I watched the livestream where this was discussed and that is not what the creators were say. I can understand how some people might take that message away, but it wasn't what they said.
They were actually interestingly ambiguous about why Roman needed to be killed off. They started discussing it then went into a discussion about why Roman became a recurring villain instead of the one-shot pilot episode villain he was initially created to be. They said that the fan response to Roman was so good and it was in line with the creators reactions to Roman's voice actor. Taking both things together, they decided to keep Roman around for a little while longer than they'd originally planned but with the understanding that, at some point, the story and other characters would inevitably move beyond Roman.
So, they gave this back story to the existence of Roman's character, which we already knew anyway. Then they joke about the way Roman died. They mention the story and characters would inevitably eventually move beyond Roman. So, their initial topic (why they killed Roman off at that point and in that way) got derailed by the back history and on-set bantering.
I guess that's why people have interpreted it as 'killed because Starter Villain and other characters have already moved beyond him', but it's not really what they said. They were also vague about whether or not Roman would stay 'dead'. They talked about 'killing him off' in the episode, so I suspected at the time that people would take a black-and-white message away from it (and I was updating this thread during the livestream and said then that I thought this is what would happen), but they actually left wiggle room - and then mentioned that it wasn't their preference to start bringing characters back from the dead, but they weren't going to rule it out if the story took them there.
What I got from the discussion is that they killed off Roman at that point because they felt as they were writing it that it was the right thing to do at that point in the story. It wasn't that he was a Starter Villain, it's simply because they had the feeling as they were writing the volume's storyline that it felt right to do it at that point, and that he was the one to do it to.
I've heard that from authors all the time in interviews. Some authors plan meticulously before they start writing and then discover as they get to certain points that their plans don't feel right and therefore they go with what feels right at the time. JK Rowling mentioned it, too. She'd planned her death list in advance, but when she got to certain points of the story, she decided right there and then that it didn't feel right to kill Character A and that felt right to kill Character B instead - she did that with a number of characcters.
She is also not the first author I've ever heard say that. Writers do a lot of 'let's go with how I feel right now as I'm writing this part' when they produce their storylines. It's very common and it's the interpretation I took away from the livestream when I watched it.
edited 6th Nov '16 4:11:24 PM by Wyldchyld
If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.This just in: Professional Huntsmen aren't warriors.
Yeah, that livestream actually kind of left Roman's fate ambiguous. Plus, Roman's death just screams Never Found the Body, especially because he didn't seem winded at all, which makes me think Roman actually had quite a bit of Aura left (probably much more than Ruby did)
edited 6th Nov '16 4:13:28 PM by BlackSunNocturne
They mentioned Taiyang basically stopped adventuring and going on missions when Summer died. So he's been out of it for awhile but Ruby mentioned he was getting back into things.
Anyway, this episode was the first time I've really looked as Sun's weapon. It's cool but still ridiculously looking. Which describes all of them really, but a staff that breaks into gun-chucks probably stands out more.
I mean, Roman got eaten alive, had the creature who ate him get slammed into the cockpit of a giant ship which exploded, then the whole thing started falling from the sky, exploded again, and most likely crushed him under several metric tons of debris.
I really don't see much of a way for him to live through that, especially since Aura has been shown to be overpowered before.
Let's see if you can get past my Beelzemon. Mephiles, WARP SHINKA!To be honest, the fact that we don't know his semblance and he wasn't shown to be that hurt from the fight is another part of the reason people are so adamant about his possible survival.
My opinion on Sun was that, while he was definitely flirtier than usual and was kinda creepy, people seem to be overreacting. After watching the episode, he initiated contact with her three times, with one being more obviously set up sexually, and the other being unwarrented and possibly interpretable sexually. The first time was when he jumped off her head, a dick move maybe but vaguely practical as a springboard maneuver, and certainly not sexual. The second and most blatantly meant in a romantic context was when he caught her after she cut open the Grimm's wing, where he zipped in when she was braced to land, and he did take the opportunity to make a call back to his "my hero" joke, but it was at least a cooperative move in the context of the fight, especially since the impact after being mitigated by the catch smashed a crater into the rock. The last was when he put his arm around her shoulder after explaining why he followed her, which definitely has many possible sexual connotations but the immediate context was still the "Faunus have to stick together" line being said and the prior established "I'm gonna help you fight the White Fang", and he got off her as soon as she pushed him and then never touched her again for the episode. That particular contact also harkens in my mind due to how it was framed as a more friendly "I've got your back" gesture than the other types of moves that have guys place their arms around girls.
