- Location
- Australia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
IWIW RWBY
- Thread starter michaelb958
- Start date
- SPOILERS
V04C05 Menagerie
michaelb958
(Verified Michael)
- Location
- Wherever I am, there I am
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
V04C05 Menagerie
Just before the titles transition from Qrow to Weiss, the former notices a bird fly past him. Raven, I reckon. The transition from RNJR's group photo to RWBY's group photo is a wipe by a bird, which is the same bird that's just flown past in RNJR's background so I'm pretty sure that one's Qrow.
Toooooooooot. Blake and Sun have arrived in Menagerie, safe place of all faunus. Whoever (probably only in-universe) named it deserves a kick up the backside.
I vaguely recall Sun mentioning he was originally from Vacuo, a place that I vaguely recall is mostly desert, which explains his attitude to learning that Menagerie is two-thirds desert. Blake patiently explains that the wildlife here is highly dangerous (must not make racist joke, must not make racist joke). Sun has evidently spent less of his life thinking about institutional racism; Blake has to break it to him that the island of Menagerie is Remnant's geopolitical shut-up-and-go-away prize, and will be so regardless of how pretty they make it look.
Fun fact: When character gestures or similar have matching sound cues, that's called "Mickey Mousing", after the character with which it was popularised. Sun gets Mickey Moused to within an inch of his life as he tries to process the revelation of Blake's family's relative socioeconomic status as expressed by housing.
{{I heard a bunch of people had headcanons before this that Blake was an orphaned
It turns out that Blake needn't have worried herself into a nervous wreck. Meet Kali, Blake's mother, and also the big guy who is probably Blake's father, as both seen with her in the titles. They're extremely relieved to see her again - understandably so, given the last news they heard from their daughter's last known location was 'everything was on fire before the dragon showed up'.
Sun, be very careful, they probably think you're her boyfriend so the ice you're skating on is about as thick as the (tropical) climate will allow.
Sun, being Sun, isn't careful.
Big guy drops Sun's last name to inform him of exactly how much he (Sun) didn't think that statement through.
While Sun babbles on digging himself deeper, Kali asks Blake what's going on. Blake explains that "he just kind of followed me home", which is true, but also, must not make racist joke. Sun finally remembers the first law of holes and tries to climb out by complimenting the tea. Kali either made the tea or is enjoying the domesticity of the situation (or both), because she gives her approval of Sun. Blake is understandably aghast.
Further conversation is forestalled by the sound of the intimidating doorknocker. Ghira (big guy) goes to tell whoever it is to reschedule their scheduled meeting. After Blake probes a bit, Kali remarks that it's the White Fang. Now Blake is aghast for a whole different reason, and so is Sun.
Turns out it's those two guys from the titles. Given their juxtaposition with Yang and Adam there, I don't trust them any further than I can throw them. (And I've literally always had low muscle tone, so I couldn't throw them very far at all.) Apparently Corsac and Fennec Albain here are the local White Fang ambassadors. Blake and Sun also have zero trust of them, given Blake's experience with the White Fang (coughs Yang!), and are not at all buying what they're selling. Blake's parents just haven't heard any of the news from the Fall except the basic real-time reporting before Beacon Tower fell, which is fairly understandable given that, unless any other kind of broadcast can reach here (which I doubt), further news couldn't have arrived any faster than the same ship Blake and Sun arrived on.
Blake, now is the time to tell them about the Vale White Fang's part in the ransacking of Beacon. And Yang. Make sure to mention your teammate that Adam "Cancer" Taurus maimed for trying to protect you from, I say again, Adam "Cancer" Taurus.
Blake doesn't mention Adam (or Yang), but she covers the other high points with admirable concision. Rather, when Ghira demands an explanation, it is the Albains who bring up Edgy McEdgelord I, to throw him and his edgelordship under the bus. They keep doing so when Sun brings up the Breach. They keep doing so when Ghira wonders if he can trust a word out of their mouths. And they apparently have documents to prove that they and all their homies hate Adam and want him "apprehend[ed] and punish[ed]". I've changed my mind, these guys are acceptable. Also they drop that Ghira isn't just of high socio-economic status - he retired from leadership of the White Fang (back in its peaceful days) into being Chieftain of Menagerie.
