What Defines Us - Commentary - Ch. 25-26 (Patreon)

Okie dokie, artichoke-y!  We’re back again with our regularly-scheduled commentary - this one covering Chapters 25 and 26 or, as I like to refer to them, the beginning of the end!  That sounds dramatic.  It’s actually more like the beginning of the second half of the story, but that has no flair to it.  ‘End’ has so much flair.

Anyway, welcome to the beginning of the end!  We crossed the halfway mark, and now we’re coasting towards the finish line.  And by ‘coasting,’ I mean that we have a ton of plot points to wrap up and even more plot to come.  But sure - coasting!

We did, however, finally reach a big moment in the story - Weiss’ talk with Yang.  Finally!  After 24 chapters of Yang ignoring Weiss or making little digs at her, they finally sat down and talked.  

There are a few chapters in this story that I consider to be milestones, and Chapter 25 is one of them.  Ruby’s ‘first’ hunt is another.  And then...a couple others still to come.  These are the chapters I look forward to posting because they move the story forward in a really meaningful way.  Obviously, all of the chapters move the story forward in some way, but these are stuffed with information or resolution while others aren’t.

I think it’d be pretty hard to write a story with every chapter filled to the brim like that.  Readers need a breather, you know?  They need some time to catch their breath and digest the information thrust upon them.

After the lead-up to the hospital, with the two memory chapters back-to-back and then a resolution for the cliffhanger of ‘what happened to Ruby?’, I thought we needed a break from the action (which we had in Chapter 24).  Not only do we need a break from the action, but Yang and Weiss needed to calm down before approaching this conversation in a composed manner.  

Yang needed time to talk to Blake and sort through her emotions.  Weiss needed time to accept that Ruby was ok and there was no reason to fly the coop again.

But the wall between them was broken when Yang yelled at the hospital.  The thoughts Yang had held at bay were put out into the world, and now they needed to talk about it.

This chapter makes me cry, not only because of how hurt the two of them are, but because they’re finally able to make their way through that pain.

This is the first time Weiss has explained what went wrong and why she ran.  How important is it that it’s Yang she tells first?  Not Winter, not Ruby, not Blake, but Yang - the girl who used to be her best friend.  After all that time away, after all the harsh words and borderline fights, it’s Yang that Weiss trusts with this information before she was willing to trust anyone else.  Not only does Weiss open up, but she wasn’t even prepared to open up.  But she does so anyway because she realizes that this might be her last opportunity to speak up and salvage some semblance of a relationship with Yang.

When I think about that situation, unpreparedness is something Weiss fears.  She’s scared of saying or doing the wrong thing, which is why she prepares for everything.  This chapter presented her with a situation she’s afraid of, with a great deal at stake, yet she overcame that fear.  She faced it and conquered it all on her own - well, with Ruby’s small help through the ring.

I’ll probably be pointing this out a lot, but think about Weiss from the early chapters compared to now.  She couldn’t even walk into that house in chapter 3 for more than a few minutes before running.  She couldn’t stay at dinner for very long before running.  Seeing the pyramid of pill bottles in Ruby’s room, she ran again.  She’s frequently removing herself from these situations, but when faced with yet another one...she stayed.  And here’s why:

She didn’t feel ready.  The wounds still felt too new and unhealed, but...maybe she should acknowledge their existence, for once.  Maybe instead of hiding behind the idea that she was ‘fine,’ she should admit that sometimes she wasn’t. 

And that terrified her...but so did the idea of never being Yang’s friend again. 

Aren’t you so proud of her??  I’m so proud of her!  She faced her fear because there was something else she feared more.  And what she feared more wasn’t coming to terms with the past or being the cause of all this hardship - it was losing her friend for good.  She put Yang first - which is how it should’ve been all along.

Weiss’ explanation is hard for me to read.  It just...makes me very sad.  I’m so grateful for Yang’s reaction though - and that she doesn’t try to interrupt (which I should actually be thanking Blake for).  How hard must it be to sit and listen when you want to get your own two cents in?  

But Yang listens, and without words shows us just how much Weiss’ words impacted her.  I think of Yang as someone who easily speaks without words, and this instance was no different.  All she had to do was reach across the table and hold Weiss’ hands - and that said so, so much about what she was feeling.

I love Yang in this story; I really do.  She got the short end of the stick in almost every way, and - even though she was willing to yell and argue - she’s not willing to watch a friend suffer.  She can’t help but to reach out and help because that’s who she is, and staying mad at this moment wouldn’t be like her.  She can’t stand the thought that Weiss nearly died - that her anger would last so long that she’d lose someone she loves, for good.

There's always a time to bury the hatchet, and it’s by far time for these two to work on burying theirs.

When I edited this chapter, I caught one glaring oversight.  I actually can’t believe I left it out the first time, but thank god for editing!  In the initial drafts of this chapter, Weiss never actually said she was sorry.  

Right?  Yeah, that’s how I felt too.

