rwbyOS X: Even the Thread Gets a Costume Change!

[DeadMech]

Spoiler: V8Ç8

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There was someone inside that thing all along?
Good thing I didn't watch this yesterday. I like sleeping.
Not quite as bad as the Apathy, but it's up there in the "[bleep] NO!" department.
Unless... How aware was that guy?

And Blake is right. The Grimm keep getting more disgusting.

Willow and Whitley were seriously badass though.
I really didn't expect that huge summon from Willow.

Spoiler: V8C8 Family matters

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It makes sense that Willow can summon since she's the actual Schnee of the marriage. It was Weiss' father who married into the family name. I liked her and Whitley in this episode. They have their flaws but they were useful when the chips were down. Whitley is probably not even half as bad as Weiss assumes. A bit snarky and abrasive perhaps but nothing Weiss wasn't guilty of when she first left the home.

Spoiler: V8C8 The beast inside... no wait.

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Not even the least bit surprised that there was someone transformed into the... whatever we're calling it. The evolved intelligent grimm. The first time it spoke some episodes back I'm pretty sure there was allot of speculation that Salem had turned someone into it.

[Rater202]

Spoiler: V8C8 Family Drama

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Reminder that Whitley's response to his sister coming home traumatized was to try and manipulate her into going against their father's wishes in the hopes that she'd be disowned and he'd be the sole remaining air, then taunt her about how foolish it is to go against their father with the kind of expression you'd see on a sociopath who had decided to stop pretending to be a functional person for a minute.

Whitley is exactly as bad as Weiss thinks he is.

[Kantaki]

Spoiler: V8C8 Family matters

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It makes sense that Willow can summon since she's the actual Schnee of the marriage. It was Weiss' father who married into the family name. I liked her and Whitley in this episode. They have their flaws but they were useful when the chips were down. Whitley is probably not even half as bad as Weiss assumes. A bit snarky and abrasive perhaps but nothing Weiss wasn't guilty of when she first left the home.

Spoiler: V8C8

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I guess it's less that she can use it and more that she's good at it.
I probably made the same mistake her kids made and only saw the drinker, not who was buried beneath all that booze.

Spoiler: V8C8 Family Drama

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Reminder that Whitley's response to his sister coming home traumatized was to try and manipulate her into going against their father's wishes in the hopes that she'd be disowned and he'd be the sole remaining air, then taunt her about how foolish it is to go against their father with the kind of expression you'd see on a sociopath who had decided to stop pretending to be a functional person for a minute.

Whitley is exactly as bad as Weiss thinks he is.

Spoiler: V8C8

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I don't think Whitley is quite that bad.
Jacques did his best to raise him that way, sure, but unlike his father Whitley seems to have some decency left.
Now I'm not saying he's a good guy, or nice, but getting out of his father's shadow should help in that regard.

What we see in Whitley is what Weiss (and Winter) could've been if she hadn't found an way out and other people to influence her.

Of course suggesting using SDC assets could be pure pragmatism- after everything Jacques did the company can use every bit of good PR they can get, especially in Mantle and the crater. But so what? It's still helpful.
And probably more than daddy dearest would've done.

Basically I think this is the first time we see Whitley (and Willow), not Jaques influence on the family.
A little bit of the old family reputation, not what they got turned into.

[Ramza00]

Whitley

Spoiler: V8E8

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Whitley is literally awful. Yet he is sympathetic, even if he is just wrong.

There is a great Vimeo video “Lady Eboshi is Wrong” done by Innuendo Studios in response to Movies with Mikey video essay challenge what animation either tv show or movie shaped how you view the “real world.” (Note this video was once on YouTube but Studio Ghibli is so excessive with trying to take down any form of video even fair use than Innuendo Studios just put it on Vimeo for free.)