Ghira, who is apparently a big shot (to go with his gigantic physical stature), gets around to rescheduling. The Albains acquiesce, though not before making Blake uncomfortable with recognition some more (and dropping another name - "Ilia" - that I have noted for when she inevitably appears later). After they are dismissed and the doors shut on them, Sun calls them creepy, to which Ghira says "I really don't like you." Uh oh, a disagreement is brewing in the Belladonna household.
On their way down the steps, the Albains muse that they're going to have to tell Adam about this. I've changed my mind again, these guys are - uh, they can't be the worst because Adam, and there's a real multi-car pileup for the places behind him. But the important part is that I thought they were slimy and I was right (and so is Sun).
Halfway across the world, Tyrian drops into the tavern in Higanbana to creepily ask about the whereabouts of someone yet unspecified (but doubtless Ruby). He and all his Salem's Place friends are also in the Worst Pileup, just sayin'. I now fear for the life of the waitress.
Some Chapters have a zillion voice actors. This one had just seven, and Tyrian's was only there for one line. While I'm reading random things out of the credits, I'm going to have a slight chuckle at the animator named "Hero Liao", which honestly sounds like the name of the next BattleTech villain.
Next time: Storm warning.
dragonx99
Actually Satan
Depending on what you've heard so far, you might have only seen the tip of the iceburg.
The weirdest part about this is, at least as I have been informed, the Faunus were supposed to have been on the winning side of the war for their civil rights. And yet their prize was to be given a patch of land no one else really wants, have it renamed to Menagerie, and be told to live there instead.
This reminds, have you watched the World of Remnant stuff?
Small nitpick, but Raven did know it would happen. Just not so quickly. It's supposed to be a hint about how bad the Grimm situation has gotten in Mistral, because even bandits are getting caught off guard by how fast the Grimm are responding compared to before the Fall of Beacon.
dragonx99
Actually Satan
Which of course just makes her even worse, cause it means she was fully prepared to leave them to die, she just didn't expect to be at risk of being attacked too.
- Location
- Australia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Which makes her using it as a defence even more contemptible.
They won some better rights and concessions from the kingdoms, not a total victory.
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SolipsistSerpent
Endlessly Devouring
Given that I understand some kingdoms practiced Faunus Slavery prior to this, it's still a win, just not total victory.
How low that bar is says more than anything.
V04C06 Tipping Point
michaelb958
(Verified Michael)
- Location
- Wherever I am, there I am
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
V04C06 Tipping Point
The face in the episode thumbnail has been unsettling me since a full Volume ago, well before I knew it was Tyrian's face. I predict trouble.
Team RNJR walk along yet another forest path. It emerges that Ruby, having grown up on an island, had absolutely no idea of the kind of distance involved in crossing a continent and was expecting the walk to Haven to be much shorter than it actually is. It's absolutely hard to imagine scales you haven't seen - witness me in this very thread calling trains huge, when they're probably pretty normal among those that don't have to fit on suburban rail systems - and it also somewhat reminds me of the meme where you can drive for hours and still be in Texas (not that I can talk too loudly - Queensland is 7.7% larger than Alaska, and Western Australia is 42% larger than that).
Further conversation (and, for Ruby, embarrassment) is forestalled by the appearance of a village that (1) has clearly seen better days, and (2) wasn't on the map, which Jaune discards in his haste to search for survivors. There are no traces of any recent humans, dead or alive, which adds up even less.
There is a suspiciously down-angled camera shot of Ruby thinking, before Nora finds the name of the place - Oniyuri. Only Ren recognises it; he explains it as "Anima's Mountain Glenn", founded by the richest of Mistral to escape Mistral. Ren's parents moved there (or at least thought about it), so it probably wasn't quite as dysfunctional as the Galt's Gulch that the initial explanation resembled.
As Ren prepares to explain exactly what "one" Grimm felled Oniyuri, something disrupts the avian wildlife in the forest they came from. Jaune urges them to keep moving; Ruby takes the longest to get moving, clearly worried about something.
Meanwhile in Atlas, it is charity night, and Weiss is on stage, singing something that's absolutely an unveiled jab at her gene-sire. I don't like to think about the consequences. At least most of the crowd seems to quite like it.
