#ik this is a ship dynamic. but this does have potential to be a pretty good psychological horror

[erenfox]

RANKING SBG SHIPS BECAUSE LOKI GAVE US ALL FREE WILL 🗣🗣🗣🔥🔥🔥

Aidlyn/Ashden: good lord the chemistry. the 'he fell first but she fell harder' trope. the lil gestures by aiden. him annoying tf out of her but also becoming very caring when she's hurt. I'M SO CALM RN GUYS. and the fact that them ending up together is inevitable lmfao XD 9/10

Benlor: FUCKKK IM SERIOUSLY NOT OK THESE TWO ARE JUST SO PURE AND SWEET TO EACH OTHER. ESPECIALLY TAYLOR TOWARDS HIM, cuz he kinda suppresses his feelings and is a sad boi :( dw ben taylor's gonna make you feel happy again fosho lmao 😭 the lil blushing ben always does around taylor! her supporting his ideas even tho they flop! her helping him calm down from barron through music! her always cheering him up whenever he's gloomy! her being the first to thank him for opening up! THEY'RE LITERALLY THE DEFINITION OF SHE FELL FIRST BUT HE FELL HARDER! GOD IM SO NORMAL ABOUT THEM 😭😭😭 10/10

Tylenol/Tylo: i never thought of the prospect of them together, but post tumblr i must say its interesting. not just them being the single ones in the team, but i like the way tyler defended logan against barron, and his general protective aura around logan. but then again tyler was kinda rude to logan in the start. but then again it gives nerd x jock vibes which to me r pretty cool 5/10

Tyden: LMAO the continuous saga of them pissing tf out of each other. it would be fuckin hilarious if they somehow end up together. but apart from the general hilarious bickering, there's not too much to it 5/10

Tayden: goddamn their friendship is so precious!! her painting his nails? her carrying him on his shoulders in dat one artwork?PURE BESTIE VIBES they just match each other's freak lmfao. 8/10

Logden: meh there are not any significant moments between these two. would definitely be cute, but i can't see it happening lol 2/10

Loglor/Taygan: no but why can i actually see this happening lol. the way theyre both so gentle around each other! then the way she was the first to help him when he got slashed by the phantom? and also the way she stood up for him when tyler was being rude? Cute! 6/10

Benlyn: ooh the two quiet people of the gang! they could work out really well bcoz they definitely understand each other's struggles with muteness and phantom hearing respectively. plus that panel of ben braiding ashlyn's hair was so cute lmao :> 7/10

Loglyn: AAA they have sm potential!!! before the events of yk the whole ✨sAvAnNaH✨ mess, i feel like they wouldve been each other's only existing acquaintance they may call friends (ik it's not canon but it's very plausible lol) 6/10

Benlo/Logben: theyd definitely be good together, it's just that my sbg memory is failing to recall any significant moments b/w them ;-; if y'all remember pls do tell 4/10

Tyben: what is with the hernandez siblings always ending up being bens biggest supporters lmao XD it's a cute dynamic honestly 5/10

Taylyn: now this is one freakin adorable ship TvT. the way taylor always had a slight pang of concern for a friendless lonely ashlyn when they were kids? and the way they quite frankly became besties after enduring all the phantom world shit? very sweet lmao 7/10

Tylyn/Ashler: i have been usurped into the tylyn propaganda by @tragedry honestly I DO NOT COMPLAIN. like holy fuck they're so enemies to lovers! them "loathing" each other, fighting for leadership, but then immediately becoming possibly the biggest protectors of each other in times of danger??? extremely wholesome lmao i love them smmm 9/10

SO THE TOP SHIPS ARE:

3. TAYDEN (the crack ship) 😈🔥🥉

2. tie b/w TYLYN and AIDLYN (the wholesome ships) 😌👌🥈

1. BENLOR (THE PUREST SWEETEST MOST ADORABLE GOOFS EVERR I-) 🥺❤🥇

[veggiesforpresident]

I’d love to see Cherry Valance and/or Randy Adderson for the character asks! Ik you reblogged it a while ago but I love your takes on them and would love to see more :))

thank you for the ask!! oh i'm excited about this one!

Cherry -

How I feel about this character

Hmm... Overall I think she's great and there's a lot about her worth exploring! I like that she has bad taste in men and that she cares too much what people think of her. Personally, I was disappointed that she wasn't really friends with Ponyboy at the end, but I understand why she wasn't and it does give me a jumping-off point to explore in fic!

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Bob! I think her and Bob had a good relationship overall, they definitely would have gotten married if Bob hadn't died. Also Ponyboy, but only once Cherry gets over herself a bit. Sometimes Sylvia in a very messy situationship kind of way.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Ponyboy! I think they really understood each other immediately in a way that's rare and I think they have potential to be real best friends. I also like her friendship with Marcia quite a bit.

My unpopular opinion about this character

i think she's straight. (how does this fit in with me shipping her with sylvia, you ask? well - (runs away))

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Hmm... I do kind of wish TWTTIN would've mentioned her, or shown some of the fallout from her testifying in the trial, or something. As it was she was just kind of left in this weird liminal space of she betrayed the Socs but she's not loyal to the greasers, so now what? In the post-canon that lives in my brain (and on ao3) she does get closer with Marcia and befriend Ponyboy (eventually).

Randy -

How I feel about this character

oh god I'm obsessed with his pathetic loserboy shit. He hears about a greaser doing one (1) nice thing and it sends him into an existential spiral? he shows up at ponyboy's house unannounced? it's so funny to me. local teen boy discovers empathy and crashes out over it.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Ponyboy. A bit controversial of me, maybe, and it's definitely a rarepair, but I like how Randy is kind of obsessed with Ponyboy by the end of the book, and Ponyboy isn't self-conscious around him, which is huge considering ponyboy is self-conscious around everybody. I think they'd have to work to understand each other considering they come from such different places, but they'd also be able to be open with each other in ways they can't with anyone else because they're "outsiders" to each other's social circles. i just think they have a lot of potential and i will write their fic one day.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Cherry! They'd have an interesting dynamic of like, they were both really close to the same person who they both lost, and assuming Cherry and Bob had been dating for a while, were probably pretty familiar with each other even if they weren't close per se. Plus I think they have a lot in common post-canon of like, wanting something more out of life even if they don't know exactly what that is. There's a lot to explore!

My unpopular opinion about this character

i don't think he had romantic feelings for bob.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Eh, I'm actually pretty happy with where canon left him because it means i have a jumping off point for fic!

[jackie-shitposts]

is it just me or do i feel like there aren't enough Sheena simps or stans in this fandom? maybe i'm in the wrong place or maybe i'm just stupid... but like i always see Jeantonio posts and Crackle appreciation/simp posts (not complaining hes my fav) but i literally NEVER see people simping over Sheena and WHY??? shes so badass literally the Pacifica Northwest of CS

and instead of stanning her we gotta make fun of her in fanfics and art and i just-

not to mention some ships with her are...pretty mid imo. dont get me wrong i think Papertiger is really interesting, but i dont get Tigred (i cant see enemies to lovers working out here) and Graysheen is just. like there's no chemistry, and men and women CAN be friends. also is Tigrivy a ship? i really like that dynamic, but my personal hc is that Sheena's had so many exes that she turned into a self loving badass lol

also the show (and book adaptation) REALLY mistreats her. i hate the fact she's the only "main operative" (out of the four; Crackle, Le Chevre, El Topo, Tigress) that gets jailed. i wanna learn more about her!! shes really interested in jewelery, even in the book shes like "ooh bling bling" maybe we could have seen a shot after VILE's takedown of her working with jewels? maybe a fashion designer (she clearly liked Countess Cleo the best out of the faculty.) maybe in the Rio caper she could have been more relaxed and in her element??

ik shes a "mean girl," but she deserves to change. there are people in this show who have done so much worse (*cough* Chief *cough*) and the show lets them walk away, but someone with just bad manners and a snobby personality is OH SO HORRIBLE?? i would have liked to see her and Carmen resolve their shit, not let Carmen win every damn time. besides, we saw it with Pacifica and Mabel - it cant be THAT hard. (i know criminals have bigger problems than petty rivals but let me have my moment.)

so yeah, sorry for the anon rant. but what are your thoughts?

