#its my comfort movie + current ship so I need to combine it

[reginamillls]

buddietommy stardust au

[shortpplfedup]

Reveal your watch & Rewatch drama list

Tagged by @bengiyo the uncle to my fandom auntie.

RECENTLY FINISHED

KinnPorsche The Series La Forte Thoroughly enjoyable and did exactly what it said on the tin: 'dark mafia romance'. If I don't get a season 2 I might have to write my own.

Star Trek: Discovery season 4 Going back to the roots of Discovery as a science ship, and watching these nerds just excel, Trek crossing the galactic barrier as the new frontier, everything about Michael's friendship with the Federation President...simply outstanding, the best of Trek.

Star Trek: Picard season 2 The Q are easily my least favourite Trek concept, but combining them with the total overhaul of the Borg, a reexamination of Soong, and the deep dive into Picard's psyche worked gangbusters for me. And Q doing it all as a dying act of love for Picard resonated emotionally.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1 Old school-style Trek at its very best. Hemmer going over that cliff to save them all from the Gorn made me WEEP. I'm ready for season 2 because I NEED an Ortegas episode.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 4 Miriam, Miriam, Miriam. Watching her self-sabotage because she's actually terrified of prime time was AMAZING. She's comfortable being the biggest fish in a series of small ponds but despite saying she wants the big leagues she blows every opportunity at them. Lenny calling her out was a long time coming. And Susie soaring as Miriam stagnates? Gold. Can't wait to see what happens next.

To My Star 2: Our Untold Stories I love watching what happens after the happily ever after because let's be real: most of these couples would struggle. We need more reminders in media that actually, love does NOT conquer all. Ji Woo and Seo Joon always had a reckoning coming, because Seo Joon thought if he could love Ji Woo hard enough that Ji Woo would feel it. In the end, Ji Woo had to work through his traumas on his own and come back to Seo Joon as a whole person, and hope that Seo Joon could forgive his trespasses. A beautiful meditation on how much of a struggle love can actually be.

Slow Horses Simply outstanding. Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott-Thomas put on a clinic, and the plot is delightful.

Quaranthings 2 The Besh/Che/Kulas poly situation is super fun, and I could listen to Rocky and Judah call each other akin all day, every day.

The Umbrella Academy season 3 One thing for sure is that this show always keeps it fresh. I could have done with about 99% less Allison angst this season though.

Silent Witness season 25 The return of Sam Ryan! Jack and Nikki finally get it together! An overarching mystery! Another solid outing from one of the best shows on television anywhere in the world.

Russian Doll season 2 I was so excited but after watching I found myself wondering whether a season 2 was necessary.

CURRENTLY WATCHING

Yumi's Cells 2 Just plain fun. Yu Mi and Ba Bi's relationship has a completely different flavour from her relationship with Wung, and the cells remain as entertaining as ever.

Money Heist The trashy energy combined with the twisty plot leave me intrigued and ready for more.

REWATCHING

Love By Chance I mean...when am I not rewatching Love By Chance? AePete only though.

I Promised You the Moon Yes yes, you all hate it, I simply don't agree.

Gaya Sa Pelikula (Like In The Movies) I think I have to accept that we'll never get a season 2, so I'm mourning what could have been.

LOOKING FORWARD TO

Pa-Thirsty I never got into Pearl Next Door but I love Adrianna So so as soon as I can find this I'm watching it.

Gameboys 2 INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION WHEN IDEAFIRST?!

War of Y Looks like some good trash, sign me up.

The Midnight Trilogy (Dirty Laundry, Midnight Motel, Moonlight Chicken) Looks like they're all in pre-production and I could not be more excited.

P.S. I Hate You I love some good soapy bitches and a whole lotta mess.

Never Let Me Go Still trepidatious about whether Pond and Phuwin can sell it but the concept works for me.

The Eclipse Cautiously optimistic, because I think this might finally be Khaotung's breakout role, and I love First beyond measure after Not Me.

A slew of assorted kdramas I am extremely behind on my kdrama watching, I've pretty much missed everything good this year so far, first due to Bad Buddy brainrot and then KinnPorsche having me by the throat.

Derry Girls season 3 2 dumb blondes, a space cadet and the human equivalent of a heat-seeking missile growing up Catholic in Derry in the 90s. Their parents: equally ridiculous. Their school principal? An over-it nun. Seriously, you should watch this.

Young Royals 2 I'm ready to return to Hillerska.

Summerdaze Are we EVER getting this?

Tagging @elnotwoods, @suzukibeanes, @liyazaki and anybody else who wants to play.

[wibzenadarksiderwithasoftheart]

Know better ask game

Rules: tag a few people you want to know better; make a new post, don’t reblog!

thank you for tagging me @demondean-writes

Currently reading: It's a bit embarrassing, but I can't remember the last time I read a real book... I read lots of fics, but I can't seem to find the time to read anything else. But I do listen to audio books, and right now I'm listening to J R Ward's amazing vampire series, The Black Dagger Brotherhood. At the moment I'm listening to 'The savior'.

Last song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7-GTShjcqY

Last movie: Red. I was sick, having a bad day, and needed to see something that didn't take too much out of me. It's rather sweet and quite funny.

Last series: Book of Boba Fett, and then I'm still trying to get through The Clone Wars, but I'm starting to think that's a goal I'll never reach.

Coffee or tea: Coffee, always coffee! Preferably as black and toxic as the dark side. It's my required poison, without it I turn into a real monster.

Three ships: My favourite ship is ObiKin, very closely followed by ObiAniDala. For the third ship... it's actually hard to choose as there are so, so many to choose from and I'm not picky, so I'll leave it open.

First ever ship: Prideshipping— the ship between Atem and Seto. Yeah I started reading fanfiction in a completely different place than where I ended up.

Currently working on: Hunt me for a year (my long, monthly, ghost, love, poem and weather forecast fic, hehe it's such a weird and wonderful combination), and my one year celebration fic (which still doesn't have a name).

Favorite piece of clothing: A thick wool sweater.

Comfort food: Chocolate, I cannot resist it, not in any form. I am powerless against its allure.

Favorite time of year: Summer, especially summer nights when it's twilight all night. I love the smells, the sounds, the warmth, the light, the fact that it's both night and day. It's just magical.

Fav fanfiction: An impossible question, there are so many wonderful amazing fic out there and I can't and won't choose. Ask me for a list of the top ten and I can try, but it will be a very difficult task.

no pressure tags ❤️:  @thetorontokid  @lowkeyanakin  @complementaryhalves

[nyx3927]

Shipping Theory

I have a THEORY about why certain ships/certain people to ship are more common than others. And I will inflict that theory on others so it gets out of my head.

Firstly, let us define some terms to use in this theory. 1:Sunshine child (SC). A character that is primarily happy, upbeat, optimistic, or some combination of those. 2:Dark child (DC). A character that is very down to earth, a bit of a pessimist/realist, cynical, etc. 3: Moon child (MC). A character that has traits of both a sunshine child and a dark child in fairly equal ratios.

Now for my examples. *Pulls up AO3*

Let us look at the top fandoms (that I'm in and know how the characters are in canon) in different media types such as TV, Book, Anime & Manga, and Cartoons.

First order of business: Anime/Manga.

The most popular fandom to write for is currently Boku no Hero Academia/My Hero Academia (BNHA/MHA). From 1st place, the most popular ships are BakuDeku, KiriBaku, TodoDeku, EraserMic, BakuTodo, IzuOcha, Kacchako, MomoJirou. Deku is classified as a SC, very happy and smiley all the time. Bakugō and Todoroki are both DC because they lock all their feelings up and are generally not the kindest or most optimistic person. Uraraka Ochako is a MC with fairly obvious lean towards the sunshine side of the spectrum. Eraserhead and Present Mic are already pre color-coded for your convenience, the first being a DC and the second being a SC. For Yaoyorozu Momo and Jirō Kyōka, they are harder to classify as they are not as prevalent in canon. However, they are solid MC based on what I see. In this one example, a Sunshine child was primarily shipped with a Dark child with only one ship with a Moon child. The Moon child was either shipped with another Moon Child or a Sunshine child. The Dark child was shipped exclusively with a Sunshine Child.