Lady Eboshi is a sympathetic character who is trying to make the world better, but in reality she is making things worse. She is creating conflict and thus more pain, she tries to square the circle by having the “wish-casting” desire that the people she does hurt and exploit become dumb animals so their pain and suffering will become mute, and perhaps they may feel temporary pain but there not gifted with higher cognition that creates suffering for “Suffering equals pain times resistance. The more we resist reality, the more we suffer.” Eboshi hopes this conflict and exploiting she is making can be used to liberate other people. Thus a form of scapegoating and sacrifice where she thinks she can make the sacrifice humane. Lady Eboshi is wrong per me and Innuendo Studio, she must be stopped but that does not mean we must remove kindness to Eboshi, nor does it mean we should not make a place for everyone including Lady Eboshi. A better world is still possible and it is made via both struggle and keeping kindness, being brave, plus lastly do not give into hate.

Whitley is the same. He is a child of an alcoholic just like his two sisters and he desperately craves control. His sisters were gifted with physical might and talents. Whitley hopes by becoming his father’s heir he can have the security he craves and he is willing to hurt people to gain that security such as betraying his sister for the world is cruel. Yet even though the world is cruel Whitley is not purposefully doing cruelty for the sake of cruelty. It is still merely a means to an end, cruelty for the sake of wishcasting.

Whitley is literally awful but he is not the worse. He is also capable of change but that change requires an environment he feels safe in (for he has trauma), and it requires him wanting to change. No one can force Whitley to change besides Whitley. In fact the crappy childhood caused by two bad parents is what got him there, them trying to force him to be X and Y.

[ Likewise the whole exploitation of others to mine Dust, making him in inured from other problems due to fabulous wealth, but this wealth masks the fact Whitley is part of a society and the problems of society not being addressed literally creates and summons Chaos monsters. ]

[Kantaki]

Spoiler: V8C9

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Neo took the lamp.
I wonder how far she'll get.
And it seems Hazel finally realised that joining the Empire because his sister died fighting for the Rebellion was kinda stupid.

Oscar did Oz time magic thing at the end I guess?
Delaying Salem by trapping her in a time-stop or something like that.
Part of me hopes for a loop. So she can start burning again and again. But I don't think Hazel deserves that

Marrow continues to have a bad case of morals.
Let's hope that doesn't break his neck.

Winter not so much. She sounds heartbroken at admitting she'd blow up Weiss if she were inside the Fortress-Fish Grimm though, so not as bad as some others it seems.

[Ramza00]

So episode 10 is delayed until next week. Rooster Teeth is. Asked in Texas and they (including myself) have power and clean water problems. The episode was more or less finished supposedly but delaying it allowed the workers to focus on more important priorities.

[Ramza00]

New episodes, and I like Watts

[LaZodiac]

All I know about today's episode, from my listening to Anime Slushie (a very good anime podcast I recommend you watch, especially their RWBY stuff, if you like my old writings on RWBY as a series) is that this episode has broken one of the host's brain. Also that Marrow sucks but that's not new.

[Ramza00]

All I know about today's episode, from my listening to Anime Slushie (a very good anime podcast I recommend you watch, especially their RWBY stuff, if you like my old writings on RWBY as a series) is that this episode has broken one of the host's brain. Also that Marrow sucks but that's not new.

Marrow does suck. (Brain blanked with that name for a moment.)

Silly doggy faunus loyalty does not exist when you have divided loyalties between multiple people and they are hurting one another. You can't just wish everyone "stays" and does not fight.

[LaZodiac]

Marrow does suck. (Brain blanked with that name for a moment.)

Silly doggy faunus loyalty does not exist when you have divided loyalties between multiple people and they are hurting one another. You can't just wish everyone "stays" and does not fight.

"hello I'm the character who is having a 'are we the baddies?' epiphany moment, except my boss literally shot a sitting seneator in front of me so the fact that I don't know what side I should be on makes no sense, also my power is stupid and doesn't work."

[Ramza00]

"hello I'm the character who is having a 'are we the baddies?' epiphany moment, except my boss literally shot a sitting seneator in front of me so the fact that I don't know what side I should be on makes no sense, also my power is stupid and doesn't work."

