RWBY Thoughts is a parody series based off of RWBY. It's by Crumbling Cube and can be viewed on this
YouTube playlist.
The series takes scenes from the cartoon and dubs in comedic thoughts that the characters are thinking throughout the scene. Each short focuses on a specific character.
RWBY Thoughts provides examples of:
- Actor Allusion: None towards the voice actors for this series, but for the main show. In What Ruby REALLY Thinks of Volume 7, Ruby pokes fun at Robyn's well-known voice actress, Cristina Vee.Ruby (Thoughts): "Not good at public speaking"? Lady, with a voice like that, you could be a voice actor!
- Adaptational Jerkass: Downplayed with Ozpin; he is still the world-weary man who values the safety of RWBY, JNR, and those in his inner circle, but he's not above making racist remarks towards Blake.
- In addition to being a lot more sarcastic in his thoughts, Oscar shares the mild racist streak towards Blake as well.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Downplayed with Raven. She is still the selfish Social Darwinist in-canon, but her thoughts further insinuate (and back up her occasional in-canon cameo appearances as a bird) that deep down, she cared about Yang's well-being to an extent and considered Summer a friend— and before Yang picked apart her plan to take the Relic of Knowledge and disappear with her tribe, Raven saw this action as part of protecting her from Salem despite her fear.
- Batman Gambit: In What Ironwood and Watts REALLY Think of Each Other, Watts implies that he did a villainous version of this when he counted his bullets, in order to get Ironwood to drop his guard during their gun fight.Ironwood (Thoughts): You know I can hear you counting, right?Watts (Thoughts): You fool. I wanted you to hear me count.
- Censored for Comedy: As a shot at Youtube's strict and often misapplied standards, people Holding Hands is sometimes pixellated or censored with a box saying "too lewd for Youtube".
- Chick Magnet: When Ilia reveals she's in love with Blake, Blake internally tells her to get in line, "competition's pretty stiff".
- Covert Pervert: Ironwood putting Watts in a chokehold in What Watts REALLY Thinks of Ironwood results in a... interesting internal outburst from Watts.Watts (Thoughts): CHOKE ME, DADDY! ...Oh Gods... what was that? Ugh, I sincerely hope that wasn't an awakening of some sort... Please don't kink-shame me for that.
- Oscar has some elements of this, though not as blatantly as Watts. He's a teenage boy, after all. Hormones come with the territory, as does staring at Yang's rear.
- Deadpan Snarker: Oscar's thoughts are generally portrayed this way as he inwardly reacts to RWBY and JNR's shenanigans, the burgeoning issue of having his identity overridden, and Ozpin's shady antics.
- Digging Yourself Deeper: Sun, in spite of realizing how much trouble his words are getting him into with Ghira, ends up doing this when trying to both clarify his remarks about Blake, salvage the conversation and save face.
- Didn't Think This Through:
- Crumbling Cube's co-owner Aerwrek stated his video Would Ironwood's Plan REALLY Work? that, even ignoring the massive losses of life due to Mantle's abandonment, his plan of hiding Atlas away from Salem and the Grimm using the Staff of Creation would not work in the long run, as Atlas would be unable to maintain water and Dust resources at such a high altitude, reducing food, fuel and ammunition resources as well. Downplayed in that, as Aerwrek ALSO pointed out, the other alternatives that were available weren't any better anyway, due to how well
Salem played the situation.
- Crumbling Cube's co-owner Aerwrek stated his video Would Ironwood's Plan REALLY Work? that, even ignoring the massive losses of life due to Mantle's abandonment, his plan of hiding Atlas away from Salem and the Grimm using the Staff of Creation would not work in the long run, as Atlas would be unable to maintain water and Dust resources at such a high altitude, reducing food, fuel and ammunition resources as well. Downplayed in that, as Aerwrek ALSO pointed out, the other alternatives that were available weren't any better anyway, due to how well
- Double Standard: Qrow and Winter, in a moment of Leaning on the Fourth Wall during What Qrow and Winter REALLY Think Of Each Other, have some... differing priorities on what part of their fight would be appropriate for the younger audience members.Qrow (Thoughts): (notices Winter on top of his shotgun-scythe) This is a euphemism for something here, but I've been told to keep this fight family-friendly.Winter (Thoughts): (while focused on the fight) I do enjoy being on top of things. Now I hope you enjoy the taste OF MY BOOT!
