#but i do think she should have ..... a gf .... someday ..... in canon .

[beatriceeverytuesday-old]

Ans... Anya/Buffy ?? 👀💦

I wrote you a very long thing on why I love Buffy/Anya and honestly I might end up adding to it someday cause I have more thoughts. I can write essays about them apparently :)

What made you ship it?

Okay so here's the thing. There is basically nothing in canon to make anyone ship these characters. But that WILL NOT stop me!!! The primary reason I started thinking about these two is simply that they're two of my favorite characters, it's that simple. I'd love to see my favorites get together! Also they both go through so much in canon in life and in terms of relationships, I want my faves to be happy!! And the more I started thinking about it, I came up with a zillion reasons they should be together. The other reasons I ship them are combined with my favorite things about the ship so I'm gonna move on to that question now but honestly it's both.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

Okay so when I said there's nothing in canon to make anyone ship them I was wrong. What I meant was there's nothing acknowledged by the show, but it IS there! There's actually a lot of potential there for them to make a great pairing! So here are some of my thoughts on why. I think Anya had way more useful knowledge than the show/writers/other Scoobies ever gave her credit for. She was over 1120 years old and she'd been a demon for most of that time!! The show seemed to give her demonic knowledge when it was plot convenient and forget she has this skill when they don't want to use it. It's ridiculous. She'd save Buffy so much research time! Like in Something Blue when she immediately knows how to kill the demons chasing Xander, Buffy could bring her girlfriend on patrols and skip the research step.

Buffy puts a sword through Angel (season 2 love interest)! Buffy stabs Faith in the gut (season 3) love interest! Buffy puts a sword through Anya's chest...See where I'm going with this??? The homoeroticism of stabbing! We as a fandom don't talk near enough about this stabbing I'm just saying!!!

Buffy has a thing for reformed demons! She thinks they're hot! She wants to bang them! And even though she's an ex-demon, I think Anya fits this category!!! She belongs enough in the non-human world that she isn't normal and she wouldn't expect Buffy to be normal. She runs the magic shop! She has demon knowledge! She's very hot! Enough said :)

The sex part of their relationship!!! Anya loves sex and sees NOTHING shameful in it or in talking about it or wanting lots of it. The show and characters in the show try to place a lot of shame on Buffy for being as horny as she is. She deserves a gf who matches her with dtf energy. No shame, just lots of gay sex. Happily ever after for my best girlies :)

I think they'd understand each other in ways the other characters don't get them!! For example, Buffy is always struggling with wanting to be normal, lots of friends and family members put pressure on her at various points to be normal, Angel leaves and tells Buffy to find something normal, Buffy tries to be normal with Riley but she can't make him happy because she isn't normal enough for him. And people like Willow and Xander and Giles are always getting on Anya for saying things that are "inappropriate" or "not things humans should say" but the reality is she's more than an ex-demon, she's also autistic. Buffy is used to bringing up topics at the dinner table such as killing things in convents or weird squiggly demons, so not only do I think she wouldn't mind that Anya wants to talk about her seemingly unconventional interests, but I like to think Buffy would hold space for that.

Piggybacking off that last one: they're both neurodivergent! Anya is autistic, Buffy has ADHD.

They both know what it's like to give everything you have to a man and he leaves. That feeling of not being enough to make him stay. They could absolutely bond over that.

I don't want the scene where Anya agrees with Xander that Buffy did something wrong that made Riley leave, I think it's out of character and the writers on their weird having Xander shame Buffy for Riley leaving arc. I want the scene where Anya checks on Buffy and, even though she doesn't have her powers, tells Buffy exactly what she'd do to Riley on Buffy's behalf if she could. I want more of the people in Buffy's life on the side of supporting her through this break up!

Anya is extremely blunt and says what's on her mind. Buffy has a history of having romantic interest in people who play mind games or who aren't open with their feelings/aren't big on starting conversations about how they feel. (Trying to read Angel's thoughts in Earshot, she says something about having Faith for giving her confusing mixed signals.) If Anya were happy, or upset, or any emotion, Buffy would know immediately! No guessing! And Buffy is a huge represser, but why repress your true feelings if your partner is totally honest? I think it would give her space to feel like she could share.

Anya who was invested in the financial wellbeing of the relationship would make sure Buffy got paid as the slayer!!! I understand that part of the point of season 6 is "life is hard" but Angel and his team basically start making money from the first episodes of his spin off and it drives me insane that these shows run side by side and everyone acts like Anya is crazy and greedy for so much as suggesting it. Buffy needs money so she doesn't lose her home and her family and it's going to be difficult if not impossible for her to hold a normal person job.

Buffy really struggles with housekeeping tasks (raising Dawn, keeping the living room picked up, cooking proper meals, fixing leaks) and I think this is partially her character, partially mental illness, and partially that she's just so busy that these things get neglected. But we see Anya really folds herself into the housewife mold for Xander. I don't think she should ever be treated as "just" a housewife, but being useful to a partner in that way seems to be something she enjoys. Anya is big on trying to discover her own identity, on finding labels for where she fits in the world (her employee status, her relationship status, being an American) and so I think recognizing that these are tangible things to do for Buffy and having visual, physical, concrete evidence of the fact that she's needed and appreciated and of value is so important to Anya. Also the Summers could eat something other than fried chicken and Doublemeat Palace and pizza.

This might be me being me but I personally see Buffy as trans non-binary and Anya is over 1000 years old and non-binary people have always existed, history has just tried to cover them up. Anya would surely have seen them throughout history, would understand exactly what Buffy is experiencing, and would be an awesome resource in making sure Buffy knows this is normal. Acceptance and unconditional support for trans Buffy!!!!!

Magic Box Anya + Slayer Buffy!!! Their "jobs" already overlap, so Buffy can see her girlfriend every time she goes to the Magic Box!!!

They both love sarcasm and puns!!! Wordplay girlies!!!!!

The amount of times they use their environment to their advantage!!! Buffy is so good at it and Anya, admittedly less so haha but they're both quick on their feet! Buffy stops a witch by kicking down a mirror! She stakes a vampire with a pumpkin patch sign! Anya, even when she has an any weapon available to her, always grabs the weirdest things (the baseball bat in The Gift, the magnifying glass in Family). Unconventional weapon solidarity!!!!!

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

These two are a rare pairing so shipping them in and of itself is an unpopular opinion I guess? But actually there is absolutely nothing I can think of!!! They are perfect in every way they are two of my favorite girlies I want Anya to survive season 7 and the two of them to live happily ever after :)

[vivilove-jonsa]

Happy New Year Viv!

Sorry about the forced socialization. I'd trade places with you if I could. Parties with strangers is one of my favorite things (I know, I know), but we are hunkering down here, unfortunately.

I've had this fic idea in my head forever, but I don't know that I'll every get to it with the pace I'm getting through my existing wips. So this isn't necessarily a question or a prompt (though if it inspires anything, like I said, I probably won't get to it), but just a gift of this unwritten fic that will probably never see the light of day

- Coffeeshop AU where Jon is Sansa's manager at a hipster coffeeshop. He is a grumpy coffee snob. She actually smiles at customers and thinks they should stock oat milk and syrups. They don't really get along.

- One day Jon leaves his laptop open on the counter after his shift is over (he's in the back or something), when Jeyne, Sansa's roommate is visiting the shop. Jeyne snoops, and they discover that Jon is a popular BNF and fanfic writer in the same fandom (similar to GoT) that Sansa is also a popular (but more niche) fanfic writer.

- Later that night, at their apartment, they snoop more. Jon writes plot heavy, political fics that are 300,000+ words with a focus on medieval accuracy and NO SMUT. Sansa writes hurt/comfort steamy romances between a non-canon pair that her part of the fandom is sure will eventually be canon, but they are often dismissed.

-Feeling cheeky, Jeyne leaves a comment on Jon's latest chapter (logged in as Sansa) that says "When is someone, anyone, going to bang already?"

- Sansa is aghast but it also makes her laugh. She deletes the comment and forgets about it, until the next morning when she logs into tumblr and realizes Jon has been sending her messages.

- This turns into a situation where she and Jon start working on a fic together under their pseudonyms but only Sansa knows that WhiteWolf23 is Jon and CommitCrimesforLemonCakes is Sansa.

-Hijinks ensue!

Anyway, Happy New Year! I hope the forced socialization is more pleasant and passes faster than expected!

Anna!!! This is AMAZING and I want this fic someday! I don't care if I've gotta wait for it 🤩

Seriously, I love a good Coffee Shop AU and I want to do another Career Day Romance this year but this one needs your perfectly Snarky Jon who's still loveable with his Coffee Snobbery and 300K word fics with NO smut 😂.

I love that Sansa's clearly a Jonsa in this (they hate us cause they ain't us 😌) and I'm with her on writing romance over political-focused fics 💤

I have a half-started story of Sansa the hidden fic writer but it's told from Theon's POV. Basically, Theon discovers his gf Jeyne reading fanfic and gets into it. Later, he realizes that one of his and Jeyne's favorite writers in Sansa. (My real-life bestie and I bond over this stuff after all.) Theon, being Theon, assumes that single Sansa must get all her amazing smut scenes from stuff Jeyne's shared about them when she's actually secretly involved with Jon. Hilarity ensues when this comes out. But anyway...

Thank you so much for brightening my inbox with this deliciousness and I hope you enjoy your hunkering down. Lucky for me, these aren't strangers (that would really have me running for the hills) but a 'late' extended family Christmas. I just want to be comfy tonight, you know?

[mn0tes]

⚠️ WARNING: MAY CONTAIN “THE PROMISED NEVERLAND” (TPN) SPOILERS ⚠️

TATTLETALES from a 🐄

Does Norman like Emma romantically?

According to the TPN Q&A, the author (Kaiu Shirai) didn’t intend for Norman to have feelings for Emma when planning for Chapter 4 of the story but the editor (Takushi Sugita) suggested the iconic “Because I like/love her” phrase which the author later adopted in the manga. Shirai explained that the phrase helped add depth in Norman’s character that’s why he was sold on the idea of him having feelings for her.

The TPN production team had to follow a “no romance” banner as directed by the editor so that the story will fit into the Weekly Shonen Jump (WSJ) criteria. Sugita forgot that he even suggested the phrase. In his point of view, Norman likes Emma because she is a source of inspiration for him. Romantic feelings were not considered in his part. FUN FACT: Whenever Norman and Emma have a romantic-like atmosphere, he instructs the team to have it toned down.

Shirai, on the other hand, left it open for the audience’ interpretation. He felt that Emma was both a love interest and an inspiration for Norman. Their relationship has a sense of partnership and respect which is more complex than a straightforward “boy romantically loves a girl” kind of way.

What kind of relationship does Ray have with Emma?

Sugita specifically instructed not to depict Ray and Emma’s relationship as anything romantic. It was and should be purely “sibling love”. In addition, Shirai had no intention and vision to ship this boat. However, he said that it’s still open for audience’ interpretation (Ship it if you like, don’t ship it if you don’t 😎). FUN FACT: In an interview, Sugita mentioned that Ray and Anna is his favorite couple. He even used his absolute authority as an editor to make Ray and Anna scenes canon in the manga. Do you remember the scene when Anna was caring for Ray? (I think this was after the jailbreak arc) Shirai added that scene as a tribute to his editor.

On the other hand, the author considered a different partner for Ray at one point and that was Ayshe. It was because of their similarities of having a “monster” parent (Different version. Mama Isabella and Ayshe’s adopted father) however he eventually scraped the idea because he couldn’t accept the thought of Ray being extremely lucky enough to have a beautiful gf like Ayshe.

Who is Emma’s love interest?

It’s Phil.

There’s no denying the deep connection between Emma and Phil. What?! Scratch that. It’s NOT Phil. I’m just kidding. 😅

All jokes aside, the TPN’s axis doesn’t revolve around romance as previously discussed so it’s only logical that Emma didn’t end up with Norman, Ray, or anyone else when the onscene panels of the manga ended. However, there’s was no denying the author’s fondness for Emma and Norman’s relationship. When Shirai was still writing the story, he had written too many romantic scenes between the two but those were toned down and depicted as foreshadowings in the manga.

In the end, the author left the audience to analyze the subliminal messages in the manga. For shippers (like me), I pray that someday we’ll be able to see if the relationship we root for will eventually sail in the offscenes or anime.

I plan to do an analysis of the foreshadowings so please stay tune and follow me for more TPN content. Thank you! 🤓

[northelypark]

Tagged by @101flavoursofweird (thank you!!) Tagging @chyouxart and @dappledwrites 

Answers under the cut!

How many works do you have on AO3?

Eight. Mostly Lamplight Letters related stuff. I want to eventually branch out and write about other PL characters, but there’s so many ideas I still want to explore with Clive, Amelia, Gemma, and Bernard, so... expect mostly them for the indefinite future.

What’s your total AO3 word count? 

59,512

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Rayman, Professor Layton, and I once wrote a High School Musical/Kingdom Hearts crossover as a teen wherein I shipped Ryan Evans and Aerith and I wish I still had it so I could laugh at it. 

In the past, I’ve written mostly original stuff. It takes a really special fandom to hit that sweet spot of me being totally obsessed with it and feeling like there’s room to explore and expand on characters or ideas. 

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Lamplight Letters (22) - My current big project. Amelia and Clive solve mysteries at a boarding school together.

 Awakening (7) - The first of an ongoing series that explores an AU where Clive is turned into a vampire and inadvertently finds himself out of prison and in a London very different than the ones he remembers. 

Queen of Spades and Spoons tied for third (6) - Both Climelia fluff/angst so this makes me happy they’ve gotten a few kudos

Traces of Glitter and Taxonomy tied for fourth (5) - Both Gemma stories. I need to write more happy fluff for her, she deserves it. 

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes, and I’m trying to be better about responding quickly, now that I’m more involved in the fandom again. I had about a two year hiatus where I was figuring a lot of stuff out and it took me months to respond to comments. I’m going to try to keep up with them better, as best I can, because I really do appreciate everyone who takes the time to comment on my stuff. I never expected anyone to enjoy fics involving my OCs or my niche pairing in an equally niche fandom, but it means a lot to me and always makes my day when I see a new comment. 

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Awakening. I don’t want to spoil it, just in case anyone reading this wants to check it out, but Clive has an all around bad time. 

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not yet 👀 Though I am forever amused by the hate Clive/Amelia received on a Layton confessions blog a few years back. As one of the only people making content for the ship I guess that can be construed as hate toward my fics lolol. I’m just flattered I managed to produce enough content of them for someone to get angry.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Yes, but nothing I’ve published. Maybe someday, if I ever feel confident and comfortable enough. Just older Climelia things. But I’d rather explore the story of how they slowly reconnect as adults before I dive into anything spicy lol. I feel like that’s something I have to earn. 

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of?? I would be kind of flattered I guess, because of how niche my stuff is. 

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but definitely impressed by those who take the time to translate fics.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No and probably never will. Writing is challenging enough without adding collaboration to the mix. The closest I’ve come is the back and forth head-canons and drabbles me and my gf @chyouxart send each other. 

What’s your all time favorite ship?

Clive/Amelia. Don’t ask me how an obscure rare-pair grew to be my OTP. It started out with loving both characters and also thinking they’d have good chemistry and things building from there. I liked the challenge of writing a backstory for them and having to create their relationship from scratch.

