#bumbleby (past)

[kaelidascope]

Midnight Menagerie Chapter 12 - The Hangover Chapter is LIVE

**SHAKES HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOGGY BAG OF TREATS**

BLASTING FANTASTICAL FANFARE!!!!!!

The most anticipated chapter of the year is finally here! Hope y'all are hungry. As my birthday gift to y'all, here's the biggest chapter Midnight Menagerie has seen to date at a whopping 26 thousand words! I've been hyping this chapter up for MONTHS and I'm so excited to finally release it into the wild!!

Be mindful of the content warnings if vomiting is something you aren't comfortable with! As the title would suggest, everyone's hungover as FUCK. Enjoy a dramatic retelling of a wild weekend I had during the summer of 2017 when I was in college <33

I want to take a moment to really just say thanks as a whole for reading, supporting, and enjoying my work. It gives me so much encouragement to continue writing and drawing content, and I love reading everyone's reviews and comments. It's my favorite part of the day getting those emails! Here's to a happy holidays and a better new year in 2024 <3

(yes I'm aware the outfits are wrong LMAO I drew this months ago)

[yangorang]

Bumbleby before volume 9

[novankenn]

From Assassin to Sales Clerk AU : Another Day. Another Dollar

== > @pilot-boi YESSS BLAKE GET HER ASS

Okay but Blake immediately jumping to “Okay this is what you do when you fall in love with a mark” makes me wonder if Yang was a mark at some point (or probably Ruby was, and she fell for Yang during the process)

Blake didn't have a since clue or reason why she kept showing up for her shifts at the Pumpkin Pete's Novelties. It was not like she needed the money, or the headache of a 9 to 5, which was actually a 9 to 9. Though she did get an hour for lunch and two additional fifteen minute breaks.

Of course there was also Deery. Blake felt sorry for her fellow faunus. Trapped in a dead-end job to try and save for college, while also live above the poverty line. It had seriously done something to her. Anyway, Blake was only about two hours into her shift. A very dull, slow shift when the door chimed. Looking up to greet the potential customers as the handbook dictated, Blake instead froze.

"Blake?" came a voice that had always sent pleasurable shivers down her spine. Violet eyes. A flowing mane of blonde hair. Blessed with a pillowy endowment. Yang Xaio Long, Daughter of Tai Xaio Long and Raven Branwen. The mark that had just about ruined her career.

"Yang? What... what," Blakes tongue was tripping over itself. "What are you doing here?"

"What, no hey or hello?"

Sorry. Hello, and welcome to Pumpkin Pete's Novelty Shoppe." Blake rattled off the stipulated greeting. "My names is Blake B. If you require any assistance, feel free to ask me, and I will be happy to assist."

"Damn, Kitty-cat," Yang was almost in tears from holding in her laughter. "From aspiring trust fund author to wage-slave, what happened?"

"AH... I invested in BitLien, and it didn't work out so well."

"Oh, shit. Sorry to hear that Blake." Yang responded while wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. "Things that tough you needed to get a job?"

"No, I'm stable, just wanted something to do."

"You sure you're okay?" Yang asked again, an unmistakable tone of concern in her voice.

"Yes, I'm okay Yang." Blake replied as her mind drifted back to how this blonde almost derailed her career. It was what was known colloquially by those in the know as a "Punishment Job". In this case Raven Branwen and her tribe started interrupting things she should never have touched. "So what brings you here?"

"You mean aside from your pretty face, Kitty-Cat?" Yang grinned.

"Obviously, as until you walked in you didn't know I worked here." Blake deadpanned.

Blake remembered the first time she truly laid eyes upon Yang. She was skinny dipping with her friends. Totally carefree, to the world around them.

Now, Blake prided herself on no colleterial. Blake was also a "close-and-personal" operator, meaning there would be too many witnesses if she made her move here. So obviously she couldn't with Yang, while surrounded by her friends. So she hunkered down to study and learn more about Yang through observation. It had nothing to do with the fact everyone was naked, or the fact that Blake was a bit of a pervert.