All of his lines after the fight were pretty much platonic and were about why he followed her (which, admittedly is creepy, but I was expecting something worse for a reason, so maybe his actual misinterpretation helped make it less bad for me), and their discussion on what happens next. During the fight he was definitely saying some flirtatious stuff, but at the very least it seemed like contextual banter (I found the "My hero~" joke pretty funny, due to the role reversal of Blake catching him in the stereotypical romantic carry and the overdone reaction, before things get back into context of the fight and she actually drops him,) or else was actually a reference to the fight. Namely, the "Yes ma'am" bit was pretty stupid, his next bit of talking with her is just pointing out she's the best fit to deal with the wings, then he uses himself and the clones to set her up. He does have a possibly creepy look when he's preparing to catch her to launch her at the Grimm, but that seems to be mostly there for subversion when she flips and bounces off his head (possibly also a little callback/vengeance to him for jumping off her head earlier).
Overall, it seems in my mind to be mostly in character; he's always been a friendly goofball who tries to help when he can, though he was definitely a bit too cheery in this fight, since his conduct in the Volume 1 finale was a fair bit more prefessional (though he still did throw a banana peel at someone before jumping on someones head). They definitely wanted his flirtation to seem goofy, but ultimately he didn't seem to flirt too much, and stopped after the fight was over, so I feel people are far overblowing it by saying he's sexually assaulting Blake or that he's a sex offender. The stalker bit is kinda indisputable, but I feel the context behind it and their previous relationship (where he had previously also tried to support her when she wanted to fight the white fang) makes it understandable if still kinda creepy. Presently, I don't think he needs to make any apologies for anything so long as he doesn't keep up doing the flirty shit (or is shown doing it in other contexts with dudes, since then it could at least just be that he's goofy and touchy-feely, rather than it only being with Blake).
edited 6th Nov '16 5:17:04 PM by Alfric
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/lb_i.php?lb_id=13239183440B34964700 Alfric's Fire Emblem Liveblog Encyclopedia!My issue remains his complete and utter disregard of her feelings, his being the epitome of creepy trying WAY too hard and his utter lack of respect for Blake's personal space. Or decisions. Or emotional state. Or anything.
Has Sun ever shown any depth with Blake beyond "she's hot and a Faunus, sweet!" whatsoever?
You say that like it's a common thing. I have to agree with whoever said it seems like a lot of you are overreacting here, even if I get where it's coming from. But this is TV Tropes so what can you do. Frankly the thing about him not respecting her decisions just doesn't hold water, because if it was almost anyone else, I'm sure the complaint wouldn't be made.
And honestly, do teenagers (or anyone really) need more of a reason to try and date someone besides "They're hot and seem cool." But I'm pretty sure he's actually interested in her as a person, considering how he at least tries.
edited 6th Nov '16 6:21:28 PM by LSBK
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Analyzed individually like that, sure, each of Sun's lines is less creepy. But taken in aggregate it's not good.
By the way, you know what would annoy me less? If he had as Blake jokingly suggested, brought Sage or Scarlet or both (Neptune's obviously not an option here) with him. It would make his claims of wanting to help her seem more believable. I mean heck, Scarlet's got a goddamn pirate theme. He should be right at home on a ship.
I wonder if Neptune will stick his nose into Weiss' plotline. I find him less irritating than I do Sun (or have before; who knows what he'll be like this season).
I reiterate, by the way, my concerns about plot advancement. Three episodes in and...we know Salem's looking for something. Literally nothing else has happened.
edited 6th Nov '16 8:13:18 PM by AmbarSonofDeshar
Before they started running, those kids looked stiff.
Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.
rollin' on dubs
The problem with the schedule and the length of the eps its that major threads don't show until all the eps are seen in order. I just binged vol 1-3 over the weekend. Try that with Babylon Five, or even TOS Star Trek and your butt will hate you.
The plot is very much in motion now. However, both the goodies and baddies still need to get into their marks and the writers need to get them there is ways that don't suck.
It actually makes sense in a meta sort of way when you step back:
- Salem got her pawns into play to disrupt relations between the kingdoms and by taking out Beacon, really hurting the credibility of the hunters. It would be as if the enemies of Babylon Five blew up the titular space station in the first or second season-this really hurts the Ozpin/Goodwitch forces' ability to organize.
- The White Fang really remind me of Londo and G'kar from B5: in that they want power and to be great, but also want revenge. Hence the were promised power and said revenge.
- Ruby's forces (team JNRR, Weiss, Yang and her other friends), while they need to get fill their arc, there are side plots. Both to pad out the volume and to give more clues.
- Weiss and her family give a very interesting subplot. Atlas and the Schmee dust co. could be a source of power for the good guys, but they have their heads so far up their asses.
Weiss will be Calling the Old Man Out and either rejoin Ruby or bring them into the fight.
- Weiss and her family give a very interesting subplot. Atlas and the Schmee dust co. could be a source of power for the good guys, but they have their heads so far up their asses.
- Blake is going to be the wild card. A White Fang "civil war"? A quest that will see her confronting Adam Taurus? A lot to unpack there.
- Getting plot threads and arc episodes is much harder than it looks. At least with RWBY being animated, the logistics aren't an issue. Mostly it's pacing and the wait between eps.
A hear you about wanting Torchwick back. I want Penny back. Both were cool characters and it's okay to feel that they got the shaft storywise.
But consider the opposite.
I turn to Deep Space Nine and Gul Dukat. The season 6 ep Waltz saw his evilness laid bare and his faults and virtues at war in his head. The episode saw him stranded on a planet with the main character Capt. Sisko and would have ended with Dukat's death, his arc complete. Instead we got the superpowered possed Dukat and some wandering plot points about how he now had super evil powers would end the main character. Some fans felt pissed that cool villain became filler and padding not fitting the tone of the last season.
Like Dukat, Torchwick was a cool character that if brought back the wrong way would kinda suck. "He back and he as a robot arm and a taste for semblence!" No, if they bring him back, they should do it right or not at all.
Now Yang getting a cyber arm would be kinda cool and would open up story possibilities.
edited 6th Nov '16 9:30:06 PM by TairaMai
I tried to walk like an Egyptian and now I need to see a Cairo practor....I feel like people's inherit dislike for Sun is making them look at him a lot more critically than anyone else would normally. Like, we seriously had people in this thread calling him a stalker and comparing to Adam for fuck's sake for what basically amounted to him some light comic relief, come on people.
Jesus Christ, and I even agreed that he was being slightly obnoxious and guess what? So did Blake and she quickly told him to cut the shit and he did.
Maybe it's because people have had terrible experiences in the past, but I constantly see characters like Sun and Neptune get constant shit. Like I am genuinely shocked (ok not really) at the amount of bile those two get for being relatively minor supporting characters in the grand scheme of things, and most of the reasons I see are in relation to how they approach Blake and Weiss :V
It's things like that make discussing this series a chore on the Internet.
Now, let's talk about actually important things....like how Zwei somehow looks like a stake.
edited 6th Nov '16 9:34:53 PM by BlackYakuzu94
A lazy millennial who's good at what he does.Yang isn't wearing/using/equipping her Cybernetics arm attachment yet...
Worried expressions were existing in my mental space when people said she already got the arm, but she's still moping and triggered.
Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.Maybe Taiyang has experience in this stuff somehow.
Then again in a world like RWBY's it's possible that the arm can connect itself via Aura or something.
The Crystal Caverns A bird's gotta sing.

Now that we're seeing more of Salem and Cinder I can see them going down the failure route of an apprentice especially if Cinder really does not know if Ozpin is dead, but gets punishment anyway.
Just Makima.