I’m a sucker for the dynamic of too very cold, very proud people slowly opening up and becoming warm and soft towards each other through rocky, slow-burn friendship. And rivalry banter that turns into flirting. And both having difficult pasts that have eroded their trust and slowly learning to mend it through the things they go through together. And of course the angst that comes with Clive’s eventual decisions and what might happen to their relationship after that. Climelia is my tailor-made ship. It also has big sentimental value, because it’s the ship that allowed me to safely explore a lot of things I didn’t fully realize about myself and further connect with my now gf @chyouxart so it means a lot to me. 

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Lamplight Letters T_T I guess I should amend this question to I hope I’ll be able to finish it. I’ve just been working on it for so long, and now that I’m re-writing a lot of it, it’s going to take even longer. It’s been a bit discouraging, but also I feel a lot better about the early chapters and it is satisfying to see how my writing has improved. I just hope to one day complete it and be able to turn my attention to other big projects, even if that day is still far off. 

What are your writing strengths?

I think I’m pretty good at writing descriptions, especially for locations? I’m also always pretty proud of my metaphors and similes, though I’m trying to learn to use them more sparingly.  I’m a lot more confident in my internal monologues now after writing so many for Amelia.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Not something I’ve attempted yet, and if I did, I’d want to make sure I did my research and would be able to portray other languages respectively and authentically. It can add a lot to a character if done well, if done poorly it just comes off as a gross caricature. 

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

Rayman. I was obsessed with the original PS1 game and created an entire expanded universe for it.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Lamplight Letters will always be my baby. I love it. I hate it. I could spend the rest of my life working on it. I want to throw it into space. I wrote the first chapter on a bored whim and it quickly grew into the most ambitious writing project I’ve ever worked on. Definitely served as a writing boot camp for me and I feel like I’ve grown a lot through it, including meeting some amazing people in the fandom. 

[cloveroctobers]

IBRAHIM JARVIS —

IG info/bio: @/OFFICIALRAHIMJARVIS | 130k followers | pro🏌🏿, & yes i was on that dating show...don’t obsess over other people, obsess over water, stay hydrated friends!

22 (23) years old

From Birmingham, England

Pisces sun? + Virgo moon + Cancer rising

Parents are both Afro-Antiguan and Barbudans + migrated to The UK once they were pregnant with their first child

They’ve been married for over 20 years

He gets his height from both of his parents

His mother keeps her hair buzzed short, cooks the best Antiguan food + loves creole seasoning, she’s 5’11, & works as a bank teller

His father is 6’5, works as a substance a*use counselor & does not believe in tough love as a way of showing you care about your children. He learned that the hard way growing up

Ibrahim is a pro golfer & dislikes tiger woods, “he’s a proper arsehole, typical American yeah?”

Got into the craft thanks to his maternal grandfather who was also into golf along with other sports & taught him all he needed to know. At first Ibrahim didn’t like it, found it rather boring & would rather stick to video gaming but his grandfather wanted to break his grandchildren out of staying in the house all the time

It kept him fit and also relieved any anxiety Ibrahim had in life and he had a good amount

He’s got an incredible swing, thanks to his long arms

He’s 6’3

Has three older brothers: Jesse (27) , Keithroy (25), and Reuben (24)

He loves working out and spotting other people, feels likes it’s a team effort & he’s a team player

Drinks gallons of water on a daily and nothing else, it’s even better if he puts fruit in it

Always eating fruit, for breakfast/with or after his dinner. Rather eat fruits than vegetables...yes he’s an adult but he can’t stand broccoli or radishes

Canon: hates seeing other people test their fruit to see if it’s ripe or not. But it’s fine when he does it himself, he just thinks about all the germs that are on other peoples hands when they’re doing so; it physically makes him sick & irritated if he ends up touching the fruit that’s mushy/lumpy

He’s a big fan of comics. Always has been since he’s a kid and has a huge collection of them, his oldest ones are packed away in a couple of crates (in his loft room that he uses as a extra storage room) since he no longer has space in his room. Yes he has no shame (and shouldn’t) of having them on display even tho his oldest brothers clown him for it

Massive fan of black panther & was hyped when it first came to theaters. Saw it three times in one day

Was heartbroken when Chadwick Boseman p*ssed

He’s awkward at expressing himself & sometimes it makes him feel misunderstood & it’s frustrating

Hates people that come up with these ideas of him instead of allowing him to collect his thoughts and speak them the right way

Yet he can be the type of person that wants to ignore issues and hope they go away

He wishes people had enough patience like he did with others in the world

He seeks advice from his dad, since he’s a counselor & everything yet it’s slightly different?

Can be a sweetie & very romantic in relationships

Will do the most (he won’t see it that way) & drop $ on you if he wants to...buying things, trying & failing to DIY, doing wealthy ppl shit, expensive trips— canon: taking his girl to Spain? Was it? Or Italy? I don’t remember... the whole 9

Had 1 gf before the villa. He broke up with her for being too flashy with his things & found that she wouldn’t have liked him if he didn’t have a bit of money

His parents live with him. “They’re basically my roommates until or if they find a house they like.” He didn’t go overboard once he got his first paycheck, he didn’t need a mansion but he did go big enough, industrial style but homey with some minor modern touches for his dream home—he didn’t want it to feel cold or penthouse-like

Isn’t too flashy on the socials but will post something every now & then if he feels the need to show it

Doesn’t post much of his face, mostly what he’s doing in the moment...lots of golfing pics!

Dresses like a dad but it works for him. Loves a good snug polo & plaid trousers/regular that are cut above the ankle, “those are highwaters innit?!” “No mum, it’s the style.” Rolled up jeans, tall white socks & some patterned, baggy sweaters, fancy hats, picks oxfords over sneakers, etc...

Definitely takes the time to iron/steam/press his underwear & socks

Enjoys getting his hair braided, isn’t tender-headed at all (must be nice)

Only grows his hair out during the fall/winter seasons or cuts/gets a shape up

When he posts about his tournaments or time at the golf course, he can always count on Bobby to comment the usual... @/returnofdamckenzie: do you ever have moments where you Reenact troy bolton on the lovely green grass? @/officialrahimjarvis: Idk whether to block u or have a laugh mate, yes i had to look him up!

Dated Jo for about 5 months after the villa until she broke up with him, finding that their lifestyles were too hectic for them to continue, at least that was her public statement to the fans but they really grew apart & the “love” was no longer there

Ibrahim seemed to be more upset about it than Jo in the beginning resulting in snappy replies for awhile, which again stems from him not knowing how to express himself

She checked up on him A LOT, almost as if they never broke up but Ibrahim felt like he needed his space now. They talked it out the best they could over dinner and got closure but that didn’t mean it didn’t sting. He just didn’t think it was needed to be calling each other everyday to see how they were both holding up. If they were done, then that’s what they should be

Jo didn’t see it that way. She still cared for Ibrahim, that didn’t mean that they had to stop talking in her view. She wanted to know how he was coping, and was known for “sticking her foot in her mouth” so that was also a flaw in their relationship

She would say certain things that touched on how she was feeling but didn’t express them at the right times & then there was Ibrahim who didn’t know HOW to say the things he felt which left jo to assume things

Ibrahim was back to the single life and he hated it. He wanted someone he could come back home to, someone that wanted to be with him for the long run. A part of him feels like Jo wasn’t planning to be with him for the long run in the first place and in a way that was okay? Sometimes you don’t know where you’re going in relationships but there should be some sort of goal? Maybe? At least that’s what he thought. Yeah they had fun but he wanted more someday

He was still young he didn’t need to be hung up about it right? Sike. He didn’t know how to take things lightly. That wasn’t how he was built. And to get comments about his ex relationship and have fans dragging him about his choices in the villa A YEAR later!!! Was disheartening

Shannon seemed to be doing well. He thought they would still be friends, at least that’s what she showed before she left the villa. Before he got her dumped. They talked a couple of times since then, jo personally wasn’t a fan of that—Shannon didn’t care but it was clear there was some tension still there

Until he contacted her just to realize she probably had his number blocked but her IG was public and she had a new man & was traveling about

His dad and Reuben were the only ones rooting for them

He had no choice but to be happy for her. Who was he to come in between that? Not that he wanted to but it’s a natural reaction to wonder after a fresh breakup, “what if?”

Talks to Priya every so often now. He seems to find comfort in her, it’s the same for her on her end

His mother has a feeling Priya is the one her son will end up with. Even if she is older...Keithroy also liked her the best

While Jesse seemed to be the only one who supported his relationship with jo

I honestly thought he would have liked Hannah in the beginning but idk if it was him or Gary that said she was too unrealistic when it came to love? I think they both said something along those lines which is odd since it seems Ibrahim has no problem treating his girl like a princess

Probably only has one special dish that he can cook the best & it’s gumbo. otherwise hes out of the kitchen or having his personal chef cook for the family

Goes live on twitch—when he has time, playing many games with the boys from the villa, which pleases the fans

Talks to them all as much as he can

Noah seems to be the first to always text back since Bobby is the one who’ll start off responding in minutes then forget to text back cause he’s off doing handstands or booping people on the nose or some shit, Gary always ends up busy doing something with his nan or for Lottie—but Noah’s always around

They seem to be the closest outside the villa, they mesh well & hang out the most when they can

he likes having his sound on & LOUD when he texts! There’s something so satisfying about hearing the clicking of texting to him

Watches a lot of sports on the Telly, it doesn’t have to be just golf. Usually watching that sport sends him right to sleep while the others keep him active/vocal...yes he’s a tv yeller

Holds sports parties at his home & invites all of his family & mates, he HATES having to clean up afterwards. If it wasn’t for his mum he would save the cleaning until the next day yet he doesn’t mind cleaning his car twice a week

Continues to make his violet man drink & wouldn’t be opposed to someone giving him a endorsement deal for it

Is the “I love everybody!” Drunk

Enjoys yard work over cleaning the house

Has his own customized golf cart that he keeps in his garage

He likes driving that more than his Buick suv tbh

Wants kids some day, not too many, not too little just right— he’ll probably have two but for rn his Doberman pinscher is his bby

Either ends up with Priya with slight insecurities that she’s too good for him or he falls in love with a tennis player, either way I’m fine with both

Crushes/his type? : Jojo Levesque, SERENA WILLIAMS, China McClain, Brie Larson, Victoria Pedretti, Nathalie Emmanuel, & Keke Palmer

Listens to: Aminé, Big Sean, Frank Ocean, Brent Faiyaz, Pink $weats, B Young, Ali Gatie, Russ, Raveena, Jessie Reyez, Rayana Jay, Cosima, TianaMajor9 etc...

Anthem = Lucky Daye, “Buying Time”

[heathneycanon]

okay so i ranked 113 total drama/ridonculous race ships based on how much i like them with explanations below the cut.. fair warning that i’m a lil mean to some of the ships lower on the list.

also i forgot to include dwayne senior and that one girl’s mom from rr because i literally forgot they existed until now, and i don’t want to manually add them in so i’ll just say that i think they’re cute but not super interesting.

EDIT: this has been updated post-roti-rewatch. i switched around the order of a couple ships, and added a new one. if i ever rewatch rr or pahkitew i’ll probably edit it again, but the likelihood of me rewatching either of those seasons any time soon is... ok i was about to say it was slim but it’s probably not

also i’m not ever adding in dwayne and the mom because i like it being a part f the description lmao. an afterthought. as it should be.

enjoy!

113. stephanie/ryan - i HATE the daters/haters. they’re like a weird, shitty mix of tda gidgette and duncney. like, they’re either annoyingly all over each other, or they’re toxic and fighting. tbh, they’re pretty toxic all the time. they stuck around for way too long imho.

112. jacques/josee - I CHANGED MY MIND IGNORE THIS

111. tom/jen - tom is canonically gay, and i hc jen as a lesbian. so i’m not a fan of this ship.

110. nemma - yeahh, knowing me, this is also a predictably low ranking. i hc noah as gay and emma as a lesbian, so again, i don’t vibe with this one.

109. coderra - i can only deal with this ship in rewrites. i’ve seen super well thought out rewrites of coderra and sierra’s character, but as it stands, i really don’t ship this at all.

108. davesky - dave is an incel lmao. anyway yea this ship initially seemed like bootleg zoke, which was kind of bootleg gwent, but then BOY did davesky get worse. i can’t stand dave and i can’t stand pairing him with sky, either.

107. leonard/sugar - why. i hate both of these characters. no thank u.

106. ella/dave - ok so u know i don’t like dave. i also hc ella as a lesbian, she hasn’t realized it and is dealing with comphet. i don’t like this ship.

105. topher/ella - i hc both of them as gay. they are friends tho.

104. macarthur/brody - in case you’re noticing a trend, i do in fact hc macarthur as a lesbian. i also don’t really care about her at all lmao. anyway, not a fan of this one. i really don’t understand why fresh thought this was a good idea.

103. noah/katie - again, i hc noah as gay, but this ship is more funny to me than anything else because these characters were shipped together so often early on, when they both a) barely had any characterization and b) had never interacted? anyway yea i don’t ship it.

102. cameron/sierra - this one’s weird? literally sierra had a crush on him or whatever because he reminded her of cody even though they’re… nothing alike? dude please get sierra some therapy oh my god

101. heather/justin - i knew someone who really, really shipped them once, which is why i’m including it. anyway i cannot see this ship at all, next.

100. amy/rodney - i guess this existed? i barely remember pahkitew, and i know rodney had a bunch of crushes, but this is the main one i remember so it’s the only one i can be bothered to include. anyway this relationship didn’t seem healthy at all.

99. max/scarlett - i don’t like max and i don’t really care about scarlett, but i also hc both of them as gay, so this is a no from me.

98. gwody - creepy and bad. i don’t trust people who ship this or davesky.

97. dashawn - shawn can do better. that one scene where they look at each other when dave has to kiss the person next to him is kinda funny tho.

96. topher/dave - marginally better than all other dave ships just because topher is there and i like topher. again tho, topher can do much better.

95. malejandro - why does this ship exist.

94. ezekiel/bridgette - not my thing at all. i don’t care about zeke too much, and i have a lot more ships with bridgette that i prefer over this one.

93. cody/beth - i only care about cody in certain contexts, and i practically never care about beth. i wouldn’t click off of a fic if this were a background pairing or whatever, but i definitely wouldn’t seek it out.

92. ezekiel/beth - again, don’t really care about beth or ezekiel that much. but in certain contexts, i can see why this would be cute.

91. courtney/jose - the only way this is cute is alongside aleheather, so that courtney and heather could marry into the same family. but also, why is this a ship that exists?

90. scourtney - i love both scott and courtney, but no thank u. they had absolutely no chemistry, and courtney was using scott both in the competition and as a rebound. not a fan.

89. gwen/cameron - is this a thing that exists? i found a screenshot of gwen kissing cameron on the cheek but is that edited? if it is real, i probably blocked it from my mind.

88. courtney/cameron - now i know this one exists in the weirdest, stupidest way the show could’ve gone about it. barely even qualifies as a ship, and it’s definitely not a good one.

87. duncan/zoey - i kind of see why others would like this one, but at the same time, it doesn’t really appeal to me.

86. alejandro/courtney - i love alejandro and i love courtney. but i can only see them as friends, tho i can see them like. kissing just because they’re bored. or to fuck with people. they did that in the show, right? kind of? i forget the specifics.

85. chris/blaineley - while i guess i can see why people ship this, chref is canon and blaineley is a lesbian.

84. katie and/or sadie/justin - why would katie or sadie date justin, when they’re in love?

83. gwuncan - maybe could’ve been good, but literally everything about how they got together and their relationship in canon has tainted my view of this ship. i definitely preferred them as friends in tda anyway. there’s a lotta cute gwuncan fanart out there so i do rb it sometimes tho. i see why people ship this, i get the potential, but for me it’s soured by world tour.

