Hey... go read Reciprocity by @sigruned if you haven't already. It's phenomenal. bonus sketches under the cut

Man I had to take a minute before commenting on this, I'm honestly stunned. When you mentioned fanart in the fic comments I thought it would be some fun little sketches not this beautifully rendered piece.

The colors are absolutely delicious and I think you did a great job at capturing the emotion of the moment. Oscar is every bit the deer in headlights I was imagining, and I love Ruby's vice grip on his coat for lack of any other way to grapple with her Big Feelings™. This argument was one of the first parts of the story I came up with and I don't know that you could have picked a more fitting part to illustrate.

I can't thank you enough, this and the bonus sketches are such a treat. Are you ok with me linking back to this in the chapter notes?

thank you!! not gonna lie, I didn't think this would end up as more than a sketch either, but here we are aha. I was really moved by how you wrote the scene, so i'm glad I was able to capture the emotions well. and as for linking it, of course, feel free! 🤗💖💕

happy valentines day to the ship ever 🌹🌲💕

In RWBY weapons are a part of a person, an extension of yourself, as Ruby puts it in V1. So, a weapon can say a lot about a person in how it appears and what it's used for.

Looking at Crescent Rose compared to our other main characters' weapons and it's immediately one that stands out from the size alone, it immediately draws our attention, it usually takes up the screen.

Like Ruby, it's striking, awe inspiring and larger than life. It's beautiful, resilient and strong, but evolves to be more adaptable during the Atlas Arc, when Ruby herself has to be more flexible and think outside the box, and her worldview is consistently challenged. It's also very easily the most intricate and complicated design, by her own admission:

"I guess I did go a little overboard in designing it..."

Which, while on the surface means it looks cool and flashy, it's also incredibly complex, just like Ruby.

And as we know from V9, a weapon like that would also be a heavy one to carry at all times too, and it weighs on her. Just like being "Ruby Rose" means to shoulder all the responsibilities and entanglements that come with being who she is, a huntress, a leader, a hero, a spark of hope and light who inspires others. In the end her resolve as a huntress and in who she is, and her purpose, is renewed and stronger than ever before, and wields her weapon once more with confidence.

That doesn't mean her burdens have gotten any lighter though, in fact upon returning to Vacuo, because of her message, all of humanity is now looking to her. No matter how strong, confident and resolved she is, that's a heavy weight for one person to carry alone.

Which brings me to Oscar's weapon, the Long Memory. Which is a cane, smaller, simple and straightforward, but has it's own hidden light stored inside. A cane is meant to take someone's weight by design, that's it's purpose. To be something that's leant on as a crutch when you're hurting to alleviate the pain by taking the pressure off yourself, so moving forward is made easier. Because everyone needs that support sometimes and it's okay to be weak, it doesn't make you lesser, it just makes you human. And it is incredibly human for us to care for and lean on one another for support. That vulnerability leads to our greatest strength as humans.

The one who carries the heaviest weapon vs The one who has a weapon that can be leant on to take pressure off yourself. Ruby who carries a heavy burden and Oscar being someone that can be leant on for support. ooooooohhhh the cymbal ism of it all.

Rosegarden Wedding Night Commission!

Starting the new year off strong!

Now this is cool!

I love rosegarden because Oscar is so fairytale princess coded and Ruby is his knight in silver armor.

This makes sense since Oscar is based on an actual fairytale princess

Ruby: I wonder if Oscar likes me. It’s so hard to tell…

Wow!

Watching RWBY is just watching them subject oscar to the horrors like, way to punch the 14 year old while he’s down huh.

Oscar torture checklist theory:

So we all know that it's basically a meme that Oscar gets tortured every volume. But did you notice it keeps getting worse???

V4: confusion and fear

V5: first battle, he himself didn't get hurt, but his body was exhausted after Oz so much that he passed out (if you wanna count it, got punched in the face by Ruby during training)

V6: Mental torture, fear, isolation, got punched in the face, thrown against a wall, almost crashed on a train and an airplane

V7: Beat up by Neo, shot by Ironwood and almost fell to his death

V8: Literal torture. Like the entire volume

V9: Wasn't even there all volume, but still got killed (as an illusion)

V10: ........

So anyway, by that track record, next volume is... *flips through notes* either actual death, or near-death experience. And with a venomous serial killer running around out there..... yikes...

Even inanimate objects had it out for Oscar in Volume 8.

