RWBY | Cinder's Backstory

[@carbodude5414]

I find it hilarious that they're willing to portray a human girl being treated as a slave but the most they'll do for Faunus characters is simply tell us how bad they have it.

[@damir_van_kalaz]

They won't do it because they don't want to actually tackle the topic of racism against the Faunus, since the racism against the Faunus is and always has been just for political commentary about racism against minorities in the real world, rather than something that is exclusively an in-universe issue that is not in any way meant to reflect anything going on in the real world, and Miles and Kerry are afraid of "doing it wrong" since they're white and think white people shouldn't tackle a topic like that despite still deciding to include it in the story in the most half-assed way possible. Never mind the fact that almost every Faunus we have seen has had white skin, which is an interesting approach to the race that is supposed to represent minority issues. Moral of the story is to not drag real world bullshit into your fantasy story and keep issues in the story exclusive to the universe the story takes place in, and in addition to that, only introduce story elements that you're actually willing to tackle instead of adding things you lack the guts to explore properly.

[@Ubersupersloth]

There’ve been quite a few signs saying “we don’t serve Faunus”, to be fair.

[@damir_van_kalaz]

@@Ubersupersloth Yes, the problem isn't the signs, but the fact that that's pretty much all we really get. We hear a lot of stuff, but outside of the signs, we don't get to see much. In fact, we see a lot of things that go against the implied extreme racism. 1: Professor Lionheart. He's a faunus who was in charge of the academy in Mistral. Being the leader of an academy, as far as we know, is pretty much the same as being a king. The way the Faunus oppression is talked about would make you think Remnant was as bad as America was before African Americans were given rights, yet what we're shown is that it's more like the modern day where those who were once oppressed can hold positions of power. Which is it? 2: Team FNKI (which is FROM ATLAS - THE NATION THAT IS SUPPOSEDLY THE MOST RACIST AGAINST FAUNUS) has a faunus *in their team* who does not in any way hide the fact that she's a faunus and yet she was able to take part in the tournament without anyone preventing it or criticizing it. 3: Sun took part in the tournament as well, and we saw that he has FANS. The closest we have gotten to seeing some real shit was when Adam revealed his SDC brand, but even that is kind of a joke. We don't get to see what Adam actually went through, they already made him a character that is impossible for any normal person to relate to in any way, his conflict in that scene is with BLAKE AND YANG instead of, you know, THE HEIRESS TO THE SDC, so it's not even relevant to what's going on at that moment, and on top of that, it's the SDC, which was run by Jacques at the time, who we already know is an irredeemable piece of shit with zero good personality traits, so him doing horrible things to the Faunus isn't really surprising at all.

[@Taker369]

The worst part is people are actually defending this backstory saying it’s brilliant

[@losnfjslefn8857]

@@Taker369 Most of them are the more hardcore RWBY fans that are easily pleased with everything the writers put to script.

[@justanotherchannelonyoutub126]

Cinder was super mean to Adam. She forced him to work for her against his will, had a lot of his men killed for her cause, and stole his backstory

[@scarletshadow4548]

Adam would have given non maiden Cinder a tough fight ngl

[@qaztim11]

She stole every Faunus characters backstory

[@andrewrogers3067]

@Scaet Shadow Not just a tough fight, he would have straight up murdered her, there’s a reason Cinder backed off and waited to get the maiden powers before fighting him.

[@josephbriggs2257]

@@andrewrogers3067 Damn you plot convenience, why couldn’t you let Adam murder Cinder preemptively and make him the unsung hero of the story and the viewers?!

[@andrewrogers3067]

@@josephbriggs2257 Shut up, stop being smart

[@aceofheartss1972]

Cinder: *gets backstory* Vexed: That can't be it. Where's the rest of it?

[@austin9568AuraMasterDX]

"I found the secret backstory, which by the way should be renamed backstory most people already know!"

[@eplazaguest9840]

Could Neo become the "Glass Slipper" that will connect Cinder to some eventual prince charming ???

[@arcanefury3666]

Yo, is that a motherfucking Avatar reference?

[@jacksparrow9227]

@@arcanefury3666 Didn't Zuko and Azula say it to daddy Fire Lord?

[@arcanefury3666]

@@jacksparrow9227 Nah it was the backstory about Roku and Sozin

[@PLAGUE-KARM]

The “no Faunus” signs feel more like Easter eggs instead of racism to be honest

[@caboosemcgrief]

They should sell it on t shirts at this rate.

[@austin9568AuraMasterDX]

We should throw plastic spoons every time we see one.

[@MrSircharles05]

@@caboosemcgrief please don't give them any idea. RT tries to peddle too much crap as it is.

[@19bigbossman]

It's almost like they are trying to tell us something

[@mikaelaraymond4690]

XD XD XD

[@Salazar.945]

Why did the shock color hurt cinder when she gained aura? How is having a “human” child as slave legal in a world of what appear to be a society based on human supremacy? What powers/responsibilities do hunters have outside of killing Grimm? Was that hunter trying to arrest cinder? Why did the hunter drop his weapons after watching the sociopath kill untrained civilians before she proceeded to brake his aura? These are questions that need to be answered.

[@ahuman404]

Don't they feel pain even when their Aura is active? The only example I can think of is Jaune getting his skin sliced open by a twig, which...doesn't make sense considering not even swords can do that when an Aura is still up.

[@rubberpumkin6158]

@@ahuman404 At that instance, Jaune's aura was locked, meaning he couldn't really use itm

[@kmphysics]

These questions will not be answered because Miles & Kerry have no idea what they are doing and make shit up as they go.

[@ahuman404]

@@rubberpumkin6158 So, a Huntsman Academy throws a bunch of students into a dangerous situation without even checking for their own student's Auras?- I'm not trying to agree with Hazel here but, wow.

[@rubberpumkin6158]

@@ahuman404 Yup. Also there's a theory that Ozpin knew that Jaune cheated his way in. And tbh I'm not really against it

[@vijeomasher9154]

Torchwick should have been the main villain. He actually had some meat in his character.

[@beesbutinabox]

I honestly would've loved to see both he and adam with more depth

[@vijeomasher9154]

@リヴァ I like his style and way of thinking. That in order to live he needed to steal and cheat. Too bad he got killed in the most pathetic Deus ex machina way.

[@vijeomasher9154]

@@beesbutinabox Amen, Bro. Adam was a missed opportunity. Ilia didn't need to exist because she is Adam but lesbian.

[@vijeomasher9154]

@@beesbutinabox Amen, Bro. Adam was a missed opportunity. Ilia didn't need to exist because she is Adam but lesbian.

[@Hilversumborn]

Ever since Salem's introduction every villain has become fodder.

[@cynga7035]

They were 4 years too late with the backstory and it somehow still managed to underwhelm

[@covered_in_rust2789]

Don't worry. It's just a cartooooon

[@obi_oma]

I feel like no matter what it would have been overwhelming to a certain extent since we waited for so long, but what they actually ended up doing was so low effort. This is like the worst case scenario.

[@amirshaw671]

@Alex Martin stuff in RWBY was planned from the very beginning.

[@19bigbossman]

@Alex Martin yup and if you don't like it don't watch.

[@19bigbossman]

@Alex Martin If she didn't know many people there she would have been fired a long time ago

[@Facelessbuster]

Cinder’s backstory is full of more oppression and cruelty than we’ve ever seen from any of the Faunus

[@ayar2]

faunus at least had each other even during oppression, cinder was completely on her own until she met Rhodes, it was also the first time in a while were she felt somewhat relieved. the moment he turned on her she fell even more into rage.

[@MisteRRYouTuby]

That only brings up new questions. Why was she left in an orphanage? Why does she had trust issues? Why was Cinder sold like property when that role and connotation were given to the Faunus? Why does nobody talk TO anybody? Why does everyone talk at the general direction of people? Why? Why Mr. [Kerry] Why? Why do you do it?

[@marca8368]

And that huntsman gives a fuck!!!!

[@ayar2]

@@MisteRRYouTuby just because humans usually have this collective perception against the faunus doesnt mean theyre necessarily nice to each other, if that was the case it will be wars between species instead of wars between kingdoms.

[@shayla106]

@@ayar2 The only problem with what you are saying is that the world building is too weak to support what you are saying. We know humans don’t all like each other but that doesn’t tell us anything about their world. Did they also have a slavery period(against a specific group or region, why?) ? These questions are important because it explains more about Cinders back story. Do they have a child protection service? How much power do hunters have? Because I want to know why he didn’t take those people in custody, etc.

[@ShutYourDream]

They really just threw on the literal Cinderella backstory with two differences which was the shock collar and Rhodes, then they sat back thinking they're geniuses

[@obi_oma]

Lol

[@tiara9624]

ikr

[@khomozhea5216]

i mean, she is cinderella. but now that you say it, i have mix feelings about that.

[@Hilversumborn]

three differences. This Cinder is a sociopath.

[@andrewrogers3067]

@Hilversunborn The original Cinderella is not exactly a good person either, just the Disney one.

[@asuspiciousavocado3317]

Why do so many writers feel like EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER needs to have a tragic backstory?

[@asuspiciousavocado3317]

@Alex Martin It's just amazing how some writers throw around severe mental and physical abuse everywhere as if it's the most common thing ever. Like dude, no.

[@sandwraith448]

@@asuspiciousavocado3317 What is bad with that? And...did you just feel mad about something that didn't even happen(Pyrrha tragic story). Who else? Tyrian doesn't have. Salem have sense. Torchwivk and Neo still unknown. I mean tragic backstory is good thing for Salem's crew. They trying to...destroy world xd Why no one hate Atla for tragic backstories? Aang have. Katara have. Zuko have. Azula have. Iroh have. Usra have. I mean...in a lot of stories we have so many backstories. Why "RWBY" cant have? Why this show is now hated for every single thing? Even thing that happend in lot of great shows but no one talks about? XD

[@goodlion335]

Because it easy to write. Bad character did a bad things because of bad childhood. And morons from twitter with METOO will eat this shit and ask for more.

[@loiiysailor1177]

either they thinks it gives them money or they too lazy think a better back ground stories . what's sad this might be the first flash back episode we ever screen besides Salem back ground story , how show us What happen to summer rose ? how ruby and yang learn how to fight? Blake's and Adams relationship? what happen to qrows team? The whole scheens family fules ? why human's vs funaus ? Why poor vs rich? ANY OF THESE WOULD BE GREAT TO SHOW!