82. laurie/miles - who?

81. mary/ellody - yea ok they’re smart gfs, but also i literally don’t give a shit about either of them.

80. pete/gerry - they’re definitely dating but again i don’t care about them.

79. mike/cameron - not a horrible ship by any means, i just don’t really like cameron that much.

78. alejandro/justin - there are so many superior alejandro ships. and a handful of slightly better justin ships.

77. carrie/devin - wow they didn’t have a storyline that was original in any way! they’re pretty cute tho.

76. sanders/macarthur - would be higher but acab.

75. macarthur/josee - i really like the whole rivals to lovers thing, but again, acab. this is higher than sanders/macarthur because of the rivals to lovers, but mostly it’s because there’s only one bastard cop here rather than two.

74. owen/alejandro - i don’t really mind this one, but i see it as more of a one sided crush on owen’s side.

73. lightning/cameron - i don’t really care about cameron, but the jock/nerd dynamic is kinda good.

72. rockspud - they’re definitely a couple, but as the trend indicates, i really can’t bring myself to care too much about rr ships.

71. lindsay/beth - best beth ship, worst lindsay ship. i like one this better if lindsay is also dating tyler.

70. lindsay/lightning - a crackship i made up when i was eleven. i just think it’s really funny.

69. noco - not a bad ship, it’s just not my thing. i definitely see why other people ship it, i just ship both of them with other people.

68. ella/sugar - i see why people ship this as well, but i just really don’t like sugar. i can bring myself to see past that because this dynamic is genuinely good.

67. sierra/heather - i’ve seen this in au’s and rewrites of sierra’s character, and i see the potential. not bad.

66. bawn - they’re cute i guess? i just never really saw the appeal. they’re not bad by any means, it just seems kind of bland.

65. dakota/zoey - okay so i’m adding this one in as i’m reordering stuff because i rewatched roti. i didn’t have this here initially but their friendship was cute until zoey was all “she’s scary” and voted her off. just saying, if zoey wasn’t written as a hypocrite and was actually written as a COOL character that lived up to the potential of her concept, this would’ve slapped. also i love any combo of dawn, zoey, and dakota, because they’re cute. i’m not including poly ships on here because that’d make things wayy complicated, but i’d be here for a poly ship of these three.

64. scott/zoey - UPDATED. was originally “yea something about this rubs me the wrong way. i feel like if i rewatched roti i would remember what, but i’m not going to do that just for this list. maybe someday.” i ended up rewatching roti for unrelated reasons the next day, and honestly? this one is not that bad. could be cute, potentially.

63. dj/katie - i guess this one’s pretty cute? i don’t really remember them interacting, but i guess i can see why someone would like this.

62. dunhar - i see why people ship this one. i kind of like it? i feel like it would work really well in an au or a rewrite.

61. dott - UPDATED. was originally “i used to kind of like this ship, but now i really don’t. i do love the idea of dawn and scott as best friends who bully each other in the friendly kind of way, though.” but i rewatched roti and... this has potential. i kinda like it. still prefer the bullying friendship tho.

60. scott/mike - again, i see why people would ship it. i’m not sure if people actually do? but it seems like the sort of thing i might have shipped in middle school, so someone probably likes it. but meh, it’s not really my thing anymore.

59. topher/shawn - i don’t remember if these two interacted but i guess this could be cute? maybe?

58. sky/ella - yea it’s cute i guess? i don’t really have an opinion on this one beyond that.

57. dawn/dj - i mean… i get where this comes from. i fully understand. i personally see them becoming close friends, but i also see why people would ship them.

56. dawn/brick - again, i see them much more as friends, but i get why people would ship them.

55. geoff/gwen - this ship kinda interests me because it was originally going to be canon in camp tv, but because of that one gweoff friendship episode in island i see them as unlikely friends.

54. dj/bridgette - maybe you’re sensing a trend here, but i see them as friends. i could probably get on board with shipping them, though.

53. deather - i like them as friends more, but i do think a relationship between them could be fun.

52. ella/dawn - i feel like i’ve seen this ship? it’s not bad! i’m not the biggest fan of ella but this is pretty cute.

51. zoke - i really want to like them, and i wish they were written better. as is, i kind of ship them? there’s nothing wrong with zoke. but both as characters and as a ship, they could’ve been so much better.

50. noah/justin - this one’s interesting! i’ve never actively shipped it, but i can see it for sure. it’s cute!

49. owen/justin - again, not something i’ve actively shipped, but i like it!

48. carrie/kitty - i think they’re both in their late teens? like 18ish? appropriate ages for each other? if so, i like this one. they’d be cute

47. josee/jen - yea i like this. i feel like they would get along pretty well. they’re both successful in their own right. power couple for sure.

46. tom/jacques - again. power couple. i also think they’d go on double dates with jen and josee, which i like a lot. honestly both of these teams are the epitome of mlm/wlw solidarity. i like this one.

45. alecody - i like it! i don’t have much to say about them at all, but i like it.

44. brody/geoff - good ship! putting the romance in bromance. i like this one more when it’s combined with gidgette though.

43. anne maria/vito - originally i put “what is the appeal of this ship? genuinely asking.” as the description, and then an anon sent in this reply: “You wanted the appeal of anne maria and vito? Well here it is; they are both so dumb. Not a brain cell between the two of them. Imagine them trying to do anything domestic like. They could not assemble a bookshelf or make a pot of spaghetti without it turning into a horrible, but memorably fun, mess. They’re soft for eachother but would kick anyone’s ass for so much as looking at the other. Sorry im rambling lmao i just think they are so funny together”. i get the appeal now, so i’m moving this one up.

42. lindsay/courtney - lmao their dynamic is so funny. i don’t know how well a relationship between them would go, but i can see court realizing over time that lindsay is a lot smarter than she initially seems to be. idk courtney’s observant and lindsay is actually pretty smart. i can see it happening.

41. trent/justin - best justin ship, worst trent ship (that i can think of. i’m sure there are more trent ships but i can’t think of them lmao). i can see them getting along pretty well! i bet in universe a bunch of drama brothers fans ship them, because of course they do. i can see the potential here.

40. lindsay/heather - yea this one could be good. i’d like to see a post world tour version of this ship, or an island au where they get together. either way, i like the idea of this one.

39. lindsay/gwen - again, this ship is pretty good. gwen was kind of rude to lindsay at points, but i think after she stood up to heather, gwen gained some respect for her. idk i can see it happening.

38. lightning/scott - is this jock/farmer? jock/asshole? i’m not sure, but i really like it.

37. harzeke - tumblr user harzeke has opened my eyes. their posts are enlightening. the reason i kind of like ezekiel. harzeke is a good ship.

36. sadie/lindsay - remember in phobia factor when they were hyping each other up? yeah. they’d be cute together.

35. dundie - you know, i really didn’t expect them to make this one canon, but total drama dundie came outta nowhere. i wasn’t sure i was going to like them together, but fresh pulled together it’s first coherent plot in years and created a beautiful love story. very well done.

34. chref - chref is canon and u can’t tell me otherwise.

33. katie/sadie - after they got over their comphet, they realized they were in love and they end up having a really cute wedding.

32. ozzy - this ship is cute! they’re both bi and i hc they talk about cute people together because of course they do. also they would be so much fun to be around. i like them.

31. dj/geoff - djeoff? yea i like this. i think they’d both go out of their way to do sweet things for the other, but of course, they’re still geoff and dj. dj would probably bake a lot for geoff, but at least once, he’s gotten nervous and dropped it by accident. and geoff practices pick up lines and jokes before their dates but they’re like. the bad ones. dj loves them. anyway! this ship is good.

30. courtney/trent - i really, REALLY love them as friends, but i like them as a ship too! honestly i just love them getting along in any capacity. i think they’d be cute.

29. dawn/dakota - i made this up five minutes ago and i love it. i have no idea if people actually ship this but they should. just… think about it for a second. think about it and then try to tell me i’m wrong. u can’t.

28. alenoah - noah had a crush on alejandro during world tour, and u can quote me on this. i think they would be a power couple for sure. i like this one.

27. gidgette - season one gidgette is amazing. gidgette in the context of the killer bass five is amazing. season two and three gidgette is kind of meh to me, but not horrible i guess! i like geoff and bridgette and i think they’re cute together.

26. duncan/dj - i like the idea of this one. remember when duncan found dj a bunny? yea. they’d be cute.

25. jock - jock is good. rivals to allies to lovers. that’s the path i see this ship going down. i really like picturing them in any sort of au where they can kick ass together.

24. gwourtney - i used to like this one a lot more, but it’s still very good. i love the idea of them both mistakenly attributing their feelings for each other to duncan and accidentally ruining their friendship in the process. and by love i mean hate but also think is a good interpretation of the love triangle. i can see them together in an au, or after seriously reconciling in the future. or, honestly, in any universe where sundae muddy sundae doesn’t exist.

23. leshawna/gwen - did i hear u say best friends to lovers? no? well you’re getting them anyway. leshawna and gwen would be amazing i’m telling u. it’s a good ship.

22. tyler/alejandro - this is the third time i’ve said someone had a crush on alejandro during world tour, but. tyler had a crush on alejandro during world tour. i think they’d make a cute couple.

21. jashawn - this is a relationship built on respect and trust and i am here for that. they’re both a lil weird but neither of them mind, and they care about each other so much… i’m soft.

20. jasammy - i like this only marginally better than jashawn. honestly, i like all three dating the most. but anyway, jasmine was the first person who saw sammy as more than an extension of her sister… she stuck up for her. she was sammy’s first real friend. can i just reiterate… i’m soft.

19. evzy - they would light your house on fire together just cuz they were in the mood. eva bench presses izzy every morning. do not try to challenge them to any sort of competition, they will win by any means possible. eva picks izzy up at every opportunity. whenever they cook anything, they burn it. is this by accident or on purpose? i’m not sure. izzy likes lighting stuff on fire and eva likes eating burnt food for some reason, so it doesn’t really matter. i love their dynamic so much.

18. jomaria - if u were talking shit about either one of them, they would both get together and beat u up. they’re both legends and i love them.

17. gweather - total trauma comic has truly opened my eyes… i really like them in a future setting where they’re both more mature and can understand how they were both in the wrong at times during total drama, and ended up hurting people and were hurt themselves, and work through that together. so basically… in the setting of the total trauma comic.

16. heather/leshawna - rivals to lovers…. au where leshawna and heather get together during tda… i’m telling u it’s a good ship.

15. nowen - imho, this is both the best noah ship and the best owen ship. they complement each other so well. world tour nowen is just. the peak of their dynamic. i think enough has been said about nowen that you can understand why i would like it, so i’m just gonna move on.

14. trody - this one came outta NOWHERE a while back, i’m telling u. but i love it?? i liked their friendship in island, and i just. i love the idea of cody having a crush on both gwen and trent during island, misunderstanding that and thinking he just has a crush on gwen, and realizing after island at some point that he also liked trent. and then trent developing a crush on cody after the breakup with gwen and just… dijfalsfjla honestly i like them in so many contexts. thank u tumblr user gothcody for bringing the trody hype. anyway they’re a good ship!

13. bridgecourt - my favorite bridgette ship! idk i loved bridgette and courtney’s friendship in island, and i can see them having a best friends to lovers type of deal. i just think they’d be cute together, and their relationship would be really healthy and balanced.

12. gwoey - u can try and tell me there wasn’t a little something between these two in all stars, but u would be wrong. their designs compliment each other really well, they’re cute together… i’m a fan.

11. lesharold - SO valid. harold drinks his respect women juice every morning, except for that one time he rigged the votes in island to vote out courtney because he was mad at duncan smh. anyway this is a relationship built on RESPECT and CARE. they’re very cute together, and i love them.

10. dawn/zoey - the superior doey. listen the only reason these two weren’t friends is because fresh decided that zoey was going to think dawn was “weird”? but what if zoey just said that because she didn’t know how to deal with the fact that she found zoey cute… zoey is the epitome of that “i had a crush on a girl and i didn’t know how to deal with it so i sent her a letter that said ‘get out of my school’” tweet. n e way they would be such a good couple.

9. samkota - dafjlsflkaakf i think about samkota and i freak out i’m telling u. like is there anything. ANYTHING. better than a guy loving and respecting his girlfriend unconditionally? and mutual love and respect? … well i mean there are several more entries on this list, so okay, maybe a couple of things, but this shit is galaxy brain right here.

8. aleduncan - ok so apparently something i like slightly more than partners who are soft and even softer for each other is total assholes who care about each other. like alejandro is a gentleman… but he’s a manipulative jerk too. and duncan’s a fucking asshole and i love him for it. anyway when they teamed up in world tour, especially in that episode where they hunted ezekiel (??? what is total drama??) i really liked their dynamic.

7. lyler - ok back to love and respect. tyler and lindsay are so good!! tyler got so excited when lindsay remembered who he was right? and lindsay never stopped asking ppl if they were tyler ok. like she knew she cared about tyler enough to want to be with him even when she didn’t know who he was?? i feel like we don’t talk about the implications of this enough. honestly… i feel like people overlook how much the period in between tyler’s elimination and slap slap evolution must have sucked for both of them? like it was played for laughs but… that shit’s sad :( ok i’m done being sad they’re cute and they love each other and i love them.

6. gwent - yea u got me i still care about them. tdi gwent was really sweet! there was a lil pining. a lil outside meddling. and a lot of cute. and GOD during the finale when trent ran alongside gwen with that boulder? he cared about her so much!! of course action ruined it with the shitty portrayal of ocd and a healthy portion of not fucking communicating with your partner, but before that it was good.

5. truncan - you got me, i like the idea of trent serenading duncan with his guitar and duncan liking it a lot more than he anticipated. i think they’d have a dynamic that’s a little more turbulent than most other trent ships, but less so than most other duncan ships. they’d be a lot more balanced i think. i’m a fan of that.

4. scuncan - okay so u remember how i said i like to ship two fucking assholes together? scuncan is peak asshole/asshole rights. all stars totally missed their chance to have these two team up by dumbing scott down, whatever they did with duncan, and of course, introducing scourtney, i’m just saying. scott was actually playing the game pretty well in roti, and duncan was a veteran of the series. the two of them could’ve dominated the game. those fuckin assholes.

3. aleheather - okay now this ship was like, the only central ship that started out good and ended good in this entire series, except maybe jashawn but they don’t count because they were literally only in 13 episodes. anyway they did rivals to lovers right here. also, they simultaneously gave heather a great character arc and wrote alejandro super well. so the characters as individuals were great at the time they got together, and the couple was great together, so what i’m trying to say is… aleheather was and still is amazing.

2. duncney - in case u couldn’t tell from how high gwent is on this list, i am a fan of the tdi ships. another thing you might be able to tell from this list- duncan and courtney are two of my favorite characters in the series. so of course duncney gets a high placement on this list. not only that, but they go from disliking each other to really liking each other, which is something else that i really like. tdi duncney is opposites attract in the best way, where they compliment each other each other instead of clash. beyond that… ugh. eughhh. i don’t even want to think about that. but duncney in tdi alone earns itself number two on the list.

1. heathney - yes i love girls. yes this ship is pretty fucking basic. and no, there are no heathney fics on ao3. i will be attempting to remedy that. anyway, i could see them pulling a rivals to friends to lovers as well, which is one of my absolute favorite tropes. i think they’d be a total power couple. and to top it off, i love them both. a lot. so much. thank u for ur time.