The third most popular fandom to write for is Naruto. From 1st place, the most popular ships are SasuNaru/NaruSasu, KakaIru, SasuSaku, HinaNaru, KakaObi, KakaSaku, MadaTobi, ShikaTema, HinaSasu, and HashiMada/MadaHashi. Sasuke, Kakashi, and Madara are all clear examples of a Dark child. Iruka, Naruto, and Hashirama are all precious Sunshine children. Sakura, Hinata, Tobirama, Temari, and Shikamaru are all Moon children, because they are realists but they are also optimistic. Obito is a tricky case though. As a child, he was definitely a Sunshine baby, but after Madara got his claws into him, he became a dark child. In this case, Obito is still at his core, a sunshine child, it’s just buried under Shinobi life, and just needs to be drawn out. So again the Sunshine child is primarily shipped with a dark child with a few moon child ships. The moon child is shipped with all types: SC, DC, and MC.

I was always told to have multiple examples to back up my theories, so time to move on to the books & literature. I will only cover one example here, since most of my book tastes are more niche and don’t have a huge fandom and I don’t want to have to research too much for this.

And the fandom chosen is the Harry Potter Fandom sitting comfortably at number 1 in the fan works under the tag. The ships, starting with the most popular are: Drarry, WolfStar, Snarry, Romione, Dramione, Jily, Hinny, Snape/Hermione, Tomarry, and Harmony. Only a few characters are really Dark children. On this list, only Snape and Tom Riddle/Voldemort are truly Dark child because they are cynical, they are pessimistic, and for Riddle, downright megalomanic. The rest of them are moon children because they all have their ups and downs, moments of optimism and pessimism, being happy and beaten down. So DC are only with the MC, and the MC are shipped with other MC and DC.

One final example. It’s a monster, one that impacted our culture tremendously, so what kind of human would I be if I didn’t mention it.

The Marvel Universe [For this purpose, I’m only looking at the Marvel Movies/TV shows, not the comics. Otherwise, I’d be even closer to a mental breakdown]. One last time, ranking the ships in order of popularity from first to last: Stucky, Stony, Pepperony, Thorki, Clintasha, BlackHawk/ ShieldHusbands/(Clint/Phil), FrostIron, and a Bucky/reader. I will be disregarding the reader ship as I can’t quantify a reader as a SC, MC, or a DC. Steve Rogers, Clint Barton and Thor are all SC, because they remain happy and joking for most of the universe. Pepper and Phil are Moon children with a more Sunshine bend, they show humor and tease a lot (Even if Phil’s teasing is a little harsher than most). Tony, Bucky, and Loki are all MC with a darker lean. Natasha is really the only Dark child in my eyes given these ships because she is a spy from the Red Room with a ledger soaked in red that is very much a cynical realist and a manipulator (See scene with Loki from Avengers for evidence). SC is paired with MC (typically one that leans a little darker). MC is paired with DC or with another MC that leans towards the opposite side (IE MC with sun lean pairs with MC with moon lean).

In conclusion, we have learned that people prefer to ship the SC with the DC or the MC based on the media and its characterizations. A SC/SC or a DC/DC is not as popular a ship but still exists (See Kirishima Eijirō and Midoriya Izuku ship and the ship of Voldemort(Tom Riddle) with Severus Snape).

My theory is thus: We ship characters that have fascinating interactions with each other, and those interactions are driven by their core personalities being different. A SC and a DC have fundamentally different cores which is why they have an intriguing relationship which is fodder for the shippers, and why those are the prevailing ships in fandoms.

[imma-potatoo]

I HAD TOO

I AM NOT SORRY AT ALL @superwholockandpfl

This is once again written for my friend k.c.cosplay on tiktok! Once again, amazing cosplays 💙💛💙💛💙💛💙

Same universe then this fic

*Logan is a dark side*

Ships: Loceit, parental logicality, parental anxceit

Warnings: none that I know of? Let me know if you want me to tag something

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Perseus and Andromeda

-----------

Logan and Janus stood in front of the other four. Smiles completely coated their faces as they both held out their left hands. Janus holding Logan's bicep with his right hand.

Rings. On both of them.

"You- you got married?" Patton's voice was timid. He didn't expect this day to come. But he currently wanted his father-son dance with Logan

Janus and Logan's faces quickly turned to shock. "What?! No! We're engaged! These are engagement rings daa-- Patton!" Logan blushed at the almost use of Pattons old title. Not that Logan didn't view Patton as a father figure -far from it, Janus and him were the youngest sides- but calling someone dad while you are practically the same age and completely imaginary is quite weird in his opinion but I mean-

"My love, your zoning out again."

Logan could hear the amusement in his fiance's voice. Squeezing Janus' hand slightly; Logan cleared his thoat, "What was that question again?"

Roman was slightly laughing before Remus elbowed him in the ribs, "OW REM-" "Roman sh! Do you have a date picked out yet?" Virgil had a hopeful shimmer in his eyes

Logan and Janus looked at eachother briefly, "Not really, to be honest" Janus laughed slightly. "He just asked me last night," a lose curl falling from behind the yellow sides ear. Logan quickly catching it to tuck it back to its rightful place

The sides migranted over to couch. They had a feeling that they'll be talking for a while.

"Any ideas on a theme yet?" Roman was bouncing enthusiastically, hands tight fisted on the couch. A huge ear to ear grin spread on his face

Logan hummed, thinking back to a precious conversation, "We're thinking victorian or dark academia. But we're open to any suggestions!" his hand was tracing circles over and over on Janus' back.

Roman jumped off the couch. Bouncing up and down over and over and over, "FEAR NOT MY BELOVED FRIENDS! I will help you plan it!"

Romans eyes sparkled rapidly. Grin glowing like wild, he paused for a second or two before gasping, "WE COULD HAVE IT IN A HUGE GOLDEN BALLROOM! With crystal plates! And a hundred foot tall cake! An-"

It was at that point where the blue and yellow sides completely zoned out to Romans tangent.

The newly engaged couple gave eachother a look. This look said a lot of things. But mainly 'are we seriously going to let a side who thinks throwing glitter at random objects equels fashion. Complete control of our wedding?' that look. Its a very very specific look. But its a very obvious look.

The red creativity seemed to notice the couples glazed over eyes and blank expression. So he quickly stopped his rant to add on a rather important detail, "I mean... If you guys want me to help. Its completely ok if you don't!! I mean, its ok, I just-"

"Roman for the love of all things holy. Please stop talking." Logan was rubbing his temple with his free hand, "We would love to have you help plan our wedding. But we don't need a ballroom, or crystal plates, or any fancy fairy tale type things." He squeezed Janus' hand with a bright grin, "We just need eachother."

Roman's dramatic pose and extreme tangent faltered. He paused. Seeming to process the information. Before a small grin took his face. "then thats what you two will have."

Janus moved his gaze from Roman to the green twin... Looking at the floor.... With a pout that could kill a god.... Looking very non-Remus esq.

"Remus, do you also want to help plan our wedding?"

In the span of a second, Remus' face bounced between 50 different emotions before settling on complete and utter happiness, "I THOUGHT YOU WOULD NEVER ASK MY AMAZING DOUBLE D-"

Patton slapped his hand over Remus' mouth, "lets not talk about my future son-in-law like that! eeewwwWWWWWW!!! ROMAN HE LICKED MY HAND!!" Patton snapped his hand away as soon as he put it on.

Laughter filled the rest of the night... And quite a bit of wine.

------2 mouths later-----

Logan grumbled as he threw another crumpled piece of paper against the desk. Elbows on the desk, hands pressing into his eyes.

His supposed vows were going amazingly. Completely. Totally. A hundred percent. Amazing....... Oh who was he kidding? His vows were going terribly.

Not from lack of love or anything absolutely ridiculous like that. He loved Janus more then the stars, moon and galaxies combined. He loved everything about Janus.

He loved Janus' snark. He loved the way his eyes glowed when they watched a movie. Or how Janus' voice drips like steeped honey and smoked chives. Or how his snake eye dilates when he's happy. Or when he gets excited and talks for hours and hours about a philosopher or a certain myth that sparked his interest or reminded him of their relationship-

Thats it.

The last myth that Janus was talking about was Perseus and Andromeda.

Andromeda was to be sacrificed to save her kingdom because her mother boasted about her beauty to the nererids. The nererids told their father, Poseidon, and as revenge; Poseidon sent a sea monster to ravenge the kingdom. Perseus, the hero who slayed Medusa, saw Andromeda chained to the stone and slayed the sea monster. After saving her, he took her hand in marriage.

It was far from their love story. Far far from their love story. But...

The way his eyes lit up.

Logan could get drunk on that look. He could live off that look alone for the rest of his life. Oh and that smile

Logan takes his head out of his hands. Mouth agape.

He had an idea

---------

Janus had been hitting his head against his desk for hours.

Janus could write millions of speeches, and could convince armys to do his bidding, and he could use empty words to get his desires.

But these damn vows.

Janus supposes that its because he isn't used to truth. But he wants too! But the truth seems to be avoiding him more then mouse with a cat.