[@benjaminmcneil574]

What, you expected people on Remnant to be happy ALL their lives? Grimm are about and people tend to be assholes. Happy lives are not a guarantee.

[@jsdotigboigamer]

... how is this even legally possible in their world? Like if she were a Faunus the backstory would be a bit stronger. Maybe she could be pushed to her breaking point after having her tail or ears (animal) cut off. It could be even more emotional if she once lived a better life with her real father but then she was kidnapped by some sort of crime syndicate or Atlas destroyed we village because it was full of Faunus and they needed more workers or servants or something. Have the father die and have the limb that was cut off remind her of him.

[@hana-oy8gk]

It would've been so cool to have her be a faunus whose tail or ears were cut off in order to give her the illusion of being a human!

[@Gyaradosage]

Salem as a Faunus whose limbs were removed? A character with genuine trauma, invisible/visible disability, disordered identity, nuanced reasons for their thirst for power and revenge, and complex interactions with literally everyone depending on what they know about her? Salem would have easily become the best character in the whole series, assuming they handled it right. I’m both glad and sad that they didn’t think of it.

[@WxIxLxLxIxAxMxS]

Oh this!

[@owenchafer1083]

@@hana-oy8gk That sounds horrible from a writing standpoint. You'd be introducing a completely new element with no foreshadowing, and would completely fuck up both future and past characterization. Something like that would be a major part of someone's mindset. You'd have to rewrite all the prior volumes to account for that.

[@hana-oy8gk]

@@owenchafer1083 ur mom sounds horrible from a writing standpoint

[@ODST_Parker]

See, I could imagine a story going somewhere like this. Her training with someone who feels for her and her horrible situation, only to find her using her strength to kill her abusers in cold blood instead of to become a huntress and live a better life. It's like, sure, she's a psychopath, got it. That's an interesting beginning to a character. It's generic to an extent, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The problem is that it doesn't match what we've seen. Her character up to this point doesn't match up with this fucking backstory, and it comes off as a quick coverup for how they're going to portray her in the future. It's not a backstory as much as it is a setup, even a bit of a retcon.

[@vinceunknown1935]

Well alot of people missed the point.. Childrens minds are very fragile can easily be molded and shaped.. I mean all she ever known was hate and all she was ever shown was evil and maliciousness so... thats basically what she gon be about regardless.. so yeah she would turn out that way.

[@shayla106]

@@vinceunknown1935 Sure, glad people like you write the story for the writers. I mean defend this bad writing. Someone like this should show hate at the thought of Salem when she is alone but we never see this. It would show us that she’s putting on an act and that she still just wants power for herself. And how did someone who want freedom end up working for someone else.

[@vinceunknown1935]

@@shayla106 Thats a little contradicting of Cinder but she probably did that just so she can get power... maybe she has a bigger agenda or she will betray Cinder and team up with Ruby lol

[@midgetydeath]

"only to find her using her strength to kill her abusers in cold blood instead of to become a huntress and live a better life." Okay, ignoring the fact that killing this wealthy abuser would be necessary in order to be free of her sending people out to hunt you down out of spite and pride...why would it be bad to find Cinder killing her abuser(s)? That's just self-defense. What you're treating as some sort of bad thing or horrible discovery is no different than a kidnapping victim kept in a basement breaking free and killing her captors.

[@ODST_Parker]

@@midgetydeath Killing abusers is understandable, but it's not self-defense unless they're actively harming you and threatening your life. When Cinder kills these people, she's murdering them, because she can now, not because they were abusing her at that moment. She could have left with that Huntsman to go become one herself, that was his plan the whole time. Instead, she chose to use what she learned to kill in cold blood. People need to learn there's a difference between understandable and justifiable, especially justifiable under law. If I went and killed some random pedophile, rapist, etc., that'd be understandable by most standards, but unless he/she was actively harming someone else or myself, it'd be unjustifiable murder. Technically, even if you ARE being harmed, you have to be able to prove your life was in danger, or you legally still killed someone unjustifiably. I went through all of this when I got my concealed carry permit, self-defense is a lot more complicated than most people think.

[@MachineMan-mj4gj]

Imagine if they had actual talent and did a moral swap of the Cinderella story; the step mother and stepsisters aren't cruel, but instead the household is strict and orderly. Cinder is a problem child from the late husband's previous marriage, who shows signs of psychopathy at an early age, and interprets being given chores or being punished as abuse.

[@Set2Seth]

Well that's just the sad bit. If they were given talent, they'd probably still think this is a good idea. It's not just talent they need, but creativity as well

[@sebas8225]

Machineman1992 and adoring weapons case she´s the nasty version of Ruby.

[@faastah619]

I don’t really have anything against her backstory other than the fact that it has no answer to how she turned out like she is now if anything she should have become a huntsman couldn’t it show something like Salem finding her and brainwashing her or something idk

[@WxIxLxLxIxAxMxS]

Ooooooh this!

[@falconeshield]

Cinder should've been a Mouse Faunus

[@YourLadyStar]

It really is frustrating that Cinder got a sympathetic backstory that will likely set her up to be redeemed, meanwhile Adam is watered down to abusive ex and killed for the sake of an insufferable ship.

[@isaiahsmith6016]

Yeah, well-intentioned extremist Adam was a lot better than what we ended up with. With that said, I doubt they'll redeem Cinder at this point. She's still in it for herself and I don't think many people will care for a very ineffectual villain whose supposed to be at her strongest but keeps losing time and time again. I'd imagine that a Cinder redemption will earn RT more derision than anything but that's my two cents.

[@YourLadyStar]

@@isaiahsmith6016 I'm not saying it's a guarantee Cinder will get redeemed (I hope to God it doesn't happen), but I am saying it as a warning. RT has shown it's blatant misandry with how it's female villains get sad backstories and redemptions while it's male villains are forced to eat sh*t. They've already repeated this habit with Ironwood.

[@MusingSprite3045]

@Alex Martin THANK YOU. It still bugs me that they drastically changed his character into something so disappointing.

[@isaiahsmith6016]

@@YourLadyStar That much is true, I'm sad to say. I'm not sure why their trying to make Ironwood out to be a villain. Sure, his plan to abandon Mantle was certainly controversial, but he's doing because he doesn't have a choice, not because he doesn't care. At the end of the day, Ironwood and our main cast are all on the same side. Sure, they don't agree on everything but fighting against Salem should be the top priority. Seeing Ironwood shoot that congressmen is the most blatant attempt at making someone unlikeable I have seen in recent memory, and only made me question what the writers are doing even more. To think, if Ruby had been honest about Salem in Vol. 7, this horrible situation could've been entirely avoided. My two cents.

[@historynerd205]

I agree, however I doubt they'll redeem Cinder, pretty sure she'll just die, most of the fanbase hates her with a passion. Mercury, Emerald and, unfortunately, Neo, seem to be the ones getting redeemed (I actually think Mercury is just going to die, maybe sacrificing himself for Emerald).

[@guslightyear9724]

A backstory so bland and unoriginal they didn't even bother to give anyone a name besides Cinder

[@obi_oma]

Lol

[@BerksAreCool]

The huntsman is named Rhodes. But yeah I agree.

[@kasiap4791]

the huntsman's name is rhodes

[@uhagi6720]

It's so bad that people had to look in the credits to know the name of the huntsman who trained her.

[@gamerbeast3616]

Typical hater

[@croftant2]

So Rhodes just confirms most adult hunters are useless.

[@mjariin8993]

Cinder used to be dangerous femme fatale, now... she's just a hot headed mess

[@Kyrande_Foxfairy]

That character model did not look like a ten year old, tbh... Cinder should have been killed by Raven in Vol 5 and Emerald should have been the Fall maiden for the last couple of volumes. Then she wouldn't be a giant simp and we could have had an actually interesting character (Emerald could have been conflicted why should she serve Salem, she was only there because of Cinder and with her being dead, her motivations are unclear - a perfect blank canvas for the writers to explore and come up with something interesting. Could have been gone down the evil path, could have been redeemed - whatever you want.)

[@SinTense643]

I guessed at least 12-14. Yikes.

[@darao.4907]

The writers are too stupid for that

[@PervertedNovaxc3]

I honestly thought Vol 5 was fitting end for Cinder. She had the best fight in that volume and it felt like it was perfect for her: She was so obsessed with power, so obsessed with getting her revenge, that it blows up in her face and costs her life. But I guess that just wasn't in the cards.

[@johnking9943]

Really love your idea of Emerald being the Fall Maiden. It would've given Cinder a bit more depth (so Emerald was in her last thoughts? How about that, maybe she did care about her or something), and it would even cause Emerald's freakout in Volume 5 to have more weight to it: I can just see it: Emerald's boasting about how Cinder's going to be back soon, only for her eyes to start glowing. As she stares down at the power coursing through her, Yang rises up with the Relic of Knowledge. The dots connect, Emerald realizes Cinder is dead, and she unleashes her newfound power in a destructive wave of grief. Though since Emerald has no idea what she's doing with the power, it ends up hurting her as well, keeping the villains from following up and forcing them to retreat. And, if we chose the path of redemption and had Emerald join the heroes, maybe it could open a bit of conflict for Ruby, and Penny, as both - realistically - should hold a grudge against Emerald for helping get Penny killed the first time. But both also know that since Emerald has the Fall Maiden powers, rejecting her would be a disastrous mistake. So, they'd have to figure out how to get along with her without pushing her back into Salem's grasp. Thanks for these ideas. I know that people like to say that ideas like these 'would require RWBY to not be allergic to good ideas and character development' but it's still fun to explore how the show could be better. And I appreciate people with creativity like you. Keep up the great work. :)

[@SinTense643]

@@johnking9943 And also that the powers are coming from Pyrrha originally. Could be interesting conflict as well.

[@nubbiewubbie7285]

Cinder: Wtf, CRWBY?! You're ruining my character! And you gave me a back story that contradicts how my personality was portrayed in the first three volumes!! Adam: First time?

[@SandyTheDesertFox]

Her backstory was written before volume 1

[@patchwurk6652]

@@SandyTheDesertFox So she's intentionally written like someone who pulled her character moments out of their ass at random And to have her backstory finally revealed in the most rushed fashion 5 seasons after everyone stopped caring about the most static and immutably aggravating character in the show? If so... Bold strategy Cotton, let's see if it pans out.