So she watched, finding herself drawn more and more away from Yang's assets, to her face, to her deep violet eyes. To her light laugh. and happy attitude. After that day, every time Blake closed to do the work, she hesitated.

"So, Rubes had become a fan of retro games, and I mean like 8 bit and 16 bit ones." Blake blinked her eyes finally zoning back into the conversation. "Anyway I think I remember Pumpkin Pete publishing a couple of stinkers, and was wondering if there was a way I could get my hands on them?"

"I'm not sure, but I think I remember seeing some in storage." Blake replied, "Though I'll have to ask Deery to make sure."

"That's great!" Yang exclaimed, a thousand watt smile crossing her face. Blake's heart slammed against her ribs.

Blake was done. Adam, her ex-partner had come to complete the contract... and put Blake in her place. Blake had fought back, but Adam had size strength and more experience on his side. Blake was over matched and soon found herself struggling to free herself from Adam's crushing hands about her neck. Hands that suddenly went limp.

Blake was confused, until she saw Yang standing behind Adam with a cracked... Cricket Bat in her hands. Apparently Yang had heard a commotion, saw Blake in trouble and grab the first thing she found. Which was a discarded Cricket Bat. Grabbing Blake's hand, Yang pulled her along and the pair excaped.

Blake later that night tracked down the severely concussed Adam... and removed him. That same night Blake gouged her accounts and bought out the contract rights. Securing her as the only one that could complete the job, and that she would be doing it pro-bono.

"So I have a break coming up soon." Blake informed Yang, while reaching out and gently touching the tips of Yang's fingers with her own. "You want to do a little catching up?"

Yang's smile told Blake she had made the right decision, and maybe just maybe Pyrrha would come to understand that she was too.

(A/N - So out of one image... I have snippets and random posts from TWO inter-connected AUs. Thanks to @pilot-boi for inspiring these ideas. )

[pixelwishess]

Wow did you guys see super famous celebrity couple Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao long at the met gala the other day?

[todd-machine]

no bc the way their first interaction ever was Yang awkwardly complimenting Blake’s bow as a throwaway and their confession scene getting serious right as Yang genuinely compliments Blake’s cat ears. This has layers and I’m so normal about it

[will-you-be-my-bumbleby]

Barbara Dunkleman is all of us

[tequiilasunriise]

Oh great bumbleby gods out there I need your help, I want to reread one of my FAVORITE bumbleby fanfics of all time that I haven’t read in over two years and can only remember that I THINK it was called smth like “the weight of memory” please if anyone has it I would be indebted to you forever it was like modern au bumblely exes who were together in college but broke up and eventually meet up again at like??? A wedding of mutual friends??? And its tenseeee with the flashbacks intersecting the present day scenes

[n1blakelover]

the way that i hate seeing blake do the arm grab (usually paired with ears down + looking down, shrinking in on herself) she only ever does it when she’s anxious or self loathing and the fact that the last time we saw her do it (and she used to do it pretty often) was all the way back in like mid volume 8 when the teams reunite and we just saw her do it again this last episode hurts my heart. she went basically a whole volume without any of her old habits but she did it again this past episode bc of the confrontation

[eorzeanflowers]

ITS HAPPENED!!!!!!

[void-thegod]

Anime, Bumblebee Fanfiction, Weightlifting

...

Sleeping definitely.

(okay no, but put in the tags something youre the unofficial influencer of. Like something youve purchased enough, used enough, bragged about and endorsed enough to others that you should be an influencer for)

[anthurak]

So by this point, I think many of us are likely familiar with the idea that the breakup of Team RWBY at the end of Volume 3 is meant to thematically parallel the breakup of Team STRQ in the wake of Summer’s death, ie; Ruby falls into a coma for a few days while Summer disappears and then both their teams fracture. Along with a popular sub-theory that Blake leaving Yang after the Fall is meant to parallel Raven leaving Tai.

