#i need to draw this top tier ship more often

[rauhallinen-hauki]

Barret x Cid for Barret Birthday Bash, an event by @romancingbarret

short explanation (mini story?):

After a big party with the rest of his friends and family, Barret goes on a quieter, more private date with Cid through a forest surrounding Rocket town. He has taken his gun arm off, maybe to completely let the wind caress his skin. Cid holds his arm and pats his back, because sometimes that little reassurance from that special someone is like getting a daily birthday gift.

Happy birthday Barret, and happy day in general to fellow Barret fans

[cinnamon-galaxies]

What are your top 3 favorite ship dynamics? I was watching “Relationship dynamics from tumblr 2” by tonka joey (give it a watch! It has 7 or maybe more parts and is really fun) on youtube and i got curious.

have a good day!

My favorite relationship dynamics

You literally send me into a rabbit hole with that question. I've been researching relationship dynamics for the last few hours straight and I'm pretty sure I won't stop for the next hours or even days. It's just so much fun and now I really feel the urge to draw Alastor and Mara in as many fitting relationship dynamics as possible. I swear, the ideas are COOKING.

There are so many good dynamics what makes it even harder for me to answer your question because it feels impossible for me to reduce the list to just my top three... So, this response might get a little bit out of hands. But maybe it'll be a helpful inspiration for anyone who reads this!

So, one of my all time favorite tropes is "enemies to lovers". And there are so many possibilities to showcase this trope in different dynamics...

First off, there's the classic "enemies to lovers". Both hate each other or are on different sides but end up falling in love. Oh, the denial and slow burn is just chefs kiss. I just adore a well written push and pull between two characters who are supposedly enemies or rivals but secretly pine for each other.

But what about two characters who despise each other but accidentally end up in bed just to regret their actions the morning after? Ooooooh, the potential... The possibility of creating delicious second hand embarrassment and the possible banter between the character's following afterwards while they continue pretending as if nothing happened even though both of them get constantly haunted by the memory of sharing a night together... Just 😘👌🏻

Or imagine enemies who are ALSO lovers? Like hate-love relationship but take it LITERALLY.

Another category of ship dynamics I ADORE is "villainous couples". Both of them just want to watch the world burn; they're both murderers and horrible people but their relationship is all loving, caring and healthy and just all over wholesome. They're devoted to each other like Gomez and Morticia Addams and support each other's heinous plans. This is definitely a top tier dynamic, in my opinion.

Other villain ship dynamics I like are "evil genius x the supportive". Or "the tough ahh mastermind villain x their annoying simp". (I've thought about this dynamic so often and it sounds hilarious.)

Or what I'm also into (which is also a classic) is "villain x ex hero". Who cares about redeeming the villain when the hero can get corrupted...? Especially if the villain is in the right the whole time or if the villain just loves to create chaos but is still charismatic af. (Dude doesn't need to be changed. He's perfect the way he is 👌🏻)

"The person who doesn't believe in love but then falls in love with the hopeless romantic" will also have my heart forever! The denial, the mutual pining but not wanting to confess because they fear rejection or appearing weak (It's basically every good Alastor x OC/reader romance story I've read and I'm down bad for this trope.)

"Grumpy x Sunshine"? A classic. I like it. But what about "looks evil but is actually sweet x looks sweet but is actually a psychopath"?

Or "looks dangerous but is completely harmless x looks harmless but will actually kill you if you hurt their partner"?

"Big scary demon overlord x their little bean" is also so much fun to read and write. Or just imagine "big scary demon overlord x random dude":

Character A: "ł'₥ ₲ØⱤ₲Ø₮Ⱨ, ĐɆ₴₮ⱤØɎɆⱤ Ø₣ ₩ØⱤⱠĐ₴!!! And this is Steve."

Character B: *casually waves their hand*

Or just "the tough ahh stoic and intimidating character who has a huge soft spot for character B"... It's so cute in my opinion and I just love it when all grumpy melts around their partner... It makes them appear even more special to them...

I also like the idea of "tough and serious x silly and clumsy" (bonus points if they have ADHD).

I just really like polar opposites as a dynamic, especially if everyone else thinks they don't match but it actually works out perfectly for them! They're so much fun and can complement each other in ways that make stories so exciting...

Well, that was already a lot. But since I've already exaggerated this post I can also just round this off by adding a list of other ship dynamics I think are fun:

- autism x ADHD

- wide eyed and curious x the cool one that admires them

- character that get shipped with each other and both of them hate it/find it annoying

- chill tall one x angry short one

- traumatized x traumatized but smug

- two idiots with one brain cell (they share that single brain cell)

- scary eldritch horror x the one who thinks it's kinky (this just sounds so much fun... Imagine character A goes all scary and intimidating but B is just: "Damn, that's hot.")

And well, basically Gomez x Morticia. (I know I already mentioned it but that was in the "villain" context. They don't need to be evil. They're just a wholesome and happy couple that's completely devoted to each other until the end of time.)

[shyanshippingsociety]

🌺 SHYAN SHIPPING SOCIETY RARE KINK SUMMER BINGO EVENT 2021 🌺

hello and welcome !! the Shyan Shipping Society brings you another fun event, and this one is not just server wide, like our new year's eve or valentine's exchange. this one is for everyone in the Shyan fandom to participate! come join us in a journey of highlighting some more rare kinks, bringing new fics to the fandom for anyone and everyone! do you find it a shame there's only five fics with temperature play? do you long for more fics with mirror play? are you just itching to write a thigh kink fic? well, this is your chance!

What's the Rare Kink Summer Bingo? How does it work?

It's an event running June 21st thru August 31st in which creators of all kinds come together to produce content based on simple kink-based prompts. You'll receive a bingo-style card (through Discord or Tumblr, to be provided in the sign-up link at the bottom of this post) in which each square has a different kink listed. Your challenge is to fill as many squares as you like by creating content based on the prompts. You could set a goal to get bingo, or even to fill the entire card!

All creations are welcome, whether it be fic, art, graphics and moodboards, soundbites, fanvids — it's all up to your imagination. You may use one creation to fill multiple squares if you like.

From the moment you're finished with your work, you can post it on AO3 to the collection linked at the bottom. Post as often as you like!

Do I have to be in the Shyan Shipping Society Discord server to participate?

No, any Shyan shipper can participate! Although you do have to be 18+ and you may want to join the server just to be up to date on all the recent news. You will need to provide either a Discord or a Tumblr account for us to use to communicate with you.

Can I produce works for ships that aren’t Shyan?

Absolutely! Anything that is B-zzfeed/ex-B-zzfeed or W-tcher Entertainment related is fair game. (For example: W-rth It, the Try G-ys, Kelsey D-ngerous, the K-tchen and Jorn Show, etc.). You can write Shyan, Standrew, Steshyan, Colim... whatever ship you feel like creating for!

Can I submit an existing fic to cover squares?

No. It must be written, posted to AO3, and submitted to our collection during the event dates. Fics posted before June 21st or after August 31st will not count.

What do I get if I participate?

To celebrate every creation, each square you fill will get you an entry into our drawing. Each entry sets you toward winning a month of free Discord Nitro, or a month of Witness tier Watcher Patreon subscription, sponsored by the server! If you fill the whole card you'll get an extra three entries. We'll draw two winners. Everyone who fills their whole card will also get an honorary role in the SSS server for their service. (Of course, if you're just in it for the creations, you can always opt out of the drawing and roles if you like.) In order to enter your creation into the drawing you'll need to submit it to our collection on AO3.

What if there's a kink listed that triggers me or squicks me out? I want to have a chance to fill the whole card.

We have set aside some extra "stickers" that we can put over top of any kinks that are triggering or squicky or you. When you receive your card via DM, you can message back with the kink(s) you'd like to be replaced. We'll put the "stickers" over it and return the card to you with new kinks! (Your card will not look any different, but it will have new kinks in place of the old ones, and be numbered a little differently so we can keep track.)

How do I sign up?

Sign up using the Google Forms link below! The event begins on Monday June 21st, when cards first go out, but you can join any time during the course of the event. Sign-ups do not close.

🌺 SIGN UP HERE 🌺

🌺 CHALLENGE COLLECTION HERE 🌺

[cosmicbrowniefan]

-They/She/He

-I’m 5’3 with short blonde hair that fades into purple. I have blue eyes that can look either green or grey depending on the day.

-Im bi, but Im more comfortable being shipped with a girl. -Im introverted and enjoy reading, drawing, painting, surfing, and listening to music.

-I can be mean at times (especially when im angry or upset at someone) but im normally pretty kind. Im very sarcastic and get very anxious at times. Im hard on myself and feel responsible for everything. Im pretty smart and always get good grades. Im normally quiet, but I start talking a lot when I get excited about something I love or care about.

- I enjoy being alone most of the time, calming music, working out, talking with my friends, good books, soda, and making people happy.

-I dont like people who are obnoxious for no reason, waking up early, coffee, crying, or dealing young kids.

-Im kinda curvy I guess and kinda pale, but i have a TON of freckles

Thanks!

i ship you with...

robin buckley

how you met: surprisingly enough, through steve harrington. he saw you at the gym one day and you had a queer sticker on your water bottle, so steve, being the World’s Best Ally, decided to tell the one queer person he knew that he found another queer person. of course, robin, upon hearing that he had a suggestion, went into a spiel of “steve not all gay people like each other you need to realize that”, but then he showed her a picture of you in the yearbook and robin shut up immediately. because it was you. her long time crush. that she did NOT know was queer.

her first impression of you: robin’s first impression of you was that you were really sweet and kind and introspective, but also incredibly quiet. which made her worried because the last thing she ever wanted to do was accidentally overwhelm you. luckily, the more you guys spent time together, the more comfortable she got. of course, it’s robin, she continued to talk a lot, but not in any kind of annoying way. you actually really enjoy listening to everything she has to say because you think it’s very interesting to hear her thoughts.

how you got together: after finding out that you were queer, robin decided to try and get closer to you. again, she was nervous because of how quiet you were in contrast to her, but she quickly got more comfortable with you and was honestly shocked by the amount of sarcasm you used. you guys got together one day when she was rambling about something and you were just kind of looking at her lovingly. her talking wasn’t annoying you, but you were just so distracted by how perfect she was. and so you decided to kiss her, and you started laughing at the look on her face when you did. after a second, she cleared her throat and said, “that was a really nice way of telling me to shut up.”

what she likes most about you: robin ADORES the sound of your laugh. she just thinks it’s honestly the most angelic sound in the world. and making you laugh? biggest honor of her LIFE. physically, robin loves your freckles. you always point out to her that her freckles are cute too, but she insists that you’re the only person that freckles look good on.

what you guys enjoy doing together: this isn’t something you guys do super often, but it’s still one of your favorite memories. robin talked all the time about how much she admires your hair, and how she loves the color of it and wishes that she had the confidence to do something like that. well, one day when she’s talking about it, you just casually offer to dye her hair for her. she stopped talking and considers for a moment, before saying “fuck it, let’s do this” and that’s the story of how robin ended up with the colors of the lesbian flag in her hair.

bonus headcanon: your relationship is just like. very healthy. like your communication with each other is TOP tier, and neither of you ever feels pressured to text or hang out all the time or anything like that. you guys just share your feelings and stay open with each other and your relationship has really never felt threatened or in jeopardy, because you both trust and love and care for each other so much <3

[therain-trxnsfxrmed]

About Raiden

IC TIMELINE FOR RAIDEN’S MAIN GAME APPEARANCES

Childhood (1983 onward)

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (MGS2) (2007-2009, age 24-26)

Between MGS2 and MGS4 (2009-2014, ages 26-31)

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (MGS4) (2014, age 31)

Between MGS4 and MGR:R (2014-2018, age 31-35)

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (MGR:R) (2018, age 35)

BACKGROUND & PSYCHOLOGY

Note: There’s so much detail in this franchise, so many characters and important events, but I am going to try to narrow this background down to events important to shaping who Raiden is and that contributed to his often fragile psychology. These are the events, memories, information I would draw from the most while writing him, although not limited to just these. if I tried to explain the entire franchise I’d be here for years, so I have to narrow it down somehow, haha.