Logan likes cats, he could never get one before because Patton's allergic. Should he even call Patton by his name? Wouldn't he call him dad now?

He allowed his mind to wonder for a short period of time. Elbows on the desk, hands pressing into his eyes.

This needs to be the truth and its not like he's low on love for Logan. Far far from it

They met when they were younger. Really really younger. He doesn't even remember it. But according to Virgil, Logan and him stared at eachother for five minutes before actually talking to eachother -more like babbling- after that they were practically inseparable. They did everything together apparently. Then they stayed friends for a long time. They barely even talked to eachother by the time that he introduced himself to Thomas. But...

But then Logan became a dark side. Logan started to unbutton the top of his polo. Logan stopped wearing the tie. Logan started to wear ice blue makeup. The Logan he knew as a child came back.

The Logan who loved science, bugs and books. Who loved ranting about old dead philosophers and Janus loved to listen. Logan loved old libraries and classical music. The Logan that used to watch Bill Nye as a child and knows the theme song by heart. The Logan that loved old myths and stories. The Logan who would go outside to the imagination and watch the stars and constellations for hours. His Logan

His favourite constellation was Perseus-

He has an idea.

----The Wedding Day----

Janus adjusted his suit for probably the millionth time. Running his fingers through his hair, attempting to make it lay properly. But only making the curls more wild.

Grumbling obscurities while trying to smooth down his damn hair, he heard low chuckles behind him.

"You know your only gonna make it worse, right Jan?" Virgil was leaning against the wall. His own hair absolutely perfect.

Janus sighed, "I know dad. But I just want my damn hair to lay properly for once! This is why I wear my damn hat-" the chuckles turned into full laughter.

"Logan will love you, no matter how your hair looks," Virgil stood up straight (HA) and walked over to Janus

He took a comb and started to go through his hair. Janus stopped growing by the time he was fifteen, so he was maybe at shoulder height with Virgil. "You need to stop worrying so much, and thats coming from me. Lo loves you more then the sun itself. Don't worry about something as silly as your hair."

Janus watched from the floor to ceiling mirror as Virgil expertly calmed down the mess of his hair.

Meanwhile.....

"Patton please stop crying. Your going to stain my suit-"

"BUT MY BABY'S GETTING MARRIED!!!" tears were still leaking down his face. He's been doing this since he came into the room -which was about twenty minutes ago-

Logan sighed, a smile apparent on his face as he patted his father figure on the back. "I know." he straightened his bowtie slightly in the mirror, "I just love him so much dad," Patton sat down in one of the dressing room chairs. A smile covering his entire face.

"Jan isn't really one to cry. But when I proposed to him? Tears just started leaking. I thought he was upset, so I went to comfort him," blush growing on his cheeks, "then he kissed me and looked me directly in the eyes and said yes." Logan felt a huge grin spreading on his cheeks against his will. He looked out of the mirror and back to his father. "He said yes."

Patton stood up from his seat and put his hands on Logan's shoulders, "and now its your wedding day. You two are going to get married and live out your lives being complete loveable nerds as you talk about philosophy and the stars and things I could never understand. You two are absolutely perfect for eachother and I can't wait to see where you two go next." while tears still shone in his eyes, the smile showed that they were of happiness.

They stared at eachother for a few minutes. Patton nitpicking small details to fix on Logan's suit.

"Janus the one walking down the isle right?"

Logan laughed softly, "yeah, he said it was a more dramatic entrance. Thats my future husband, right there"

Patton looked a little puzzled, "Can you even call him your future husband if the ceremony is starting in less then ten?"

"I mean, technically thats in the futur- wait. How much time was left?"

Patton blinked. Looking in the eyes of his son, "Ten minutes."

A look of panic shot through Logan. "We have to go!"

Logan grabbed Patton's hand. Pulling him out to the room. The celebration hall was stunning

It was outside, circle tables scattered around the clearing like the stars above scattered in the sky. A banquet table for the newly weds, their parents and their best men. The altar was covered in delicate fairy lights illuminating a soft glow. The shimmering stars above their heads shone brighter the usual. The constellations of Perseus and Andromeda were by far the brightest.

Logan stopped in his tirade to the altar. And simply looked at the brilliant view that the twins had put together for them.

For once in his life. Logan was speechless.

"They did a good job right?!?"

Logan was still looking around the meadow, amazed at every tiny detail. From the black dahilas that Remus insisted on including because of the famous unsolved murder, to the fairy lights climbing up the pillers that was no doubt Roman's doing.

"Its beautiful... How di-"

"The twins are a very creative bunch, kiddo!! We have five minutes until your wonderful groom comes out!" The other guests were starting to fill the room as Logan took his place at the altar. It was mostly figments that Thomas had made. Emile, Remy, The Critic, etc. They all took their seats and watched the meadow.

Logan walked over to his place next to the altar. Hands fidgety and resisting the urge to mess with the hair that he spent so long combing down. Roman stood at his side, while Remus waited at the other side of the altar for Janus. Before he knew it the music started to play, the quests rose from their seats, he felt his desire to stand straight. But none of those compared to when Janus walked into the room.

Janus walked in with Virgil latched on to his arm. A periwinkle blossem on the left of his chest. He still had his yellow gloves on -he really hated taking them off. Without the gloves, Janus couldn't lie- but he was without his hat. He was in a black tux with a yellow bowtie.

Logan couldn't think of anything else more beautiful. Logan couldn't think of anyone more beautiful then the side in front of him. Logan couldn't help the gigantic, ear to ear smile as Janus arrived at the altar and took his hands in his own.

The officiant -Who Roman just summoned from the imagination- cleared his voice and spoke to the whole room of people, "Friends and Family, we are gathered here today to connect two side's hearts and souls through this ceremony.

Logic Logan Sanders, Do you take this side to love and to hold, to protect and charish and to adore until the end of your lives?"

His smile growing wider, eyes sparkling with deep love and affection; Logan gazed into Janus' eyes, lightly squeezing his hands. "More then the sun and the stars."

The officiant smiled slightly before turning to Janus. "Deceit Janus Sanders, Do you take this side to love and hold, to protect and charish and to adore until the end of your lives?"

Tears shone throughout Janus' eyes. He removed his hands from Logans and for a second the blue side felt his heart drop, only for it to swell when he sees Janus remove his gloves and place his hands back in Logans. "More then every lie, secret and promise I have ever made."

The officiant turned back to Logan, "Please say your vows."

Logan felt his heart throb as he opened his mouth,

"Janus. In the very very long time that I have known you, I find myself falling more in love with you every day. I love how you laugh. I love how when you're tired you curl up to my side. I love how you stay by my side through it all. My translation from a light side to dark, my learning cerve to our new family, every dilemma from the others that we have to enviably fix.

Every night, every day, every hour, every minute, every second. You occupy my mind. And god Janus, I never want you to leave it.

I love you. I love you more then Perseus loved Andromeda." Logan's eyes were shining with unshed tears, he lightly squeezed Janus' hands. "I love you Janus and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

The officiant nodded, then he turned to Janus. "Please speak your vows."

Janus drew a shaky breath before speaking.

"Logan, I honestly don't remember when we met. You were my only constant, the unchanging variable that I could always fall back on. You were always there for me and I want to always be there for you.

I love you more then anything Logan. The way you light up when a new documentary comes out, drives butterflies to my stomach. When you laugh, I get lightheaded. When you smile, I get bolts of electricity to my heart. When you take me to the imagination for a date among the stars, I get so love drunk that things get dizzy. When you took me to our favourite place and got on one knee, I cried tears of joy.

There is nothing that I don't love about you. I've always found honest words hard to process. But believe me when I say that I've said no lies to you. You are the one person I will never lie to. I love you more then Andromeda loved Perseus," Janus looked up at Logan. The height difference apparent, but he smiled like he never smiled before. "I love you Logan. And I cannot wait to call you my husband."

The two sides gave eachother looked at eachother with pure adoration and love.

"Please put these rings on eachother."

They could hear Patton's loud sobs in the background as they slipped on the rings.

The officiant smiled wide, "I now pronounce you, Husband and Husband! You may now kiss your groom!"

They flew together like magnets. Logan grabbed the side of Janus' face to pull him closer, the earthy smell of cloves and plums filling his senses. Janus held Logan's arms and pulled him towards him. The kiss was far from chaste, but they pulled apart not long after to be met with......

"NOW YOU GOTTA STRIP AND FU-- OW ROMAN!!"

"NOT AT THE WEDDING YOU BABOON!"

The twins were a very chaotic bunch...

The wedding continued perfectly as planned. Then it came to the father-son dances.

