What Defines Us - Commentary - Ch. 41-42 (Patreon)

I should come up with a catchy introductory phrase for these commentaries - something snazzier than ‘welcome back.’  Something like...huzzah!  Or...here we go again!  Or...yeah that’s all I’ve got right now.

Anyway, huzzah!

I’ll be honest that this story is fading further and further in my rearview mirror (rearview mirror of stories).  Not only are we just six chapters from the end - six! - but I recently started a new story that’s captured my full attention.  

I work on different story ideas all the time, but sometimes I stumble across ones that I get really engrossed in.  Right now, this one reminds me of how I felt when I started Rush - meaning that the outline is coming together easily, I have no shortage of big ‘moments’ I want to cover, and I’m interested in seeing how the characters react to a new set of challenges.  In a nutshell, I’m excited.

It’s a pretty ambitious story, and it will take me a long time to finish, but I’m excited to have a new project to work on!  I have some smaller stories that we’ll see first, but I’ll work on this in the background.  Honestly, it could take me 1-2 years to finish, same as WDU - and that’s if I don’t lose steam (or burn out).  I hope you’re patient!

Ok, with that out of the way, let’s talk about the most recent chapters of this story.

Chapter 41 - the Nevermore hunt - is one of my favorite chapters.  You can probably guess why - because this is the chapter where I think we can finally say that Weiss has made it back.  After all the emotional turmoil and struggle she’s gone through since Chapter 1, she’s...somewhat herself again.  Not only does she have Ruby back in her life (the two of them waking up together in their old house), but her teammates literally put their lives in her hands - and she succeeded.

I love this chapter because it shows how far she’s come, and how she’s slowly regaining confidence in herself - not only as someone worthy of being Ruby’s partner, but also as a huntress.  And we get to see her regain even more confidence over the course of just one chapter, which starts off a little bumpy - at least, emotionally.

On this particular morning - waking up in their old house, wearing their old outfits, eating the normal pre-hunt breakfast - Weiss thinks about the morning of the hunt where Ruby was injured.  Their ‘last morning together.’  I made sure to point out these similarities because I wanted people to be aware of the multitude of ways this day is difficult for Weiss.  Not only is this another hunt where she will worry about Ruby’s safety and her own capabilities (or lack thereof), but it also feels like the morning of Ruby’s injury - making it a bad trip down memory lane.

I’m sure you didn’t need it all pointed out to you, but I didn’t want anyone to forget what Weiss went through.  Adding reminders of her past just made the ending sweeter, and we had even more reasons to celebrate Team RWBY’s success.

Speaking of sweet, however, let’s talk about their breakfast - which included an Uber Eats delivery!  Or, I guess it could be Vale Eats in this case.  It’s funny because originally I was going to have Weiss cook breakfast for Ruby again.  Then I realized something kind of important...no one’s lived in that house for over a year - how would they have food?

Is it weird that those things are important to me?  I mean, I’m sure I miss a lot of ‘consistency’ moments, but I try to keep them to a minimum.  As great as it would be for food to magically appear in the cupboards, that just...doesn’t normally happen.

Now I’m wondering how you read that moment - did it stand out in your mind?  Or was it just like ‘Oh, breakfast was delivered?  Smart.’  Did you think about why breakfast was delivered.  I’m genuinely curious!  But for the future, keep in mind that most of a story should be deliberate, so explanations for weird, one-off moments like this are added for a reason.  (Mostly, to keep the very particular reviewers at bay.)

Besides providing explanations for certain events, sometimes I have to (or want to) make random things up - like Ruby giving Weiss a ‘confidence boost.’  

I literally typed Ruby’s line - “You need a confidence boost” - and immediately thought...but how?  How is she going to boost Weiss’ confidence at a moment like this, when Weiss is worried about being a liability during the hunt?  

A normal person might point out a few recent examples of Weiss succeeding at The Beacon Invite as a means to persuade her.  But this was Ruby - and Ruby is...unique.  Instead of boosting Weiss up with words, she decides that tossing Weiss up in the air is a better answer.

I thought this was a better answer, too.  I don’t think words work so well on Weiss because she’s an expert at refuting words.  But that feeling of flying up in the air, temporarily feeling weightless, before dropping back to the ground?  That’s an experience that you can’t quite fight, and Weiss can’t help but smile because it’s dumb and doesn’t make any sense, but makes her feel a little better.