Childhood (1983 onward)

Raiden (real name Jack) was born in 1983 and raised early on as a child soldier in Liberia. He was trained with both guns and blades, in hand-to-hand combat, and in advanced CQC (close-quarters combat), and participated in the First Liberian Civil War, killing several men. His ruthlessness combined with his pale, almost-white skin and hair earned him the title of The White Devil. Jack the Ripper was another moniker he earned from his peers. However, Raiden was significantly traumatized by this upbringing, as it had an emphasis on lack of emotion, lack of empathy, and killing without remorse. This goes against who he is at a core level, but because Raiden had never known anything else, he didn’t know who he was as a person. He had never been given the freedom to develop his own personality. Therefore, he repressed a lot of his childhood, not even remembering much of what he did in any detail.

Because of this, and because of his isolated upbringing that had a heavy emphasis on virtual reality (VR)-style training, Raiden behaves very much like a rookie during his first official mission for FOXHOUND in MGS2, and is introduced as having no former live combat experience. Of course this wasn’t true, but because he had repressed so much of his childhood and because he had never been released to do a solo mission before, it also kindof was true.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (MGS2) (2007-2009, age 24-26)

FOXHOUND, a U.S.-based high tech army elite special force, sends Raiden on his first live combat solo mission. The directive was simple: rescue hostages from the terrorist cell known as the Sons of Liberty. He was aided remotely via codec by his commanding officer, Roy Campbell, and his girlfriend, Rosemary, a psychologist, as well as directly in the field by Solid Snake (the franchise’s main protagonist) and Olga Gurlukovich, a spy. During the mission, however, Raiden is unwittingly controlled by a secret organization called The Patriots, which creates AIs that impersonate both Campbell and Rose on his codec, issuing orders to achieve their means instead of the mission he was supposed to be on. When Raiden discovers this, he has trouble trusting anything he hears and trouble discerning reality from simulation. This results in both fear and anger that follow him long after the events of the game. Despite his trust issues with Rose, Raiden learns that she’s pregnant and decides to enter civilian life to settle down with her.

Between MGS2 and MGS4 (2009-2014, ages 26-31)

Raiden does not adjust well to civilian life. Being a soldier is all he has ever known. In addition, he finds it difficult to trust Rose after being lied to by The Patriots, and clashes with her often due to his developing alcoholism and propensity to start fights with anyone who looks at him crossways. Events of MGS2 haunt him, particularly the death of a young woman at the hands of Vamp, a recurring villain in the franchise, in front of Raiden and purely to taunt him. He finds it all very difficult to deal with and doesn’t know what to do with himself as a civilian. He can’t keep a job, fights with Rose often, and when he learns that she’s had a miscarriage, he goes off on his own.

Raiden, as part of a debt he felt he owed Olga, searched for her infant daughter Sunny and rescued her from The Patriots. He was successful, but was then captured, tortured, and most of his human body was destroyed. Only Raiden’s brain, spinal cord, and head from his upper jaw up are still human. He was fitted with a prototype cybernetic body, officially making him a cyborg. Between what he suffered at The Patriots’ hands, his breakup with Rose, and the loss of his own child, Raiden resigned himself to the fact that he would never be anything but a soldier, a killer, and his place would forever be on the battlefield.

There was a significant amount of mental stress and identity confusion that he suffered with regard to his transformation into a cyborg, having lost 90% of his natural body. In addition to feeling like a “monster,” and a “machine” instead of a man, Raiden lost much of what traditionally defines “manhood,” which was a big blow to his idea of self-worth. Rose losing their child hurt a lot more because of that, since Raiden now is no longer capable of fathering children. For years, Snake lost contact with Raiden… until he surfaced again in MGS4.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (MGS4) (2014, age 31)

By this time, Raiden’s blood has been entirely replaced with White Blood (shiro chi), a synthetic chemical lymph/blood substitute designed to optimize the performance of his cybernetic body. When Raiden is badly wounded by Vamp during a confrontation in which he was reunited with Snake to protect him, Sunny performs dialysis on him, a process that the genius child perfected for him herself. Despite not being fully functional or repaired, Raiden continues to help Snake throughout the events of the game and manages to kill Vamp. This closes a big chapter of his life, as Vamp was always a sore spot after what he’d done in MGS2.

Throughout the game, Raiden adheres very closely to katsujinken, a samurai code in which the evil of killing is accepted as necessary if it is done to protect innocent life. His fighting style becomes very much like that of a samurai as well, relying on blades and specifically a high-frequency samurai sword as his main weapons as opposed to firearms. This remains his fighting style of choice for the rest of the franchise.

Raiden is a somber and tragic character in MGS4, believing that he is nothing more than a solider, and that he has lost Rose, having been told that she married Roy Campbell, his former commanding officer from MGS2. He often thinks very little of his self-worth, his own wants and needs, his physical body, or his life in comparison to the lives of comrades and innocents. At several points in the game, he sacrifices parts of himself to save others, including stabbing through himself to run Vamp through as well, cutting off his own arm to aid Snake, allowing himself to be crushed beneath a grounding ship to save Snake, and fighting armless and while malfunctioning electronically to yet again help Snake complete his mission.

The level of honor, bravery, and sacrifice he exhibits at this time in his life is remarkable considering the level of torture, trauma, and betrayal he has suffered. It is the first time in his life, however, that he is free to live as he wants, no longer feeling that he is under anyone else’s control. It’s the first time he has free will, and what he chooses to do with it is remarkable. However, Raiden also suffers from depression, PTSD, and crushing loneliness by this time, which sometimes affects his decision-making and performance in the field.

After the game ends, Raiden finds out that Rose did not marry Campbell, nor did she have a miscarriage. Raiden was lied to and a ruse constructed for Rose to protect her from The Patriots, who were targeting those Raiden cared about. He meets his son John (nicknamed Little John), already five years old, and reconciles with Rose, despite yet again having trust issues with her.

Between MGS4 and MGR:R (2014-2018, age 31-35)

Raiden cannot remain in civilian life, and so he finds a way to provide for his family while still living a life he can realistically sustain emotionally and psychologically for himself. He joins the PMC (private military company) Maverick Security Consulting as a way of supporting Rose and Little John. With this organization, Raiden has access to top-tier technology for his combat body, as well as upgrades and medical care. Wilhelm “Doktor” Voight, a scientist working with Maverick, provides Raiden with tech support both on and off the field as well as performing and advising him on the technical upgrades that he receives to his cybernetic body.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (MGR:R) (2018, age 35)

There’s so much to unpack for this game, so I’m going to summarize just very briefly the major points for Raiden’s psychology, which is what is most important for this blog. He goes through a journey in this game which involves him coming to terms with his past and with being excellent at killing, while still trying to be a good, moral person. He begins the game still trying to adhere to katsujinken, but increasingly he feels that this is just a smokescreen, a crutch. He worries that he is nothing more than an emotionless killer, one who enjoys killing, still ashamed of his history as a child solider. That Raiden is good at killing is undeniable, and he knows that he gains pleasure from killing his enemies. He feels this is wrong, however, and tries to suppress those feelings.

When an enemy called Jetstream Sam emerges, a member of the terrorist group Desperado Enforcement LLC and a man of Brazilian-Japanese descent whose style also incorporates samurai blades and discipline, Raiden is forced to face his guilt. Sam makes it possible for Raiden to hear the thoughts of the cyborgs he kills, most of which are just hired hands trying to make a living. They’re scared, they worry for their families, they just want to go home… and this begins to break Raiden down mentally. He very nearly has a mental break listening to their thoughts as he kills them.

What we all learn through DLC is that Sam is doing this on purpose to Raiden, to help him become more emotionally stable. Long story short, the main villain of the game is someone Sam hates as well, but after being defeated by him, Sam joins his cause as a ruse so that he has access to the man’s enemies. Meeting Raiden, he grooms him to be able to do what Sam could not… kill the main villain, a U.S. senator augmented with nanomachines (not unlike Vamp from earlier games) that make him nearly un-killable. Having Raiden confront his guilt was stage one. Stage two involved bringing out all that Raiden had repressed, all that held him back. That meant… awakening the Ripper…

Jack the Ripper, a name given to him as a child, is very nearly like a protective personality that emerges from Raiden whenever he feels too much guilt over killing people. Protective… to Raiden, not to others. This side of him, emerging almost in a Jekyll and Hyde fashion, is uninhibited, unapologetic, and unafraid to feel pain, kill, and enjoy it. He overkills his enemies, often using more violence than necessary because he likes it. This persona is the result of all that Raiden represses of his natural feelings toward killing, his anger towards those who hurt innocent people, and his deep-seated fears that there is nothing more to him than an emotionless killing machine… coming full force to the surface of his consciousness. However, the Ripper is not as strong as he seems, so Sam pushes Raiden to stage three of his emotional development…

…which is acceptance of who he is and acknowledgement that, although killing may be wrong, sometimes killing those who would kill innocents is necessary, the crux of katsujinken. The final test is a duel with Sam, in which Sam is killed (the intended result, for if Raiden can stand up emotionally and combat-wise to Sam, then he can defeat the senator) and Raiden inherits his ancestral samurai blade, an extremely powerful augmented high-frequency weapon capable of negating the nanomachine-facilitated fast-healing  capabilities of the senator. Raiden defeats the senator, and after the events of the game is far more emotionally grounded and accepting of who he is as a person.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

let's do a classic Primez ask

thank you lol Prime Time is.....6 am is when im posting this, christ lol what else is new around here........Good Morning in advance lol and [rise and shine sailors it be monday]

2: Favorite book?

i don’t have one lol

3: Favorite fictional character?

i also don’t Properly have like, all-time ultimate Faves in these kind of categories either, but there’s still standouts at least lol......obviously lately it might show that i’m enjoying winston billions a lot, and natch that’s just One of the many wrol roles i’ve been glad to discover. natch winston, jared, and jeremy are fave raves amonth them

5: What’s your favorite fictional ship? (Canon or otherwise)

this is the same as the [fave fictional characters] thing in that like, sometimes i’ll Consume something where i don’t have any, and generally i’m out here multishipping and not like live or die by one Specific Pairing, if i like a character i’ll also probably like Many of their dynamic/s with various other characters, unless the options are That limited.......tying this in to the fave fictional character thing, re: winston, naturally tayston and benston, aka the fruits of us all combining our Genius, are top tier and here’s riawin where we don’t know for sure where it’s going but we’re getting some great Dynamic(tm) stuff anyways.....and natch re: jared i Enjoy Kleinsen (as something to make up ideas about that are outside canon and also as a perspective thru which to analyze canon) and re: jeremy.....stagedorks is beautiful, wild to have canon just give you some content that’s already as good as that