The sheena stans and simps are certainly not the majority, but over time I’ve seen a not-insignificant chunk of them. I think the biggest sheena simps are the animators though because they always animate her like she’s serving cunt (because she IS)

If youre looking for tigress fans, papertiger is where youre really gonna need to look. I disagree with you on the ships you consider mid, but to each their own in that regard. I do think Graysheen couldve worked and im honestly surprised its such a rarepair. I also think that Sheena’s far too insecure by the end of the show to truly love herself yet, but she could totally get there.

I do think that she had SO MUCH MORE potential than she was given in the show, while at the same time being one of the more interesting VILE operatives (once again thinking about my Sheena Mindwipe AU that simmers in my brain). Sheena does deserve to change, but she needs to WANT to change and by the end of the show she wasn’t in that place yet, and there wasnt anything to push her to that place (in fanfic, a lot of ships are what ultimately do push her to be better, such is the case with redtiger). But at the same time we gotta understand that Tigress is a supporting character, and even if there were further plans for her the show wouldnt have had time for them. If only i had the money to make the show myself smh

[cyberdragoninfinity]

ik i already asked and idk how far into 5ds u are but. yusei for the character asks perhaps?

YUSEI!! i recently finished s3 of 5D's i think i can take a pretty good swing at this....

My NOTP for them: I talked about this when I answered for Crow, but in general I just don't vibe that much with Yusei/Crow or Yusei/Jack..... like I definitely think the potential is THERE especially with the rivals potential of the latter, but to me they are brothers. Everything a Goddamn Ordeal in Area Family. OH ALSO i cant get into yusei/jaden even though that ship is like??? uber popular?????? yusei is too responsible for him im sorry HHDFGGFDG  

My BROTP for them: again, LOVE yusei-crow-jack brothers since childhood, crying sobbing etc. Team Satisfaction in general, I just fucking love their dynamic. ACAB Teenagers. Yusei getting along really great with Leo and Luna is also really sweet imo ;_; Like fuck it those are his kids now.

My OTP for them: LIKE. IT'S BASIC BUT i do think him and akiza are very cute together. Yusei wifeguy mome. idk how to explain it but my ideal version of faithshipping (i think thats what its called??) is a slightly more romantic version of whatever was going on in the Lobster Christmas AITA reddit post. gesturing vaguely with my hands. does this make any sense.

My second choice pairing for them: yeah ok yusei/bruno is super super cute...... Special Interest Bonding. yusei met that guy and had a "something really LGBT just happened to me" moment, i am Certain.  

My fluffy pairing for them: yusei/akizaaa.......their little roller skating date 🥺 i want them to go to some botanical gardens. i want them to go to a butterfly garden.

My angsty pairing for them: houuughghhh kalin/yusei got that BIG emo potential. Kind of feel a bit like they had Something in the Satisfaction Days and yusei's over it by now but kalin Is Kind of Not But Doesn't Know How To or Will Not Get Into It.

My favorite poly ship for them: tryin to think if i have one.... yusei/akiza/bruno is pretty cute but i dont even actually know if akiza and bruno interact much. will keep my eyes peeled. 

My weirdest pairing for them: i dont even know if this would be romantic but i want to put yusei and all the DOMA motorcycle guys in a room together. I think the hours-long conversation they would have about bikes and their bonkers trauma(s) would be incredible.

[akampana]

Continuation of this ask

Bedivere x Arturia - Ship it

What made you ship it?

TBH I was one of those few people who shipped it based on that like 2 second scene at the end of FSN. The Camelot Singularity just reinforced it. A lot came from the original Arthurian legend as well. Bedivere is similarly insanely loyal as he is in the game, and like in Fate lore, he’s been with Arthur longer than most.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

He journeyed so far for so long just to see her smile OH MY GOD BRB IM SOBBING HOLY CRAP CAN YOU JUST IMAGINE—

I’m a sucker for intensely loyal knights and I will always be. ALWAYS.

THE ANGST POTENTIALLLLLL but also THE FLUFF POTENTIALLLL

This man loved his king so bloody intensely. So strongly that his desire to see her survived the test of time. To be loved so much, so unconditionally for a thousand and a half years? Gods, that’s just too much, man. ;-;

And I absolutely adore how much it means to him to remain her knight, even if he tends to be insecure about the limb that he lacks, and how he believes he is nothing special in comparison with everyone else. I love that Arturia recognizes his strength and his worth, even if he himself can’t see it.

THE ENTIRE CONFRONTATION IN THE THRONE ROOM LET ME TELL YOU I WAS CRYING SOOOOO HARD THROUGHOUT THAT IK NIT EVEN KIDDING

THIS, the MINDBREAK Arturia goes through when she tries to remember

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I think that THIS SHIP NEEDS MORE LOVE AND I REALLY OUGHT TO CONTRIBUTE

All the other answers below cut!

Irisviel x Arturia - Ship It

What made you ship it?

I think I was bound to the moment I watched Fate Zero. When I was younger it was overshadowed by the feels Diarturia brought and not to mention Kiritsugu and Iri but this ship is damn good on its own.

What sold it though, is the argument she and Kiritsugu have in Episode 16, right after the last Saber and Lancer fight. Irisviel, who we all know loves her husband so much, forced Kiritsugu to answer Saber. That’s just how important Arturia was to her.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

I think they both found in each other something they themselves lack. It’s actually kind of funny. Arturia is human, and yet she’s so heavily consumed by her ideals that she doesn’t act like one. Irisviel, on the other hand, is not human, and yet everything that she does and wants to do is exactly that.

Throughout the anime, Being with Iri puts Saber into such mundane, ordinary situations that it teaches her to live. The suits, the escorting, being a passenger instead of a driver, appreciating the water by the seashore, etc. It's like the woman wants to leave her with some appreciation for the world, especially when she herself doesn’t have all that much time left.

On Irisviel’s part, I think she found in Saber the companionship she would have wanted from Kiritsugu during the last few days she remained on the Earth. Arturia had been the perfect knight in shining armor, taking Irisviel around to see the world as much as they could amidst a war. If they’d just had more time, I have no doubt Arturia would have taken Irisviel even more places, you know?

It makes me sad :( but in a good way.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I’m pretty sure Irisviel would wear the pants in this relationship ya know what I mean? Hahaha

Much as I love this ship, I think that it becomes all the more valuable because of how it ended. To each other, they were this brief, fleeting feeling of happiness. A love that was so short and yet so strong.

Shirou x Arturia - Don't Ship it

Hooooooo boi. Hear me out, mkay ? But this is just my personal opinion so pls no hate

Why don't you ship it?

I’m gonna start out by saying I don’t think I need to, tbh. Hahaha there’s enough content for this ship being fed to us, so my liking it or not is immaterial. But the reason is well...I watched FSN and Shirou x Saber was...not the best thing about it (the best thing about it was the soundtrack omg iconic) Shirou comes off as a bit of a misogynist, and kind of immature, and the whole time it’s like he doesn’t really listen to Arturia at all. Plus, it’s kind of like he just likes her looks at times. The final deciding factor was the date scene. That was just unbearable.

But then I go online and I see all this good stuff about them. And my friend ships them cause they’re canon, right? So, I’m like okay, what if I judged too quickly, let’s play the VN...and I did. And I still didn’t like him with Saber at all. So, I played the next route, watched the next anime, trying to redeem 1st route Shirou as much as I could but it just....didn’t happen. I think I can safely say I tried to like them. I really did. But no.

What would have made you like it?

Removing the misogyny and the immaturity and letting him listen to her. Like he should have.

At no point in their interactions did it feel like they were standing on equal ground, ever. Either he was speaking over her or the opposite. So less of that and a lot more respect.

And when you compare this relationship to what he has with like with his other two love interests, it makes this ship fall completely flat. It’s pretty...bland and honestly kind of shallow. It’s like the story just tells you they’re in love but there’s no answer to why they’re in love. Make him fall in love with her for her without necessarily forcing his need to save everyone on her.

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

I may not like how they got there, but in the end Arturia was able to pass peacefully.

I acknowledge that Shirou was important and made a change in her life.

That ending scene where they meet after so long, NGL is pretty sweet.

A lot of my headcanons happen post-Shirou, so there’s also that.

Archer x Rin -Ship it

What made you ship it?

Tsundere x Cynic has gotta be one of the best dynamics out there.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

His true identity. The fact that she dragged him all the way across space and time to return as her Servant, that’s just bloody fate at work.

The fact that he keeps acknowledging she’s a strong Master despite his later conduct in UBW.

Archer is ridiculously crass and Rin is easily riled up. In the Fifth Holy Grail War, they had the best Master-Servant relationship period. They have this explosive chemistry that just works so well.