Virgil as Janus were doing well. Virgil was giving Janus his best wishes and telling him how proud he was if him.

Patton and Logan??

Patton always cries at wedding to say the least...

Then it was their turn to dance.

Logan took his husbands hand and led him to the dance floor. It was lit by only fairy lights and the extra bright stars. They twirled and spinned and danced like they was only the two there.

The two battled for the lead before Logan won. Hand now in the swell of Janus' back and leading him in a very elaborate ballroom dance. Janus' scales glowing a bright yellow. Even over the music you could hear their laughter.

Patton and Virgil stood on the sidelines. Watching as their children had their fun. Virgil hummed slightly, "you owe me twenty bucks Patt."

Patton was very confused, he hadn't made any new bets recently or borrowed any money. "Why is that kiddo?"

Virgil turned and looked at Patton, "Ten years ago, you bet me that Lo and Jan would never get married. You owe me a twenty."

Patton grumbled slightly as he pulled a bill from his jacket pocket and handed it over. "This is the best bet I've ever lost then."

Virgil laughed, purple beginning to dust under his eyes. "You got that right," He took two glasses of champagne from the waiters walking by, "To our beloved children?"

Patton took the glass and raised it with Virgil. "To our beloved children." they then took a long sip and continued to watch as the couple danced.

The stars shining above, the moon full. They loved eachother more then Perseus and Andromeda.

-------

I. REGRET. NOTHING!!!

I also have 0 self control soo

The charcters are very ooc... But I don't overly care.

💙💛💙💛💙💛💙💛

[angerissue]

Anonymous asked… What is your take on Bruce Banner's love interest? Whether we’re mutuals or not, feel free to ask me about Bruce!

Oh, this is a good question, and something I haven’t discussed in months. Thanks for asking it!

This version of Bruce is hopelessly in love with Betty Ross. He’ll always love her, even if they’re miles apart, and both of them have moved on and dismissed the hopes of seeing each other again. Even if Bruce were to meet someone else, his feelings for her would remain in perpetuity.

I’ve written some headcanons with someone (she's no longer on tumblr, sadly) where Bruce and Betty met in a library during their university years, and the whole dynamic was very much a friends-to-romance one. Their earlier interactions were essentially the "study buddies" kind, and I imagine it was the combination of their shared work and interests, and the comfortability in talking about that stuff, that snowballed into other conversations and ultimately, a romantic relationship. And it continued up until Bruce's accident.

This pairing has always been very special to me because, unlike the others, Betty was the first person to see a far more vulnerable side of Bruce. Bruce has always been an extremely closed-off and reticent person; he hates revealing too much about himself because he feels this information could be abused somehow; that somebody would take issue with what he was telling them, just like how Brian would react vehemently whenever he watched educational children’s television shows, or played with certain toys. Betty was the first person that Bruce felt comfortable enough to open up to, in multiple manners. Not only would he discuss Brian with her (granted, sometimes he didn’t say much, but even dropping a few tiny mentions of Brian was huge for him), but he also felt like he could simply be himself around her. He didn’t need to keep his guard up around Betty like he did around other people. He was still sky, awkward, and nerdy around Betty, but he could voice his opinions more confidently in her presence. And the adaptation I've been writing with; she’s a slightly more modern version of the character — soft and gentle, but she has a temper of her own and a tangible boldness in certain situations, and it can be a subtle juxtaposition to Bruce’s own personality at times. It’s quite lovely.  

There are other aspects of the relationship, here and there, that I also love. In "The Incredible Hulk" (2008), Betty could swear that she saw some aspect of Bruce in the Hulk, and Bruce refused to accept such a possibility at first, because he believed the Hulk was a sentient and autonomous being — a belief that had grown over the years, predominantly because of his immense guilt and an unconscious desire to reduce his sense of culpability. If the Hulk somehow wasn’t him, its destructive actions were no longer entirely his fault. But after the Chitauri invasion, at which point he was able to remember his actions as the Hulk, and self-assess his behaviour in that state, Bruce realized she was correct about everything. If it wasn’t for Betty and the statement she made, he may not have fully accepted the Hulk as a part of himself — as himself, and he would’ve been stuck in denial for years. Lots of his development can be attributed to Betty, even if they aren’t in touch anymore.

Not only this, but Bruce met Betty during a time where he hadn’t experienced all his hardships with Ross. He was nowhere near as world-weary, and while he didn’t trust people much back then, either, it was better than his tendencies nowadays. In that sense, Betty is one of his last few connections to the past, and a time when he was more hopeful and innocent.

But while Bruce can control his condition now, he hasn’t reconnected with Betty. She's been in the dark ever since the Harlem incident, save for glimpses of him on the news here and there.

Bruce does want to see Betty again. He would love to see her. But he’s made some personal discoveries related to his condition that convinced him he’s not a good fit for her, or anyone in general. He doesn’t see himself as completely human anymore, which has become even more of a tangible sentiment ever since his transformations became a typical and even daily occurrence. As a result, there are some philosophical quandaries that prevent him from resuming a romantic relationship with her, or with anyone else. Given his current development trajectory, he would be the Hulk almost constantly in later verses. It’s not an ideal scenario to create a potential relationship from — especially with Betty, because he’s unable to meet some of her needs when he's the Hulk. Additionally, he cannot guarantee Betty’s safety with Ross still around, because he doesn’t know if Ross is still looking for a way to capture him. He suspects there were times in the past when Ross backed off temporarily, like after the Chitauri invasion, because capturing the Hulk at that time would have caused a huge public outcry, but nowadays, he’s unsure where Ross’ intentions lie. He's unwilling to take the risk.

All this being said, Bruce doesn’t expect Betty to remain loyal to him, or vice versa, because he understands the necessity of moving on and not dwelling on the past. It would be melancholic if Bruce discovered that Betty had met someone new, yes (this was certainly the case with Leonard Samson), but ultimately, he would be happy for her, and he’d tell himself that his own feelings don’t matter if it means she’s content and safe. Of course, there is always the possibility that Banner could reach out with letters, or another kind of communication channel. And it's possible that if Ross was gone and the world was more settled, he would meet her in-person, even if he didn't intend to restart a romantic relationship. At that point, there’s nothing stopping them from sharing their work and collaborating professionally, too. This kind of interaction could eventually become the norm. But I don’t really see their relationship shifting to a romantic one again.

So I suppose in the end, I don’t see their relationship as having a cliché happy ending, in the sense that they end up together, are happily married, and are living in their own little cottage somewhere. I see it as a mature progression from young love, to a failed effort to make things work in a terrible situation, and then an acceptance of knowing, while their situation has improved, it’s still not going to work out. And they both have the courage to run with things and make the best of it. Betty would be understanding of Bruce’s situation, as she’s always been, and in concurrence, Bruce would be happy as well, because he knows Betty can have a romantic relationship with someone who completely presents as human. They can still work together too, which is a callback to how their relationship first began in the library. And it continues to build on all the trust and confidence they initially showed each other, and continued to show each other, over the years.

So it’s very bittersweet.

I’m also going to mention the pairing of Bruce and Natasha, because I need to assert that I do enjoy this ship! As a matter of fact, it’s something I’ve enjoyed for years and years. I was one of the wierdos who was shipping them soon after the release of The Avengers, earlier than most to the point where the tag was completely blank. I guess for me, there was something unique about their dynamic in The Avengers that stood out from Bruce’s other interactions. Natasha was ordered to approach the doctor in Kolkata, and at that point, she had seen the Hulk's capabilities in-person during her involvement in the Culver University incident. Her distrust of Bruce and his alter ego was justified, especially given her personal experiences with everything, and while it may (or may not) have lessened over the course of the film, Natasha clearly came to respect Bruce at the very least, and she understood the benefits of not only putting his intellect to good use, but the Hulk itself. During the final battle, Bruce had come on his own volition and was fully prepared to transform, but she still made the active effort to tell him the Hulk was valuable. Given her past experiences with the Hulk, this meant a lot coming from her. And it's clear this wasn't just a "tactical" choice on her part; if she didn't say anything, the outcome wouldn't have been any different. This was a nice way to end the film and create a foundation for their future development between them. If their relationship continued to open up, I could certainly see them developing feelings for each other.

But the next film... Eugh. I was gravely disappointed by the sudden schoolgirl-crush syndrome that Natasha was demonstrating, which was unrealistic in itself (I'll explain my reasoning in a bit), and the total handwaving of everything that led up to it, which ultimately did nothing but break Natasha’s character and make it difficult for most of the audience to accept what was happening. Because... What initially made Natasha go from having a reluctant admiration for him, to downright falling for him? We did not see the process, or the catalysts. They had jumped from Point A to Point Y, and we saw nothing of the points in between. So the whole thing immediately fell apart for me.