7: List 3 negative traits you have 

well i can be fairly anxious about certain things, which is mostly negative for me lol.........a more negative 2-way street is that i’m just generally in defensive mode around people lol, often i’m like, just trying to avoid Attention entirely and/or like uh oh attention, gotta try to just avoid taking damage from it lol.......on a gradual journey to just being default More Unpleasant / less accommodating lmao......not that i can’t be sometimes, or that i can’t be Genuinely Friendly with randos coz i like their vibe and actually Like socializing lol.........and then re: the challenges of socializing, it seems like maybe when i’m in an interaction i get caught up in [uh oh how do i Respond a) at all b) in a way that’s Good(tm)] and it maybe makes me less attentive to the other person / a worse Listener smh

11: How do you decide when it’s time to cut someone out of your life for good?

idk luckily it’s not something i’ve had to do left and right lol.......but ime it’s Also not exactly like. usually a “ah Now Is The Time to have zero relationship with this person” and most often it’s like [gradual distancing period that is mostly passive] and/or just choosing Not to reinitiate any sort of relationship........though re: more active approaches lol it’s more like. time to try to tune into my [does this feel like something indefinitely sustainable / something you actually Want to have continue in any way] gauge or whatevs. and then still it’s like, sometimes easier if moments happen to come along that provide an [opt out?] choice presented to you kinda lol.........if it’s someone You don’t want to be involved with really but they don’t feel the same and it’s “on you” to decide to peace out at some point it’s more difficult coz such [do you want to opt out]-distilled Moments probably don’t seem to manifest but i think that’s a useful thing to be aware of in itself........i.e. that there’s not always going to be a Narrative-Friendly “point of no return” / clear Line Being Crossed and even if it Doesn’t feel like “i can’t / don’t want to deal with this for Literally one more day” that doesn’t mean you should totally stick it out / don’t have enough reason to decide that you are Done at this particular moment even if you haven’t been Done prior or think you plausibly hold off on it. don’t need to have some kind of story where you think if you Explained it to anyone or everyone it’d universally be understood and everything would applaud like “Yes, the Right Decision” lmao like. not their business....

13: What are your favorite lyrics currently?

well with our groupchat in the replies to that Eternally Crying Over The Bar Song post..........just enjoy the “stay here for a while / cuz it’s nice / cuz it’s holy” part of the refrain, a fun part of the music, and that classic iconis like, lyrics being in a sort of character Voice and yet getting the idea / feelings across effectively even when the words are sort of general or simple.......”shooting from the heart / but we’re all a lousy shot” is great lol and also “say you will always be here” ending with “for one more” is like, there’s another Broader Idea / Sentiment expressed so effectively :’|

17: If you could make a wish, what would you wish for if you knew it would come true?

i can’t do any fun answers lmao it’d just be like [political commentary] but that’s warranted lbr

19: How do you handle heartbreak? Is it something that’s easy for you to get over, or something you struggle with?

lmao i think it is like By Definition not easy for anyone to get over / Not struggle with.........can’t say i’ve had Romantic Misadventures exactly but uh yeah it feels bad to feel bad but i like......wait it out???? idk lmao you can’t really just timeskip past.....Heartbreak Sucks For Everyone Cuz That’s Kind Of The Whole Thing

23: What do you want your future to be like?

pandemic-less, fascism-less........i can’t say i’ve ever been someone like “yea i Know what i want to do and have this whole plan set out how i’m gonna do it lol” i remember when i was like 4 or 5 or whatever being asked What Do You Want To Do When You Grow Up and i was like “shit idk.......i like dinosaurs so i guess paleontologist??” and it was as much a mystery going forward.........always and still mostly playing things by ear with a few vague “if / then” type ideas......aren’t we all though ig

29: Do you think zodiac signs can influence someone’s personality to an extent?

what do i know but i Don’t like or respect the recent years trend ppl being way into it like this isn’t [being really serious about hogwarts houses] or Earnest Myer Briggs Types energy that everyone’s bringing to it......like what are you getting out of trying to be this Prescriptive based on when ppl’s parents got into it. meanwhile i’ve been on the edge of my seat since someone tweeted about “when will we get the first astrology discrimination lawsuit” re: a story about ppl wanting a housemate with a certain sign for compatibility reasons. and like again if it Is like “yes there are time-of-year Personality Types for Objective Real” like. okay, still, what is this Approach that ppl have....doing for anyone.....

31: What does ‘self care’ look like for you?

not very fancy lol i’ll be like “damn i think i haven’t eaten today” and then do it......or be like hey here i’m gonna Do A Stretch or some shit. walk around. step outside if it’s nice. both true that Self Care has inherent limitations re: like we can’t just cancel out all the detriments to our wellbeing via Personal Choices and yet also we can’t Not look out for ourselves how we can......i’ll watch something that i Enjoy. or just knock out if it’s like “christ i need a mood reset” or i’m trying to timeskip through a headache. pet a cat. i like to try to be Appreciative of everyday ordinary shit......also messing around Making Stuff whether drawings or otherwise can be a good helpful use of time, i like talking to people who i like talking to, and other stunning stuff like that lol

37: Have you ever been surprised by someone staying in your life?

not really lol coz again with how i’m pretty slow to realize that someone is like, nonzero actively interested in interacting with me on a regular basis, and then once someone’s In My Life there’s no particular point where i go “whoa....You’re still here??”......ig sometimes there’s like, Friendly Acquaintances where it’d be Unsurprising if they just sort of dropped fully out of the orbit but they do not

41: How do you show you care?

hmm i sure like to do ppl favors / give them gifts / help them out w/ whatever, hang out / generally be Around them where like, doing [parallel tasks] works i.e. maybe we’re doing different things but in the same room.....just like to Talk and all and listen to ppl and Learn Things About Them, try to pick up stuff re: ways that ppl express like “hey to me it conveys Being Cared About when ppl do ___”........food/cooking is a love language......that thing where shit you’d be way too anxious to do on your own For Yourself is like, oh i’m absolutely gonna do it on behalf of someone i care about.......all this stuff is more like, Possible in person lmao rip. i Care you guys

43: Which of the seven deadly sins do you feel represents you the most?

who is your hellsona and what is their origin story (how they got condemned to hell).........if i’m irritable / argumentative am i wrathful? you could presumably someone saying yep it is inherently the one deadly sin of lust if you’re queer.......at any given time i’m passed out and dreaming about “fuck capitalism and the protestant work ethic” and that’s sloth i guess. and okay i went “who named an animal after a The Deadly Sin as if it’s like ‘wow fuck this animal for choosing not to zoom around as though they could and i apparently think that they should’ tf” and in looking it up i immediately learned the Sloth Fact that apparently their shits are insane and also the most dangerous thing they do?? like they poop only maybe once a week and All At Once so that a single dump might knock off a third of their total weight........and it’s pretty much the only time they leave the upper branches of trees, in that they crawl down to hold on to the trunk and take this monster shit and naturally they’re not great on the ground so Pooping is like the leading cause of death for sloths in the wild. and i think they ought to be named after that. 

47: What are you passionate about?

oh man [i am passionate a lot.mp3] lol.........always having a variety of Interestes which i like to talk about / potentially make things about.......decent amount of subjects i like to learn things about even if  i’m bad at like, actually learning things generally lmao, what’s Not losing focus on shit.......idk it’s not that hard for me to like go off about Whatever, got these jack of all trades interests / areas of Some knowledge, i’m opinionated and probably have something (extensive) to say about anything as just part of my charm lol, and just in general i can get Enthused / worked up about things..........also passionate about various [niche gay shit] things eternally. whoms among us isn’t

[destiny-islanders]

Hey Destiny! I'm a newcomer artist who's trying to figure out commissions (using PayPal and KoFi). Any tips?

Hi! Tbh I don’t really do commissions very often so I don’t consider myself an expert, but I’ll tell you what I know. Mind you, these are for digital-only commissions.

HOW TO HANDLE COMMISSIONS

ANNOUNCING THAT YOU’VE OPENED COMMISSIONS

When you announce that you’re accepting commissions, it’s important that you lay out the ground rules!

What are you willing to draw?

Any and all ships? NSFW? Blood/gore? Etc. It’s important to establish a list of Dos and Don’ts because I promise you’ll get something outside of your comfort zone if you don’t

There is absolutely nothing wrong with not taking on commissions for something you don’t feel confident that you can draw. (I don’t take commissions for furries or mecha for exactly this reason!)

Encouraging would-be customers to send you as many details and references about what they want from you is a good idea! You can never have too many references, especially with OCs.

What are you offering?

Full-color? Black and white? Full-body? Backgrounds?

Are your commissions digital-only, or will your client receive a physical piece?

How much will it cost?

If you offer multiple types of commissions, be sure to clearly distinguish between the differences in price!

How will the person commissioning you send you money?

PayPal is honestly the best way I’ve seen and I’ll get more into how I handle this in a second

How can people contact you if they have any questions?

On Tumblr this is pretty straightforward– make sure your inbox is open so people can approach you for more info about your commissions!

TAKING COMMISSIONS

Start off by taking a small number of commissions at a time. 

I’d suggest no more than 3 when you’re starting out. Even after getting into the swing of things, I still wouldn’t recommend taking on more than 5. Don’t underestimate how much work goes into commissions, and do what you can to avoid getting stressed and overwhelmed!

If more people are interested in commissions than you have slots available for, take note of those people so you can reach out to them when you re-open them!

DOING THE COMMISSIONS

Communication is key

Get an e-mail or some other means to direct message your client!

Once you’ve accepted a commission, before anything else, be sure to let your customer know how long you expect for it to take you to finish your work!

This might be hard if you have a busy schedule, but I honestly do believe it’s important to hold yourself to a schedule so that your customer isn’t in limbo wondering what’s going on with their investment in your talent! :>

Send WIPs! 

I always send sketches of my commissions so that my customer can see the basic pose/expression/clothing.  Encourage them to request changes at this phase. It’s a lot easier to change things in this stage than if you have the piece fully lined/colored and your customer isn’t happy with something.

This is a fun way to keep your customer engaged and to know that you’re on the right track with your commission.

That said…

When you’ve finished

Don’t think the book’s open and shut just yet

Give your customer a chance to request changes (within reason, of course)

(Hopefully you’ve been sending them WIPs throughout the process so you are able to make just minor tweaks!)

Once they’re happy with your work, send them the file!

I usually send them a PNG and full PSD file

HOW TO HANDLE PAYMENT FOR COMMISSIONS

I use PayPal. It honestly seems like the best way to handle digital commission payments, according to my own experience and the experiences of other digital artists.

HOW TO USE PAYPAL

You’re going to want to create and manage invoices. Here’s what an invoice will look like when you create a new one:

THE BUSINESS SECTION (THE YOU SECTION)

I’ve put red boxes around a couple of important parts of the business section of your invoice. Numbering your invoices is a great way to keep track of them in case you need to refer to them at any time! PayPal is even nice enough to automatically number them for you awww.

