RWBY Thread III: Time To Say Goodbye

Stop: So gotta few things that need to be said real quick.
so gotta few things that need to be said real quick.
We get a lot of reports from this thread. A lot of it is just a series of people yelling at each other over arguments that have been rehashed hundreds of times since the end of the recent Volume. And I get that the last Volume - and RWBY in general, really - has some controversial moments that people will want to discuss, argue about, debate, etc.

That's fine. We're not going to stop people from doing that, because that's literally what the point of the thread is. However, there's just a point where it gets to be a bit too much, and arguments about whether or not Ironwood was morally justified in his actions in the recent Volume, or if RWBY and her team were in the right for withholding information from Ironwood out of distrust, or whatever flavor of argument of the day descend into insulting other posters, expressing a demeaning attitude towards other's opinions, and just being overall unpleasant. That tends to happen a lot in this thread. We want it to stop happening in this thread.

So! As of now the thread is in a higher state of moderation. What that means is that any future infractions will result in a weeklong boot from the thread, and repeated offenders will likely be permanently removed. So please, everyone endeavor to actually respect the other's arguments, and even if you strongly disagree with them please stay civil and mindful when it comes to responding to others.

In addition, users should refrain from talking about off-site users in the thread. Bear in mind that this does not mean that you cannot continue to post tumblr posts, for example, that add onto the discussion in the thread, with the caveat that it's related to RWBY of course. But any objections to offsite users in the thread should be handled via PM, or they'll be treated as thread violations and infracted as such.
 
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I mean, at least some of those probably were retcons. We've already got confirmation that the Maidens were, after all. Retcons happen, and they're not an inherently bad thing, either. But I doubt that all of those are retcons, and we don't know enough either way about some of them for anyone to be able to say conclusively, "This is definitely/definitely isn't a retcon."
 
I mean, at least some of those probably were retcons. We've already got confirmation that the Maidens were, after all. Retcons happen, and they're not an inherently bad thing, either. But I doubt that all of those are retcons, and we don't know enough either way about some of them for anyone to be able to say conclusively, "This is definitely/definitely isn't a retcon."
Cinder dipping into the Dust reserves post the Maiden retcon is also still justifiable with Cinder was going up against people who know about the Maiden and wants to hide that they're dealing with one of Salem's servants in general and the one who's after Amber specifically at that point.
 
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Yeah. Before that, though, I just thought they were trying to cut off Dust supplies so that when it comes time for the invasion, Vale wouldn't be able to defend themselves properly.

Well, that could also work, though it wasn't really seen or hinted at in-series except for Roman mentioning that Dust prices were "through the roof." Not that RWBY has ever been a show overly concerned with showing the logistics of how their world functions. Not that most shows in this vein are anyway, and I get why we don't get to see that, but it would still be nice.

Also, I kind of doubt that that one in particular is a retcon because I rather doubt that Cinder seriously needs entire tankers full of Dust just to sew into clothes (jokes about the size of her closet and shopping habits here).

Personally, I think people who want to write fanfiction or quests or anything for RWBY can and should liberally dip into these ideas and concepts that got retconned out or scrapped for time, like the thing I mentioned before with the Atlesian Paladins being on the train to get rid of rubble and blockages on the way through the track, or the Sun & Neptune vs Pyrrha & Nora fight in the tournament.
 
Cinder's powers are never consistent. In Season 1 it's fire manipulation, then in Season 2 it's dust clothing and glass manipulation, then in Season 3 she's got a magical reforming bow-and-arrow and a Grimm bug with Rogue powers that allow her to steal the energy of someone who has Storm powers which somehow make her into a Z-fighter, then it's back to just fire in Season 4, and then in Season 5 she's now got the Z-fighter powers back along with an evil Grimm arm. Pick a power and stick to it, FFS. It's not like you can't introduce new villainous minions to have new and stronger powers.
 
