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#soundtrack #pathtoisolation #theory #jaunearc #rwbyroosterteeth
Published: 2018-06-18 23:44:59 +0000 UTC; Views: 14183; Favourites: 8; Downloads: 0
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Description
Path to Isolation (Mirror Mirror 0.5) is a song from the RWBY Volume 5 Soundtrack about Weiss and her hardships... and yet, it ironically mirrors (pun unintended) the course that one character has been on for quite some time... ever since Volume 3 in fact. Jaune Arc. Here is a link to the song, and I will provide lyrics as I discuss why this can be seen as relating to Jaune: www.youtube.com/watch?v=89P6ui…[Intro]
It starts
With the unexpected loss of something dear
The warmth
That comforted and cradled just disappears
And in its place, there's nothing
Just an endless empty hole
The light that showed the way is gone
And darkness takes control
Bitterness and anger are quick to fill the void
The path to isolation is littered with the dreams that lay destroyed
Just in the Intro we get some evidence, which could be seen as discussing Pyrrha's tragic death at the hands of Cinder, evident by the usage of 'light' and 'dreams', which are both popular themes from Pyrrha's two character songs "Shine" and "Dream Come True" from the Volume 2 Soundtrack, as well as the credits song from Volume 3's finale, written as a tribute to Monty Oum, but applies very powerfully to Jaune and Pyrrha, "Cold". If one looks at Jaune's actions and behavior in Volumes 4 and 5, he is quite clearly bitter and angry, mostly emphasized in his all but hostile behavior towards Qrow during his explanation about Ozpin and Salem.
[Verse 1]
The cold
Seems to grow in my soul, it's consuming me
Confused
And I'm losing myself in a storm
Growing jaded
Being pushed, being pulled, I'm unraveling
Can't find myself when I'm constantly forced to conform
Again a reference to "Cold", this time by name in part of the verse, this can show how Jaune is clearly mentally unstable come Volume 4, throwing himself into training seemingly every night to an instructional video left by Pyrrha. The final line calls to attention how it appears every single character but himself (And later Yang in Volume 5) is willing to go along with what Ozpin says, despite what he's caused, what secrets he has kept and probably still keeps, and he goes along with it alongside them, despite his misgivings.
[Pre-Chorus 1]
Enemies surround me
But the worst appear as friends
Liars and pretenders
Only seek to reach their ends
Everything is breaking
Right before my eyes
Looking in the mirror
I see someone that I don't recognize
The first half of this portion could be focused on Oscar and Ozpin come Volume 5, or Qrow and those blindly loyal to Ozpin come Volume 4, how he and his friends are basically tools (Or bait, as he outright calls Qrow on after the fight with Tyrian in Volume 4) to their whims. The second half is a grim reminder, look at Volume 4/5 Jaune and then at Volume 1/2/3 Jaune, he is nowhere near the same person anymore, not after Pyrrha, the Breach, the Fall...
[Verse 2]
The joy
That my heart used to know is eluding me
Removed
And the one thing I feel is alone
Smiles faded
And I'm spinning and sinking and weakening
Frozen and stuck
Too lonely, it chills to the bone
Again, a focus on how Jaune has changed, how his smile no longer reaches his eyes in Volume 5 when Weiss and Yang reunite with RNJR, as if he is putting on a mask to 'conform' to the expectations of him that they have. As a fool, a nitwit, the dunce. After that is another reference to "Cold" and loneliness, how he is lost after Pyrrha's demise.
[Pre-Chorus 2]
Memories escaping as my heart begins to drain
Skies that cover wounds can't hide the self-inflicted pain
Everything my mind wants in conflict with my heart
Fighting back surrender, but every day I'm falling more apart
This shows some of Jaune's mental instability, and a primary example I feel is the fight with Cinder in Volume 5, where the White Knight went for the kill against the Fall Maiden, and if she had been stunned for even a moment longer she would have a distinct new head decoration that's name is Crocea Mors. Even before the fight, Jaune actually had a mental breakdown and charged a far more powerful opponent with no sense of self preservation at all.
[Chorus 1]
Mirror, what's this thing I see?
Who is staring back at me?
This stranger to my heart that's filled my life
Mirror help me, who am I?
One more reminder that Jaune is not who he once was, that if he were to look at himself he wouldn't even recognize himself. Who he was when Beacon began is gone, crushed in the ruins of the Fall...
