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diamond-punk0963 · 1 year

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The troubles of being in a fandom/bandom that people actively hate (Vent/Rant)

Hey everyone, Diamond Punk here! I wanted to talk to everyone about an issue that I’ve been facing for the past 2-3 years now. That issue being as the title suggests; The trouble of being in a fandom (and/or bandom) that people actively hate. It’s been something I’ve been seeing for some time now and (to my knowledge) it’s a topic I want to talk about since I haven’t seen many people (or any) talk about it. I hope you guys understand at where I’m getting at since it’s been eating away at my experiences within these communities.

~Being in a fandom that people actively hate~

Starting off with a fandom I believe is actively hated at this point, RWBY is a show I’ve stuck close to for the longest time and as of the events of volume seven and eight, the fandom has become extremely toxic. Now there’s the matter of the fandom being toxic from the company’s and writers’ actions but that’s a different topic for another time. What I’m focusing on is the current state of the fandom and how toxicity has taken a huge grip to the point where I had to ask myself, "What happened to everyone? This isn’t the community that I grew up with."

Ever since I’ve been into RWBY from my seventh grade year, (before Vol 3 came around) RWBY has been a huge comfort show for me. I wasn’t in a good place when I started watching but as I further perused, I found this series to be my guiding star. Volume four being was memorable for me because of the main theme of growing from a event of trauma or, "What do I do when the world pushes me down?" From how team RNJR perused heading to Haven, Yang dealing with PTSD, Blake heading back to her home, and Weiss dealing with parental issues in Atlas, the way that the show has perused each of the girl’s issues from their traumatic experiences of volume three stuck out to me in a way where it hit too close to home. It was around that time where I really got to know the people within the fandom.

At that time, I was dealing with my own personal traumatic situations to where I was in the simular state as the main four girls. Granted, it was a different case but the emotions were there. Upon Ruby’s side with team RNJR and how they kept moving forward, it was something I aspired to be but looked to only be a distant fantasy. Ruby’s always been a character I grew close to so seeing her, post volume 3 and well into volume four pulled me closer to her. In a way, she was someone I wanted to be because she was everything I wasn’t.

Next, Yang’s case within volume four was the second closest situation that I’ve seen within the show. Specifically, her process of healing and moving on upon her form of PTSD. (Hence her losing her arm and Blake running off) Yang’s situation grew close to me because of not only me being in a similar state but different context but having to deal with the situation upon how to grow and move on from it. For Blake’s case, her situation represented my case but on a later state. Her having her family and close friend, Sun around provided a good system to fall upon since the events of volume three. For me, I only had my mom and older sibling. When I got to make friends upon high school upon that series of events, I started to express myself more and it became a good coping mechanism for me to grow and heal from what I went through.

Going into Weiss’s case upon volume four, her situation hit me the hardest since her case was the closest to my situation. (That being my situation of trauma being family issues) This was where Weiss really got her character development that made everyone within the fandom become more fond of her. Granted, there were some moments where it felt a bit hard for me to see. (Hence the slap) That being for personal reasons. Further among this case, I grew more close to Weiss as her story progressed. To put it bluntly, seeing Weiss survive her toxic environment caused me to believe that I could survive it as well.

Given how close I’ve grown with the RWBY cast (Volume 4 and beyond), RWBY became a huge comfort show for me. Granted, it’s been rather rough with the writing and there are some things I disagree with what RT chose to do. Yet, I remained a faithful member of the FNDM and the show’s the main reason why I have so many close friends that I have today. As far as merch goes, mom got me a RWBY sweater from the RT store and a shirt from Hot Topic. I’m on track to read Roman Holiday which has filled the void with more RWBY stuff to discover. I’m a huge sucker for expanding a story to books so I believe that’s a good thing on RT’s part.

