#i know too many rwby ships

[oliverwoods-stuff]

I've seen others do this for Pride month so

[eagle-shadows-nest-of-stories]

@pumpkinspiceicecream

[rena-yume]

Everyone is doing it so why not, looks fun

[etincelleart]

Okay so, just so you know: DIllon Goo is friends with one of THE biggest RWDEs on the internet, the one who came up with the "Monty's Vision" creed so many people spout.

If he got his hands on the show, there'd be no Bumbleby, no Nuts and Dolts, nothing like that. It would be COMPLETELY unrecognizeable.

If he doesn't just reboot the show, everyone would hate Team RWBY for "betraying" Ironwood, Robyn Hill and the Happy Huntresses would be treated as irredeemable villains, and Team RWBY's arcs would be based around having to "accept that they were wrong to defy Ironwood" and then "learning to obey authority".

It would not be RWBY anymore.

I appreciate people for telling me because I wasn't aware of this story. I should also say that a lot of people in the fandom should understand that not everyone know about every detail and event that happened in the RWBY history, especially for people like me who discovered the series way later. Just thought I might say it just in case because I saw some people talk about it as if we're supposed to know when that's not the case.

If I can tell my honest opinion it's that at the moment it's too early to confirm anything. This might not happen, this might happen, we don't know, and I don't want to jump to any conclusions or fast opinions with only a few infos I got yesterday and today about that. From what I know this behavior came from Shane, but even if he's friend with Dillon this guy cannot call the shots alone. I think the best thing would be for current CRWBY to be able to finish the story like THEY wanted, like they first imagined it with Monty, and how they imagined it so far. I honestly don't know what good option could be because at the moment it's probably the only interested buyer and the one that fits the best for the show's style. If CRWBY express discomfort and refuse to go for that way for the reasons people told me about, then let respect that because they'll be the one to decide in the end.

I like Dillon Goo and their animations, that's why I supported the idea, but in the end it's for CRWBY to decide and no one else. If they think there might be a problem and they might ruin everything, that's for them to decide.

I should also mention that people's behaviors using events for their arguments is their responsability. On this aspect I'm not aware of everything so I only speak with what I know. But there will always be people who will also distort stuff to be able to use it their favor.

As for the ships, Bumbleby is canon already, undoing that would be really stupid and would sign the end of the story. And Nuts and Dolts isn't canon, it's the fantasy of a lot of people included mine but we don't even think if this was planned to be canon or not at some point, from what I know that's not the case. I understand what you mean because this is not just about ships here, but I'm not gonna jump to conclusions with how little infos I got at the moment

With all of that said, I just hope for a good conclusion for everyone.

[rwbyrg]

RWBY Ship Parallels #1: Fear & Bravery

There are too many ship parallels to put them all in one meta, so I'll make individual posts as I remember them. The first one I want to tackle is how all the canon or hinted-at-being-canon ships all have pivotal moments where the themes of being afraid and/or having courage come up.

Some elaborations under the cut!

For starters, just for context to refer back to throughout the post, the definition of courage/bravery is as follows:

noun 1. the ability to do something that frightens one. 2. strength in the face of pain or grief.

I was initially going to list these chronologically, but we're going to do it on a ship by ship basis instead. First up:

Renora

The first incident for them happens all the way back in V4 during their backstory flashback. Ren underwent a small arc learning from his father that sometimes the worst action to take is not taking any action at all, even if it's scary. He then tries to support Nora by teaching her this same lesson: that they both need to be brave. She expresses vulnerability about how scared she is, Ren confesses to feeling the same, and together they decide to look after each other from that point on. Which makes everything just a bit less frightening.

We also revisit these same themes in their V8 confession. First we see Nora criticizing Ren for running away just because things got difficult:

And after Ren owns up to this cowardice, the things he did out of fear of failure, the conversation shifts. Nora admonishes herself, and Ren lists things off about her that he admires, the last of which - while not using the word itself - calls to how brave of a person she is and cites it as one of the main reasons why he loves her. Because as the definition above states, being strong and helping people without worrying about how much it might hurt you in turn is what it means to have courage.

WhiteKnight

Their heart-to-heart in V9E9 says it all. Weiss has been carrying the weight of failing to save Atlas since it fell, and after Ruby's actions in the episodes prior, she became aware (a bit too late) of how those same failures were weighing on their leader. So when Jaune acknowledges the harm he caused from trying so desperately not to repeat their past mistakes, Weiss is the perfect person to step up for reassurance.

She knows that their failures do not equate to their worth or all the good they're capable of doing. And reminding Jaune of this, calling him a brave and good person in spite of his failures, is what he needed to hear to be able to reach an acceptance he hadn't been able to achieve in all those years trapped alone in the Ever After.

(Also the framing parallel of BB and WK both holding each other is a very nice touch.)

Bumbleby

With BB it's not just one or two moments. Blake and Yang's characters both centre around the themes of cowardice and bravery since their beginnings and we see it come up throughout the show a lot. Back in V2, Yang sees the bravery in Blake when she herself can only focus on the opposite:

Blake: When you figured out I was a faunus I didn't know what to do, so I ran. when I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran! Even my semblance... I was born with ability to leave behind a shadow of myself. An empty copy that takes the hit while I run away.

In V4 and 5 we see Yang struggling to get back on her feet after losing her arm and the trauma she endured at Beacon. Blake tells Sun that she sees Yang as the "embodiment of strength" and we, the audience, get to see the proof of this every time she keeps fighting despite shaking, and especially when she faces off with Raven in the finale.

These parallel arcs culminate with both of them facing off against Adam together, but most especially gets called back to in their mutual confession scene in V9:

Yang acknowledges what she saw in Blake all those years ago, that she doesn't give up on what matters to her, even when people hurt her, she still fights for what's important. While Blake acknowledges Yang's reliability, her strength, and her courage. And both of them, like Renora, cite these reasons as things they admire, and reasons why they love each other.

Now last, but certainly not least:

Rosegarden

One of the very first things Oscar says to Ozpin when he leaves the farm is that he's scared. This comes back time and time again, especially in the Atlas arc where Oscar spends so much of his time counselling Ironwood against letting his fear control him (a conflict Ruby is also a part of). Our little prince even has a theme song titled Fear to really drive it home.