[@SandyTheDesertFox]

@@patchwurk6652 What are you saying? I didn't make value judgements, just pointing out that she was written with this backstory from the start. I can source it if you want

[@patchwurk6652]

@@SandyTheDesertFox Sure, but whatever you're about to source me better be from 2013.

[@slimkickens]

@@patchwurk6652 NDAs are a thing. Nobody could talk about it until it happened

[@blazenava5921]

Honestly they should’ve just done her backstory earlier, why did we even get it this late ? I would’ve felt bad for her if this was brought earlier AND IF SHE LEARNED FROM HER ACTIONS. Like bruh, the cinder I saw in the backstory felt like a different person.

[@AetherealKnox]

You said it Perfectly in only one word: B R U H

[@gravenwolf6535]

This Cinder and the one from v2-3 are NOT the same. The Cinder from the backstory is the one from v5-present. How did she became so calm, collected, clever and manipulative? When she was never like that at all? This is retconing a character. Ruby's VA Lindsay Jones said on twitter that the backstory was planned from the very beginning and I was like" BS"

[@Little-Birds-and-Camellias]

@@gravenwolf6535 she SAID THAT?? Oh my fucking God... they must have meant it's been planned since last week cuz damn this backstory was trash

[@lemonkatze7461]

hopefully so they can kill her off finally

[@_GF312_]

@@gravenwolf6535 then why the fuck did they hold it in for eight volumes?

[@annimu9081]

Cinder's backstory is literally a combination of other character's backstory

[@cj_black]

Dear gods almighty, how do they keep making this character worse as time goes on? You know, it's honestly awe inspiring how these individuals who've worked on this character for literal years, fails constantly at writing her. Now Cinder is beyond a flat character, she's a paradoxical character who makes no sense from top to bottom. And the worst part, it didn't have to be this way! "Amateur" writers have shown that they are easily able to create both a satisfying and logical backstory for Cinder, as well as give her an actual character. This is just beyond incompetence now and is just straight up insanity.

[@donutbevil9669]

Ever read Remnant INFERIS: Doom? It's a RWBY/Doom crossover fanfiction. Her backstory in it? She and her parents were part of a demonic cult, but were slaughtered as sacrifices. She was the only survivor. There, that's a more compelling backstory.

[@awesome8831]

Her backstory should have been this: Cinder's parents are rich and were slaughtered by corrupt huntsmen (which she didn't know at the time) and since there was no other living relative for her to live with, she was living in the streets soon to be found by the stepmother and got adopted by her with rooster teeth's current backstory still applying but with some changes like Rhodes wasn't only just training her to be a huntress, he was trying to gather enough money to buy her off the stepmother and did not give Cinder his weapon either. Several months later, Rhodes arrives at the hotel to tell Cinder the good news that he now has more than enough money to buy her out which makes her all excited and happy with a single tear coming out from one of her eyes knowing she's finally going to be free as she watches Rhodes search for her guardian (the stepmother) to talk business until the evil step sisters acted upon a prank on Rhodes which had gone wrong and died as a result from the prank while Cinder watched the tragedy as the only person that cared about her died in front of her. The step sisters quickly blamed it on Cinder to avoid punishment which lead to the stepmother turning on the shock collar. This lead to the breaking point of Cinder which lead to her unlocking her semblance, and out of anger, she heated up the certain part of the floor the stepmother was standing on and she blew up to pieces. The step sisters, processing just what happened, one of them reached for the remote for the shock collar to electrocute Cinder but realizing it was badly damaged and unable to work to which Cinder used that time to grab Rhode's dual swords from his body and stabbed the sister to death as the other sister decided to run away out of fear but she tripped over a small plant and Cinder deciding not to chase her, heats the part of the floor she's on (just like she did to the stepmother) along with the plant and blows her up. As it turns out, Hazel was there not because of Cinder, but to kill Rhodes as he was tasked to kill huntsmen/huntresses but the job was technically done and witnessed everything that happened and saw Cinder's potential so he brought her to Salem and was technically raised by both of them just to be forged as a warrior to later be used as a pawn. Eventually, she wanted to know what happened to her parents so Hazel told her the cause of her parents death were by corrupt huntsman which lead to her not wanting to be a huntress anymore. Hazel knew this because it was public knowledge and it became widespread so of course he'd know about it. So how do you like it?

[@michaelwen5540]

An artist named ThyBlake is know for drawing WWII versions of RWBY characters, he specifically crafted a backstory for Cinder for this setting: Basically Cinder (or should I say Zinder) is the daughter of a successful German industrialist family. Her parents are not evil, their business is proper and their workers are treated fairly. But the end WWI and the Treaty of Versailles caused Germany's economy to collapse, the workers are left hungry and extremist groups rose up with not enough law enforcement and military to keep them at bay. Eventually this resulted in the Ruhr uprising, her neighbourhood was burnt down by communist rioters. Cinder's parents bought enough time for her to escape but were killed in the process. Having lost everything she'd ever knew of overnight, Cinder's mind and worldview were twisted and deformed beyond recognition. Hence she joined the NSDAP and became a 2nd Lt (Untersturmführer) under Salem, for the sake of power and vengeance. This kinda plays into Cinder's V1-3 setup. Cinder back then always comes off as the one who hungers for power and vengeance (expect that her target is the whole world), especially considering her line: "It's not about overpowering an enemy. It's about taking away what power they have." With ThyBlake's build up, we can easily create Cinder's motivation: Cinder wants power so she can thrive, she lost her old comfortable life because she was weak, and in a world full of monsters and degenerates, the only way for her to succeed is to become the biggest and meanest monster of them all. Cinder wanted power for vengeance, to be enacted upon the Entente for pushing Germany to the brink of collapse and allowing all of this suffering to fall on he; to be enacted against the communists who destroyed her life. IMO, this also sets up her conflict with Ruby, Cinder desires nothing but power for herself, and Ruby's overarching theme of (to quote Jerry Freeman) "doing good for the sake of good - not for flags or countries or gods or kings, but for the good of the world and the fortune of all" is literally everything Cinder is against.

[@detectivechubbs]

@@michaelwen5540 zinder kek

[@fredfuchs8628]

What do you expect? These are the same people who blindly agreed that Vic was guilty and had him booted off the team and replaced.

[@ChasmRift]

Qrow "kills" Clover by fighting WITH A LITERAL SERIAL KILLER: gets arrested immediately Penny is framed for the murder and injuring of people at Robyn's election party: not arrested but is instead allowed in the same room as Robyn for a dinner Team RWBY and co save Mantle from Grimm: gets handcuffed for stealing an Atlas ship Rhodes, an Atlas hunter sees a girl abused: refuse to call the police which Atlas clearly has, but instead trains her even though he could've done both, AND THEN tried to take her down for murdering her abusers Yeah the RWBY writing staff are on DBZ/DBS levels of plot holes, minus the legendary writer

[@ShopperKungVtuber]

i don't know why i want that in the end of backstory to be like when Cinder kill her adoptive family and that huntsman see and he be like "yes now you know what power is i'm gonna take you to Salem now. because we have perfect vessel for maiden power now" but yeah she just a jobber now

[@wlfmanjack]

That would have made more sense though. If that particular huntsmen was fostering her rage and brought her to Salem but no, 10 year old amateur with a small amount of training kills adult huntsmen because there's literally no curve for improvement in this series. Characters are just the best at everything and training and experience means absolutely nothing

[@constantdisappointment5658]

It would've been cool if she had a stepmother and stepsisters that were sweet and loving, and when her father died, she treated THEM horribly.

[@obi_oma]

Before her backstory was revealed, I always imagined she has been trained by a skilled huntsman working for Salem. Seems much better than what the show gave us.

[@obi_oma]

@@constantdisappointment5658 | Ooh that sounds interesting.

[@constantdisappointment5658]

@@obi_oma She’s always enjoyed the suffering of other people, and I wish it was a character trait that never changed or was developed in her past. Why try to make the audience sympathize with her after they watched Jaune grieve Pyrrha's death for years, when the sympathy isn't even related to her impact on the main characters? She doesn't show remorse, she's only shown to have been abused, which then serves no further purpose to her relationship with Ruby. I think the writers just wanted to get her backstory out of the way 😕

[@Polymathically]

I don't understand why Cinder didn't just rip off the collar when she was younger. Seriously, what was stopping her? And if she wanted to kill them, why did she need to steal a sword and undergo years of training? She didn't need a huntsman; she just needed a weapon. She had access to the kitchen and handled room service, so it's not like she didn't have easy access to knives. Just wait for them to fall asleep or are alone somewhere, then stab them. And why didn't the huntsman report what was going on? Honestly, what kind of idiot buys and enslaves a ten year old to handle room service at a fancy hotel? This might have worked in a Dickensian setting, but not a modern technological wonderland like Remnant. The least they could've done was was reveal that she was a Faunus all along; that would've made more sense. And apparently the freedom she's gained wasn't enough to satisfy her; now it seems like it's more about the violence and thrill. It's sad. But I _do_ understand where it's coming from, though. I have a similar backstory; it's too long to write about here, but it involved severely abusive parents, being raised in a cult, being socially isolated, dealing with bullying, racism, homophobia, violence, neglect, depression, and suicidal ideation... Let's just say growing up as a non-binary kid in the 80s/90s in a strict, conservative environment was no bueno. My early life was one long nightmare, and it's a miracle I'm still alive. I get the whole violence angle; it feels _good_ to be in control, to make everyone regret messing with you. But all that energy is fleeting; once that high is gone, you're just left feeling more empty. All that rage, resentment, and despair has nowhere to go, and they slowly eat away you. And eventually, that's all you have left until it break you completely. And yeah, I've done some things that I regret. I'm not a particularly peaceful person, and I have trouble forming relationships with others. And I'll never get all those lost years back. But therapy helped me turn my life around; I overcame and left that all behind, learned more about myself and what my priorities are, changed careers, and traveled all over the world. 25 countries / 5 continents. I've seen and done things most folks only get to dream about, because I decided to turn things around. That's what real power is: knowing who you are, what you're trying to accomplish, how and most importantly _why_ you're doing it. Cinder - and the writers - will never get that.

[@thomasraines1396]

@Megan Welles I’m pretty sure everything you just said is less “subtext” and more fanon, nothing against you it’s a really intriguing perspective but there is absolutely no way the writers are that good.

[@thomasraines1396]

@Megan Welles yeah Weiss just sort of got over her racism, i would actually care if she and Blake had any actual relationship. The entire “Faunus oppression” plot line was written like hot garbage in all honesty.