For the Due Date of the invoice, keep it on “Due on receipt.” I’ll go into more detail about this later.

THE CUSTOMER SECTION (THE PERSON GIVING YOU MONEY SECTION)

Again, I’ve put boxes around the most important parts of this form. I’ll break them down from top to bottom:

Billing e-mail address. Make sure this is a working address that your customer checks frequently! This is where your invoice will be sent.

Lay out in detail what you’re drawing for them

I do tiered commissions, as many artists do. There’s a difference between how much a full-color commission vs. a black and white commission costs, and I make sure to indicate it in the invoice.

This is a handy way for you and your customer to check the different aspects that go into a commission and affect its price. (i.e. adding a character)

INDICATE AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY THAT YOUR COMMISSION IS A DIGITAL WORK (if that’s what you’re offering)

PAY ATTENTION TO THIS PART

When I do commissions, I ask for half payment up front, and then expect the second half after I’ve sent my customer the piece and they’ve given me their approval.

(If the price ends up being an odd number, round up lmao)

DO NOT START ON A COMMISSION UNTIL AT LEAST PARTIAL PAYMENT IS MADE! I’ve never had an experience with a customer cheating me out of payment, but I’ve seen enough online horror stories to put this in big bold letters.

Of course allow your customer to tip you if they want hahaha

The Terms and Conditions section is a great way to remind your customer of your rules and commission process :>

Lookit this nice and shiny commission invoice! 

I hope this helped! I know it’s a lot, but I think there’s a lot of stuff artists should know when they’re taking on commissions for the first time in order to protect themselves both creatively and financially!

Happy drawing!!

[mineqishis]

no one asked but here it is. my personal favorite mobbed psycho artists that i think deserve more appreciation + are 100% worth a follow if u are not already doing so ! i have no idea how popular anyone is so im sorry if u already know these names :-)

@mobbisms has a rly neat style and amazing content+ great interpretations of characters

@soldez another funky style i love + some of the funniest mob psycho comics ive seen. god tier tome-shou-teru interpretations

@gothritsu  makes like 800 drawings a day and im in awe of all of them + the dedication required to draw that often. top quality ships

@depechemob uhhhhhh ritsu lizard... v cute expressions

@yeahrobot not necessarily mp100 focused but it would be very unfair of me to make a list of my faves without including him

@frog-babe PERFECT colors and such cool lines n a big inspiration to me

@teruwig lots of serizawa content. need i say more ? also great expressions and an overall rly cute style

this is by no means a comprehensive post and im probably missing a lot of people, ill add on/make another one for artists i’ve missed

[starfiretheninja]

Birthday Surprise

This was a request by an anon and I was happy to tackle my favorite gravity falls ship. Thank you so much for your patience and I hope that you enjoy it!

~

“Do I even want to know where this came from?” Dipper pinched the bridge of his nose, already suspecting that this enormous pastry was Mabel’s doing. 

Before him was a multi-tiered cake that towered a foot or so above him with a circumference wide enough to feed the denizens of Gravity Falls. The colors were primarily red and blue blending into purple with other interspersed shades. Inspecting it closer, he quickly found that the pattern was hastily frosted on with no rhythm or rhyme to it. Almost as if it was designed by someone obsessed with spontaneity. However, the frosting looked like it came from a fine French bakery. Almost as if only someone with some affluence could afford this. . .

“Wait a minute. . .”

Not a moment later did he hear a smothered click!, a brief sizzle, and in an instant the cake bursted into a million gooey fragments. Nothing in the backyard was untainted by the explosive pastry, from the windows of the house to Dipper’s socks. Sucking in a breath, Dipper attempted to keep some semblance of dignity intact as he drew his hand upwards and swiped away a large glob of cake off of his cheek. 

Looking up, Dipper realized that where the cake once stood was a mess of poster board and firework shells. The structure soon gave way, and Dipper’s peeved expression fell away as the fallen poster board revealed a cheeky looking Pacifica Northwest. That alone nearly made Dipper’s jaw drop. He couldn’t believe that she had come all the way to California. And on such short notice before classes started again. She looked dazzling in her lavender knee-length dress with off the shoulder straps and a ribbon draped around her waist, all accentuated by her loose platinum hair and confident smile. And. . . was that a cigar clenched between her teeth? A lit cigar?!

“Not that I’m not absolutely thrilled to see you, but why do you have a cigar? I thought you didn’t like those,” Dipper began, not entirely sure what to believe. 

“It was my dad’s birthday gift to me. I figured the best way to get back at him was to use it for my peasant boyfriend’s birthday surprise so he couldn’t get mad at me for ‘not appreciating his generosity’,” Pacifica responded mischievously. “And while I’m using this. . .” Taking a drag, she let out a perfectly crafted smoke ring. She then gracefully lifted her hand and snapped her fingers at the top of the ring, causing it to collapse into a smoky heart shape. Dipper felt a mixture of pride for his rebellious girlfriend and distaste for her father’s lack of consideration. 

“How long did it take you to perfect that smoke form?” was the only thing Dipper could manage.

“Just now. I wasn’t about to let this puppy go to waste with practice.” With that, Pacifica dug the butt of the cigar and drove it into the platform under her feet to put out the flame. “Now with that out of the way, let’s celebrate your birthday, Dipper.” 

Pacifica drew a case out of her purse, tucked the cigar into it, and stashed the gift away into her purse. Popping a breath mint into her mouth, she then held out her hand to Dipper.

“Come on, I’ve got the whole day planned out,” she smiled softly.

Snapping out of his stupor, Dipper eagerly took her hand, then wrapped his other arm around her to give her a much needed hug. 

“I can’t wait.”

~

To start off, Pacifica treated Dipper to lunch at the nearby diner that he always mentioned to her. 

“I see your point, this does look a lot like Greasy’s. Except this place probably actually has an inspector come through every so often,” Pacifica commented upon stepping into the busy restaurant. 

“I haven’t gotten food poisoning here yet,” Dipper said, referring to a certain incident from last summer when he visited Gravity Falls. “Plus, everything’s affordable here.”

“Good. I wasn’t planning on spending the fortune I no longer have on one meal,” Pacifica snarked, as she thumbed through the menu. Dipper took the moment to admire her. Despite the shock of losing her family’s inheritance, she clearly rose to the occasion and worked to build a savings for herself. And she was taking what she was able to earn to give Dipper an awesome day. He couldn’t appreciate that more.  

Pacifica noticed her boyfriend’s loving stare and raised an eyebrow knowingly.

“Yes?”

“I’ve told you how awesome you are right?” Dipper toed his foot to brush her leg.

“Only every other Skype call. But you could always stand to say it more.” Pacifica responded by gently rubbing her leg against his.

Dipper reached his hand across the table and gently took her hand and rested it on the table. 

“Then maybe I’ll say it later,” he said cheekily. Pacifica let out a fake scoff of indignity. 

“And after all I’ve done for you!” she said dramatically. 

“I mean, you haven’t paid for dinner yet.”

“We’ll see if I still feel like paying after you’ve actually ordered something.” 

The two parted hands once their food arrived, but continued playing footsie throughout their meal. Pacifica smiled deviously to herself, reveling in getting away with being publicly affectionately with her boyfriend with her parents in the next state over. 

~

“Remind me again why you asked Mabel to arrange the scavenger hunt?” Dipper asked as he did his best to hold steady. This task was growing increasingly difficult as Pacifica, who was sitting on his shoulders, pushed harder on the top of his head to reach for the next clue sitting precariously on the tree branch. 

“I don’t live here, so how would I know where to actually put the clues. Aha!” she laughed triumphantly as she finally caught the slip of paper between her fingers. “And would this be nearly as fun if you didn’t get to lift up your gorgeous girlfriend?”

“I’m just more afraid of what my parents would say to your parents if they saw you scandalously exposing to much leg in front of me,” Dipper joked, referring to her hiked up dress so Dipper could lift her up. He lowered himself to the ground in a crouching position. Pacifica gracefully swung off of him and straightened out her dress. 

“You’ve seen me in a bathing suit before,” she pointed out. 

“That’s different. But I’m glad I can lift you up like the princess you are.”

“Darn right you are. Now let’s figure out where Mabel will send us next.”

~

“Okay! Glad we’re out of that mess!” Dipper wheezed. Attempting to climb through the various attractions at Mr. Fuzzbert’s Arcadia past all of the clearly unsanitary tunnels was difficult enough, but digging around in the perfume department where half of the employees recognized Pacifica as a Northwest and viciously attempting to upsell her their products was a place they never thought they’d get through. 

“So help me if one more girl sprays me with a free sample. . .” Pacifica started, but stopped short. “Wait, there’s the fountain!”

The two joyfully rushed to, what was hopefully, their final destination: the water fountain in the middle of the mall. They immediately scrambled to find the right carved in pattern on the outer ring. 

“The clue said the unicorn, right?” Pacifica asked frantically, hoping their nightmare would soon come to an end.

“When Mabel says a sparkly, violent horse, she definitely means unicorn,” Dipper answered, still circling the fountain. “Here it is!”

He pushed on the pattern. The stone slid backwards, then sideways to reveal a secret compartment as Pacifica hurried to his side. Reaching his hand inside cautiously, Dipper pulled out a package wrapped in tinfoil.

“This is a weird wrapping for Mabel to use,” Dipper wondered aloud.

“That’s actually mine,” Pacifica said.

“Really? I would have thought you would have used hot pink or something.”

“I used it to protect your gift from the aliens.”

“I found an actual spaceship with Ford, you know.”

“But you never showed me, so it’s still a conspiracy theory.”

“Oh har har, very funny. . .” Dipper trailed off as he ripped apart the foil to reveal his gift. He then proceeded to let out a very girly shriek, causing passerby to look on in concern. 

“Nowayisthisreally-” 

“The Tome of the Truskian civilization, yes.” Pacifica had remembered Dipper grumbling about one of the items that the Stans had found on their world-touring adventures, but they refused to let their great-nephew look at it for fear of a curse on it. However, from what Soos reported from spending time around them upon their return was that the curse seemed to have been suppressed once more by Ford’s quick thinking. So long as Dipper didn’t stain the paper with the blood of royalty from the ruling class of the Truskian empire, he would probably be fine.

“How did you get this away from Ford and Grunkle Stan?! They banned me from ever even touching this!”

“Let’s just say it took a little sweet talking and breaking and entering,” Pacifica said cryptically. “I distracted them with a cheesy song and dance at Greasy’s while Wendy swiped it from the Shack and planted a fake.”

“You really do love me,” Dipper teared up, holding the book to his chest and drawing Pacifica close with his free arm.

“The things I do for you,” Pacifica sighed contently as she wrapped her arms around Dipper’s shoulders.

~

The pair finally arrived at the beach at sunset and located the tucked away corner that Mabel had secured for them earlier. The setup was complete with a large towel, a cooler, and a flashlight for the two to read the tome together. Mabel had also taken the liberty to surround the area with pink rose petals.

“I didn’t ask for the petals, but I’ll accept them,” Pacifica resigned, hoping that Dipper wouldn’t get too flustered by the romantic additions. 

“At least she didn’t cover them in glitter,” Dipper joked, trying to suppress a certain evening that Mabel had stuck her creative hands into. 

