I can't believe it's been 3 years already.
Blake and Yang mean so much to me. I picked up this show when I was 14. I saw it on Netflix, back when volumes 1 and 2 were on Netflix, and I watched from volume 3 onward on YouTube, occasionally subscribing to RoosterTeeth when I just couldn't wait a week.
I already thought Blake and Yang made a great duo, and I adored their dynamic, but there was one moment that sealed the deal for me, and I think every shipper knows exactly what I'm talking about:
Burning The Candle. Volume 2, Episode 6. Blake had been "burning the candle at both ends" as the saying goes, running herself ragged with all the pressure on herself as she believes that with her former connections to the White Fang, it is her sole responsibility to pursue them. At the same time, everyone is preparing for a big school dance, and Blake has decided she doesn't have time.
And then comes the heart to heart. Yang pulls Blake aside, sharing a story of the restless search of her own mother and how she put herself and her younger sister in danger trying to find her. She begs Blake to take it easy and take care of herself.
"And if you feel like coming out tomorrow, I'll save you a dance."
The scene that really started it all. The wink. The smirk. The promise of a dance. They'd had some chemistry before, but this was the first big sign, and it's what sold me. Sadly, we didn't get much of the actual dancing, but it still existed.
They had plenty more little moments over the second and third volumes, but the end of volume 3 is where it really got angsty. Blake's abusive ex, Adam, returns, and he only wants to hurt Blake.
"And as I set out upon this world and deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves, I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love."
The camera pans, and we see Yang, calling out Blake's name.
When Yang runs in to defend Blake, Adam powers up his sword and cuts right through Yang's protective aura, severing her arm. Yang's arms meant everything to her. They're her primary weapons, and she lost one of them defending Blake.
After the attack, Blake flees, believing that her presence only brings suffering to the people around her, and she blames herself for Yang's injury. Yang takes it so personally.
"I don't know, and I don't care."
But it's so obvious she does.
Throughout the series there are so many little things, but if you're paying attention, you'll notice them. The way when Blake sees the rest of her team for the first time since the fall of Beacon, the first word out of her mouth is, "Yang?"
The way when the building is burning down, Yang takes Blake's hand before running.
The little ways they look at each other.
The fact that their eyes are the color of each other's souls, when color plays such a huge role in the theme of the show.
The way Yang saw the color purple and was immediately reminded of Blake, even worrying about how Blake sees her. The soft little forehead touch and blushing when they reunited after that for a second time. (Let's be real we thought they were going to kiss for a second)
I think for Blake it all came to a head at the end of volume 8. Blake watches Yang fall off the bridge and disintegrate into the void. For the first time ever, Blake throws her weapon for Yang and it just doesn't quite reach. The way she screams for Yang is gutteral and heart wrenching (massive props to VA Arryn Zech). In her mind, Yang just died and Blake never got to tell her how she truly feels.
In a fairy-tale world that exists beyond the void they both ended up falling into, they reunite for the third time. Blake is so relieved to see Yang that she full on tackles the woman to the ground. And then the soft little way she says "Yang."
Finally, after ten years, the moment we were all waiting for:
Confessions Within Cumulonimbus Clouds. Volume 9, Chapter 6.
The universe literally forces them together and tells them the only way out is to tell the other how they truly feel.
The scene is everything I could've hoped for. Beautiful, heartfelt, soft, satisfying.
"It's like a cliff, and if I do it, I'm just going to... fall."
"I think we're already falling.
She didn't even wait for her to finish. She had been waiting to hear those words, and she finally had.
The scene itself is beautifully animated, the colors in the clouds getting warmer and brighter as they find the courage to speak the truth. And the kiss - I screamed. I literally screamed out loud. I'd been waiting nearly 10 years for this moment, and it was all worth it. Their development felt so raw and natural and real.
Thank you to Monty, Arryn, Barbara, and everyone else who poured their heart and soul into this story, for bringing me the most meaningful fictional relationship of my life.
Forever and always my One True Pairing π€ππ
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