But the thing is, if Ruby falling into a coma at the end of Volume 3 is meant to parallel Summer’s (supposed) death and the way this loss caused the fracturing and breakup of their respective teams, then Raven’s actions DON’T really parallel Blake nearly as well as a lot of people think.

And in fact, I feel like Qrow could potentially have paralleled Blake’s actions FAR better.

Like people talk about how Raven ‘abandoned’ Tai just like Blake ran away from Yang after the Fall of Beacon. Except if the point of parallel to the Fall of Beacon is Summer’s death, then the parallel doesn’t work because Raven was ALREADY GONE from Team STRQ by the time Summer disappeared. To the point where Tai, Qrow and Ozpin had (and still have) NO IDEA she was even involved in whatever happened to Summer. Raven can’t exactly have abandoned Tai just like Blake did to Yang if Raven wasn’t even around.

Instead, as I’ve discussed in the past, I think Raven’s actions following Summer’s ‘death’ potentially line up far better with WEISS. Like if it turns out that losing Summer was what actually drove Raven to return to her tribe, then that lines up very nicely with Weiss being taken back to her family/Atlas in the wake of the Fall of Beacon: Both return to the shitty, abusive family that raised them. And given how much of Weiss’s character is tied up in her family and their ‘legacy’, then the way Raven eventually took over her tribe makes her an ideal foil; effectively representing a Weiss who did eventually take over the Schnee family and company, but in the process internalized all the pain and trauma her family gave her.

And as for a cherry on top; if Ruby falling into a coma after the Fall of Beacon is meant to parallel Summer’s supposed ‘death’, then what was one of the last things Ruby did at the Fall?

Run off on a special mission with Weiss, just like we now know Summer did with Raven.

Now going back to my point about how Raven was not even around to abandon Tai just like Blake did to Yang, you know who WAS presumably around when Summer ‘died’?

Yeah; Qrow.

Let’s consider what exactly Blake actually did following the Fall of Beacon beyond just a surface-level reading: Yes, she did go back to her family, similar to what Raven may have done, but given that the Belladonnas are NOT actually shitty and abusive, I maintain that Weiss is still the better parallel to Raven. Instead, let’s consider Blake’s whole arc across Volumes 4 and 5 relating to the White Fang: At first being depressed over loss and perceived failure before being inspired to start working for a better cause, in this case pushing back against and stopping Adam’s takeover of the White Fang.

So I have to wonder; what if this reflects what Qrow did with Ozpin and the conspiracy following Summer’s ‘death’? Maybe Qrow and his teammates had helped Ozpin in the past and knew what he was doing, but what if THIS was the point where Qrow became fully committed to Ozpin’s cause and joined the Ozluminati full-time? Perhaps seeing it as a way of ‘honoring’ Summer’s memory.

Instead of staying with the one teammate he had left (and possible partner) who was now in a massive depressive spiral AND had two kids to take care of.

It starts to make Qrow and Tai feel a lot like Blake and Yang, doesn’t it?

This is one of the big reasons why I think Qrow and Tai are the REAL foil to Bumbleby on Team STRQ. They effectively give us a look at a version of Blake and Yang whose relationship failed. Or rather, were never able to ‘take the next step’ and actually form their relationship.

Qrow is a Blake who fully internalized her self-loathing and belief that she didn’t deserve Yang or that Yang was better off without her and has simply been pining for Yang from afar.

Meanwhile Tai is a Yang who likewise fully internalized her fears of abandonment and fully resents Blake for leaving her or may not have ever even fully recognized her feelings for Blake in the first place.

Essentially, Qrow and Tai are the version of Blake and Yang who weren’t able to work through all the problems, issues and baggage which allowed them to actually start their relationship. Like a Blake who didn’t get that vital pep-talk from Sun at the end of Volume 4, or a Yang who likewise didn’t get that vital talk from Weiss in Volume 5.