- Dramatic Irony: In What Watts REALLY Thinks of Ironwood Watts final thoughts are on how he cant wait to see Ironwood burn. In Volume 8 Watts dies via being trapped in the burning Atlas Command Center.
- Due to the Dead: Despite all the pain and torture Hazel put him through, Oscar saw his Heel–Face Turn was legitimate and, following his Heroic Sacrifice to allow Oscar to blast Salem, thanks him before firing the blast.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Played for laughs when Salem's fine with torturing Oscar but won't be creepy towards him, even if he does share a body with her ex-husband.Salem: I'm evil, not a monster.
- General Failure: Oscar calls Ironwood out on this in What Oscar Really Thinks of Getting Shot, angrily detailing how abandoning Mantle is a terrible strategy and will lead to a Pyrrhic Victory. At best.Oscar: Who the f*** gave you a general's rank!?
- Which was foreshadowed in What Oscar Really Thinks of Ruby, where Oscar calls Ironwood in making the air fleet the primary line of defense against Grimm, despite knowing that the fleet would be unable to operate in an urban environment, i.e. Mantle.
Oscar: You mean our primary means of defense is shockingly ineffective against our main enemy? Who is running this army?! Oh wait, it's you, general. - Gloomy Gray: Starting in Volume 5, Qrow's videos are completely in monochrome rather than just having the thoughts be monochrome, to compliment his Private Eye Monologue. In Volume 7, it starts being used to symbolize his mental state overall: the videos shift into color again when Clover reveals his Semblance, Clover's death is accompanied by the color draining out of the picture, and when he's in prison it's back in monochrome, but a little color starts to seep back in when he opens up to Robyn. Following the conclusion of Volume 8, Ruby and Yang's situation leads the monochrome to intensify.
- Glory Hound: Dr. Watts' inner thoughts reveal that while Ironwood claimed to give him everything he could want, that only extended to money and resources. His accomplishments were always attributed to Atlas itself, never Watts personally. So he decided to throw his lot in with Salem at the slight.
- Has a Type: What Blake Really Thinks of Ilia 2 has Blake internally define hers, while Yang and Sun are given as examples.Blake: I like 'em tall, blonde, with abs, and a nice booty.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: In What Ironwood REALLY Thinks of Watts, he's constantly berating himself for every shot he's missed on Watts in their fight. After missing an easy headshot and only getting Watts in the shoulder, Ironwood vows to go to the shooting range and practice more.
- Inelegant Blubbering: At the end of the last confrontation between Yang and Raven, the later's thoughts are doing this, the words barely comprehensible behind all the internal crying.
- Lampshade Hanging:
- Raven's lack of forethought in her plan of stealing the Lamp of Knowledge and hiding from Salem is pointed out by Yang in What Yang and Raven REALLY Think of Each Other. Raven internally agrees that she really should have thought of that.
- In What Ironwood REALLY Thinks of Watts, Ironwood bemoans how often he's dealt with people who have Parental Issues (mostly with fathers).
Watts: You never appreciated my genius, James. You just stood on top of it and called yourself a giant!
Ironwood (Thoughts): Oh, please. Daddy never loved you either?! Do you know how often I have to put up with that on a daily basis?!- Salem lampshades the hell out of her role as the series' Big Bad in What Salem REALLY Thinks of Ruby Rose in response to Ruby and Ironwood during the confrontation in the latter's office.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: This being a parody series, the creators' interpretations of what the characters think very often reference the canon series and lampshade a lot of the events happening around them.
- Ozpin and Oscar acknowledge this phenomenon a few times in Volume 8, to the point that the former simply treats it like a day in a voice-recording booth than a big deal.
