friendly reminder that stags are literally the most handsome beings on the planet, and as a doe, I for one can not wait for stags to realize how powerful and amazing they are.
Who is really at fault for what happened at Argus?
Needless to say, the debate about whether Team RWBY and Co were right or whether Cordovin was right has caused a bit of a debate.
However, I find that looking at it that way as one side having to shoulder all of the blame vs the other correct side removes a lot of nuance and the thoughts behind each action. Each side had their own reasons for making the choices that they did and those choices may not have been entirely correct with different consequences to each.
So, with this, let’s look at the choices from both sides that lead up to this point. Also known as another episode of Regalia rambling.
"Couldn’t they have come up with a better plan than stealing a military ship?”
Arguably, yes, they could have come up with a better plan, this is what happens when you leave a group of teenagers and an old lady in charge of a dire and dangerous situation. Sometimes in a desperate situation, the dumb and crazy idea is all you have.
They tried asking Cordovin if they could get to Atlas, which, to any situation or plea, Cordovin said “No”. Understandable, their ports are closed and yes, she could have just left it at, “No we cannot help you, our ports are closed, no one is going out under any circumstance.”
and the only circumstance Cordovin would allow is Weiss returning to Atlas on her own... Which, given that Weiss had to smuggle herself out of Atlas, it’s understandable that she nor the group want to go back alone. Because once Weiss is gone, they will have no way of reaching or contacting her, she will be alone on a military ship with a lamp that attracts Grimm, and chances are, Jacques wouldn’t allow her to speak with Ironwood at all and would have her put right back under lock and key.
If the team went with that plan and Weiss found herself in danger, it would be SOL for everyone, especially given they would have no idea what even happened to Weiss because she wouldn’t be able to reach them. It’s understandable neither team RBY and Co or Weiss herself wants to go through with that plan because there is no way back out for Weiss and we know what Jacques could do to her.
Given the stress and direness of the situation, it’s only natural they eventually ended up going with stealing the ship... But it wasn’t their first choice. Before making that decision... Let’s go over the things that happened leading up to it.
They find out Ozpin is hiding a very dangerous secret about Salem’s presumed immortality and naturally, in their anger, tear him a new one and he retreats back into Oscar’s mind.
They find a house and Qrow grabs himself a drink and ends up oversleeping and not waking the group up on time.
In his frustration of dealing with the tire, he goes and gets himself another drink.
Team RWBY and Maria end up fighting for their lives against the Apathy while Qrow was busy being drunk. If not for Maria, team RWBY would have died right under his nose... almost literally.
He had to be dragged away from the bar and it was only while the house was going up in flames that he realized the kind of danger they had been in while he was drunk.
Rather than deciding to drop the drink, he gets another one when they arrive in Argus.
Oscar vanishes and it sends the group into a panic, while they are out looking for him Qrow is passed out drunk... on the stairs... in public.
Needless to say, Qrow has caused more issues and grief for the group more than Maria or Ozpin. Ozpin’s worst crime is holding a secret and Qrow has been a hindrance to the group’s efforts and an unnecessary source of stress.
When Jaune brought up stealing a military airship everyone looked at him like he had straight lost his mind. Even they thought it was a dumb idea... but no one had anything else.
Sometimes when you have nothing else, the dumb idea is what you have to go with.
But what does Qrow do? He immediately shoots down the idea as worthless and something they wouldn’t be able to pull off. Which, in hindsight, he was right... They didn’t really pull it off and it went just about as well as he expected.
However, rather than assuming the reasonable adult position and sitting down with the team and saying “Let’s come up with a better plan.” what does he do?
He’s about to march right back to his room after shooting down the only other idea they had for getting to Atlas after the ones they had tried were exhausted either to mope around, sleep off his hangover, or get drunk some more.
In either case, even though he is technically correct... He’s been more of a hindrance to the group than even Ozpin whose worst offense was keeping a secret and retreating into the back of Oscar’s mind. Someone who doesn’t help but neither actively hinders the group is better than the person who is an actual hindrance.