Cozying up together, the couple watched the sunset fade into a fiery gold color. With no company other than the ebb and flow of the ocean, it didn’t take long for the two to start making out. In between the desperate kisses, they whispered ‘I missed you’ and “I love you’ over and over again. Knowing that it wouldn’t be long until they were separated again, they held each other tightly. In the midst of the haze, Pacifica remembered her final surprise for Dipper. 

“Mason,” she whispered. 

“Hmm,” Dipper hummed, knowing that the use of his name always meant that she was being serious.

“There’s still one last gift left,” she gestured toward the cooler.

“Can’t it wait a little longer?” he whined, unwilling to let her go.

“Normally, I would want to kiss you longer. But I’m pretty sure the beach closes after sunset and I don’t want to get chased out by cops before the grand finale.”

“I suppose so,” Dipper sighed, releasing her. “So what do you have in there?”

“Just a little something I picked up outside the county.” Pacifica proceeded to pull a massive heap of fireworks out of the cooler and placed in carefully on the beach, angling it upwards towards the sky. 

“I’ll. . . pack everything up. We’ll need to run after setting that thing off,” Dipper noted, as fireworks were highly illegal in his county. As he neatly folded the blanket, Pacifica pulled out a lighter and the remainder of the cigar from her purse. Lighting up the cigar, she gave it a quick puff to ensure that it would stay heated for the moment. Popping a final breath mint into her mouth, she turned to the eager Dipper. 

“Ready?”

“Let’s see what firepower this thing has.”

Pressing the cigar to the fuse, Pacifica watched as her father’s precious gift gave flame to her boyfriend’s final gift of the evening. The fuse began to spark and the two ran a few meters away, both plugging their ears and giggling hysterically. The fireworks shot up into the air all at once, breaking off into two segments. One firework exploded, letting out a bang! and formed the shape of a constellation very familiar to Dipper. The other popped and sizzled immediately afterwards and formed a purple heart.

“Whoa! Pacifica that was. . .” Dipper started, a dopey grin on his face. He turned to Pacifica, who raised her eyebrow expectantly. Dipper threw his arms around her.

“Incredible. You really are the best girlfriend.” Dipper kissed her cheek affectionately, hoping he could demonstrate just how grateful he was that she would take the time to track down a Big Dipper firework just for him.

“For you, it was more than worth it,” Pacifica smiled, burying her face into his chest. Dipper had brought so much adventure and joy into her life. The least she could do for him was to give him a special day. Pulling back, she said, “Now let’s book it before we get into trouble. But first. . .” 

Digging the cigar into the sand to put it out, Pacifica gracefully tossed it into the nearby garbage can as the two ran hand in hand from the now crime scene.

“Thanks, Dad. Your gift came in handy after all.”

[louthegreatfurrry]

A Bond for Life

@justafictionalthing merry christmas you funky little monsterfucker

Megamind sits by seventeen TV-screens and nibbles at his thumb. His own face is displayed on every single screen, all dolled up and leather-clad. The stamp of the largest news channel is spinning in every bottom-right corner.

It’s time to do something drastic; it’s time to start his career.

There’s only one single person who could’ve stopped him –

but she’s long gone. A shadow of his very earliest years. She probably doesn’t even remember him; his presence in her life had been brief and fleeting, after all.

He spins on his chair, turning to face the idea cloud forming behind him. The memories are pushed away for now. They always are.

***

And curled up on a couch on the other side of the city is Cat, clutching a blanket as she stares at her TV, cheeks flushed and with the stars in her eyes.

*

It all began when they were both very young. They weren’t more than five or so – they went to the same school, a ‘top tier’ bullshit thing that Cat was a part of simply because it was the one closest to her house.

It was where she met Megamind for the first time. Of course, he wasn’t Megamind then – he was Cirrus, a shy, energic and curious young boy.

She arrived after him and was met with a warzone, divided into a group and a lone sad boy. And she was five, but she wasn’t stupid, and she saw the way the other kids looked at him.

During the very first lunch she had there she sat down at the almost empty table in the back. “Hi!” she said, beaming at him as well as she could. “I’m Cat!” She thrust out her hand like she’d seen the adults do, hoping – almost expecting – him to take it.

He stared at her in obvious surprise, eyes wide and eyebrows raised. A few moments passed, and then the fish he had in a small glass ball nudged into his elbow. The boy started, then smiled down at the fish, before looking back up at Cat. “I’m Cirrus,” he said, reaching over to clumsily shake her hand.

It was the beginning of something great.

*

“Wh – oh, yes, of course,” Cat says, her eyes on the screen. She’s not one hundred percent sure what Jamie’s saying, but it’s probably got something or other to do with work. It always is; they consume work the way Cat consumes coffee.

“Cat!” Jamie snaps, stepping in between Cat and the big TV screen. “Are you even listening?”

“I – yeah!” Cat says, focusing on her acquaintance. “Yeah.”

Jamie raises an eyebrow, then turns around to look at the screens. “Ah,” they say, sounding absolutely exasperated. “Him again?”

“What do you mean, again?” Cat asks. She hasn’t talked about him – has barely even looked at anything that reminds her of him – in the presence of others.

They shake their head, then turn around to give Cat a raised eyebrow. “You really haven’t seen it? He’s been on the news ever since Wednesday.”

– oh. Well, she’d certainly noticed. There hadn’t been a lot of other things to see, to be honest. He had been on every single news station twenty-four seven, after all.

She’s – well, she’s missed him. When he shows up on the news out of nowhere she’s bound to be excited.

Gods, it’s been years. Decades! And he’s been on her mind far too often for her to be comfortable with. Now, to be fair, it’s not easy to forget a blue alien man – but still.

Deus. He’s a blue alien man and she managed to lose him.

She sighs. At least she knows he’s still alive, after all these years.

…and good looking. Incredibly good looking. Doesn’t help that she has a thing for bad guy.

“ – lo? Cat? Hello?”

Cat starts, focusing back on the papers Jamie’s handing her. “Ah, yes, of course,” she says, grabbing the papers hurriedly. “Signatures, right?”

Jamie stares. “That’s. A newspaper.”

Cat looks at the paper she’s holding.

It’s most definitely a newspaper.

And Cirrus’ face is plastered all over the front page. She gasps in delight. “Is he in here, too?” She flips it open excitedly, scanning the contents. There’s no new information on him – she’s seen enough news reports to know all the media knows. Of course, she knows more than that. His favorite color, food, subject –

his name.

“Megamind,” she mutters, trailing the pad of her index finger down the letters on the front page. “What happened to you?”

***

They sat on the swings, Cat and him. It was a cold autumn day, the leaves on the scattered trees just turning fierce orange and dull brown.

“Autumn is so pretty,” Cat said, kicking her legs back and forth. She was wearing a thick jacket and a scarf and an intrigued expression, eyes glistening.

“Oh?” Cirrus said, looking down at his own blue hands, clasped in his lap as he sat perfectly still on the swings. There was orange against blue, blue against orange, and only a thin layer of cotton between him and the freezing cold. “How come?” Personally, he wasn’t a big fan of autumn. The cold was creeping in, meaning that winter – and with it, all the horrors it resembled – was getting closer.

“The colors,” Cat said easily. She kicked her feet again, slowly swinging back and forth. There was a smile on her face, gentle and content and sure in itself. “It’s fire, don’t you see? And the nights are getting longer – I can see the stars again!”

Cirrus smiled. He had to admit that she was right. “The stars, hm?” he asked. “Do you like them?”

“I love them,” was her simple reply. And, he supposed, if she did then she did. “You’re smart,” she said, turning to him with that same content smile from before, “can’t you build a rocket ship to travel out there?”

He didn’t say that he’d been there already. “Well,” he said, slowly starting to kick his feet, too. “Rocket ships are… complicated. I’ve looked at it, but…”

(there are no one left for me to go to)

He swallowed. “It’s hard to do right now. Maybe when I’m older and can find parts easier.”

Cat nodded wistfully, humming in gentle acceptance. Then she gasped, straightening up in her swing and turning the solemn look into a bright beam. “Take me with you!” she said eagerly. “When you build a ship – please?”

Cirrus blinked. “You want to?”

“Of course,” Cat nodded fiercely. “You’re my best friend.”

He hesitated, then smiled. “Thanks,” he offered. “You… uh, you’re my best friend, too.”

Cat beamed at him. “Here,” she said, unwrapping her scarf from her neck. “It’s cold and I don’t need it.”

“I – thank you,” Cirrus said, taking the scarf carefully. It was warm against his fingers, and he hurried to put it on before that warmth would fade from it.

Fifteen minutes later, when the bus that took him back to the prison arrived, he still wore the scarf.

The plan was to return it the next day.

*

What on Earth is he supposed to do with that wire? Where does it even come from, why is it just – hanging there –

“Sir?”

Megamind starts, slamming his head into the robot arm he’s working on.

“Sir, I found – sir? Are you okay?”

Groaning, Megamind slowly pulls himself back up at his feet. “Oh, just dandy,” he mutters, rubbing his head. “What did you find?”

Silently Minion holds up his hand, displaying a far too familiar scarf.

And Megamind’s heart almost stops beating. “Oh!” he says, bolting over to take it from his hands, “we still have this – old thing, haha, I better, uh, get rid of it – ”

Minion raises an eyebrow. “Is that a good idea, sir?”

Megamind stops, the scarf protectively held against his chest. “I – well, don’t you think it is?”

A shrug. “It’s… just a scarf, sir. But if you want me to get rid of it…” he says, reaching after the scarf.

“No!” Megamind exclaims, backing away from him. He clears his throat. “Ahem, no, no, it’s, uh… that’d be. Wasteful.”

Another shrug, this one accompanied by a small smile. “Sure thing, sir.” A pause. “What are you building?”

“Wonderful question, Minion, thank you for asking,” he exclaims, grateful for the change of subject. “This, ” – he gestures towards the half-done robot arm – “is my newest and greatest invention! A robot big enough to crush Metroman beneath its sole!” He gestures wildly as he speaks, a wide grin on his face.

Minion looks decidedly unimpressed. “Remind me again, sir, why you’re doing this.”

Megamind lets his arm drop to his sides and walks over, patting Minion’s arm as he circles him. “We have been working for this for years, Minion!” he whispers eagerly, coming full circle to grab his chestplate. “This is what we’ve dedicated our lives to! And we’re finally here!”

“Yes, sir,” Minion says, slowly, uncertainty blooming behind his words, “but… why do you want to do this?”

He hesitates, gaze flickering unwillingly to the scarf clutched in his hand. “Uh…”

Minion inhales sharply and takes a step back, leaving Megamind with his hands hovering awkwardly in the air between them. “It’s a call for attention!” Minion exclaims, pointing an accusing finger towards him. Megamind winces, bringing his hands to his chest. “You just want to – ”

“Stop,” Megamind says. It’s meant as a command – as something sharp and pointed, something to puncture him and push him away. Instead it comes out half-choked, quiet and desperate, voice trembling. “Minion – stop.”

He knows what he wants, and he knows it all too well.

Not a day has passed where he hasn’t thought of her. Not a single day.

When the people who show you affection can be counted on one hand, you tend to keep them close to heart.