Just a little tidbit to point out - did you notice that this is the second thing Ruby’s taught Weiss to do with the word ‘up?’

“Now when I say ‘up,’ you step onto my hands, got it?”

And from Chapter 5:

“Now when I say ‘up,’ you’re going to raise this hand right above your cheek and the other one right below your chin.”

This is Ruby teaching Weiss to throw a punch on just the ‘second’ time they met.  So now, when Ruby says ‘up,’ Weiss isn’t going to know whether she’s supposed to put her hands up or step on Ruby’s hands for a confidence boost.

Huh...unintended consequences, but Weiss is smart.  She’ll figure it out.

With the confidence boost completed, we can move on to the hunt!  And, in case you were worried that something would go wrong, I put in a bit of foreshadowing for you:

This wasn’t going to be a repeat of last time because this wasn’t last time.  They’d all changed since that day.

That’s foreshadowing, right?  I’ve never looked up the exact definition, but I think that’s right.  And so much has changed since the first hunt they went on (in this story).  We saw the first hunt through Ruby’s POV - feeling her excitement to be out there - but it wasn’t until Chapter 41 that I slipped in some additional details about how Weiss felt during the hunt:

Seeing Thorn on Ruby’s hand was now reassuring, not terrifying.  And she wasn’t silently cursing Yang for taking unnecessary risks with Ruby’s life.  She understood why Blake was watching her - just like the last time...she was checking Weiss’ mental state and calculating how much attention might need to be diverted from their ultimate goal in order to prevent her from becoming a handicap.

I think we all probably knew that Weiss was terrified the first time - mostly because she was hyper-concerned for Ruby’s wellbeing.  We also probably guessed that she was silently cursing Yang the entire way there, because - at that time - it was all Yang’s fault that Ruby wanted to be a huntress again.  

I think Blake’s role in this is most interesting, and it’s a role she’s played at several different points throughout the story, not just these two hunts.  She did the same thing when they were at Beacon before The Invite began, when Yang still expected Weiss to tell Ruby the truth.  Blake recognized that Weiss was struggling with the decision and that forcing her to tell the truth would do more harm than good.  That’s why Blake talked Yang into giving Weiss a pass (I firmly believe that Blake can convince Yang to do anything if she really tried).

Before the Nevermore hunt begins, we get a couple more connections to the past:

There was a reason why this hunt was marked as a priority - just like last time… 

And:

Ruby was behind Blake, with Weiss third and Yang picking up the rear.  It wasn’t their usual order, but it would work for today.

Weiss can’t help but think about things like this, and she might continue to do so for a long time.  Again, the importance is in how the thoughts affect her, which is...not at all, really.  Whereas ‘the past’ used to be this insurmountable mental hurdle, it’s now just a few noteworthy comments here and there.  Still around, still a big deal, but not worth dwelling on for too long.  At least, not when there are more important matters at hand.

And does anyone remember Team RWBY’s hunt walking order from Chapter...33?  The one with Ruby’s injury?  I’m pretty sure in that chapter, it was Blake leading the way with her superior senses, then Yang/Weiss kind of walking side-by-side, and Ruby bringing up the rear.  

Don’t worry, Ruby will get her spot at the end of the line back eventually!  She just needs a little more practice first (from the next chapter, we know that this probably won’t take much time at all).

Ok, I’m going to claim this as an Easter egg without verifying it first...

Being a huntress meant facing the darkest and most unspeakable dangers lurking in the forest, but sometimes there were moments such as these - where they encountered beauty that didn't exist inside the walls.

I’m pretty sure that this is the exact same sentiment Blake had in another story of mine - Retribution.  I’m somewhat confident about it, mostly because there are generalities that I use across all stories and I think that’s one of them.  Generalities or ‘themes,’ I guess you could call them.  These are basically feelings or reactions that stay the same from story-to-story - is that a head cannon?  I think it might be, but I’ve never been entirely clear on what that is.

Basically, I think that each member of Team RWBY probably feels this way, because I would feel this way.  They’re risking their lives in the forest, but they’re also traveling through wilderness and all the beauties of a natural landscape.  It’s like going on a hike on a trail that hardly anyone uses, but with people-eating monsters involved!

(Do Grimm eat people, or just kill them?)

(Also, I guess that mountain lions and cougars and stuff are also dangerous and can be found on trails…)

Ok, but the battle with the Nevermores!  To emphasize just how far Weiss has come, I wanted her to be an integral part in Team RWBY’s success today.  Not only that, but I wanted her to feel some sort of pressure to succeed and then overcome it with flying colors.  So...I somehow came up with a way to put the fight almost completely in Weiss’ hands.