When he smiles at her at the end of the route, and you just know that Tohsaka’s gonna be stubborn enough to make sure Shirou doesn’t end up going down the exact same path.

I think it’s sweet that he ends up going along with her whims because he secretly likes housework.

THE PRINCESS CARRY/ CATCH. MAN OH MAN.

Unlike the previous ship mentioned here, these two actually stand on equal ground with each other.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I don't think it's exactly an unpopular opinion, but I think they really ought to have more official content y'know? Rin is important in every route, and Archer's the actual climax of UBW and also entirely significant across three routes.

Medusa x Sakura - Don't ship it

Why don't you ship it?

Because while journeying through the routes, I always saw Rider as more of a best friend/sort of motherly figure to Sakura.

Or that Rider fulfilled the kind of relationship that she wanted to have with Rin, while Sakura unknowingly filled the void Medusa's sisters left in her life. I thought she was more of a guardian angel really, not a romantic interest. Kind of like how Heracles was to Illya.

What would have made you like it?

If I could maybe forget about the threesome with Shirou and the implied romantic feelings Rider has for him in Ataraxia that would be great.

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

Sakura deserves all the happiness in the world and I really do believe that Rider could fulfill that.

This ship DEFINITELY DEFINITELYYYYYY NEEDS MORE CONTENT

Diarmuid x Cú - Ship it

What made you ship it?

oooh this probably sounds surprising since based on my content you'd think, no i dont ship this BUT I DOOOOOOO (i just happen to hc them as bros more often)

Honestly what did make me ship it is the parallels.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

IMO They have the biggest potential for hurt/comfort amongst all the ships mentioned here.

They can help each other get through their trauma. Their whole relationship would be extremely healing and supportive.

I love that Diarmuid seems to have idolized Cú Chulainn at some point and honestly who wouldn't be honored to stand beside him, no?

They could be up to the funniest shenanigans because Cú is chaos and Diarmuid would absolutely be an enabler because when he isn't angst-ing he's super damn chill.

Bros being bros hahahah...unless?

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Not really. Maybe that I think Lancer Diar and Cascu would get along better and Saber Diar and Lancer Cu would also get along better but honestly any form is good this ship is good

[greywindys]

...who do you think has more chemistry in romantic sense with Bakugo? Midoriya or Kirishima?

Ooooo dangerous territory, anon. I say this because you're referencing, at least to my current knowledge, the two most popular Bakugou ships, and afaik, the communities are not on good terms lmao. I don't think anyone on this blog is that intense or even really cares, but in case someone does, I want to say that I come in peace. I just like talking about the potential dynamics between characters I like while I wait intently for chapter spoilers. These impressions are also subject to change because I'm still learning.

Okay, so the tl;dr is: It's a tie. The reader's preference is the tiebreaker.

Kirishima and Bakugou: Their dynamic, to me, is almost the perfect recreation of "the main character and their best friend who was there all along" that you see in a lot of early 2000s teen comedy movies. Idk if this is a hot take, but Kiri was Bakugou's first real friend. Like, I'm open to debate, but I feel like that's an objective fact. He's similar to Midoriya in that he holds a lot of admiration for Bakugou, but unlike Midoriya, he doesn't idolize him to the point of putting him up on a pedestal. He actually, iirc, doesn't like Bakugou very much at first, but we see him get to know and care about Bakugou as a person - not as a rival or a personal symbol of victory or subject to analyze/copy - over the course of the series.

And in response, Bakugou embraces him as a friend (wow, imagine that, you take the time to get to know someone, and not their reputation or your imagined version of them, and they like you!). Kiri's the only person he trusts enough to accept help from and spend time with outside of class (hiking, studying etc). And, ik I've said this before, but that's pretty significant for a character like Bakugou. My impression of Kiri is that he's honest, fearless and has a sensitive soul. And I think Bakugou respects that. This leans a little fanon, but I imagine he's had a lot of experience with people who give him disingenuous compliments with ulterior motives over the course of his life, so meeting Kiri, someone who's so open and patient with him, must have been a breath of fresh air. They are good for each other!

Unfortunately, from the Hori interviews I've read and seen referenced, their friendship was meant to be a stepping stone to get Bakugou closer to the class, specifically Midoriya. That bums me out a little because I think their dynamic comes so naturally, and it's so wholesome. Bakugou is a lot less stressed with Kiri, though their relationship isn't perfect, but it's mostly typical relationship troubles (communication, insecurity on Kiri's end, insensitivity on Bakugou's end). I have my fingers crossed that they'll interact more in upcoming chapter since they're at Kamino currently, but I'm not getting my hopes up since well...see the first sentence of this paragraph.

Midoriya and Bakugou: Ahh yes. The turbulent one...which is weird to say considering how wholesome Midoriya seems to be on his own lol. But that's what's so compelling about their dynamic - you start reading and get a superficial impression of what they are, but the further into the series you get and the more you think about it, the more you realize how complicate it really is. And actually, Midoriya isn't much of a cinnamon roll at all.

Like 2Doc, there are varying levels obsession and codependency here. Midoriya's low self-esteem compounded with his idolization of heroes and hero society contributes significantly to how he views and interacts with Bakugou. I feel like he's already thinking of Bakugou as a pro-hero as far back as in middle school, and treats him as such - someone he wishes he could be like but also wants to beat, but also someone he wants respect and friendship from. In turn, Bakugou responds harshly, not only because he can't quite figure out what the hell Midoriya truly wants, but also because he recognizes his selflessness and determination to save others very early on in their lives. He recognizes that Midoriya has qualities that make a good hero, qualities that he also lacks (initially). Midoriya's selflessness scares him, and I think he admits that out loud somewhere before the war arc (and oddly enough, we're seeing that perhaps he had a good reason to be scared in the current chapters...but that's a different discussion). As as result they start off in this volatile relationship where they don't understand each other, but can't get away from one another.

That being said, this story is about them and they are both very important to one another. That's indisputable, imo. You'll see different takes as to whether or not the build up to their impending reconciliation was well-executed. I'm of the opinion that overall, it was. Despite the odd ways he's expressed it, it's clear Midoriya has always cared about Bakugou and that he would do pretty much anything for him, and Bakugou over time, has realized how he misinterpreted Midoriya's attempts at friendship when they were younger and is trying to give him a chance to be a friend. There's no room to go over it all here, but they've been learning from each other over the entirety of the story, and will continue to learn from one another until the bitter end lol. Currently, their roles are essentially reversed, and we see Bakugou repeating lessons Midoriya used to try to teach him, back at him. That's some nice character development an angst right there. Bakugou is exponentially more stressed with Midoriya, but the feelings are also more intense, there's more drama...I'm still low-key hoping they fight again. Heh.

[malepresentingleg]

is it 2013 again? cause i have a rant about teen wolf coming and i feel 16 y/o.

so due to dome heavy procrastination I've consumed a lot of teen wolf content, i skipped a bunch of episodes and a lot of scenes in the ones i haven't but i still have some Thoughts TM

it's good??? i had a Good Time watching, it was funny but intense and dark and i felt Feelings watching, some of the plotlines were meh (or maybe i just skipped them heh) but a lot were interesting and i loved the characters and their interaction

scott. my sweetheart. my baby. such a cutiepie, such a great protagonist 10/10 i love him and would die for him. he's so pure and cute and his little smile melts my heart. i love how he's fundamentally Human no matter how non human he is. he's a great character all around and i kinda wish they didn't do that shit to him at the end (imma get there) or treated him like he ISN'T the protagonist for such big parts of the shows

people KNOW. Stiles knows from day one, allison finds out soon, his mom finds out in season 2! the sheriff in 3, and they just become part of the gang and can help them with stuff bc they UNDERSTAND. shows like that get really tiring when the teens constantly lie to everyone around them and it was very refreshing. the running gag with the coach ruining things tho was funny and I'm ok with it.