Now, the main issue that I’ve had with the show (besides the writing being questionable at times) has to be the fandom itself. Everyone’s been so obsessed with ships being canon or not being canon that it’s to the point where people are being harassed (fans or CRWBY). I’ve also dealt with a few toxic shippers myself. I just feel like people have forgotten that despite wishing our favorite couples could reach canon, we’ve forgotten how to treat people like . . . People. Not everything is or will go the way we want (whether that’s good or bad, depends on the situation) and we just have to see what happens. It isn’t worth it to go on shipping wars because someone does or doesn’t agree on the ship. When it comes to the fandom, it can get to dangerous levels to where they may not even feel safe because they have a different opinion on a ship.

(Just to note: I know RT hasn’t been the best company for their employees and honestly, I want better management to be done for the company. I feel very sorry for the way that May’s VA and Nora’s have been treated and for anyone else that been mistreated within the company. RT needs new management and that’s a hill I will die on.)

Not only that, while I do believe on constructive criticism, I also believe another issue in the fandom is literally how the fandom can go on a rampage on the sole idea that the show is complete garbage. Like, if you don’t like the show, don’t watch it. It confuses me on how people can use so much energy to create hate on the show for the sake of hating a show. It goes to a point where I personally can’t like the show that I like because if people knew, they would spread hate towards me to the point where my account to get banned. (Haven’t seen it happen but wouldn’t be surprised) Everyone keeps saying it’s gone to a dumpster fire before the next volume event comes out. Like guys, it’s fine if you don’t like it but don’t ruin the fun for those that still are a fan. It’s the biggest issue I have with the fandom and I personally believe if people just remained civil about the situation, we wouldn’t have this problem.

To put it all in the end upon the discussion of RWBY, it’s your choice to continue on with the show or not. If not, that’s fine. No one will judge you but please, don’t be mean to anyone that still enjoys the show. If you do, you are no better than the toxic shippers and haters within the fandom. If you do enjoy the show and want to continue to do so, be my guest. I’ll be having RWBY content of my very own to show you all. While I am scared on how they’ll handle volume nine, I still want to go into volume with an open mind. Seeing that we don’t have much of an idea of what will happen.

~Being in a Bandom that people actively hate~

Now, I know there are people out there have been a fan of the Emo quartet/trinity since their middle school days within the recent decade or may be starting upon that path. I am no exception to this. I was invited into the Panic at the disco fandom via Nate Wants To Battle’s cover of Emperor’s New Clothes. As curiosity led me to the band, it was around the time that Death of a Bachelor era was rising. Granted, the teaser for LA Devotee was concerning to my mother and literally, I had to convince her that I wasn’t joining a cult. After that was said and done, I just jumped right into the P!ATD craze.

Once I started getting into the P!ATD bandom, much like my experiences with the RWBY FNDM, I’ve met good people and started to find a place where I belonged. When Pray for the Wicked started to come around, I found another friend group that I belonged to. It’s nice, being able to make friends and talk about similar topics. The music videos were amazing as well and I started to make my own ideas in the matter. Not to mention, I found an ongoing fan comic on P!ATD. (Mirrors by Jeri’s Universe; Highly recommend it)

It was the break between PFTW and VLV is where this whole issue starts occurring. The situation with Za*h and then, the situation with Brendon. I wasn’t sure to think, beginning of it all. I did look up for evidence on the matter but even then, I was skeptical to believe. This is where things started to turn for the fandom. This point of time, I just waiting for any evidence or updates on the matter. Something about the situation felt off with me. Evidence by nicolexrow (Instagram) and Brendon’s statement on the matter via twitch comes along. I believed on what evidence I could find on the matter but I understood those who left the bandom, due to the accusations. (I was still at Brendon’s side at the end. Mainly because the people who made the claims admitted that they were false but by then, the damage was done)

After awhile, Viva Las Vengeance comes alone and I’m excited to see what Brendon has in store. That’s where the hate comes it. Whether it’s claims of Brendon copying Dallon (which I seriously doubt) or just straight up hating him for the sake of hating him, it made those who still hold him close have the fear of being attacked by the haters. I tried to making a post to lessen the blow but that went sideways. At this point, hating Brendon was a trend. A trend that everyone was willing to jump into. I understand if you want to leave the community but why waste energy on the hate? It gets annoying after awhile.