[gross-gal]

yo!! i dont know jackshit about Darkstalkers!! What's it about?? What do you like about it?? What do you NOT like about it?? Tell me alll!!!! (@gamer-gremlin-gf-ships)

AAAAAA THANK YOU @gamer-gremlin-gf-ships​

SO. I’LL PUT THIS UNDER READ MORE BECAUSE THERE’S A LOT.

Darkstalkers is a fighting game developed by Capcom. The main gimmick is that, most of, the fighters are based off of horror archetypes. So ya got vampires, zombies, frankensteins, fishmen, ghosts, all that shit.

There isn’t really much story wise I can elaborate on since, fighting games don’t usually have that much of a story to begin with. BUT, in Darkstalkers 1 and 2, main story is that this big bad dude named Pyron kinda wants to determine if the Earth is worthy to be ruled under him or if he’ll destroy it. Pyron is a shape shifting alien dude from the planet, Hellstorm and he’s really looking for a good brawl so he goes and fights the most powerful Darkstalker, which is whoever you choose to play as.

Now then, to avoid confusion, Darkstalkers 1 and 2 (or Vampire Hunter/Night Warriors: Darkstalkers’ Revenge) are basically the same game. 2 is more of an updated version of 1, has two new characters, better gameplay, and it also changes some part of the story because Demitri (the vampire dude) actually was the one who originally started the whole tournment thing in determining who was the most powerful and I think? Pyron kinda ends up in the way. In 2, it basically is changed to Pyron is the one that starts the tournament, and that’s the canonical version.

So 2 isn’t really that much of a sequel, while Darkstalkers 3 (or Vampire Savior) is an actual sequel to the series. This introduces the antagonist, Jedah Dohma, whose plot is that he wants to collect all the powerful darkstalker souls and put them into this big demon baby, which then be used as a vessel for him. Jedah’s whole thing is that he’s basically disappointed in what has become of the demon world (makai world) and decides that he’s going to annihilate both the demons and humans. He sees himself as a savior, and while there really isn’t a protag, Jedah kind of is considered to be one in 3.

NOW. WHAT IS A DARKSTALKER? It’s literally just...fucking monster? I guess? There really isn’t a specific definition but just know, everyone, besides B.B. Hood because she’s the only true human in the series, is a Darkstalker.

Just gonna get my problems out of the way. Obviously, the series has some sexual stuff, which is fine but it can get uncomfortable. Demitri is a pretty big example since he literally has an ability that just involves transforming the opponent into a younger, more desirable person so that he can drain their blood? I won’t go to into it since it’s gross but yeah. Then of course there’s Lilith and yeah...REALLY WISH THEY DIDN’T MAKE HER LOOK LIKE THAT BECAUSE SHE’S A PRETTY COOL CHARACTER.

Darkstalkers also doesn’t offer much as far as a story, this is sort of good because it offers a lot of freedom as far as writing, but to be honest? A lot of stuff which tries to elaborate on the Darkstalkers lore or whatever, KIND OF SUCKS. I myself, am not into the Udon comics or the mangas, the OVA also doesn’t offer much of a great story. Which is a shame because Darkstalkers has a lot of potential but so many attempts, just kinda fail because they miss the point in the series. Udon and the Vampire Savior manga in particular because they take the series way too seriously or just characterize really strangely? The OVA probably offers the best in terms of story but it’s not even much because the only actual good and satisfying one, is Donovan’s story. His is the only one that actually has a conclusion. Otherwise, the OVA suffers from poor pacing, lots of exposition, or just OOC moments. LIKE??? REALLY DOESN’T MAKE SENSE AS TO WHY FELICIA GETS ALONG WITH ZABEL OR MORRIGAN ENDING UP WITH DEMITRI?

And then I guess a more minor complaint. Darkstalkers has a very specific style, I really think the series look best in the first two games and in the OVA. I personally am not a big fan of the character art in 3 jdskal

NOW FOR THE POSITIVES.

I CANNOT EMPHASIZE ENOUGH HOW MUCH I ADORE THE ART AND ANIMATION IN THE SERIES????

The main artists for the series are Bengus (Gouda Cheese) and Daigo Ikeno. Bengus really fucking nailed how the series should look. It’s got that perfect balance of the gothic, sensual aesthetic with exaggeration and fuckin weirdness of the series. Darkstalkers is a series that completely embraces it’s wacky side and just how campy it’s influences are. I mostly love Bengus’ earlier works from 1 and 2. Daigo’s stuff is much more casual and less elaborate compared to Bengus’ works but I kinda love that, he’s really great at showing off the characters in more casual situations and showing off their goofier sides. I’ll share some of my favorite pieces at the end.

OH GOD. AND HOW CAN I NOT BRING UP THE ANIMATION???

While I wouldn’t say it’s as fluent as Street Fighter Alpha 3′s sprites, because Darkstalkers is able to be more creative with it’s moves, the results are some super wacky and fun animation. Darkstalkers animators heavily referenced old Looney Tunes and Hanna Barbera cartoons when it came to animating. I really don’t know a whole lot of fighting games, especially from Capcom, that look the way Darkstalkers looks. And a lot of that comes from the fact that Darkstalkers isn’t very limited. Characters can launch missles, fireballs, fucking blood?. Characters can extend or manipulate their body. Or just do weird shit like transform characters into basketballs, make characters perform in a rhythm game?, A CHARACTER STRAIGHT UP USES HIS ASS CHEEKS TO GRAB YOU AND SUMMON LIGHTNING?? Everything is super fucking wild and that’s what makes the series.

A lot of people say Darkstalkers needs to be gorey and sexual but that’s really not what the series is about. Yes, Darkstalkers is def sensual but it also really doesn’t take itself seriously. That’s what so many people miss. And honestly? Even though it was terrible, the American cartoon ends up being the most accurate to the source material because it gives no fucks and so much weird shit just happens.

Another thing I love about Darkstalkers is how much it subverts it’s characters and just how creative they got. You have an Australian zombie rockstar, a catlady that’s also an idol and a nun??, a demon possessed samurai ghost armor guy. The character design is genuinely fucking brillant and not at all what you’d expect to get when given the idea for monster characters. I would talk about the characters but you see how long this post is starting to get.

And I haven’t talked that much about gameplay but Darkstalkers feels fucking great. If you’re curious about which game to get into, absolutely go with 3/Vampire Savior. It feels great, combo inputs are relatively simple, you can straight up beat the game just by button mashing, and no character really feels too similar. It’s also a very fast game too, if you ever watch tournaments, they go by so fast and when you play it, you’re very much engaged. It’s a game that requires a lot of attention and I enjoy that. I also have to mention this but, pretty much every character has their own unfair, bullshit tactic that, if you plan on getting good, will require you to figure out how to avoid depending on what character you use. There’s a sorta popular joke with the game that, it’s balanced if all the characters are broken. I’ll admit, probably not the best game for someone like me that sucks as far as remembering stuff and being able to plan ahead, but I still have lots of fun with the game!

I really didn’t expect to become as engaged in the series as I did but there is a lot to appreciate about Darkstalkers. It’s unfortunate to because, sadly, Darkstalkers likely will never get another game.

While the series is technically popular, it’s still way too niche compared to most fighting games. It just never had the same impact as other fighting games, and ultimately, no matter how good those games feel to play, there’s always shit like Marvel vs Capcom that just is more well known and features more stuff that just is what people prefer going to. I think Capcom will pretty much stick with having Darkstalkers characters appear in crossover games vs actually giving the franchise another game

They tries reviving it with Resurrection, which was a re-release of the games on Xbox and Playstation, but it hardly even sold that many copies. Which is where the phrase “Darkstalkers are not Dead” originated from, a phrase that has become a joke now in the fighting game community. Even if they were to revive the series, it’d be difficult recapturing that same vibe since most of the original crew are working on completely separate projects. There’s also a part of me that does fear the idea of another game because of how it’ll be handled. I’ve heard people mention possibly having the Skullgirls team develop or maybe Arc Systems, I just don’t want a lot of the charm to be lost in a sequel.

Since a fighting game isn’t really possible, I do hope for maybe a show or comic series that explores the characters and story more.

My brain is kinda blanking rn but yeah. I just fucking love this series a lot. I hope maybe someday I can contribute something great to this franchise and I hope you listened to me ramble about it.

[ziracona]

hi can we pls have some uhhhh 🅱️uentin Smith headcanons, and some killers hcs if you want! I also lowkey hc Jake and Claudette to both be some degree of autistic, I imprint like a baby bird on my fav characters so I hc both Jake AND Quentin to be trans, and Quentin and Meg are ADHD infodump pals. Literally sitting around the cabin taking turns talking about something they love while the other is sitting there... no thoughts... head empty... they r supporting each other

Nice! And Claudette is canonically autistic according to her archives description as far as I can tell, and I’m so glad! You should check out @askthedreamwalker if you’re interested in Quentin art bc their Quentin is trans and they have really nice art! Also u right as hell about Quentin and Meg. He gets v excited and Meg and he can special-interest back and forth for hours One person is pitcher, pouring information into empty pitcher2, then the other takes a turn and pours back into first pitcher. Info dump support friends. Heaven.

And hells yeah, I love son boy! Idk if you mean ILM headcanons or general, so I’m just gonna go with gen. 

Quentin’s got a big sense of justice. Not okay with people getting away with terrible shit, which makes the realms extra unbearable (somewhere in the distance Yui and Tapp are like ‘cheers mate’). Holds people very accountable. Boy is very fair and got upstanding character. Expects people to operate with like bare minimum decency and ain’t about to let that shit go if someone wants to be a bastard. Last person ever to let a killer get a pass for going around murdering people in-realm and would hold them extremely accountable and be v willing to kill one in a fight and view them with disgust and righteous anger, but also be one of the first people willing to forgive a killer if they genuinely reformed, or got thrown to the survivor side by the Entity and actually chose to shape up and proved they meant it. He has a huge sense of justice and righteous anger, but also believes in forgiveness and second chances. (Within reason. If any of the particularly bastard killers like GF or Nightmare or Clown showed up with a completely ooc change of heart they will never have anyway, Quentin would be like “…listen. …There are some things only God can forgive…U gotta take this one to him…and away from me. Forever…”. Boy got those high-quality standards 👌

Used to be kinda high-strung, but then his life was a living hell for so long that he ran out of energy entirely and now he has no choice but to be mostly chill. If he gets a burst of energy, the old excitement power switch flips back on and he is both way more talkative and active, and happier. Unfortunately he is usually so worn out he’s about to drop.

Got a bit of a martyr complex. The fact that literally locking himself in hell with his worst nightmare worked does not help. Feels massive guilt over the fact that the Nightmare is in the realm bc of him, but is still kind of glad bc it means he’s not out there murdering his family. Hates that he feels that way because he thinks it’s kind of wrong. Views being stuck in the realm as sort of penance for having brought Krueger unintentionally. Afraid to tell other people it’s his fault because he’s scared they would never talk to him again, and the idea of losing his friends and complete isolation here is unbearable. Feels guilt over that choice, because he feels like he’s in a way lying to them, and that if they would hate him if they knew the truth, they have a right to. Boy loves his friends hard, but does not trust them to forgive him, or to trust in him, so he’s not always completely honest about not just that but anything he’s struggling with. Very sad dumbass. Suffers alone because he’s afraid to ask for help, and/or does not think he deserves it.

Really loves the other survivors and would do anything he could to protect them. Dies in the majority of his trials because he battles endlessly trying to keep the others from being the ones who die. In a way, he’s trying to make things up to them, but he would absolutely do the same just because he loves them, and did for a long time before he ever figured out Krueger and him being taken was his fault (not that I personally think that’s a fair way for the boy to view it). Optimistic externally, struggling internally. Absolutely refuses, ever, to give up, but is always right on the threshold of having a breakdown. Pushes the others to find a way to escape and tries to give them hope. Takes a lot of shit. Will not fight back much if teased just be like -__- and moves on. Doesn’t let people boss him around though, and will always do what he thinks personally is the right thing. Extremely forgiving. (Except to himself.)  Snark boy if opportunity presents itself. Can I offer you a shot of adrenaline in this trying time boy? the rest of the time.

Gives people the benefit of the doubt. Not a hoe. Would commit to a s/o very dedicatedly. Also not the kind of asshole who would cut down on time w friends when in a relationship. Boy’s love is not a zero sum game. Would die or kill for Laurie. Loves Claudette and learning botany tips from her. Thinks she is pretty and admires her kindness and skill and refusal to let the world change who she is, and wishes he was more like her. Has not told her that. Is a lot more like her in that regard than he thinks he is. Pretty damn good in a fight bc he always gets back up. Determinator. Still in love with Nancy and loyal af. Misses her a lot. Does not open up about himself as much as people think he does. Misses his dad and Nancy and his dead friends a lot, especially Jesse. Doesn’t actually talk about his problems much. Just suffers in silence because he doesn’t think he can ask for help.

Takes his faith seriously. Prays a lot, and struggles with feeling completely abandoned by God, but won’t give up on that either. Tries hard to believe he cares and things will change. Dedicated to trying to make sure that regardless of what his friends believe in, they are okay. Very sad and alone but tries to not think about that. Tries to help friends stay hopeful. Is both baby and badass sass boy in one package. Fight hard, love hard, someday will get to sleep for a whole year. 

If you are nice to him once, will assume that means you are friends now. Genuinely cares deeply for every single survivor at the campfire. Wants to protect people. Constantly suffering bc that’s impossible here. Really just wants everyone to be okay someday, including himself, and simultaneously kind of feels like he no longer deserves to be okay in the end at all. Tries not to think about that. Massive guilt issues. Bottles it up. Loyal as hell. Would die for his friends so much it actively worries them and they’re like “Quentin…please. Quentin-stop—stop. You’ll die again. I swear to god Quentin! I can die this time! Quentin!!! Come back here right now!” But he never comes back. Big sibling energy. Regularly people be like “Damn u could make a pretty fine lil brother out of this” and then they do. He loves so hard. Please be nice to him. He’s always trying so hard and never thinks it’s enough. He works so hard.

Triggers include being grabbed by his hair and jerked around, losing his necklace, the cave, and the Nightmare within 15 feet of someone he loves, so homeboy has just, a lot of bad days. Is playing a fun game called ‘I will absorb trauma forever and not get help for it and then one day it will kill me’. Needs to learn to depend on his friends.

Good sense of humor, enjoys reading and music. Will talk way too much about things he likes and not notice he’s done it and then feel bad. Dumbass sweetheart, will think he’s doing a great job flirting and be proud of himself when he did not, in fact, do a suave job, but it’s cute. Tries hard. All the time. At everything. God he tries.

I would do killer hcs too but this already so long and I cut like half of what I initially wrote rip. I have too many thoughts. Head full. : ( Here’s just a few little ones:

Myers does not like working for the Entity. It tried to pull a fast one and be like, “Yes tis I, another voice in your head,” and Michael was like “Bitch it’s my head. I don’t know you!” and that did not work. While Michael very much would love to kill Laurie and get inner peace, working for the entity provides 0% daily Michael needs, and he hates it. Sometimes he just does what the fuck he wants and gets in trouble (homeslice is the only killer who can kill survivors with no mori and no perk for it. Michael cannot be controlled). Does not like being here at all. He doesn’t cause the Entity a lot of trouble like Krueger does, so it doesn’t consider him a problem killer, but they do not have a ‘Ah yes my favorite killer’ kind of thing going. Michael hates the spider-monster. He is so tired of everything at this point. Boy is suffering. Would fight the Entity if he knew how. Has been hurt by it before, and does not like that, because it takes longer to heal than he is used to.