Which in turn leads us to what I brought up earlier with Qrow joining up with the Ozluminati full-time, essentially representing a Blake who threw herself into reforming the White Fang instead of returning to Team RWBY and reconnecting with Yang. Meanwhile Tai simply throws himself into a deep depression, grief and ‘moping’, ironically all the things he would later accuse Yang of doing (at some point I’m going to do a post on just how much PROJECTING Tai has likely been doing…)

So now Qrow and Tai have this low-key toxic relationship where Qrow is more-or-less aware of Tai’s extremely dysfunctional parenting but has also been enabling it and a lot of Tai’s unhealthy coping mechanisms over the years because he’s been pining for Tai ever since their Beacon days and still is pining in a very depressed, self-loathing ‘I don’t deserve him/to be happy’ way and also doesn’t want to risk conflict with his former partner and also the only teammate he has left.

Thus Qrow keeps his distance and just goes along with Tai’s dysfunctions and/or lets Tai push him away. Which in turn just reinforces Tai’s abandonment issues.

And Ruby and Yang are still stuck with utterly dysfunctional parental figures.

Oh, and if you need more proof about the deliberate parallels between Blake and Qrow…

Then how about the whole damn song where they sing about how they’ve always felt terrible about themselves but now things are looking up for them.

[baileybeez]

My Top Ten Favorite Bumbleby Moments (My Opinion Obviously)

10. All Fight Scenes

I know I'm technically cheating on this one but whenever these two fight, I know I'm in for a good time. And all of them have been superb. These two are in sync without even communicating with each other. They know each other's abilities and know how to work together well in combat.

9. We're Protecting Each Other

This was a 'you had to be there' moment. It was insane. Even knowing these two would eventually confront Adam, the way they did it blew my mind. I loved seeing these two stand up together to confront Adam and become each other's strength's. They had each other's backs in this moment and were going to do it together.

8. We Were There For Each Other

This moment lived in my head rent free for months after the episode came out. They held hands before this to comfort each other during stressful times. Like Blake reaching out to apologize to Yang when she lost her arm and Blake reaching out when Yang's hand started to shake because of Adam. But this time, Yang reached for Blake in a moment of peace. After everything that happened, she forgave Blake and accepted her after everything they went through together. And all she wanted to do was just hold her hand again.

7. Volume 8 Reunion

The amount of gushing I and many others did during this moment was crazy. We were starved for Bumbleby interactions in Volume 8, especially after Volume 7 did so many with them both. After 24 hours of craziness, the two are at peace once again. Blake at first is worried since they did separate missions Yang might be mad that they didn't work together. But all Yang did to reassure her was smile and the two touched foreheads and later embraced each other. It was such a sweet moment.

6. Date Night

Volume 7 had so many good little bee moments that were adorable and I'm a sucker for fluff. Blake getting her new hair and Yang struggling to compliment it, the selfie, Blake falling asleep on Yang's lap with Yang holding her etc. But the two going to a club and off handedly mentioning they're gonna ignore Team FNKI just to have their own fun. You two can just call it a date, we won't judge lol. With Yang trying to teach Blake how to dance and Blake struggling to learn while laughing. I love how whenever Yang cracks a joke, she looks at Blake because she wants to make sure she see's Blake laughing. Not to mention Nora's comments later in the episode.

"Blake and Yang are off doing they're own thing again."

"Friends huh? Just friends?"

"Two people who have gone through that much? I think there's more going on."

And I will forever be mad RT didn't show us them at their date.

5. The Burning Candle

Ya'll this was the spark that ignited the ship. Not only is the Burning Candle just a great episode but it's an amazing moment for Blake and Yang. We get to see these two open up and communicate their wants and desires. With Yang telling Blake about her past and trying to help Blake so she doesn't push herself too far. And then of course at the end Yang gives her that wink and says 'I'll save you a dance'. Then we later see the two dancing. It was also the first time we saw Blake laughing and happy and it was all because of Yang. Yang who just asked for a dance in return for helping Blake and opening up about her past. I was sold on this ship when this episode came out.