[@thomasraines1396]

@Megan Welles wow but yeah they’re not above crappy retcons: that’s how Adam turned into a pathetic loser obsessed with Blake.

[@ahsokatano4628]

Killing your abuser is not exactly the most easies thing to do. Especially if your not a trained assassin and also....they might wake up

[@kidprime6863]

@@thomasraines1396 Made a lot more sense in Ice Queendom

[@drakingp2119]

The thing that absolutely baffles me, are people defending it by saying, "Oh well what did you expect." Or "Oh I mean it makes sense, she's literally Cinderella." "It was obvious kinda with her whole allusion." It's just like... How do you state exactly what's wrong with it, as a good thing? All of what you just said, is exactly why it was lame. It shouldn't have been obvious on the virtue of it being Cinder, that's literally why it's boring. It honestly felt more like a way for the writers to get the audience to hate on Atlas so we would not care about them getting wrecked. When they literally made regular Salem straight up Repunzel without the hair bit, her backstory into becoming a villain was literally everything she did after getting out of the tower, which is where the story started.

[@johnking9943]

Also, the original Cinderella wasn't just born with the evil stepmother. If I remember correctly, she did have a time where she lived a good life with her biological father before he married the stepmother, thinking she would be able to give her the mother's care that her biological mother couldn't - since she was dead. And boy was he wrong about that. Personally, I feel this story would've been better if Cinder hadn't been a slave, but like a princess or something. Maybe an heiress to another company that got bought out by someone - maybe the Schnees - and reduced her to the role she had under the Madame after her parents were killed in... I don't know, a gang attack or an 'accident' or something. It would give her a reason to hate Winter and Weiss by comparison (Please tell me I didn't justify Cinder ignoring Ruby for Weiss), and it would explain her entitlement issues; she was brought up being told that as an heiress, she deserved that power, and then it was taken from her by the elites hoarding their power, or people who 'weren't worthy' of the power they stole from her. I'd also cut out the Hunter, and replace him with Salem. Have Cinder run away at one point, and get found by Grimm who take her to Salem. And when Cinder tells her everything, Salem takes 'pity' on her, and slaughters the Madame along with anyone who was looking for her. From there, Salem takes Cinder under her wing, promising that all the power and respect she should have had as the heiress will be hers once again. But that was just off the top of my head. Let me know how it could be improved, and thanks again for your time. :)

[@ichangedidk9097]

@@johnking9943 OMG, YOU MADE A BETTER BACKSTORY FOR CINDER, THAN CWBY!! LIKE, YOOO!!!! THIS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL-

[@drakingp2119]

@@johnking9943 For off the top of your head, that's a pretty solid way to adapt it I feel. It just gives us a little more meat to sink our teeth into. Heck you could even have the sisters manipulate her and the Madam. Maybe they all worked in the hotel, cause it's a family business, but the sisters would take advantage of Cinder, trick her into doing their work and taking the credit, break things or what not to blame her and make her seem worse. Maybe sabotage the girl's efforts. This way the sisters didn't just overpower Cinder, they actively took what little power, or in this case favor, she may have had with the Madam so that she'd end up lower as a result, and reason being, Cinder living with them meant they had to share their good things, this random girl they didn't know. However if the madam hated her enough, her treatment would get worse. But that's also just off the top of my head.

[@johnking9943]

@@drakingp2119 I like this; you give a really good explanation for the sisters, their manipulation and why they'd Cinder and why Cinder would hate them back. I didn't think too much about the relationship she had with the step-family, but now that you brought it up, what if, in the heiress plot I offered, the Madame was screwed over by Cinder's company, whether it was by losing her home or something. And so, when the company folded, and its heiress was left with nowhere to go, the Madame took her in as a way of getting revenge for what the company did to her. It's still wrong, but it's a lot better than just hating her for no reason. Thanks again for sharing these ideas. Despite it's flaws, I really like the concepts and starts to ideas that RWBY gives. It's a lot of fun being able to come up with alternate RWBY universes, and it's even better when we can share them with each other. Thanks again. :)

[@chinwenduizenwata6763]

@@johnking9943 that was good; I like replacing the hunter with Salem. I LOVE it actually...because it could go exactly as it went, but this time Cinder's punishment for "killing" Salem is to become her slave. Fitting for a traitorous and ungrateful student who wanted to ESCAPE slavery. And now she has to go through hell seeking the maidens' powers in order to be strong enough to find and take the relics for Salem. (We should join forces lol)

[@festif_al4911]

Salem didn’t forgive Cinder. She is probably getting Watts to have hacked Penny take the Maiden Powers from Cinder. Take a literal puppet over someone who has repeatedly defied you.

[@qaztim11]

Either that or The Hound is going to hunt Cinders team down

[@EmileTherese]

I hope so.

[@VexedViewer]

Sure, this video is from Cinder's perspective. Nothing changed for her.

[@hurlock24]

Bold of you to assume the rwby writers are smart enough to come up with that

[@alexstach8667]

Having the hound hunt down Cinders team would be nice. We might see how dangerous this thing really is.

[@superprincessgem1]

Here’s the thing: Her backstory didn’t even solve the question of why Cinder wants to be powerful and why she wants the Maiden powers. Yes cinder was abused. Yes cinder was an orphan. Yes her adoptive family (if you can call them that) was shit. But how does the effect her current story. Nora basically got the same backstory but why is Nora a good person? They never explained how Cinder met Salem, how she learned to make her clothing/ weapons (which was alluded to be a very rare/ old skill), why cinder wants to be powerful, why cinder wants all the maiden powers, etc. The backstory didn’t even solve the main question people wanted aside from possible giving Salem some sympathy for what she has done.

[@Salazar.945]

The answer to all your questions are It’s because she’s crazy.

[@sandwraith448]

I think Cinder is sociopath. I don't know more about this so sorry if I messed up. Anyway I have theory when it comes to Nora. She found person who cares and take care of her in young age. Cinder don't have that. Hunter come rarely and teach her fighting. Cinder don't give up her Anger. That's the difference between her and Nora. Nora try to survive and was so scared. Cinder was abused all the time. She choose to take dark Path. Of course Im not protecting Cinder. Don't forget that everyone are different. Some people thanks to being abused become angry(like Mercury). Some people thanks to being abused are gonna be just sad or scared(like Nora). That's not weird thing

[@thatoneblackdude3333]

Exactly just like Adam he backstory doesn't actually answer anything it's just a backstory to please fans who ask for it

[@ayar2]

she wanted power so she can no longer be abused by someone stronger or with more power than her, and also because she somehow saw power as the key to freedom, somewhere in the way, she met Salem, and she most likely promised her more power (the maiden´s) in exchange for becoming her subordinate. Contrary to her stepmother, Salem doesn't treat her subordinates bad unless they fail of have outlived their usefulness, and even then, the worst she does is just scare them (Hazel) or becomes indifferent (Tyrian), thats probably why Cinder is more willingly to be her subordinate since she gives her more freedom during her tasks and because Salem knows thats the best way to manipulate her (which backfires eventually for her).

[@BabyGirlTiny]

@@ayar2 she wanted power so he would never be abused and yet she’s working under someone more powerful than she is and being treated like garbage.... how does that make sense. Are you saying cinder never got out of her abused mindset fully

[@simohayha4152]

Stranger: *sees a 10 year old who nearly stabs him, know she’s being abused by her family and is slowly becoming a monster “hey instead of just confronting your family and giving you a more better life, how about I literally train you to kill monsters and let you stay with this abusive family?” SURELY AFTER 7 YEARS, YOU WILL BECOME A BETTER PERSON AND I WILL REGRET NOTHING! :)” this is actually one of the most stupid decisions i’ve ever heard this is the equivalent of your depressed friend saying he wants to shoot up the school and your advice being “lets ignore giving you help and here’s a brand new fucking AR-15, hope you get better soon”

[@Ari-6]

I was expecting her semblance to be activated by making one of those HUGE glass animals explode and maybe burning the place down, but instead it's activated by making a brush explode. Something that shouldn't have happened by ANY description we've been given for her semblance. We all kind of guessed it'd pretty much be Cinderella backstory. But there was nothing original to make you care at all. Some people are desperate to like everything.

[@SubzeroBlack68]

It was never stated thats how she got her semblance, she could of had her semblance way before that. Heck, we could find out shes an orphan because she might of accidently used her semblance previously and accidently did some harm.

[@Ari-6]

@@SubzeroBlack68 You are writing a better backstory for Cinder in your mind right now. Which is what they all do.

[@johannesseyfried7933]

I've read something similar in a Fanfiction. She locked her Stepmom and one of her Sisters (the other one was at Haven at that Time) inside her ancestral Home, and then burned it to Ground. And that's pretty much how she got the Name Cinder, if I remember correctly.

[@Ari-6]

@@johannesseyfried7933 Again that would be more interesting. But what we got is this boring trash that involved no burning at all. Oh well

[@SubzeroBlack68]

@@Ari-6 I swear they give the most minimum amount of information so fans create fanfiction and theories, then they just swipe those ideas

[@vijeomasher9154]

I really felt nothing for Cinder. I feel bad for her VA. She gets associated with the worst character in RWBY

[@RandomGuy-ol4pv]

Exactly and its such a Shame her VA is so skilled exspecially in angry/savage scenes...

[@falconeshield]

"She's miiine!"

[@jacksparrow9227]

VA?

[@l3aleaf741]

Its hard to even determine whos the worst since theyve all become so terrible

[@lukejones7164]

@@jacksparrow9227 Jessica Nigiri

[@andrewrogers3067]

Vexed I have to point this one out. This isn’t “Cinderella with a twist”. The original Cinderella folktale had her hang her two twin sisters and kill the mom. Even the darker take on Cinderella isn’t original, that was straight from the original tale.

[@jesuisunstroopwafel]

Nobody comments on how 10-year-old Cinder sounds older than the teenager Ruby?

[@Murmarine]

I suppose they couldnt get a younger voice actress that sounds familiar.

[@twinodoom]

My problem with Cinder's backstory is that it's framed as an excuse for choices she made, but justifies nothing because she's shown to be consistently violent and impulsive. It tries to make you sympathize with her because she suffered, but when her first response is always to choose to violence, then I have no empathy. She chose to kill her stepfamily over trying to become a Huntress. She chose to kill Rhodes in that fight without hesitation or remorse. She probably chose to join Salem to gain power because all she knows is gaining power through abusing others. Adam's character short showed that he became a monster over time. Cinder's backstory left me convinced she was born this way, and she was only being held back from hurting others sooner.