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Cinder's powers are never consistent. In Season 1 it's fire manipulation, then in Season 2 it's dust clothing and glass manipulation, then in Season 3 she's got a magical reforming bow-and-arrow and a Grimm bug with Rogue powers that allow her to steal the energy of someone who has Storm powers which somehow make her into a Z-fighter, then it's back to just fire in Season 4, and then in Season 5 she's now got the Z-fighter powers back along with an evil Grimm arm. Pick a power and stick to it, FFS. It's not like you can't introduce new villainous minions to have new and stronger powers.
What? Her powers are not changing constantly. She has Fire Dust in her clothes, Glass Manipulation (which is how she creates the bow and arrows), and her Maiden powers.
 
What? Her powers are not changing constantly. She has Fire Dust in her clothes, Glass Manipulation (which is how she creates the bow and arrows), and her Maiden powers.
Well they sort of are.
in Season 1 we see her with only Fire Manipulation based powers
Season 2 we see her with Glass manipulation(which is apparently her super heating dust into glass via the maiden powers so again a sort of retcon) and remember the whole maiden aspect has not been fully formed yet since it was in the middle of this season that Monty decided to create them
Season 3 she as the aforementioned Maiden powers to possibly explain her earlier fire manipulation based powers instead of the original in which she supposedly had Dust Mage abilities which are possibly similar to Glynda's since her powers are just as varied as Cinders to a certain extent.
 
in Season 1 we see her with only Fire Manipulation based powers
Season 2 we see her with Glass manipulation(which is apparently her super heating dust into glass via the maiden powers so again a sort of retcon) and remember the whole maiden aspect has not been fully formed yet since it was in the middle of this season that Monty decided to create them
Season 3 she as the aforementioned Maiden powers to possibly explain her earlier fire manipulation based powers instead of the original she supposedly had Dust Mage abilities which are possibly similar to Glynda's since her powers are just as varied as Cinders to a certain extent.
No we just didn't know her power set until late season 3.
Assumtpions about her powers being 'proven' wrong isn't a retcon.
 
in Season 1 we see her with only Fire Manipulation based powers

In a single fight scene which takes place entirely from range and in which she actually fights for less than a minute. And which was made simply because Monty felt like having a fight scene here where Glynda made telepathic snake-rocks (no joke, he describes it as happening exactly like that). Not exactly a huge sample size.

And, in hindsight, what happens is, well look:


Fiery projectile that leaves some kind of residue which is then used to create an explosion from the ground, which the camera makes sure to let you see. She then shoots several solid-seeming fiery projectiles to try to knock Glynda's debris-spears out of the air, and then she waves her hands with weird symbols appearing and shatters all the debris into floating, glowing bits of ash and dust.

It's pretty apparent in hindsight where Cinder's use of her Semblance and Dust factor into this fight, and I can speak similarly about Volume 2 and 3.
 
No we just didn't know her power set until late season 3.
Assumtpions about her powers being 'proven' wrong isn't a retcon.
Yes and no,

I mean we see through out the seasons that with the exception of Weiss's glyphs/summoning since even Winter mentions that is unique to there family bloodline each character has only shown one power, Ruby has her Speed/Ren his emotion cloak/Pyrrha has Magnetism/Yang has her damage sponge strength booster/Blake has her clones which she can manipulate to an extent with Dust/Nora her lightning absorption/Qrow his bad luck powers/Raven(before we found out about the Maiden powers)had portals.

So really they all have one power and it wasn't that much to assume the same was for Cinder until we learn later on about the Maiden powers.
 
So really they all have one power and it wasn't that much to assume the same was for Cinder until we learn later on about the Maiden powers.
Except even before the Maidens were mentioned, putting Dust in your clothes was mentioned as an "age-old technique". So the powers she had displayed so far (Glass and Fire) are not that weird for her to have.
 
Except even before the Maidens were mentioned, putting Dust in your clothes was mentioned as an "age-old technique". So the powers she had displayed so far (Glass and Fire) are not that weird for her to have.

For the longest time, BTW, I was convinced that she was using some kind of Lava Dust made from Fire and Earth and that her glass was obsidian, i.e. volcanic glass.
 