The subtitles are now multiple seconds out-of-sync, and this continues to be so at the post-concert schmoozing. The camera takes us past a number of poorly-animated extras before we meet Jacques in the middle of shoring up the casual-racism side of a high-class argument. He takes a moment to discourage Weiss from going to get herself a drink (sure, he couches it in rhetoric about being elite, but we all know it's about control), but Weiss has spent enough time at Beacon that she'll fetch her own darn drink (leaving Jacques' presence is a bonus, if not the entire objective).
Speaking of Beacon, here's a painting of it, accompanied by some guy. Ah, my low cringe threshold, I hadn't seen it in a while (too busy being emotionally run off my feet) but here's
Initially Henry's honesty was a bit of a mixed bag, but he's really put his foot in it now with the revelation that he doesn't even know the charitable cause. Despite it being written on the plaque right in front of him in eight simple words. Weiss snaps and insists he leave.
And if you thought Weiss snapped before, here's some random with more dress than brains saying Vale had it coming for not having proper defences, "good riddance". Everybody get your fur coats - no, the practical ones - there's about to be a blizzard in here, and not the fun, 'me and my love interest are stuck in this cabin and nobody's going to freeze to death or break something slipping on frozen ground' kind of blizzard.
Yep. Okay Weiss, you have everyone's attention, now can you elaborate any further than "Shut up!" or is that all anybody's going to remember? No pressure or anything.
Sort of. The emotional conditions that got Weiss to start a speech (or an outburst, if one feels uncharitable) and bull past Jacques trying to stop her also work against that speech being well-reasoned and/or likely to change any minds for the better. That said, neither does Jacques cover himself in glory by starting his second attempt with "You're embarrassing the family" rather than anything about the actual objective of the evening, the money, for charity.
Weiss pulls out of Jacques' grip and ends up on the floor. WEISS WHEN I SAID BULL PAST I DID NOT MEAN SUMMON SPECTRAL BOARBATUSK. This will not be fun for anybody.
Fortunately Ironwood, who of course is there, shoots the summoned Grimm before it can hurt anyone. Physically, at least. Its target, Mrs. "good riddance", is extremely worked up and throws around words like "insane" while demanding Weiss' arrest. Jacques will not be impressed with that either.
Holy cow Ironwood's taking Weiss' side. "She's the only one making sense around here. Thanks for the party, Jacques," and leaves, neatly reminding everyone of the mastermind of ceremonies who was trying to whitewash his image. Man, it is a bad night to be Jacques Schnee. I'd be happy about that except I know he'll take it out on Weiss.
Near the opposite former gate of Oniyuri, Ren stops everyone. Dramatic music kicks in. Intercut of Tyrian running along a road. It's not going to be fun for this lot either, is it.
Everybody draws their weapons. None of them quite expect Tyrian to leap in from the rooftops. Fortunately he leaps over them and lands beyond before entering combat proper.
There are brief duels between Tyrian and everyone other than Nora; at Nora's entrance he disengages again for a talking scene. He refuses to introduce himself (how rude); Jaune is unsettled to have his interest where neither Ren nor Nora do, but his real target is Ruby.
So Tyrian isn't just unhinged, he's creepy too.
And blurs behind Jaune to cut him up, only just dissuaded by danger-close gunfire from Ren.
The thing about Tyrian is he was trusted to hunt down the Spring Maiden, and if that's anything like the Fall Maiden, he'd have to be a combat savant to have any hope in the resulting fight solo. So he is a combat savant, and Team RNJR are not up to fighting him. In particular, he dodges Ruby's bullet coming from over his shoulder and lets it hit Nora beyond. Kids, always check your targets and what's behind your targets. (The bullet was Lightning-Dust-augmented. Not sure what happened to Nora's Semblance to leave her eating cobblestones instead of charged up.)
Ah there we go, Nora is charged up, they planned it all along. Tyrian stops to have a good laugh at the irony of Ruby shooting Nora, unaware that the joke is about to be on him. Apropos of Nora about to happen to him, some music:
...As Nora was fine, so is Tyrian now. This doesn't look good.
Tyrian retreats temporarily. Ren calls him out as a faunus (scorpion tail, I think, kept hidden for combat surprise factor). Ruby, who has not had the benefit of being a fly on the wall at Salem's, shouts questions; Tyrian dismisses the White Fang as "plastic soldiers", Torchwick (gah, typoed him again) as a "pawn", and Cinder as "only [our goddess] in her wildest dreams!" (I would be very concerned that he would say anything resembling "My heart and body belong only to our goddess!" even if I didn't know that "goddess" is almost certainly Salem. Tyrian is not a normal or well-adjusted guy.)