Ok this is mellisa appreciation time. she's SUCH a great, complex and unusual mom-of-hero character. i absolutely love her and her attitude, i love how she's not simply being used as a tool to cause scott pain (just.. sometimes) and their relationship is parenting goals.

also isn't it fucking hilarious how she's a nurse but she just knows everything medical. she's also a surgeon and a mortician and a doctor. ik it's for plot reasons but it funny af.

in general women on the show.. had a lot of potential, i love them, but i hate how they were treated.

allison was all around great imo, her and scott's relationship was built very well and was two sided from the start (unlike... yeah), she has emotions, she's smart and brave, but also human and scared, she kicks ass and, again, exists outside of Scott's GF status (mostly). andddd they killed her. idk if the actress had to/wanted to leave or it was a pure writers decision bc they needed to keep just her father or something, but that would have been ok if not for all the other things

we have 3 main kickass ladies with powers- lydia, kira and malia. lydia spent close to FIVE whole seasons not knowing anything about her abilities/not knowing how to control them. cmon, it gets old. scott masters his powers after a season or two (and had control a lot sooner), parrish finds out what he is like half a season after it becomes relevant etc.

malia- do i need to explain? she was CONSTANTLY struggling controlling her abilities, no matter how badass she supposedly was. and kira oh boy, they did her dirty, didn't they?

kira was such a cute adorable character. i loved her and her little crush on scott and wanting to make friends and being freaked out about relationships, i love her discovering her past and heritage and learning to fight and gaining control and becoming a badass. but. what? they just undid all this? oh no the fox is taking over she has no control no agency of her own she needs to disappear for years now bye :( again, idk if the actress needed to leave but it was so unsatisfying and was insulting to the character. she wasn't even mentioned later a bunch like allison was, just they needed her mom for a plot tool and didn't even acknowledge it was her sword they were breaking. uhm rude?

LET WOMEN HAVE POWERS AND BE AWESOME WITH THEM. and not just minor/bad characters thanks.

i love the concept of a pack on the show and how you don't have to be a werewolf to be a part of it, how scott becomes a true alpha and how he cares about his friends. i kinda feel like in later seasons him being an alpha was more talk than show which like /: meh. like i said, he stopped BEING the main character, just talked about as if he was.

i love how friendship is valued, but i think it could be more.. i mean the scene in the motel, all season 3b, scott and lydia, all the girls with each other.. i love it. too many times tho it "wasn't enough" and only romantic love worked which SUCKS. in 6a i was so happy scott went in to try and remember stiles and the memories hit me right in the heart. then when it "wasn't enough" i was SO pissed and frustrated goddammit. i guess that leads me to the next point-

ships, should i talk about ships? i don't want hate in my asks but oh well it's been a few years maybe there's no fandom to care. I'll start with the end

malia and scott. what. the. fuck. when, out of fucking no where, they had like a lingering look or something i was just "nope. no thanks". and then every scene they had together i had to cover my eyes bc it felt so wrong and bad and awkward. jesus. no build up at ALL, they're like family, i just. ew. no. it felt way too much like "oh we gotta pair off the leftovers" or "the main character can't end up single" well guess what, he fucking can. it was. god. i can't even explain the disgust. when he needed to heal and all she had to do was kiss him ugh. it felt so fake and empty of meaning. i would 100% prefer for it to be stiles (I'll get there) or his mom who snapped him out of it.

melissa and chris, i could get aboard with that. def cute, def weird af since his dead daughter was dating her son but, well.

stiles and lydia is a ship i have conflicting feelings about. i absolutely hate the concept of "the nerd" is in love with the popular girl since freshman year and he's borderline being a creep ("oh but it's stiles! he's a dork and he's harmless" no.), completely obsessed with her and she ignores him but then they end up getting together.. i mean, it sends a bad msg to obsessed boys about how it's worth it in the end, and it makes the whole relationship feel unbalanced from the start, makes her reciprocation feel unatural. BUT, i have to admit the show did kinda make me warm up to this ship by the end, curse them. it was kinda cute. i wish there was more mutualness before it became such an important part in 6a tho.

just gonna put it out there: malia/kira and lydia/allison. i wish we saw more girl on girl interactions in general but the ones we had were very good, great dynamics.

i won't get too much into it but i.. i don't ship st*rek. i understand why they're the biggest ship (two white hot boys that interact with each other, i mean.), and i see the couple of fan service-y moments the show throws at us but just. they don't have my heart, i don't really care about them. not the characters, the characters i absolutely love! (tho this watch i skipped most of season 1 and 2 and 3a and i think that's where derek is the most asshole.. didn't he do really bad things? idr) idk if you want a bad character on the way to redemption with someone you should ship liam and theo who had way better shippy chemistry imo, even tho their ship probably wouldn't be healthy given their dynamic history, huh.

the ship that does owns my heart? scilies. I'm a softy when it comes to best friends to lovers, and their bond and relationship is just. so. pure. don't get me wrong, i love me a good platonic relationship, but there was just one to many homoerotic interactions between them for me not to ship it, hard. (not to be that person but my guess is that if Scott was white it would have been a way bigger ship, but who knows?) i love their love, i love they would do anything for each other, and i feel like there were a bunch of very missed opportunities for them in later seasons :(

so representation. this feels like a show that is trying to be Woke TM but it's not going so well. the main character is supposedly latino but it's never ever addressed. idc about "oh we want a world without prejudice" you can still fucking address it. i mean they went to Mexico a couple of times, stiles keeps saying "Mexican cousin" i mean. god. give us something. did i mention scott was told he'd make a great "nazi youth" ..

and you don't need to be a genius to see the most characters are very white or at least very white passing. and when you don't address their non whiteness they might as well be..

i already mentioned how poorly i feel kira was treated, but also mason, who is a wonderful character, gets no depth? we know nothing about him other than being gay and smart pretty much.

i also spoke about the women already but, they were really really great women characters, but not enough of them, not enough that lasted.

there's not much to talk about disability bc it just wasn't on the show. the only blind character was healed which. /: same with epilepsy and asthma..

i think the show is probably very proud (ha) with their LGBTQ+ rep bc they're like "oh let's make this insignificant couple gay bc hey nbg". examples are lydia's grandma, La Bete and marcel, i think nolan and jiang were exes and then nolan and gabe were a thing? idr if it was explicit. the couple of girls in the tent.. probably a couple more. it's nice, def better than all random couples being straight but that's not satisfying as rep.

Danny was great. i think he and ethan were.. cute? i think he was awesome, i loved danny so much and was very excited to learn he KNOWS at the end of season 3 and was waiting to see him join the pack. instead he fucking disappeared?! wtf. #WhereDidDannyGo

brett was cute rep, especially being bi but i feel like it could go into the insignificant pool which, again, is better than nothing.

mason and corey i just don't have strong feelings about. they were definitely cute and I'm glad they were together, i love mason A Lot. i think this relationship could be explored more, or at least the characters could be explored more to give this relationship more depth.

very interesting how there's no wlw canon couple, not even hinted. just fan servicey hot malia kira dance which /:

not to mention transgenderness. god can you imagine the interesting plotline of transitioning while being a werewolf 0:

i think the rep i was most happy about was ethan and Jackson. even tho i don't think there was build up or clues in the first couple of seasons, I'm happy for the actor who i know was struggling with coming out publicly, and it was very fun and refreshing for the ending. even if we got very few scenes with them the dynamic was 10/10

the biggest problem is obviously stiles. i just don't understand why, if they're so supposedly progressive, they went to that length to queerbait without following through. the whole gag of wanting to be attractive to danny and to gay guys, the whole "aww danny want to have sex with me that's so nice", the whole "do you like guys too?". it's a gag. his alleged bisexuality is the butt of a joke, and it pisses me the fuck off. they don't have to make it a big deal or have him get a bf for it to be official. it wasn't subtle subtext. it was a CHOICE. to put a spotlight on his sexuality but not deliver. -100/10 would not recommend.

also they could talk about his mental health more.

and about Scott's, please and thank you.

and everyone's.

i had some more feelings, like villains changing sides without getting a proper redemption and having no consequences, the wholesomeness of the sherriff and mellisa being each other's kids second parent eichen house (wtf??), and more, but i think i wrote enough for now.

tl;dr- good show with A Lot of problems, will always have a place in my heart bc I'm a nostalgic gal.

[blueraspberrymilkshake]

do you like k2? 👀

*does a Phineas Flynn impression* Why yes. Yes I do.

And (unfourtunately) I'm probably the very few Kyman shippers who also really love this ship. Then again most, if not all the K2 shippers I've ran into pretty much hate Kyman, so I'm obviously the very small minority who ships both.

And I know that they don't have much screentime together, but I feel that these two as a couple has a lot of potential, y'know?

They had a fair amount of cute moments together:

In "Kenny Dies", not only did Kyle stay with Kenny at the hospital until the very end, he beat the shit out of Cartman when he found out that the brunette was using Kenny's death to make a quick buck.

