Board Thread:Speculation House/@comment-4830106-20140808001942/@comment-25294232-20140813130521

WideEyedGuy wrote: Edit/review future posts for grammatical/structural errors before posting to help ease reading, please.

"Think that it wasn't quite skillful enough to suffice" is what I said earlier, besides my original statement was "much needed characterization" and paired with " I still believe that characterization without proper ground might as well be non-existant" you'll probably get what I'm saying: characterization without something to solidly establish it(like say backstory or even a hint of character backstory) is nothing, poor scenes just add salt to the wounds. I'll tack on the fact that characterization without backstory is fine for a while(keeping suspense and interest in character) but this is the second season past the introductory phase already. Some works can expertly work around a character's backstory until the end, but RWBY is no such work having not the proper framework or skill necessary.

Weiss is a whiny brat because she was raised in comfort, Ruby is socially awkward because outside of Yang she's never really made a friend, Blake was a terrorist making her distrust authority and Yang is currently a fiesty blond for no other reason! The problem is that without backstory or something concrete to explain their actions, a character's motive behind their actions loses weight and it's hard to see a character as a person without establishing who they were. A declared lack of backstory as backstory can be legitimate if done expertly in the right situation.

I never said she had to change or have changed at some point? She could have been the same rowdy person throughout her childhood and that would suffice.

And I don't agree with this assessment. Backstory is a justification, not the character themselves and the belief it's an inherent requirement to validify a character's traits and reasons feels like you're putting the cart before the horse. A character doesn't need an explanation for all of their personality traits. They're supposed to be mimics of humanity who don't always have explanation for why they are who they are. Your points for the other members only establish one particular aspect of their personality traits, but that's not all of who they are.

I can say that Summer's death thrust ruby upon Yang and that explains her protective nature towards her babys sister.

boom there you go. Character trait justification right there. But I doubt and wholly laugh at the assumption that all character traits stem from one particular moment in a character's life or that seizing up and presenting said moment is what's needed to give said character's characterized traits true merit. It's contrived and completely goes against the fundamental principle of 'show don't tell'.

Now you feel that said visual keys are ineffective, but the fact remains that they are there. Is it unfortunate that you can't be swayed by them? Certainly, but that's a whole other matter.