A common argument I see in defense of Natasha’s behaviour is, simply put, she’s in love, so it’s natural for her to act a little kooky. However, love doesn’t have the effect of completely negating deeply-ingrained character aspects, especially fundamental traits. And Natasha has many traits that are the complete antithesis of how she was behaving in that movie. It’s the same as seeing Christopher Nolan's Bruce Wayne, a normally close-mouthed and subtle character, gushing, nudging up to, and grinning like a little boy around Rachel Dawes. It doesn’t make sense... So why is it suddenly acceptable for Natasha?

In that sense, I could also presume that Natasha’s behaviour was Joss Whedon’s misogynistic projection of how he, himself, believes a woman in love should behave. There’s a real possibility, given how Natasha was characterized in earlier MCU films, versus how she was acting in this movie, that Whedon threw out her characterization in favour of playing out a fantasy; a stereotype. And unluckily for him, that stereotype (as the word itself implies) does not fit all people or characters. So it was noticeable, and not in a good way.

And honestly... I’m disappointed that this disaster has caused so many people to discount the ship as a whole, even though that film was simply one poor adaptation of it. People also tend to dismiss the pairing because they believe Bruce and Natasha are too different. But they both have trust issues. They both have experiences where they’ve been used for other peoples’ goals. Natasha has seen a very vulnerable and intimate side of Bruce that most people never have (that look he gave her before he transformed on the helicarrier, honestly, was completely unlike the self-composure he obsessively tried to convey in all their prior interactions)... And frankly, I'm sick of hearing about the “age gap” between them, because my aunt and uncle were twelve years apart, and they were happily married for decades. Not to mention, Bruce and Natasha have been through countless hardships, and they probably have a lot more common ground than many people with an “age gap”.

So if things were properly written? That would have been phenomenal, I think. The potential was certainly there in the first movie; it’s just a shame those foundations were ignored and not directly built on.

But that’s enough salt from me!

As for this Bruce in particular... I can see him having a relationship with Natasha in the earlier part of his timeline, before the Sokovia incident occurred. There would've been a lot of opportunities for their relationship to develop, especially because Bruce wasn't just working with the Avengers; he joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and was working on the same helicarrier as Natasha for around a year, too. He would've avoided her a lot, but I can easily see Natasha approaching him eventually, or them running into each other and trying to reconcile. Especially once Bruce remembers everything that happened during the helicarrier incident, and how scared Natasha was. He had offered Natasha a brief apology during the Chitauri invasion, but after those memories were dredged up, it would suddenly become insufficient.

But during or after the Sokovia incident, I doubt they would start a relationship with each other. This is simply because Natasha caused Bruce a lot of turmoil around this time, and afterwards. She betrayed his trust during the Sokovia battle by forcing him to transform, which also worsened an issue that Bruce was currently having with his condition. Her support of the Sokovia Accords didn't help either, because Bruce was vehemently against them from the very beginning, having seen Ross’ wish to exploit the Hulk’s abilities, and he feared this would continue on a much greater scale if the Accords were ratified, with hundreds (if not thousands) of identified superhumans now vulnerable. I hesitate to say Bruce will never trust Natasha again, but while he could probably reach a tentative comfortability around her, a romantic relationship might be asking too much. There’s simply too much negative history between them, a lot of which entails broken trust. And once Bruce’s trust in someone is broken, well, it’s monumentally difficult to restore.

[melynen]

Cookies - Alec Trevelyan/Felix Leiter

Fic for the dialogue prompt "In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have eaten that many cookies." (I was tagged by @fallingintomagic but I only noticed it a few days ago. 😅)

I tag Ksan @starrboned to do something with the same prompt. (I know that it’s very late so I won’t be surprised if you choose to ignore it. 😂)

Alec Trevelyan was not having a good day.

He’d only recently returned from a very complicated and several weeks too long mission from Siberia, which had been enough to make him never want to return even before the target’s wife, his mistress, and his secret boyfriend all combined their forces and made his final weeks there a living hell. Apparently, some people took it as a personal offence when one refused to sleep with them.

Or refused to sleep with their wives, mistresses and boyfriends.

Alec was happily taken, however, and had been making conscious effort to not sleep around on the job, unless it was the very last solution. And even then he vastly preferred a quick bullet to where it hurt the most, or a glorious explosion to solve the problem.

But for some reason, M didn’t often agree with his reasoning.

Alec had quickly learnt to simply nod and look contrite, and then do exactly what he wanted the next time a similar situation arose.

That was what he’d done this time, too, and had managed to escape with most of his blood inside his body where it belonged, and with only a few other scrapes and bruises in more interesting locations.

Oh, and with his right hand in a splint.

He was mostly right-handed, though of course his double-oh training had made sure that he could also use his left hand passably well. That, at least, helped when his partner was visiting his family in America and couldn’t be there to aid him.

Felix had sent him a care package filled to the brim with all sorts of American comfort foods and snacks to make him feel better. It had arrived overnight and the shipping had cost a bomb; not that they couldn’t afford it with their salaries, but it was the principle of the thing.

Alec had been delighted to open it, and he’d happily sampled the goods within. He’d also had a lengthy, private video call with Felix that evening where he had done his best to express his gratitude to his lover.

But that had been a week ago, and now Alec was feeling grumpy and miserable and utterly, utterly bored. He’d been banned from Q Branch after trying to nick a prototype that needed testing one too many times, and James was currently on a mission in Slovenia. Eve and Tanner were busy at work, and the field agents he was most familiar with were all either out on missions of their own, or otherwise busy with their private lives.

And Alec was at home, all alone, without anything to take his mind off his itching arm. There wasn’t even anything good on the telly, and he’d seen all the movies and shows he could think of more times that he could count. He wasn’t feeling like leaving the flat, either, because bar fights were only fun when he had company, and drinking alone didn’t sound like something he ought to be doing now anyway.

Suddenly, he remembered the second package that he’d received from Felix. Not all of its contents were edible, though the non-edible ones were definitely welcome presents that Alec was more than eager to show off to his lover at a later date, but those that were, were packets of Pecan Sandies. He’d eaten a few the day he’d received the parcel, but he still had more left, and he found that he had bit of a craving, now.

Three hours later the craving was gone, replaced by queasiness, restlessness, and a definite ache concentrating in the stomach area.

Alec was really regretting cookie number #35. Groaning pitifully, he considered the pros and cons of moving versus staying put, because moving had a very real possibility of making him vomit, but staying put didn’t offer much better options either.

That was also how Felix found him.

“Honey, I’m home,” he called out from the door, but when all Alec managed was a weak gurgle, he made his way quickly to the living room.

“Alec? Are you here?”

Weakly, Alec croaked out, “Yes.”

“Are you all right?” Felix asked, kneeling down next to the sofa where Alec was sprawled out on.

“It hurts,” Alec moaned, not above inducing pity in his lover.

Felix frowned and reached out a hand to feel his forehead. “Do you mean your arm? Have you remembered to take your medication?”

“It’s not my arm.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s my stomach,” Alec all but whined. “Why are you here now, though? I thought you wouldn’t be back until the weekend.”

“Well, my lover was injured and I thought it quite senseless to remain on the other side of the world when I could be here with you instead. So I decided to cut my visit short and come back home to you.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you,” Alec said with a weak smile. Bloody cookies, making him feel like this when Felix had returned home early for him.

“You know what? I think I know why your stomach hurts,” Felix said, and he sounded amused. Alec looked at him and saw him take in all the crumbs and the empty packets of cookies littered around the floor. He blushed ever so slightly at the knowing look on his boyfriend’s eyes.

“Well… In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have eaten that many cookies,” he acknowledged, feeling sheepish.

“You’re probably right,” Felix said, smiling. “But don’t worry, I think I’ll have just the thing to help you feel better again.”

Alec looked up at Felix and smiled back at him. He was so lucky to have such a caring boyfriend.

(He would probably also never be able to eat Pecan Sandies ever again, but well, that one he had brought on himself.)

[sandalaris]

10 for 10 for 10

I’ve been tagged by @yossariandawn Thanks for thinking of me! and for all the great questions! (and sorry it took so long. I had a hard time thinking of 10 questions of my own.)

Answer 10 questions, ask 10 questions, tag 10 people.

1. If you could learn a new skill instantly, what would you choose? I’m not sure. I think that if it’s a skill you really enjoy than taking the time to learn becomes part of the enjoyment, so it’d have to be a skill I either only kind of wanted or that I felt was a need over a want. Oo, MMA, good exercise and the ability to defend myself or someone else if I ever need to, and it’s not something I feel really passionately about going through the process of learning.