What is wrong with his power?

[LaZodiac]

What is wrong with his power?

It's used inconsistently because the power as established is too strong. It's a complete Fight Over button, so they end up having it work as the plot demands as opposed to any sensible way, and often just has him not use it.

[Rawhide]

Hey, I know we're discussing things not obtained from the show itself, but from a podcast, however some of it is still from the latest episode. Those parts should definitely still be in spoiler boxes.

[Ramza00]

It's used inconsistently because the power as established is too strong. It's a complete Fight Over button, so they end up having it work as the plot demands as opposed to any sensible way, and often just has him not use it.

Not going to trace back all the times and double check if they are used consistently. But to my understanding the power limits are.

1) Direction based. The power must be used in a single direction even if it affects multiple opponents. This is because the power uses Marrows eyes and he must have a fixed perspective when he uses it.
2) Marrow must remain pointing at the enemy for the power to operate. Thus Marrow must remain fixed more or less in one place while he remains pointing at the enemy / enemies and thus take him out of the fight even if he also takes the enemies out of the fight as well.
3) The more Marrow uses the ability in rapid succession the quicker it drains his aura reserves. The goal is to use it only once in a fight, he has messed up if he has to use the ability several times in a fight and is extremely vulnerable.
4) (This is an assumption) there is likely a range limit to Stay, for if there was no range limit the best way to use the power is far away like a Sniper, away from the combat.

Pretty much this move is a game changer if used correctly where it needs a team to work, but also an opponent team if they are mobile enough can easily counter it if they know how the power works prior to the combat. In some ways he is like Eraser Head from My Hero Academia, but instead of erasing a quirk he prevents movement but it is all over if Marrow blinks or moves.

[Ramza00]

This is LaZodiac bait.

Spoiler: The Mechanic of Superpowers up to Vol 8 Episode 10

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So we have

Dust
Semblance
Magic
Word of God Time which the Cane Stores
Big Boom Kinetic Energy from the Ozpin Cane. No let's make it Big Boom Attack in honor of DBZA Big Bang Attack.

and what else? Surely there is more variant mechanics of superpowers than those 5 things? If Marrow points at the Cane and says "Stay" will Big Boom still happen?

[LaZodiac]

This is LaZodiac bait.

Spoiler: The Mechanic of Superpowers up to Vol 8 Episode 9 Ultimatum

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So we have

Dust
Semblance
Magic
Word of God Time which the Cane Stores
Big Boom Kinetic Energy from the Ozpin Cane. No let's make it Big Boom Attack in honor of DBZA Big Bang Attack.

and what else? Surely there is more variant mechanics of superpowers than those 5 things? If Marrow points at the Cane and says "Stay" will Big Boom still happen?

Spoiler: Vol 8 Ep 10

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I want to snap that ****ing cane over my knee. Even ignoring the stupid "it stores time" retcon, it literally just erased nine episodes worth of effort instantly. It makes the only villain worth a damn look like a chump, and is just... it kills EVERY Grimm, with a kinetic energy explosion, but damages NOTHING else? REALLY?! This is just inexcusable how can you folk enjoy this???

And god, basically everything with Ironwood.

[Kantaki]

Spoiler: V8C10

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Watts definitely got the best part.
Let's hope Cinder listens.
But even if not, her getting verbally ripped a new one by someone at her mercy was cathartic.

The band's finally back together.
Wonder how long that'll last...
Yang and Blake though...

Finally, Ironwood.
That man seriously needs a five year old to go over his plans.
No really. Man should be old enough to know that „If I break your toys you have to play my games.“ doesn't work.
And this is actually worse.

If the choice is between working with the guy who wants to abandon people to their certain death or he actively murders them the obvious choice is to super kill him half to death.
Red Magnus has the best lines for moments like this.

Edit: I mean, I expected from the moment they brought back the bomb that Ironwood'd go „I'm gonna nuke the crater.“, but that doesn't change that it's beyond "card-carrying villain" levels of stupid to use it as a ultimatum.