Tyrian has had enough of a break and re-engages. Team RNJR are just as outclassed as they always were. Ren, in particular, has to perform a couple of Qrow-style close dodges of Tyrian's stinger, which I entirely believe is bad news to whomever it stings.
Speaking of Qrow, there's a bird barrelling into Oniyuri towards the fight and you can't convince me it's not him. Yep, it's him.
Tyrian gets Ruby separated from Team NJR and her weapon, breaks her Aura, and preps his stinger. Team NJR watch on helplessly from where he left them.
Suddenly, Qrow! bursts out of a building and blocks the stinger on the Elder Gunscythe. "Hey," he says to Ruby, entirely inadequately.
Credits concept art confirms scorpion tail.
Next time: Cryptic, controlling, and creepy.
- Location
- Australia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
This was the moment that I finally started giving a damn about Qrow, honestly. His showings in V3 did not impress, being very much generic brooding cynical drunk guy (Except when interacting with Ruby in their first scene together), not helped by the fact his appearance was mostly just one of the volumes many hope spot teases, and he ended up being utterly useless when Yang needed him. But here, when he shifts back to human, the animators did a brilliant job in showing the utter terror he was feeling, desperately trying to get to Ruby and the others in time. That one scene shows that yes, this man cares about his family SO DAMN MUCH.
SolipsistSerpent
Endlessly Devouring
My one complaint about Tyrian's fight scene is that he should have dodged, rather than blocked powered up Nora and probably slashed at her as she went by. It would have fit his style better.
Well, you can say a lot about Ironwood's many, many problems but he supports the troops. Even when they're having PTSD attacks and attempting to kill civilians. Ah, okay maybe he's a little too supportive in some ways. You could suggest some therapy or something, Ironwood. It doesn't have to be full arrest or no consequences.
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engiSonic
Yesterday's Minder
- Location
- Deep below ground
The leadup to this is excellent. Staring at the plaque saying "Show the world we care" while the mindless background conversations get noisier to the point of overstimulation. Weiss closing her eyes to try and block it out and calm down, when in comes Trophy Wife to push her over the edge with that overheard comment. I've come to really appreciate RWBY's sound design.
Speaking of sound design...
Music Fun☆Facts Corner:
One of the ideas from the Atlesian Military/Ironwood leitmotif (first heard in V2C2's first scene) briefly plays from 10:45 to 10:53 (starting after the end of the first sentence).
The next seven seconds before the scene change has a bit of Mirror Mirror as Weiss looks up at a rather miffed Jacques. (Specifically, "Tell me who's the loneliest of..." with the last note for "all" missing.)
Annoyingly, there's no soundtrack release of these bits (in the OST, this part of the score ends when Trophy Wife speaks up, and the next part of the score is the stuff with Tyrian.)
As always, the vast majority of this knowledge is thanks to internet user Changyuraptor, who has done extensive research on RWBY's instrumental score.
(Also, yes, "Trophy Wife" is that woman's canonical appellation. Check both the official subtitles and voice acting credits.)
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michaelb958
(Verified Michael)
- Location
- Wherever I am, there I am
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Past: Qrow's team, already down a member of his family, loses a silver-eyed warrior (I think) to presumably an ambush by agents of Salem.
Present: The team to which Qrow's niece is attached, already down a member, is at extreme risk of losing said niece, a silver-eyed warrior, to an ambush by an agent of Salem.
Result: Qrow's buttons are all pressed.
Sounds about right for "supporting the troops". (ducks tomato) C'mon, name a military, or government department in charge of veterans' affairs, that actually does a good job at therapy.
- Location
- Australia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I want to go cry.
LordDarthYoda
#1 Jenova's Witness
- Location
- The Bottomless Pit
CRWBY actually called Henry "Douchebag Discount Mercury".
What I love is Qrow had to purposely spin In mid air just so he could block Tyrian's tail and strike a cool pose to show off in front of Ruby.
What I love is Qrow had to purposely spin In mid air just so he could block Tyrian's tail and strike a cool pose to show off in front of Ruby.
I saw him more as an over-priced knockoff Neptune.