Except even before the Maidens were mentioned, putting Dust in your clothes was mentioned as an "age-old technique". So the powers she had displayed so far (Glass and Fire) are not that weird for her to have.
So wait, now we have another plot hole or at least something that needs to be addressed, if putting dust in your clothes can grant you more power then why hasn't there been a booming business for dust threaded clothes or at least the Atlas military incorporating it into there uniforms/armor or even Huntsmen clothing to give them a greater chance against the Grimm? I mean is there a reason that they don't or is it something else entirely?
 
So wait, now we have another plot hole or at least something that needs to be addressed, if putting dust in your clothes can grant you more power then why hasn't there been a booming business for dust threaded clothes or at least the Atlas military incorporating it into there uniforms or even Huntsmen clothes to give them a greater chance against the Grimm? I mean is there a reason that they don't or is it something else entirely?

Same reason the Atlesian military doesn't just equip them with a bunch of Dust crystals: that stuff takes a lot of actual skill and expertise to use because you're directly manipulating Dust instead of just putting it in a bullet and then pulling a trigger.
 
Wait, how does putting Dust in clothes enhance someone's powers? I thought they were supposed to be phlebotinum for offensive purposes in combat, not defensive. Doesn't seem very bright to take magic crystals that can light on fire upon contact with attacks fueled by other magic crystals or Aura and weave them into your outfits.
 
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Wait, how does putting Dust in clothes enhance someone's powers? I thought they were supposed to be phlebotinum for offensive purposes in combat, not defensive.

Look at the above video. Weaving Dust into clothing lets you use it directly, with all the increased versatility over just firing it as a bullet that that implies, without having to actually carry it around on a crystal or in a vial or what-have-you.
 
Look at the above video. Weaving Dust into clothing lets you use it directly, with all the increased versatility over just firing it as a bullet that that implies, without having to actually carry it around on a crystal or in a vial or what-have-you.
So putting dust in your clothes lets you conjure fire from your hands? Bleh, must have something to do with Aura.
 
So putting dust in your clothes lets you conjure fire from your hands? Bleh, must have something to do with Aura.

"From airships to androids, Dust has made its way into practically every facet of technology. Some prefer to use Dust in its raw form: elegant, yet destructive. Those who choose to wield Dust in this state must posses a certain level of discipline, to ensure that their resulting powers do not break free from their control.

"Dust ammunition serves as a more practical application in today's modern society. With the technological advancements in weapon design, warriors need merely choose the right cartridge for the job and pull the trigger.

"While this has become the standard method of use, it is not uncommon to find individuals still practicing more archaic forms of Dust manipulation, such as weaving it into clothing or even fusing it directly with their own bodies." - World of Remnant: Dust
 
So theoretically, this would mean that anybody can shoot fireballs and electricity from their hands or eyes, but only Cinder can form fireballs into obsidian weapons.

Wait, doesn't that also mean that Nora can be completely self-reliant with her electricity powers just by keeping a bunch of electricity crystals on her? Has that been applied in any fanfics?
 
So theoretically, this would mean that anybody can shoot fireballs and electricity from their hands or eyes, but only Cinder can form fireballs into obsidian weapons.

Wait, doesn't that also mean that Nora can be completely self-reliant with her electricity powers just by keeping a bunch of electricity crystals on her? Has that been applied in any fanfics?
It's applied twice in the show. Once when Ruby shoots Nora with a Dust bullet, and the other when Nora uses Hazel's fighting style against him.
 
So putting dust in your clothes lets you conjure fire from your hands? Bleh, must have something to do with Aura.
Well yes. They say so. Straight out. Raw Dust crystals can be manipulated directly with Aura, it just takes a lot of skill and mental discipline. Weaving Dust into clothes is basically just a convenient way to always have that raw Dust on hand. Seriously, how is this surprising to you? We see Weiss throwing around waves of fire and ice with her sword, Amber had a flamethrower and windblower staff just by sticking two crystals on them. Leo had that shield that let him shoot waves of fire and burning boulders, etc. Blake went from only making clones to being able to make fire clones, rock clones, ice clones, etc when she got her hands on Dust ammunition. The show has always been clear on the fact that Dust can give people additional elemental powers if they know how to use it. It's basically like Materia from Final Fantasy 7.
 
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