She was very apologetic, and the apology was implied, but she never said the words.  When I caught that, I was like, ‘Woah...ok...you need to actually use the word ‘sorry’ in here somewhere.’  

I actually think it’s kind of funny how you might’ve read the chapter and thought nothing of it.  To me, that moment now sticks out like a sore thumb.  It’s the newest part of the chapter - the greenest leaf on the tree!  And I’m going to put it here so that Weiss gets a few more ‘sorrys’ in for good measure.

“I’m sorry...” she whispered, risking a glance across the table and finding open sadness in Yang’s eyes.  “I’m so...s-so sorry, Yang...”

Yes, she said it twice to make up for not even saying it once in the first draft!

Yang’s response gives us more insight into her conversation with Blake - the conversation that led to them being all lovey-dovey with each other afterwards.

“You know...when she was gone, I was angry, but I missed her so much.  When we found each other again, she apologized and I loved her too much to do anything but forget it ever happened.  I just...I guess I figured that if I forgot about it, so had she.  I never thought…” as Yang’s words trailed off, her expression unfocused in memory of the conversation that had taken place.  When she shook her head and concentrated on Weiss again, her eyes glistened with tears.  

“I don’t want her to feel that way...” Yang whispered, her voice wavering in sadness.  Turning away when a tear spilled over, she cleared her throat and wiped the back of her hand across her eyes.  

Maybe I don’t need to elaborate further, but I will because I want to!  (Sometimes, I leave parts of stories unspoken and never get to explain them to anyone.  Well, not anymore with these commentaries!)

After Ruby came home from the hospital, Yang and Blake had a long talk.  They needed to after what happened.  Blake finally explains how it made her feel to watch Yang treat Weiss so harshly - all while silently wondering if that’s how Yang once thought about her.  Or if that’s how Yang still thought about her.  

These worries stem from guilt - because Blake still harbors guilt over what she did.  She never let it go.

When Yang says that she doesn’t want Blake to ‘feel that way,’ she meant that she doesn’t want Blake to feel like she’s still at fault, that she doesn’t deserve Yang or her current happiness -  not after she’d thrown it all away once before.

And this is where Yang is backed into a corner.  She doesn’t want Blake to feel guilty.  She wants Blake to forgive herself.  She wants Blake to move on from those mistakes, which were just that - mistakes.  She wants Blake to be happy, because the past was in the past - bygones were bygones - and Yang had already forgiven her and moved on.

“And Ruby wouldn’t want you to feel that way either.” 

If Yang was willing to forgive Blake, wouldn’t Ruby be willing to forgive Weiss?

And if Ruby was willing to forgive Weiss...how could Yang continue to hold a grudge against her?  How can Yang hold a grudge when she wouldn’t want Ruby to do the same to Blake?

Yang Xiao Long is anything but a hypocrite.  Even though this Ruby doesn’t remember, Yang is willing to figure out a different path in respect to the version of Ruby they lost.  She doesn’t want that Ruby to be disappointed in her, even though that Ruby isn’t around any longer.

Ok, well that just made me tear up.  Thinking about Yang behaving as if the other version of Ruby might be watching...that makes it sound very much like Ruby died.  Ruby didn’t die, but...in a way, a part of her did, right?  

Let’s not think about that anymore.  Instead, let’s think about Yang filling in a few more blanks for us - mainly what they did after hearing from Coco and Velvet.  From what Yang says, we can guess that her response was along the lines of a silent worry and outward ‘well good riddance.’  Blake, however, was downright alarmed.  

She probably didn’t say anything because she didn’t want to make Yang angry, but she was going to get Weiss right away.

Think about how the timeline lines up...Coco and Velvet save Weiss and escort her home.  Velvet gives Weiss the picture of Ruby, and Weiss leaves for Vale that night.  She shows up for dinner the next day.

My guess is that Velvet called Blake right away - that very night.  Blake tells Yang, who huffs about it and then they go to sleep - or Yang tries to go to sleep while worrying, and Blake figures out a plan to go get Weiss.  She was probably going to leave the very next day, so Weiss showing up really did save the trip!

And then...my favorite part of the chapter...when the conversation suddenly eases.  When they start talking about how Ruby hardly yells, the tension lifts away and they’re actually able to talk without hurting each other.

Yang uses her catchphrase here - the one Weiss mentioned way, way back at the beginning of the story - “Let’s hug it out.”  Hugs are just...so great for healing emotions.  Weiss feels it too.  They might not be best friends again, but it’s a start - a great start towards salvaging their friendship.

With that incredibly heavy conversation over, the end of the chapter provides us a bit of happy to bring us to a brighter place.  They’re having dinner again, but what a different dinner this is compared to the first one.  Weiss isn’t the outsider anymore.  Even her spot at the table, which had been reserved for holding mail, was cleared off to make room for her.

Sidenote - earlier in the story, Ruby mentioned how Yang gave her the eyeball test.  Basically, Yang poked her head into the garage and launched a fake eyeball at Ruby to see how quick her reflexes were.  Well, we see here that she’s still throwing things at Ruby - this time, an onion.

