Local shoe salesperson and famed x-rated fanfiction author bumblebeefan2003 posted to their 700-ish follower Tumblr account a now-trending post containing the sentence “This is the one where they kiss!!!” and a screenshot of Yang almost ready to headbutt Blake from Volume 8. The post was bookended with #RWBY, #RWBY Volume 9 and #These Two Sapphics Need To Make Out Already
The particular scene from which the screenshot was acquired was just one of many instances where Bumbleby (that’s Blake and Yang, in case it wasn’t clear from… all this…) fans thought that the pair will finally kiss. The kiss between the two in RWBY fandom, as well as practically any other fanbase, is a famed device that is used by authors to signify the importance and, more importantly, the canon of the pairing between two characters. Context, previous signs of relationship or any other factors are utterly meaningless as the kiss means this ship was correct and anyone else was a dumbass, kind of like when you die and before entering the gates of heaven you meet Anubis, instead of whoever else you were expecting. All other canon and legendary ships before Bumbleby, like Rose/Kanaya (Rosemary) from Homestuck or Naruto/Sasuke (SasuNaru) from Boruto’s Dad all became legit only after the two kissed.
Considering such an unpopular and uninteresting ship like Ren and Nora (do they even have a name?!) got a kiss in Volume 8 (ew!), fans of the far superior Blake and Yang pair have eagerly awaited their anticipation. Some skeptics have claimed Rooster Teeth will milk the idea of the ship for all that it’s worth, so the pair will never kiss and the queerbaiting will continue forever. Others lament the loss of Blake’s relationship with Sun, Ilia or whoever else is left in Blake’s harem. Others yet posted rude “this you?” comments below the post, showing screenshots of bumblebeefan2003 posting the exact same sentence last year, the year before, and so on for the past 6 years.
bumblebeefan2003 did not respond to these naysayers. They are above that. And we should be too. We believe. This volume will surely be the one where they kiss. Or else all my effort and passion that I’ve put over the years into the ship will be absolutely meaningless.
Well, they finally did it, so yay.
Well, you are not wrong