The Little Prince, The Rose, & The Aviator

AKA We just got confirmation that Oscar's main allusion is in fact The Little Prince so I wanted to gather all evidence that supports it in show thus far.

cross-posted from twitter

Oh I was hoping you’d do an analysis on this. Very well put together. As someone who has not read the story of the little prince just the wikis this was very interesting. Honestly seems like a fascinating read. Like so much of this fits so well it’s kinda blowing my mind. I remember people talking about the fox as a sign Oscar’s allusion was the little prince, but I just thought it was an Easter egg. The meaning behind that scene about taming and forging bonds after Oscar was able to be himself more without Is around elevates that scene a lot more now for me.

The connection to his rose also really works with the separation these two have had now. You had me before with the possibility that treasure was a RG song, but now I think it makes it more possible.

I also noticed on recent rewatch a how it’s interesting Oscar first brings up the girl who fell through the world and how he now relates to her. Then Oz brings it up again and then Ruby actually lives it. She can relate to Alex more than the others. Now both Oscar and Ruby have been changed by their experiences and their separation from each other. I really hope that Ruby and Oscar have a good heart to heart next volume. If they don’t bring up that conversation in the dojo in some way I will be throughly disappointed.

With the song “the sky is falling” potentially being an Oscar song as well I wonder if that connects to the boy who feel through the sky in some way too.

The lamplighter thing is also really interesting. It fits quite well with the way Ruby has been described as a spark. Now Ruby has definitely lit that fire with her message to the world about Salem. Not to mention the quotes you listed talking about how it’s akin to giving life to a flower.

Finally the snake part. When I read the wiki I thought immediately that the yellow snake was the golden god of light. Perhaps breaking the curse and returning Oscar to his home and rose and taking Oz finally(perhaps he will make peace with Salem and pass on with her too). That feels like that would fit the life or death ambiguous aspect of the end of the little prince. However I had someone mention that the theory was Tyrian was the snake and I didn’t quite understand it other than it involving Tyrian capturing Ruby, but the fact that Oscar’s first scene was waking up from a nightmare after Tyrian is sent to get Ruby is crazy. Like wow I really see why this is the theory now.

Ruby and Oscar have always been linked really. When he first shows up to the house and meets them all(other than Qrow) for the first time, the first thing he does is ask for Ruby. I always thought that showed that those two characters were tied together in some way.

Also that art, is that actually what the little prince wears? It’s practically the same outfit as Oscar’s! Although I still feel like in the show the red he wears is meant to represent Ruby’s growing influence on him.

Anyway thanks for making this awesome analysis. It helped understand some of the posts I’d seen in the past(probably yours haha about the lamps) and the whole Tyrian thing. Ah it just makes me so sad it might be a long wait for vol 10.

Awe, thank you so much for the kind words!! I 10000% agree that Sky is Falling is an Oscar song though. Like...

the lines about torture, which they literally go through, and then the bridge???

Ruby who's constantly depicted as THE beacon of hope. "No soul on the video screen" when we know in Vacuo they're calling back to Ruby's broadcast with 'remember her message'. "Green" is self explanatory (his colour + often associated with being ill which would be an appropriate response to that loss). "Starin' at the casket and not being okay until he sees her again..." When once again, it was THEIR separation and lack of reunion hug that was in focus. Then THEIR attachment that's amplified by Neo's illusion of Oscar's "death" being the last nail in Ruby's coffin... Like, yeah, everyone is gonna be devastated RWBYJ are gone, but Oscar specifically gonna be mourning Ruby in some type of way.

Lastly, that is in fact one of the prince's many outfits in the book! His costumes are a bit all over the place, but that's the most princely one we get, I think. I do agree that the red on his shoulders is emblematic of helping Ruby 'carry her burdens' so to speak, but the original concept art for Oscar's design also included a red lining like the illustration. Which sure is interesting 👀

This is amazing!