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Comments: 21
rizanam [2018-06-19 00:52:02 +0000 UTC]
Hello 7! Long time no see! (in a manner of speaking) I never did finish RWBY, but I found your analysis to be very intriguing! If this is something you keep doing from now on then I'll definitely keep up with it.
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7SinsofWG In reply to rizanam [2018-06-19 00:53:21 +0000 UTC]
Thanks Riza, I really appreciate it! I think I might continue doing things like this in the future, just when I have the time!
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rizanam In reply to 7SinsofWG [2018-06-19 00:59:55 +0000 UTC]
Its no problem my friend. I'm glad that you plan to continue something your passionate about. And its always refreshing to see something thought provoking. Because sadly while fats are sexy they don't really make you stretch your brain if you know what I mean.
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7SinsofWG In reply to rizanam [2018-06-19 01:04:32 +0000 UTC]
Oh yeah, I agree, just your arms to get all the way around them!
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TheGreaterEye [2018-06-19 00:18:20 +0000 UTC]
A very well thought and laid out analysis. I greatly enjoyed reading it and maybe I'm reading too much into it but given Jaune and Weiss's interactions recently and that this song is supposedly hers but relates to his themes....
Bah I'm hoping too much.
Still it goes to show that there are much deeper roots in RWBY than just what is outright said in the exposition or "I feel this" scenes.
Jaune's definitely going along with his friends because its the only choice he has, he certainly doesn't trust or like Qrow and Ozpin but his loyalty to RWBY and his remaining teammates is dragging him along even when it seems like he is the only one remembering what happened in previous volumes and who can be mainly blamed for keeping so many innocent lives in the dark from dangers that were all to real.
Well done.
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7SinsofWG In reply to TheGreaterEye [2018-06-19 00:26:39 +0000 UTC]
Ah, you're guessing a possible White Knight connection thanks to the odd way Weiss and Jaune seem to be synching up lately, and that's without even accounting for his own familial troubles that may mirror her own, how not a single one of his seven sisters, or his mother, or his father believed even a little bit in his dream to be a Huntsman. I thought of it too, but figured that 'ship theories' could be for another day.
Oh yeah, I've noticed that the Soundtrack does a wonderful job of further emphasizing the deepness and 'human' element of the characters.
Oh yeah, Ren, Nora, and Ruby didn't seem to have a single problem with Qrow's using them as bait or Ozpin's manipulations in general, and he seemed totally alone on that until Yang showed back up in Volume 5. Heck, no one has mentioned Pyrrha since the Fall, no one has checked to see if Jaune is okay in the head. I really, truly, want Jaune to have another arc in Volume 6, and I may even expect him to go rogue like Raven did considering she is the only one that seems to agree with him at all.
Thanks! Any chance you'd be interested in more song analyses, or other just general RWBY fan theories and stuff?
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TheGreaterEye In reply to 7SinsofWG [2018-06-19 00:36:22 +0000 UTC]
Always fun to think of theories or possible interpretations
and yeah Jaune has certainly gotten the short end of the stick but with the show's limited time and resources this volume was mostly about RWBY and primarily about Ruby and Oscar and Yang and Raven. There was just too much to wrap up in order for them all to reunite at the end.
I certainly hope someone comforts Jaune soon or at least addresses the issue. Heck, maybe even Ozpin apologizing to him about what happened with Pyrrha. You'd think that both Jaune and Ruby would be the most upset with him but now since Ozpin is Oscar and vice versa the lying professor has escaped lots of karma and blame it seems
And I do sorta like White Knight and have fled to it now that Arkos got stomped into the ground....thanks writers
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7SinsofWG In reply to TheGreaterEye [2018-06-19 00:52:17 +0000 UTC]
Yeah, that's an excellent point, but I am rather annoyed with Oscar. He hasn't done anything wrong but be used by Ozpin, and seemingly shoehorned into a ship with Ruby with their moments in five that seemed forced to me.
I mean, Ruby caught him training after a long day of travel in Volume 4, and decided not to say a word. Honestly, has anyone acknowledged Jaune as more than a bit to mock since the Fall? I can't recall anything but the Grimm fight at the end of Volume 4. Ozpin doesn't seem the type to apologize, he's too much of a chessmaster, the closest is when he tells Ruby he's made more mistakes than any man, woman, or child. He's kinda a Karma Houdini, using Oscar as a shield to Yang's questioning and hopefully Jaune's offscreen.