***

Cat sat, her hand on Minion’s orb in a quiet but familiar show of affection. Her eyes were glued to Cirrus, standing in front of the blackboard and scribbling hurriedly with a piece of chalk. He’d asked the teacher a question and she’d thought he was making up a complicated question to mock her – so she’d asked an even more complicated question in turn, and he’d risen to the challenge without a sliver of hesitation.

His handwriting had turned shaky half-way through the math calculation as he got more excited and wrote quicker, but now he finished with a flourish, drawing two lines beneath the answer. He spun to the class, clasping his hands behind his back with a wide beam. “Three hundred and four point zero zero sixty-seven,” he said with the absolute utter confidence of a genius.

Cat, vibrating with excitement, burst into wild applause. Cirrus’ eyes snapped to her, warm gratitude and affection in his gaze, along with tensed surprise.

The rest of the class, confused and uncertain, clapped slowly. Moved by Cat, probably, but it was applause, nonetheless.

Later, in the break, Cat gave him a hug. “You’re smart,” she said, “it’s cool.” She didn’t have the proper words to express how impressed she was – even the teacher had been astonished! – so she only handed him Minion again, giving him a wide bright beam.

Cirrus smiled back at her, scratching the back of his neck. “Th – thanks,” he muttered. “You’re smart, as well.”

“Not as smart as you,” Cat said, but the beam didn’t fade from her face. “But thank you!”

*

Cat stands on her balcony, head tilted back to stare up at the stars. She’s cold, but only a little bit, and she needs this moment to think. To simply be, letting her thoughts and emotions swirl around as they wish.

Cirrus – Megamind, as he is now – has been on her mind for days. His eyes, his grin, the way he always tilted his head when she asked him a question he had to think about. She takes a deep breath and wraps her arms around her torso. The cold of autumn is creeping into her in a way it’s never done before, gnawing at her heart and her soul.

She’s always… missed him, to some degree. Missed the aspect of him (alien man! alien! from the stars!), missed his friendship, missed the way he defended her fiercely when the other children decided she was an acceptable target.

She’d always been sure that she’d never see him again, though. She’d thought – for weeks, months, years – that when she’d left him, she’d never get him back.

But now she’s been reminded – forcefully, suddenly, and with no warning whatsoever – that he exists. He’s still alive and kickin’, still a genius, incredibly attractive and also in the same city as her.

It kinda burst her bubble, to put it like that.

Slowly she lowers her head, thudding her forehead against the cold rails of her balcony. What is she going to do? She can’t just continue to live like this, knowing that he’s out there, and not do anything –

does he even remember her? She’s just a human, and they were so terribly young when they met –

of course she remembers him, he’s a fucking inferno for Deus’ sake, burning brighter than all the stars and their descendants combined –

she’s nothing in comparison.

She raises her head slightly, then thuds it down into the rails again with a groan. Why on Earth would he remember her?

Straightening up she takes a deep breath. It doesn’t matter. She remembers him, and she has to do something.

She has to know.

***

Cirrus leaned against the bars of his prison cell, Minion held on his lap. “She’s so kind,” he said, referring to Cat letting him borrow her crayons during recess, despite knowing that he would use them to take notes and not to draw.

Joe, the inmate across the hallway, hummed. “A good gal, huh?”

“Yes,” Cirrus agreed. “She’s a good friend. I’m glad we go to the same shool.”

Joe chuckled. “Yeah, kid,” he said, “you better thank your lucky stars. People like her ain’t common.”

He looked down at Minion – at his best friend and companion, at the one person who’d always been there for him – and shared a soft smile with him. “I know,” he said. So far there had only been two.

*

“Sir! You’re on the news!”

Megamind stands over by the window in his lair, hands clasped behind his back as he surveys the city. “I know!” he calls back. And oh, does he know. He’s read the articles. He’s seen the reports.

Evil, they say, bad guy, supervillain.

Unredeemable, they scream.

And it’s what he is, they’re right, but still it hurts, and it hurts somewhat terribly, heart bruised and bleeding, aching and cracked. Regret has been filling him for days. Yes, this is what he’s wanted to do his whole life –

but is it? Is it really what he wants?

His gaze roams from the city and over to the forest in the distance, on the other side of the lake. Fire is raging through the forest, painting the landscape a warm, faded orange. Autumn has long since began.

The scarf – her scarf – is in his hands, the cloth old and worn and still hers.

Maybe it is a call for attention. Maybe he just wants to see her again. Maybe he just wants to know she’s doing okay after she disappeared so abruptly. So what? What’s so wrong about that?

He presses his forehead against the glass pane, letting the cold from outside seep through it and into his head.

She doesn’t want anything to do with him now. Evil, bad, villain. Who would want anything to do with that?

…but is it really too late to turn back?

His grasp on the scarf tightens.

Only one way to find out.

***

“H – hey! Wait up!” Cat laughed, running after Cirrus at full speed. “Hello!” His snicker drifted back to her and she giggled, adrenaline-like excitement coursing through her. “C’mon, poor Minion can’t keep up!”

Dirty of her to use Minion against him, but this was never intended to be done fairly. Cirrus cast a glance over his shoulder to check; it was enough of a distraction for Minion (in his newly acquired and very fancy robot suit) to put on incredible speeds, bursting through the air to spring onto Cirrus’ back, laughing heartily while crying “Tag!” as loud as he possibly could.

Cirrus gasped. “Oh, you dirty tricksters!” he called, amusement in his voice as he came to a halting stop. “Fine, fine. I’ll wait for you.”

“You better,” Cat said, crossing her arms and sticking her tongue out at him. “What did you want to show me?”

He lit up, shining bright like the Milky Way. “My newest invention,” he breathed, breaking off from the path and into the undergrowth of the forest. “Come on!”

And Cat followed him, giggling, excited to see what his genius had come up with now.

*

She needs to get a date with someone important and she needs it now.

He’d said it on live TV – after turning up on a crime scene and fighting by the cops’ side it’d been announced, with nothing less than extreme and utter shock from the reporters, that he was resigning as a villain.

And now he’s taking up the role as Defender instead.

And he’ll be coming to the Gala with the Lord and Lady of Metro City.

And she’s not going to be there.

She looks through her closet five times before she settles on something that probably will attract a top-tier-of-stupidity man. She’ll be dumping him the moment she gets inside of the Gala, of course, but she needs to get in somehow.

She shakes her head and goes for the computer; time to google the most important men in the city, then.

But first – coffee. This is going to be a long night.

***

Autumn. A scarf in his hand, the cotton rough against his palm. Minion by his side, the glass cold against the back of his other hand.

She wasn’t there that day.

Or the next, or the next, or the one after that. Weeks passed by without a hint of her.

“Excuse me,” he asked the teacher, his heart sore and young and hurt, large enough to nearly choke him, “where’s Cat?”

And the teacher looked at him, ice and indifference in her eyes. “I don’t know,” she said, carelessly, her gaze sliding over him and unto the class. “She quit, I suppose.”

His fingers tightened around the scarf, teeth clenching, Minion worriedly twisting beside him. “Okay,” he said, a hissed lie forced out through splintered hope.

He never saw her again.

*

It’s the night of the blasted gala that Minion pestered him into going to, and he’s dressed up in the finest suit possible. It had taken him almost three hours to settle on a design he liked, and even longer to find one that Minion agreed was “okay, I guess”.

He can’t exactly say he’s been excited for this ‘party’. Three plus hours of standing in crowds and talking to stuck-up assholes? No thank you. The gala is, however, meant to celebrate his turn from evil, and so he kind of have to show up.

His cheeks are hurting with how much fake-smiling he’s been doing. This must be hell. He can’t recall a time he was more bored than now. What are they even talking about? The weather? Goodness, he needs to get away from here. But how? There’s no polite way to break off the conversation!

Desperate for some kind of distraction – something, anything – he glances around the room. Perhaps there’s some kind of… commotion, someone speaking too loudly… nothing? Not even a potted plant someone might accidentally stumble in?

Megamind freezes. There’d been a flash – brief, through the crowd, a searching gaze –

and it’s been years, but he has photographic memory and one doesn’t forget the lips that formed the first smile one ever saw that easily –

“Excuse me,” he mutters, flapping his hand vaguely dismissively towards the three stuck-up assholes he’d been roped into conversing with.

If she has any complaints, they’re drowned by the crowd. He disappears into it, pushing gently as he tries to make his way for the flash of familiar brown. “Sorry, sorry,” he mutters distantly, his ears starting to ring, “pardon me – ”

Why are there so many brown-haired women here tonight?

Maybe he was wrong – maybe it’s just wish-thinking –

but no! There it is again! He pushes onward, the crowd splits, he stumbles forward and taps her shoulder –

she turns around and isn’t Cat.

“Oh,” Megamind says, his voice far too close to shattering for his liking. The woman, whose eyes are crystal blue and so, so, wrong, tilts her head curiously. “I… sorry, I thought you were…”

“Cirrus!” a voice cries.

And Megamind’s heart grows wings. He spins on his heels, because only two people in the whole world knows about that, and he recognizes that voice –

a hauntingly familiar person is bolting towards him, tearing through darkness and shadows on her way, light bursting from behind her and she’s carried on wings of gold –

“Cat,” Megamind breathes, and he can’t believe it, he can’t believe it –

He takes two staggering steps in her direction and then she slams into him, arms wrapping around his torso and face burying in his shoulder, warm and real and there.

“You’re here,” she whispers, and the words are audible to him only because she’s so close. “You’re here, you’re really here, I found you – ” She pulls back suddenly, as though burned, and Megamind realizes too late that he should probably have hugged her back. Cat peers into his eyes, so terribly uncertain and so incredibly happy. “Do you remember me?”

It’s a question that trembles in the air between them.

“Rem – remember you?” Megamind stutters, hands fluttering by his side as he tries to remember what’s okay to do. Does he put them on her shoulders – does he cup her cheeks? Take her hands? “Come, come with me – ” He grabs her sleeve, uncertain about touching her skin without her permission, and tugs her towards the hallway he knows is deserted.

She follows easily – trustingly – and only makes a vague, curious noise when they disappear into the shadows. Well – dimly lit corridor is more accurate. They stand there for a brief second, just – staring. Megamind takes in her looks, makes sure to memorize them once again – the mark there on her face is new, he needs to remember that –

he gives in to the voice screeching inside him and lurches forward to hug her. Holding her lightly, light, afraid of shattering her or scaring her away –

but she flings her arms around his neck and holds on so tightly that it’s almost like she expects him to run.

“Remember you?” Megamind whispers, one of his hands curling around the loose strands of her hair. “Cat, there hasn’t been a day where I don’t think about you – ”

She breathes, shuddery, and Megamind’s heart beats in time with it. “Oh, thank Gods,” she whispers. “I’ve missed you – so much – ”

“What happened?” Megamind whispers. He wants to look at her, but he can’t let go, not now – “When you – you disappeared, I was so worried –”

Cat sighs a disgruntled sigh. “We had to run away,” she admits. “Dad angered someone without knowing it – we lived on edge for weeks before they came after us.” She pulls back slightly, glancing up at him with a soft smile. “We’re safe now, though. Here. In your city.”