Getting deeper into the VLV era, my fear of getting attacked grew more and more. It was basically everywhere within the media at this point. I stopped looking through the hashtags because I was tired of seeing the hate. Why are people like this? Do you like to hate on P!ATD because it’s fun for you? It’s like you guys cherish the hate 24/7 and I’m sick of it! What happened to the early days where everyone can just vibe on his music and just have a good time. I left the community at this point to a small place where I can be free from the hate. It’s sad how the community has boiled down to this.

I loved Say It Louder and Sad Clown. I loved that Brendon used the MVs to tell a story. However, some people would care and hate on anyone that likes his stuff. I was just sick of it all. I just feel like people just hate on VLV for the fun of hating on Brendon. It was annoying. It killed the fun of the era for me and if anyone is like me that suffered through that, I’m sorry those idiots ruined it for you.

~In Conclusion~

Long story short, don’t hate on anyone that likes shows or bands. It’s annoying and heavily effects said community. Some people on this internet just want to vibe and have fun. Fan communities (my opinion) are supposed to be a safe place where people can vibe, share what they love, and have fun. Not all of this shipping wars and hate that poisons the experience of being in said community.

#tumblr post #tumblr rant #cw vent #vent #fandom ranting #bandom ranting #rwby #panic at the disco #haters DNI #fandom #ranting #tw opinion #if I see any hate comments they will be deleted #figured I brought this out before RWBY Vol 9 starts

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everafterfrisk · 2 years

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Are the RWBY Mangas Canon?

Going over stuff like the Ice Queendom Manga(2022),RWBY Anthology Manga(2017,RWBY Manga(2015) and Finally "RWBY Official Manga(2018)"

I'd say despite minor changes here and there

They are overall canon to the series

"RWBY Manga(2015)"

-Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross were involved with this Manga's Development

Ambiguously canon(described by Rooster Teeth as being "not non-canon" and "canon until it's not")

- Ruby's Fight with Cardin emphasizing a flashblack to Ruby's past when Yang had to protect her from the Grimm at a young age which is reflected by Volume 2 Chapter 6 Burning Candle

Yang: (off-screen, while her younger self looks petrified) "There we were: A toddler sleeping in the back of a wagon and a stupid girl too exhausted to even cry for help. We might as well have been served on a silver platter. But, as luck would have it, our uncle showed up just in time".

As the Beowolves leap into the air to devour their young prey, the familiar sound of a gun-scythe follows the sight of them all being cut into pieces by a caped warrior. His bird-haired silhouette fades away to present day, where Yang has just finished drawing a clockwork eye.

-Chapter 3 has Weiss fighting the Arma Gigas and claiming that her father only got her into Beacon due to her proving her capabilities

-Chapter 4 Jacques is confirmed to have faced threats of white fang terrorist activities

☆Weiss highlights this notably in Vol 1 Chapter 15

-Chapter 5 highlights the Black Trailer with Blake and Adam going their separate ways

Chapter 6 has the team being visibly aware of Blake's Ears making this take place at the end of Volume 1 to the start of Volume 2

Chapter 7-8 had Yang's Fight with Junior like the Yellow Trailer

Chapter 10 provided more Blake and Ruby bonding moments like

☆Blake encouraging Ruby's interest in Weapons during their fight against the Eight Headed Grimm Snake

Rwby "Official Manga"

(2018)

- Glinda saving Ruby during her encounter with Roman & Cinder

Just like in V1 Chapter 1 "Ruby Rose"

- Chapter 4-5 Team Rwby & JNPR worked together against the Grimm Bird like the Chess and pieces episode

- Chapter 6 Encountered Sun Wukong in the same way as like in "The Stray"

Rwby IQ Manga(2022-)

- ^ Chapter 1 gives insight of the Creation of Crescent Rose prior the beginning of the series alluding to Volume 1 Chapter 3 "The Shining Beacon"

Ruby: (giggling)"Well, I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons, sooo... I guess I did go a little overboard when designing it".