[@CrimsonHybrid]

Agreed. Should have given the backstory spotlight to Adam instead; he was more interesting.

[@thomasraines1396]

Exactly all her backstory did was show she was always crazy.

[@falconeshield]

Cinder is like the Joker, her writers find her very hard to let go. Except she's not the Joker.

[@dycedargselderbrother5353]

The biggest middle finger was at the end when Cinder trivially rips off her shock collar. It's like a prison cell with an open door.

[@isaiahgarraway5568]

Its similsr to how Captiab marvel could just take her inhibitor off.

[@edgyusername4191]

I still can't get over the fact Cinder is meant to be ten, she's looks exactly the same.

[@abdelrahmanmohammed7152]

I still dont understand how being abused as a child and treated as a slave has to do with her wanting power, It would have been okay if she saw someone beloved to her die and realized that she wasnt strong enough to protect them or something along these lines, it feels like cinder's backstory has to do with someone who wants freedom not power.

[@SubzeroBlack68]

You are seeing things from a good guys perspective. She had no power to control her life and was at the whims of others. She didnt want freedom but the power they had to do as they pleased. There is no Freedom unless you have power, with power you can do whatever you want, like the huntsmen she always watched had power to go and do whatever he wanted in her eyes, the mistress had power over Cinder as well. They have power, this power allows them to do what they want.

[@austin9568AuraMasterDX]

"Tfw you were close to having Vergil's backstory"

[@noirhelios]

Tbh, that backstory would be more fitting for Salem, who would have originally wanted freedom from the rule of the gods, while Cinder was one trapped in the tower and after losing Oz (or some other love interest), she becomes power hungry to make sure she’s strong enough to make sure nothing happens to someone like that again or so she never has to feel helpless the way she did

[@BabyGirlTiny]

@@SubzeroBlack68 this is nothing more than speculation that doesnt add up considering she's under freaking salem and nothing she would do would make her stronger than salem. So no, thats not thr explanation because shes not doing whatever she wants with her power

[@SubzeroBlack68]

@@BabyGirlTiny Part of her story which was also in the song, was how she was told no one loved her or needed her. So she thought she was needed by Salem. She gets power unimaginable by the world, gets to lord over others with her power while demeaning others and torturing them. Seems like her being scolded and getting treated like slave by Salem is completely new, it's not like she expected that to happen. In her mind she probably thought they were like partners initially that they needed each other. It's only now shes probably realizing she fckd up

[@BunW.Bun21774]

Cinder’s backstory would’ve been more compelling (and original) if she was a faunus-specifically a mouse. She could still be sold to the inn, but instead of being the only servant, she’s one of many faunus (both adult and children alike) and lower class humans under the woman’s employ. Also her step sisters are the only ones who are nice to her and are also getting abused as well. The three form a pact to get out of the lives they have and all three even train with Rhodes-who’s going through a lot of red tape to get the authorities to look into the inn’s owner (we can just assume she’s atlas elite and because of that she’s semi-untouchable). But towards the end of this training (which could have Rhodes be dressed in proper attire for the weather to show the passage the seasons, which in turn shows the passage of time) the girls stepmother finds out about what they’re doing and goes on the attack, with cinder killing her in defense though Rhodes doesn’t see the mother’s initial attack but rather her death (cinder doesn’t snap her mother’s neck but rather runs her through with her sword). Rhodes is angered by this and keeps his whole line of her always being on the run, but rather than fight her, he tells cinder to take her sisters (who were knocked out, not dead) and get a head start on her new life. Cinder does and after a final scene of Cinder and her sisters arguing - though without audio and just angered faces and thrown punches - cinder wakes up. Edit: Also her reason for wanting power and strength could be because she doesn’t want to be used anymore and how she met Salem could be like the fairy godmother in the original tale; cinder is crying over the fall out between her and her sisters in an old barn they used as their hideout. It’s shown that Salem can change the Grimm’s appearance and could possibly do it to herself, so by following this logic, Salem simply comes up to Cinder as an elderly woman with fairy like wings (essentially a dragonfly faunus), consoles her and offers her a place to live freely. And ooh another edit: Rhodes is alive and actually trained Winter (he’s an instructor at Atlas Academy and a sergeant in the army)

[@TheDragiron]

From the beggining she was able to disarm/take off her collar, and by extent she could have neutralized or insulated the shocker to make it seem that she was being electrified, either posing her as a decisive or cunning character. But no, she just crazy and power hungry for some reason.

[@NekoKujo6785]

It was ultimately pointless and poorly written. Just like Cinder herself.

[@lukejones7164]

Facts

[@Random30276]

Cinder should have stayed dead at volume 5. Better yet volume 3.

[@thomasraines1396]

At least it’s consistent.

[@zooemperor3954]

Okay, so they basically decided to give a psychopath like Cinder this Cinderella esque backstory, and we’re supposed to feel sorry for her? Did I miss something here!? What’s next? The Little Mermaid? And Cinder’s backstory, tragically, could’ve worked. Make her this very meek child who isn’t violent, but then through all the abuse, Salem helps provide comfort and trains her to become a huntsman as she sees that she can help her take over the world and thus gain the love of all the world, but this is Salem manipulating her, as Salem really wants the world to burn. Cinder, when she gets her berserk button pushed one last time by her adoptive family, finally kills them and Salem, witnessing this, is pleased and takes her with her. Years later, Cinder strikes out on her first mission, ready to assist Salem in ridding the world of the Atlas elites with the false promise of power to the people. We can understand Cinder and we know that what she did was wrong and should be punished for it. While Cinder is doing that, she teams up with Adam Taurus as she can understand the pain of the Faunus on a semi personal level and offers them freedom of persecution as well, gaining Sienna Khan’s respect as well (Sienna does not die in this version btw) and eventual loyalty. As for her name, maybe she slept by the fireplace and got called Cinder because of that since she had no original name, thus tying into the original fairytale where Ella was called Cinderella because she was forced to sleep by the fireplace But what do I know? I’m just some guy

[@angeltier987]

Wow you put more at least a second of thought into that unlike the writers who just gave her her name and then was like, yep character, backstory it’s all complete now

[@golddragon8702]

I agree, totally agree.

[@CyberDragon10K]

>>But what do I know? I’m just some guy ... I understood that reference. Agreed, by the by.

[@thomasraines1396]

That was awesome.

[@SpottedHares]

Personally is sounds like Cinder backstory is dictated by her design being inspired by Cinderella. Personally the whole connected to fairy tale parts seems to be just more about visual design and naming. Also it really seems like they have been reaching for any reason to keep this charter in the show. And from what they said about her voice actress it sound more like it is just because they like her. Which would mean that their are undermine their story just to keep someone around for personal reasons.

[@maxdunayer2587]

I don't care who kills cinder at this point, I'll congratulate them like there is no tomorrow

[@donutbevil9669]

I'll pop a champagne and offer a silent toast to whoever does it. This backstory ironically just made me despise her more.

[@maxdunayer2587]

@@donutbevil9669 Yeah, I pretty much just pay attention to Cinder a lot mainly to see if rooster teeth could destroy her character even more :(

[@Little-Birds-and-Camellias]

Can't believe how now people are feeling sorry for her. Where was that pity when Adam was clearly also abused? Sexism at its finest.

[@angeltier987]

Don’t worry I care about them equally, which is not at all lol

[@zenderdravnn4421]

he was a threat to the ship and must be eliminated

[@AnonymouslyForgotten]

Adam was abused??? When did that happen? Was there something I missed???

[@Little-Birds-and-Camellias]

@@AnonymouslyForgotten he eluded to it saying how much he's been hurt before, and his brand kinda gives it away. But I find it funny how there was no sympathy for him and now everyone's weeping for Cinder.

[@hhhhhmmmmmm]

@Stefanie Jasmund Adam was the much more interesting character so I would've preferred his backstory for that scar.

[@xdervin6114]

love how the backstory highlights that she wants freedom to do whatever she wants and doesn't really correlate at all with her current goal for power. she also currently works for someone for which there is no out, basically treats you like a slave, thinks she's above you and expects you to do everything she wants perfectly or face the consequences to sum up she's literally working for someone whos just like her "stepmother" WHY???. Her backstory literally betrays her current situation and goals.

[@wojciechwerner8787]

Funny I think that fact that she was slave as a kid and now she is slave of Salem from choices she made in her blind pursuit of power is only good thing about this flashback. It show her short sightedness.

[@Seraqueenyuh]

This back story could have been so much better if it was something like her parents were Murdered right in front of her and she was kidnapped and enslaved right after and during her enslavement she grew angry and resentful towards the people who hurt her and all she craved for after that was to not feel powerless anymore and to seek revenge on those who hurt her but this backstory is just a copy and paste and it’s not ok.

[@jacksparrow9227]

Exactly, you sir should write this shitt

[@Grand_Kekthew_]

And Cinder should have been a Faunes and took that Faunes trait off after killing the ones who enslaved her and the murderer of her parents.

[@Seraqueenyuh]

@@Grand_Kekthew_ unless she was a lizard XD

[@jacksparrow9227]

@@Grand_Kekthew_ Why would she cut off her Faunus tail/ears?

[@Grand_Kekthew_]

@@jacksparrow9227 So that the step-hoes would have a reason to haye her and see a Faunes rascism for the 1st time on screen.

[@superprincessgem1]

The writters seem to really like the orphan backstory as well as the slavery backstory. Examples: Nora, Ren (orphaned as a child), Adam, Blayke (even tho parents are alive her main storyline was to prevent Faunus slavery and so forth), Ruby (even though her father is alive her mom dying is her MAIN backstory, Lila (parents died in a dust mine accident), Yatsuhashi (erased his parents memories), etc.

[@Sonicbuster756]

I’ve seen Fanfic writers come up with better backstories than this.

[@williambragg6171]

Honestly there was one who came up with a similar backstory two whole years before this sham of a backstory aired.

[@Noobmasterdp]

@@williambragg6171 Where was it from?

[@f.fadairo4249]

At this point Cinder is just a psychopath.

[@arcanefury3666]

Why didn't he just call the cops or the RWBY equivalent to child protective services? Even if orphanages are terrible, it's probably better than forced labor and torture. I thought Hunters and Huntresses were the police and Ironwood and his forces were the military. Why can't he just call head quarters and explain the situation? Who do average citizens call when they need help anyway? Why can't she just runaway? Even if she gets caught can't she just say they torture her?