He’s not sure how it happens, but suddenly they’re kissing, and things are happening too fast for him to keep track of –

They’ve been separated for so long, years and decades passed by where they’ve longed, missed, needed –

and it feels right. This; her; it’s like he’s been meant to be by her side.

And when he wakes up the next morning, in her bed, in her apartment, he knows that he’ll be there as long as she wants him.

Judging by the way she smirks at him from across her coffee cup, he deems that to be a long, long time.

[warlordgab]

Analysis: Constructing a Potent Relationship

It’s not hard to notice One Piece success as a manga, especially if you live in Japan. This success can be attributed to several factors. One of them being the massive and highly creative world-building One Piece had, and how such a vast world is fit for near endless possibilities for fantastic adventures.

We could also mention how over-the-top the action/adventure can get. And how the story gradually escalates, greatly exceeding many readers/watchers expectations. Or the the obvious focus given to “Romance”

Confused? Don’t be. The series itself works with a less known concept of “Romance” related to dreams and adventure. Or to put it in other terms: the emotional appeal of adventure, idealism, heroism, and virtue. In fact, an insightful reader once perceived that One Piece works as an “adventure novel”, taking some of the best elements they have to offer. And Oda himself once stated he wanted his readers/watchers to get excitement from his work, something he pulls off by means of the crazy yet highly creative situations that arise throughout the story, along with the fun and/or drama they bring to the plot.

So naturally One Piece encompasses a wide variety of themes and subjects: comedy, tragedy, companionship, and even love in several of its forms. All of this strengthens the story and draws the attention and interest of readers/watchers.

Yet, another factor makes this manga so popular:

The Characters

Despite the fact One Piece is a plot-driven story, Oda had made a great effort to establish his characters with very solid backgrounds, motivations, and personalities. The sense of depth he adds to his character turns them into one of the elements that breathes life into the story.

Not everyone is capable of appreciating this since some people focus too much on how crazy and amazing the plot gets; along with the carefully put and well done action scenes (the manga often does this great; the anime has varying degrees of success in their attemps to capture what Oda conveys).

Nonetheless, the characters are one of the factors many readers/watchers greatly enjoy. And one thing that adds depth and substance to a character is how and why they form bonds with others, as well as the emotional narrative behind their actions. This makes them more relatable and helps readers/watchers to be more invested in their struggles.

In this regard, all the SHs share strong bonds. But we’re going to highlight one in particular, because of how much build-up and emotional development it got throughout the series, as well as the deep roots of this connection: Luffy/Nami.

Before elaborating on their bond, I must address one “obstacle” that prevent people from fully appreciating the amazing job Oda had done in this regard. This “obstacle” not only clouds the view on One Piece emotional development; at times it even encourages some people to seek and even expect a twisted version of what the story can actually offer, while making more reasonable fans and critics dread how this trend could negatively impact the story: “The General Shipping Mindset”.

This isn’t the first time such issue had been addressed. As it had been explained before, “shipping” proves to be poisonous to the way relationships and emotional bonding are to be written. But why does this happen?

While there are a few shippers who find enjoyment in the direction the story goes, many others promote ideas and delusions that could potentially ruin or at the very least damage its integrity and consistency.

This is something some people already heard or noticed. While there’s nothing wrong with fantasizing about something you like, It can still be seen how shipping motivates many fans to push their corny/clichéd fantasies into the story in spite of them being incompatible with the author’s works.

They rely on poor “logic” contrary to what natural development as well as emotional chemistry really are, by blowing out of proportion insignificant showings or even gags that neither the series nor the author take seriously. Sometimes they overhype what they perceive as "sexual tension", in spite of the story never elaborating on such exaggerated ideas. They even promote premises that depend on the characters going full OOC

A fine example of unrealistic shipping expectations

There are shippers who while being fully aware of this, still promote their delusions over anything that the manga has to offer, just because they’re aesthetically pleasing. Other shippers use the characters as self-inserts for their fantasies, some even go as far as selling the image of one or more characters whoring themselves to the highest possible number of “partners”. And there are those who only focus on characters’ personalities, while ignoring who they share with most meaningful moments and greater stress in their relationship.

Needless to say, there are many reasons why “shipping” is considered “toxic” by many non-shippers and regular fans

So, when we take the “general shipping mindset” away, when we discard what strays away from One Piece, we get to see a well-written and solid relationship. But just so people may clearly understand how this emotional connection had been developed and still holds the potential to grow stronger, we need to use something I posted before: The "Tiering System" for pairings:

When an author seeks to build a compelling well-written relationship he stablishes a "foundation" and later keeps building upon this very same "foundation" by means of meaningful moments, emotional build-up and development. Such premises must blend in both the story and the characters. By taking into consideration these factors we have...

* Crack impossible: Pairings that contradict other pairings with well-established canon material, and has zero context that can be most logically interpreted as romantic. And zero development and/or stress in their relationship * Crack Possible: Pairings that do not contradict well-established canon material, but have none-the-less zero context between the characters that can be most accurately be defined as romantic and no meaningful moments * Impotent Pairings: Pairings that do not have a high chance of developing into cannon, but nevertheless had some type of stress on their relationship at some point of the series. Romantic attraction can be a joke or comedic element of plot. This kind of pairings had become stagnant as the story (and possibly the author as well) doesn't bother to develop them any futher. This kind of pairing is constantly overshadowed by the next category * Potent Pairings: Pairings with a high chance of developing into canon, supported by multiple logical arguments, high degree of intimacy between characters, and significant/meaningful moments. This kind of pairing has constant development and stress on their relationship * Canon Pairings: Exactly what says on the tin. While the pairing does not have to be dating, or married, or whatever, the existence of romantic love must be there.

For a Potent Pairing I'd like to add that a natural growth must be there. It's a gradual yet consistent development. And as I tried to convey before, a likeable chemistry that must be based on a series of impactful moments

Some people might argue against this by claiming traditional "Romance" isn't conveyed in One Piece. Well, to get that out of the way I'll clarify a couple of points:

1) One Piece already conveyed traditional "Romance" without using clichés or corny stuff

2) The principles of this system can be applied to deep companionships; bonds potent enough to keep evolving within consistent writing

3) The person who created this system did it while having a male-oriented story in mind

Now onto the subject: there are several key lines I highlighted there to show how relationships based on gags or comic relief become less potent. That's something that makes sense given that chemistry is built through significant moments and details along with constant development, not through mere jokes and gags. The next line I highlighted is the "stress in the relationship". Even impotent pairings (and some cracks) had some sort of "stress" or "moments" at some point of the story. Their problem is: neither the story or the author keep building up said relationship. They remain "stagnant" in that regard

But this is where a potent pairing becomes different. Because it has constant stress and/or development in their relationship, by means of moments both large and impactful or small yet meaningful. This is something worth noting: both impotent pairing and potent pairings have moments. The difference would be the sheer amount of moments, the "stress on their relationship", what does the story builds upon such major interactions, and how the following moments continue what prior showings started complementing them likes pieces of a puzzle

To illustrate this, we could use the metaphor of a building process

An architect could intent to build either a house or skyscraper, depending on his vision, resources, or many other factors

Before he starts building the structure, he must lay the foundation. He can lay shallow foundations for small projects or deep foundations for more complex projects

In this case the foundation would be the impactful moments that solidify the chemistry of the relationship and serves as a base for futher development

Laying the foundation isn't just tracing a few lines in the soil; it actually means working the ground! So in a similar way, an author who's writing a relationship starts this building process by setting bases for emotional chemistry

How do we do this? The fastest way is through "conflict". Through opposite beliefs, opposite interests, and sometimes clashing personalities, we get the perfect scenario to build a likeable chemistry. Nami's character had a very clear distate for pirates and didn't trust people so much. Her viewpoint on life conflicted with Luffy's idealism when it came to dreams, adventure, companionship and the meaning of being a pirate. Yet, Luffy actively sought to overcome all of this and reach out to her; by means of his actions and his convictions, Luffy managed to gradually kickstar a change on Nami...

Despite getting many reasons not to trust her, Luffy put a blind faith on her. He didn't doubt her not even once (while he doubted Zoro during Whiskey Peaks and doubted Robin during W7). Here we have a progression that slowly lead us to a moment that catalyzes their developement. And this is where another aspect of "chemistry" comes into play: "emotional support". When a character helps their partner to regulate their emotions; when the distressed partner is willing to open up and express their anxiety and/or helplessness while their partner provides with strength, hope, and/or comfort. It was something strong, personal and touching. The resolution of this "conflict" and/or "challenge" turned Luffy into Nami's "emotional anchor".

Notice this is far more powerful and meaningful that giving roses to a woman or praising her beauty, like many clichéd corny stories; instead we get Nami's first major development as character: she realized she needed to rely on someone else; and once she hitted her lowest point, when she finally lost all hope, she relied emotionally on Luffy. After all his struggle, he finally earned Nami's faith/trust in one of the most memorable and impactful moments of the series But this is merely the "foundation" of the structure. And a potent bond doesn't rely only on a foundation. A constant stress on that relationship is needed to deem it as a potent bond. What would the architech do?

Keep building his project upon these showings. This can be acomplished by continuing the same themes highlighted for their bonding through meaningful details...

I know this is the movie version but the scene played out just like it appears in the manga

...and more impactful moments

In this sense, following scenes, interactions and moments, are born from those prior showings, adding up to the base already set by that very first catalyst from AP. They become the materials used to construct the "building". And the more material is provided and processed, the taller and stronger the structure gets. In such regard, this bond becomes a combination of several elements as well as meaningful details

How much material we got? Orange Town arc, Kuro Arc, AP, Drum Island, Skypiea, Water 7; where we got to see several nice details and a moment when Nami, while displaying her determination to save Robin, still pours her heart to Luffy to express her anguish and her distress and she tells him the truth behind Robin's actions. A subtle display of the emotional chemistry between them

We also got that jewel known as Strong World (written by Oda himself)...

...where we got to see more of the same "conflict" that catalyzed their emotional bonding, as we see how strongly Luffy feels about Nami sees him, and how much he values her trust/faith. As well as several other showings scattered all over the following arcs, adding up to the construction:

What most of those moments and details (that followed major showings) have in common is that they were built up from the structure that was constructed upon the foundation laid at AP. This is what means "stress on a relationship". When an author decides not just to establish a strong bond but he chooses to keep stressing that emotional connection throughout the story. And this is what impotent bonds as well as cracks lack; a long chain of meaningful moments (as well as nice details) building up to something greater:

A metaphorical skyscraper

This is what makes the Luffy/Nami relationship a beautiful skycraper. While most impotent bonds and cracks barely have some pieces of wood lying around an unworked ground; there's not a solid well-developed structure there. Some having a shallow foundation but no structure built upon it. And there are even some ships that are merely blank territories while shippers could say to each other: "Couldn't you imagine having a nice house here?"

However, none of the moments I highlighted or explained are anything explicitly "romantic" in the traditional sense of the word. But "romantic love" and a "deep companiship" share a base on the same principles of affection, mutual faith/trust, support, and so on. It's not like we're saying LuNa will be canon, but it's the pairing with the highest chances to become endgame as it blends perfectly in the story without altering the characters and possesses an unmatched amount of stress on their emotional bonding

Does it make sense for Luffy and Nami to be so close to one another?