- Ozpin's Mention of Ruby's silver eyes as well as expanding on that scene

How there were Silver Eyed Warriors in the past who have been legends and expressing a similar line in Canon that Strength alone doesn't guarantee Victory

- Expanding on Yang & Ruby's Home life with Taiyang as well as Tai & Oz having some sort of history together[Alluding to his time as Team STRQ]

-the Appearance of Zwei,Ruby's dog, lives with them at home

Reference to Volume 2 Chapter 5 Field Trip

Yang: I don't know yet. Dad sent it to us. I thought we could open it together!

Ruby: Ooooh! Something from home!

Ruby zooms over to Yang and wraps herself around Yang, trying to take the cylinder from her. The package opens, and another cylinder, hairy and black, falls out onto the floor and starts to shake. The object suddenly transforms into a corgi. Team RWBY leans in, staring at it.

The animal barks twice. While Weiss and Blake continue to react with great shock, Ruby and Yang react excitedly, with Ruby jumping in the air. Ruby, still airborne, is depicted among a changing blue background and four shots of the dog, two full body shots and two headshots. She then poses as she shouts the dog's name.

Ruby: Zwei!

Blake: He sent a dog?

Weiss: In the mail?

- Chapter 2 has Weiss fighting the Arma Gigas just as she's done in the White Trailer and within the Icequeendom anime

-Adds onto Weiss's Rocky relationship with Whitley [Whitley making fun of her for failing to live up to expectations during her Arma Gigas]

-Weiss's/Ruby's argument are more or less the same

-chapter 3 has Weiss doubt Ruby's leadership skills like in the OG & IQ series

Rwby Anthology (2017)

stated, by Kerry and Gray, to be "very much in tune with the show" and that "very minimal feedback had to be given on canon stuff".(26:15)

As well as side stories they didn't have time to put into the show

Red like Roses: Volume 1

-in the "partner" side story,Roman was taken into custody and RWBY & Co are at the school dance

☆Referencing the Episode "Dance Dance Infiltration"Vol 2 Chapter 7

In the "Just trying to help" side story, Weiss confirms that Ruby and Cardin has fought before

☆ Referring to the Cardin v Ruby fight from the (2015) Manga

Mirror Mirror: Volume 2

- in "Snow White's Melancholy" & "The princess, Showcases Weiss's Neglection from childhood

- in the "Who is the Ice Queen meeting?" Side story, Weiss is shown training in secret so she wouldn't be considered a liability due to her loss against the White Fang Grunt

☆Referencing Vol 2 Chapter 11 "No Brakes"

- in the "Soft Warm Ears" side story,Weiss is still adjusting to the new change that Blake was a faunus and at the end she begins to embrace it freely (touching Blake's Ears).

☆Takes place after the events of Vol 1 Chapter 15 "The Stray"

-In "The Moon" side story, Weiss has a talk with Winter about her training and making connections

☆Referencing Vol 3 Chapter 3 "It's Brawl in the Family" & Chapter 4 "Lesson Learned"

From Shadows: Volume 3

In "the Monster" sidestory,Goes other Blake's Grim past as a white fang member with Adam remarking Faunus as Monsters

It also expands more on Ruby's & Blake's relationship

+Where Blake recalls her convo with Ruby in Vol 1 Chapter 3 and wanted to learn me about Ruby's way of thinking as she believed that just this once

A Fairytale can become reality.