V04C07 Punished
michaelb958
(Verified Michael)
- Location
- Wherever I am, there I am
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Ruby did shut Cinder up. On an ongoing basis, even. Go Ruby!
V04C07 Punished
Weiss is dueling with nobody in the titles because she's about to break out a massive summon! And presumably duel with it.
The subtitles are now desynced in the other direction (fortunately not quite as far) as Oscar is informed to prepare for his evening meal. I'm in dire need of those subtitles because "Oscar's aunt" is nigh-inaudible or Oscar is deafening, use your volume control to pick at least one.
Oscar has Ozpin in his head. Oscar, understandably, thinks he's going insane. Ozpin is doing his best to convince him (Oscar) otherwise, but that's never an easy role for the voice in your head to play.
After a bit of debate Ozpin drops on us that their "souls are combined", which would be a fairly Interesting™ concept in a world where it's proven that everybody has one. (A long time ago, in a school far away, Blake passed some time on the evening before initiation by reading a book "about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body".)
Oscar once more tries ignoring Ozpin. Ozpin starts nudging Oscar towards Haven, that place where Team RNJR and Qrow are going. When Oscar remains unmoved, Ozpin encourages him (Oscar) to describe the headmaster's office at Haven, a place he knows nothing about. He can anyway. Ozpin's theory is that this is bleedthrough from Ozpin's memories of building and outfitting the office. Oscar's theory is that he saw a picture of it in a book (because Ozpin suggested he check a book to verify the description).
So what we've learned so far is that there might actually be a good reason that Qrow insisted Ozpin was "missing" and carried his weapon around.
It cannot be said that Oscar is having a fun time with the voice in his head. Neither can it be said that Ozpin is having a fun time with the head around his voice, but he (Ozpin) has more life experience with which to make the best of it.
Ozpin, I don't think that's a good approach to take. Oscar again screams at him (Ozpin) to get out of his (Oscar's) head. Somehow his (Oscar's) aunt has heard nothing. I'm not going to like trying to keep the names and pronouns straight in text, I can feel it.
Speaking of family and (totally not) screaming, welcome back to the Schnee
Jacques tries to enumerate the non-monetary "cost[s]" of Weiss' "stunt", but can't think of any beyond reputation, because only money and reputation matter to him.
Weiss would like to leave - ideally Atlas, but at least the manor. Jacques is not amused - not that he ever is (unless there's an elitist joke), but now he very isn't, accusing Weiss of dragging the family name through the mud. Weiss throws back that he married into it, and gets slapped right on the trailer scar for her 'insolence'.
"Siding with [Winter] only divides us," says Jacques, divisively. Don't even get me started on the hypocrisy inherent to making accusations of division. Weiss replies she's not siding with anyone, she's doing what she feels is right, a sentence that would have been stronger if she'd left out the 'feels'.
I'm going to have to skim the rest of the scene lest I burst something. To summarise, Jacques disinherits Weiss and places her under house arrest as punishment for not being Mini-Jacques. "It's time to wake up and face reality," says the, uh, I've run out of synonyms for 'terrible human being' but rest assured he's in the Worst Pileup, nipping at Adam "Cancer" Taurus' heels.
And just outside Weiss' room, here's Whitley as Mini-Jacques to enter the pileup. Apparently he didn't change at all and really is a bit terrible. "The Schnee family name is in good hands," he says, leaving no doubt as to whose hands he means.
Weiss returns to her room, and it is now her turn to have an emotional breakdown. But not for long, as the sound of passing aircraft (inexplicably not subtitled) draws her out.
Apparently the room I mistook for some single-purpose room that rich people have is actually Weiss' room. But given the nature of Jacques and his live-in trophy cabinet, I suppose it's both. Weiss draws the curtains, rearranges the furniture for reasons not yet clear, opens the case containing her weapon and its Dust vials, and poses dramatically with it just like in the titles. ...Is she about to summon something and leap out the window? Wouldn't that be cool.
In the ruins of Oniyuri, Tyrian and Qrow size each other up. Tyrian, who has heard of Qrow, at last gives his name. He also mentions that "[his] Queen" tasked him; at Ruby's question, Qrow answers "Salem", but of course Ruby doesn't know who that is.