So naturally, Ruby (and I assume the others as well, but the focus is on Ruby) is fed up with this and wants to hear Jaune out. Whether it is just pure defiance and teenage rebellion or desperation and stress of the situation they’ve been put in is a different analysis altogether, especially given Rubys mentions of not needing adults. Be on the lookout for that episode.
At the end of the day, they ended up stealing the ship and given that they had Saphron and Terra’s help, they likely discussed the plan in further detail so they weren’t running entirely blind into the situation.
Were they right to steal the ship in the first place? No. But they exhausted the other options they had seen because the only way to Atlas, is by an airship.
Naturally, upon finding out the ship has been hijacked, Cordovin goes to stop them.
Is she right to do so? Absolutely.
But her methods were incorrect.
You see, you can be correct in what you are doing or what you intend to do, but go about it in the wrong way.
Cordovin went about it in the wrong way. Just like the question about whether or not team RWBY and Co could have come up with a better plan... Could Cordovin have come up with a better plan for stopping them?
Yes.
With the reveal of this episode especially, it showed that they had more airships... Several more airships.
She could have easily sent more airships out after them and given that the people of Argus live near a military base, it likely wouldn’t have caused any measure of panic or concern. They probably see ships flying in and out daily, what’s seeing two or three more fly after another ship? They’ll probably just assume they’re doing a drill or carrying cargo or something or maybe there was a Grimm spotted and they sent out ships to assess and take care of the situation.
No big deal.
But what does she do instead? Break out this huge mecha that undoubtedly caused the people of Argus to panic.
The panic wasn’t caused by team RWBY and Co stealing the airship... but the huge mecha coming out of the ground after all of the shit Atlas got from what happened at Beacon.
The people of Argus aren’t paying attention to the airship... but they are paying attention to that huge mecha that was likely not public knowledge and not to mention, absolutely hidden from public view. They do not see that thing all the time.
Where Cordovin is wrong isn’t in trying to stop them from stealing the ship, but rather the methods that she takes to do so... Because needless to say, that mecha isn’t for handling stolen ships.
She brought it out not because she thought a group of teenagers, a drunk, and an old lady were a genuine threat to Argus safety... but because she felt like they had tricked them and her pride got in the way of her thinking clearly and felt that they needed to be shown Atlas’s might so they would never underestimate Atlas again.
Her thought process and actions have little to do with protecting the people of Argus and trying to retrieve a stolen ship... but wanting the group to surrender and recognize how great Atlas is.
While you can say that it is team RWBY’s fault that Cordovin broke out a huge mech... It really isn’t considering Cordovin had other options to choose from before getting to the mecha... The huge mech, intended for taking down huge Grimm like the Leviathan and not chasing after a group of teenagers and two adults.
It was disproportionate to the situation. It’s like responding to some kids breaking your window by burning down the entire block.
Should you stop them from breaking your window? Yes. Are you right to have them pay for fixing the window? Yes. Are you right by burning down the entire block in response to them having broken the window? No.
While Cordovin was right to try to stop them and right to try to arrest the group, the way she did about it is arguably the worst way possible.
Team RWBY and Co should be blamed for stealing the ship, yes, but they shouldn’t be blamed for Cordovin’s disproportionate reaction to the situation and the resulting damage.
Even though it was Ruby who broke the mecha, Cordovin was arguably willing to kill them by using a huge mecha because they stole the airship. She was going to use a cannon to kill a group of teenagers, an old lady, and a drunk who were of no immediate threat to the people of Argus... The people she was sworn to protect.
The result is that the mecha got damaged and she was stuck in the water when the Leviathan surfaced along with the horde of Grimm that her military base had been fighting off while she was busying flaunting her power around.
Cordovin’s actions caused more damage and panic than what Team RWBY and co did. So while Cordovin was right to stop them yes, Team RWBY isn’t responsible for the fact that Cordovin’s actions ended up causing more damage and panic than they did.
It’s like blaming the kids who broke your window for you burning down the block because burning down the block was in response to the actions of the kids.
Just because your actions and choices are in response to someone else’s, doesn’t mean that the actions and choices you made were correct... Even if your intentions were correct. Cordovin had the right intention on stopping them... Just not the correct method in stopping them.