I ship them to hell and back! Funny, I wasn’t that involved in this ship at the start, I liked it, sure, but I preferred other ships. And now it’s my RWBY OTP! Haha, why? Well, one is their growing chemistry. Volume 7 framing them together along with Bumbleby, the fact that Oscar immediately goes to Ruby and not his own team when he learns of the party, the fact that Ruby is clearly affected by Oscar’s opinions on her plan, the bumping into each other straight out from a shojo anime

The fact that Ruby NEVER doubted Oscar’s identity as his own person And, even beyond all of that, I love the community it has! It seems to be, from the people I’ve interacted with at least, that it’s a chill and friendly fandom full of nice, thoughtful people And contrast that with the haters it gets, and so THE PURE SPITE FUELS ME to continue shipping them in hell and I so far the show is validating the shit out of me, and that makes me all the happier for the wholesome and not so wholesome reasons! XD drinking haters tears

Send me a ship and I will explain why I do or don’t ship it

“Volume 7 framing them together along with Bumbleby” . I’m glad that I’m not the only one who noticed that small detail.

D U D E

At first I was like “OK this could be an accident”

(this is the most prominent example of the early episodes but iirc a few scenes where both pairs are framed together also happens when they meet Ironwood in episode 2)

But then THIS

HAPPENED

WHICH IS A DIRECT AND VERY OBVIOUS PARALLEL

TO THIS OTHER SCENE

“I did not set out to be a babysitter” vs “ugh, kids” - Marrow Amin, 2019, colorized.

Another scene of Bumbleby and Rosegarden hanging together:

And may I also like to add that during Rosegarden’s cute moment the only 2 people that are shown running by them:

You are forgetting about Volume 7 Chapter 1. Ruby and Blake protect Oscar and Yang and they nod.

Also, look at their sleeping positions. (from Volume 6 Chapter 6)

Ahem…

+ airship moment

Confirm: Oscar & Blake best brother and sister in laws ever; don’t get mad I don’t make the rules! 🌲🌹💛🖤

Adding to the 7×08 scene…

@maripr I hope you don’t mind but since your post is gradually snowballing into the Unofficial Reblog Chain Masterpost of the Bumbleby/Rosegarden parallels and pairings, I’m just gonna Go Off and add Some More because boi howdy the more I look the more I find

@gunchucks-wukong I’m sorry these were some of the ones I was planning on sending you

- Both pairings sharing Sun/Moon duality

-Blake and Oscar being the first people we see Yang and Ruby open up to about their past trauma (Yang’s abandonment issues and Ruby’s losses from the FoB) and own fears and doubts in order to relate to Blake and Oscar’s own fears and doubts and reassure and inspire them in demonstrating their own resolve in spite of, and because of what they’ve been through, establishing a mutual sense of understanding between each pairing:

“I told you! I’m not telling you to stop! I haven’t! To this day I still want to know what happened to my mother and why she left me. But I will never let that search control me. We’re going to find the answers we’re looking for Blake. But if we destroy ourselves in the process then what good are we?”

“I am scared! But not just for me. What happened at Beacon shows that Salem doesn’t care if you’re standing against her or not. She’ll kill anybody. And that, scares me most of all. Pyrrha… Penny… I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt. That I didn’t think about them everyday since I lost them. That I didn’t wish I had spent more time with them. If it had been me instead, I know they would have kept fighting too. No matter how dangerous it was. So that’s what I choose to do. To keep moving forward.”

This also was something we’ve never seen either character do before with anyone else, especially relating to Ruby, considering she has trouble talking about her own feelings, as well as explaining her motives for being a huntress more deeply having been something previously she’d been excluded from in v2 during the field trip with Oobleck and WBY. And for Yang, it’s the first time we see a more serious side to her character, when up until that point she’d been simply seen and known as the sunny happy go lucky character. But with Blake and Oscar, we are allowed a better understanding of their character.

Additionally, both the Burning the Candle scene and the Dojo scene have become well known within the Bumbleby and Rosegarden fandoms respectively, being the first Big Scene the pairings shared that sparked many metas and deeper analysis of the ships. The two scenes even share similar framing and lighting, like Yang and Ruby being surrounded by light in certain shots.

- Yang and Ruby’s belief in the kind of people Blake and Oscar are capable of being that inspires them to be that person

“I’m. Not. Running.” (Blake, 3x11)

“You’re braver than you think”

“She made a choice. To put others before herself. And so do I.” (Oscar, 5x12)

- Focusing in on Yang and Oscar’s expressions of going rapidly feral after seeing that Blake and Ruby are hurt

AND I HAVEN’T EVEN GOTTEN TO THE REALLY GOOD STUFF YET BUT I CAN ONLY FIT SO MUCH IN ONE REBLOG

DING DING BACK AGAIN

@maripr @gunchucks-wukong

*whispers* the good stuff (pt1, yeah this is some deep shit) is both having interwined arcs of learning to reflect, communicate and trust one another but imma have to break it down into several parts in this reblog cos this happens all over with these beautiful idiots and they’re all still growing, even if they’re at different stages.