4. How Disarming ~

The gay in my brain would not stop buzzing at this moment. It's amazing seeing how much Blake was the one openly flirting and initiating playful touch. There's a great post by @wixhing0nastar going over Blake's body language throughout the volumes. How a lot of the times Blake is more closed off in her posture, like how she holds herself. But here, she's leaning into to Yang's space and just playfully nudging her. She's not holding back. Also I swear I could hear Blake purr when she said 'How disarming'. Like my breath got caught in my throat. And then when Weiss said 'About time'. I knew this volume had to be the one where they finally get together.

3. Volume 9 Reunion

This is my favorite reunion of Bumbleby. Especially since we had to wait for so long for these two to be reunited. Blake was distraught last volume as she failed to save Yang and thought Yang died in front of her. Yang who had always been there to help her and fight by her side. And the first thing Blake does when she gets a free chance is to tackle hug Yang and hug her tightly. Softly whispering Yang in both disbelief and joy. And Yang simply holds her to reassure her like she did in Volume 8. Honestly, if Weiss and Ruby weren't there they would have probably stayed like that for hours lol.

2. I'm Not Gonna Break My Promise

This used to be my favorite Bumbleby moment of all time and for good reason. Blake and Yang had killed Adam. The first thing Blake does is weep and fall to her knees. She's gone through so much and much of it had to do with him. Her torment of him is over and the person she once knew was dead. And Yang wordlessly just holds her and lets Blake cry. Blake finally gets out that she won't break her promise and swears it. Earlier Adam had mockingly told Yang that Blake made a promise to him once and that she didn't follow through with it. And even earlier in the volume Blake had promised to be there if they faced him. Yang has seen Blake stood by her words with her actions. And just reassures Blake she knows Blake won't break her promise. No more words are exchanged as the two just hold each other and Blake just cries more.

The Confession and Kiss

Was anyone really surprised? I know I wasn't. I loved the number 2 moment on my list so much. But I knew as soon as we got the confession and kiss scene it would more than likely take my top spot. It was all a matter of how it was executed and it was done spectacularly. There's many essays and write ups on why this scene was so good so I apologize if I don't add much to the conversation.

But Blake and Yang are stuck in a punderstorm and are trying to figure out how to get out. With them eventually figuring out they need to say things about each other they've never said before. At this point the two have only really said cute things to each other and then Blake comes out with.

'I think....you're an extraordinary person.'

Honest to god I was already getting emotional from just that as Blake goes in some more. Talking about how Yang does what she says, she brightens others around her and is always brave even when she's scared. The looks and the song Worthy playing in the background only add to how monumental this moment was for me. With Yang talking about how she liked how Blake wasn't intimidated by her even back when they didn't get along. She also talks about how Blake doesn't give up on people even when other people hurt her and she never gives up because she knows what matters to her. Blake has tried to help others and has sometimes failed but she has tried to push through despite labeling herself as a coward. But Yang see's a person always trying to do what's best for the people she loves.

Then we get this moment.

These are my favorite expressions of the whole scene. It's so wholesome, pure and full of love in every detail. At this point the two know what needs to be said but Yang is at first hesitant and the bridge between them widens. Blake asks if Yang thought of something then didn't say it and Yang is so bashful as she is realizing she needs to say those three words. But Yang is scared, she compares it to a cliff and if she goes through with it she'll fall. I've always headcannoed that Yang's greatest fear is letting those she loves down. And that ties into how she fell at Beacon and fell in Volume 8. It can also tie to her with the aftermath of Mercury and feeling she let her team down. She's scared she won't be good enough and will lose it all. It also similarly ties into her abandonment issues.

But Blake points out, they're already falling. Their emotions aren't going to go away just because they're scared. They're already worried for each other when they're fighting to save the world and two thought they were dead last volume. With Blake thinking Yang died and she failed to save her. So Blake encourages Yang gently by telling her to say it.

