight Ironwood, the problems begin.

First of all, okay, Winter survives. Why doesn't Ironwood try to interrogate her? I mean, why doesn't he ask her what the plan is?
If James is trying to save Atlas and stop Ruby's group's plan, he needs to know exactly what the plan is.
Where to go and all that. So, why doesn't he ask her anything?

Ironwood doesn't know what Ruby's group's plan is. He was unconscious when Winter took him to the cell with Jacques.
In fact, the only thing Jacques told him was that Atlas is falling.

"Well, I see you're awake, finally. Atlas is falling under your watch. How does it feel, James?"
"They—they've got the staff!"

"That's right, you lose. We both lose."

But Winter is acting strangely too. Winter served loyally under Ironwood for years; she should know that James is a very capable Huntsman. So she should know that she was going to lose the fight.
She only survived because Penny died and passed on the Maiden powers to her.

So why doesn't she try to convince him to reconsider? You might say that Ironwood is already too crazy. But again, what's better: to fight and die uselessly or to try to convince Ironwood and gain new allies? There are still some surviving soldiers from Atlas.

Vine, Elm, and Harriet were able to regain their composure in the end. Winter didn't witness that, but the point is that in RWBY, it's possible to convince someone to reconsider, even if they are a would-be genocidal maniac.

In other words, what does Winter lose by trying to make Ironwood reconsider? Nothing. What does Winter gain by trying to reason with Ironwood? A 10% chance of changing his mind.

Sure, Ironwood is obviously going to attack her. But they also talked while fighting in the canon.

Why not try to convince him while she tries to defend herself? It's not uncommon in RWBY to fight while talking. In fact, there are some strange things Winter says:

"No, you have sacrificed everyone else! You closed the borders, you squeezed Mantle until it broke!"

I mean, Winter supported Ironwood in closing the borders and the measures against Mantle. So it's kind of hypocritical for her to criticize him for that.

It would make more sense for her to criticize him for his attempted genocide of Mantle and how he tried to kill those who opposed him. (Marrow).

Winter didn't even try to tell Ironwood to surrender once she obtained the Maiden powers. Why not try to convince him to surrender and order his soldiers to help her fight against Salem's allies? Speaking of which, Ironwood's reaction to Winter receiving the powers makes no sense.

"So… the destiny I chose for you has arrived."

I mean, now Winter can kill him. Why doesn't he even try to negotiate with her or something? It's obvious he's powerless against her.

So there you have it. I know Ironwood is the villain, but he's the "Tin man without a heart," not the "Tin man without a brain."

So it doesn't make sense for him to act like that.

And Winter is an intelligent person; the things she says don't make sense either. It also doesn't make sense how she avoided the option of having Ironwood and what's left of the Atlas army on her side.

I mean, we saw that there were still remnants of the Atlas army at the end of volume 9. It's obvious that some military power remained. Why not use that to help civilians?

Note: Again, I'm not saying that they should talk instead of fight. They are perfectly capable of fight AND talk.

And well, Ironwood is doing what he is doing because he doesn't believe there are other realistic ways to save at least somewhat of Atlas. Why not tell him the best way that they had planned to save Atlas?

For example, I planned the following:

- The robots on the other Atlesian ships would also be hacked. Watts' virus would then order them to attack the building where the Vale council is located, killing everyone inside. After that, the airships would be boarded by members of the White Fang, who would take them to the coordinates given to them by Cinder. That is, they would take them to the Land of Darkness.

- After the Vale council members were killed, the kingdom would demand answers from Atlas. This would only increase tensions. Vale would demand financial compensation from Atlas because it was an Atlesian military vessel that killed the council. Atlas would declare an embargo. Vale would expropriate assets from Atlesian companies.

- After that, Watts would arrive at Atlas. He would hack the Atlesian technology (Ironwood would not yet have updated the security network), which would allow him to launch an attack against the SDC headquarters. Jacques would be furious and blame Ironwood.

The council, seeing James's failures and wanting to calm things down, would depose him and appoint Cordovin as the new general of Atlas.

Cordovin, as militaristic as she is, would declare martial law and give Vale and Menagerie an ultimatum. (The White Fang would have attacked Atlas embassies around Vale, Mistral, and Vacuo.) Vale must return the expropriated assets to Atlesian companies, and Menagerie must hand over the White Fang members.

Both governments refuse. (It is not yet discovered that Adam controls Corsac and Fennec.)

So Cordovin declares war on both of them.

Meanwhile, James escapes from Atlas along with Penny (who is still under repair), Pietro, the Ace Ops, and Amity Tower in order to meet with Leonardo and see if they can put a plan into action. (Ironwood is still unaware of Lionheart's betrayal.) Winter is already in Mistral, as she hasn't yet returned to Atlas.

Atlas invades Menagerie. Ghira and Kali die, as do the island's guards. Corsac and Fennec escape, evacuating the White Fang and a large part of the island's population. This is to convince them to join the WF, which they succeed in doing.

And that's where I left off. I wouldn't know how to continue it. Is there some detail I'm forgetting?

Perhaps Salem can manipulate things to increase tensions between the kingdoms.

I know Salem's plan was always to divide Remnant, but in this case, things got even worse.

It's just a "What if" scenario. I still don't know how to write it. So I would appreciate your help.