In "Friend" Blake connects with a lost cat and ended up happily crying after he found his new home

+Which could parallel how Team RWBY became Blake's "new home"

In "Curosity killed the Cat" side story, Weiss mentions a train accident

☆Most likely alluding to Volume 2 "No Brakes"

In "Proof of a Black Cat", Yang provides Blake a way to open up more leading to Blake to be a bit less pessimistic and welcoming her as a teammate [Seemingly after Burning Candle]

I Burn:Volume 4

In "You can't have that bear", Yang battles and is fully aware of Melanie & Miltia

☆The Twin sisters she fought against in Junior's Bar during the Yellow trailer

In "Semblance Challenge" Ruby points out that Yang destroyed Roman's Paladin

☆ Notably referenced from Vol 2 Chapter 4 Painting the Town

In"The Reader" side story, it plays on Yang's perspective as a child dealing with her harsh reality of responsibility after summer never came back.

#rwby #rwby analysis #Are the mangas canon

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jay-blue-blog · 3 years

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I am honestly at a loss for words.

Cinder doesn't even realise she just got trapped, right? Like.... Its so unlike Salem to be so content after a failure occurred... She made up way too easily.... AND THIS HOUND WAS WAY TOP CLOSE TO HER SO CINDER YOUR FUCKING EYES, TAKE ICEGREMLIN, FARMBOY GENIELAMP AND YOUR PERSONAL SIMP AND GET THE FUCK OUTTA THERE

#rwby #cinder fall #rwby spoilers #Rwby vol eight #rwby vol 8 spoilers #Rwby vol 8

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mouseonvenus-main · 2 years

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Decided to redesign RWBY's Atlas arc outfits

maybe click for quality idk

[ID: digital illustrations of Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang from RWBY. Ruby wears a gray dress shirt underneath a black corset; red arm warmers; a black skirt with red frills, a rose faintly printed on it; black boots; her red cape; and her hair is also down. Weiss has her hair in a loose pony tail over her shoulder. She has a light blue capelet with a red bow; a white dress with black frills; long black gloves; and red leg warmers. Blake's hair is cut short and wispy, she wears a black scarf; black arm warmers; a gray wide-neck shirt with diagonal black stripes; black jeans; gray boots; a light purple cloth on her hip. Yang wears a dark brown coat with a fuzzy gray collar--the body is short but the sleeves go all the way down, her yellow gauntlets tucked underneath them. She wears tan baggy pants with yellow knees and a purple bandana tied near her ankle. End ID.]

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dvdson · 3 years

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Ice Queen back at it again.

(This may or may not be a conversation that happened between me and my friend.)

#rwby #rwby fanart #rwby fndm #rwby fandom #weiss schnee #yang xiao long #weiss schnee fanart #yang xiao long fanart #rwby comic #fndm #rwby freezerburn #rwby weiss #rwby yang #rwby volume eight #rwby volume 8 #rwby vol 8

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panaceatthedisco · 3 years

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#i couldn't stop thinking about it #they are so in love #bumbleby #catradora #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #adora #catra #she-ra #rwby8 #rwby #rwby spoilers #rwby v8 #rwby vol 8 #rwby volume 8 #rwby volume eight

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insmncrakoonart · 3 years

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Trying to revisit my old "Anime" art style feat. the one and only Ruby Rose. Hope y'all like it!

#artists on tumblr #art #artist #rwby #rwby fanart #artwork #ruby rose #rwby ruby #rwby vol 7 #rwby volume 7 #rwby volume eight #rwby volume 8 #sketch #pencilart #pencilsketch #pencil

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shallitickleyournerdbutton · 3 years

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Don't think I didn't notice this framing Rooster Teeth - Blake and Yang together on the left, and Ruby, Weiss and Penny together on the right.

I know what I'm hoping it means. 👀

#rwby #rwby spoilers #frosen steel #nuts and dolts #frostbyte #ruby rose #weiss schnee #penny polendina #blake bellodona #yang xiao long #rwby vol 8 #rwby volume eight

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hamliet · 3 years

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Chemical Weddings in RWBY

So once upon a time Hamliet said she’d write a meta about ships in RWBY, and then arrived months later without Starbucks.