Whereas Ruby has always been the poster child of "keep moving forward", no matter how much the trauma, stress, pressure, and grief weighs you down. You just have to be strong and keep pressing on, fighting the monster that took her mother away. No matter what.

So, much like BB, there are themes around bravery, fear, and perseverance that apply to both Ruby and Oscar's personal arcs. Both of them especially have focus on being brave despite fears of loss. With Oscar, it is fear of losing himself to the merge; whereas Ruby has a fear of losing those she loves.

All the way back in the infamous Dojo Scene is where we first see these themes addressed in their dynamic. It starts with Oscar expressing vulnerability to Ruby about how afraid he really is.

Ruby initially tries her usual strategy; surface level reassurances about just pushing through it... but it doesn't work on him. So after some upset from Oscar, she ends up being vulnerable with him too. Something she hadn't done with anyone else in show by that point.

Ruby admits that she's afraid too, not just for herself, but for the threat Salem poses to the world as they know it and the people within it. Ruby tells him about those she's lost and says that if it had been her instead, those friends would have kept fighting too. That vulnerability, which requires courage in and of itself, is what motivates and inspires Oscar to keep moving forward where Ruby's earlier attempt could not. The scene closes off with one more nod to these themes where Ruby pauses at the door and turns back with one final thought:

In both the above scene and the V4 finale, Ruby cites "fighting for those they've lost and those they haven't lost yet" as her main motive to keep fighting. Up until V8/9 she used this as her greatest source of strength, but that strength is a double edged sword which eventually became her greatest weakness when Neo used it against her. First trapping her in a room with all the people she "failed":

And then landing a finishing blow with making her kill lose one of the people she loves most: Oscar.

Ruby can be brave if it means she can protect the people she loves. But just as Penny's death dealt a very big hit to Ruby's hope, what little she had left was crushed at the thought of losing Oscar (and Little) too.

Aside from that, there has also always been an underlying mystery around what having silver eyes means for Ruby. In V4, she is hunted by Tyrian and in V8 she finds out what her fate would have been had he succeeded. A fate which very justifiably terrifies her and seems to be a theme that will carry on into the Vacuo arc. It is also something that was brought up in the second RWBY x JL movie, I talked about this a little bit in this meta, but I'll share it here as well. In the movie, Ruby opens up a bit about this fear saying the following:

“Did you know I lost my mom when I was a kid? I don’t know exactly what happened to her, I don’t really remember her, I just have stories. And I keep trying to live up to those stories, but… I realize they don’t matter anymore. Heroes fall. And I just want to get as much done as I possibly can before I do.”

This scene directly parallels one of Oscar's back in V6:

“I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be… me. But I did some thinking, and I do know that I want to do everything I can to help with whatever time I have left.”

Both of these scenes show their respective courage around fears related to their issues with identity. Oscar saying he will do whatever he can before he loses himself, and Ruby doing whatever she can before she loses her life as all heroes eventually will.

So to summarize: Renora, Whiteknight, Bumbleby, and Rosegarden all have a scene where one or both partners cite the other's bravery as something they admire or love about the other person. All of these ships also include at least one scene - but often more that just weren't listed here - where they open up and are vulnerable with each other about their fears and motivations. And lastly, with BB and RG especially, bravery and fear are central themes to both their relationship dynamics as well as their individual character arcs within those pairings, all of which narratively parallel each other extensively.

CRWBY is very consistent with how it writes its ships and this is only the tip of the iceberg of all the parallels we've seen between these partners so far. But that's all for now; thanks for reading!

[rwbyrosegardenfanzine]

RWBY RoseGarden Fanzine!

What is this fanzine for?

It for the ship as well as helping fund RWBY in a fun way. The money will be going over to the crew who is working on RWBY when it's announced who is taking over who will be buying the IP.

How can I join?

You can join through the discord server, https://discord.gg/jxyp82GUyY

When can I buy the fanzine?

There is no date for when the zine will be available, but it will be on BuyMeACoffee due to its smaller 5% fee than Gumroad's 10% fee.

The fanzine guidelines are also in the discord server.

Please know that not everyone will be chosen to participate in the zine. Too many people can be a lot to manage. Feel free to share this if you can.

[hadesisqueer]

Very much probably tomorrow (if not, the next day) I'll start with the Best RWBY Ship Poll. It will include 32 ships (monogamous or poly, no incest) that I've selected, and it will have the same system as the Hottest RWBY Character Poll.

Ships included:

1) Renora (Lie Ren x Nora Valkyrie)

2) Arkos (Jaune Arc x Pyrrha Nikos)

3) Nuts and Dolts (Penny Polendina x Ruby Rose)

4) Bumbleby (Yang Xiao Long x Blake Belladonna)

5) Whiterose (Ruby Rose x Weiss Schnee)

6) JNPR Berries (Poly team JNPR)

7) Frosen Steel (Weiss Schnee x Ruby Rose x Penny Polendina)

8) Qrowin (Qrow Branwen x Winter Schnee)

9) Blacksun (Blake Belladonna x Sun Wukong)

10) Seamonkeys (Sun Wukong x Neptune Vasilias)

11) Bees Schness (Yang Xiao Long x Blake Belladonna x Weiss Schnee)

12) Poly STR (Raven Branwen x Taiyang Xiao Long x Summer Rose)

13) Martial Arcs (Lie Ren x Jaune Arc)

14) Sunny Bees (Yang Xiao Long x Blake Belladonna x Sun Wukong)

15) Schneekos (Weiss Schnee x Pyrrha Nikos)

16) Crosshares (Velvet Scarlatina x Coco Adel)

17) Hellbore (Winter Schnee x May Marigold)

18) Tauradonna (Blake Belladonna x Adam Taurus) (ew)

19) Cinwin (Winter Schnee x Cinder Fall)

20) Rosebird (Raven Branwen x Summer Rose)

21) Fair Game (Clover Ebi x Qrow Branwen)

22) Ladybug (Ruby Rose x Blake Belladonna)

23) Monochrome (Blake Belladonna x Weiss Schnee)

24) Freezerburn (Weiss Schnee x Yang Xiao Long)

25) Spicecream (Neopolitan x Cinder Fall)

26) Gemstones (Emerald Sustrai x Ruby Rose)

27) Emercury (Mercury Black x Emerald Sustrai)

28) Catmaleon (Ilia Amitola x Blake Belladonna)

29) Guard Dogs (Jaune Arc x Marrow Amin)

30) Schneewood Forest (Robyn Hill x Winter Schnee)

31) Arcotta (Saphron Cotta-Arc x Terra Cotta-Arc)

32) Prismatic Ponytails (Ilia Amitola x Weiss Schnee)

I know there are many (too many) more ships but I've selected these 32 that are mostly popular or well-known so. Have fun when it starts!

