nerdsideofthemedia - Tumblr blog

nerdsideofthemedia · 1 year

Text

I do agree with Luis being the one to leave and wrote Alyx as the only hero there (and lessened her flaws) because he felt guilty.

I hope CC does not join Neo, it would be disappointing. So far, I have looked at him like as neutral but somewhat good (I mean he did help team RWBY escape Neo).

Confessions, Secrets And Stories

This week's episode juxtaposes Bumbleby's confession with the secrets and doubts in Ruby, Weiss and Jaune's trio. Some more thoughts and feels :''')

BUMBLEBY'S BRIDGE DANCE

Bumbleby's love confession is framed as a dance with them inviting each other to keep up. This works well considering Bumbleby's romantic framing starts with the Beacon Dance:

At the same time the whole scene is a challenge for Blake and Yang to overcome the distance between each other. This all culminates with a chemical wedding (the third) as @hamliet states here.

Other than this, as others have already noticed and as Casey has confirmed, the scene calls back to the Bmblb song:

Now the flowers are in bloom And you've chased away my darkness and gloom When the wind blows through the trees And your voice is like a song in the breeze

My doubts disappear Every time that you're near The clouds seem to run from the sky The thought of your kiss Sends my soul into bliss I get high

This is literally what happens. As Yang and Blake open up, the storm goes away and the sun comes out... until finally the flowers bloom as they kiss:

The sky is both purple and gold, so there is balance, there is Yin and Yang.

Finally, this whole sequence explores one of the positive declinations of falling aka falling in love:

Yang: It's like... a cliff and if I do it, I am just going to... fall. Blake: I think we are already falling

Trying to save a city, risking your life for others and making a love confession are all risks, that may lead to your fall... and yet... they are still worth it:

Yang: You were being optimistic. Look, blind optimism isn’t great, but no optimism means we already lost. We need hope. We need to take risks.

Interesting this line is from the episode Risk, where Ren takes a risk and confesses to Nora (among other things). There is clearly a theme going on here, that juxtaposes the fear of falling with the aknowledgement you will never gain anything if you do not take a leap of faith.

Which is why it is interesting the episode offers a very specific parallel to Risk:

Ruby: What good is saving anybody if Salem just destroys the world anyway. Yang: That's how Ironwood thought. You don't mean that

Both times Ruby is giving in to cynism and Yang tries to support her.

And yet, it is obvious this dynamic can't keep going on forever:

All in all, I find Ruby's reaction to bumbleby interesting, especially when compared to Weiss:

Weiss is shown to smile subtly, clearly happy for her teammates. Ruby's reaction is instead much more neutral, after the initial surprise.

Now, I am not suggesting Ruby is unhappy about Yang and Blake ending up together... She has always been supportive of her sister and friend and has been genuinelly happy in volume 6 over their relationship being repaired. Similarly, I am not suggesting Ruby can't do anything by herself and needs Yang to be self-sufficient... (again we have her pushing forward in volume 4 without her sister)...

Still, Ruby is right now not in a happy nor stable place and it is shown in how she emotionally leans on Yang (when she even lets herself lean on someone)...

See the 2 abovementioned scenes, Ruby's frozen reaction to Yang falling, Ruby's shock over Yang choosing to follow her own plan instead of Ruby's, Neo transforming into Yang while she is falling, but also Ruby nervously asking where Yang is this episode and only later on wondering about Blake...

All of this, in a volume where this line is said:

Ruby: If you thought we wouldn’t come for you, then you must’ve forgotten who raised me.

Clearly Yang is someone Ruby strongly looks up to and a person who has tried to fill Summer's absence in Ruby's life. So, having her big sister moving on in a romantic relationship with someone else might lead to some interesting reactions for Ruby.

RUBY, JAUNE AND WEISS: THE MIRROR TRIO

Ruby, Jaune and Weiss's journey through the storm is about taking a long look in the mirror...

They are supposed to confront who they are, but they all make little progress...

Once again we have the characters dealing with:

Identity

The mirrors give Ruby and Jaune opposite reflections. A parent and a projection of an idealized future self and a younger past self.

