Board Thread:Episode Discussion/@comment-34633327-20171229202410/@comment-34633327-20180102012825

All this talk about Jaune's semblance is making me think back to what Ren mentioned about semblances, how there is no definitive coralation between a persons character and their semblance. When I was thinking over the known origins of Semblances, I got to think "Awfully conveniant these Semblances triggered just as soon as they needed them". I mean, of the ones we know the origins of:

Nora's was when she was struck by lightning, and her semblance turns Electricity into power, so her semblance saved her life.

Ren's triggered after witnessing his dad sacrifice himself, the grimm all around him, and Nora cowering with a Nevermore in the way, and his semblance calms emotions, so his semblance is what let him get to Nora.

Emerald's semblance we don't know when it was unlocked, but we do know it was before she met Cinder, and that as a street rat, she used it to steal and feed herself day to day, and her semblance tricks people into seeing what isn't there, the perfect tool for a thief.

Assuming this holds as Canon (Starts at 17:48), at RTX Australia 2016 with Lindsey and Barbara doing an in character Q&A and one question being how they got their semblances, Barbara as Yang says hers woke up when she stubbed her toe once. Really. Anyway, I know when I stub my toe, it hurts like hell and I want to punch a wall to distract myself from it, and considering Yang's anger issues, it wouldn't be outside the realm of reason to believe that she tried to punch something when that happened. Her semblance gives her a power boost from taking damage, so even something as miniscule as stubbing her toe would still let her break some shit.

And notice that the Light Jaune emited when Cardin tried decking him in the face happened as Jaune was about to be struck again, hence leading to the whole damage absorption theories.

What I'm trying to say it, each Semblance seems to be tailor made for a situation the wielder was in when they would need it for either survival or to avoid pain, and stuck as that Semblance. Nora needs to survive lightning, she absorbs it. Ren needs to run past deadly Grimm, he hides emotions. Emerald needs to steal to survive, she makes an easy distraction. Yang needs to let out her anger from pain, so she gets a Damage Absorber/Booster.

So, what would Jaune's trigger be? Well, as we look back at his confrontation with Cardin, it didn't trigger just because Cardin punched him, seeing as Jaune was bruised a bit, it responded after he refused to let Cardin hurt his friends. So you think that would be the trigger right? Well, no. As Jaune did a similar thing when he told Cinder that he doesn't care if he dies so long as his friends gain the time to stop her.

Now, people think that Weiss being stabbed will be what awakens it. I think that is false now. I think the trigger will be Jaune making sure they don't finish her off. She is clearly alive since the wound was in a non-lethal area and the head more than likely cauterized it, so Cinder may choose to just finish her off, with Jaune more than likely rushing to get in the way. The trigger isn't him just declaring he'll protect his friends, it's him putting himself in harms way to do so. Both Cardin punching him and the hypothetical Cinder stab would be in a sense Jaune offering his own life to protect his friends (not literally in Cardin's case, just figuratively, since he'd still get the shit beaten out of him).

In a sense, Jaune semblance will be triggered by an attempt of Sacrifice. He has made it clear he doesn't care if he dies, and if he rushes in to protect Weiss from Cinder, he would most certainly die. But that is when the Semblance would awaken, his attempt at sacrifice would cause him harm and cause the Semblance to awaken to protect. It actually would explain why his semblance didn't instantly unlock when with Cardin, since at that point, his life wasn't in danger. It isn't necessarily a healing semblance, its more like a flash bang grenade combined with self healing. It rebounds the energy that damaged him off him and into the enemy, simultaneously disorienting the enemy, and healing Jaune. Think about, Cardin just fell to his feet when it went off, he had no bruises or anything. And while yes, he does have aura, it didn't to even hurt him, he just looked surprised.