Ozpin (Thoughts): (after Oscar keeps him from revealing what happened at Atlas) Di-Did you just sass me in-canon?!Oscar (Thoughts): Honestly, I don't know why I didn't do that sooner.- Before this, Qrow, according to some commentators, comes that close to breaking the fourth wall in his fight with Winter.
Qrow (Thoughts): Whoa, whoa, whoa! It's only Chapter 3. Better save [my ultimate weapon form] for the finale. For now, let's see how I've done. - Never Speak Ill of the Dead: Following his Heel–Face Turn and Heroic Sacrifice, Oscar has come to accept Hazel as having made his peace, and no longer bears any ill will towards him, even in his thoughts.
- Oh, Crap!: When Neo meets Salem for the first time, the latter's cold depravity quickly nets this reaction from the former.
- Perp Sweating: Sun experiences this hard when he tries to clarify his wording about Blake's Huntress skills to Ghira.Sun (Thoughts): (to Blake's Disapproving Look) Don't turn around and give me that look. What else am I supposed to say in front of your dad?! It's a lose-lose-- I say you're hot, he kicks my ass! I say you're ugly, he kicks my ass!
- Precision F-Strike: Dr. Watts always kept a clean vernacular, including in his inner thoughts, up until he finally loses against Ironwood.Watts (Thoughts): Fuck it, I give up.
- Precocious Crush: Downplayed with 14-year old Oscar being attracted to 16-year old Ruby.
- Private Eye Monologue: Qrow's videos occasionally have this, with everything in monochrome and jazz music playing in the background.
- Pungeon Master: Yang's tendency to create puns are amped up to eleven, whether she's in or out of combat.
- Ozpin even adopts the "Yangry" pun to describe Yang's Hair-Trigger Temper, long after she starts toning it down to Tranquil Fury.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: In What Oscar REALLY Thinks of getting F(Chibi!Pyrrha'sface)king Shot, after dismantling Ironwood's infamous choice to abandon Mantle, Oscar has but this to say:Oscar (Thoughts): Once again, who the actual f**k gave YOU a General's rank!?
Ironwood: I am DONE letting other's inability to see the big picture get in the way of doing what's right! Robyn, the council, this kingdom... even you.
Oscar (Thoughts): ...Are you SURE you want to blame others for their inability to see the bigger picture? If I recall correctly, you DENIED them the bigger picture. ...You are truly lost, James.- When he's being assaulted by Hazel in What Oscar REALLY Thinks of Salem, Oscar has another set of words ready.
Oscar (Thoughts): Oh come on, what in the f**?! Why don't you drop the act already?!! I don't think your sister would want to see you beat a child halfway to death's door. Just say it with me, Hazel. It's for you. It's ALWAYS been for YOU!Ozpin (Thoughts): Wow. Even I wasn't that salty about [calling Hazel out]. - Relative Error: Upon seeing Ruby and Yang embracing, Oscar wonders if they're girlfriends instead of sisters. Ozpin quickly corrects him.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When Oscar points out how Salem is smiling at them, thinking they're safe, Ozpin can be heard leaving through a door in Oscar's mind to not be conscious. Oscar has just enough time to ask why Ozpin left before Salem hits him with the Agony Beam.
- Sean Connery Is About to Shoot You: In the screengrab for "What Ironwood REALLY Thinks of Watts", Ironwood is about to shoot you... but he's actually propelling himself onto a hanging platform.
- Ship Tease:
- Oscar has a crush on Ruby.
- Ruby/Weiss gets teased in more than one video.
- Qrow sees his fight with Winter as being Belligerent Sexual Tension. Depending on how the ending joke is taken, he might have been right.
- The Lucky Charms ship is teased quite a bit from Qrow's side as well, having his thoughts seem more sociable, if uncharacteristically self-conscious, around Clover than with Winter.
- Shout-Out:
- What Ren Thinks of Kuroyuri:
- Ren comments that his father "went out looking like a filthy Hanzo meme" when recalling the Nucklavee's attack on his village.