- Yang and Ruby worrying over not having Blake and Oscar’s trust

Yang focused on Blake’s reaction over the rest of the group after she’s disqualified for attacking Mercury, troubled and hurt by Blake not initially trusting and believing she had good reason for doing so, because Blake can’t help but be reminded of Adam’s actions (3x08)

Ruby focusing in on Oscar’s reaction over the rest of the group after making the decision to lie to Ironwood, also troubled and hurt that Oscar doesn’t initially trust and believe she has good reason for doing so, because Oscar can’t help but be reminded of Ozpin’s actions. (7x01)

- Yang and Ruby worrying over Blake and Oscar thinking less of them:

(This one’s actually kind of an interesting parallel, because on the surface it’s presented as if it’s a conflict between Ruby/Yang, when it’s actually more about Blake and Oscar)

Yang at first seemingly worried about Ruby and what she thinks of her, but in reality already knowing that her sister would understand and forgive her, and it being Blake’s opinion of her that Yang is more concerned about.

“Do you… think she thinks less of me?” (8x05)

Yang shown to be questioning Ruby’s decision to hide the truth from Ironwood, but Ruby stands her ground and explains her reasoning that they have to be careful, with Blake and Weiss agreeing with her. But it’s actually only when Yang asks what Oscar thinks about Ruby’s decision, that she falters, and her face falls, full of doubt when she’s thinking of Oscar (much the same expression as Yang’s in the image above)

“And how did Oscar feel about that?” (7x03)

- Blake and Oscar showing doubt in them causes Ruby and Yang to question and reflect on their own judgement

In 3x08 Yang is isolated from everyone else participating in the Vytal festival, in the dorm room by herself. Qrow approaches her and it’s clear from their exchange here

“So either you’re lying, or you’re crazy”

“I’m not lying.”

“Crazy. Got it.”

“Who knows? Maybe I am”

That Blake’s initial doubt in Yang’s reason for attacking Mercury is still stuck in her mind, even though Blake has made the decision to trust her, it’s still making Yang question her own judgement.

And the scene then follows into Qrow assuring Yang she isn’t crazy and a conversation about her mother.

In 7x04 while everyone is celebrating getting their huntsman licenses, Ruby is shown having isolated herself from everyone else, alone on the bleachers. Ruby is also approached by Qrow, in which it’s revealed in her confiding in him here

“I’m trying to do what I think is best, but I’m not sure if what’s best is what’s right, or if I’m no different than Oz”

That Oscar’s initial doubt in Ruby’s decision is still weighing on her mind, as only Oscar has made the comparison between Oz and Ruby’s actions:

“Ruby… Hiding things from Ironwood… Isn’t that like what Ozpin did to us?” (7x03)

Even though Oscar also made the choice to put his trust in Ruby despite that, it’s still troubling her. The conversation between Qrow and Ruby is also one of Qrow reassuring Ruby that she isn’t like Ozpin, and it also leads into them talking about her mother.

More or less both scenes play out the exact same narrative beats, it’s actually insane.

- Blake and Oscar making the conscious choice to put their trust in Yang and Ruby

“I want to trust you. I will trust you” (3x08)

“I do believe in you. But not only you” (7x07)

Okay, Oscar’s one requires a little more explanation, because while he’s saying he believes in Ironwood and wants to trust him, he also believes and trusts Ruby as well, and so here he’s affirming that he’s putting his trust in Ruby as leader and her decision to let Ironwood first prove himself as trustworthy, instead of deciding to tell Ironwood the truth himself.

-Both pairings shown to mutually communicate and compromise over certain conflicts, with both working out together what they think is best to do (regarding Robyn with BB and Ironwood with RG)

Seriously. Why is there such crazy similar shot composition going on here. What is the reason. WHAT IS THE REASON.

Oh, I’m still not done by the way, there’s a lot more but I’ve reached my limit again, so like, to be continued I guess.

It’s Back

Last minute entry for kiss day with some rough vacuo designs cause why not.

"Oscar, you...!" -- I gave us what CRWBY hasn't yet -- Do not repost

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Artist: Chantaldraw

The rest of the pictures are in the reblog.