Of the girl's he's interacted with in the show, I think White Knight may be the most likely ship up to this point now that they sunk Arkos. Though honestly, I REALLY want to see him interact with Winter, she finds him charming, and Weiss just LOSES it at the insanity of it all.
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TheGreaterEye In reply to 7SinsofWG [2018-06-19 01:01:29 +0000 UTC]
Oh that would be awesome. I already can imagine a chubby winter and Weiss arguing over Jaune
Yeah no one had consoled Jaune at all, on screen at least. I too dislike Ozpin as well as how Oscar and Ruby seem to be forced to interact so much.
It's been2 volumes and pyrrhas death has been so rarely acknowledged despite it being the silver eye trigger as well as a huge emotional impact on the leaders of both teams
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7SinsofWG In reply to TheGreaterEye [2018-06-19 01:08:15 +0000 UTC]
And Weiss is trying so hard not to admit she was finally charmed by him but its utterly obvious, Jaune's just oblivious as to why the Snow Angels are fighting, and Winter is much less 'subtle' about her feelings towards Jaune and why Weiss shouldn't 'insist on keeping something you also insist you do not even want'.
Someone needs to bring her up... They've been in her home country since the Fall basically, and before they leave for Atlas I want Jaune to go and see her parents maybe, try and get some closure
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TheGreaterEye In reply to 7SinsofWG [2018-06-19 01:25:52 +0000 UTC]
Yeah overall I feel like they just misused Pyrrha overall
Yeah Winter and Weiss dynamics are fun plus if Jaune likes to cater to the chubbier girls' needs
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7SinsofWG In reply to TheGreaterEye [2018-06-19 09:14:02 +0000 UTC]
No arguments there my man, I’m still pretty salty about how they’ve handled her death to this point, and her death in general.
I can definitely see him being doting and pampering, seven sisters after all; and from his rocking a dress and being so good at dancing clearly he isn’t used to saying no to them.
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TheGreaterEye In reply to 7SinsofWG [2018-06-19 21:08:50 +0000 UTC]
Indeed. Such a shame considering how much potential there was for characters like her and Penny.
Haha very good points.
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7SinsofWG In reply to TheGreaterEye [2018-06-19 21:34:11 +0000 UTC]
As little consolation as it is, it is certainly possible Penny (or a version of her) will be re met in Atlas, where she was created. I highly doubt they didn’t have a backup of her.
Thanks! I enjoy thinking about Jaune’s Family, and hope to see them at some point in the show
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TheGreaterEye In reply to 7SinsofWG [2018-06-19 21:48:14 +0000 UTC]
I hope to see them too, imagine his sisters' reactions when they see him traveling with so many girls.
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7SinsofWG In reply to TheGreaterEye [2018-06-19 21:56:34 +0000 UTC]
Cue the harem jokes, at least one mistaken Ren for another woman (to Nora’s amusement), possibly some embarrassment from Weiss “E-excuse me?! Have you MET this idiot?!”) and Ruby (“W-wha?!”), more teasing from Yang...
Honestly it would be some levity that would be welcomed
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TheGreaterEye In reply to 7SinsofWG [2018-06-19 21:59:35 +0000 UTC]
Agreed it'd be a fun scene/events
His sisters picking their favourites and trying to ship him with them
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7SinsofWG In reply to TheGreaterEye [2018-06-19 22:09:23 +0000 UTC]
I really want that to be the plot of a RWBY Chibi episode, since he’s got seven sisters and now seven ‘girls’ (again I’m convinced one will think Ren’s a girl) he’s traveling with, it would all line up into quite perfectly!
Ruby just has no idea what’s going on, Blake’s annoyed, Weiss is in full denial Tsun mode, Yang’s going along with it to tease him, Nora’s insistent in refusal, but more than happy to let the charade of Fem!Ren continue until she deems it too far and assaults Jaune for getting too close to ‘Her Renny’
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TheGreaterEye In reply to 7SinsofWG [2018-06-20 01:44:01 +0000 UTC]
Would be the cutest episode ever
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7SinsofWG In reply to TheGreaterEye [2018-06-20 02:05:55 +0000 UTC]
Agreed dude... maybe I should write that...
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TheGreaterEye In reply to 7SinsofWG [2018-06-20 02:10:35 +0000 UTC]
Maybe, do whatever you'd like is my best advice as a fellow writer
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