Rasputin x The Bride

Rasputin x The Bride is the het ship between Rasputin and The Bride from the Just Dance fandom.

Canon
Rasputin is the dancer who first appeared in the song "Rasputin" by Boney M, in the game Just Dance 2. His original outfit, which he has worn in most of his appearances, is a traditional Russian suit in blue and green tones, with red decorations.

The Bride is the dancer who first appeared in the song "Hot N Cold" by Katy Perry, in the game Just Dance. Her original outfit was a white wedding dress with orange decorations, accessories, and hair. After the remake of the song for Just Dance Unlimited, her appearance changed to different shades of pink: light pink for the dress and intense pink for decorations, accessories, and hair. This is the look she has used in most of her appearances. The first time Rasputin and The Bride are seen together is in the song "Sugar" by Maroon 5, in the game Just Dance 2019, being the main dancers of the song, along with other duos (who are also old dancers from other songs) that appear throughout the entire map. The song is about a person desiring the love of their beloved, while the whole map has wedding themes. Rasputin and The Bride appear both at the beginning and at the end of the song, ending up together on a wedding cake, where Rasputin carries The Bride in his arms. This would be the dance that confirms that they started a relationship. Their next appearance was in the "All Stars" mode of Just Dance 2020, a mode created to celebrate the franchise's 10th anniversary. In this mode, The Panda (a recurring dancer throughout the saga) travels through different planets to dance to old songs from the saga (including "Hot N Cold" and "Rasputin") and gather the various dancers on a journey that ends with the song "High Hopes" by Panic! at the Disco. Both in some of the cinematics between songs and in the final cinematic, Rasputin and The Bride can be seen together and interacting. They appear again in a Just Dance map, this time in the song "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" by Katy Perry, in Just Dance 2022. The Bride appears several times in the background of the song, and in one of these appearances, she is seen playing and flirting with Rasputin. At one point, she is even seen with a fake beard, presumably imitating Rasputin (or having stolen his beard directly).

In Just Dance 2023, the relationship between Rasputin and The Bride seems to have ended. At the beginning of the song "Sweet but Psycho" by Ava Max, there is a wedding cake with figures of both coaches, but Rasputin's quickly falls down. Immediately, we see The Bride with a drastic change in her outfit. Her makeup is smudged, her hair is reddish, and her dress is torn and split in half. Throughout the song, we see the scenario of what would be a wedding celebration being destroyed by the dancer. Specifically, at one point, we see an aisle full of paintings of the couple being destroyed. Apparently, Rasputin left The Bride standing at the altar, and she is immensely hurt. However, at the end of the song, we see Rasputin arrive in a hurry and scared, but it's too late. Rasputin's response will come in Just Dance 2024, with the song "I Am My Own Muse" by Fall Out Boy. What has been seen so far in the preview uploaded to the Official Just Dance Channel shows a completely changed Rasputin. He no longer wears his traditional Russian suit. Instead, he has a more edgy appearance, removing his papakha, revealing his hair, and wearing an open jacket and ripped pants. During the preview, we see Rasputin in the already destroyed wedding reception that The Bride left in the previous song, showing that it is a direct continuation of "Sweet but Psycho." He tries to pick up some of the fallen photos from the aisle, and then laments what happened at the altar. So far, the reasons why Rasputin arrived late to his own wedding have not been revealed, but it will probably be disclosed after the game's release.

Although it is not clear exactly what the timeline of events is, the most accepted theory is that Rasputin and The Bride met, either at the "Last Friday Night" party or in the cinematics of the All Star mode, and then continued with the song "Sugar" in what would be the marriage proposal song, ending with "Sweet but Psycho" and "I Am My Own Muse," showing their breakup.

Fanon
When the song "Sugar" came out in Just Dance, of all the couples shown on the map, Rasputin and The Bride were the most prominent, especially because they were the main couple, appearing together in the menu thumbnail, being the first couple you dance with, and the song ends with them together. Despite gaining certain fans, their popularity as a ship grew with their background appearance in "Last Friday Night," as it was the first time a real romantic relationship between characters originally from different dances was hinted at. After the preview of "Sweet but Psycho," there was much speculation about what might have happened. Some assumed that perhaps Rasputin had abandoned The Bride, or that he might have cheated on her, while others pointed to something bad that might have happened. Since Just Dance 2023 was released, including lore that revealed the existence of a villain named Night Swan in the Danceverse, many people believed that Rasputin might have been a victim of her. Rasputin finally appears at the end of the song, scared and worried, implying that leaving The Bride at the altar was unintentional, and that he still loves her. Therefore, many fans hoped that the story of Rasputin and The Bride was not yet over, and that there might be a reconciliation. In the preview of "I Am My Own Muse," we see Rasputin's pain for not having finalized the wedding. Many fans are looking forward to the full game release to see if there is more information about what happened to Rasputin to end up like this, and if there will be a possible reconciliation with The Bride.

This ship is the most popular for both characters. The Bride does not have any other notable ship, while Rasputin has been paired to a lesser extent with the dancer from "Body Movin’ (Fatboy Slim Remix)" by Beastie Boys from Just Dance 2, as they were seen together once in the song "Hungarian Dance No. 5," composed by Johannes Brahms, in Just Dance 3. Furthermore, it is one of the most popular ships of the entire saga, due to its age and the multiple references it has had throughout different games. Multiple fans have dedicated videos on TikTok and YouTube trying to explain their lore, or simply dedicating a video to the ship.

Fandom

 * FAN FICTION

Trivia

 * This was the first canon ship of the entire saga, even having its own sub-lore before Just Dance had a proper lore from Just Dance 2023.
 * It is also the first canon ship in the game to undergo a breakup.
 * There is a Rasputin avatar with a pink and white color palette called "Rasputin in Love" in the rewards of Season 1 "Lover Coaster" of Just Dance 2023. Besides matching The Bride's aesthetic, it is believed that this could have been their wedding attire.