2. What part of the world (that you’ve never been to) would you choose to live in for a month? Hyère, France. Don’t even have to think about it. About eight years ago I was planning a move and it was on the short list of places I was considering going to. The climate seemed the most ideal to what I wanted to live in and all the pictures were beautiful. 

3. Favorite kind of sandwich or wrap? Grilled cheese? I don’t like sandwiches (or wraps) typically.

4. Show swap! Bring back 3 shows you love, but you also have to choose 3 you like to cancel instead. Oo, gotta think about this one. I don’t want to bring back a show that was already past its peak and I don’t want to say to cancel a show that isn’t ready to end.

Cancel: (I stuck only with shows that I watch and enjoy so I’m not digging at any show just because it’s not my personal preference)

NCIS – I love the show, seen every last episode and will continue watching it until the end, but it’s time for it to wrap up. It well past its prime.

Lucifer – Listen, I love this show, and there’s a ton of great characters and material here to make a long running series, but they have started going in circles with it and that’s making it feel old. How many times can the same characters learn the same lessons before it just feels like the writers are just forcing things back into the same ol’ mold? Let the story grow or move on.

Shameless – It’s a stretch because the finale season has already been declared, but it’s a show that I don’t really need that finale season, even if I will watch and enjoy it, because it’s reached its natural end.

Bring back:

From Dusk till Dawn: the series – I debated on this one. It wrapped everything up so nicely and I’m quite happy with how it ended, but at the same time the writers had plans for the next season and it was never officially cancelled and there’s so much more story that could be told.

Firefly – Although it’s been enough time that it might have to be more of a reboot maybe? Or are we doing the impossible and it’s coming back shortly after it was canceled? Either way, that show was cancelled way too soon.

The Gifted – Yes, it was a bit cheesy but it’s just as good, if not better than, a lot of the comicbook shows still going AND it ended on a cliffhanger. It needed to continue

5. What fandom would you want to get into, but haven’t yet? I don’t know. I feel like I don’t exactly pick my fandoms. I start watching a show or go see a movie or read a book and then if I feel like looking up fandom stuff after I do.  

6. What show or movie do you watch to cheer you up? Probably Community. It’s a good show that has that nice balance of being a ridiculous comedy, but not too silly at the same time. And it hits so many of my favorite tropes. (Leverage could also count.)

7. Favorite condiments? ….salt? That’s technically a seasoning, but I am not a condiment fan. They are mostly gross and just cover up the flavor the food with their grossness.

8. What characters (from different universes) do you think would love hanging out together? Pick as many as you want. I wrote for fun a Kisa (FDtD) and Troy (Community) scene and discovered I really like them interacting (there was other people in the scene, but they stole all my attention in a matter of moments). They connected in a weird way and I loved writing Kisa’s bizarre and confused reactions to Troy. Britta (Community) and Richie (FDtD) would get along well I think. They’d click in that odd way that Richie has with random people and Britta would be a little too oblivious to Richie’s more social flaws/creepy nature, as is her way when it comes to guys with even the tiniest bit of charm and intelligence. Not gonna lie, I kind of ship them now.

I would also put Shawn from Psych with the entire Leverage crew. Sophie is the only one I feel would find him a bit much at times, mainly because she can spot a grift a mile away and Shawn’s kind of always “on” and think it would mess with her trust issues too much for her to be entirely comfortable around him. Nate sees his potential, especially if Shawn’s been brought in to help on a job, and the guy is ultimately one of the Good Guys, and he would go a long way to helping put Sophie at ease. Because Nate’s too smart to be taken in by someone like Shawn and Sophie wouldn’t feel like she’s the only one who sees him for the conartist he is. Eliot would groan and grumble for show, but in the end Shawn’s like a combination of  his two favorite people in the world; Parker and Hardison. Plus, I headcanon Shawn and Eliot as cousins. I think Hardison might find Shawn a little too like himself to ever be best buddies with the guy, but overall they’d get along just fine. As for Parker... I feel like they’d be almost like two kids on the playground who both found out they like the same obscure cartoon none of the other kids have seen. 

I have a little headcanon about Parker (Leverage) and Clint Barton (MCU) having been in the same foster home as kids and having this kind of a past-sibling-esque connection. I like to think that with both their careers they don’t meet up often, but whenever they realize they are in the same place at the same time, it’s a given that they’ll hang out while there.

My roommate keeps yelling over my shoulder Starlord and Micheal (from the movie starring John Travolta) until I agreed to put them. They would get along in a weird sort of fun way that would be fun to watch but hard to be a part of, but since I haven’t see that movie since I was a kid it’s not one I think of.

9. What’s the most underrated show or movie or book or artist that you love and people should really check out?

Ilona Andrews is an amazing author and more people should check their works out. But the most underrated show I think I’ve ever gotten into… honestly would probably be From Dusk till Dawn. I feel like most of my followers are at least aware of it though because I post enough about it, but it was just really good and sort of cut off before its time. A really close second would be Leverage. It’s still the number one show I recommend when people ask me and I just adore it to pieces.

10. What were you obsessed with as a kid?

So many things, but probably Jasmine from Disney’s Aladdin the most. Pretty sure I named more than one stuffed animal after her.

My questions:

1.      What was your first fandom? Are you still a part of it?

2.      Current self care method(s)?

3.      What are three (3) shows you keep meaning to binge watch but haven’t yet?

4.      Do you stay active in fandoms after a new one catches your eye, or are you more a one at a time person?

5.      What was the last movie you saw with someone else? What would you rate it?

6.      Favorite guilty pleasure?

7.      What’s a highly underrated show/movie/book series that you would recommend?

8.      Any new hobbies you’ve started during quarantine? Any you want to start?

9.      What meme do you wish would just die already?

10.  Spread the love to your followers and post at least one link to a fic you’re reading/have read/wish to read/you’ve written yourself/etc. 

I tag: @shyesplease @valeskaj @ithoughtiwasflying @c-sand @mygutsforgarters @bethanyactually @crystallinee-waters @evanberries @nevergonnabemuchmorethanweather @katwithlove and anyone else who wants to do answer! Seriously, I love having people respond even if I didn’t tag someone. 

[sunshinejins]

perfect.

this is a gratuitous tyrus first dance fic that absolutely did NOT need to be written but i wrote it anyway because like three people on here said they’d read it and that was good enough for me.  not canon compliant because i like to ignore canon when given liberty to do so.

that being said, this is a tyrus fic with a little muffy but mainly tyrus because i’m trash for this ship.  reblogs are encouraged and any comments are well appreciated!  hope you enjoy!

The last time Cyrus Goodman went to a school dance was when he was thirteen years old.  He had appreciated the tacky streamers and the DJ who only seemed to play Katy Perry songs.  He had bought overpriced red punch from the concession stand that tasted mostly like water and shared Buffy’s extra large bag of sour gummy worms.  He also watched as Jonah Beck and Andi danced in an awkward circle for the two slow dances of the evening, arms stiffly placed on each other’s waist and shoulders, keeping an appropriate distance between them.

Cyrus had never been so jealous in his life.

The last time Cyrus Goodman went to a school dance was when he was thirteen years old.  He had appreciated the tacky streamers and the DJ who only seemed to play Katy Perry songs.  He had bought overpriced red punch from the concession stand that tasted mostly like water and shared Buffy’s extra large bag of sour gummy worms.  He also watched as Jonah Beck and Andi danced in an awkward circle for the two slow dances of the evening, arms stiffly placed on each other’s waist and shoulders, keeping an appropriate distance between them.

Cyrus had never been so jealous in his life.

Buffy had noticed of course.  She always did.  She pestered him for the remaining thirty-seven minutes (yes, he counted) of the dance until he gave in and exposed his jealousy in a spew of metaphors that may have included a few dinosaur references and one too many puns about feeling green.  Only then did she go silent and say with great softness:

“It’s okay to be jealous of Jonah.  Why didn’t you just say you liked Andi?”

Three days later, over a basket of cooling baby taters and a half-drunk chocolate milkshake, Cyrus told Buffy about his knee-weakening crush on Jonah Beck.  It had been the only time to date where Buffy hadn’t been angry with someone for saying she was wrong about something.

That was two years ago.  Things were very different now.

For one, Cyrus’ crush on Jonah had disappeared the second he started looking at him like a person instead of Jonah Beck.  While he loved his friend with his entire heart, there was no way Cyrus could ever be romantically involved with someone who was convinced that it was alright to wear orange and green unironically in the same outfit.  His crush dissolved about as fast as sugar in tea, and Cyrus was convinced that they were both better off for it.