And after a heavy sigh, Yang confesses with Blake jumping in before she can finish as the two say I love you. The bridge that separated them is gone and they're together. They look at each other with blushing cheeks with Worthy playing in the background. They pull into each other, Blake slowly smiling as they get closer and kiss each other. White lilies sprout from under them as the while lily symbolizes rebirth and rejuvenation of the soul. The flowers are also used at weddings and can also mean purity. It's such a perfect flower to fit this perfect this scene.

And there you have it, my top ten Bumbleby moments. There were lots of moments to choose from and so many of the ones I love unfortunately didn't make it on this list. So here are some honorable mentions down below.

[superiorsturgeon]

Jamie: (Arkos son) Everything is terrible!

Nala: (Bumbleby daughter) What’s your problem? Did your dad tell your mom another cringey pickup line while you were in the room?

Jamie: No!

Jamie: You know how my mom was a champion tournament fighter as a teenager? Apparently she was an even bigger celebrity than she lets on…

Jamie: It turns out that a bunch of people were in love with my mom and named their kids after her! 😫

Nala: …oh my gods… 😦

Jamie: There are four kids in my class named different variations of “Pyrrha!” My classmates are named after my mom! 🤢

Nala: Oh my gods! 😨

Jamie: *face in his hands* I’m going to be stuck in a class with them for the rest of the year…! 😰

Pyrrhia: *walking past* Hey, Nala! Hi Jamie!

Pyrrhus: Sup, guys!

Pyrrhin: Nala, can I borrow your notes from today’s lecture?

Pyrrha: *waves and winks* …hey, Jamie~! Want to join me in the sparring room later? 😘

Nala: Oh. My. GODS…

Jamie: 🤮

[firelxdykatara]

For literal years there was no reason, internal or external, why they couldn't/wouldn't admit to their feelings, which not only begs the question of why in the world it took a magical prison to force them to confess, but ensures that their relationship doesn't change as a result of that weight being lifted from their shoulders.

All of this post is 100% accurate, but this bit especially is why the 'confirmation' rang so hollow to me, and it's frustrating seeing this heralded as some amazing piece of queer rep when the show hasn't put any effort into making the relationship, well, a relationship, in all the years it has allegedly been planned.

(Also I just really do not believe that it was planned from the beginning, because I actually want to give the writers some credit and assume they aren't truly that incompetent. I'd buy that maybe they kicked the idea around a little in the early years, but I just don't believe anyone seriously sat down and said 'this is what's happening' until Volume 6 at least.)

It feels similar to Korrasami being made canon in the last five minutes of LoK, except that CRWBY don't have an overbearing parent company to attempt to shift the blame onto after the fact like Bryke did--it was an indie web series piggy-backing off the fame generated by their Halo fanfic series, there was nothing preventing them from confirming Blake and Yang's queerness on-screen years ago even if they wanted to waffle on actually confirming their feelings for each other.

And the fact that some of this could have been solved by actually having Blake and Yang talk to each other, rather than relying on a handful of looks, hand-holding, forehead touches, color-coding, and the fandom to fill in the blanks really grinds my gears. They haven't had a single substantive conversation since Burning the Candle back in Volume 2, despite having a lot of shit they need to have a conversation about.

They have yet to actually talk through and process Yang's abandonment issues and the way Blake triggered them by running off without a word after Volume 3. (This is abundantly obvious by their borderline codependence over the past few volumes, so no, I'm not buying 'they talked about it off-screen' as an excuse.) They have yet to talk about Yang's encounter with her mother, or anything she was feeling about those revelations. (As far as we can tell canonically, she still hasn't told anyone Raven is the Spring Maiden lmao.) They have yet to talk through and process the fact that they killed a man together. (And I don't care how much he deserved it in the moment--that shit would be traumatizing regardless! And they never discuss it! They mention it once in a conversation about something else entirely, and that just does not count.) They did not discuss anything that occurred in Volume 7, and despite Blake believing she watched Yang die at the end of Volume 8, they never talked about that either!