[itsclydebitches]

Have you seen the posts going around saying shit like "If a mutual likes Hazbin Hotel I will block them"?? It's genuinely upsetting me tbh, not just the idea that people don't like the show, but that they despise it so much they can't even stand the thought of someone they know liking the show. It reminds me of the Steven Universe hate train only worse. They also say shit like "the show is just someone saying swear words and expecting you to laugh", and if for a second we put aside the fact that that is blatantly not true, what's wrong with that? I'm allowed to like something that's a bit trash, right? I've already seen two different people I follow reblog posts to that effect (and worse, someone saying all a character boils down to is "i love being sexually abused <3" and i don't know how they ever came to that conclusion) and it's driving me mad. And somehow I just know that they don't actually give a shit about any "controversies" surrounding vivziepop, that's just a convenient excuse for most of them. I don't even care if Vivzie is a bad person, that's none of my business. just live and let live, you know?

Sorry for ranting, you're literally the only blog i follow who posts Hazbin fan content

Rant away, friend! Luckily for me I haven't come across any of those posts yet. Plenty of discourse surrounding whether fans are allowed to make romantic and/or sexual content for Alastor, the expected shipping wars, and - as you say - vague references to Vivzie controversies (which I'm too new a fan to even be aware of yet)... but nothing that's a complete rejection of the show itself. That's probably because I've only engaged with blogs posting a lot of Hazbin content though.

I'm a big fan of old school Internet rules which includes an emphasis on cultivating your own online space. You know, the thing tumblr is explicitly designed for. So in theory I applaud anyone blocking users/tags for a show they're not a fan of. Performatively posting about it more as a way to guilt others for liking Hazbin at all... not so much. If you want to block something just block it. If you're mutuals with someone you both presumably like each others' content. Not all of it necessarily, but enough to have followed in the first place, and often being mutuals for long enough leads to friendship because you're both getting interacting with one another a lot. All of which isn't to say that people don't unfollow mutuals, or that you can't drop a mutual because they've started posting something you dislike. Obviously both situations do happen, but it feels like an extreme enough response that these posters probably aren't actually doing this very often. Most people will wait the mutual out until their interest gets hooked on something new, or block the Hazbin tag and keep the friend, or just block without making a big announcement about it. So posts like that feel more like a way to show off how much you dislike the show and guilt others for their enjoyment which yeah, can be upsetting to see. Especially when, as you say, it costs nothing to just let people like things.

Which might sound hypocritical on my part given my RWBY interests, but I think there's a big difference between critically examining a show while supporting others who genuinely love it, and simplistically blasting it. I COMPLETELY get why Hazbin wouldn't be to everyone's tastes and, like with the SU example, anything that gets popular enough is going to develop its haters (especially cartoons trying to tackle non-childish subjects. That's always going to be a fandom landmine). But if you're going to make claims about a show, at least watch it to ensure you can back up your stance? And if your takeaway is still, "This is the worst fucking thing I've ever watched"... cool. Go forth and write about that on your own, personal blog. But no one should be surprised when they're also blocked for bragging about how many Hazbin fans they've blocked.

[pilot-boi]

Well, it’s done. Feel free to use this one as y’all see fit! If I had a Reddit I’d post it there too

If anyone sees a ship that I forgot, please please please let me know. There’s so many and it’s impossible to remember them all

Also, hetero ships including characters that are confirmed homosexual (Coco, Ilia, Scarlet) ARE included, but they’re marked. Also ALL the ships are included, even the problematic ones, but they’re marked in red if there’s a significant age difference or other reason

But legit, send me all your most precious crack ships. I will put them in the chart because they deserve to be cherished

[earth-unicorn]

I still want to make a RWBY card game but I'm honestly not sure how I want it to be played.

At first I kinda thought about having it be similar to Slay the Spire where you choose one of the playable characters and you build decks with cards that are second used with that character.

Then I also thought about how RWBY is a team. They need to be in a deck together. This would also allow us to have cards with their team attacks on them. Some ships could be cards too.

I'd also need a way to work in their semblances. There's so many options on what I could do.

I don't know yet.

[erros429]

Bumbleby didn’t deserve to be canon and people don’t even watch RWBY for the plot and the writers know that so they milked the ship for viewers

i’ll be pinning this post so that everyone is aware of my views here, and can interact with my account accordingly. this is the only anon hate that i’ll be answering because i just need everyone to know what will and won’t be tolerated on my page.

if you have something negative to say about me or the things that i enjoy, just pack it up and leave now. i will be deleting and blocking accounts to cultivate a more positive social media experience for myself (as all of you should, too).

if you’re not sure whether you should engage in hate comments or simply block them, then please take some deep breaths and ask yourself why you decide to interact with content that you clearly despise. is it hate because you didn’t get what you wanted? is it because instigating is fun for you? either way, it makes you look ridiculous, immature, and annoying.

admittedly, i was like this once too. i thought my beliefs were the only right ones, and i learned later that this is stifling for both sides. they were probably irritated that my dumbass self wouldn’t stop bothering them over something that they liked, and i was irritated that they wouldn’t change their opinion for some rando on the internet, even if my arguments were fantastic. because god forbid there’s any individuality on social media, right?

and then i discovered it. the magnificent button that made all my problems go away. the block button. i haven’t looked back since i learned that this is the greatest weapon of happiness on any social media platform.

as for what i watch rwby for. it is absolutely for the plot. and also for the ships. and also for the characters and the worldbuilding and the music and the animation. as evidenced by my MANY non bumbleby related posts (that you’ve somehow missed while stalking my page. curious). regardless of what i watch this show for anyway, why would it matter if my biggest reason for watching it is bumbleby? why does me getting enjoyment from a show a certain way affect the way you could get enjoyment from it?

this is becoming a long post, so i’ll end this here. but all in all, i really think some self reflection and time away from the things that make you unhappy will do wonders for you.