And it was her choice that ended up putting the people of Argus in more danger and causing the destruction and rise of the Leviathan. Team RWBY’s choice of stealing the airship didn’t cause immediate danger or panic for the people of Argus. It was Cordovin bringing out a huge mech to deal with the choice team RWBY made.
But naturally, RWBY and Co feel terrible about this. They feel bad that they broke the only thing that could fight off that Leviathan... So naturally, they do what they can to make it right but putting themselves in danger and risking their plan of not going to Atlas falling apart. Even though they could have easily made it to Atlas in all of the chaos, they didn’t want to leave helpless people in danger and that shows even though they stole an airship, they didn’t actually want people in danger.
So they did the right thing and helped them fight back even though they were considered hostile... and Cordovin came to her senses about what she was sworn to do rather than her pride in the atlas military. Cordovin’s change of heart is a bit of an analysis in its own right. So I’ll save that for another time. Be on the lookout for that episode as well.
But to keep it brief, Team RWBY and Co didn’t point fingers or blame people for their actions whereas Cordovin did.
At the end of the day... Team RWBY is at fault for stealing the ship... However, Cordovin is at fault for the resulting damage and panic at Argus. Either side is truly blameless for the situation, but one Cordovin’s actions caused more damage than the others... even if those actions were in response to some teenagers stealing a ship.
Both sides had the right intentions, Team RWBY and Co were trying to fulfill their mission of getting the lamp somewhere safe and Cordovin in her attempts to stop them because they did commit an illegal act. But, they were wrong in their methods... Which naturally, both realized as well.
I know gender is hard and confusing, especially if you’re trans or nb. Especially as a woman it may feel as though your body isn’t yours, your hair isn’t yours, your skin isn’t yours. I want to let all the does, tomcats, and stag out there know that you are not alone. There will always be people that try to police us, that try to get us to look like them.
But we are powerful. We are revolutionary, and we are beautiful. So if you want to dye your hair or cut it all off, this is YOUR body this is YOUR life. Your hair will come back if you need it to, I promise you the freedom of self expression is worth it. There’s nothing like being yourself, looking and dressing the way you want when you want.
To the does, I know it may feel alienating. Like you blend in with all the straight people who don’t see the world like you do, but your femininity is so powerful. I promise you that you are lifting up the whole community. Stand behind our stags and tomcats, and we will walk towards the future as lovers, siblings, and fighters.
To the tomcats, you are so daring. I know it can be hard, not seeing yourself as you are. You are so underrepresented, but I promise you that we all think you’re the bravest of us all. Walk with pride, and know that we’re behind you.
To the stags, you may have it the hardest of us. The world isn’t kind to women who stray from feminity, but know that we’re here for you. The does will hold your hand and the tomcats have your back. You are so strong, much stronger than you know. You are not alone.
Hey guys this is mod regalia, I really hate to do this but I need about 20$ for gas so that I can get to work. I was supposed to get my paycheck today but hr fucked up and it wont come until monday but i still have to work over the weekend. Any help is REALLY appreciated.
paypal.com/gridmark
my venmo is regawia
Needless to say, this was one of the most exciting episodes so far this volume.
Firstly, we got to see the teamwork between RWBY and Co. Just between Ruby and Weiss, it shows have far they’ve come since season one and even Yang and Blake.
At first, Ruby had to be dragged off and near constantly scolded by Weiss when they were in danger while Weiss always doubted Ruby’s plans and leadership. Now, we can see that they fully trust and rely on each other. Weiss goes along with the plans and is far less calculating or “tactical” with how she tries to fight while Ruby has more confidence as a leader and her plans are far more in-depth than they were in volume one.
With Yang and Blake, Blake is showing the confidence to actually rely on others, something she didn’t have in volume one. Even when she was trying to get away from him and back to Yang when she heard Yang’s bike coming she had faith in her partner right then and there and Volume one Blake would have never held someone’s hand or showed that level of trust in them.