The central tenet of alchemy is solve et coagula: dissolve, and then coagulate. The process (RWBY appears to be following Ripley’s 12 Gates) repeats, rinses, and repeats again and again throughout the steps, “each time at a more refined level.” The point of a chemical wedding is to reconcile opposites, which is something I touched on in my pseudo-quick meta here. Lyndy Abraham, the author of A Dictionary of Alchemical Imagery, describes the chemical wedding as:

a crucial operation in the creation of the philosopher’s stone. The alchemists were ultimately concerned with the union of substances, the reconciliation of opposites.

Basically, it unites opposites (fire and water, air and earth, sun and moon, passive and active, etc., etc., etc.) and then the opposites start to take on each other’s qualities, creating the “Rebis,” or a person both male and female.

The first chemical wedding is usually somewhat violent, primitive even, whereas the second one signifies the creation of the stone. However, characters can have more than two weddings, and chemical weddings do not inherently have to be romantic--Sam and Frodo aren’t, for example--but most often are, because it’s the most obvious way to show a union between separate people (the old adage “two become one” in marriage, for example).

If we look at George Ripley’s 12 Gates, chemical weddings tend to be focused on in the fourth stage of conjunction (which I wrote about here) and in the ninth, fermentation (which is probably going to be in volume 10--maybe a little in volume 9, but traveling between worlds seems to be a hallmark of sublimation in fiction so I’m guessing we’re stuck there for the time being). But in a lengthy series spanning eight years and counting, there is going to be overlap.

So let’s talk about chemical wedding imagery historically. It tends to involve dissolution (via water or fire--keep in mind metal was associated with fire in olden days, so stabbing with metal was considered liquid fire, or so it was believed to be by alchemists) and then coagulation (healing/coming together).

Four of the five ships--two of whom are definitely happening, one of which I think is happening and one of which I think has a good chance--reference historical alchemical artwork and symbolism in key moments. (RWBY does reference alchemical artwork; see here and here.) So let’s dive in and examine potential chemical wedding allusions in RWBY:

Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie (Renora)

Let’s start with the most obvious couple: Ren and Nora. Their first chemical wedding occurs when they are children. In alchemical art, birds are often used to show the volatility/primitiveness of a first chemical wedding:

The raven is replicated in the Nevermore which forms a similarly threatening pose over Ren and Nora when he unlocks his semblance to protect her, thus honoring his father and mother’s legacies.

You can even see earth (trees), water (river), fire, and air (the bird flying) in the scene as it pans out. After this, Ren and Nora become “Ren and Nora,” as Nora herself says in Volume 8. They’re inseparable, because they’re on their way to becoming one. However, unification doesn’t mean that they’re literally the same person; in stories like these, it’s more like they become better versions of themselves through growing towards each other and adopting each other’s traits (like Nora’s courage for Ren, and Ren’s caution for Nora).

Their second, elevated chemical wedding is in the same place as their first, when in Volume 4 they return to the village and defeat the monster they were too young to defeat last time. This time, Nora is the one who protects Ren by telling him he could not sacrifice his life by pulling Ren back, in a reversal of his running to her in their first moment years ago.

Like the first, there’s water involved--Ren and Nora hide next to a river, watching as the Knuckelvee advances on them. I talked previously how I thought this looked like a possible allusion to this alchemical image (look at the moon symbol on the head of the aggressor):

The moon symbol actually shows up quite a bit in this scene, first when Nora and Ren discover the Nuckelvee is still alive in the cave:

And then in the moment when they defeat it:

While I am certain this is a chemical wedding, I’m not certain why the moon symbol is so prominent in this, though I do think it is possibly in reference to this image and how Nora and Ren are united now:

Yang Xiao Long/Blake Belladonna (Bumbleby)

Firstly, the alchemy image is somewhat of a creepy image, right? In this, Mercurius has united the two principles by beheading them (amputation is a Thing in alchemy), leaving them to putrefy and then coagulate.

Like the Nuckelvee for Nora and Ren, Blake and Yang have a somewhat antagonistic Mercurius who unites them: Adam Taurus. He doesn’t cut off their heads, but he does seriously injure Blake and cuts off Yang’s arm in a scene that is romantically charged (you have Blake’s possessive ex telling her he’ll target someone she loves and specifically chooses Yang).