[aspoonofsugar]

This is me trying to avoid the slaughterhouse for what I'm about to suggest (there's a good chance I'll get cooked alive anyway).

I'm not sure where you stand with Penny and Ruby's relationship, but I wanted to get your opinion on my interpretation (sorry to put you on the spot).

I interpreted Penny as the little sister Ruby never had. I think that CRWBY wanted to put Ruby in Yang's shoes during the Atlas Arc, since that was the main internal conflict within team RWBY.

Yang spent her childhood trying to protect and raise Ruby. She tried so hard to be the best big sister she could be so Ruby wouldn't ever have to suffer the same pain she felt... the pain she felt twice, with Summer disappearing and learning that Raven abandoned her. She gave up everything for her.

I saw Ruby as stepping into that role for Penny. There was that parallel, about friends. Ruby asking if Penny made any other friends, compared to when Yang asked Ruby to make some friends at Beacon.

Ruby always trying to comfort and protect Penny, even at the cost of her own safety (yes, any friend would do this, too).

I don't know, that's just how I saw it. The Atlas Arc very much was about changing perspectives, with them also being put into Oz's shoes after he left, needing to make the hard choices, prioritizing what to tell and what not to tell.

I thought since Yang and Ruby's rift was most prominent during that arc, that she was also being put into Yang's shoes with Penny. Just like Yang was put into Ruby's shoes and taking charge of her own team.

(That being said, I do see the appeal of a romantic relationship, but I was much more interested in the Potential of it, the symbolism and parallels, rather than it actually being canon.

Another statement that might get me slaughtered is that I wouldn't have liked if it became canon while Penny was alive because it felt like Penny contributed to the weight on Ruby's shoulders. She was extremely codependent on others (TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE and just like Ruby was with Yang at the start at Beacon) and if I was to like the ship in canon, then Penny would have had to stay alive and go to Vacuo while RWBY fell (guess Jaune wouldn't have a reason to fall anymore), and learn how to be independent.

Even then, I'd feel horrible for Penny because she hated being the Winter Maiden, and if she survived, she would no longer just be protecting Mantle and Atlas, she'd be protecting the entire world. Though... she wouldn't be doing it alone anymore. She'd have the rest of the world to back her up.

I dunno, sorry for the ramble, and sorry if you are offended (I get it, homophobes like to use the "they're just sisters argument with a lot of wlw ships, but I promise there's no malicious intent behind my interpretation. Plus, I just recently discovered and am exploring my own sapphic identity).

But yeah. I hope they don't come for me for this. I decided I'd rather talk with someone about it rather than post it as a statement. It feels like it'll come off differently as a civil conversation.

(it's greentea)

Hi!

Don't worry, it is fine for me to discuss anything, as long as people are polite!

So, this is a very interesting take and I agree on many things, while I interpret others differently. If you are interested, you find my 2 cents below.

PREMISE

So, let's make it clear where I stand on ships. I am not a multi-shipper, so I am really not that passionate about ships unless they are canon or I think they are becoming canon by the end (obviously I may always be wrong in this second case). When it comes to Ruby, I think Rosegarden is gonna be endgame, so I am mostly focused on this ship.

That said, I think that so far Ruby has shown no romantic interest in anybody:

Ozpin: Not enjoying yourself? Ruby: Oh, no, everything's fine! I'm just not much of a fancy pantsy… dancey girl. Ozpin: Well, you can't spend your whole life on the battlefield, even if you may want to. Ruby: Yeah, that lesson's been floating around a lot lately. Ozpin: If you think about it, fighting and dancing aren't so different. Two partners interlocked, although one wrong move on the ballroom merely leads to a swollen foot. Ruby: Or a twisted ankle.

In Atlas, she is uninterested in Renora's romantic conflict. In volume 9, she is the only one who doesn't get Weiss's crush on the Rusted Knight and Bumbleby's developing attraction. Basically, Ruby's focus is really not on romance and that is (imo) for 2 reasons:

She is focused on the mission and the macrochosm, rather than on her personal life

She is in a different development stage when compared to the others. In short, she is younger

Obviously, younger people fall in love too (I mean, puppy love is a thing) and everyone develops romantic feelings (if they even do) at different ages. However, RWBY is a story which makes use of metaphors and archetypes to describe the characters' inner journeys. This happens with Ruby, as well.

In particular, volume 9 has Ruby going from childhood:

To adolescence:

Little becomes Somewhat. Ruby becomes Someone. Neither Somewhat nor Ruby have figured themselves out. Still, they have grown and stepped into a new phase of their lives.

Well, I think that after this inner transformation Ruby will be more open to romantic relationships. In short, I think the Vacuo arc will focus on Ruby and Oscar's bond, which will grow to be romantic on both sides.

So, where does it leave Penny? I think Ruby and Penny's dynamic can be read in 2 ways:

A platonic friendship (my preference)

A bond, which could have developed into a romantic relationship with time once both Penny and Ruby grow

Ironically, I think the platonic interpretation is deeper and is better to explore Ruby and Penny's dynamic in canon. That said, there is nothing wrong about headcanoning a romantic attraction in a what if scenario.

In any case, it doesn't really matter because Penny is dead and personally I don't think she is coming back. Of course, there are people who feel differently and that is alright. I simply want to make clear the frame I am using.

That said, I don't think it is coincidental that so many people ship Penny and Ruby together. As a matter of fact Penny and Ruby's bond is very important and will be important for Ruby and Oscar's story, as well. After all, Penny and Oscar have been set up as foils since the very beginning:

Ruby: But at this pace, you'll be combat ready in no time! Suddenly, Ruby frowns upon mentioning her last phrase. Oscar notices this and tries to ask a question before Ruby interrupts him. Oscar: Uh…

In the dojo scene, Ruby unconsciously compares Oscar and Penny. This is also the first time Ruby indirectly brings up her friend before meeting her again in Atlas. In short, Oscar and Penny are linked when it comes to their arcs and what they mean to Ruby. So, Ruby's feelings over Penny's death are gonna be important for her dynamic with Oscar (and many other things, of course). Let's now focus on what Penny represents for Ruby.