Given what Oda originally planned for Romance Dawn, indeed it does. I briefly mentioned this in other analysis but there's a constant for Luffy's story in all versions of the Romance Dawn:

A Nami-like Character

And as we already know thanks to some interviews and suplementary information, Nami was supposed to be the first one to join Luffy in the final version of "Romance Dawn". Making her the person who would've bonded the most with Luffy. But her debut was postponed by Oda’s editor at that time; and yet the Luffy/Nami relationship gets the larger development and the greatest amount of significant moments

What makes this different from what other shippers promote?

Well, many shippers insist on this line of logic: "If the guy saves the girl, the girl should totally fall for him". But that's not how chemistry between characters works. For a likeable chemistry it should never be shown or implied that a character owes the other a relationship because of favors done. So merely saving someone is not enough to build a potent bond

Some even say that bickering is a sign of "sexual tension" and if there's not enough bickering, there's no potent relationship there. But mere bickering is not the kind of "conflict" that helps to build a good chemistry. Although Luffy and Nami do bicker several times:

Real chemistry between characters happens when they affect each other in big ways. Luffy being Nami's "emotional anchor", and how much he values Nami's trust/faith as well as her perception of his strength and capabilities, are factors far more powerful than just bickering quite often

So after considering all of this, what should we expect? Will the architech finish the structure he's been working on? Will he keep delivering great moments to nourish this relationship? Will he keep providing with meaningful details like the one from GOLD?

(Parallel between Tesoro & Stella [Lovers] and Luffy & Nami situation at the climax; this little bit was confirmed to be Oda's idea) Will we have what an insightful reader described as a "final decisive interaction"? Only time will tell. For now, I'll just end this with a simple conclusion: LuNa is that potent bond that's nourished by the biggest amount of significant moments and meaningful details, while having room for further growth... and I wholeheartedly support it

[princess--cynthia]

The Future

3 Years of Cynthia Reward Drabble for @invisibleimpossibilities, who asked for Bad Future worldbuilding. 

Length: 2,000 words

A series of excerpts from Forgotten History Vol. 3: Logistics, a handbook about the future by Laurent Milistin

INTRODUCTION

Much has been said about the wars, both in my own accounts and the perhaps more flamboyant ones by my contemporary Cynthia Ylisse. However, as 'glorious' as the conflict was either in hindsight or the moment, perhaps the true terror and struggle came from trying to live in the world as that happened. I understand not everyone wishes to read about supply issues and finding shelter, hence why I kept this information out of Forgotten History volumes One & Two, but it is just as important to creating a true understanding of the scenario we were in. 

CH. 1 [Civilization]

Shortly after the fall of Ylisstol (see Forgotten History Vol 1), Ylissean society collapsed almost entirely. With no central government we scattered, most of the major population centers deciding to flee to the countryside in their droves - returning to relatives on farms or smaller villages. The resulting overpopulation of areas never intended to hold so many people caused illness and famine to run rampant, and a lack of strong leadership or organized legal system (see: Chapter 5) resulted in the further deaths of thousands. Of course, due to a lack of manpower and time they were placed in shallow graves - which as Grima's influence spread to these more remote reasons, caused the newly created Risen to claw their way from the ground with little to no aid at all. 

Civilization in other regions of the world fared better - Plegia was mostly intact until three years in, when Grima apparently decided he no longer needed the Grimleal anymore and used his puppet Validar to organize what we believe was a mass ritual suicide among members of the cult. Ferox was used to having individual settlements become self-sufficient due to the nation's sheer size and harsh winters making it a necessity, and life continued in relative normalcy in each of these regions until they were eventually swallowed by the Risen hordes in their own time. 

Across the ocean in Valm, Walhart completed his conquest unimpeded. Grima struck far too quickly, however, and his army was weak from two years of campaigning and the constant guerrilla attempts at rebellion from Chon'sin and Roseanne among others. When Valm fell, the only surviving 'civilizations' were roaming groups of people like ourselves, a mix of military and civilians. When someone died, we stripped them of any supplies we would find necessary and burned the bodies before burying the skeleton in two different graves, to try and save them the desecration of becoming a Risen - and ourselves the trauma of having to fight any more resurrected friends. 

[...]

Groups would form intense bonds, forming their own symbols to identify themselves. We mostly remained as one, only splitting up when we absolutely had to - hearing about artifacts we could recover to perhaps turn the tide, but also to find more survivors. Sadly some survivor groups simply couldn't believe that such a large group could have survived, or even worse, were driven to anger by the mere sight of Lucina and the others of royal descent - believing that the royal family had failed them. More than once, groups would come to blows, fighting over supplies or even simply a difference in belief. This resulted in similarities to tribal society, an apt comparison considering the quasi-nomadic lifestyle we were forced to adopt. 

As far as identification went, our group continued to identify as ‘Ylisse’. Other groups would refer to themselves by village, or the last name of a leader character. 

CH. 2 [Supplies]

Fresh fruit and vegetables came into short supply, with most of the farms actively destroyed by Grimleal at first and later risen. Grima's doctrine was very much salted earth, and as the world decayed so did sources of nourishment. Fish became a mainstay for the first few years, until he poisoned the rivers. Occasionally we managed to set out to sea and recover some, but never for long - boats risked being spotted by Grima's flying scouts far too easily considering the fact that no shipping fleets remained. 

I understand this next segment may disgust some readers, but understand we had little choice. We had to live off the land from what we could find - our diets, towards the end, mostly consisted of root vegetables found in the wild, a smattering of berries, and any non-poisonous or venomous creature we could safely catch. Bear was a luxury, for example, being one of the few creatures that could survive a few roaming risen but still be killed safely by a well-prepared hunting team. Ultimately most of our protein came from insects - locusts and crickets, mostly. Whenever we were along the coast we harvested as much seaweed as possible, storing it in barrels of brine. We mostly drank hot water, boiled and blessed to purify it of any natural or magical poisons - lacking the time to ferment alcohol, and not having access to any fresh springs. The last two winters were harsh, as we had rode out previous ones by smoking and salting meat we caught through the rest of the year, but such preventative measures simply didn't work with insects. Eventually we realized that we had to stay near the coast in winter if we wanted to survive, the dangerous-to-catch fish the only source of food we had. Thankfully it seemed that the risen were also susceptible to the cold, and patrols were far less common, reducing the risk fo these harvests. 

I would be quite happy to never see seaweed on my plate again after that second winter.

[...]

Treats were carefully created to help keep morale up. When we stumbled on bee hives, we would carefully take as much honey from it as possible, and boil it with the water ration. With time and effort we could turn it into taffy, which we would keep in a sealed container and given out sparingly - as rewards, mostly. A single batch could last us almost six months regulated properly. Sweet berries would be turned into preserves, jams to be eaten with a spoon from a cup, or topping crushed ice during winter or when near a peak. 

[...]

Military supplies were hard to come by. Armor was almost non-existent, not having the time to properly craft it for the individual. Surviving pegasus knights or cavaliers protected theirs religiously, sleeping in them to make sure they never lost a piece and hardly ever letting it out of their sight. Protection was shields - often of rough, uneven metal, since he had no forges - and at best boiled leather. Weapons we would take from the dead, friend or foe, as required - spellbooks were used sparingly, as only Grimleal mages had any more tomes we could recover. Thankfully our own group had an ordained minister with us, who knew how to create rough healing staves from branches and prayer, so we never ran out of those - but we have heard other groups had to resort to traditional medicine, frequently including amputation to prevent the corruption from a Risen's claws spreading and killing the man. 

Arrows and javelins would be made from stone heads, enough to kill a basic Risen but nothing else. [...] Other primitive weapons were used for these lower-tier opponents, as metal swords and axes were too important to waste on footsoldiers. 

[...]

Medical supplies - bandages, vulneraries, and so on - were made by civilians during downtime, from home remedies and whatever material we could find. Poultices were based off of folk remedies, as we simply lacked the refinement to rely on the scientific ones - thankfully, several of them worked. As time went on and the supplies to make these grew rarer, we grew ever more dependent on magical healing, which simply could not deal with everything. 

[...]

Ultimately, these supply issues resulted in an average attrition rate of 50-60% of a group per year, either from a lack of nutrition or infection. 

CH. 3 [Shelter and Transport]

Buildings were death traps, even if they were still standing. Often the people who lived there were still around as Risen, and they were too easily spotted from the sky. We would move from cave to cave, or at the very least sufficiently dense forests to hang up sheets without exposing ourselves. Winter was hard, our movement limited - if it was not for the winter also weakening the Risen, we would have been found almost immediately. 

[...]

Horses were used to draw carts, and pegasi for scouting. Most of our travelling was on foot, although towards the end as our numbers grew smaller we either rode the horses or the carts.These carts would be stacked high with supplies, and guarded with our lives - the loss of a single cart could mean the loss of almost three week's rations, medical supplies, and arms & ammunition. These carts and the creatures who drew them were given higher priority for shelter than even us humans, for without them we would be dead. If we found a cave just big enough to store the carts and the horses and we slept outside under sheets and blankets, even if it was storming, that was what we did. 

CH. 4 [Recreation]

[...]

Books and games were too heavy to carry with us, mostly. I know of several people who kept a few of the lighter, physically smaller works on them - stories of questionable quality, but any reading material was good. Oftentimes, we would scratch boards  into the dirt when we made camp and use stones or chips of slate as markers for backgammon and checkers. 

[...]

In a bout of creativity, some of us found ways to make training 'fun'. Spars would become aspects of a play, taking on characters in a competitive contest. Athletics training would feature elements of the absurd, lifting increasingly outrageous items to show off to our companions and provide some form of levity. 

[...]

Crafting arrowheads from flint and other stones became an outlet as well, with many of us taking the opportunity to learn how to create different heads. Barbs, serrated, straight - it was a skill most of us mastered by the end. Similarly we learned how to engrave, leaving notches on leather armor to show who it belonged to and designs in the sides of wooden carts and barrels. This was indicative of most of our methods, where we turned chores into recreation to avoid going insane - by the time we finally went back to the past, our cart was an absolute mess, engravings of a dozen different styles absolutely covering it. 

CH. 5  [Law]

[...]

We had to do away with the right to a jury and minor punishments. With supplies so thin, we were forced to resort to capital punishment for even the smallest of thefts - either execution, or banishment from the band and left behind for the Risen. Morale suffered for it, but we persevered. I believe that the intense belief in justice that some of my compatriots have come to hold comes from this rough legal framework, where we were forced to define every action into 'right' and 'wrong' and keep the ultimate punishment in mind. The one exception was when the victim would openly forgive the criminal, at which point his/her rations would be docked and we moved along. 

[...]

The manner of execution was simple - beheading. It was preferred to use blessed weapons such as Falchion or other minor artifacts we retrieved on our journeys, for these seemed to prevent them from rising as Risen. I believe Princess Lucina was forced to carry out twenty-three of these executions before these days ended, from anything ranging between assault (physical or sexual) to theft to murder.

CONCLUSION

I understand this does not cast a very good light on those of us who survived. But I think it is necessary, to help establish a picture of exactly what we lived through - so that in the horrific event that Grima or some other mythical threat returns, we know what will happen should we fail to stop it. There can be no compromise, for I refuse to let the souls of anyone else become as marred as our own. 

Naga have mercy on us for what we did.