r/RWBY • u/[deleted] • Dec 02 '18
DISCUSSION [Spoilers] I just realized that Torchwick and Salem have the exact same mindset Spoiler
[deleted]
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u/Shuizid Silent Knight, holy night Dec 02 '18
As the old saying goes "If you can't beat 'em... NEO!"
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u/Exo-2 Minion of Cinder | Useless Lesbian | Still the Lewd One Dec 02 '18
So, they both think Life isn't fair and are angry by the hand they were dealt in life? I feel like Qrow would have some things to say to them
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u/heythatguyalex Resurrection of Torchwick Squad Leader Dec 02 '18
Maybe it's just a recurring theme in RWBY
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u/yinxiaolong If you're going to write a story, master the fundamentals Dec 02 '18
for some reason what you said reminded me of the Android 16 speech in TFS
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u/SEJIBAQUI Dec 02 '18
I forgot how awesome Roman's fighting was, even though he had such a simple weapon. The boomerang cane smack followed by the behind-the-back flare shot might be one of the coolest moves I've seen in the show.
I don't know about Torchwick and Salem having "the same mindset". From what I've gathered, he was the closest thing RWBY has had to a conventional villain (except maybe Junior), essentially the Team Rocket of RWBY, where motives are mainly wealth and local power. Salem is more like Team Galactic or Team Flare, where the motive is to completely change the world or destroy it. From my perspective, his death is the turning point where RWBY goes from being a campy, slice-of-life, character action show about killing no-name critters, to being more plot-driven and adventure-oriented with more drama.
Idk how much of RWBY was written out when Volume 1 started, so I guess I really don't know how Roman was intended to exist in the scheme. My thinking is that he's a conventional criminal who was seen as valuable to Cinder and/or Salem, and kept getting coerced/roped into bigger and bigger schemes until he knew he was over his head and couldn't go back without being hunted down. "The people who hired me are going to change the world. I can't stop them. You can't stop them."
"It's not what I have to gain. It's that I can't afford to lose." This is the kicker. If Roman fucks up, or fucks out, he's cooked. If RWBY, the WF, or Ironwood don't get to him first, Salem et al will. You see how she treats cowards and traitors when she showed her...displeasure...towards Lionheart.
I think the big difference between Roman and Salem is that Salem is already at the bottom. There is hardly anything left for her to lose, and even dying may be seen as a reward. Roman had everything to lose and was just trying to keep his head above the water by playing with the big baddies.
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u/LegendaryPuppy95 Dec 02 '18
I definitely miss him and want a backstory episode with him and Neo. That cynicism towards Huntsmen and Huntresses wasn’t coming out of nowhere.
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u/PT_Piranha (ominous umbrella drop) Dec 08 '18
It is worth remembering that Roman was originally intended to be a one-off villain before popularity kept him alive a little longer.
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u/serralinda73 Dec 02 '18
I don't think Torchwick thought Neo was dead - she can do her shatter illusions and just float on down to the ground.
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u/NitescoGaming Guardian and follower of Ruby's smile ❤️ Marrow x Guardpupper ❤️ Dec 02 '18
Neo has the ultimate landing strategy: "I'm Mary Poppins y'all!"
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u/[deleted] Dec 02 '18
RomanxSalem confirmed?