[@AlexisDevilman]

Knowing RWBY, it was probably legal to have Cinder (and she did torture her out of view from the guests, so there's that).

[@thedarklordx]

If buying slaves is a thing it's probably legal.

[@HumanB312]

@@thedarklordx Buying a Faunus could be but a human child in a hotel just seems wrong in the world of Rwby. Cider should of just been a Faunus

[@iatemycat5320]

Because that would be smart.

[@ayar2]

huntsmen and huntresses deal mostly with Grimm, not human issues.

[@Hilversumborn]

My version of her backstory Cinder gets adopted by her stepmother who is a huntress but unable to have children due to an injury, the 2 stepsister were already adopted by her. The 2 stepsisters want to become huntresses like the stepmother but are untalented/not good enough, meanwhile Cinder appears to have to have prodigious ability. After this the stepsisters become jealous and start to abuse her, they do stuff that isn't allowed by their mother and put the blame on Cinder causing her to be treated like Cinderella. Cinder feeling betrayed starts hurting animals as a way to vent, since her stepsisters turned on her, who's to say animals won't turn on her as well. Finally at one point Cinder snap awakens her semblance and accidentally kills her stepsisters but instead of feeling bad she feels great. The stepmother finds out about this and confronts Cinder, Cinder then barely escapes and realizes she's not strong enough to beat her stepmother. Time skip, Cinder and her revenge seeking stepmother have a showdown, Cinder wins but not without injury, she thanks her stepmother for teaching her how to fight and how important strength/power is before dealing the killing blow. Thoughts/opinions?

[@isaiahsmith6016]

That is a lot more compelling than what we ended up with. I see no problems with this other than the hurting animals part since that feels out of place for Cinder's backstory but that is my opinion. My two cents.

[@anonymousapproximation8549]

@@isaiahsmith6016 Yeah, the whole "hurting animals" thing is unneccessary. It'd make more sense for her to not have an outlet and bottle up her emotions, thus leading to the aforementioned blow up.

[@Joey-zy1ej]

Vex: ‘I’ve been waiting here... for some time I think. What was I waiting for?’ Cinder: ‘Me...’ Vex: ‘No.’

[@kingraplhmativo5178]

Vex is Fria confirmed, he was mistaken given Maiden powers to Penny instead of Winter. Edit: Penny gonna die again.

[@stevenvu5403]

To me the backstory was just meh and not that interesting. It doesn’t really make me look at her differently and it does nothing for the story right now.

[@lunaproc4913]

When Roosterteeth tries to make the fans care more for Cinder than Ironwood

[@donutbevil9669]

It's like what happened with Jiren from DBS. Boring, generic backstory.

[@patchwurk6652]

@@donutbevil9669 I dunno, I didn't find myself saying "Fuuuuuuuuck youuuuu" to Jiren's backstory.

[@viruschris3160]

Also... remember when Cinder offed off Pyrrha, there were talks about "destiny"... where was that in Cinder's backstory? Why does the word "destiny" make Cinder angry? I honestly could up with, heck a LOT of people, could've come up with a better backstory for Cinder where Salem is Cinder "fairy godmother" giving her the power to escape her old horrible life and plead her allegiance to her. I'm interested in how people react to the mess of this story more so than the story itself. I see people saying Weiss is being a "great" character again after hugging Whitley when he called Klein back to the mansion to help Nora. Weiss couldn't have done that now that her father is gone? And after she told Whitley to go to his room and they barely interact at all. Give me a break. Fanfics of RWBY are the way to go.

[@FrontlinerCdV]

Small correction(I know it's been 3 months and Cinder's character is probably completely ruined but oh well) regarding Cinder and Pyrrha's final exchange: It didn't seem like Cinder was angry, she was taunting Pyrrha before dealing the final blow. When Pyrrha asked her that question, Cinder was answering in a very matter-of-fact and stern tone, indicating her own stance as a believer of and in her own predetermination(to what extent remains to be seen).

[@mitchellmeyer5303]

This actually poses a question; To what extent can a character be redeemed? And if they can, does the level of writing given for them grant them some form of forgiveness from the audience? A good example of this would be Zuko from Avatar the Last Air bender. His character was quite driven to hunting our protagonists for his own gain in the begin books, yet throughout the series he deviated and was given more depth and substance as a character that people could emphasize and relate with. It then all comes full circle when Zuko achieves his goal but still remains lost, thus triggering his redemption arc. And the reason that this arc doesn't seem forced is because Zuko displayed other positive characteristics and deeds that show his virtues as a character. Cinder...doesn't have ANY of that. From day one, her character has shown nothing but malicious manipulation and sadistic cruelty. Her string of loses has only frustrated the audience as it may just be RT's ham-fist attempt at making the protagonists victories seemed earned. Either way, the story hasn't given us any reason to believe she is worth redemption solely due to her past actions and her unchanging desire to impress Mommy Salami. Speaking of, which of Salem's crew do you think is redeemable? or better yet which ones do you think don't deserve redemption?

[@taserx2768]

Mercury and Emerald are the most redeemable. Tyrian is impossible to redeem.

[@haruokumura4271]

Hazel is probably the only one I could see being redeemed. Despite everything and his eagerness to snap a child's neck if Ozpin is inhabiting them, he's probably the only one in the group that isn't either totally insane (see; Tyrian) or just reveling in chaos (see; also Tyrian) and he has shown reluctancy to fighting the gang before which shows us that he isn't as thrilled with killing children (who aren't hosts of Ozpin) as the rest of Salem's league of evil at least.

[@waterpillar1977]

To put it simple hazel is the only one that seems capable of being redeem unlike cinder or Tyrian or watts dose not take Sadistic pleasure in killing enemies the only time it comes close to happen is ozpin because of his misguided hatred

[@SinTense643]

Hazel is redeemable. I also think they're going to redeem emerald. But none of the others deserve redemption imo and I rather see them getting killed. Mercury is not ruined yet but I doubt roosterteeth will redeem him because he is way more 'bad-guy' than emerald

[@nubbiewubbie7285]

Mercury and Hazel have the potential to be redeemed. Emerald... idk. I feel like she's trash. Neo doesn't even feel like a villain. Before she was just doing her job, now she wants revenge for her boss's death. The fact that she actually cared about him is redeeming enough in my eyes. Cinder belongs to the streets.

[@jedriqventura5688]

This all could have been avoided if, the Hunter just called child protective services and adopted Cinder.

[@SomewhereFireworks]

If this huntsman is against people being treated unfairly why is he staying at a hotel that doesn’t serve Faunus

[@michaelgalvan9196]

Hi

[@NoxAtlas]

This backstory was just as I expected: uninspired, generic and it would have been a much better story for a Faunus like Adam or Iliya. I get it that physical and emotional abuse can drive victims into becoming abusers because they feel the need of being in control. But it's so poorly written and Cinder never showed to suffer from such an emotional trauma. She was a violent sociopathic and arrogant bitch her entire life. I actually would have prefered a backstory for her in which she actually gets a reason to want power. For example: her family could have been attacked by bandits or even Faunus terrorists and Cinder saw everyone she loved dying. And when she was about to be murdered next, the Grimm came and slaughtered the attackers, Salem then noticed Cinder and took her under her wing, grooming her to become her loyal servant by making her believe that her family died because they were weak and only those with power can change the world. This way, even Salem would have gained more depth to her character.

[@melicenthmonochrome2881]

Honestly it is really annoying how the Bad Treatment Cliche became the most widespread backstory type. You know what I really am waiting? Inner thoughts. Reflections that in conjunction with some circumstances are made by the characters themselves. It is so tiring to hear this good old 'i was abused and then i have changed'. Let's just imagine for a second that Cinder was never an orphan. She wasn't poor. But she was in the eye of the world's storm. She saw the discrimination, maybe even she herself was a part of it. She was stupid and then there was a trigger - something small, maybe a little fight with a stranger. Then the process started. After long time in thinking, analyzing and searching she got her point. She (maybe because of some personal feeling) tried to change something. She did some steps but failed because of some great corporations and rich powerful people. After that Cinder became darker and started looking for a power herself. I want her to be a small ass feeling Meaningful. I want smart, egoistic antagonist. I want personality based on personal observations and thoughts. I really hate this stereotype that is too common for fandoms. I mean that one which says that person can only change because something really BIG happened. It is boring. How can we call a person extraordinary when they are built just with misfortunes? And how can a great evil be not extraordinary? Backstory of Salem was simple. Even a child can come up with that. Same goes with Cinder's, Emerald's etc. OK maybe I'm just annoyed and telling bullshit and things that I said are even more cliche than that but meh whatever

[@alexstach8667]

You're right. The whole "I was abused so I'm a bad person" trope is just annoying. It seems like the creators of RWBY forgot how Cinder was in Season 1-3. She was a cold, manipulative but very smart person with a goal and this background doesn't fit at all.

[@Rijo27]

At this point the only character that deserves a true backstory is zwei. The fact that they made the whole episode about a backstory that could be summed up in a few minutes, is frustrating. Once again it comes down to pacing, this backstory should have been delivered back in like vol 3 towards the end. The show lacks putting in important details to keep the story moving/plot-lines moving forward. If we got little flashbacks from time to time i.e. Raven and Tai's relationship - that could have been shown either vol 4 or 6. Or moments of team STRQ in vol 4 or 5 when Qrow was poisoned. It would have pushed the story along and kept us or at least for me more invested in the story of the show. Right now for diff plot lines we have: silver eyes (still), summer maiden, what happened to Raven (spring maiden), Beacons relic, Summer Rose etc.

[@thomasraines1396]

There was actually a really interesting fanfic about Zwei’s past told from his perspective and how he ended up with Ruby and Yang.

[@GoldenB0ltBLTZ]

The worst part is that Cinder is more better written in RWBY Fanfiction than she is here in canon. And I have read some well written as well as cringy stories to back that statement up.

[@zacrylist5748]

honestly i do feel bad for cinder, i feel bad because they gave her possibly the most asinine and laughable backstory possible, there are so many questions i would wanna ask i wouldnt know were to begin, ranging from "wait humans can be slaves just like fanus, and how bad is it compared to them?" all the way to "why didnt the huntsman adopt her? or try to get her to a better apartment?" all of this and forgetting to ask were the hell does Salem come into play?