Tyrian declares that there's been enough talking, and shows serious combat smarts (if not genre awareness) by attacking Qrow halfway through his (Qrow's) retort. But this is Qrow we're talking about, so he's not surprised.
There is a vast gulf in combat experience between Qrow and all of Team RNJR, let alone any of them. He gives Tyrian enough of a hassle that the latter reveals that his bladed weapons are also guns (although only after Qrow tried something similar, so some twisted sense of honour may be in effect). While Tyrian is trying to strafe down Qrow, Ren and Nora try to get some sneaky hits in, but he's Tyrian so it doesn't work at all.
(I've been told that scorpions, being night-adapted creatures, have absolutely terrible eyesight but make up for it with excellent vibration-sensing. This explains a h*ck of a lot about Tyrian's combat tactics.)
Qrow orders Ruby not to approach - perfectly sensible given Tyrian's stated objective of abducting Ruby. "Fine!" says Ruby, retreating to a sniper's nest. Unfortunately the battle moves too fast for her to get a shot in at Tyrian without risking hitting Qrow.
Tyrian manages to use his tail to disarm Qrow. Then he gloats (with his usual constant unhinged laughter) at a standstill long enough for Ruby to start sniping. Sadly Ruby's first shot misses, and the others he blocks with his tail. He's not even looking at where they're coming from! Scorpion vibration-sensing plus RWBY combatant reflexes, I presume.
Even looking at Qrow, Tyrian still doesn't see the punch in the face coming. Scorpion eyesight, I presume. Qrow punches him again, kicks him away, and just scoffs dismissively while wandering over to retrieve his weapon. What a power move. Possibly the right move, to throw Tyrian off his game by signalling that you're not even taking him seriously.
Tyrian tries for a cheap shot while Qrow pulls the Elder Gunscythe out of the wall it's stuck in, but this is Qrow we're talking about; he cannot be taken off-guard by a cheap shot, for he has already seen or done them all.
Now they're fighting on the rooftop. Qrow positions himself so that Tyrian's next leap lands him (Tyrian) on a weakened part of the roof to embarrassingly fall through. Then he (Qrow) goes to leap somewhere else, but is grabbed by Tyrian's tail again and takes his own embarrassing fall. Ruby disobeys orders and runs over to see about helping.
And here come the lyrics!
Not fun lyrics.
Ruby arrives to witness Qrow being tossed out through a wall. He recovers and even manages to regain his grip on his weapon, but his Aura is broken. After a delay to get everyone off their guard, Tyrian emerges, Aura also breaking, for another go at Qrow; Ruby blocks.
Team NJR now realise that Ruby isn't doing her one job.
Now Qrow has also realised it, just in time to once again save Ruby from being stung.
What it's may never be known, for at that point Ruby presses the attack on Tyrian again. She fails and gets knocked back into the shadow of the damaged building. Then a roof beam decides to fall outwards and nearly takes her out. She doesn't notice until the last moment, so Qrow has to save her from it. Then Tyrian stings him while his guard is down. Everybody is horrified (except Tyrian, who is unhinged as usual).
But this will (hopefully) be Tyrian's last sting, for his tail is now extended and without Aura, so Ruby cuts the stinger right off in retaliation. That looks like it hurt, and I've no sympathy at all. Team NJR cordon him off. He gasps out that "she'll forgive you" (most people are less creepy when they're freshly injured), and leaves in a hurry to lick his wounds (...is that racist?).
With Tyrian on the run, Qrow can collapse in relative safety. "I'll be fine, he just grazed me," he gasps out. Team RNJR have so many questions; Qrow opens up by asking about their favourite fairy tale. We can tell who taught him.
Next time: Drunkle Qrow's Tangentially Related Storytime.
- Location
- Australia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Ruby Rose. Sweet. Loveable. Will totally remove a limb from a crazed murderer that injured her uncle if said murderer is dumb enough to be within scythe range.
Which makes me love her more.
dragonx99
Actually Satan
Oh yea, you might already know this, but I don't think it gets mentioned in the show; Speaking of the trailer scar, obviously you remember the fight against the giant knight that gave Weiss that scar?
Well that fight was against a Grimm that Jacques had dragged in explicitly for the purpose of fighting his daughter. She had to beat it in order to go to Beacon, otherwise he was keeping her in Atlas. So he basically just slapped a scar that he himself (indirectly) gave her.