During the fight, you could tell how even Yang herself changed. She didn’t immediately go for her semblance and her combos don’t rely on punching her enemy in the face as hard as possible. She maneuvers around them, uses kicks and punches, and is careful to not just tank however much damage she can before dealing it back, which was incredibly useful considering Adams’ semblance was similar to hers… except that he wasn’t able to feel pain while she could.
It also shows a contrast between Yang and Adam’s character. Both of them are powerhouses, both of them can dish out whatever damage they absorb, both fairly hotheaded, etc. But the difference comes in with how they both handle it.
Yang fights because she enjoyed it and has now learned to actually control her temper and most of all… She actually cares about the pain she can inflict on others because she can actually feel pain herself.
Whereas Adam on the other hand, his temper has grown uncontrollably and he doesn’t care for what damage he does to others, because he can’t feel it himself.
It’s almost like empathy vs apathy and I love how perfectly the fight between them demonstrates it.
You can also still see that the trauma from Yang and Adam’s initial fight still affects her by how her hands and harms tremble, and yet, she powers through it because she has someone she wants to protect whereas Adam uses his powers to destroy anything in his way.
I also rather liked how they did the reveal of Adam’s eye. It was so simple yet so effective in showing just why he became such a hateful person and why he targeted the Schnee Dust Company. he was branded by them, permanently and likely had his eye permanently damaged by it. It’s a very specific scar that can’t be erased or undone.
Overall, there isn’t much bad I can actually say about this episode. It felt well paced and action packed without coming at the cost of the story. CRWBY has really stepped up their game in terms of fight choreography since Monty has passed and it shows. I’m sure he’d be proud of where they are now.
I'm hesitant to check out the Adam character short because Adam is terrible. Think you could give us the rundown?
Personally, I think the trailer gives some insight on just how Adam became like this. I feel like it was just what was needed to actually show how he became the twisted, abusive person he is now.
Under the cut are potential spoilers.
The trailer shows that Adam was not always like this. Under Ghira, he killed someone because it was necessary... Given they were going to likely kill Ghira. It was an accident, he bit too much and force to get them to stop and it killed them. Ghira was going to scold him for this but Sienna stopped it, effectively praising Adam for doing what needed to be done... even if it was taking a life.
Under Sienna, Adam began to see that killing humans was a necessity. He was praised for doing it, so he kept doing it... Even in times where it wasn’t necessary (such as when Sienna stopped him). Ultimately, it was Sienna who unintentionally brought him down the path by praising him for killing someone and then realized too late that it was out of control.
He viewed killing even innocent people as something that was necessary. Killing had become second nature, it was something he didn’t even have to consider doing anymore... It was just something he did.
It highlighted just how one moment... one praise for doing something can lead someone down a dark path. Had Sienna not chastised Ghira and then praised Adam for killing someone, it’s likely that Adam would have been a very different person than he is today, especially given that Sienna didn’t realize that Adam was going too far with his views and methods until it was too late... and he viewed killing her, someone who once praised him for killing humans, as a necessity.
It showed his fall from grace... Starting with his first kill.
What was your favorite V5 fight? Mine was Yang vs the bandits. Think you could do an analysis of that, if you haven't already?
The fight with Yang and the bandits really reminded me of her Yellow Trailer. Granted, she wasn’t as cheerful or gleeful while fighting this time compared to her trailer, it shows that she got some of her fire back.
She’s angry. However, her anger now compared to her yellow trailer is far more controlled and intimidatingly tranquil. She doesn’t blow up and start steamrolling through them. She played freakishly well to her strength and during the last fight where she used her guns to propel herself forward, it’s super close to what she did to Junior during the Yellow trailer but at the last moment, she vaults over him and punching the guy into someone else.
That moment shows just how much she’s grown as a fighter. She isn’t trying to just power through everything anymore, she’s actually considering different techniques and ways of fighting that don’t rely on her semblance. Even though her hand starts shaking at the end of the fight, showing that she still has some trouble adapting and getting over the PTSD she developed as a result of volume 3 through 4.
It isn’t a total analysis over the choreography and all of the small details, but the fight with Yang and the bandits is similar to when she stormed Junior’s club, and it shows just how far she’s come and changed as a fighter.