On the one hand Ruby's mirror image is Summer. This may be because Ruby keeps repressing her trauma over losing her. Or because she has tied her own self perception to her idealized idea of Summer. Or Both. On the other hand Jaune's reflection is his younger self. Why is that so? Is it because despite looking more "mature", as Weiss puts it, he is a person who failed to grow? Is it because deep down his young idealistic self is still there waiting to be saved? To escape the mirror? Is that a sign that Jaune wishes to go back to that "self"? The young knight, who was just starting to shine in Atlas? Or is it that he is deep down scared to face him?

At the same time, Ruby and Jaune's reactions to their reflections is also different. Ruby doesn't see hers > hence she is ignoring it. Jaune keeps looking at his > hence he can't get over it.

Grief

Both Jaune and Weiss see images related to their experiences in Atlas. Jaune sees Penny, while Weiss sees her city. Two interesting details:

1 - When Jaune sees Penny he says:

It all happened. Just not the way Alyx said when she wrote it.

This is a clear nod to Jaune not telling RWBY how Penny died exactly. He is witholding information. The reason why is clear and understandable, but it may create friction later on.

2 - When Weiss is looking at the mirror, Ruby sees it. It is now 3 times that we have had this exact dynamic with our 2 girls:

In episode 2 Weiss opens up about her feelings over losing Atlas to Ruby

In episode 5 Weiss links the destruction of the market to Atlas's fall and Ruby consoles her

In episode 6 Ruby looks at Weiss grieving over Atlas

This is clearly a pattern, which can mean several things, as for now.

First of all, Ruby might clearly be projecting. She feels the same as Weiss, but while our Snowhite openly shows it, Ruby processes her feelings through her.

Secondly, Weiss should be the one noticing something is off with Ruby and comforting her, but so far she has failed. She tries to address Penny, but Ruby refuses to open up. At the market, she looks out for Ruby physically, but is unable to see her partner's psychological distress (hence being irritated when Ruby doesn't get the ingredient they need).

In general, Jaune, Ruby and Weiss are clearly all foils and I think their storylines are entangled. Specifcially, Jaune and Ruby are going through parallel and yet opposite journeys:

We see both of them fall

Both hear Penny's voice while falling

Both see someone/something while falling

Ruby sees Neo aka her own metaphorical mirror image. She is also someone she wants to run away from. Jaune sees Ruby's weapon, which represents an ideal. Jaune, like all the others has been inspired by Ruby:

Jaune: Ruby. We lost… We lost Pyrrha. You lost her, too. And Penny and your team and in a way… your sister. But you're still here, despite everything you've lost, everything you could still lose, you chose to come out here, because you felt like you could make a difference. You didn't drag us along, you gave us the courage to follow you.

So, the moment he sees Crescent Rose he immediately dives after it... to the point that years later he is still looking for it.

Ruby runs away from her fears, while Jaune runs after an ideal.

What does Weiss has to do with it?

She is probably gonna be a link between them. She was there when Penny died and is grieving her own loss. However, as previous episodes showed, she has developed a strong sense of self:

She has already broken the mirror:

I'm shattering the mirror that kept me split in pieces That stood between my mind and my heart This is where I'll start

I looked in the mirror And I gotta say It’s been a long long time Since I felt this way

Jaune and Ruby are instead clearly still trapped in the looking glass. I wonder if Weiss is meant to help with that. However, she first has to look at them earnestly. To see that even if Jaune looks adult-like he is not psychologically well. To see that even if Ruby has always supported her, she needs her support now.

JAUNE AND TIME

Penny: No… there’s not enough time to heal me…

Interesting that the reason why Jaune is forced to kill Penny is time and the first thing he does after landing in Ever After is to pick a clock-fruit and to go back in time... Suddenly he has as much time as he wants... and yet he fails to use it.

Not only that, but he ironically keeps not having enough time:

Jaune: We don't have time for this! We got to get to my village!

Jaune: I didn't have time to make it right.

No matter how much time he has, Jaune can't make things right. Not only that, but metaphorically the situation he is in is a consequence of his own actions. He is the one who takes the fruit, which means the situation he is in is really a symbol of his own inner world. Not only that, but he decides to stubbornly wait years for the others. He could have tried plenty of things, like... he could have tried another fruit to go forward to the time RWBY fall. Or he could have tried to leave the Ever After. To go back to Remnant and keep fighting there. Instead he chooses to wait passively... to sacrifice his whole life waiting for his friends without even knowing when they will fall exactly.