[@harbinger3197]

The only literary reason I can see for this backstory is to foreshadow Cinder breaking from Salem’s faction. If Atlas falls I can see both Ruby and Cinder going off on solo treks in V9. Cinder’s big issue is she doesn’t come off that well as a foil/shadow of Ruby. Darth Vader is a great villain because Luke could end up like him. Willem Dafoe Green Goblin is basically the corporate version of bullied high school Peter Parker. Cinder’s more like Kylo Ren in that there’s no sense that Ruby could go down her path; she’s so far just been there to be smacked down. There is literary potential to do parallels/juxtaposition with Ruby’s “super-mom” Summer Rose relationship vs Cinder’s evil stepmother figures but that’s in the future if they choose to go that route. But that’s another reason Cinder is not super-compelling, because Ruby herself is not super-compelling. Ruby has no backstory that isn’t still a mystery, eg. Silver eyes, Summer and so forth.

[@josephpham9078]

6:06 Those are the eyes of a psychopath. No reason, no conscience, no understanding in even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, of good or evil, right or wrong. Just simply, purely... evil.

[@Evilman_520]

"Cinder is the worst character in the show" That's a pretty bold statement, considering just how shitty and underwhelming they've made a lot of the characters.

[@silverking3796]

Does anybody else think becoming a huntress wouldn't have fixed her problems? Think about it. We've seen people like juane get bullied while being in school and he comes from a family of hunters, has a pretty good life, and he leads one of the best teams in his grade. So how would Cinder, a poor, lonely orphan, with violent tendencies and anger issues, who has been abused all her life, get treated in an Atlas? And let's also mention the faunus who are treated worse on a day to day basis like Adam and Velvet. It wouldn't take long for her to snap and hurt/kill someone and get in trouble. Rhodes was stupid for even training her to begin with.

[@JorrentYT]

Forget Cinder all I want is Neo's backstory with Torchwick

[@dime-a-thousand8002]

If this is what they did with Cinder i dont want to see how they massacre her backstory.

[@sebas8225]

We already have it, Brunswick farms.

[@CNWhatImSaiyan]

They’ll have to find a new VA for Roman since Gray Haddock been left

[@speakerrob1859]

I'd rather them not, honestly. They'll just botch it.

[@0er069]

"Stuff in RWBY has planned since the very beginning." Ha! Good one Barbara.

[@RevaXartist]

Aye don't y'all remember if a professional trains you in this series for a few weeks you automatically become stronger than them

[@slimkickens]

It was almost seven years, but whatever

[@haziqtheunique]

@@slimkickens That just makes it more ridiculous. He trained her, so he should know all her moves because they're _his._ Usually, for student to beat master, it takes more than one try because the master has, well, _mastered_ the knowledge they instilled into the student, who has yet to peak physically or mentally.

[@shinkurea1084]

What a perfect gift for Christmas. 👀👄👀💕 hyped to get to watch this.

[@draconiansoul7570]

Wouldn't it have been better if instead of having her stay there, Rose took her away and trained her in a loving environment. Then maybe have Rose get killed off by someone or something while trying to protect Cinder, and I guess have it related to the stepfamily. That way she would feel vindicated in killing them and come to the conclusion that the world itself isn't worth saving considering the nicest person she ever knew was killed for no reason. I mean yeah it's a generic shit premise, but it'd be miles better then what we got.

[@vashviper9346]

Yeah no, I don't care for Cinder. She is irredeemable. She never shows remorse for a single thing she's done. If in volume 1,2 or 3 they'd have nade her out to be unwilling or unhappy to follow her orders, or better yet, have her and Ruby bond a bit and actually become friends for those first few volumes then MAYBE we'd give a shit about this character. But no, same as Adam they show her as being just pure evil and cruel. The closest thong they have to this idea is Emerald but she's too busy simping for Cinder. With writers like these I'm sure they'll make it into love rather then loyalty. Truly the only reason I'm even still watching this train wreck is for closure in what could have been a great show if they had better writers.

[@eriksvoboda6973]

Ironically Adam was more neutral evil at the start of the show, he had a cause, was a leader and Blake was more of an afterthought to him. Then they reduced him to an abusive ex. Cinder on the other hand was a card-carrying villain, collected, scheming, enjoyed sowing destruction. Now she is emotionally unstable victim of abuse(+murderous psycho) who is to be pitied. It's like they kept the story ideas for the two next to each other and then swapped them at some point by accident.

[@thedarklordx]

Adam's backstory actually explained his character perfectly

[@Not_Ciel]

To be fair, if they make another lesbian couple cannon, the FNDM will riot or some shit. People were already upset that they ONLY included lesbian couples for their "LGBTQ" representation.

[@sammydray5919]

@@thedarklordx what backstory?

[@vashviper9346]

@@eriksvoboda6973 I agree. Adam had serious potential as a neutral evil. Could have had him lean more towards helping everyone but for the Faunes, not the humans. But no, him being a literal slave and killing humans in self defense is baaaaad even tho your parents would be dead noo thats baaaad. Also Yang thinks more about how Blake would think of her rather then her own sister...mhm...further adding to the criticism that most character moments are for the sake of pushing a couple and nothing else.

[@xanth0sSkaios]

If Rhodes truly cared he'd have gotten Cinder out of there.

[@HAHA-dq3ij]

Her backstory made me feel more sympathy for that huntsmen that helped her rather than Cinder.

[@thunderstorm1672]

The only thing I can say about this backstory is: "That's crazy bro, but I don't remember asking"

[@elpopman2055]

1: Nothing about Cinders back story makes any sense how does a shock collar hurt someone that has aura? 2: Human slavery is allowed in Atlas? Why are so many people turning a Blind eye to Cinder Being a Slave 3: apparently the Huntsman Know give A Crap about Justice after Cinder lash out at her enslaver... Which could of been avoided if he did the right thing.. Worse he acts surprised that's Cinder retaliated 4: Cinder not sympathizing with others that was similar backstory to her.. Why? 5: it still does not explain why she is such a psychopath

[@loiiysailor1177]

I feel more for Graara then cinder , the boy lost everything and fear betard he was alone and has no love , the children is scare of him his father hates him his mother die giving brith his older siblings also scare of him and the person he trusted the most is his uncle betray him giving him fales love and try to kill him and blame him for his sister death , for that Graara is giving the world what it wants , he rather be freard then love , for Cinder ummm she already have her freedom and reavage from her step mom sure is sad she was a slave and was abuse but is not enough to feel for her she got what she wanted and now she a psychopath power hunger wretch and that's it . Freedom + power huger = what?

[@johannesseyfried7933]

Well, as we saw in V5, Nora, despite having Aura AND a Semblance that absorbs Electricity can get hurt by Electricity.

[@elpopman2055]

@@johannesseyfried7933 Nice point.. However it Does nothing to argue against the other points though.

[@JJR93]

You have to train to consciously activate your defensive aura, as Oz explains to Oscar in V.5; maybe it took that long for Cinder to figure out how.

[@elpopman2055]

@@JJR93 Again That Was poorly Handled Recon.. volume 1 and volume 2 contradicted that.

[@Deathshot981]

Why is aura so fragile now a days, I specifically remember ruby getting used as a ping pong by Rome and Nero. Ruby was shot in the stomach several times, but somehow her aura didn't even break.

[@jamesprice6015]

I know something, I once like Cinder in vol. 2, 3, and even 4. But ever since volume 5, she has been an worthless and honestly a bland character. My theory is that Ruby and Cinder were supposed to be each other foils and archenemies so that they can develop each other's character. But due to politics, Bumblebee, new writers, and other crap, that didn't happen.

[@qaztim11]

I think you are onto something, Cinder in volume 4 had a ton of potential to show off the dynamics of team Salem(and we got a little bit of that) and dive deeper into Cinder's motivations, but she recovered too easily from her injuries and she just went back to being Volume 1-3 Cinder but with a Grimm Arm.

[@jamesprice6015]

@@qaztim11 As for Ruby well fuck. You would think after losing Penny, Pryhha, and Beacon, Ruby would be a bit more jaded and rough a bit. Unfortunately, she is still same old Ruby Rose that singlehandedly crippled Atlas.

[@og-cryoman1842]

Me: Ah ok man. You kind of gave her a weapon and enabled her to kill, and even though she did kill them, you clearly see that she has little to no option of a good life if you send her to jail. It would really make sense for you to take her in and train her, get her away from that abusive environment and help her control and develop her emotions and views on power. Hell, you could've done that when you two first interacted. I can't wait for you to call the cops and stage the scene so that it looked like they were abusing Cinder, therfore allowing you and her to walk away free of suspicion. The writers: **allow us to subvert your expectations**

[@seasustrai6547]

CRWBY really said that "there's child slavery in RWBY... if it makes the two most abusive characters in the show sympathetic"

[@NateHenry405]

Cinder has been many things in her life thus far: A orphan, a maid (child slave), a apprentice, a murderer, a servant, a saviour, a maiden, a saboteur, a (Grimm)hybrid, a monster, and an outcast. Though thinking about it now, brings me back to volume 5 episode 5, Blake's talk with Sun about what one word would embody certain people made me think about what word would describe Cinder. The one constant common theme in Cinder's backstory, character arc, and life in general thus far as well I would say is "Betrayal".

[@MegaMachiOnline]

If only she was a faunus that had her faunus traits perma removed by the buyer all because she was too weak to do anything, was told she was too weak, the hunter had more selfish reasons of training her, avoided death because she was too weak and was told she’d always be weak because blah blah blah, you get the picture

[@brianford4914]

Cinder's backstory doesn't make me care for her, like I understand her and even pity her but I don't care about her still. If she died I wouldn't feel sad or even have an emotion other than "oh that's wasted potential."