Then there was T.J.  The tall, blond, amazing basketball player that had stolen his heart just about the second they met.  Not that Cyrus had been aware of his feelings until one day at The Spoon when T.J had shyly asked if they were on a date.

(They were.  Neither of them knew.)

Thus, Cyrus had been happily over Jonah and happily not over T.J since the seventh grade.  Now he was a high schooler, and he was at another school dance.

This time there were no streamers, but huge shiny pink and red toned hearts plastered all over the walls of the Grant High School gym.  The DJ was no longer playing Katy Perry, but a strange combination of Macklemore and James Blunt.  The punch this time was pink, not red, and it tasted more like Sprite than anything else.  It was Valentine’s Day; Cyrus was having the time of his life.

Buffy and Marty were currently breaking it down on the dance floor, in a competition to see who could make up more dance moves.  Cyrus had a feeling Marty was losing, but by the look on his face as he watched Buffy’s curls bounce around her cheeks, he didn’t think Marty minded.  Andi and Jonah had arrived together, but Andi had quickly disappeared with Amber.  Cyrus was worried about Jonah for a second until he saw him in a corner with Gus watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Cyrus was chilling at a table by the dance floor, draining a cup of pink punch and enjoying himself.  T.J had been pulled away by basketball buddies a few moments earlier, and Cyrus was relishing in the chance to take the weight off his feet.

“Miss me yet?” Cyrus jumped at the voice in his ear and turned with a wide smile to his boyfriend.  T.J was goofily smiling, hair mussed, and his red shirt slightly untucked from his dark jeans.  Cyrus’ heart warmed.

“You were barely gone for two minutes!  I had no time to miss you,” he said as T.J pulled out the chair beside him and sat down.  His fake wounded expression made Cyrus want to giggle.

“I’ve missed you when you were gone for two minutes!  Remember that time you left our movie night for ages?”

“I had to go to the bathroom!” T.J laughed and threw an arm around Cyrus’ shoulders.  Cyrus snuggled into his grasp with a smile.  They were never very “out” at school.  Kids were unfortunately still mean and while T.J swore no one actually stuffed people in lockers in real life, Cyrus lived in eternal fear.  Here, however, the lights were low, and everyone was too busy having fun to really care about the boyfriends cuddling at the back of the room.  Cyrus was about to suggest that they go grab some more punch, (it was surprisingly addictive,) when Buffy appeared from nowhere dragging Andi and Marty with her.

“Get up dorks!  We’re dancing!” Cyrus couldn’t argue with that, and neither could T.J apparently as he laughed and pulled Cyrus up with a tug of his hand.

“C’mon, Underdog!” Cyrus laughed and let himself be lead to the dance floor.  He was made to party after all.

They danced for what felt like ages, Jonah eventually joining them and Amber as well.  Cyrus was almost dizzy from how fast the DJ cycled through songs.  He made up a new move, the “wonky penguin” and received multiple high fives from Marty after its execution.  T.J stayed by his side, dancing albeit a bit stiffly, but still grooving to the music like the rest of them.  Cyrus would have guessed they’d been dancing for around half an hour when the strobe lights dimmed and a soft red light poured out of the spotlights instead.

“This one’s for all the couples out there, grab your special someone and hit the floor,” the DJ said.  Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” began to play and as he normally would, Cyrus began to back off the floor.  A hand on his waist stopped him, and before he could really think about it, T.J was pulling him into his arms and slipping his fingers between Cyrus’.  

The music played with a certain grace behind them as T.J turned them in a slow circle around their little section of the floor.  Cyrus’ mouth hung open.

“How do you know how to dance?” Cyrus looked as T.J expertly guided his feet in a way that definitely hinted at prior knowledge.  If the lights hadn’t been red, Cyrus would have sworn he could see T.J blush.

“My mom always told me the best way to impress a girl was to know how to dance,” they both chuckled at that as T.J dipped Cyrus a little, “when I came out to her she said her gender may have been wrong but the notion still stood.”

Cyrus was in awe.  They had been together for exactly one year and ten months, and he still kept learning new things about T.J.  That had been one thing he was afraid of when they began dating.  What if dating one of your best friends meant you would eventually not have any things left to learn?  The simple act of T.J pulling him in closer so his arms could rest more comfortably on his shoulders proved him wrong.  There would always be new stuff to know.

Cyrus must have been deep in thought because T.J suddenly laughed and tapped his nose with a finger.

“What are you thinking about, Cyrus?” His eyes were warmed as he asked.  Cyrus gave a small, one-shouldered shrug.

“Just things that are meant to be.”  

T.J rolled his eyes lovingly at that and continued to turn them in a cozy circle until the song ended and their friends were back jumping up and down to a new Selena Gomez song.  Cyrus tangled his fingers with T.J’s as they watched Jonah do the Macarena to the beat of the music.  T.J pressed his lips quickly to Cyrus’, tasting a little of Sprite and popcorn, and Cyrus grinned into the kiss.

This dance had gone way better than the first.

[ethereal-pluto-blog]

I feel like shit today

I'm lethargic, slow, crying, and insecure. So yep ~depression~ has come to rear its ugly head once again.

But since I'm not into the whole anti-recovery thing, I'll give you some useful tips on how to maybe help YOUR depression that doesn't seem like a generic twitter self help thread. (Though I'll mention some things I found helpful and give explainations as to why.)

Talk to your therapist/counselor/mental health expert if available. Not everyone has the luxury of seeking professional help, but if you have the opportunity, PLEASE go to a professional. However be noted that it's often an experience to go through many different experts to find the one that matches your specific needs/ you like the most. Also keep in mind there are also online therapists ready to help if you're not big on one-on-one contact like myself, though often insurance is tricky. I put this one first because it might be the most beneficial for some, though not readily available for others.

If you have the strength, shower. Showering/cleaning yourself is a blessing in itself as it gives you a sense of detox. Though if you don’t have the strength or motivation, try some of this instead-

Utilize facewash and lotion. Particularly facewash that makes your face feel all chill and tingly, it makes you feel more refreshed. Lotions and cream will help you keep skin smooth.

Simply get wet with water, a quick 5 minute rinse in hot water is less of a chore than a full shower.

Dry shampoo will help with hair oiliness. Though if you don't have access just brush your hair and pull it/part it so it's out of your face.

Baby wipes. Baby wipes will cure yo soul. But seriously use baby wipes and rub them on your face, underarms, and genitals. A good rub down will help prevent you from feeling gross.

Splashing your face with cold water, it makes your pores tighten up and as a bonus it'll wake you up.

Utilize deodorant and vaseline. I haven't tried it out for myself, though if you put down deodorant and then vaseline on top it should trap the nice fragrant smell. And while you're at it you can put on cologne / perfume if you think you're getting a lil ripe, but if you want to smell like a fresh shower use ones that are labeled "shower fresh" or "baby powder."

If your lips are chapped, put on some balm shisters. (I don't trust the brand chapstick, I'm a conspiracy theorist okay I'm soRRy)

Change into some cleaner clothes. They don't have to be normal everyday clothes but at least change into new clothes, especially underwear.

Clean your fingernails/toenails. Clean under them, since random junk can get stuck up in there. Also clip them if they're too long for your liking.

Brush your teeth. But if you can't, use mints, gum, mouthwash, mouthspray, etc, or a combination of those. Anything minty will make your mouth tingle and feel fresh and clean.

Clean yo ears! Since probably nobody uses an ear vacuum (like you're supposedly supposed to idk I'm too broke for that shit anyways) just be careful using Q-tips.

If you don’t have any deodorant, try hand sanitizer! I'm not kidding. Put a dollop under each underarm, and let dry. Smells are caused by bacteria, so if you get hand sanitizer, it should greatly reduce smell.

Try to get some sun. Using the natural sunlight will help you absorb vitamin D. So open up the blinds and photosynthesize binches. Though it also helps to open up the window if you can, a breeze/fresh air blowing in with the smell of outside might even raise your mood. Though if it's currently shitty weather outside, try turning on your lights to match your circadian rhythm, so keep lights on during the day and dim it at night so it'll help with letting you be on a decent sleep schedule.

Feeling like there's no hope or that your future is going to be shit? Highkey me too, but here's what I do to combat that feeling.

It's corny, but I write a whole idealized future for myself. I write about my dream job, I write about my dream s/o, I even imagine the type of house I want to live in, the kids I'll have, what kind of pets I want to own. Etc. Although the economy is shit and no future is guaranteed, it's nice to put some positivity into light and show what I really want in life. I don't want to be some millionaire, I just want to be comfortably well off with a family and people that love me. And in all honesty a future like that isn't hard to obtain.