Kyle catching Kenny near the end of "Major Boobage".

Kyle holding onto Kenny as he dies in "Wing".

Mysterion (Kenny) trusting Kyle regarding the background checks in "The Coon".

In the deleted ending of the same episode, Kenny revealed himself to Kyle.

The cute hug they shared as they continued to laugh at Cartman in "Put it Down".

And last but not least, the entire "Jewbilee" episode (and Kenny asking Kyle on a "date" to watch the meteor shower AND wanting to come with Kyle to the Jew Scouts).

To me, their dynamics give off a serene, levelheaded vibe. Kenny's the most laidback character of the main four, and if I'm not mistaken, he doesn't give Kyle a hard time, not as much as Stan and Cartman does; so I love the idea of Kenny being the emotional backbone for Kyle, especially if Stan's not around. And Kyle returns the favor conforting him whenever the blond needed to stay away from his abusive household and needed someone to talk to; these two would always give and take, making their relationship more balanced... similar to Craig and Tweek's relationship, dare I say...

And don't get me started on the interactions between their families. Like, Gerald and Stuart hate each other, imagine how they would react when they found out that both their sons are dating. Gerald might begrudgingly accept it, but Stuart would literally do anything for Kenny to dump Kyle, but Kenny's just too happy with his boyfriend. Sheila would be somewhat ecstatic, not only is her son finally comfortable with his sexuality, but she dosen't have to break her back trying to get them to be friends. It's like a typical, gay, white trash version of "Romeo and Juliet" and I find that very funny and interesting.

One of my favorite headcanons is Kenny and Karen running away to Kyle's house to spend the night, and Karen and Ike would quickly become friends while their siblings are cuddling beneath Kyle's sheets. Kenny being Ike's amazing Big Brother-in-Law is also a favorite of mine.

Tl;dr: K2 is my favorite Kyle pairing right after Kyman and I don't feel sorry one bit.

[billdenbrough]

As a fellow sky high fan in 2019, I can glean ur a fan of Warren/Layla & aren’t we all, but what r ur thoughts on Warren/Will 🤔

the absolute rights we have, caring about sky high in 2019… love that for us!

yes i’m a verified warrenlayla fiend but warrenwill also has incredible rights to me. so we all know warren is fire, and layla is earth (if we’re translating them into elements—ik plants and earth aren’t the same power), and i would loosely posit will as air by the same approach. he’s strength, sure, but he’s also flight, and not to care too deeply about freddy freeman on main but boy’s got a point when he talks about how flight is the superhero power, the classic, the ideal. also, in over his head as he can get sometimes, he’s pretty easy going. caring about him comes as easy as breathing to the people around him, and he can be everything from a light breeze to a tornado.

all this to say that if i were to consider them symbolically, warrenlayla works bc she grounds his fire / he helps her discover new aspects of herself. warren and will enhance each other — we see what warren’s like without air when speed creates a vacuum, and we see that will can be a bit in over his head without the clarity of guiding flame.

(this is............ definitely a very extra way to approach a disney movie lmao. bonk me)

like, i’m just a fan of most of these dynamics. laylamagenta? fuck yeah. magentazach? grumpy/chatterbox rights! warrenlayla? hearts on hearts on hearts. ethanzach? never seen it but i assume it exists and it is valid to do so. and peacehold (thank you for your im dskdskf i would never have known it had a ship name.... fake fan) is no exception. it’s the ENEMIES to BEST FRIENDS to LOVERS of it all!! the balancing act.... like, i’m not usually super into people whose parents hate each other (i’m not against it, it’s just a trope that i’m aware exists but haven’t really engaged with much myself) but given their own very different dynamics with their parents, it adds some fun and interesting context to their potential relationship, because like. will’s parents are overbearing but they love him, and they’re very clearly always going to be there for him; whereas we have warren as the son of a supervillain and a superheroine, whose father is away for four consecutive life sentences and whose mother doesn’t even have a name but probably isn’t doing super well in the hero community’s eyes given who his father is, and he’s working part time at the paper lantern which is a very different lifestyle (class in the sky high universe is... something which could be an interesting conversation, i think, but very off topic rn fsjfsja) than what will, Son Of Heroes Commander And Jetstream, All American Boy Scout, has experienced, and i think it would be really fucking fascinating, especially the idea of like... the way they interact with their families helping each other grow in understanding? warren seeing what it’s like to have a family like will’s, and will—who is empathetic if not particularly observant at times—learning how to engage with someone whose life is so entirely different from his own. warren’s warm but guarded, and unafraid to call will out when needed, and will is... honestly a little sheltered, but really does have a good, true heart, and i just. am completely down for them in any capacity tbh.

sky high rights!!!!!

[airlock]

airlock grades the Camus archetype

next in this series, we delve into the world of fancy jackets, ebon horses, and loves that cannot be. that’s right -- it’s the day in the lives of the one who was fortunate enough to fuck off into the ocean with no memories, and all the other ones who just straight-up died!

(do note: under cut are spoilers for… everything, and also a significant amount of me criticizing or blamming characters that you might like. you’ve been warned! but if you’d press on, then I’m afraid I have no choice but to face you on the battlefield-)

a foreword

so, I’m not trying to end up rating every single semi-sympathetic miniboss out here; to this end, I will be working with a very specific definition of a Camus for this exercise. I do not claim it to be the definition of a Camus; it’s simply what I’ll be working with. it’s as such: a Camus is a secondary villain who is characterized as virtuous, but tragically doomed to stand against the player characters, either in keeping with the aforementioned virtue, because of an overpowering external circumstance, or both.

so, let us dig in!

camoo

(7/10)

there he is, folks! the man whose dick launches thousands of ships, hurtling into each other on a maelstrom of tragedy.

a multitude of appearances -- matched only by a certain trio of flying girls -- has given him incredible room to expand as a complex, dynamic character. where his original appearance alone might blip as gently tragic but not incredibly compelling, he’s incrementally gained a robust character, and ultimately got to be one of the ones who managed to elude the pits of data size issues in Akaneian characterization.

screaming camus

(1/10)

is it a stretch to tout him as a “virtuous” character? perhaps, but for the purposes of classification alone, intent weighs a little more than execution, and I think it’s clear that the writers had intended for Berkut to be sympathetic, but tragic, as far as secondary antagonists go.

unfortunately, though, they failed big time. Ian Sinclair’s stellar voice acting counts in Berkut’s favor, but little else does. his character is nigh-on pastiche and he seems to hog a lot of screentime without adding anything of significant interest to the story or to other characters. his motivations, while genuine enough, are irritatingly played by the narrative as being sympathetic when they absolutely are not; and worst of all, his fall from grace is severely cheapened by ending on a note of easy redemption that he does not at all deserve.

mongolian camus

(4/10)

in concept, this is a brillant player punch; as if Hardin wasn’t enough, you have to make enemies of even more of those who fought by your side on the previous game, and this guy -- alongside his underlings bar Roshea -- aren’t even fighting you because they’ve gone mad; they’re the same as they were before, and it’s only unfortunate that now, their master is no longer on your side.

however, further labor on the execution front would have been invaluable here. as far as Camuses (camusi? camii? camee?) go, the ole Wolfpack has a lot less time in the limelight than is par for the course, and the one-two maps they haunt don’t leave enough room to draw out the drama.