[@somedumbhoe7123]

I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one who laughed like a fucking hyena when I heard Cinder’s Kidz Bop chores song during her montage

[@furyberserk]

"Mommy. Why did daddy hit you?" "Cinder, your mommy got a bit... Wild tonight at the dinner party for your daddy. That made him really mad at me." "But daddy is so big. It's not good to hit people." "Yes well, he didn't do it for me. He did it for them." "Them?" "The Atlas elites. You see Cinder, back in Mistral, we loved the world as a part of nature. See this dust? We'd even weave it into our clothing to feel closer to it. But nature is also powerful. Nothing can challenge it and its very presence commands attention, like love..." Rake Fall slams the door as he enters the house visibly irritated. "... And fear.... Darling go ahead to bed. Mommy will read you a book after..." *cough cough Rae's mouth covers with blood as she slowly gets up to walk to her husband only to collapse to the floor. Rake and Cinder rush to her, both putting her to bed. "Will mommy get better?" "I... Don't know. This party was to show her off as a prestine woman, one with unique grace deserving of her operation, but they were unimpressed.... Cinder, when I... Hit her. It was to limit their judgements, but it didn't help. I was demoted. We are being moved to a new home in 2 days. And, mommy won't be coming with us." "Wha-.... Why not. Mommy is..." "I... I know Cinder, just go to bed." 2 days later Cinder waits for her father, a desperate man with lacking skills who witlessly took a doctor hostage to perform a life saving operation for his wife is gunned down by Atlas's first gen robots. Unable to wait any longer, Cinder walks until she relocated into Mantle and led away by a man in a business suite never to see her mother again. (So thats it, why she wants power, hates atlus and uses deception rather than impulsion. Ps, she sees salem as power of nature as well so reverence.)

[@Dreyfussama]

I laughed so hard at that backstory, it felt so rushed and generic like you said. And when you pointed out it didn't fit well with the why she wanted power I busted out laughing. Like bruh did they even try?

[@ayanamcr.7303]

They really tried to make us feel bad for Cinder. Which is what I hate. Forcing your audience to feel bad for a character. Like they tried to make it seem like her life was worse for faunus ( who weren't able to control how they were treated ). When that Rode guy could've have helped Cinder - instead of training her and basically helping her murderous intent. Like as a hunter, aren't you suppose to be able to pick up on signs of distress? Whether it be due to a Grimm or human problem.

[@chinwenduizenwata6763]

@Pip The Pipster yeah he could have taken her away and THEN trained her. Geez why is everyone in the comment section more capable than the writers right now?

[@sandwraith448]

Who forced? Audience is the one who decide if they feel bad for character or not XD

[@ayanamcr.7303]

@@sandwraith448 Giving Cinder a backstory that would make people feel bad for her and that backstory would set her up for a redemption arc. Which is basically the writers saying, "well, she was treated like crap by her step family so that's why she's so evil now. Which is why everyone should feel bad for her and forgive her for all the hurt she caused". And the audience ( most of the time ) will either choose to go along with it or not.

[@DarthSigma86]

Will vexed viewer see some decency in her at long last? Or will he finally end her career? Find out in the next 20 minutes!

[@laylabeee555]

Its Cinderella with the twist and the twist is there is no twist

[@Neo-bd9dk]

It’s important to acknowledge that in real life, “happiness” is NOT guaranteed nor is it common. So there’s nothing wrong giving characters tragic pasts so long as it’s believable within the world the character lives in.

[@Burscutum]

Wouldve made more sense if this was Nora. At least it would work with her semblance. Like...out of desperation, she turned her weakness into a strength. Why does...from child labor and shock collars....did she get fire glass, or whatever the heck she has..?

[@BlaxxShadow]

They really tried the slave route with Cinder, but did nothing of the sort with the Faunus and instead demonized them with the White Fang. What in the actual heck are the writers smoking? Cinder is a power hungry sociopath, with that established they honestly should've just had her mentor be a sociopathic hunter who had similar desires. Someone to validate Cinder's behavior. In that scenario, Cinder would've actually been a victim, of herself and her upbringing.

[@austinterry5948]

Honestly, I think the writers hate this show, whether they realize it or not. The internet can be a cruel place if you put yourself out there like this, and their work is being criticized constantly, not that it doesn't need to be, but people deal with stress in many ways and I'm curious how this affects the writing or even their lives. There's surely no quitting the job at this point, they do this for a living and have to support themselves. I think it's gotten to the point where they are so fed up with the job, the pressure, that they feel like slaves to the job, rather than inspired like they MAY have been at some point, and now seems more of a burden to write than anything, out of necessity. (I feel like I'm speaking more on Kerry here but it could be anyone, not just the writers.) I would theorize, that the writers, or possibly anyone on the dev team of this show, want the show to be over, feeling the urge to rush anything to get to the conclusion of the show, while also keeping it coherent enough for the few fans that choose not to see the flaws. I really hope at the end of the day, they learn from their mistakes, accept their mistakes, and become better for it. They're still people, and I can't even imagine the pressure of so much of the internet against them, while writing a show that had little direction to start with, and without the person who even conceived the show to begin with. This comment isn't to undermine constructive criticism or imply that content creators against the show/writers is a bad thing, but it can be easy to forget mentality and peace of mind. Stay happy and healthy, Miles and Kerry.

[@angeltier987]

Yea I’m pretty sure they wanted to keep rwby alive after monty died but wrote themselves in a corner and with all the criticism going on they are just flailing about. I dearly hope at the very least it gets a decent ending.

[@19bigbossman]

No these guys just suck at their jobs

[@sandwraith448]

That's why toxic RWBYtubers are pathetic for me xd. Toxic RWBY fans: *talk about how this show is terrible, still watching for some reason, NEVER say one single positive thing, attacking writers and being cruel* RWBY: *gets worst and is cancelled because no one give good vibes for writers* Toxic fans: iTs aLl BuMbLeBy ShIpPeRs FaUlT

[@sandwraith448]

@@19bigbossman No. Fans suck at giving positive vibes to writers. Fans are the ones who destroy show(not everyone of course). Writers trying their best. Give criticism is good if that's contructive. A lot of people never say anything nice. NEVER.

[@VexedViewer]

They get WAY MORE praise than negativity.

[@scottgrey3337]

The one interesting dynamic of the backstory that I liked was people doing nothing when they should have. Rhode's first scene when he notices Cinder, and looks like he knows *exactly* what's going on, but doesn't do anything is interesting. What if wherever Cinder was, indentured servitude was legal/tolerated, and no one at the hotel spoke up about it? Rhodes only finds Cinder to get his sword back and rejects her pleas to train her, telling her it's better to put up with the system until she's an adult, when she can leave (and be homeless). Hell, add another child labourer, who she acts like a big sister to, who wants to run away, but Cinder knows two kids won't get far on the streets, and that they'd always live in fear of step-mom. Sometime in the future, Rhodes is at the hotel again and finds his sword missing. At first furious, he realizes something's wrong as he's going to Cinder's spot, noticing signs of a struggle. When he finds Cinder in her room, he sees the daughters' bodies and Cinder killing the step-mom, while the other kid cowers in the corner. Noticing the man who told her to put up with this abusive system, Cinder mocks him by saying "Look, I didn't run" in a bitter but slightly smug tone. They fight, but Rhodes is clearly holding back, taking a few hits in the process but easily outmatching Cinder and knocks her down. She starts crying as he reaches down to grab her, only to reveal that it was a ruse as she grabs his arm and activates her semblance. Taking advantage of his shock to pull him to the ground, her semblance burns through his weakened aura and she puts her other hand on his face, brutally killing him as he screams. Cinder gets up, victorious but also visibly violent and borderline psychopathic. She tries convincing the other child to leave with her, but gets annoyed that they're terrified of what she did, justifying it by saying that she was fighting back against their abusers. When they ask why they couldn't run, Cinder mocks them, saying that running is weak, the one thing she refuses to be. Pointing out that no one did anything to help them, she states that those with power don't help others, so it's up to them to take it and help themselves, before walking away. End backstory. At least this way, things are a lot more nuanced and messy. Cinder has valid reasons to be the way she is, as a victim who watched nobody try to help her. But she doesn't stay innocent, deciding to become powerful like her abuser rather realising that powerful abusers are bad. This version also relies less on comically evil stepsisters and more on people being caught in a broken system. It acknowleges the consquences that come from a failure to help in a horrible situation, but at the same time doesn't excuse Cinder. Despite all the wrong she suffered, she's decided that "might makes right" and has no problem hurting others herself now.

[@ShadowMark3_]

Cinder: I. Want. More. Power. Vergil: *sighs "how disappointing"

[@Vexin980]

She lacks *M O T I V A T I O N*

[@AegisKHAOS]

Foolishness, Cinder. Foolishness.

[@Murmarine]

She is like Vergil, except like... not at all, becouse Vergil is a likeable character.

[@ShadowMark3_]

@@Murmarine And this still doesn't explain her quest for power either

[@rosesongoku6980]

She lacks *_P R E S E N T A T I O N !_*

[@brandonb4742]

Wait...she’s ALWAYS HAD FIRE POWERS?! I thought that shit was from being a maiden.

[@ahuman404]

She had a Heat-based Semblance, which I suppose explains her attunement towards using Fire with her Maiden Powers, though it might also be because RoosterTeeth realized nothing separated the Maiden's apart at all, so now they went Fall = Fire, and have Penny using Snow and Ice despite Raven already using Ice and being Spring.

[@chinwenduizenwata6763]

Lol @Brandon B. Yeah she had that power and only threw a hot brush to the ground. I SWORE she was gonna leave burning handprints on the abusive family's throat's but...whatever. Foolishness all around. I was taught that irrelevant stuff in a story should be absent, but who am I?

[@chinwenduizenwata6763]

@@ahuman404 I'm glad you mentioned how all the maiden powers are similar. What is so hard about giving powers reflective of the four seasons??? Fall could=wind or degradation if you wanna be fancy; winter=ice, spring=water or some floral, earthy BS, and summer=fire. Simple.

[@ahuman404]

@@chinwenduizenwata6763 It's a very simple concept, and yet, they made it so all Maidens posses each and every Element possible despite their namesakes. Hell, their Aura isn't even color-coded, so if it wasn't for the fact they can only open a respective Vault for whatever reason, they would've lost track by now of which Maiden is which. Wonder what Raven will end up doing now that Penny stole her entire thing.

[@twenty-fifth420]

Me: >I really dislike RWBY KZbin: “You want to find out Cinder’s backstory????” Also Me: “Only if it is Vexed doing the video.”

[@teoch5217]

The Cinder story would make more sense if this hotel were a brothel. And the hunter trained her as part of "spending time with her." She would have to learn culture, grace, fashion from her stepmother. After all, she was going to work with rich clients

[@ololololololololoism]

That's dark, I like it.

[@FriendofFantasy]

Fixing Cinder's backstory. The huntsman helps Cinder get rid of her abusive family. The huntsman then tells Cinder that with power, no one can ever push her around again. He trains her to be strong. They run into Salem where the huntsman is defeated and Cinder learns she can get true power by working with Salem. There, I fixed it.