Myers has a few times had his home area be close enough to the campfire that he could see it in the distance, and he watches them when that happens. For hours. He is lonely, but does not realize that, and probably never will. He does stand there and watch them, being sad and not realizing he’s sad at all. It’s the closest he ever gets to human interaction aside from killing people in trials.

The Entity hurts Max sometimes, not because he has done anything wrong, but because injuring him without providing even a way to prevent it keeps him peak feral and afraid, just like it wants. No time to recover or learn or grow. Just anger and pain and fear.

The Entity promises Rin a lot of things. Not because it has to, but because it enjoys the taste of her suffering. One of her addons is paper cranes, one of 1000 to make a wish, as the description says. I’ve always interpreted that to mean it likes to screw with her and offer her things like that she can do between trials, in the moments of lucidity she occasionally has when completely alone. ‘Make 1000, get your wish,’ but every time she hits 999, it blows the ones she’s made away, and she has to start over. Unclimbable hill. Just to watch her struggle. That kind of thing. Intentionally tends to send survivors her way it knows she would dislike killing the most, just to watch her have to do it against her will and bask in the horror of what she cannot make herself not do.

[beyondthetemples]

Multimuse RP questions!

{{ I couldn’t figure out which RP blog to stick these on (since I have like. nine), so I figured I’d just skip to the Answering Part over here. =w=

Found here: https://memesfortheroleplayerssoul.tumblr.com/post/163688858676

is there a muse that you wish gets more attention? Honestly? Dove. There are a couple of people who've said they love reading about her, and I'm so absolutely eternally delighted for them, too deeply appreciative for words! A couple friends I met via rping her, and a couple friends I met in Certain discord servers, but that's about it anymore. But she's my baby, you know? I love her, she's amazing, and I wish more people took the time to write stories with her, because she just has so much potential! I mean, yeah, for angst of course, but also for healing and comfort, for action and fantasy, for mystical and mundane plots alike. She's so multi-faceted and fascinating to explore, I just... well, maybe it's more selfish in that I need help exploring some of the more mundane stuff with her. Because if it doesn't really Have Relevance to a Particular Plot, I generally won't wind up writing it, let alone publishing it. :P But this answer's already too long; I could rave about Dove for hours! All I'm trying to say is, I wish more people cared about OCs.

if you HAD to choose, who’s your favorite muse? Favorite to RP with? Far and away, Dove! Favorite for crack RPs, Srentha or Leyla. Favorite canon character is a GIGANTIC toss-up between Raven and Lapis. Favorite characters to explore for personal reasons are Ryou Bakura and Blue Diamond, but I have a hard time bringing myself to actually WRITE about them, for some reason...

is there a muse that not a lot of people roleplay with? (Besides the ones I haven't advertised? ^^';;) Maybe Phobia? She has only ever existed in comic canons-- though she WAS in the Teen Titans Go comics too! (The original series, not the... bastardization). Anyways, she's a much lesser-known muse. And my muse for her is wildly unreliable, she's a volatile and abrasive character, and my inspiration for her has run dry for awhile now...

if you HAD to choose, who’s your least favorite muse? Phobia. o_o See above, actually.

which one of your muses have you been playing the longest? Prooobably Dove? She was the one I started rping with, of course!

which one of your muses has the most ships? Ships in their canon, or ships in my rps? Because you're talking to a demigray here; I don't really do romance? But in my stories, Dove has 3 ships (all at different times in her life). In rps, Dove has been kinda-contemplating-it shipped a couple times, but never got to the point of, you know, kissing... and in fandom, Lapis probably has the most.

what is each of your muses’ otps? notps? ~ Dove and Srentha together~ (Don't have notps for them.) ~ Kary: food? sleep? Her canon boyfriend Eric ~ Leyla has a qpp named Toby in the stories. ~ Raven: I'm demonbirds trash. I don't even know how that happened, honestly. (Notps include B|BRae and, while not as strong of a NO in the jlvtt canon, ter/raven.) ~ Lapis Lazuli: OTP with Peridot! Intensely notp with jasper. ~ Blue Diamond: OTP with Yellow hardcore, no notps to speak of. ~ Phobia: Utterly unexplored??? I think she voluntarily abstains. ~ Ryou: OTP with Joey (thank my girlfriend for that one)! Notp with Yami Bakura, it’s absolutely 100% possibly my most violently-disgusted NOtp yet. Also with Diva because... What The Fuck??? But I won't rant about that just now. ~ Jess: I haven't really done much shipping, though Mistress and Trick are a hella canon, deeply bonded breeding couple. ~ Evangeline? Sorta-OTP with my gf's character Taex, though it's not exactly a ~romantic~ dynamic. Notp with Srentha, probably, considering she'd try to kill him, given the chance, and she’s pissed at Dove for marrying him.

why were you drawn to each one of your characters? Okay, listen, you can't just ask something like this and expect an easy answer! I could write an Actual Legitimate Essay on EACH ONE, because I only write a character when I'm Extremely Highkey Personally Emotionally Inspired by them!

UPDATE: I tried to summarize, I really did! But there's just so MUCH, and it turned into an essay on its own. --> https://beyondthetemples-ooc.tumblr.com/post/189837029682/why-were-you-drawn-to-each-one-of-your-characters

Summaries go like this: Dove is brave, complex enough to delve deeply in and constantly discover new facets of, and inspiring enough to create a positive experience while doing so. Srentha is fun, positive, and passionate, and legitimate ADHD representation. Leyla is a chill miracle child of creativity and quiet passion. Raven is the reason I'm still alive and perfectly reflected me at about age 14, so I have a very deep personal connection to her. Kary is so fun to explore because she's my polar opposite, as a temperamental pyrokinetic who revels in chaos and really just wants to have a good time. Evangeline is everything Dove suppresses, brought to life, so she's fun to explore as an extension of Dove! Lapis has a lot of struggles to explore and has done a lot of healing and growth that I'd like to expand on someday. Blue Diamond and Ryou Bakura were basically literally me, so I can explore the trauma and healing from their perspectives in a safe space. And Phobia? I just wanted to put characters' mettle to the test honestly, and see what would happen.

which muse is the most fun to write for? Oh, Srentha, absolutely hands down! Dove does have the best close-friends casual-fun kind of rp relationships, though. And Mistress the Mismagius has this sardonic teasing sense of humor that always makes me smile, especially with Murky (Murkrow).

is there another muse you’ve been thinking of adding or writing for? who? Oh stars, I don't need another one. =w= I've been... struggling to get my Ryou blog actually up and running for a long while now. Nobody new has inspired me lately, but I'm pretty stuck in my fandom ways.

what is something everyone should know about your muses before interacting? I stick it all in their bios! But, let's see... Dove: Even though she's Raven's half-sister, she keeps it DESPERATELY hidden, and nobody IC is supposed to know about that. Srentha is very deeply rooted in Azarathean pacifism and won't do much in battle besides help people retreat. Leyla has her father's heart condition and can't do anything too active. Kary will rarely use her powers, as conjuring even a simple spark stings her scar badly. Lapis is more than her toxic relationship! Blue Diamond is NOT the dictator she once was! Ryou does NOT want the spirit of the millennium ring in his life anymore! Jess just... sticks mostly to Sinnoh and rarely ever leaves. And Evangeline has a palpable evil aura about her; she makes SURE of it.

what’s a weird headcanon you have for each of your muses? Dove hates pie. Srentha loves colorful things. Leyla will cover everything in glitter if you let her. Kary will do anything for some good food and/or a nap. Ryou's hair is untamable. Lapis doesn't guard her gem as carefully as she should. Blue Diamond may be more emotional, but she won't sing about it as frequently as other Gems. Raven... doesn't wear underwear?

which muse has the most aus or verses? I mean, the Lapis I was writing for was 97% canon divergent. Evangeline only exists as her own person (and not merely a partition of Dove's mind) in a DCUO-compatible timeline. But I don't really do aus or verses otherwise; it's just more stressful for me.

can you sort your muses from youngest to oldest? Sorting based on the ages I'll generally play them: Leyla (8-14), Dove (15-25), Kary (18+), Ryou (19+), Srentha (20+), Jess (22+), Phobia (23+), Lapis (5k+), Blue Diamond (10k+).

which muse is most willing to fight another muse? Oh, definitely Kary. (She won't fight Dove or Leyla, even if there's a really good reason. And Srentha has this weird power of defusing her. But anyone else, she can easily be provoked to fight on a dime.) Or maybe Evangeline, who will fight anyone at any time for any reason whatsoever?

do your muses get along with each other? Evangeline gets along with nobody. Dove/Srentha/Leyla are all a very tight-knit family, and Kary considers herself Dove's sister and Leyla's aunt. I've thought about what might happen if Lapis met Blue Diamond, but I don’t have the faintest idea of how that'd go? I did start an RP once where Lapis met Dove, and I planned to have them bond over homesickness and purpose-seeking, but then I lost the ehd I had that prewritten on, and never had the heart to try rewriting it. Ryou and Jess kinda exist in their own universe's bubble. (Jess has a whole cast of Pokemon creature muses she very much gets along with, though~)

would you ship any of your muses together? who? Dove and Srentha are hella-canon endgame already, that's been decided for like 12 years!

for each muse, is there a character you wish had a blog so you could interact with them? You know, I've never really been one much for wishing like that. I do wish Dove had a stable Raven again, since both of my all-time favorite Raven rpers have left the rp circle... but that's about it, really.

have you ever considered making a multimuse/is it easier having a multimuse? I mean, my Pokemon blog has like 19 muses built into the breeding center... 8F But no, I prefer to keep my drafts, rps, and tag systems for each muse on separate sideblogs. Tumblr's tags break WAY too often to shove them all in one place. (And with a sideblog, I don't have to log in and out every time I want to check for replies!)

which muse is the most problematic towards other muses? Toss-up between Phobia and Evangeline, obviously. Blue Diamond is a reformed Gem, the way I play her. (I don't care what anyone says, THAT'S CANON as HELL too!) But Evangeline actively goes out of her way to hurt and/or sacrifice people to her own ends,

which muse is most likely to make new friends? Probably Leyla, though now that SU has sent out a message across the Gem universe that Gems are welcome on Earth, Lapis could wind up meeting quite a lot of new acquaintances. It's much harder to befriend her, though. Srentha has a lot of charismatic energy too, and he’ll go out and make friends with anyone, given the chance.

which muses’ fandom do you like the best? Ahhh, don't make me CHOOSE like that! ;; Fandom like being a fan of them, or fandom like, liking the other people in the fandom? Because Steven Universe, Teen Titans, and YuGiOh all have incredibly special places in my heart, while having Their Issues amongst the fandom... Pokemon seems to be the best mannered fandom though, especially amidst the RP community.

is there someone playing the same muse/s as you and you really look up to them? Ohgosh, well there's a blog called, I think, melancholeyes?, that plays Blue so well, it's like reading canon scenes. I did see a blog that played a Ryou I respected, but I can't remember their name... and of course Larissa and Pix played great Ravens, but each a different version.

which muse do people send the most asks for? Probably Dove, thanks in large part to Caleb!

which muse is most likely to have kids? Leyla is already Dove's kid, so... 8F

is there a rule that someone keeps breaking for your muses? Not to my knowledge, but my rules aren't strict anyways.

can you sort your muses from weakest to strongest? ...Oh, stars. How am I supposed to sort them? Well, let's try this.

Weakest to strongest in combat (based on their style of choice): Ryou, Leyla, Srentha, Phobia, Evangeline, Jess, Kary, Dove, Lapis, Blue Diamond, Raven. ( * i switched raven and blue diamond around SO many times. both are immensely powerful with god-like abilities, but raven can literally destroy reality itself. so...)

Weakest to strongest by strength of heart and character: Phobia, Evangeline, uh... Kary? Srentha...? Uh... frICK THIS ONE'S HARD. Because they're all so strong in their own ways. Probably Leyla? Next tier is probably Blue, Lapis, and Jess, and Dove, Raven, and Ryou are highest tier.

which muse are you considering deleting? Phobia, and maybe sometimes Blue. (I actually... never got a single RP or follower on Blue. I'm still debating if I really WANT to rp as her, at least on Tumblr, knowing how toxic the fandom can get around the Diamonds...)

most importantly, are you having fun playing each one of your muses? Pretty much! Especially Dove, Srentha, Leyla, and Raven!~ Raven's wit and clipped verbiage can be tricky to for me sometimes, but all it takes is a little tlc on her dialogue, and it doesn't slow down my enjoyment one bit. :} And when I'm in a Pokemon-hyperfocus mood, writing the Pokemon team is ALWAYS a blast! (Especially the Pokemon; their personalities are so dynamic together.) With muses like Lapis and Blue, and even Kary, the mood for their emotionality waxes and wanes, but I don't write for them unless I'm in The Right Frame of Mind to KEEP UP with them, you know? I never push myself in an rp until it's not fun anymore; at least I know where my writing burnout limits are.

Phobia and Evangeline are both sadistic, and when you're a compassionate person, that can be very hard to write out in the painstaking detail of my style. But sometimes my mind just Won't Shut UP about 'Vangie unless I WRITE IT OUT. Which is a good exercise of course, stretching my horizons and all that, and I do love writing the drama and conflict they stir up.

But beyond the momentary discomforts, I'm just so eager to explore their lives and minds and adventures, so yes, I absolutely DO have fun writing for each and every one!

[meliss-cake]

Hi! I followed you because of kakasaku and because of you I got into bnha :DD I just wanted to say thank you introducing me to the fandom! Also, I was wondering what your favorite ships were and if there were some that you didn't like? :)

MY BABY!!! I’m always, always down to talk about my obsessions so come off anon and let’s have a feast! If you want to of course lmao.

Yes kakasaku my old love that will always have a part of me, I just know someday I’m gonna come back because that’s like a physics law or something, have you noticed?My favorite ships of bnha?! ONE THING I ADORE ADORE ADORE OF THIS MANGA IS THE PARENTAL RELATIONSHIPS MY GOD!! and also, controversial opinion here, THIS MAN WRITES THE BEST LGBTQ PLOTS like effortlessly? sorry, Horikoshi but if you are trying to sell me straight ships you are not doing a good work lmao.

So let’s review. (in which & is for platonic and / for romance)

 Midoriya Izuku & All might Do I need to explain it? this is everything, I love them to death, so fluffy and also reminds me of my accidental father figures as well so forever fav.

Todoroki Shouto / Midoriya IzukuHonestly so fluffy, goals, they are my OTP here, sue me I love and support these boys and I just wanna draw them, also imagine Endeavor being the father-in-law of THE All Might's protegé? sorry, it’s just too good.

Bakugou Katsuki / Midoriya IzukuBelieve me when I say I’m the first one who was like EWW NOO when I heard about it because the oof relationship between these two, BUT something happened along the way and that’s this masterpiece, I just died a little and now I’m a believer, under special circumstances of course, like the real redemption arc and stuff, boy’s gotta make some progress and therapy before I let him be any near my sunshine child.

Shinsou Hitoshi & Aizawa Shouta This just gives me so much, sparks joy! because trust and self-esteem issues boy meets cocoon zombie and it works, and they have great dynamics and I’m just so full of emotions.

Kirishima Eijirou / Bakugou KatsukiAgain there’s no explanation needed, puppyshima and the pomeranian are oddly cute and I’m here to support them, I believe he makes Bakugou realize that vulnerability does make him stronger instead of weak, and I think that’s the whole problem he has with Deku, he knows that fact deep inside but doesn’t want to accept it until this best boy comes in ends the whole man’s career. SO MANLY.