I’m not docking points for this, but New Mystery of the Emblem also does the Wolfpack a serious disservice in making them all recruitable. besides being a cowardly evasion from the tragedies of war that Fire Emblem is well-known to mercilessly portray, it’s not even a better outcome for them personally. like, have you seen Wolf’s epilogue? and it’s only further a shame after Shadow Dragon went and made Wolf and Sedgar so busted they may have had a better chance to leave an impression on the player -- which would then have made it all the more of a gut twister if they’d remained as full proper... goddamnit I’m not doing the plural Camus thing again.

wine camus

(10/10)

without hesitation, one of the most effective... camus characters, okay, there, I settled that... ever written. it’s sad enough when you have to snuff out someone nice because war is hell and the world is an awful place, but having the guy be the protagonist’s best friend is just ruthless.

and it’s not just text, either; it’s set up brillantly. Eldigan and Sigurd’s good bond is put well on display before it’s brutally shattered. he’s even given an unusual out in that you don’t have to kill him -- but if you don’t, Chagall will! hoohoohoo, Jugdral is the bestworst.

seriously, though, I think I’ve honest to god cried at least once about Eldigan, and making me cry is pretty difficult -- like, outside of an argument or other situation where crying totally sabotages me so of course my body will do that to me.

thunder camus

(5/10)

I appreciate an extremely powerful female character as much as anyone should, but other than that, I will have to admit that I don’t find her incredibly compelling.

although Genealogy of the Holy War may have been the game that gave us Hilda, it very much betrays the Kagaman’s hesitancy in letting women be villainous, and there are not many better examples of this than Ishtar here. as far as Camus characters (hahahaha! I am unstoppable!) go, she’s one of the most virtuous -- and also one with the flimsiest reasons for staying the course of villainy anyway.

like, sure, she has a boyfriend who turned into satan. we sure get told that. and then it stays as absolutely nothing other than text, when she tends to act like she’s being forced by the greatest of all powers to continue opposing you. Thracia 776 at least strengthens the script by depicting the extant relationship as an abusive one, which would shed a little more sense into things, but it’s too little too late; too late because it’s one whole game later, and too little because Ishtar and Julius are not focal characters of that game and don’t have enough room to expand in there. (plus, it’s not a great idea for Julius anyway -- he’s hellspawn, not a smooth operator.)

tiny hand camus

(5/10)

curiously, I’d actually bill Reinhardt here as a hybrid Camus-Michalis -- while his arc swallows elements of inevitable tragedy such as a star-crossed crush and a superior that he won’t defy, it never feels like he has to fight you in the way that a Camus normally does; rather, it feels like he chooses to anyway because of his shortcomings, in the way that a Michalis normally does.

and putting these things together... well, I’m grading the whole character here, but let’s be real, he’s far more effective of a Michalis than a Camus. intent regadless, sympathy isn’t usually the sentiment that he flints up, and I believe even Olwen is ultimately of that mindset; still, it gets to be a shame that he makes the choices he does when he’s otherwise not such an overtly repugnant type.

(I went this whole time not talking about Heroes, yes? that’s because I’m not going there. not the memes, not his thorougly botched characterization there, nothing.)

alamo camus

(2/10)

I believe that Galle and Murdock are intended as Camus characters (booyaka booyaka! shakalaka!) as well, but they’re so painfully inconsequential I’m not going to get sidetracked in their direction here.

Brunnya is not that much better off than they are, alas; she gets a little more screentime, but remains underdeveloped until her one chapter in the limelight. she does get to play an interesting role as a Camus who outlives her master and still decides to carry on his will, but we’ve seen better and more compelling all over this list.

double camus

(9/10)

oh, snap, there are two of them! ... well, so there were in Genealogy of the Holy War, but these here bros aren’t to be analyzed in isolation.

the moral complexities that they play at together are interesting, but I think that the coolest aspect of their character, by far, is that they play at being direct counterparts to Eliwood and Hector. the charming, reasonable one and the brutish, straightforward one who strengthen each other through their balance -- they’re shining mirrors of what could have been, or what comes to be when you take the same strengths as those of the heroes but place them irrevocably in the path of the villains. ... hmmm, I wonder if they’d have a non-adoptive sister if Lyn were, like, relevant at that point of the story.

their screentime is surprisingly short, but all indicates that they make tidal waves on the little time they have. I’m certain they’d have benefitted from more, but they’re still amongst the best of the Camus characters (I did it again!! I did it again!!).

not severa camus

(8/10)

although her tale is not as gut-wrenching as Eldigan’s or the Reed bros’, she’s one perfectly adequate Camus. virtuous, and impactfully so, but loyal to the end, and justifiedly so -- both in a relevant backstory and in a string of deceptions and misfortunes that play her stronger qualities against her.

I don’t find her to be a standout, but she’s a perfect execution of her own concept -- and considering the staggering amount of unfulfilled potential we’ve seen up to here, that deserves its due praise.

tincan camus

(4/10)

although he’s fairly interesting, the sins of his master befall him -- the reveal of his identity is severly dragged-out for also meaning very little until the additional reveal of his brand. and by then, it’s doomed to be only a blur out of the many unfulfilled twists in the Tower of Guidance.

even beneath the mask, he’s had a lot of chances for player punches that he missed out on. his confrontation with Greil emphatizes his role as Ashnard’s underling, instead of his role as Greil’s former student and Ike’s newly-made archrival, and I feel like that’s a severe mistake -- for one thing, it forces the cutscene to end with a lame halfway intervention from Caineghis, where it would’ve been perfectly viable for Ike to walk out of that one alive exclusively due to Zelgius’s own motivations.

even beyond that, his appearances in both Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn often play him as a plot device instead of a character; as a matter of fact, that ridiculous magic warp powder of his accomplishes no purpose other than enabling him to be a plot device wherever plot needs him (aside from how it silently explains how he lives a double life in two different countries, but that’s kind of a pointless detail).

and lastly, just how impossibly lame is it that he’s given a deadly final confrontation with Ike, that he’s just going to walk off of by the sequel anyway? it’s easy to see why it’s necessary for the plots of the two games it affects, but it’s laaaaaaaaame.

samurai camus

(1/10)

easily the least compelling of the list. he comes in to carry the half of a nonsense arc that doesn’t have enough room to fully build him, and it shows. and to make things worse, he’s one of the most notable sufferers of a syndrome that thorougly afflicts antagonists in Awakening and, to a lesser extent, beyond: a tendency to try to paint them as unambiguously evil before you fight them, but tragic and redeemable right after you fight them. which ultimately completely fails as the player punch that the writers ostensibly intended and robs the confrontation itself of much-needed gravitas.

if-conditional camus characters

(??/10)

hahahahaha!!! hahahahahahaahhahahahaaaa!! sockeye!!! I did the thing again and right in the middle of a nickname too!!

but yeah, I haven’t played Fates any more now than at the time of the Gharnef post.

anyways, what do you all think? have I earned your undying loyalty, or does chivalry demand that you slaughter me for my vile takes? if the upcoming Three Houses is to have a Camus... oh, who are we kidding, of course there’s going to be a Camus. in another life, things have been different, but this fate is inescapable. the only mercy we can extend for it now is to wonder what it’ll be like. once again, I welcome your comments in the replies and reblogs -- would you wrong your country by keeping them to yourself anyway?

[oumakokichi]

So I've seen a few opinions of ppl who say that ALL Ouma ships are bad because they are "abusive" or toxic because Ouma would "bully" the other and they're unhealthy, etc. I've read so many of ur metas so Ik that's not completely true. But as a fellow Ouma and SaiOuma shipper, what do think of this?

I think it’s an unfortunate fact that many people sometimes takeaspects of a ship which aren’t always the best or the healthiest out of contextand associate them with words like “abusive” or “toxic” when that really isn’tthe case at all.

I’m reminded of the ask I got a while back from an anon whomentioned that people had been calling Tenko a “creepy stalker” just becauseshe was overly eager about making friends with Himiko and needed to learn torespect that Himiko is much slower about opening up to people. Again, it’s aperfect example of a ship that does have flaws getting completely misunderstoodand drastically misinterpreted out of context to make it look a lot worse thanit is.

Any relationship, be it romantic or platonic, has flaws. Orat least, it should. Adding flaws and things to work on and improve and, yes,even occasional unhealthy behaviors makes a ship much more realistic, and givesthe characters something to work on addressing. Relationships without any flawsat all lack depth. That’s not to say they can’t be enjoyable or cute in their easygoingness,but they simply aren’t realistic.

By “flaws” and “unhealthy behaviors,” I want to note that Idon’t mean anything edgy. Ships don’t have to be dark and gritty or angsty inorder to be realistic, interesting, and compelling. Even a ship that seems themost lighthearted and laid back can still have really interesting flaws—these canbe anything from a lack of communication (maybe one character doesn’t tell theother when something is wrong because they don’t want to make them worry) tosimple misunderstandings (maybe a character accidentally speaks for or overanother character because they thought they would like something, and it turnsout they don’t, and they have to discuss that kind of behavior and work on it).Either way, even the most “vanilla” ship can still be fleshed out andinteresting and compelling, as long as there are some flaws in it.

As with individual characterization, of course, the mostimportant thing to keep in mind for writing ships is to not brush those flawsunder the rug. Having a character’s flaws get addressed and called out withinthe narrative serves to highlight the fact that they’re not perfect and thatthey really do have things they need to work on. It keeps the character(s) fromgetting a free pass, and helps convey to the reader that these kinds ofbehaviors are unhealthy and need to stop in order for a healthy dynamic ofunderstanding and trust to ensue.