This is my favorite fighting scene, mostly because I could see it so clearly and thought it was cool as heck.  Can you just imagine Blake, Yang, and Ruby soaring through the air, dealing tons of destruction while the poor Nevermores try to figure out where they are?  So cool.

But, besides being ‘cool,’ this is a huge growth moment for Weiss.  Her teammates literally put their lives in her hands because they trusted her.  She doesn’t trust herself, but they trust her - this is her moment to prove them right.  Or, in her own words:

It was time to prove that she was still capable of being a member of this team.

The famed Team RWBY...by reputation alone, being a member comes with plenty of pressure to perform well.  Add to that Weiss’ history, and this is a big moment for her.

Of course, Ruby’s right there beside her - so are Blake and Yang:

“I believe in you,” Ruby whispered before looking into Weiss’ eyes and smiling.  “We all do.”

Ruby’s words here bring us back to the inscription she put inside the ring she made for Weiss - ‘Believe.’  They believe in Weiss, now all Weiss needs to do is believe in herself.

There was a brief moment in the battle when Weiss second guessed herself, but that instant was nothing more than a flash in the pan.  She’s stronger than that now.  She’s capable of being the huntress she once was.

I totally want to give her a hug at the end of this chapter, just like Ruby does.  Look at what she’s done, and all she’s accomplished.  From Chapter 1 to now, the difference is night and day.  I guess that was the point of writing this story, but it’s really nice to see this moment come to fruition after so long.  I hope that you felt the payoff was worth the months of trial and anguish you suffered through!

Of course, the payoff continues in a smaller way in Chapter 42 - if you consider payoff to be Ruby and Weiss being adorable with each other.

While Chapter 41 was a pinnacle moment in the story, Chapter 42 is kind of...winding down towards the end.  I guess, in a way, Chapter 41 could’ve been the end, but I wouldn’t do that to you!  We’re going to watch the happy White Rose train pull all the way into the station and disembark.

And that starts with another breakfast, which Weiss cooked again.  

Another ‘theme’ I tend to use is that Weiss learned to cook for Ruby, but she keeps cooking because she likes it.  That shows up fully in this story, especially when Ruby telling us that Weiss looked peaceful while moving about the kitchen.  I like the idea that Weiss found something that relaxes her.  She seems, overall, like a high-strung person, so having a hobby that isn’t too demanding is perfect for her.

(Maybe I should start cooking instead of writing - ha.)

Yang rustling Weiss’ hair also comes back in this chapter, as these two get more comfortable and accepting of each other’s presence.  Remember when they could hardly stay in the same room together?  And how Yang was always on the verge of yelling?  That seems like so long ago.  Now, Yang is rustling Weiss’ hair and tossing pancakes around without a care.  (I feel like that’s such a Yang thing to do, by the way.)

Also, Weiss winks in this chapter!  

I’m actually really conscious about how often the characters wink - I’m not sure why, but I am?  Weiss and Blake don’t wink very often.  I don’t think Ruby ever does.  Yang’s really the only one who winks with any type of frequency.  Weiss and Blake wait until the moment really counts, and then it’s the death blow of attractiveness.

If Ruby doesn’t joke, what does she do?  Well, mostly makes a fool of herself.  Like the ongoing joke with Ruby saying that she needs to learn her and Weiss’ ‘moves.’  This came into existence because I couldn’t figure out how to phrase that without making it sound suggestive.  Maybe that was just me and I made it worse for everyone, but I just can’t read “I need to learn our old moves!” without thinking it sounds suggestive!  So it became a running joke in this story, and I still have no idea how I’d phrase it differently.  Learning their old combat strategies, maybe?

Oh!  There was a little Rush easter egg in this chapter.  It’s pretty obscure, so I wouldn’t expect anyone to have picked it up on the first reading.  When Nora messages Ruby out of the blue, Ruby wonders how Nora got the number and hypothesizes that she just dialed random numbers until she got the right one.

Kind of like how, in Rush, Ruby dialed a whole bunch of random numbers while trying to figure out Weiss’!