PENNY AS RUBY'S INNER CHILD

I interpreted Penny as the little sister Ruby never had. I think that CRWBY wanted to put Ruby in Yang's shoes during the Atlas Arc, since that was the main internal conflict within team RWBY.

I like this take. I think it is interesting how you parallel Ruby and Yang's journeys in Atlas. Ruby becoming a big sister to Penny and Yang acting as a leader of her own faction.

That said, I think Penny's role in Ruby's arc is wider and it doesn't start in Atlas. Since the beginning, Penny represents Ruby's inner child:

A person's supposed original or true self and the part of the personality that still reacts and feels like a child.

Penny arrives at Beacon and is immediately presented as a Ruby up to eleven:

Penny: Sen-sational! We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys! Ruby: Oh, is this what it was like when you met me?

Just like Ruby, her initial objective is to make friends. Just like Ruby, she is sweet, innocent, hopeful and can wield lethal weapons:

Ruby grows close to Penny because of these similarities. At the same time, Ruby is immediately not only supportive of Penny:

Ruby: You're not like those things we saw back there. You've got a heart, and a soul; I can feel it!

But also protective in a way, which is uncharacteristically strong:

Penny: Ruby, are these people your friends? Ruby: Penny, get back! AAAAAH! Ruby: Penny, wait! Stop! Penny: Don't worry, Ruby. I'm combat ready!

Finally, Penny's death is what breaks the peace and happiness of Ruby's school days:

The fall of Beacon starts with Penny's dismemberment. That is the moment Ruby's world breaks and she crashes down in shock. However, she is fast to get back on her feet and immediately uses Penny's sword to fight a Nevermore:

The metaphor is clear. The Nevermore embodies grief (see Poe's The Raven) and Ruby deals with it with her inner faith, which is represented by Penny's sword.

Atlas is just the repetition of this story. Penny arrives like a ray of hope in the grim situation the heroes are. They have just discovered Salem can't be killed and Ozpin has left them. Still, a lost friend appears out of nowhere and brings new happiness to the characters:

Penny: It'll be just like Beacon again!

Thanks to Penny, Ruby is able to go back to her happy place. She is back at Beacon with her friends all working hard to become extraordinary Huntresses and Huntsmen. Sure, some things have changed, but Ruby can find solace in the things that haven't. This is why Ruby's line to Pietro is so telling:

Ruby: Even if the worst does happen, you can always reactivate her again, so maybe try not to worry so much.

Pietro is worried about Penny's well being and Ruby tells him not to because if push comes to shove Pietro can just revive Penny again. Ruby clearly sees Penny as an ideal existence that can defeat death. However, Pietro is quick to shoot down this belief. This is foreshadowing for Penny's eventual death and how Ruby will have to accept it. Penny's second death brings out all the negative feelings Ruby has been repressing:

The scenario is the same of the one at Beacon, but this time Ruby can't stand up and struggles to find Penny's sword again:

Jinxy: Enough hope to fill this jar.

She has not enough hope to wield her inner blade anymore.

It is deep down still there:

Ruby: I… I thought this was lost forever. How’d you have it? Blacksmith: Nothing. No one is ever truly lost.

However, Ruby can't see it.

In other words, Penny is symbolically linked to Ruby's hope. She is the embodyment of the inner child that shines within Ruby and brings light to others. Still, Ruby is growing up. The coping mechanisms that worked as a child are starting to lose their grip on her.

It is not by chance that in Atlas Ruby struggles to use her silver eyes. She finds an inner equilibrium in volume 6, but Salem's words in volume 7 are all it takes to throw Ruby off:

After that, Ruby manages to sucessfully use her eyes only when Penny is in danger:

So, symbolically Penny is the one keeping Ruby together. This is why she is undone the moment Penny dies. Penny's death marks the end of Ruby's childhood.

Volume 9 is really Ruby grieving her child self in Penny. This is made clear by Little, who is Ruby's innocent self and shares many similarities with Penny. They love hugs and friends and Ruby. They are hopeful and want to grow up and help others. They are both Ruby and Penny in a nutshell.

So, Ruby's final goodbye to Somewhat is really Ruby saying goodbye both to her child self and to Penny:

Ruby: Well, uh… To me, you seem like a friend. Blake: A guide. Weiss: A protector. Yang: A…dorable. Ruby: Do any of those sound close? Somewhat: Hmmm. Somewhat. Yeah. Somewhat. I’m not any one thing, I’m somewhat of a lot of things! Ruby: It is a true pleasure to meet you, Somewhat. Somewhat: It will be my honor to serve you. Ruby: You’ve already done more for us than you know. Somewhat: You do feel… familiar. Like a happy dream I can’t remember.

She is moving on towards adulthood and self-actualization. She is working through her grief for her friend's loss.

Of course, this process has just begun:

What survives After all the dust has gone? Were you there till the end (the end)? Were you at least called a friend?

My wish came true That day that you appeared And called me friend

Penny is absent from Ruby's final confrontation with the Blacksmith (my main complaint about volume 9 ending). Still, this is clearly because Ruby is going to symbolically face her later on.

It is the same with Jaune and Pyrrha:

No more Sudden movements Please So tired, I'm sleepless And haunted by you Falling Forever Was I always just A man out of time

Both fallen maidens indirectly appear in the climax of the volume, but neither is properly addressed. They will be in Vacuo. They must be because both Jaune and Ruby are still hung up on them.

RUBY IDEALIZES PENNY

Neo-Penny: Just like you were too late to save me at the Vytal Festival… I died in Atlas too, didn’t I? Can you imagine what that's like? To be completely and utterly failed… time and again… by someone who meant the world to you…

This is the Penny Ruby sees in her head. This is in no way the real Penny. In her final moments, Penny is not looking for someone to save her, but rather she is searching for ways to save others.

In short, Ruby idealizes Penny to an extent. She sees her as someone innocent and pure to protect, but Penny is much more. Penny is her own person and her arc is about reaching self-actualization. She isn't the Pinocchio who is created by the Blue Fairy. Rather, she is the Pinocchio who creates the Blue Fairy:

All of this to say, I disagree with this take:

She was extremely codependent on others (TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE and just like Ruby was with Yang at the start at Beacon) and if I was to like the ship in canon, then Penny would have had to stay alive and go to Vacuo while RWBY fell (guess Jaune wouldn't have a reason to fall anymore), and learn how to be independent.