While I have my issues with how Bumbleby is written, it’s hard to interpret that as anything other than him seeing Yang as a rival for Blake’s affection.

Their second chemical wedding also involves Adam. There’s no one direct image that seems to have inspired it, but it does take place in a place full of waterfalls (fountains and flowing water in general, like the ones in Nora and Ren’s village, are common elements of chemical weddings’ settings) and by the ocean (the “mercurial sea” is where the elements dissolve to make the Philosopher’s Stone, so it’s also a common hallmark for chemical weddings).

(To briefly address this: this is where my complaints about the writing pile in, because you can also make a damn strong case that Blake and Sun fighting on the ship to Menagerie is a chemical wedding, which it is, but I think it’s clear at this point that Bumbleby is endgame. Either both were written for a reason, like if they weren’t sure if they could do Bumbleby, or a narrative reason, in which case Black Sun should have been dealt with rather than hand-waved away, or they were just teasing, but baiting fans is never, ever good writing; it’s cheap. All that to say that while I think there’s a compelling case they were interested in pursuing Bumbleby from the start, Black Sun shippers have a right to feel tricked and not all criticism thereof is based in homophobia or a lack of narrative understanding, or even in a dislike of the ship.)

At the beginning of this scene, Adam makes it clear that this is a redo of their previous chemical wedding by reminding them of it:

Blake stabs Adam with a silver weapon; Yang with red. We have earth, air (clouds), water, and weapons as a stand-in for fire.

It’s still somewhat of a violent wedding, which makes me wonder if Bumbleby will have a third (and Renora as well). But it also parallels Renora in this: returning to a pivotal scene where they were traumatized, but this time being able to overcome it because they’ve become more like each other. Blake is in many ways Yang’s trauma stretching far beyond Beacon (Blake runs away, as does Raven, Yang’s mother who abandoned her), and likewise Yang for Blake (she’s hotheaded and holds grudges, like Adam). But Blake and Yang have been working on becoming better versions of themselves.

At the end of this scene, they even exchange quasi-wedding vows (since Blake’s promise is to not abandon Yang):

And the artists drive home the point by drawing Blake’s hair far bushier than normal (more like Yang’s), and Yang’s far tamer than normal (like Blake’s).

Jaune Arc/Weiss Schnee (White Knight)

Weiss and Jaune have had one chemical wedding thus far (possibly two but not sure) and I didn’t ship them at all until I saw this scene. Like Bumbleby and Renora, they have an antagonistic Mercurius: Cinder.

(This one I’ll be arguing a little bit about why I think it’s set up for romance as well.)

In this scene, Cinder directly compares Weiss to Pyrrha in regards to how Jaune feels about them (and we know Jaune and Pyrrha were romantic--you can also argue Cinder was an antagonistic Mercurius uniting Pyrrha and Jaune).

When Weiss screams, Cinder gets an idea and slides her gaze from Weiss to Jaune.

And then reenacts this:

As I also mentioned previously, Jaune then plays the role of the Prince to Weiss’s Snow White (which is an alchemical fairy tale). Like when Ren unlocks his aura to protect Nora, Jaune unlocks his to save Weiss. Weiss looks as if she is in a glass coffin that gets more and more golden, symbolic of refinement.

It’s also probably an allusion to this image of a chemical wedding presided over by Saturn (Mercury in this scene, since he’s there) and Death (Ruby and Qrow, who are also present in the scene with Jaune and Weiss). (For more on this image, see here.)

Weiss and Jaune also have some oppositional imagery and arcs: Weiss starts Beacon with a deep family legacy and an inherited semblance, she chooses to go to Beacon on her own and is the favored child (at first). Jaune too has a family legacy of warriors, but instead of feeling empowered because of this, he is insecure and literally cheats his way into the school. He doesn’t have a semblance until season 5. After this incident, Weiss and Jaune spend some time recreationally together (seeing a movie in vol 7); Jaune becomes more confident as a leader, and Weiss continues her arc in becoming more sympathetic to those from less privileged backgrounds.