This confirms what @bestworstcase says in this post > Jaune is probably the Hatter. (Also to comment more deeply I should reread the books)

The Hatter "kills time" by singing badly and from then on time refuses to help the Hatter out.

The Hatter is also friends with the March Hare and the two are often seen together.

Jaune is a White Knight, like the one Alice meets in Wonderland, but also:

He rides a jackalope (the March Hare)

He kills Penny and as a result his time stops to the poing he chooses to literally kill time:

(Also he kills time as in... he waits without doing anything constructive > hence he has been "killing time" for years)

So, he probably combines both characters... Interestingly, Neo too seems to allude to the Hatter in the Opening:

GIF di watrslides

Still, she also seems to be alluding to the Jabberwalker, as well:

GIF di warriordreamer95

A creature everybody considers a monster because they are unable to communicate:

Say something real Do you only speak in riddles, chatterbox? I'm waiting for your ugly mouth to just spit it out

Interesting such a character is linked to a mute girl whose whole backstory revolves around her struggle to find her own "silent voice".

Not to count Jaune clearly wants to be the hero who saves RWBY thanks to his plan (a helper, a guide, a side character), while Neo wants to be the villain who kills them (an antagonist, a writer).

So, it is possible Neo and Jaune both allude to the Hatter and combine this allusion with another one.

Still, Neo is not the only character Jaune foils when it comes to his role in the Ever After:

JAUNE AND THE CAT

Both the Rusted Knight and the Curious Cat present themselves as Helpers and Guides, both to RWBY and Alyx/Luis. Still, they have opposite ideas of what the protagonists should do. This difference is rooted in a thematic opposition...

Jaune refuses change, so he refuses the Tree

Jaune: That Tree is death. It absorbs you, takes your memories and turns you into something else. If you go there, it is going to erase you.

The Cat is instead change, so they feed the Tree

Curious Cat: I know, I know, where you're from, things …die… but we’re just not like you at all. We… ascend. Herb will have a purpose again.

Who is right? Is forgetting yourself a form of death or just the chance to a new life?

Probably there is truth in both positions. Thematically, they should embrace change, especially because the Tree symbolizes alchemy: destroy and create, so that things can transform and evolve. That said, forgetting who you are is definately not the right answer.

At the same time, Jaune is right about the Cat's power being manipulation. To be precise it can be both empathy and manipulation.

This is why the last thing CC tells Ruby and Weiss is manipulative, but also necessary to challenge them:

CC: She tricked me. Just like all you. You only want to use me in the same way I have only seen others as a source of knowledge and entertainment.

The CC is calling out RWBY and Jaune on their lack of empathy for the creatures of the Ever After. They accuse the CC of tricking them, but they used the cat, as well. This is true for their reaction to the Ever Ater, in general. They have reguarded the people of this Kingdom as nothing more than characters in a book. So, you have them making a mess at the Auction, deciding to destroy a kid in a chess game, and so on. They fought for Atlas, but could not do the same for a market full of strange creatures, like the Teapot lady. Sure, this is also probably because of their own issues and trauma. However, it is still telling they had a civilian defend them with their life. It is supposed to be the other way around. Especially because it is not the Jabberwalker, but Neo and they know. It is not a character in a book, but their own personal enemy. (I mean, the fact they flee the moment they realize it is Neo is also telling of their current mental states). It is not their world, so why should they fight to protect it?

Ironically, the CC clearly sees people of Remnant the same way. They keeps asking ro RWBY's story and is entertained by it, despite its sheer traegedy.

Speaking of stories...

ALYX AND LUIS

Alyx's story is still a mistery, as neither the CC nor Jaune really know what happened. Still, both agree on Alyx being a so not great person and a liar. As a matter of fact the only thing both Jaune and the CC seem to share is that they were both tricked by Alyx.

And yet, there is clearly more going on, as I think it is highly probable Alyx is the one trapped in the Ever After, while Luis got to leave.