Or to better say, I see things a little bit differently. It is true that Ruby and Penny's dynamic is one where Ruby is mostly the one supporting and Penny is the one supported. It is also true that Penny is unsure about herself because of how her life has been controlled by others. Still, the way this dynamic works is also because Ruby keeps on projecting on Penny a very frail and vulnerable part of herself.

I actually think your parallelism with Yang and Ruby's dynamic is pretty poignant. Yes, Ruby is initially dependent on Yang. Still, Yang too is clearly projecting on Ruby her guilt and belief that love is conditional. This is why Yang should let go of Ruby:

This doesn't mean for Yang to stop caring for Ruby. However, it is not Yang's fault Ruby drinks the tree tea. Similarly, it is not Yang the one who can save Ruby or decide who Ruby is gonna be. Only Ruby can do that. That is because Ruby is her own person outside of Yang.

The same goes for Ruby and Penny. Ruby is a wonderful friend to Penny. Still, it is not her fault Penny dies at Beacon and at Atlas. Finally, Penny has in herself the strength to grow up and become her own person. Something she does before dying.

If Nuts And Dolts were written to become canon, Penny should grow more self-assured, so that she could be there for Ruby. At the same time, Ruby should stop projecting her inner child on Penny.

THE CONFLICT THAT WASN'T THERE

I would like to highlight that volume 7 offers the perfect chance to change Ruby and Penny's dynamic.

As we know, Ruby's main internal conflict there is if to tell or not Ironwood about Salem's immortality. Well, if Penny were to have an arc intertwined with Ruby, so that they could grow together and end up as a couple, this conflict needed to be addressed between them.

After all, Ruby doesn't tell Penny about Salem. At least, we have no reason to think otherwise. Penny is close to Ironwood and Winter and trusts easily. So, it is to be expected that if she knew, she would insist to tell the Atlas higher ups. So, not only is Ruby hiding info from Ironwood, but also from her friend. She obviously does so not to put Penny in a thight spot.

However, if Penny were written to grow into Ruby's partner, I think she should have entered a minor conflict with Ruby over this. In volume 8, Ruby not telling her should have been mentioned and Penny should have called Ruby out. She should have demanded Ruby to trust her more.

So, why doesn't this happen? Simply because imo Penny and Ruby are not written to be endgame. Moreover, the ones who enter a conflict with Ruby over this are Yang and Oscar. In particular, Oscar gets the part of the conflict, which could have easily been Penny's. He is the one who grows the closest to Ironwood. He is the one General objectifies. He is the one who eventually reveals the truth. He is the one who faces Ironwood in a last desperate attempt to get through to him.

Obviously, there could have been many other ways to write Penny and Ruby as a ship. Still, Penny is right now dead and her arc is done. In general, Penny and Ruby's arcs are not even that intertwined structurally:

Penny's arc is about reaching personhood through making difficult and tragic choices. She explores the theme of humanity, duty vs want and faith. Finally, her destiny in the sense of final goal is linked to "friendship". Her final choice is to say goodbye to Winter and to solve their conflict. She also chooses her friends over her duties as a Maiden. The character at the centre of her arc is Winter and not Ruby.

Ruby's arc is about overcoming Summer's death. She is a wide-eyed child, who is confronted with the darkness of the world and has to resist it. She must keep her idealism in the face of the worst happening. The characters at the centre of her arc are honestly Summer and Cinder so far. Still, I think Oscar will be key, as well. I mean:

Foreshadowing is foreshadowing.

That said, Penny and Ruby are incredibly important for each other. They are linked to each other's best parts. Ruby is the first to recognize Penny's humanity. She is Penny's guide and inspiration to grow up. Penny reminds Ruby of her most innocent and hopeful side. She is an even more simple soul than Ruby herself.

So, I personally don't ship them, but I can understand why people are passionate about their relationship. As for me, I am more interested in their individual arcs and what they have to say. Thank you for the ask!

[kitkatopinions]

Call me a hater or say that I'm killing the fun of it or something, but one of my most subjective most petty complaints when it comes to RWBY is that I honestly hate like 90% of the ship names. XD There are only a few that I can think of that I like, and most of the shipping names I like are things like 'Ironqrow,' 'Arkos,' 'Ozwitch,' 'Renora,' the regular everyday shipping names you could actually look up and get the content for without having to scroll through pictures of ladybugs. The other ones that I don't like but at least seem kind of quirky or cutesy are things like 'Nuts and Dolts' and 'Crime Dads' (I may hate Junior, but 'Crime Dads' is very similar in vibes to 'Science Bros' or 'Ineffable Husbands' or other regularly accepted fandom nicknames.

I don't like the bees very much either, but I actually don't mind the shipping name of 'Bumbleby' because it has a quirky spelling to make it something that can be looked up and also makes sense to make that the ship name because people originally started shipping the main four with each other back before they had names and just went by the color associated with them. I'd like Monochrome, WhiteRose, Ladybug, and Freezerburn a bit more too if they had quirky quirk spellings that made them able to be actually found, but here we are.

However, the other shipping names? Martial Arcs? Caffeine Killers? Evil Moustache? Burnt Metal?

Also, then you get things like mix ups where some people have been calling the ship between Whitley and Penny "cold hard cash" and others have been calling it "broken machines" I think for some reason? I don't remember for sure and I literally like the ship, but I would much rather just call them... Pentley, or PenWhit or something. Also also don't even get me started on how many ship names are associated with color but with the amount of people in Ruby who have the same color.... Like 'Crimson' is used for part of the ship title, but 'Crimson' is used for Ruby, Cinder, Pyrrha, Scarlet, Adam and who knows who else, so if someone tells me "I ship Crimson Wings" I'm not gonna think "ah yes, the ship between Cardin and Cinder," I'm gonna think "Is that like... Adam and Qrow? Is that Ruby and that one bat Faunus? Is that Scarlet and Weiss? Is that Raven and Vernal somehow?" It's so unnecessarily complicated.

Also the naming conventions of going by like... Traits that it feels weird to pick? It just gives me a not great feeling. Why does Neo being mute feature in her shipping names? Why is Blake's number one thing just 'Cat?' Why are so many of Qrow's shipping names like 'lol Qrow is a drunkard?' Why is the name for Mercury and Weiss's ship 'Daddy Issues" as if the only thing about their characters that's important is the fact that they were both abused by their fathers?