SolipsistSerpent
Endlessly Devouring
Specifically it was a geist, like team RNJR fought, possessing a specially crafted suit of armor (the helmet protecting its vulnerable head), which is referred to as an Armor Gigas (and I believe illegal to make).
The armor specifically being styled after her grandfather's armor, for that extra little knife twist.
michaelb958
(Verified Michael)
- Location
- Wherever I am, there I am
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
As I keep saying: Go Ruby!
The yikes-per-word here is too damn high. Also now my eye hurts in sympathy.
- Location
- Australia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Yeah, Ice Queendom goes into more detail with it, but V4 Jacques treatment of Weiss is sadly nothing new.
V04C08 A Much Needed Talk
michaelb958
(Verified Michael)
- Location
- Wherever I am, there I am
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
V04C08 A Much Needed Talk
What do they have against hyphens?
There is a campfire. Animating fire is hard, so it would honestly be more miraculous if it didn't look poorly-animated. Team RNJR and Qrow sit around it; Qrow is implied to have just finished storytime about the Four Maidens. Fortunately the subtitles are back in sync now.
During the Q&A session, Qrow says that the process of Maiden succession involves "their souls becom[ing] combined", which sounds eerily like what Ozpin said about himself and Oscar.
Jaune finally has some answers about the vault under Beacon. He's not the happiest.
"We didn't force Pyrrha," says Qrow, "we gave her a choice and she chose," oblivious to the implications of being 'given a choice' by two Academy headmasters one of whom is also a general, not to mention him and Goodwitch, without allowing Pyrrha to consult with anyone else. Jaune is not mollified, going to stand over there a bit.
Qrow now breaks it to Ruby that being able to use the Eye Beams of Doom makes her a massive target. That, says Qrow, is why he's been watching them to ensure their safety. Ruby, being Ruby, would like to know why he didn't just travel with them. "He was using you as bait," says Jaune. Qrow doesn't exactly deny it.
Jaune gets really snappy about not knowing why all of the Things that are Happening are happening. Qrow insists he (Jaune) sit down again, then launches into the only thing worse than a fairytale - a Bible story...
Once upon a time, there were two brother gods. Every day, the God of Light would create things; and every night, the God of Darkness would destroy them. After some cycles of this, Darkness got a bit tired of the inevitable return of Light's creations, and tried their hand at a creation of their own to keep them at bay: Grimm. Light wasn't the fondest of that idea, but saw an in, and proposed to Darkness that they collaborate on one last creation: Humankind. (And faunuskind. Everybody forgets about them.)
(What's the point of all this, asks Ren.) The aforementioned gods gave humankind four gifts: the power to create, to destroy, to know about things, and to choose what they would do. These are not entirely metaphorical: Each exists in a physical form somewhere on Remnant, and would give any wielder great power. The four academies are fortifications, each built to protect a "relic" from those who would want to misuse them. "And, of course, keeping them out of her reach."
Ruby catches that emphasised pronoun, and remembers enough to fill it in as Salem. "Not much is known about her," says Qrow, but what is certain is that "if she gets the relics, it's not going to end well." Of course, Salem is right now busy digging through Beacon for one of them.
Welcome back to
Ghira considers Blake to be a pleasant surprise. See Blake, you had nothing to be scared of. Except maybe all the stories Sun's been telling, but most of those were to Kali.
If you thought the fire would take a miracle to be properly animated, witness Ghira operating a teapot.
And then the awkwardness sets in as Ghira puts some sugar in Blake's tea before Blake can object that her preference has changed. It's so bad that it's actually subtitled "[awkwardness]". Blake attempts to dodge it by having a sip of said sweetened tea, forgetting that it's still a bit hot. Ow, I felt that.
And if you thought that was awkward, Ghira asks about Vale's climate as a segue into questioning Blake's fashion choices. "It covers plenty," Blake frantically defends herself. This entire conversation feels more painfully realistic with every word. ...oh, he's just worried about armour coverage. Carry on.
Blake, what happened to you that Ghira apologising for overprotectiveness tastes bad?
Oh god Blake.
So apparently there was some inter-Belladonna acrimony around Blake falling in with Adam, and Blake is remembering it a lot worse than her parents. She's beating herself up over having fallen onto the violent path, while they're just happy she's come back from it.