I would say that Ouma’s flaws as a character get more than called out within thenarrative. Not only is his hostile and antagonistic behavior constantlyportrayed within a negative light even when he’s arguably doing it for “theright reasons,” but Chapter 4 alone is almost entirely dedicated to being “theOuma call-out chapter.”

Despite Ouma’s motivations, it is absolutely true that hebecomes far too fixated on Saihara in Chapter 4. Unable to bring himself totrust anyone else, he decides that if he does ally with Saihara, he wants it tobe only with him and no one else. And to that extent, he tries to force Saiharato cut ties with Momota and the rest of the group, because he believes that he’s“wasting his time” with them and that they’re “dragging him down” by becomingoverly-reliant on his detective skills.

There’s a reason his confession scene in Chapter 4 is such amorbid double-entendre. When he says he’s the kind of person who wants “theperson he fell in love with” to look only at him, even if it means “putting hishands around their neck,” he’s not referring to actually strangling Saihara oranything nearly so grotesque. But it’s still a pretty messed up comment to make(not only because it’s very dark foreshadowing about Miu’s death, as her corpseis discovered in the scene immediately following his confession).

It highlights his unhealthy mindset by that point, thelevels of paranoia that he’s mired up in, and the fact that he honestlybelieves forcibly trying to make Saihara “look at him” and cooperate with himis for the best, regardless of Saihara’s actual wishes or thoughts on thematter. He’s stuck in tunnel vision, completely justifying his asshole behaviorby saying it’s “in order to stop the killing game,” trying to act as though “theends justify the means,” when the simple fact of the matter is that he’sjealous of Momota and the others and wants Saihara to pick him over them. Itsounds very childish, and that’s what it boils down to: he’s being a child andhiding behind his more strategical, logical objectives in order to justify it.

But the thing is, while this behavior is unhealthy and messedup and a perfect example of Ouma acting like an inexcusable jerk, it getsdirectly addressed within the narrative. Rather than just sitting passively andletting Ouma say what he wants, rather than cutting ties with anyone, Saiharaputs his foot down. He tells Ouma point-blank in the Chapter 4 post-trial thathe’s pathetic for acting the way that he is, and that he’s just doing itbecause he’s lonely and jealous that Momota has people who care about him buthe doesn’t.

And Ouma, despite being the world’s biggest smart-ass, triesto respond to that—and can’t. He immediately stops his villain act, says he “gotbored,” and wanders off, because he literally doesn’t have any good retort toSaihara’s accusations. Saihara called him out on his behavior and it was 100%true, and while it’s certainly understandable why Ouma acted the way that hedid, it’s a good thing that he wasn’t just given a free pass for it by thenarrative. In fact, on a first playthrough, the player is actively encouragedto hate Ouma, not only for his actions towards Saihara but for what he did toGonta as well, since it seems as though he’s just acting purely antagonisticand evil for no reason at all.

This kind of willingness to discuss and call out flaws issomething I think is necessary for any character dynamic, be it a friendship ora romantic relationship. See, as long as there are flaws or negative aspects toa relationship, just about any ship has the potential to become “unhealthy.” Butthose flaws don’t make a ship “abusive” or “toxic.” These words are oftenassociated with ships as a kneejerk reaction, because people have either madeoverly hasty judgments based on misinformation, or because people want to skewpublic opinion about a ship a certain way. It’s easy to slap these labels on aship without much proof or justification—and that’s very, very dangerous,because it causes mix-ups and misunderstandings with what actually qualifies asabuse or toxic behavior in a relationship.

As someone who has a lot of firsthand knowledge with abusebecause of family reasons, and as someone who’s currently in a very healthy andloving relationship, I can say that there’s a huge difference between the two.Abuse stems from an imbalance of power, with one person in the dynamic, be it familyor friend or significant other, trying to constantly belittle and undermine theother person, despite the occasional “honeymoon” phase, or brief times whenthey’re nice to you. “Unhealthy” behaviors are just flaws: things you or the otherperson might sometimes do unconsciously, but which can be addressed anddiscussed rationally, and improved, as long as you admit to them and make aconscious effort to do them less often.

Ouma has a lot offlaws. That’s one thing I’ve never tried to deny in any of my meta, nor will Iever try to, because it’s an undeniable fact. But I think trying to say that “all”ships with him, or that saiouma in particular would be “abusive” or “toxic” isa gross exaggeration and fails to address the ways in which Ouma actuallyinteracts with the people he cares about.

Let’s take his canonical interaction with Saihara, forexample. Chapter 4 is Ouma at his most fixated, and Chapter 5 is after he’sdecided to cut almost all ties with Saihara and the others, so that he candeliberately pretend to be the ringleader instead. But let’s examine some ofhis other interactions with Saihara throughout the game. In his FTEs and themain story alike, he constantly encourages Saihara, rather than belittling him.

Whenever Saihara guesses the right answer in a trial orpicks up on some clue or other he’s left for him, he praises him openly.Saihara sometimes wonders if he’s just being sarcastic, because Ouma is a knownliar, but it’s a fact that Ouma only ever makes these comments whenever heseems truly, genuinely impressed that someone is actually following his trainof thought.

He’s deeply interested in Saihara and in trying to figurehim out, and it’s clear that prior to Chapter 4, where he became hell-bent onstopping the killing game “no matter what the cost,” he actually does want toprioritize Saihara’s wishes and happiness over his own—which is, I think,pretty indicative of what a sympathetic person he is at heart.

As an example of what I mean, there’s a point in Chapter 3where Ouma says that he wouldn’t want to actually resurrect Amami for the “resurrectionmotive.” When Saihara asks him why in surprise, Ouma says it’s because hethinks Saihara himself would be happier if they could resurrect Kaede instead,and that he’s “thinking of his beloved Saihara-chan.” He tries to brush it alloff immediately afterwards as a lie, but considering there was no need for himto bring it up in the first place, and considering it matches perfectly wellwith his behavior in his FTEs and other parts of the game, I think he wasprobably telling the truth.

In his FTEs, he’s playful.He’s a brat who wants attention and loves to tease, but really, he’s justplayful with Saihara. His FTEs are some of the best evidence prior to Chapter 6of the fact that, for all his bluffs, he’s little more than a harmlessprankster; he spends the whole time with Saihara “threatening to kill him inthe end,” only to spend every FTE either playing Yu-Gi-Oh, drinking tea, ortying a game of rock-paper-scissors for 100 rounds. And in his final FTE, hewraps it all up by losing the knife game on purpose and letting Saihara win,giving him as many hints as possible to the true way to win the killing gameitself—which is to say, “don’t play it.”

His prison mode ending provides us with direct insight intowhat Ouma is like in a situation where he’s far less paranoid. Without thekilling game ever starting, he remains cautious, but he’s far less distant.Unlike his FTEs where he cheekily but firmly lets Saihara know that they won’tbe hanging out anymore, and where Saihara can tell that Ouma “won’t reach outor let himself be reached out to,” in his prison mode ending, Ouma actuallyasks Saihara to stay by his side, stating that he knows Saihara “wants to knowmore about him” and thinks that he’ll be able to do so if they stay togethereven after leaving Saishuu Academy. Saihara accepts, admitting to himself thathe’s certainly very curious about Ouma and that he doesn’t think Ouma can “lieabout the warmth of his hand”—a metaphor, I think, to the fact that for all hislies and pranks and tricks, Ouma can’t quite lie about his good intentions atheart.

There’s also what little we know about DICE, if that’s anyindication as to what Ouma is like with the people he truly cares about. Whilenot much is certain about them, we do know for a fact that Ouma’s motive videorefers to them as “friends bordering on family, closer to him than anyone, hisabsolute favorite people in the entire universe.” Clearly then, Ouma is verymuch capable of valuing other people and doing things for their sake. Ratherthan being the “evil Supreme Leader” he pretended to be, he was simply a leaderof a group of pranksters—and he loved them very much. This also supports whatwe’ve theorized about Ouma being a very caring, loving person beneath thesurface, despite the fact that he tries just as hard to play the unfeelingstrategist as he does the evil villain.