Anyway, this is a mostly harmless fandom quirk, and I just don't really like it. So... rant over lol. Please nobody think you have to change what you call your ships for my sake, but I might just stop trying to learn any real shipping names and just go with putting names together. The ship between Neon Katt and Ruby might be called like, Rainbow Eyes or Crimson Cat or CapeSkates or something, but I'm just gonna say 'Neon x Ruby.'

[davekat-sucks]

Been thinking about HS2, as you do. And to be honest, I have no idea how we got here. I mean I know a bunch of shit happened to Hussie over the debacle of the game. But how did we get to HS2. Like, it hates you. HS2 reads like it hates the reader, it hates homestuck, it hates the reader for enjoying homestuck. I would call it misery porn, but even misery porn has some sort of catharsis. Some kind of release. HS2 does not. Its just an anon telling you to kill yourself, over and over for the length of the Epilogue and HS2 up to this point. The former team members, are allegedly, the progressive leftist type, yeah? So why did they decide to kill Rosemary, the fandoms pet lesbian ship? The one thing that would get thousands of screeching people telling you to kill yourself if you dared ship rose or kanaya with anyone other then themselves? Why did they make so many characters act out of character, why kill so many? Why introduce so many uncomfortable kinks? Why did they make dog dick jade canon? And call it the trans rep? Aint these people supposed to be allies? Supposed to care about the LGBTHDTV+? Supposed to be part of the alphabet people themselves? How? Why? Spite? It certainly seems so. HS2 seems like it was written from a place of spite, just sheer derision for the material and the author. Maybe Hussie planned this, maybe he hated his own creation and the fans of it, maybe the team did this of their own volition? I dont know, I doubt we ever will. How can Roach write the story like this? I dont know too much about him. I dont have a reason to trust him, but I dont have a reason to distrust him either. But giving him the benefit of the doubt, Id say that he's passionate about Homestuck and wants to bring it to a good place, but how do you do that? How do you bring something from a place of sheer hatred into a place of passion? Without retcons or denouncing the things that came before? I have no doubt that he's under NDA's out the ass, probably has some "non slander" clauses in his contract as well, since you obviously just cant bad mouth the previous team, even if they deserve it. Still, I am just at a sheer loss of how the comic can be turned around with this development. I know Im going to be following it, is it possible for an IP to give you Stockholm Syndrome? Because no matter how bad Homestuck gets, I cant give it up. Theres still more blood and bodies to be found in this train wreck. I dunno, sorry for the rant, but you're really the only other blogger I feel I can vent shit about homestuck towards. Lots of the people I knew before dropped out, or I lost contact when my first blog got obliterated.

It's alright. I know what you mean and have similar feelings as well about all this. There are other fandoms and interests that have similar cases of going back to your abusive lover because you had liked what they were before. Just look at comic book fans, Disney fans, Pokemon fans, RWBY fans, etc. Homestuck's case is that the effort to contribute anything to it is just tiring. Other series have similar themes of nihilism and dark topics. But the fans there are able to make great fan works despite such depressing tone. Was it because the execution of those lets audiences have a choice to give a better outlook on things while Homestuck denies us this? Maybe. It's hard to pinpoint where had it all gone wrong or why it still continuing. Even if somehow Roach is able to salvage it, the damage has been done that it will take a long long time to really forgive and forget. Though with the downward spiral of this current generation, they'll probably be lucky to rope in new fans to enjoy that small high before they move on to something new and better.

[etincelleart]

The more I'm on internet and the more I see harassment and call out posts every single day on various fandoms/artists spaces for all possible reasons and honestly I don't even know what to say outside of the fact that this is so freaking dangerous and wild to put labels and accusations on people you don't even know, or to not even try to understand and seek knownledge about the situation outside of what you want to see and understand. There are real predators doing illegal stuff who need to be stopped and yet people having fun and imagining things for ocs, various characters and ships are being accused of the worst things ever and it follows them everywhere. Tiny things are took as obvious signs of predatory behavior or racism or whatever and this is supposed to be fine.

I don't even mean to bring back the topic of my own story but experiencing dog piling and rumors and serious accusations for months because of a follow is just completely wild when I think about it. With some distance, I think I could have handled everything better when I spoke about it publicly. But I never should have wrote this post in the first place.

Block button exist and report button exist as well for serious problematic elements. My take is that no one deserves harassment and cruelty. But when you say "I'm against harassment and I don't want this person to be harassed", people take it as you defending "problematic" elements and completely distort it anyway. It's honestly exhausting and stupid.

Everyone has something that make them uncomfortable or that triggers them and I have my own standards as well. There are things I consider seriously weird but we don't know people and we don't know any of the intention behind the art. The way you explore something, how you do it, for what reason is what should matter. There are so much things you don't know. Nothing is black and white. I honestly think that as an artist, your art is connected to you, but the themes you work on are NOT reality. Again it's about the intention and how you go about something. I just think media literacy should really be teached at school because wow.

I just thought about expressing myself on this because it's just too serious and harming a lot of people who did nothing. I got attacked over a FOLLOW for someone who did nothing but imagine a future AU for characters and I think that's insane. Everything should be analyzed case by case. There are a real dangers who need to be exposed but this is never a reason or a justification to become cruel or to wish harm to anyone and assume the worst on people you never met. Just take a breath, go outside and learn how to block people, because that's insane the amount of people I had to block because they were being shitty but didn't block me or were still even following me.

I'm trying to not let my emotions get the better of me but that's honestly insane many others and myself got caught into this. The only thing I always did is drawing Nuts and Dolts because that's the only ship I could ever care about in RWBY. Being against harassment is not about defending "bad" people. It's so easy to judge people and make your little assumptions harming REAL people like that.

[iamafanofcartoons]

why do fanfic writers keep making jaurne the main char like I get they prob don't like female main chars but its not even him but an oc in all but name llike at that point just make an oc. and they make chars blander then most harem animes (like I swear a harem where a male char has 1 trait is more devolped then the chars these people write cause at least I understand what their goal is

Have you ever heard of Fate Stay Night? Impressive back in its day, but as misogyny and homophobia and pedophelia no longer became acceptable, it lost its value to many.