[Ramza00]

The DnD campaign given visual form continues!

[LaZodiac]

RWBY is terrible and I'm sorry for all of you.

Someone I know has reacted so viscerally to the latest episode (12) that I am going to watch it and respond to it in this thread in the future, once it's available for me, because I cannot wait for the podcast that will be about it. I must know what happens, and I refuse to let my pain go to waste.

[Kantaki]

Spoiler: S8C11

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It's nice that Marrow is trying to play the token good guy of Team Ironwood, but... yeah. Bad idea with how unstable his boss is.
Winter definitely saved his fluffy tail there.

The other Ace Ops can jump off Atlas. Jerks.
And part of me was actually hoping Ironwood was bluffing. A very small part, mind you, and I didn't really expect it, but still...

On the heroes' side... lots of pep-talk.
Emerald definitely got the best one.
Why is it that evil teammates are to good at that.
Oh right, they don't care about hurting your feelings.

[Ramza00]

Embrace the

Spoiler: Vol 8 Episode 12

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Tippy-Verse with a literal divine artifact that acts as a Rod of Wish but only 1 Wish at a time. Until then we are going to use it as a giant ring of teleportation circle.

Is things going to not go according to plan? Of course for no sane DM will allow said magic to operate like this for there is no tension in the story then. Laughs for the RWBY writers have no plan, they are DMs who are winging it and do not have any free time to think things through, even though they literally have a company whose job is to do this before animating it

I take delight in bad things but also good things. If RWBY can't scratch one urge let me take malicious joy out of the other thing. [ Gives the Devilish Kirei Kotomine Grin, another anime which is quite bad actually. ]

[Delicious Taffy]

Y'know somethin', I'm starting to get the impression y'all don't really care much for this show on a genuine-enjoyment level. ;) (large wink indicating I'm in on The Joke)

That said, I've been enjoying this season a lot more than the past....three? Four? The characters' motivations haven't been pissing me off as much (QROW <_<), and it's seemed like the characters have been remembering their powers and gadgets more than usual.

[Rawhide]

Really digging the later half of this season. Picked up considerably.

But oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, oh gods...

Spoiler: v08c12

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Someone is going to fall, aren't they?

[Ramza00]

Y'know somethin', I'm starting to get the impression y'all don't really care much for this show on a genuine-enjoyment level. ;) (large wink indicating I'm in on The Joke)

That said, I've been enjoying this season a lot more than the past....three? Four? The characters' motivations haven't been pissing me off as much (QROW <_<), and it's seemed like the characters have been remembering their powers and gadgets more than usual.

I am having the time of my life here!

As a Don Bluth musical once taught me (Burt Reynolds singing) "Let Me Be Surprised" !

[Rawhide]

Y'know somethin', I'm starting to get the impression y'all don't really care much for this show on a genuine-enjoyment level. ;)

I've been thoroughly enjoying it since the beginning. I've even purchased all of the Blu-Rays.

RWBY is terrible and I'm sorry for all of you.

RWBY is great and I'm sorry you're not able to enjoy it.

[LaZodiac]

RWBY is great and I'm sorry you're not able to enjoy it.

I say this with every single genuine, heartfelt bone in my body.

How? Please, by all means, write an essay for me detailing why you like it, because we're firmly at the point where I am incapable of seeing how anyone could like it now.

Episode 10 had Oscar pull from his ass that the cane (that has been surrounded by clock metaphors and was shown to straight up let Oscar increase his speed) does not, as the creators said, store up time, but instead store of power. So he uses it to create a kinetic explosion that... kills all the Grimm and injuries or destroys nothing else, which makes no sense. Except no, it didn't kill all the grimm, they just didn't animate any for episode 10 since they're mostly all back in episode 11.

Marrow, a character who has been hemming and hawing about being on the side of the baddies for the entire two seasons we've known him, has seen Ironwood; murder a child, ordered them to arrest and or violently detain children trying to help during a grimm apocalypse, ordered them to arrest political opponents of his, SHOOT A SITTING COUNCILMAN IN THE FACE IN FRONT OF HIM, and threatened to kill EVERY poor citizen in Mantle... and only now, at the very end of all of that, is he going "hey, we might be the bad guys here".