In the end, it’s this side of Ouma that makes him soenjoyable to ship, in my opinion. There are things he would need to work onwhen in a relationship with just about anyone, but I think it’s a hugedisservice to Ouma’s character to imply that he would be “abusive” or “toxic”to someone he was with. He is, after all, someone who puts others needs abovehis own. Even when he acts like he knows best or does incomprehensible,confusing things, he always emphasizes that it’s “for everyone’s sake.” Hissacrifice in Chapter 5, and the fact that he died when he could easily haveavoided doing so by letting Momota and Maki die instead, shows that clearly, hewould rather put others above himself, even if it means getting himself killed.

That said, there are of course, Ouma ships that I’m not afan of, and which I do think stray into much riskier territory simply becausethey’re on uneven footing from the start. Gonta and Ouma as a ship is a primeexample—not only does Ouma manipulate Gonta into getting killed, but Gontatrusts him implicitly because he’s very naïve and caring, while Ouma is awarefrom the start that he’s treating Gonta like a pawn. Regardless of the factthat I do think Ouma liked Gonta as a person and thought of him as somethingclose to a friend, it’s true that there’s a power imbalance there, and that I’mnot comfortable with shipping them as a result.

But there are plenty of Ouma ships in which he’s on evenfooting with the other party, and which I find interesting and compelling.There’s saiouma, of course, in which Ouma wants for Saihara to chase after himand understand him, to play the detective to his “phantom thief.” I’ve listedplenty of reasons why I enjoy saiouma, including the fact that Ouma is one ofthe main characters to encourage Saihara and push him to grow stronger anddevelop, as well as the fact that it’s based on two characters struggling topuzzle each other out and understand each other.

There’s also oumami and kiibouma, as a few other examples.Ouma and Amami have vast potential, as two characters who wanted to “stop thekilling game,” and who had a lot in common but never got to interact much incanon. Ouma clearly found Amami mysterious and interesting, and would’ve likedto have known more about him, I think.

Meanwhile Kiibo and Ouma are both intentional parallels ofeach other, both of them deliberately set up to represent “hope” and “despair”in Tsumugi’s killing game while coming to subvert their expected roles. WhileOuma teases Kiibo and sometimes can be somewhat of an ass about it, he’s alwayscalled out on it by Kiibo, and most of their interactions are more likechildish banter than anything remotely mean-spirited.

At the end of Chapter 5, Kiibo is the only character whosays outright that he doesn’t think Ouma was lying about hating the killinggame, and who wants to “end the killing game” himself as a direct result ofseeing Ouma and Momota’s sacrifices. And like Saihara, Kiibo is the only otherpicture set aside on Ouma’s whiteboard—clearly, he had a hard time figuring himout too, considering Kiibo definitely had ties to the audience and was soobviously suspicious, but also so obviously had his own free will and sense ofindividuality. The two of them have potential for really interesting interaction,especially as they were put on deliberately similar footing for most of the game.

These are just a few examples, to say the least. There areothers, but this has already gotten very long, so I’ll stop. But I wanted toaddress this topic in full because it’s something very important to discuss, inmy opinion, and it’s important to try and note the difference between flaws andunhealthy behaviors and downright abuse. Thank you for giving me a chance totalk about this kind of thing, anon, and I hope I was able to answer yourquestion!

[vepalsa]

Let’s talk madness...

 [Alright well by now everyone has either seen madness or has heard of it and wants to continue to scream despite the fact that we haven’t gotten all the manga scans out yet - or rather properly translate yet.

PLEASE be aware I am not doing this to be an asshole - I fucking ship Otayuri like its my life blood but I am also very realistic as I humanly can because I want to make sure anyone who DOESN’T ship my ship doesn’t come telling me “Oh you are just being bias because you love the ship!” like bitch please - calm your titties down first of all. Second sit down, both otayuri fan and anti alike.

 Shit about to get LONG AS FUCK - So undercut for now.

As you are all very well aware - Yuri life has never been EASY; despite the fact he is only fifteen he made a loaded progress in his life. He is a professional ice skater, has won the gold against the adult supervision AND is the number one source for his family income - which speaks volume on his maturity level; you can still act like a teen have the angry hiss fits but you are still be consider an adult. Maturity comes from in MANY forms.

So let’s talk for a second this panel -

 This entire panel describe both yuri frustration about the fact while he did win the gold at the end; he is left sour mood because of what he is force to do. Rather what the adults in his life make him do because they want to see him top. As someone who seen struggles of what comes with fame, when you start out in any sort of performance role you have to be absolutely prepare to make sacrifices; this includes following the roles you are not wanting to do. Yuri is very aware of this - he chose to be ice skater mostly for his love for the ice but he knew becoming deeper would leave him feeling some sort of desire in the long run but now that he can do what he wants without the fear of scores, and people taking the gold he wants to do something Incredible. For himself.

No one else.

  There is also the matter of other panels - I FEEL in my heart Yuri is frustrated with the way people are treating him, despite having won the GOLD, he is being treated as a child regardless. THIS IS WHERE OTABEK ALTIN COMES IN AND IS FUCKING SAINT. Image you been dying to become bro with someone for a long time - you become friends and then that bro comes to you after a while to tell you; “hey yo I am frustrated care to listen?” a normal reaction is to “yeah dude I am here bro.” right?

This is why I feel Otabek is GOOD for Yuri, they are not just friends, they are BEST friends at this point. A best friend is someone you are willing to call when shit goes down and they come to help, whenever they come to aid or listen the results are the same. Someone you could put your TRUST on who isn’t FAMILY. Otabek is that man who become part of Yuri life enough that Yuri is willing to EXPRESS his own frustrations with him. Yuri who has never show any side of that WILLINGLY on his own...

Let that sink in.

This is how VALUE Otabek is to him at this point-

Getting off track a bit - let’s go to the next.

 This panels are pretty self explanatory - Yuri asks for his best friend opinion; Otabek gives it. It is also a good thing to point out I feel OTABEK is frustrated with the way PEOPLE SEE Yuri. Otabek who has said that Yuri eyes are the eyes of a soldier, someone who seen and been through HELL - HE SEES Yuri as his equal; not a child. He sees Yuri as someone to be respected. All others? They don’t respect him.

This is why Otabek also offers to help and go beyond - because he knows that people treat Yuri like a CHILD when its clear he is not. However when the two are force to see what Viktor and Yuuri pull... Yuri is left frustrated once more; its one thing to make Music for your friend, to give thoughts and opinions on his clothes and program but another entirely to HELP him with it.

 Otabek shows that while yes he is willing to help Yuri get to where he needs to also knows he has to keep boundaries. HOWEVER because Yuri and Otabek are PERFORMERS its a different ball game - Remember the lick finger part? That’s an act, Yuri knows, otabek Knows, they don’t mean anything sexual; sure they stare into each other eyes while they do, but as someone who performs you cannot or suppose to break EYE contact. 

REMEMBER GUYS THEY ARE STILL ACTORS IN A WAY. 

THEY HAVE TO KEEP EYES GLUE INTO THEIR ROLES. This is why the entire performance while it looks very sexual, and I do agree that Yuri is very well aware of himself enough to feel comfortable showing his body, he still not in the turn to jump into Otabek bones (aw how sad!) He is fifteen - teenager boy with a crap ton of hormones, growing up with three brothers I know how frustrating it is because i actually often asked them about it, to satisfied my own curiosity and to learn for myself.

This does not mean that Yuri and Otabek cannot date ; if this happen in a period of a fucking WEEK; and Yuri is comfortable enough to share everything he has so far with him so easily, shop with his new friend, AND ASK HIM to improvise? What do you think THREE months would do to them? As one of my co-workers at work told me: Yuri is just very flamboyant, doesn’t mean he is gay YET.

BOTH ARE BOYS, boys have been welcome into a world where being gay is PERFECTLY FINE AND HEALTHY. This is the kind of level I want people to understand; Sure Yuri is 15 but he is going to outgrow that and it is clear Kubo took it into consideration because she says in the official book Yuri is 16 THEN. So for all we know this whole madness thing? WHAT If this is preparing US for the movie? What if the movie is suppose to be set a year from that? Where Viktor comes back? Yuri and Otabek relationship as bro would had grown since then.

IT HAS grown; its clear Kubo take it into consideration when she has OTABEK or YURI visit each other or visiting Japan. SHE has plans for the two to end up in some form or way; it is time we become clear and accept that when Yuri is hitting that age cap that Kubo might want for them; they could DATE. THE POTENTIAL IS EXTREMELY HIGH.

Be prepare to deal with it; stop bashing people who clearly enjoy the ship and see how Kubo is trying to set a dynamics for the two to develop more. 

With that I end my rant.