However, it gained an appeal to many fanfic writers and doujinshi artists.

Why was this?

Like RWBY, the Fateverse has a fantastic worldbuilding, with many different opportunities for RPGs.

But RWBY lacks something that Fateverse has in spades to this day, especially amongst the fandom.

Straight white male protagonists that are basically useless and fragile and stupid...and yet, the women who are so much stronger and smarter in the fateverse, must surrender any and all agency, authority and free-will to the men.

Oh that does remind me. Fateverse did have ONE spinoff where a female protagonist was there....it was lesbian pedophelia. So basically , fateverse ONLY allows lgbt content if its fetishized lesbianism. as for the pedophelia, they do that to an alarming degree, and anime fans stand by it because to them, lolicon is somehow not pedophelia.

Oh wait, it is! Anyway, back to the patriarchy issue.

Too many men, and even women? Have trouble with the idea of women holding authority,influence, or power over men.

How many shows have women as protagonists taking on the same roles as men? How many shows have women be LGBT or not have men be shipped with them, and said women being protagonists?

For Fateverse, there are no gay men. and women are only bisexual if they're shipped with a male character, otherwise they're straight.

Speak to a fanartist or fanfic writer or fan who hates on bumbleby. Ask them what is their favorite MlM ship. I asked many a rwby fan who hated on bumbleby and accused CRWBY of queerbaiting...what was their favorite MlM ship. They had none...they considered it gross. Because well...see for yourself.

This was from a WlW fanartist who was part of the "Fixing RWBY" youtube channel where Roman Torchwick is the white male savior alongside Adam Taurus.

In case you're wondering, no, FatmanFalling was not the person I got this from. It was from his Christian friend who made Hogwarts Legacy Fanart on Twitter, but chose not to post it here for obvious reasons. you'll see that one of their ships involve Jaune x Weiss and I've already provided post explaining why WK is a bad ship. https://www.tumblr.com/iamafanofcartoons/715787142254772224/why-the-whiteknight-ship-makes-many-in-the-rwby

But you see Tauradonna there too. Blake is blamed for Adam being evil...because at the end of the day, women are blamed for the actions men, because to blame men means having men be accountable for their actions. And we know how men both in shows and in real life just CANNOT do that...they're too fragile, too hypocritical. So those men blame women. And their supporters parrot that misogynistic hate.

Coer Al alaran? the "king of rwby fanfics" is notable for several things.

He never writes a female protagonist unless said woman is not allowed to have agency, power, or influence over men.

He does not make a woman a major character unless she is straight and the love interest of a straight white male savior.

He will only write an lgbt character such as coco adel, as evil or hated.

He forbids bumbleby at any cost, and will write yang as throwing herself into jaune or adam taurus' arms while hating blake and defending men from her.

Couer has apparently stated he despises blake's bisexuality and hates the idea of people of different genders being attracted to her, so he either writes her as jaune's pillow partner, or makes her antagonistic to men.

Finally, couer writes jaune or adam as the straight white male savior who has yang or another women sleep with them, while said men are abused by women.

He basically gets his writing from rise of the shield hero. I'm honestly surprised couer didn't decide on including pedophelia in his fanfics.

but at the end of the day? A woman, no matter how complex or fascinating? will be tossed aside by critics in favor of a straight white male savior, no matter how bland he is.

You can say, but this is just fiction. How about a real life example?

Hillary Clinton. She never sexually assaulted anyone. She never mocked people with disabilities. She maintained a single successful marriage. She's a successful businesswoman. Served in the Obama administration. Friends with Joe Biden and worked with him. Managed to even get Republicans to support her over the opposition.

Now then...why did Hillary lose the 2016 elections?

Because people decided that she was somehow on the same level as DONALD FUCKING TRUMP! Lets look at his record: Multiple divorces. Multiple failed businesses. Sexual assault, more than once. Mocked a disabled reporter. And more.

Yet despite him being a horrible human being? Because hillary was a woman, people decided that her flaws made her just as bad as donald trump.

Thousands of people refused to vote for her. Despite multiple democrats pleading with people to recognize the threat?

People decided that because hillary was a flawed woman? they would either not vote, or toss their vote for the green party, an anti-semitic political group that sabotaged democrats in the past.

more than 5 years later, after the GOP continue to spread harm and poison? People still stand by their refusal to vote for hillary.

If Hillary was a man, people would have voted for "him" in a heartbeat, flaws be damned.

And for those who say "but women and POC"... Look at the GOP.

Marjorie Taylor Green, Lauren Bobert, ben carson, etc etc.

How many women and POC in the GOP support racism, homophobia, misogyny, transphobia?

You want to see what those people believe in? Take a look at Florida.

Your gender, your race, etc does not stop you from being bigots or prejudiced.

And people would rather defend the idea of a white male protagonist either in fanfics or real life, rather than a complicated woman with flaws.

Because at the end of the day? Feminsim isn't about "a man being able to punch a woman" despite what shows like Konosuba seem to gloat about.

Feminism is about things like stopping gender gaps in paychecks. Its about allowing women to have a voice. Its about allowing women to have independence without being tied to a man. Its about women having their choices without a man influencing them or telling them how they should live their life. Its about shutting down the god damn mansplaining that so many fanfics, anime, manga, etc seem to embrace with the same passion that misogynists defend Naruto. Its about letting women have access to the same rights and privileges as a male.

RWBY is about that. Women are written as equal to men. Women are written as being able to make their own choices without having a man decide for them. Mansplaining is removed. LGBT rights are embraced and encouraged. And women, not men, are the protagonists.

Is it any wonder that people influenced by male fragility, toxic masculinity, and the patriarchy have such a hatred for shows like RWBY and Legend of Korra?

And THIS is why I stand by my beliefs that RWBY Criticism is rooted in homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and misogyny. Also because the critics tend to be assholes on more than one occasion, but apparently people love men being assholes but hate the idea of women having a mood.

Honestly, It makes me root for Salem and Cinder Fall...at least they have a legitimate excuse for blowing shit up and setting everything on fire.

Also, this is a reminder to PLEASE vote in your political elections! No matter how flawed a Democrat Representative may be, do you really want a Republican holding power over you?