Having unpicked that little ball of neurosis, Ghira and Blake are just getting to the next one (why Blake left Vale) when Sun bursts into the room and feigns being very lost. I give it 80% he was eavesdropping on the whole thing. Ghira really doesn't like him.
Back at the RNJR+Q campsite, Jaune wants to know why they're operating under secrecy if the world is at stake, and Nora is worried about Haven being next. Qrow replies that would y'all really want to fight in a second Great War that would be inevitable if everyone knew about the relics, and Salem's smart enough to stay hidden, sowing division and letting everyone else blame each other. And Haven's not stupid, they saw the fate of Beacon and they'll be preparing for their own defence (not that that did Beacon much good...); but they're likely the next target given that Atlas has a military on alert and Vacuo is only divided against itself, so that's where Team RNJR+Q shall go.
Qrow stands (his graze from Tyrian betrays him) and orders Team RNJR to bed. They won't go without Ruby getting a straight answer: why not travel with them? Qrow attempts to dissuade them by claiming that it's a long story. Nora calls him out. He acquiesces.
Welp, this one's gonna be a doozy. In short, the unfun song from last episode was Qrow's song: His Semblance is an always-on aura of bad luck for those around him, which is fine when you're surrounded by enemies - not so great if trying to have friends or family. Oh god Qrow.
This somewhat explains the roof beam mishap near the end of last Chapter. It may also explain the incident that provoked the weak swearing from the bartender all the way back in V03C02. {{While I have V03C02 up, the same scene was my evidence for Amity Colosseum having guardrails on the outside, and my evidence for it being on Amity was the appearance of Winter's shuttle in the background at a similar altitude. However, I was on the wiki for unrelated reasons and saw the bar in question filed in the Vale (city) image gallery, which conspicuously does not include Amity; and no guardrails were visible in or around the fight scene that gave us Ironwood's gun. I suspect that the bar was in fact near Vale's docks, and the shuttle was merely skimming the water for some stupid reason.}}
(Do you think the writers called it Amity because they were going to depict a calamity there?)
"There's nothing else you wanna tell us?" asks Ruby. (Right on cue, a raven alights nearby.) "Not tonight," says Qrow, and goes out for a walk. Alone, at night, in the middle of nowhere, with a mishap Semblance, while apparently injured. This dude, I swear.
Having had slapping for drama, we're now back to our regular programming of slapping for Comedy™: Blake slaps Sun around, literally as well as figuratively, for having no respect for privacy or personal space. Which he doesn't. She gives him short shrift for trying to make the whole excursion about the White Fang when actually she was there to see her family. This escalates to Blake yeeting Sun's scroll off the balcony, which ends up being a strategically critical action because it hits someone and they involuntarily gasp in pain. Nobody was meant to be over there.
The spy, wearing a Grimm mask (the Menagerie White Fang don't do that), realises Blake has seen them and leaves in a hurry. Now it is Blake's turn to impulsively charge into the situation, running after them and leaving Sun wondering what the h*ck her plan is. This does not make Sun's explanation to Kali (just before he follows) any more intelligible, or intelligent.
Team RNJR awakens to discover Qrow is slumped against a tree and coughing up purple - the same colour as Tyrian's venom - and same is discolouring his wound. For the third Chapter in a row, Qrow gets the last line: "Well, that's unfortunate." Sounds like something I'd say (if I was less squeamish and had a higher pain tolerance).
Next time: If any of them die, I riot. Except Whitley.
- Location
- Australia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
This is the bitter angle, but 'fortunately'...
Yeah, Qrow has convinced himself since childhood he's a danger to those he cares about, and he responds by trying to keep them at a distance. He's also the sort of person that this tears apart. There are entirely valid reasons he drinks.
This comes up in two of the better issues of the DC comic that's set during this volume, where Kali makes it clear that back when they were traveling with the fang in the era of transition from Ghira to Sienna, they knew Blake was sneaking out of camp on occasion to help the Fang, and they held back on confronting her because, well, they didn't entirely disagree with her actions. They did NOT however, know about Adam, and Kali's horror at realizing how Adam targeted and preyed upon her daughter is tangible. And at no point during that scene does she blame Blake. She blames Adam for his actions towards a 13, 14 year old girl, and herself and Ghira for not realizing how they'd failed her by not realizing what someone they trusted was doing.