Arguably, what happened at the end of volume 8 could be seen as having some symbolism of a chemical wedding for Weiss and Jaune too, but I don’t think it actually is one since they weren’t focused on as characters enough (if this was intended to be the start of one, we’ll get something next season, I’d imagine). The only reason I’m mentioning it is because it does function as an inverse of the previous one, which is the case for Renora and Bumbleby’s first and second weddings too. Cinder again almost kills Weiss (she falls in the exact same position as in vol 5), but Jaune saves Weiss when he screams after killing Penny. Instead of saving Weiss by healing, he kills. There’s also some distinctive red and white imagery.

And then Winter arrives with a six-pointed star and birds before telling them to run together:

But again, I wouldn’t really call this one; it just has some imagery of one and fits a pattern, so I’m including it as a potential lead-in to an actual one in the void or later.

Ruby Rose/Oscar Pine (Rosegarden)

Like with Weiss/Jaune, I’ll be arguing a little bit about why I think this one is likely to end up romantic, too (for example, Cinder most recently in volume 8 used Oscar to taunt Ruby in a callback to using Pyrrha and Weiss to taunt Jaune).

Also: oh look, finally a wedding that isn’t violent. They just... meet. Which is also normal for a chemical wedding but less dramatic.

Behold, the bird uniting the solar king and lunar queen:

(Fun fact: unless CRWBY came up with ship names which I highly, highly doubt, this is pure coincidence, but it’s a funny one: the art series this image is taken from is called Rosarium Philosophorum--which literally means “rose garden philosophy.”)

Let’s look at the scene where Ruby and Oscar meet for the first time. What makes this a chemical wedding is in part how obvious their markings are and the overall imagery is in the scene.

They are united by Qrow (who in addition to being named after a bird can literally transform into a bird):

Oscar asks about Ruby specifically (yes, I know because Qrow’s her uncle, but the writing is telling us to focus on his relationship with her):

And immediately notes/is in awe that she has silver eyes (i.e. the moon):

Qrow seems to realize he’s done something momentous in a way that almost doesn’t entirely work within the frame of the narrative (but he is drunk, so).

The scenery of this room is also telling. The table is literally an Emerald Table, the legendary foundation of alchemy itself.

Once they sit and talk, behind Oscar are the elements of earth and water, which he represents, and also the moon, which while traditionally associated with earth and water, he does not (at least not as strongly as he’s associated with the sun/gold):

Similarly, behind Ruby we have the elements of fire and air (like, if you zoom in, they actually drew air), which she is marked as, and the sun, which again, she’s not as strongly associated with as she is with the moon:

In Splendor Solis, which CRWBY has referenced before, the Solar King does eventually end up grounded in the moon, and likewise the Lunar Queen in the sun:

Oscar and Ruby also do have oppositional arcs and roles: Ruby starts the series in the very first episode by being invited to Beacon two years early because of her leaping into action to stop Torchwick. She’s scolded for her recklessness, but immediately picked out as special because of her silver eyes. In contrast, Oscar is reluctant to leave his farm once Ozpin inhabits him; he refuses at first, and then once he does leave, is nervous and timid.

Anyways I wouldn’t be surprised if Qrow arrives in Vacuo with RWBYJ in tow and this time reunites Ruby with Oscar in an inverse. We’ll see.

I do want to say that I also see potential for Emerald Sustrai/Mercury Black, in that they often act as one and share a theme song, but I haven’t seen any actual visual references to a chemical wedding for them... yet.

#rwby meta #rwby theory #rwby volume eight #rwby vol 8 #rwby volume 8 #rwby volume 9 #weiss schnee #jaune arc #ruby rose #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #lie ren #nora valkyrie #oscar pine #alchemy #rosegarden #bumbleby #renora #white knight

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