There is this undercurrent of "it is your fault you were abused. You had one bad day, get over it" woven into the two main villains (Cinder and Salem) that is utterly disgusting. Genuinely bad people are easily forgiven for no reason (Weiss's brother is an absolute ******* who has not changed, and Emerald is just accepted as a friend now even though she killed Penny). They also literally discovered that that big scary Grimm is a person, and continuously call him "it" even after that, which is just really nasty. This was a person!

And, in the most recent episode;

Spoiler: V8E12

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the series explicitly says that if you have artificial parts, you are less human. If you're human you need a flesh and bone body otherwise you're not actually a real person. This is capped off by Penny getting a magical good girl body... and watching her robot self die in front of her. And then Ironwood gets more prosthetics because that's suuuuper eeeevil apparently. I shouldn't have to tell you how ablest this is.

And that's just the writing! So yeah I'd like you to explain what is good about it now, because I can't see enjoying it in any way other than like watching a train crash.

[Rawhide]

And, in the most recent episode;

Spoiler: V8E12

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the series explicitly says that if you have artificial parts, you are less human. If you're human you need a flesh and bone body otherwise you're not actually a real person. This is capped off by Penny getting a magical good girl body... and watching her robot self die in front of her. And then Ironwood gets more prosthetics because that's suuuuper eeeevil apparently. I shouldn't have to tell you how ablest this is.

Huh?

Spoiler: v08c12

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When the heck does it ever state this?

It actually does the complete opposite. When Yang first loses her arm she feels less human, it takes time for her to come to terms with it, and in this episode she demonstrates that she is still completely human despite her robotic arm.

[LaZodiac]

Huh?

Spoiler: v08c12

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When the heck does it ever state this?

It actually does the complete opposite. When Yang first loses her arm she feels less human, it takes time for her to come to terms with it, and in this episode she demonstrates that she is still completely human despite her robotic arm.

Spoiler: V8E12

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The "despite the robotic arm" bit is what I'm talking about. There should be no "despite". Making Penny become a Real Girl, while Ironwood gains more prosthetics, is an explicit telling of the show "if you have these yo are bad".

Yang literally says "this robotic arm isn't a part of me" and compares Penny's body to her arm. That's horrible!

[Rawhide]

Spoiler: V8E12

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The "despite the robotic arm" bit is what I'm talking about. There should be no "despite". Making Penny become a Real Girl, while Ironwood gains more prosthetics, is an explicit telling of the show "if you have these yo are bad".

Yang literally says "this robotic arm isn't a part of me" and compares Penny's body to her arm. That's horrible!

Spoiler: v08c12

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Uhh, I don't know how you've managed to turn the scene into the exact opposite of what it is, but you have.

Here's the exact words Yang says: *arm flex* "The mechanical parts are just... extra."

She's accepted that she's as human as she was before, and is proudly demonstrating that. A huge turnaround from when she first lost her arm.

[LaZodiac]

Spoiler: v08c12

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Uhh, I don't know how you've managed to turn the scene into the exact opposite of what it is, but you have.

Here's the exact words Yang says: *arm flex* "The mechanical parts are just... extra."

She's accepted that she's as human as she was before, and is proudly demonstrating that. A huge turnaround from when she first lost her arm.

Spoiler: V8C12

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I think we're just reading the line differently. Because that to me sounds like she's saying that her arm is not really a part of her, it's something "extra", which it definitely isn't. If she was actually at terms with it, she'd have accepted it as a part of her body, not some other mechanical "extra" bit. Comparing Penny to her arm still feels gross even with your read of the line though.

And again, Penny getting a flesh body and watching her robot body die, contrasted with Ironwood gaining more mechanical bits, is pretty clear symbolic writing. The more machine you are, the less human and good you are.