Yaoyorozu Momo / Jirou KyoukaJirou is living her best life, like her gf can make anything?! and she’s super nice and beautiful and whaaaaat I mean, come on, also great personalities and fun dynamics, the potential babe, the potential!! a total look, I ship it.

Yamada Hizashi / Aizawa ShoutaThis wasn’t planned, I just happened to read a lot of works and they were like canon there and somehow my mind just rolled with it and now they are married in my head can you believe? they just click.

Shinsou Hitoshi / Midoriya IzukuYou know the sunshine formula goes with anybody is like a universal law of fandoms, because they are just shippable and stuff, but this is a rule for me that will never be shallow, IMAGINE THIS PAIRING, so cute, awkward dynamics at first, trying to play cool but DORKS hahaha co cute, I love it, give me more. Also, they have a story with quirk discrimination and they could make such progress in the hero society and WHAT IS THE POINT IF YOU DON’T CHANGE POLITICS, power move, and I really hope Deku as a symbol does that because a good hero would save his kind and protect them and *clenches fist* yes.

Shigaraki Tomura / Midoriya Izuku or Shigaraki Tomura & Midoriya Izuku First the universal reasons, the parallels. Imagine both of them converging at some point, they are basically the same but with different paths, both have the potential to achieve great things in both sides BUT, and I think that’s just so interesting and  like I’m a total sucker for alternative universes and what-ifs, variability theories, etc, and they are just reflexes of same events under different developments lol.The romantic reasons, THIS.

Midoriya Izuku & Izumi Kouta & EriThe big brother of a total brat and a unicorn? I love them, such a fluffy dynamic, PLAY DATES, baby sitter Deku going around the dorms with his two minions with red shoes, like aaaaaah I can’t, so cute, I have a soft spot for kids.

Kirishima Eijirou / Midoriya IzukuA total ironic question that got me into the tag and then into the fanfics and then I just was into it, I should know better by now, BUT THEIR DYNAMICS are so cute, honestly the purest ship I ever shipped.

Now the ones I don’t likeIt’s not that I don’t like them passionately, I don’t hate them but I’m not a fan either, most likely these are gonna be canon so meh.

Midoriya Izuku / Uraraka OchakoListen, this is cute and I love them a lot, but just not together, they lack the chemistry, is just too plain, like puppy love, it’s a no from me, I need more than just... that.

Todoroki Shouto / Yaoyorozu MomoSame problem, and even worse since I don’t really see them interacting interestingly, they are just polite with each other but if that’s all we need to ship it then we could date the stranger who smiled at us in the metro lol.Lack of consistency and just could see them together if it was an arranged marriage.

Bakugou Katsuki / Uraraka OchakoSimply, Shang’s phrase “you fight well” okay what else. I don’t hate this ship I just don’t feel it.

Kirishima Eijirou / Ashido MinaI can totes see them as friends but when I think more deeply about it, it just doesn’t spark joy, although it’s more interesting than the ones I mentioned before, still not enough tho.

[jennycalendar]

2018 fic writing roundup

tagged by @catty-words​ !! thank u darling

i have this lingering suspicion that the 92k mess that is imperfections has a tendency of bumping up my word count, but also i’ve been writing particularly A Lot this year. so. yikes. this’ll be a mess

Total 2018 Word Count: 465,233 (so uh. yikes squared?) Total 2018 Hits: 16,798 Other 2018 AO3 Stats: Kudos: 1,592; Comment threads: 457; Bookmarks: 186; Subscriptions: 121.

Total 2017 Word Count: 171,640   Total 2017 Hits: 9,156 Other 2017 AO3 Stats: Kudos: 841; Comment threads: 172; Bookmarks: 126; Subscriptions: 40.

Links and Titles to 2018 Works (buckle up kids)

ten questions for new year’s eve (6,669 words) lonely s4 giles meets jenny on new year’s eve. basically fluff laced with some light angst, which i think set the tone for most of my writing this year

forever (4,738 words) some assorted femslash ficlets from tumblr that i immediately forgot about after february. it of course got buried under a deluge of jenny fic but there’s still some cute stuff there! i had a lot of fun in particular writing about bb willow and the beginnings of her attraction to girls

she’s your destiny (9,560 words) AHHHHHH I FORGOT I WROTE THIS. blessings of writing This Much. soulmate au with buffy/willow and giles/jenny where like. none of them are soulmates but they fall crazy in love anyway.

the happy-ending bouquet (3,851 words) set in 2018. giles and jenny have been married for something like 15 years and are still very happy and in love. basically just an endless deluge of fluff

personas (2,729 words) hhhhh i hesitate to count this as a 2018 fic, because i technically posted it in summer 2017 and then deleted it for reasons unknown (even to me). but there aren’t enough fics that explore jenny’s fractured sense of identity and her broken heart and i love my girl so much. so. wrote that.

something real (2,173 words) my valentine’s day fic!! a friend and i share the headcanon that jenny would have finally shoved her way back into giles’s heart if not for the love spell throwing her off, so. wrote a fic where that happened, albeit somewhat angstily.

direct, but not unwelcome (4,478 words) this fic always makes me cringe, a little; the office verse was written largely for faith and tara, and writing giles and jenny in it was a decision i don’t entirely like (mostly bc there really is no narrative place for either of them). but it has a few good lines ig?

putting a ring on it (2,370 words) giles and jenny proposal fic!! a little wobbly in places imo but still so fun to write. those two deserve all the fluff

the second choice soulmates (6,942 words) the inevitable faith/tara sequel to the soulmate au!! i had it planned from the second i started writing the first fic in that series, and i had a lot of fun with it. in which faith and tara have to deal with their soulmates being in love with each other, and end up falling in love themselves.

nightmares and the aftermath (1,205 words) the first fic i wrote in the ripper au! ripper has a nightmare; jenny talks him through it.

the inherent complexity of falling in love (3,519 words) more soulmate au nonsense!! this time with solely giles and jenny!! 

let’s stay together (857 words) i say that this is “a series of vignettes in which ben, ann, and leslie are dating” but really it’s just one. i’ve kept it in bc i really wanna write more than one. ben/leslie/ann is such a blessed ship and there are no fics for it! which is ridiculous! because they really should all be dating!! leslie has two hands y’all

moments of connection in an uncertain world (3,351 words) the olivia/jenny fic that set that amazing ship on its course. set in asoue; jenny’s identity in the narrative is ambiguous bc jenny’s identity in every narrative is ambiguous. mystery bicon

amends (remixed) (2,988 words) i’m like 99 percent sure i spite-wrote this fic after watching amends bc that really seems like something i would do. in which ghost jenny makes sure buffy, angel, and giles all know that she doesn’t blame them for a single thing.

it’s a family affair (11 chapters) jenny, married to giles and mom to two daughters, loses her memory. i meant for this to be an exploration of jenny and giles’s relationship + jenny as a character, but with hindsight i feel like i kinda rushed it. maybe someday i’ll come back and expand this a little?

maybe i’m in love (24 chapters) CRIES. this fic was posted all in one day and got buried under the deluge of fic i wrote this year and i am still so sad that it remains forgotten. even by me. like i forgot it existed till now. but it is the treasure of my heart and i am still not sure what i can possibly do for calendiles day 2019 that will even come close to “slow burn giles/jenny series rewrite in script format.”

dragonslayers (8,048 words) i go back and forth between whether adding a sequel to a sappy-happy-ending fic was actually needed, but i had a lot of fun writing jenny and anya and tara being friends and adopting a dog. those girls deserve so much better.

tech support (1,315 words) jenny works at angel investigations, and giles meets her when he and buffy drive up to la to get a book. unabashed fluff.

family ties (2,294 words) giles introduces jenny to his dad and the aunts. i had giles call himself “rupert” for the entire fic and forgot to explain why i made the choice to do so (and there was a damn good reason!!!) so every time i see this fic....Regret™

i like you (992 words) the product of me realizing “wait, i never wrote a fic about my Very Specific Headcanon that giles and jenny had sex after school hard!!!” and then going ahead and writing that fic. not explicit; lots of giles and jenny being dumb and in love

take me now! (3,460 words) the sister fic to my other jenny/olivia fic! in this one, jenny’s a watcher and olivia’s the sweet librarian who has her all blushy.

the grieving process (9,771 words) this fic! was! such a trip to write! i wanted to write something where giles’s s6 issues were confronted. originally i wrote a jenny’s-alive fic where he goes to her place in la after leaving buffy in tabula rasa, but the mood of that fic was miserable and hostile, so i changed things ever so slightly. and then it became “giles goes to jenny after buffy dies,” and that transitioned into “giles actually finally gets to have an outlet for his emotions,” and then it became a very soft fic that i love very much.

unsolved mysteries (1,704 words) a modern jackaby au! where jenny cavanaugh has trauma-related anxiety and eats pretzels w jackaby in a hall closet! surprisingly soft.

the cleanup crew (2,968 words) post-ted; buffy calls jenny and giles in to help her with ted’s robot body. because that ep was a hot mess and too many things were tied up too fast.

princess charming (2,754 words) written thanks to a throwaway line from the grieving process! about jenny saving fred in pylea! @theforestlesbian​ mentioned in a review that this fic came off as “the adventures of jenny” and that was the best compliment ever.

untraditional, unconditional (4,223 words) ripper au! ripper and jenny get married! i don’t think i will ever write a better calendiles wedding than this one.

gettin’ bi (1,215 words) jenny and giles come out to each other. that’s really it.

intimacy (1,058 words) some root/shaw fluff. g o sh at some point i really should finish poi huh

the battle’s done (and we kind of won) (5,026 words) post-chosen; jenny inexplicably comes back from the dead, and giles works thru the messy aftermath of s7.

chaos, vengeance, love (1,412 words) giles’s exes talk over his grave. (and yes, i do mean jenny and ethan.)

buffy summers, muggle-born (6,075 words) buffy goes to hogwarts! this was meant to set the scene for a loosely connected string of fics, but i could never decide whether i wanted them to be chaptered fics or oneshots. i do have like 3 large chapters saved to my computer, tho :/

a eulogy (920 words) jenny calendar, as told by how she’s remembered.

survivors’ guilt (4,690 words) in which giles dies instead of jenny, and jenny and buffy deal with it poorly. my only problem w this fic is that i really wish i’d explored the messy aftermath of what might have happened if jenny had brought giles back. 2019 project y/y?

regarding honor and honesty in the workplace (43 chapters) CRIES IN JENNY/LILAH. given that i did not shut up about this fucking fic for a good 3 months, i don’t think it needs a summary.

maybe we could have a thing (3,184 words) giles and jenny’s first date!! canon told us they went out beforehand and it really did need to be ficced.

the most important words (2,753 words) passion fix-it! how many of these have i written dfshlsdhdf. anyway, by some lucky stroke, jenny doesn’t die, but she’s understandably kind of a mess. giles tries to help.

that brown-eyed technopagan (2,821 words) ripper au! willow has a HUGE crush on jenny calendar, who in this ‘verse is in her senior year at sunnydale high. lots of high school shenanigans.

seven new and very bad songs about jenny (8,597 words) another ripper au fic, this one about what it takes for ripper to finally give in and kiss the girl.

love of mine (282 words) one of the two fics i have written that involves giles grieving jenny. angst abounds.

the adjustment period (4024 words) i wanted to write about how weak vamp jenny is for her gf, so i returned to the grand romantic gestures ‘verse and explored that. femslash calendiles!!

love, scotch, and late-night parties (2,539 words) the aftermath of eyghon in the ripper au. jenny wants to be smothered in attention from ripper; ripper wants to give jenny the space he thinks she needs. basically the exact opposite of canon with the exact same inability to communicate.

father and son (3,761 words) in which ripper examines his relationship to his dad, and worries about treating his new son the same way. (spoiler alert: he obviously does not.)

imperfections (46 chapters) TECHNICALLY i added a few new chapters in 2018. i stg i’ll at least get closer to finishing it this year.

happily ever after (2,005 words) set after the dire king! jenny and jackaby being dumb and in love and experimenting with “the mechanics of ghost-human relations.”

cardboard robot (2,097 words) ripper au: halloween edition! ripper gets a pumpkin stuck on his head and sings about jenny, who Definitely Doesn’t Like Him What Are You Talking About Shut Up.

tea, with honey (3,295 words) a modern jackaby au, where jenny’s trauma really is trauma with no ghost metaphor. jackaby, darling of my heart, is still just as sympathetic.

very really married (6 chapters) THIS I WILL FINISH IN 2019. FOR REALS. i have too many unpublished chapters on my laptop to NOT finish it. set in s1; giles and jenny get drunk married in las vegas pre-canon. which, of course, adds a whole new level of complexity to both of giles’s new jobs.

coping (2,611 words) i really wanted to write about jenny and eyghon, bc there are like 0 fics that address the absolute mess that canon throws at that woman. so i did. very angsty with no clear happy ending, bc that’s what happens when you write canon compliant fic about jenny calendar.

yours (2,747 words) my first foray into writing phryne and jack! and, if the 4k-and-counting wip is anything to go by, definitely not my last. 2018 brought me a lot of things, but watching mfmm all the way through was definitely one of the best.

family ties (2,640 words) catch me crying about river and the ponds for the rest of my life, probably. centered around river’s graduation from luna university and her relationship with her parents.

decently clothed (1,516 words) lots of dumb calendiles fluff!! based on a paragraph from a btvs novel; jenny and giles go clothes shopping. it’s exactly as cute as it sounds.

making things right (1,060 words) passion fix-it that came to me when i thought “what if jenny survived, but didn’t even care that she’d almost died, bc what really mattered was that she’d fixed things with giles and buffy?? lmao how badly would that fuck giles up, knowing that she placed earning his trust over her own life???” and then i wrote it bc i love pain

bless her soul (6,294 words) s3. jenny comes back wrong. lots of explorations of the guilt that buffy, giles, and angel harbored for jenny’s death, with none of the pain of using jenny solely as a mouthpiece for evil. so like. amends done right.

dear friend (1 chapter, so far) a you’ve got mail calendiles au that i really do intend to work on some more in 2019.

haunted (15,622 words) WHAT a note to end 2018 on. a (mostly) non-supernatural au in which jenny, after an intense & awful trauma, leaves sunnydale and buys a ridiculously inexpensive mansion in england. why was it so cheap? because giles, the ghost who lives there, has been scaring off buyers. naturally, jenny is not easily rattled.

Favorite Fic: it’s hard to choose bc i wrote so many but for now i’ll pick bless her soul. writing the-first-as-jenny and playing up scooby guilt while still getting to bring jenny back for a happy ending??? that was just so much fun.

Hardest Fic: very really married. absolutely. i was in a v weird place while writing that fic, so that certainly didn’t help, but that fic has been giving me Trouble since i started writing it.

Do You Plan to Take Prompts in 2019? always!!

What was the best thing about 2018? friendsssss!!! i’m entering 2019 with a lot of solid friendships, which really wasn’t the case in 2018. 

What was the worst thing about 2018? tbh the answer will always and forever be “my mom” until i am out of this house

Any last thoughts for 2018? how the FUCK did i WRITE more than half of the fics i have posted on ao3 in THIS YEAR ALONE. 55 FICS. i’m REELING.

Goals for 2019

finish the cheesy au g/j multichapters i started

maybe start work on a detective au sequel? i miss that ‘verse

more ripper au fic!!!!!

more jenny/olivia!!!

more jenny centric fic in general like It’s What She Deserves

SOMETHING about jenny and angel. i talk big talk about how much that dynamic fascinates me but i only ever touch on it in fic. it’s never the central focus.

finish the phryne/jack fic i’m working on, and maybe...tentatively...write more?

