Weiss & Gambol Shroud

Weiss & Gambol Shroud

“And I’ll always find you, again and again…

And I’ll lose you every time.”

(song: Immortal by Reinaeiry)

I think Weiss might be the one to bridge between Ruby and Blake, and push them to go after Yang together.

So here’s where my mind’s at now: though I consider Yang to be the heart of the team, I’ve always been under the impression Weiss has been slowly adapting a similar role as well. Not by replacing Yang, but rather, as she establishes RWBY as her family not by blood, she tethers themselves to her. It happens individually, we see her learning to accept Ruby in Beacon, accept Blake despite her prejudice, and (though more subtly) accept Yang’s friendship. And with each of them it’s not just what they can give her, there’s always a payback, Weiss wants every tether to be two-ways. When Weiss was accepted by RWBY, Weiss made good on her promise to support them back. Weiss told Ruby she’s going to be the best teammate ever, told Blake she’s going to change the SDC from the inside. Weiss even takes the role of a semi-support fighter in the team.

In a way, Weiss’s family arc completes Yang. Thus far, I feel like a lot of Weiss’s story has been about accepting the support of team RWBY behind her, from Volume 1 when struggling against the confines of her identity as Schnee, all the way to Volume 7 where she actively confronts Jacques and the rest of the Schnee family. In contrast, a lot of Yang’s family arc was to give so much to her family without knowing on how to rely on them in return. And I think it says a lot, that one of the most notable times Yang confesses the need to rely on someone else, is in the presence of Weiss.

When Weiss saw Jacques again in Volume 7, she had RWBY to stand with her, to face her fears. And the trust and support team RWBY gave her - she brought it to her family by blood. It was Weiss that put Jacques behind bars, it was Weiss that decided to try and heal her broken home, to give her brother a chance despite his harmful words, to give her mother a chance despite her neglectful nature, to accept a call from her sister when she was lost and had to find an ally. Weiss took the broken pieces and stitched them together, threw out the prickly bits and put them in the trash, and it’s poetic, isn’t it, that Weiss who was always shackled by her surname will lift those shackles and reinvent the Schnee name - not in the name of a company or a legacy, but in the name of something smaller and more honest - a true family.

And I go back to the last episode, where Blake (her family) wants to run off that cliff after Yang, and I wonder again - why Weiss? Why is it Weiss that needs to stop Blake, why is it Weiss that had to see Yang break down, what’s the meaning, where does it go?

Ruby needs Weiss too, I think to myself. Ruby was always comforted by her sister, and in the manor even by Blake, and Ruby (her family) is so lost, so alone, so afraid of failure, does she freeze, what does she do next Yang isn’t here but her plan already failed it’s my fault how does she take the next step? And I think now it will be Weiss’s turn to talk with Ruby.

Weiss, I think, will give them the final push. Weiss will push them to find a way, not to lose herself in rage like Blake wants to, not to freeze in the face of uncertainty like Ruby almost wants to. Weiss will tell them to go after their teammate, but they’ll have to be smart about, they’ll have to do it together as a team. As a family.

They’ll jump after Yang (her family).

Do love me some feral Blake but at what cost

ruby lost her big sister, the one person who’s always been there for her no matter what and not only gave up her own childhood to raise and take care of her, but now who sacrificed herself and gave her life to protect her.

weiss lost her best friend, one of the first people who never gave up on her despite her cold exterior and broke down her walls and found the girl underneath, who just wanted a real family, a family that yang was a part of.

blake lost the love of her life, her partner and the person who helped her overcome her biggest demon and find herself again, learn what loving and caring for another person and getting that in return is like.

barbara was right, yang is the heart of team rwby. and her loss (albeit not permanent) is traumatizing and agonizing and painful for every single one of them.

original post here.