Ok, I know I said the best part of this chapter is that Yang and Weiss talk things over, but a very close second is that Yang had the Achievemen sign Blake’s arm.  I hope I’m not the only one who found that hilarious!

Have we reached a turning point for Weiss yet?  If not, we might have just reached it - right here:

She wasn’t isolated - she wasn’t out on an island by herself.  She had help.  She had support.  That’s what teammates were for.  

Meanwhile - in Chapter 26 - Ruby reached a milestone of her own.  She’s off semblance probation!  And she might be just a little happy about it, but I can’t really tell.  Can you tell?

One of my favorite things about writing with RWBY characters is the relationship between Yang and Ruby.  They’re adorable, ceaselessly supportive sisters.  I love how Yang is so willing to play along with whatever hyper thing Ruby is doing at the moment.  So, when Ruby uses her semblance to pile a stack of magazines in Yang’s arms...of course Yang is going to throw them all over the room for Ruby to catch.  Wouldn’t you do the same?  (I probably wouldn’t.  What a mess!)

Did you spot the reference to Rush in this chapter??  You totally did, right?  

Picking a general path through the trees as far as she could see, Ruby leaned down and put one hand on the ground like a sprinter.  She didn’t have to, but she thought it made her look cooler!  Everyone loves a track star, right?

Why yes, Ruby.  You know who really loves track stars?  Weiss, from Rush, since you were a track star in that story!

I’m probably the only one who finds that humorous, so moving on…

I came up with the race through the woods because I tried to think of a way for Ruby to use her semblance.  She could run alone, but that wouldn’t be much fun.  She could race Yang, but that would be...well, I imagine Yang’s the slowest of the four.  Who does that leave?  

Plus, I do think Blake would be ruthlessly efficient in picking her path through the trees, and thereby able to hold her own even though Ruby was running twice as much distance.

While Ruby is running, she has a small train of thought that relates to the previous chapter.  Ruby points out how Blake picks the best path through the woods while she just ‘wings’ it.  She’s ok with improvising and trusting her instincts.  In the previous chapter, however, Weiss struggled with the idea of ‘winging’ the conversation with Yang.

The connection served no other purpose than to show their different personalities - one embracing improvisation while the other prefers to plan ahead.  Considering these two chapters are about 16,000 words in total, and those two sections are maybe 50 words, it might not have stood out upon first read.  That’s ok though!  It’s my belief that even when people don’t fully latch onto certain parts of the story, their minds still comprehend it on some level.

Basically what I’m saying is that even if you didn’t get it, you still got it.  You just didn’t realize that you got it.

But I know you got how cute it was when Ruby’s asking Blake for advice on her big date (there, I used the word, so it’s a date).  Oh, I just realized that this might be Ruby’s tipping point chapter too!  She’s asking Blake for all this advice while trying to figure out what her feelings mean, and she comes to a conclusion that she has a crush.

Be honest - you squealed when she realized that.

All those feelings for Weiss finally coalesced into a single word that Ruby can absorb.  Kind of.  She doesn't know what to do with the information, but she’s determined to do something with it.

I love coming up with Bumblebee origin stories when they’re already an established couple.  Although...I think I’ve only gotten to do that once before?  I just remember that, in Rush, Yang got knocked out by a volleyball haha.  Poor Yang.  This time, she pisses Blake off by dragging her out of bed on some grand romantic gesture.  I love these dorks.

Sidenote - I would love to watch Vale’s Top Weaponsmith!  I’d also love to watch Ruby compete on it.  She’d win, for sure, and use the winnings to buy some crazy upgrades for Crescent Rose.

Another sidenote - the mail that used to go on Weiss’ spot on the kitchen table is now put in Ruby’s spot on the sofa.  If only someone hadn’t broken the coffee table…

And then - lo and behold - our next plot line appears!  

The Beacon Invitational.  I have no idea if this is actually a thing or not, but I got the idea from the tournament in season three (I’m so horrible - I don’t even remember what that tournament was called).  If Beacon held a huge tournament for the students to battle each other, why couldn’t they have another tournament for graduated huntsmen?  

Can you imagine how awesome that would be??  These aren’t huntsmen-in-training - these are the real deals.

As a graduate, Ruby is invited.  And...she wants to go.  Another turning point!  She wants to go back to Beacon - she wants to learn about her past. 

When I think about Ruby’s desire to go, I always question how much of her determination and resolve has to do with her finally getting healthy and strong - and how much has to do with having Weiss around.  Weiss has a clear need for Ruby at the moment, but does some of Ruby’s courage come from knowing that it’s possible for her to make friends?  That she’s not some crazy, injured girl destined to be friendless forever?

Poor Yang...she had all of two half chapters of happiness before she gets thrown back into the thick of things.

Like Ruby said - so much is changing, and they all appear to be good, positive things.  But there’s still that elephant in the room...

Until next time,

Miko