[butterscotch-brigade]

fuck it. im too lazy to draw my warriors ocs so here are some of them that i made w this amazing picrew

flowerfur: basically my self insert/sona. riverclan medicine cat whos Big Gay and loves collecting things to decorate her medicine den. curious, sweet, and almost childlike despite being medicine cat for many seasons, she likes to see the good in every cat, and her natural pacifism is partially what lead to her becoming a medicine cat. loves helping other cats and detests conflict; ignoring the fact that shes a healer, shes not very good at de-escalating conflict to begin with. gets very nervous whenever fighting occurs and is very protective of her mate, nightfeather (yes ik medcats cant have mates in canon but thats a stupid rule so fuck you its MY self insert oc so i can make her gay)

nightfeather: flowerfur’s mate, a grumpy riverclan warrior who i adopted from my lovely gf @charcolor​ (she was her self insert oc when she was a kid askldjff but she gave her to me and i changed her personality bc shes My Character Now and i have Permission To Do That). nightfeather is secretly very anxious, but she hides it very well with her standoffish, gruff exterior. the only cat shes willing to let herself be vulnerable with is her mate flowerfur, ofc. shes not really the best at fighting and tries to avoid it whenever possible; instead, she feels a greater sense of fulfillment hunting for her clan. often brings flowerfur things like flowers or shells to decorate her den with and helps out around the medicine den occasionally (though she needs to be tutored on it bc she doesnt know much abt herbs and healing, being a warrior and all)

blossomstar: leader of a fanclan that ive been working on, blossomclan!!! blossomstar is a genderfluid cat who uses he/she/they pronouns, any is fine for them. being the leader of a brand new clan may seem like a daunting task to any other cat, but not to this determined warrior. charismatic and confident to a fault, blossomstar cares deeply about their warriors and believes that a positive attitude is the key to success. even in times of distress, they always manage to bring hope and cheer to their warriors. this doesnt mean you should underestimate them in battle, however; they are actually a fierce fighter and can surprisingly get somewhat......carried away when fighting. fighting is thrilling and fun to them, and sometimes they dont know their own strength. thankfully, their deputy (who i.....havent decided on a name + design for yet askljf) serves as a calm and wise “brain” to their “brawn.”

warblerstalk: ok so. i got this name from a generator so dont judge me. ANYWAY this thunderclan deputy is SUPER edgy. like on purpose. she doesnt give a fuck if you think she looks ridiculous bc she does whatever the fuck she wants (in my mind shes actually 10x more edgy.....she has like. red eyeshadow and emo bangs w a red streak n shit aksljsad but i couldnt do that in the generator so just. deal w this for now). BUT despite her edgy appearance shes actually a pretty effective deputy. shes a bit more forceful than her leader and waaayy harsher towards intruders than necessary, but thats bc she secretly has a crush on a riverclan warrior named lilylake and she doesnt want anyone to suspect anything. has a surprisingly strategic mind and has won many a battle, and she enjoys showing off her cool battle scars to the apprentices.

lilylake: can u tell riverclan is my favorite clan. ANYWAY lilylake is a fun loving and optimistic warrior who loves to take it easy. this easygoing mindset has gotten her in trouble in the past, as she was caught shamelessly flirting with the fucking DEPUTY of thunderclan, warblerstalk. thankfully she was only let off with a harsh warning, but that doesnt stop her from continuing her advances when the two of them are alone. despite their relationship, however, lilylake cares deeply about her clan and actually hopes to become leader one day, though she knows itll probably never happen as long as her relationship w warblerstalk continues. will she choose her heart or her clan?? Who Knows! thats for Me to decide!

blazeheart: a brave and energetic shadowclan warrior, blazeheart was adopted into the clan as a kit along with his sibling icepelt. their mother was a rogue who died giving birth, so they were taken in by a generous queen named frostwhisker (design pending). blazeheart is loyal as any warrior could be, and is fiercely protective of his sibling. he has kind of an overconfident and reckless streak and believes that hes more powerful than he actually is, especially since he became a warrior. loud and somewhat hyperactive, hes a better fighter than he is a hunter, and some wonder if shadowclan was really the right place for him since stealth and secrecy is something they value. nevertheless, he works hard to protect and defend his clan and family, even if he ends up getting himself hurt in the process.

icepelt: the polar opposite of their brother, icepelt (she/they) is very quiet and seemingly stoic. however, their “stoicism” is really just a mask they put on; they are actually socially awkward and have an incredibly difficult time forging friendships with other cats besides their brother. blazeheart is the only cat who can convince them to come out of their shell, and hopefully someday theyll be able to make more friends. they are actually a very competent warrior who understands shadowclan values and hunting/fighting techniques better than blazeheart does, and if it werent for their shyness, they would probably be a very popular warrior. maybe the more time they spend around other cats, the more outgoing they will become......someday.....

stormsong: my newest guy!!! im still working on his personality bc hes so new, but im thinking hes an older senior warrior whos highly respected in windclan. he has a habit of saying whatever pops into his head at any given moment and is known for being brutally honest, but this isnt to hurt people; rather, he just believes in not holding back and standing up for what you believe in. he is very fond of apprentices and loves being able to mentor his own. he looks forward to retiring to the elders den so he can tell stories to them of his glory days. for now, though, he is content to remain a warrior and serve his clan however he can.

[sage-nebula]

YGO - In Plain Sight - Outline

Thanks to @brooklynhype‘s prompt (“When does Jounouchi say ‘I love you’ back?”) and also encouragement (along with @severalbakuras’ encouragement), I’ve decided to share an outline I wrote up aaaages ago (like, two years ago) for a longfic showing exactly how Yuugi and Jounouchi’s relationship progresses to the romantic stage. This fic takes place when Yuugi and Jounouchi are ~22/23, in the post-canon headcanon I have where they ended up getting an apartment together when they were ~18/19 that was close to Yuugi’s university. I’ll still write this fic someday, and I’ve already written parts of it (which will be linked within). It may take a while, but I’ll still get to it someday. Someday . . . (Though that said, if you want to draw art just based on this, by all means, please do.)

That said . . . have a very detailed outline below the cut.

Chapter 1 --- April

Yuugi has lunch with Kisugi and Shiori; Shiori assumes that Yuugi and Jounouchi are a couple, and he assures her (and Kisugi) that they are not, but this gets him thinking about how he felt when she assumed that

Yuugi and Jounouchi watch a movie cuddled up (kind of—each one has a head on an armrest, Yuugi is sprawled across/on top of Jounouchi) on the couch; it’s not romantic but Yuugi can’t stop thinking about how it looks/what it feels like; Jounouchi goes to work (it’s late) and Yuugi falls asleep playing 3DS on the couch

Yuugi does not know this, but when Jounouchi gets home and sees Yuugi sleeping on the couch, Jounouchi carries him to bed

The next morning, Yuugi realizes Jounouchi carried him to bed (maybe?), and he makes coffee for Jounouchi, which wakes Jounouchi up; Yuugi brings up plans for after graduation and mentions he might apply to Nintendo, in Kyoto; Jounouchi tells him he should do that, after saying that he (Jounouchi) doesn’t know what he wants to do, and Yuugi bails

Yuugi ponders over his own feelings, that he doesn’t want to leave Jounouchi necessarily, that he doesn’t want Jounouchi to leave him, or maybe that he’s upset because it seems like Jounouchi doesn’t care as much? He’s distracted enough that he misses his train and opts against going to class. It’s the last day of the school week so after a few hours he decides to go his grandpa’s for the weekend to clear his head

He still ends up being distracted by recurring thoughts of Jounouchi; after talking with his mom (and his mom pressuring him about do this, do that, have you found a gf yet) he decides to ask out Mina since Kisugi mentioned that she was interested in him before

Yuugi successfully asks Mina to a carnival that’s in town the following weekend; when he tells Jounouchi this Jounouchi is very congratulatory and tells Yuugi to give him all the details of their date and Yuugi doesn’t really know how to feel about this

On their date, Yuugi thinks Mina looks very pretty, but throughout the date his heart isn’t really in it and he can’t help but thinking that he and Jounouchi would be doing this-or-that instead if he’d gone (and then he wonders if he’d have liked to go with Anzu as well, thinks probably, but Jounouchi was at the forefront of his mind); at the end Mina says she had a nice time and Yuugi says he did, too . . . but he thinks probably it’s not going to work out between them. Mina is hurt but Yuugi figures it’s better if he’s honest

When he gets home, Jounouchi asks how the date went, Yuugi said it’s over and Jounouchi says he’s sorry; Yuugi points out the carnival will be in town the next day as well and asks Jounouchi if he wants to go, to which Jounouchi says yeah, sure, and Yuugi is pretty happy about it, though he is determined to see this as just any other time of them hanging out

Throughout the next night at the carnival he can’t stop comparing it to how things were with Mina the previous night; things just get more confusing when they’re walking home and Jounouchi throws an arm around his shoulders; this never bothered him before, so why does it bother him now?? Yuugi can’t figure it out, things are 100% too confusing; he resolves to ask for help

Chapter 2 --- May

Yuugi’s main experiences in the areas of romance come in the form of 1.) his crush on Anzu, and 2.) porn videos, which are not informative at all. He tries to compare what he feels to Jounouchi to what he felt for Anzu, but the feelings are different (he thinks) and he’s honestly not sure if he still has feelings for Anzu or not given that she’s lived halfway around the world for the past few years, so it’s honestly pretty confusing in that regard, too

He tries to talk to Anzu on Skype to see if he can settle whether or not he has feelings for her; whether or not he succeeds (like, if she’s available) is tbd

Yuugi tries to ask his mom what it felt like when she fell in love with his dad; this conversation goes nowhere fast because she’s more invested on who he might be in love with rather than what love feels like

His grandpa doesn’t help by very nearly bringing up the porn tapes in front of Yuugi’s mom (“I bet I can guess who it is, I know from those tapes you have a ty—” “Grandpa!!”)

Many people at university now resent Yuugi for “playing” Mina and breaking her heart; more like they’re spreading gossip about him doing just that; Yuugi has to decide on his senior overview project and what it’s going to be

While eating lunch with Shiori and Kisugi (above bullet point comes into play here), Jounouchi shows up on a surprise visit because his shift at the radio station ended early that day for whatever reason; Kisugi flirts with Jounouchi, Jounouchi shoots him down, Shiori gives many meaningful looks to Yuugi and asks him again if he’s sure when Jounouchi leaves; Yuugi is not sure of anything tbh

That night Jounouchi ends up making dinner again (okonomiyaki—so nothing too fancy, but still good), and they make cookies and play Mario Kart or some other game and it’s really, really great night and Yuugi enjoys himself a lot—but again, confusing, because this is really domestic but?? Normal???

The next day he goes to Bakura’s for advice; Bakura says he’s not the best for advice because he’s aromantic so this isn’t really his area, but they talk for awhile and eventually Yuugi comes to the conclusion that he really, really, really cares for Jounouchi, obviously he loves him . . . but love doesn’t necessarily mean IN love . . . it’s different from how he felt about Anzu, like, it’s not like he has wet dreams about Jounouchi, but he thinks maybe he would like kissing him? Or he’d like to try. But mostly it’s that yeah, he loves him . . . he’s happy being with him, and being with Jounouchi makes him feel . . . safe? Secure? Warm? Happy? Like, it’s right, like this is how things are supposed to be, and living with him has been great. And whenever he thinks about not living with him in a year or whatever if he has to move to Kyoto for work or whatever he starts to feel anxious and unhappy, but it’s worse thinking that Jounouchi is okay with that, because Yuugi doesn’t want to leave but he also doesn’t want to stay if Jounouchi doesn’t want him to. And through all this ramble one thing becomes clear: Yuugi is for defo sure in srs love with Jounouchi; the question is: what does he do about it?

Chapter 3 --- June / July

Yuugi does nothing about it at first, continues to try and sort his feelings; he has started getting job offers for when he graduates in March (Jounouchi is not surprised by this, Yuugi feels a bit overwhelmed, esp because he hasn’t even done his senior overview yet wtf), but he doesn’t know what to do with them because he doesn’t know if he wants to leave Domino or not

The Tanabata festival is coming up; there is a celebration going on at Yuugi’s university, but also a big festival going on down at the docks; Jounouchi says that he’s going to that one because station management has asked him to make a video about it (sort of like a vlog, Jounouchi says) for the website, and he asks Yuugi to go with him; Yuugi says yes because of course he does, esp because he was going to celebrate Tanabata anyway

They are both a bit uncomfortable because it’s down near the docks, near where they had their duel, but it’s easier if they’re with each other and Jounouchi is good about fooling around with the camera for the vlog

Yuugi’s wish on the tanzaku (wish tag) that he hangs on the festival tree is something to the effect of “I wish for my future to work out, and for Jounouchi-kun to be part of it”

Jounouchi also writes a wish on the tanzaku (it’s bad luck not to and he’s superstitious anyway) but Yuugi does not know what it is

KaibaCorp was hosting some of the entertainment at the festival and so they run into Mokuba, who is in charge of that sort of thing (given that he is better at PR than Seto); Shizuka is there bc she wanted to surprise Jounouchi & also Mokuba invited her; they also run into Honda and Bakura as both came down to celebrate as well

They stay and watch as the festival tree is set out to sea and lit on fire at festival’s end

Shizuka stays the night after Tanabata, and because Jounouchi does not want his baby sis having to sleep on the couch, he has her take his bed; he plans to sleep on the couch, but Yuugi casually suggests they share his bed instead, and Jounouchi sees no problem with it once he’s sure they can both fit, so Yuugi’s pretty happy (even if his heart is beating ten thousand miles a minute)

The next morning, Shizuka is rather surprised to see her brother emerging from Yuugi’s room, and she starts to ask him, “Are you---?” before she decides against it; Jounouchi asks her what she was about to ask, and she says it’s nothing, so he threatens to tickle it out of her, and they get into an impromptu wrestling / tickling match, but she still never says anything, and Yuugi (who witnessed this) wonders what she thinks, and if she’s thinking what he thinks she’s thinking, and if she is, what she thinks the chances are of Jounouchi feeling the same way as him, then

Yuugi has final exams for the spring semester, which are pretty stressful, so they distract him from things for a time after Tanabata, but Jounouchi helps him through his finals

Within a day or so of Yuugi’s finals wrapping up and summer vacay starting, Jounouchi announces that the radio station offered him a permanent position as a radio co-host—on a trial basis but w/e, point is they were impressed by his vlog and how many hits it got so like??? He’s got a real job now, provided he makes it through the trial run of August, go him

Yuugi is super happy for Jounouchi, but this also means that Jounouchi will probably absolutely have to stay in Domino, so . . . that complicates things, frick

Chapter 4 --- August

Yuugi decides on his senior overview finally: it will be a largely text based adventure game in which the protagonist has to successfully avert the end of the world, albeit the end of the world is really a metaphor for the protagonist’s own life, with multiple endings

Since it is summer break for Yuugi and Honda, they agree that they’d like to take a vacation, only that is hard given that Bakura is pretty broke, and Jounouchi has to work; they decide that they’ll take mini vacations over each weekend in August since Jounouchi doesn’t work on weekends; since none of them have a lot of money, ultimately they settle on one four day weekend trip to Hokkaido

In Hokkaido:

Failed attempts at surfing, Honda and Jounouchi try to bury each other in the sand

They can’t afford hotels so they end up camping out on the beach and brought tents for this purpose

See some bikini clad ladies, and Yuugi, Jounouchi, and Honda all find them attractive while Bakura is just like “ok, you do that, I’m going to go get some ice cream”; Yuugi finds the ladies really attractive, but it’s seeing that and knowing he doesn’t feel the urge to go flirt or anything that lets him know his feelings are legit

Spooky stories around the campfire to Jounouchi’s dismay; Bakura is devious and tells extra spooky stories because he knows that Jounouchi and Yuugi are sharing a tent

Yuugi and Jounouchi share a tent; Yuugi innocently asks if Jounouchi is okay and Jounouchi says that ofc he is, everything is cool, but strange spooky noises are heard outside of the tent and so Yuugi “sacrifices” by sleeping closer and Jounouchi says that ofc he’ll keep Yuugi safe and hugs him close—for Yuugi’s benefit ofc

The spooky sounds were Bakura, that devious lil thing

Other summer shenanigans as they crop up maybe: impromptu beach volleyball tournament? Other beach games they can’t resist playing (Yuugi and Bakura especially)? Things like that

When they get back from Hokkaido Yuugi tries to tell Jounouchi how he feels, but chickens out at the last second and they go to bed

Chapter 5 --- September

School has started again and Yuugi presents his senior overview project idea to his advisor, who thinks it is a bit cliché; Yuugi is hurt and put-out by this but resolves to try and find a new idea

People at school have heard Jounouchi on the radio and Shiori and Kisugi approach Yuugi about it, to ask him what is up; specifically Shiori wants to know if this means Jounouchi is staying in Domino, has Yuugi thought about his options, has Yuugi talked to him? And she knows that they’re not dating, she knows it, but she figures, they’re still roommates, this is still probably something they should—but Yuugi cuts her off and says no, no, but he will, soon. Probably.