- Ren's pre-mortem thought to the Nucklavee word-for-word recalls Abridged!Kirito's most well-known line.
- What Oscar Thinks of Team RWBY (RWBY Thoughts) contains a Fullmetal Alchemist reference. Ozpin internally complains that everyone is acting like he turned Raven and Qrow into chimeras.
- In What Neo REALLY Thinks, she speaks with a British accent and outright quotes Mary Poppins.
- In What Blake REALLY Thinks of Sun, Blake shoots down Sun's "above average" remark about her with a self-deprecating "Seven evil exes don't just make themselves appear."
- What Qrow REALLY Thinks of Winter features a Frozen (2013) reference when Qrow says "A little cold never bothered me anyway". It also ends on a How I Met Your Mother joke.
- What Qrow and Raven REALLY Think of Each Other:
- When Raven internally and suggestively asks Qrow for a hello kiss, Qrow freaks out in disgust: "This isn't Game of Thrones!".
- Ruby mixes up her quotes when confronted by Oscar about how she's able to handle the Trauma Conga Line of the series' events during What Ruby REALLY Thinks of Oscar, confusing Weiss' stiffness with Elsa's Catchphrase, "Conceal, don't feel."
- What Weiss REALLY Thinks of her Character Short: Weiss, despite expressing disdain for her short using the wrong song in the beginning, uses one of the lyrics to encourage herself during her training session: "I am one with the wind and sky...", before stabbing an imaginary Grimm jumping towards her from behind.
- What Raven REALLY Thinks of Cinder:
- When Raven reveals herself as the Spring Maiden to Cinder, her thoughts recall both Qrow's sarcastic statement from Volume 4 and a certain Ascended Meme from Jojos Bizarre Adventure:
Raven (Thoughts): You thought Vernal would be the Spring Maiden, but it was I, the mother of the F*CKING year, Raven!- What Ironwood Thinks of Jacques has Ironwood inwardly snarking, and then berating Jacques for everything he says when the latter starts to threaten him. One of his scoldings even has him call Jacques a "glorified fried chicken chef."
- What Ruby Rose REALLY Thinks of Herself, as a nod to the recurring Oz-atar joke throughout the series, opens with a RWBY-fied recration of the opening of Avatar: The Last Airbender
- What Ironwood Thinks of Watts has Ironwood kick off the fight against Watts with the line "No items, guns only, Final Destination." He also comments on the possible need for three-dimensional maneuvering gear to conserve ammunition.
- He also bemoans Watts' maneuvering of the arena's layout to look like a level out of Tetris.
- After Ozpin "Locked himself in Oscar's spare bedroom in his mind", Almost all of the Oscar Thoughts videos had referenced another property in the form of Ozma's past lives. These include Dumbledore, Aang, Yami Yugi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Gordon Ramsay.
- What Oscar REALLY Thinks of Yang:
- Ozpin tells Oscar, when Yang is about to show annoyance towards Fiona for her Innocently Insensitive comment about their teammates, "That's her secret, Oscar. She's always Yang-ry."
- What Ren Thinks of Kuroyuri:
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: In What Blake Really Thinks of Ilia, Blake (internally) has absolutely no patience for Ilia's extremist rhetoric and has a snarky Shout-Out ready for everything she says, like quoting Yoda when Ilia claims that fear snuffs out hate.
- Stunned Silence: Used to tragic effect in What Qrow Thinks of Clover 3. After Clover is impaled In the Back by Qrow's own weapon, the screen fades to black and white, the series' indication of when the character is showing their internal thoughts. Even in his thoughts, however, Qrow is unable to say a word as he tries to process what just happened.
- Think Happy Thoughts: When stressed over Qrow being drunk, Ruby tries to do this. She thinks of Crescent Rose, Zwei, and Weiss. The Weiss part ruins her mood.
- Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: Downplayed, but during their confrontation at Haven, Yang quips that even Raven's approval is disappointing.