Just two girls dialing a bunch of phone numbers trying to find the people they’ve lost touch with…

Although, it seems like Ruby’s number is listed or something, because Professor Ozpin also has it somehow.  His message isn’t going to be discussed much further, but I wanted to talk about it briefly here.  He tells Ruby, ‘When you’re ready, come see me.’  It’s intentionally cryptic because...well, because that seems to be Ozpin in a nutshell, but also because I didn’t want to get into the specifics of it in this story.

The implication behind his message is that there’s a bigger narrative or threat out there in Remnant that he needs Team RWBY’s help with.  If you think about it in this sense, then this entire story is basically a timeout - the time necessary for Ruby to heal and the team to come back together.

Why did I add this little tidbit?  Because I wanted there to be an answer to ‘what next?’ when the story ends.  Do they just keep going on hunts and killing lots of Grimm?  That’s great and all, but I love the idea of a bigger quest or objective they can work towards.  Ozpin will give them that - but again, only once this story is over.  And once Ruby has the ‘confidence to take on the unknown’ as she so aptly puts it.

I imagine that Ruby did have that level of confidence before all of this happened.  She knew her abilities, and she knew her team’s abilities.  They worked so well together, they’d willingly accept any challenge thrown their way.  They’ll get back there, don’t worry!  We might not get to see it firsthand, but that’s where their trajectory is headed, isn’t it?

But first, more breakfasts and training!  For this particular breakfast, can you imagine how happy Yang and Blake are to watch Ruby and Weiss ‘nerd’ out over battle strategies?  I imagine they’re pretty dang happy for things to feel a bit more like they used to.

And, did you notice a little slip-up Ruby made?

“We can try this out at home, right?  There’s gotta be enough space in the backyard to practice this type of stuff.”

She referred to their old house as ‘home’ without realizing it!  You can bet Weiss noticed the use of the term, but Ruby slid right on by without a pause.  (Might I be setting up for something here?  Hmm…)

Additionally, Weiss just quit her job (basically) for Ruby.  And training, but mostly Ruby.  With pesky work out of the way, what can they accomplish?  Also, this paves the way for them spending much more time together in the foreseeable future.  Which, from everything we’ve seen and heard from Ruby, is exactly what she wants.

During the course of writing (and maybe because I write quite often) I sometimes end up using phrases incorrectly.  Such is the case with my new favorite tagline - smooth as a cucumber.  This is another weird mistake that I typed out and then thought to myself - ‘wait a second...that’s not right.’  But I kept it in the story because I thought it was funny, and because it seemed like something Ruby might also do. 

What else might Ruby do?  Slide down the banister to their combat room.  

I thought it was funny that Weiss already explained to us that that’s what Ruby used to do, and now Ruby wants to do it again.  Some things never change, right?

Something else that hasn’t changed - Ruby’s love of Weiss with rosy red cheeks!  

“I have no idea why you liked the cold so much, but at least half of these simulations have snow in them.”

I thought this was an interesting little snippet from Weiss because it shows that she didn’t know everything about the past version of Ruby.  But the current version of Ruby knows the answer because she feels the same way that past Ruby did.  So, in this particular instance, Ruby knows her past self better than Weiss does.  (This is probably the only time this will happen.)

The end of this chapter is the their first attempt (of many) to beat The Horde simulation again.  When Ruby realizes that she’s making Weiss start over again because she doesn’t remember their old combat strategies, Weiss again shows how much she’s changed:

“Starting over isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

Weiss said that!  After an entire year of being distraught over losing her relationship with Ruby, Weiss finally realizes that starting over isn’t necessarily bad.  A challenge?  Sure.  Time-consuming?  Maybe.  But it’s not inherently bad.  (Again, so proud!)

During their battle, I introduced another ‘skill’ that Ruby and Weiss possess - a type of sixth sense tuning into each other’s movements.  Again, this is something the story won’t dive into in much detail, but I wanted to keep them moving forward and rediscovering more and more of what they once had.  This way, we can see that they have a long way to go - but also, damn, they were really skilled before all of this happened.

And they will be again!  Someday soon.

Chapter 42 was actually supposed to be the last real chapter of the story before a couple of epilogue and wrap up chapters, but I felt it would be too fast to have certain moments happen at this time.  So, we have three more chapters that I consider ‘part of the story’ before wrapping up.  I can explain more later, just know that we’re approaching the home stretch, and my favorite section of chapters are coming up.

I can’t wait for you to see what’s going to happen!  I mean, you can probably guess what’s going to happen, but I hope it’s as worthwhile as we’ve all been waiting for!

Until next time,

Miko