As others have highlighted:

Alyx = Alice

Luis = Lewis Carrol

Not to count the clear foiling among Alyx, Neo and Ruby...

All in all, I think the ending of Alyx's story and what they learn about them will tell us something about Salem. As for now, I think this something will simply be that Alyx, just like Salem is human:

Red Prince: Human? Human?! I knew it! You must defeat them!

Humans can be both heroes and monsters, after all. It is probable Alyx was in fact as selfish as Jaune and the Cat say (I mean, why should they have gotten it wrong? Alyx and Luis were 2 kids and not 2 masterminds, as far as we know). Still, she was also a scared child lost in an unknown world:

Oscar: I thought the idea of falling through Remnant into a new world was exciting. I never understood why she was so sad when she finally made it back home. But now it makes more sense. (Ozpin) She wasn't the same girl anymore.

A child who was clearly struggling with deep personal problems:

Jaune: Like, the Herbalist. Something changed there. Whatever he said to her, she wasn't the same anymore.

(Also... nice going the only one who could maybe tell them what ticked Alice off is now gone :P)

It is probable she failed to change in a healthy way and stayed trapped in the Ever After. If Luis is the one who actually left (and there is not an inversione where he is the "mean one", which I doubt), maybe he went back home and wrote a story to celebrate his sister by toning down her negative traits.

I don't think the point is for them to discover Alyx was indeed an angel and Luis the monster or vice versa. I think the point is for them to realize Alyx was a human, who got scared and lost and maybe even gave in to her worst instinct to survive. Only if they learn to empathize with people like Alyx, like Neo, like Mercury they can be true heroes. Only if they do it, they can save Cinder and understand Salem.

When it comes to their personal arcs, Alyx's story clearly puts them in front of a choice:

Either return to Remnant, accept their pain, but also aknowledge how it changed them (what Oscar says)

Or keep on running from themselves, forget everything and be undone (what Ozpin says)

This is true for Ruby and Jaune especially. As for now, our 2 leaders have come up with opposite answers to this problem. Both wrong.

Jaune refuses change, while Ruby sees change as destrction. Jaune wants to write the perfect story where he is the hero who saves his friends. He has been preparing for years for this moment (look at it going completely wrong). Ruby is seriously thinking about erasing herself from the narrative:

Jaune: I think Alux traded him to the tree in order to leave. And then she wrote him out of the story.

Jaune sees himself as nobody and wants to be a hero to feel like somebody. It is a pretty clear regression to his Beacon self:

Cinder to Jaune: Who are you again?

Ruby is a Hero, a Huntress, a Symbol, who wants to stop being that. She wants to become nobody:

Past Weiss: The Schnee name. Why bother, anymore? What even stands for now? Instead, you could be a nobody. Could you imagine? Not even a single bit of baggage on your shoulders. Isn’t that what you want? To be free?

(Yes, again Ruby, Jaune and Weiss are all tangled up in a strong thematic topic called "identity)

MISCELLANIA

Some miscellania thoughts

I liked Ruby being compared to Ironwood. Ruby and Ironwood's foiling is a strong one, which the fandom often dismisses to defend one or the other. Still, Ruby being right and Ironwood wrong is not the point. The point is Ruby is very very very similar to Ironwood and she risks to turn out like him, if she doesn't overcome her flaws.

When Penny tells Jaune there is no more time, Jaune remarks Weiss will give them time. I wonder if it might hint to Weiss's role in helping Jaune (and Ruby) with his predicament. Unrelated, but I wonder if we will ever get the time glyphs back.

I think CC is neithe good nor bad, they simply have a different way of thinking than humans. Meta-narratively, they are the reader, who wants more. New stories, new characters, old ones are boring and can be replaced! Thematically, they are the cycle of life and death (like the Gods) > hence The Cat rules in the Ever After.

I wonder if the CC will joing forces with Neo, now. It would be definately interesting.

The CC's reaction to Ruby and the Herbalist is still pretty strong and has definately an emotional component. I wonder if it is because Alyx changed after meeting the Herbalist and is worried something similar might happen to Ruby, as well.

All in all a great episode :)

323 notes · View notes