That's one of the things that was sorely missing from Volume 9, in fact--some actual emotion over what they just went through. Where was Yang's grief, if she spent her time alone on the island thinking she died but her sister and her friends had made it out, only to find them there? Where was Blake's anger at Yang for pulling the stupid move that got her 'killed' in the first place? (Seriously, one of the best tropes to pull in a romance where two people who haven't confessed feel forced to confront their feelings--when one of them nearly gets themselves killed, and the other gets angry at them for it, and then has to work out why, and then a Big Damn Kiss happens, which imo would've made for far better storytelling than trapping them on a bridge until they confessed for reasons that only make sense if you assume the island could see through the fourth wall and commune with the writers themselves.) Why was no one allowed to realistically react not only to their present circumstances, but to all the shit that had just happened to them that none of them even took a second to process?

It's just... so, so frustrating, to keep watching this show and see them come so close to genuinely good story beats or character moments, and then watch them sidestep around anything that might bring actual catharsis or feel narratively earned. I feel like the proverbial donkey constantly chasing after that carrot on a stick, always dangling just out of reach but promising something delicious if I just stick it out for long enough.

I think one of the things that bothers me most about the way RWBY has handled the whole b/umbleby thing is the fact that volume 9 kind of puts paid to the idea that their relationship was a 'slow burn'.

If it were a slow burn, if their relationship had been steadily growing and changing over the past few volumes and according to their experiences, then that burn ultimately resolving and becoming explicit and them getting together would have been a significant milestone that changed things between them so completely they could never go back to how things were before.

But... nothing changed. If you took out the confession and the kiss and Ruby's (understandable) anger... you'd never be able to tell anything had changed between them. They have the same level of physical affection and tenderness they've had since volume 6. They don't talk to each other any differently. There's been no change in their behavior, no evidence they are now a couple in a way that they were not before except their one single kiss. And that's just deeply unsatisfying to me.

This criticism popped up after the episode aired and I came across a couple of posts that, with lesser and greater respect, pushed back against it. One in particular was rather snide, asking what RWDE folks expected to change: for them to be kissing non-stop? Declaring their undying love at ten-minute intervals? Pulling out a ring for marriage? People are still themselves while dating, you know. Besides, they're a little busy at the moment!

Now, I personally believe that yes, there should be changes to their behavior. I likewise believe that this could have easily been accomplished if a) Blake and Yang hadn't already gone through the physical displays of affection that RWBY uses to confirm a romantic relationship (primarily hand-holding) and b) if they hadn't jumped straight to "I love you." Removing the numerous moments of hand-holding since Volume 6 would have left that as an easy, visual indicator of the change in their relationship (rather than the confusing "So are they canonical or not??" we got for three years). Likewise, having them admit to having a crush could have opened the door to actually dating which in turn could have eventually led to the big "I love you" moment. That's how you do a slow-burn post-confession: breaking up all those relationship milestones and thus making time for the characters to run into obstacles and celebrate the success of each step forward. The way bumblebee has been written, it simultaneously feels far too slow (why did it take 4+ years for them to admit they like each other?) and simultaneously way too fast (they don't actually admit that they like each other, but that they're IN LOVE).

Beyond what all might have been added though, I think it's worth considering what might have been lost in a better written romance. Slow-burns, as mentioned above, thrive on obstacles. There has to be a reason why the characters don't get together, whether that's internal ("I'm too afraid of commitment to date them") or external ("Our families will lose their shit if we date"). Seriously, this is like writing 101, yet Bumblebee gave us NOTHING. For literal years there was no reason, internal or external, why they couldn't/wouldn't admit to their feelings, which not only begs the question of why in the world it took a magical prison to force them to confess, but ensures that their relationship doesn't change as a result of that weight being lifted from their shoulders. If Blake was scared of what it would mean for her to love a human, or if Yang was scared to commit after losing so much else in life, or if there was homophobia to deal with in Remnant, or if they both wanted to wait until the Salem fight was over, or if they honestly didn't realize they had romantic feelings, or if one of them needed to come to terms with being queer first, or if there was a literal curse at play that hindered the relationship somehow... there are a HUNDRED ways to provide obstacles and the removal of any one of them would have changed both the character(s) and their relationship with each other.

