A Bundle of Burning Roses
Notes
Some things you might want to know while reading.
1. My headcannon has always been that Roman is twenty-two at the beginning of the series, putting him seven years ahead of Ruby. I will usually stick to this formula unless stated otherwise, so you can use it to extrapolate their relative ages in each fic.
2. Most of these one-shots are retooled versions of much longer ideas I've had over my shipping career. Feel free to let me know if you'd like to see a sequel one-shot or multi-chapter fic based on any of these. No promises, but I'd like to hear which ideas you think are worth expanding upon.
3. I like to include a lot of hidden jokes, references, and symbolism in my works. Let me know if you find any of them.
4. I'm allergic to fluff. Expect most of what I write to have a creepy or dark edge to it and not be very explicitly romantic. Weird thing to put right before a pairing series, isn't it?
Now on with the show
For the satisfaction of your heart's desires, I hereby set out to create the definitive collection of one-shots featuring our favorite study-in-contrasts pairing: Rosewick. Each will be independent of the others, with some exceptions, so expect a variety of settings, themes, and moods. Bear in mind that I have other obligations so updates will be sporadic at times, but I aim to write twelve stories before I consider this truly complete. That's all for the introduction, so you may head to the next chapter if you wish. I will now present, for those who wish to know and because there was nowhere else to put it, my defense of, and explanation for, the S.S. Rosewick.
The first complaint to usually be raised against this relationship is the character's relative age and the associated cultural significance. However, this complaint only holds up if the relationship is explicitly physical. Platonic love does still exist right? Besides, Roman might not be that much older (I always assumed him to be twenty-two for some reason) and Ruby will hit maritable age eventually. My own parents are eleven years apart so it wouldn't seem an odd match up to me, at least on this level. I'm fairly certain this issue has been beaten to death already, so I don't want to waste any more time on it.
The second and more substantial complaint is the ethical disparity between the two. Many people feel that, since Roman is far from a good person, a relationship between them would be extremely unlikely, and probably end poorly. Well they're right, and that's what makes it so fun! You see, as they are, it would be impossible for Roman and Ruby to be reconciled to the other's way of life. This means that, in order to ship them sensibly, one or both of them must undergo some degree of character development. The popular ships are usually easy: get them alone, mention something about 'feelings', and they'll be making out in no time. Rosewick, on the other hand, takes work and imagination. Figuring out how to take these two from a state of complete dissonance to one of mutual affection is a daunting task. It requires the shipper to get creative, dream up headcanons, and expand the world of RWBY. Due to its inherently complex nature, this ship is a breeding ground for interesting stories and theories.
On a related note, I'd like to discuss the name of this ship for a moment. The RWBY fandom is somewhat notable for the colorful names they ascribe to ships. In a world full of names like Eclipse and Lancaster, Rosewick stands out as seemingly uninspired, simply being the character's surnames squished together. However, upon further consideration this creates an interesting image. A wick is the material of a candle that allows it to produce light. Though it might not realistically produce the same effect, it's quite possible to imagine a rose being used as such. This forms an excellent visual analogy for their relationship. The rose's beauty does no good in darkness, neither is there anything left to see once it is burned. In order to appreciate the beauty of the rose, the darkness must be endured until another light can be found. In order to protect oneself from the darkness that beauty must be sacrificed. If Roman is right about the world not caring, then Ruby will need to sacrifice her ideals in order to survive. If Ruby is right in hoping for the world, then Roman needs to forgo his selfishness and learn to live as part of society. Though it may not have been intended as such, this title seems quite inspired once you think about it.
Most of the people I've seen who ship this do so with the knowledge that it isn't, and probably never will be, canon. Though I don't speak for everyone, I don't care if their relationship is friendly or familial, romantic or academic, antagonistic or contentious; I simply want to see more of their character dynamic.