Since Jounouchi lasted the entire month of August and proved to be very adept at what he does, he’s officially an official radio host now at the station, congrats, go him. They officially slot him in at the mid-morning/afternoon show, and while they considered giving him a co-host at first they’ve decided against it, ultimately, because he talks enough for two people

That night, Jounouchi and Yuugi talk Yuugi’s career options again (discuss him leaving Domino, him staying in Domino, working for KaibaCorp etc), and this segues into Yuugi finally confessing how he feels in a roundabout way, and they talk about it; Jounouchi says that he can’t return Yuugi’s feelings, but he also promises that ofc they’re still best friends even if they’re not going to start dating, Yuugi is Yuugi etc; Yuugi is relieved but he still feels deep disappointment because ultimately his feelings weren’t returned (or so he thinks)

When he wakes up the next morning Jounouchi is already gone; Yuugi tries not to read into it and goes to class; Shiori and Kisugi ask what’s up, and Yuugi kind of wants to tell them, but opts against it; it’s hard to concentrate in class and he still doesn’t have a new idea for his senior overview

At work, Jounouchi (POV switch!) has a hard time concentrating on the radio; he manages to get through the show all right, except halfway through he starts rambling about unexpected changes and what to do when you’re in a jam like that and etc etc he ends up turning it into an extended Duel Monsters metaphor and caps off the entire thing by telling his listeners that sometimes they just have to take trap cards as they come and use a luck card to pull it through, only too bad luck cards don’t’ work in real life, right? Station management does not know wtf is up with this and they send him home and tell him to pls feel better tomorrow; Jounouchi texts Honda to tell him he’s coming to visit for a time (also texts Yuugi to let him know he’s going to Honda’s and says it’s bc Honda needs help with something, but he’s vague about what that something is)

Jounouchi tells Honda that this must keep this secret under threat of pain of death, but that Yuugi told him that he loved him; they talk about this for a long while, Jounouchi ends up spending the night; the next day before he leaves he resolves he’s going to be super careful from now on because he doesn’t want to lead Yuugi on or anything

This is where things get hard.

Chapter 6 --- October

Things are awkward in the apartment; Jounouchi is often out later, and when they are at home together there isn’t the same level of comfort they had before (e.g. no cuddling on the couch during movies)

Yuugi invites Jounouchi out to the arcade (“you know, just to hang out”) on a Saturday, and they go, and as they’re walking home Jounouchi goes to sling an arm around Yuugi’s shoulders—only to quickly pull it back and apologize, which makes the whole thing super awkward but really makes Yuugi feel like the world just split in two; Yuugi makes up an excuse about something he remembers he had to do and bails

Yuugi goes to Bakura’s and is basically already crying when Bakura opens the door (“I ruined everything”) and tries to seek counsel, but it’s hard because things are different and awkward and distant now and Yuugi doesn’t know what to do

Jounouchi calls Honda because he can tell he really hurt Yuugi pretty badly and he doesn’t know what to do either, because aren’t things better this way?? He doesn’t want to lead him on or make things harder, but is this a damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t??? (“Because it’s not like we can be together—” “Why can’t you?” “Why do you think? I can’t---I’m not gonna spell it out for you right now”)

Yuugi gets home that night, things are super awkward, sort of a “I’m sorry about before” “yeah no it’s ok” kind of situation; Yuugi excuses himself to go work on his senior overview and Jounouchi goes to his room to play guitar; both doors are shut (they were always open before) and both boys are unhappy

KaibaCorp hosts a Halloween event in the city that is basically like a fear trial utilizing their virtual reality/hologram technology in a massive complex supposedly built for this purpose (really it was an old weapons facility but shh no need to let anyone know this); the station sends Jounouchi to go vlog it like before much to his dismay, and when he tells Yuugi he asks if maybe Yuugi wants to go, and Yuugi excitedly says yes before he says, well, Bakura was already going because he helped with some of the ideas (“great” Jounouchi says, even less enthused than before), so the three of them can go together

At the fear trial event thing:

Bakura speaks with Mokuba beforehand to make things extra frightening for Jounouchi (unknown if this shown or will be referenced later, we’ll see)

The entire thing is actually underground in specifically designed tunnels and the like; each tunnel is fitted with holographic technology and the holograms and such adjust as guests wander through

Mokuba is present at the event again because, again, PR

As they go through things start out OK until the jump scares start in with demons and ghosts and things; there’s a particularly bad one at a three way split, and on pure instinct Jounouchi bolts down one corridor while Yuugi went down the other (and Bakura wondered which one he should pursue)

As they’re separated, Jounouchi tries to find Yuugi again while trying to explain himself to the camera, and spends a lot of time running; he ends up finding Yuugi again at another point in the maze, and it looks like Yuugi is being harassed by a big group of dudes

Jounouchi immediately rushes in to his defense, about to whoop some serious ass, but 1.) they’re holograms and 2.) they shift to demons whenever Jounouchi gets there, so he grabs Yuugi’s wrist and takes off running again

When they reach some distance away Jounouchi makes sure Yuugi’s all right, and Yuugi reminds him that everything’s a hologram, but they lost Bakura; Jounouchi is like “oh, right” and they go to look for Bakura

Everything feels normal as they battle their way through the underground maze; at one point they’re assaulted by Duel Monsters holograms and at another they have to avoid illusions of falling CapMon capsules (like Penalty Games, eh?)

It soon becomes apparent that to escape the maze (or maybe they knew from the start) they actually have to battle and play a game that is part riddle and part logic; KaibaCorp is a gaming company after all

When the event is over and Jounouchi and Yuugi go home together, it’s in silence, and it seems like maybe, tentatively, they just . . . won’t discuss Yuugi’s feelings, or Jounouchi’s feelings, or anything like that; things are still a little awkward but before anything can be discussed Jounouchi says he needs to transfer the video to station management for editing, and Yuugi says yeah, he needs to work on his senior overview; once again they’re in their own rooms, doors shut

Chapter 7 --- November

Yuugi has another meeting with his senior overview adviser to discuss his project; he starts throwing out random ideas like “maybe something with time travel so the player can fix their mistakes” (but cuts back on that because “no, that’s too much like Braid”) and basically throws out random ideas until, wishing that he had Atem to talk to about this whole mess with Jounouchi, he says, “what if the player has an alter ego they can switch to in order to skip over hard parts in the game for them, only in so doing they make the game longer every time they do it because they’re not actually clearing the obstacles themselves” and his adviser is like “I’m listening”

Jounouchi tries to force himself to be upbeat on the air, but it’s hard; station management has a talk with him about his “depressing demeanor” and consider sticking him with a co-host again (or giving him some time off if he needs it?) but he insists that’s not necessary and that he’s fine, really

A few days later (or so) Yuugi and Jounouchi are both home in the evening and Yuugi mentions off-hand that he made a resume and that he noticed Nintendo had an opening for a game developer and he was thinking about applying; Jounouchi tells him that he should go for it, and Yuugi says that he’d have to move to Kyoto, and Jounouchi says again, in as firm a voice as he can manage, he really thinks Yuugi should go for it; Yuugi takes this the wrong way (ofc he does) and goes to his room; Jounouchi takes a walk

The next day, Jounouchi is real depressed on air, and station management ends up sending him home basically immediately after with the note of “take tomorrow off if you have to, but this has gotta stop”; as he leaves he runs into Mai, who is in town for a gig with KaibaCorp, and she sought him out because “I’ve heard happier people presiding over funerals”

Jounouchi does not tell Mai all of the details; basically just talks to her in general terms about relationships etc; Mai tells him that he needs to take chances when he has them because otherwise he won’t, and wasn’t he always the recklessly courageous one? Jounouchi says this is easier said than done; in any case they talk over dinner

When Jounouchi gets home, Yuugi is in his room with the door closed; he is working on his senior overview project, but Jounouchi figures that’s probably a hint, too . . . and closes his own door all the same

The next morning, it’s small talk over breakfast until Yuugi brings up that Anzu will be in town next month, so, he figured, they could have a holiday party or something, if that was okay, and Jounouchi says that yeah, of course it is, they can invite everyone, it’ll be awesome; it’s a tentative, tiny band-aid over the issues between them

Chapter 8 --- December

Jounouchi and Yuugi plan for the holiday party together, though Jounouchi does much of the food purchasing and such as Yuugi still has to work on his senior overview/other homework and also prepare for his final exams

The holiday party is really just Yuugi, Jounouchi, Honda, Anzu(!!!), and Bakura

Midway through the party Anzu notices the odd distance between Yuugi and Jounouchi and she pulls Jounouchi into his room to talk about it; they discuss things for few seconds but when Jounouchi says he can’t talk about things there she declares to everyone that they are taking a walk and drags him out of the apartment

Jounouchi ends up spilling everything to Anzu in the park, and they talk about what has been going on (this bullet was originally more detailed, but the entire conversation is in the link so just read that)

In the next few days/week or so(?) Anzu and Yuugi are hanging out, and it feels kind of date-ish, and as they walk Anzu brings up the idea of the two of them dating, if they ever wanted to pursue a relationship etc; Yuugi is caught very off-guard and, much like she did with Jounouchi, Anzu takes Yuugi to the park so they can talk (and note, Anzu still does not have feelings for him, but more she wanted to create an opening to talk about Yuugi’s feelings for Jounouchi); Yuugi tells Anzu about his feelings for Jounouchi and what has been going on there and Anzu assures him everything will work out just fine (though she refuses to tell him why she thinks he shouldn’t give up hope just yet, because even if she doesn’t want him to give up / wants to reassure him, she’s not going to tell him everything Jounouchi told her in specific, it’s not her place to do so)

Yuugi has to buckle down and finish his senior overview after this (as well as study for his upcoming exams etc);  after some deliberation (including some not-vague-enough deliberation ON-AIR, FFS JOUNOUCHI PLS), Jounouchi decides they for sure need to talk about this when Yuugi’s exams are over

Chapter 9 --- January

Yuugi presents his senior overview to the committee for his department and it is accepted/he gets a pass on it; he also feels that he does all right on exams so with any luck he will graduate for sure come March

Jounouchi ends up asking him again about his future prospects, job-wise, after congratulating Yuugi on things going well and Yuugi says that oh, he doesn’t know, he’s applied to some places but he’s still deciding, you know; Jounouchi tries to tell him then, tries to talk to him about things, but he ends up chickening out and going for a walk instead

Jounouchi comes back that night, and Yuugi is playing a game in the living room; Jounouchi reminds himself that he’s got balls, he can do this, he’s faced scarier things, he did Kaiba’s fear trial bullshit back in October, he can do this; he asks Yuugi to turn off the game for a sec, or at least pause it, so they can talk

Basic bottom line here is Jounouchi explains to Yuugi how much he cares about him, and does love him, and he never really thought it before because they were always bff but Yuugi is really, really, very, very important to him and he thinks that he, probably—no, he does, love Yuugi, and he thinks that it probably is like that, you know, but he freaked out and he’s sorry, but part of the reason why he’s been like this is because he doesn’t think that he’s very good for Yuugi, all things considered, Yuugi can do better and shouldn’t let himself be held back by—

Yuugi kisses him. Lightly, on the lips, just once. He pulls away, leans forward to kiss him again—and Jounouchi kisses him back, again, chaste, just testing the waters

Jounouchi stares at him, and things are tense and emotional and hearts are beating very, very, very, very fast, and Yuugi wants this, and Jounouchi wants this, and that scares him, so he says, “um, actually, I think I have to go do a . . . a thing” and bails (god DAMN it Jounouchi god DAMN IT)

Jounouchi goes to Honda’s, and Honda is not happy about being woken up at whatever time of night, but when Jounouchi blurts “I kissed Yuugi” Honda lets him in; they talk for a long, long time about things, Jounouchi finally vents all of his “BUT I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH AND ANYWAY I JUST BAILED AFTER HE KISSED ME LIKE WTF HE’S NEVER GOING TO WANT TO SEE ME AGAIN ANYWAY I’M SO STUPID THIS IS WHY HE DESERVES BETTER” etc, but Honda insists that no, Yuugi is not like that, and anyway, the more important thing here is Honda wants both of his friends to be happy and if this makes them happy, then really the only thing standing in their way right now is Jounouchi, and goddamn he’s never seen anyone so determined to be in the way of their own happiness, honestly. Jounouchi is really quiet for a time and finally, just--- “Do you love him?” “. . . yes.” “How much?” “More than . . . god, I . . .” (Unintelligible mumbling as he buries his face in his arms) “Dude, there’s your answer, just get over yourself and be honest with him, let this happen, you guys’ll work it out somehow. Now go the hell to sleep, I still have an exam tomorrow.”

Jounouchi goes home the next morning, Yuugi isn’t there because Yuugi went to go have breakfast with Bakura. When Yuugi gets back in the afternoon Jounouchi throws the remote at the TV to turn it off (smooth—it doesn’t even work), and apologizes for bailing, Yuugi says it’s okay, Jounouchi says it’s not . . . and more calmly explains everything he’s been stressing over, how he thinks that he doesn’t want to hold Yuugi back, Yuugi could probably do better etc, BUT, he says, before Yuugi can interrupt, BUT he . . . he . . . and he kisses Yuugi, this time he initiates it, and it’s more desperate and far less chaste than before (well—less chaste when Yuugi introduces some tongue as, you know, a test), and when he pulls away Jounouchi says, “I . . . I really . . .” and he just hugs Yuugi as he finishes the, “I love you, and I’m sorry, but I mean it—” and Yuugi hugs him back because finally, FINALLY, finally everything will be all right.

Chapter 10 --- March (Epilogue)

Yuugi graduates, of course; he has his degree in game design and practically a hoard of game companies knocking down his door

Jounouchi has been much, much, much happier on air, of course, given that everything is sorted out and like it used to be (except with more physical intimacy, natch)

Yuugi accepts at a job at an indie games company (MalleaBoundary Games) in Domino; it’s on the other side of town so they do have to move, but they opt to move together esp since the commute still won’t be too bad for Jounouchi

 All in all, everything is as it should be.