Not to continually bring up my blorbo Trent Crimm, but Ted Lasso does this beautifully. With the removal of his obstacle (inability to admit that he's gay) Trent becomes a radically different person from who he was in Season One; a more authentic person. His style changes, he smiles more, his conversation becomes more "dorky," and his relationships with the rest of the cast likewise develops. What would Yang look like if she went on a journey of coming out as queer? What would Blake look like if she kept her activist roots by fighting for the right to date a human? How would they both act post-kiss if they'd been afraid, for whatever reason, to show that level of affection in public before? Something like holding hands could have been a radical act -- it IS for real queer people!! -- rather than a generic, cutsey detail we've been getting for years now.

Instead, as you say, anon, literally nothing changes. I am 99.9% convinced that Ruby wouldn't even know Yang was now dating Blake if they hadn't exited the storm still kissing because them sitting close and occasionally holding hands has been their norm since VOLUME SIX. Nothing changes because RT didn't do any of the work to write an actual, romantic relationship. They wrote a couple of years worth of implied queerbaiting and then confirmed it when it looked like RWBY would be cancelled. We don't know anything about them in regards to romance and/or sexuality. When did Yang realize she likes girls when she started the series only appreciating guys? Is Blake expected to marry anyone in particular given her status as the pseudo-princess of Menagerie? Have either of them ever been in a relationship before? Do they have any idea what they want out of a relationship? Does the fact that they're on a supposedly doomed quest with their world hanging in the balance have any bearing on their long-term plans? There are fictional couples who avoid admitting feelings because of the presumed hopelessness of their plot and there are those that grab at a relationship and hold on with both hands because they're determined to live and love for whatever time they have left. Bumblee offers none of this. Their love exists only between the two of them, primarily off-screen, separate from both the plot and the rest of the cast.

The fact that Yang never once talks to Ruby about her feelings and then the Volume drops Ruby's annoyance really says it all. Of course nothing changes. RT doesn't want to write a Blake/Yang subplot. They just want to have a queer couple among the main team to bring in viewers and sell merch. The fandom has done ALL the work to make Bumblebee a nuanced, heart-felt love story. It literally, barely exists on screen and what little we have gotten often makes no sense. They hide their feelings when they have no reason to. Yang is worried about a fight with Blake that never happened. They both say they love things about the other that sound like a list of generic Good Characteristics, rather than traits that actually align with these characters. They're caught kissing thanks to the magical world they're in and the characters treat this as a given, giving the story an excuse not to engage with their reactions because again, the story isn't interested in that. One reaction is tossed in for the drama? Don't worry, the tree will cure Ruby of her understandable anger that Yang is more concerned with holding Blake's hand than her sister's tragedy-inducing depression. Everything is only canon in the moment.

Outside of the kiss checkbox there's no romance here and, thus, no reason to show its development. All RT needed was to get one kiss on screen and then boom, their merch sells out and (they hope) Volume 10 is greenlit. Don't get me wrong, I'm still pleased it's actually confirmed now, but it's nevertheless the fans who are doing all the work to make this an epic love story, not the writers.

[tequiilasunriise]

Let’s see here- an abusive, narcissistic prick who manipulates women and has a clear red raging bull design but the fandom calls him a “fucken goatman” regardless?

At the very least Adam was so homophobic that, in a roundabout way, he became the number one Bumbleby truther (“I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love, starting with her”, “WHAT DOES SHE EVEN SEE IN YOU?!”, etc etc), the fuck does Montyass got going fer him???

[wandesu]

Bumbleby week day 3: Soulmates/ Reincarnation

Beehaw + feudal lord mlm past life soulmates my beloved