Even if you can't imagine a good future for yourself, imagine being a part of your friends or loved one's futures. For example, you know your friend who's dating this really cute person that you totally ship them with? Imagine being a part of the bridesmaids/groomsmen for their wedding when they tie the knot! Imagine your really smart friend finally graduating from college and you're at their graduation party giving them a speech! For me this really helps since I aspire to be drinking buddies with my best friend's future husband. (I'm rlly goofy ik lmao)

Feeling stressed about not doing anything? We've all been there. Try:

Doing work if you're due for assignments, though don't do it alone, if you can, arrange a group text/tutoring session/Skype call. If everyone is focused on getting something done then you'll be motivated to do it with them.

Though if you don’t absolutely have to do anything but want to do ~s o m e t h i n g~ I also got your back on this too.

Organize your inbox for your email. (Ik I'm lame)

Tidy/clean your room/any room if that gives you something to do.

Make your bed.

Cuddle someone/something.

Rearranging your stuff in your room, makes it feel like a whole remodel tbh.

Burn candles/incense. Don't ask just...trust me on this it can change the aura.

If you're religious, practice!

Take aesthetic photos of things in your room. Download VSCO and experiment with it. I also recommend Huji Cam and Afterlight. All are available for IOS and Android.

If you appreciate music- use YouTube and find some Playlists, or if you can, spotify premium will save yo mortal soul.

Like video games? Play some! Or if you're a brokeass like me, let's plays and walk throughs work well too.

If you got pets, pet them. Do it. Snuggle. Or if you love animals in general go and watch some vids on YouTube.

Build a fort.

If you're an artist or appreciate art- draw! Or you can watch animatics, animation memes, art channels, or follow artists on here or on Instagram and Twitter if you want to be inspired, or just observe.

Have a certain series you keep putting off? Watch! It! Netflix/Hulu that shit. Or cable TV works too.

Go on Wikipedia and just go on an adventure. Click from link to link and see where it takes you. Learn some weird new facts!

Read a new book.

Read the news/watch the news.

Write about a certain topic that you're absolutely fascinated about.

Watch movies!

Join a club/interest group. You can do this online too and it'll help meet people with similar interests as you. You can make new friends this way.

Give your friends a call/text. Having conversations will keep you occupied.

Self love aka masturbate. Or have (safe) sex with someone you trust!

Workout

Do some makeup/skincare routine. Even if you think you look bad just commit to practicing.

Sometimes it's just funny to go through and read some Reddit threads so be safe when surfing on there.

Stretch and move around! Dance if you wanna!

Do your hair/experiment in some new styles, maybe even dye it if you feel daring.

Have an icon you stan? Stan HARDER.

Watch iconic vine/rare vine compilations until you can memorize them.

Clean out your phone contacts of people that are irrelevant/toxic!! Out of sight out of mind! Don't hang on to them if they did you wrong. All the text conversations will just make you feel worse!

Actually cook your favorite food, cooking it will make you more dedicated to eating it and give you more of an appreciation for it.

Organize your closet.

Organize anything in your room/closet. Throw away things that you don't need or are too old to use.

Start collecting things, stuffed animals, pins, snowglobes, you name it.

Pinterest is addictive lowkey so try that if you're into that kind of stuff.

Write! Write a new story, write poetry, write about your feelings, write a letter, write fanfiction, express yourself.

Use Duolingo to try and study a new language to learn. (The owl will harass tf outta your email though but as long as you do like 5 minutes a day he won't bother.)

That's about all I can think of but feel free to add more for activities to dedicate your time to.

If you need to, because of your self image, don't go and stand in front of mirrors. If I stand in front of a mirror too long I'll end up scrutinizing myself and find a flaw after flaw. If you are specifically insecure about something with your body, look up models who have the same thing! Like if you're insecure about having vitiligo, look up Winnie Harlow! She's gorgeous! If you're insecure about being chubby, look up plus sized models! If you have a tooth gap, there's plenty of people like you! You don't have to feel ugly because of that when you have these awesome models rocking what they got.

Vent. You can vent to your friends, family, or even online. There are apps that allow you to vent anonymously to others without the fear of judgement. But if you can't do that, take a pen/pencil and write something down in your notebook. Though don't reread it to keep drowning in the negativity, once you write it, shut it. You can do the same on Google Docs online, once you write down everything, delete it. Don't keep trying to fuel your negative thoughts and bitterness, get your rant over with and be done. It's like a fresh start. (Plus on my Instagram spam account I always feel really silly looking at my old rant posts, so I usually delete stuff afterwards when I'm not feeling so in my feelings).

Don't expect recovery to be in a straight line. You'll have amazing days and also have extremely shitty days. Recovery isn't hoping to never experience shitty days, recovery is being able to feel the strength on those shitty days and know that they'll pass, and with each storm you'll be stronger than before. Don't push yourself to be flawless, because shit happens. But you'll make it through. And that's what matters.

And last but not least, seek emergency help if you feel like you're dangerously close to ending your life due to pain. Call the suicide hotline for support, because the pain can ease soon if you ask for the help that you need and deserve.

Not everyone that reads this is going to be like "wow this really helped me cope with my depression/mental illness!" But my goal was to at least try. It may not work for everyone unfortunately, but I hope that anyone dealing with a mental illness is on the road to recovering. Because I know how it feels. It feels sucky as fuck. But if this helps even just one person, then that's enough. I hope everyone has at least a decent day, and I hope that everyone's pain eases soon.

[recentanimenews]

INTERVIEW: Girlfriend, Girlfriend Director Satoshi Kuwabara Tells Us His Best Girl And More!

  Girlfriend, Girlfriend is a romantic comedy that started airing earlier this season and has quickly earned a spot in anime fans' hearts! The show features a blend of situational comedy and romantic tension and brings it together with a big, earnest heart.

  Satoshi Kuwabara is an experienced anime director who has headed productions including the first season of The Quintessential Quintuplets and various adaptations of Osamu Tezuka's Black Jack manga (as Chief Director). Now, he brings this experience to a new production as the director of Girlfriend, Girlfriend! Following our interview with manga-ka Hiroyuki, we are pleased to share an interview with Satoshi Kuwabara. Read on to learn about his experience heading the series!

    Video form of the interview

Exclusive interview with Girlfriend, Girlfriend director Satoshi Kuwabara✨ (via @girlfriend_en) pic.twitter.com/EtanyljthX

— Crunchyroll @ #VCRX! ???? (@Crunchyroll) August 1, 2021

  Crunchyroll: Can you please introduce yourself and what you do to our audience?

  Satoshi Kuwabara: So, introductions come first ... My name is Satoshi Kuwabara. I'm an animator in Japan. And for my current project, I'm directing the Girlfriend, Girlfriend anime. Which is something I hope you'll all enjoy. Should I explain what kind of work the director does?

  Yes, please!

  Kuwabara: Well, specifically speaking, a director's job comes down to ... As I'm sure everyone knows, animation is based off of hand-drawn artwork. And because every single element has to be drawn by an individual person, that means there are a lot of people involved. At the very beginning of the process, there's the screenplay, which is the foundation of the lines that are going to be recorded. Then after that comes the storyboards. And after that comes the animation process. You have the animators, whose job it is to make the characters move. And then, you have the backgrounds which are handled by another art team. After that comes the process of filming all these elements together, editing that footage, and then comes adding the voices of the individual characters; so those have to be recorded. After that, the remainder of the sound production gets taken care of, and when that's done, you have a complete animated film.

  But for that to happen, it usually involves a lot of different people. So, the easiest way to explain a director of an animated project's job is that he's the one who oversees everyone else's work. Specifying things like "This is how this should be done for this scene," or saying how a character should be colored in a particular scene ... Or "We want this scene to be shot this way." The storyboarding process is essentially about giving these kinds of directions, which then goes out to the assorted other departments ... And then that work all comes together while working on a film ... What's a good way of putting this? It's a bit like being the captain of a ship. I think that's why directing isn't something that can be done by yourself. Each different section of the production team has their key leaders, and their help is what gets everything done.

  I think one thing almost all animation has in common is that it's a team effort. You have a lot of different people coming together to complete a project. So being the director is about making sure that everyone's efforts come together successfully, and making sure the final product is reflective of their contributions. I personally think that might be the secret of what makes animation enjoyable. If you think about it, a single person is, at maximum, only able to produce 100 percent of their strength, but through collaboration, the more people get involved, that can turn into 200, 300, even 1,000 percent, it's almost a kind of inherent potential. And I think animation is unique in that it takes that potential — and because of that potential, it really has no limits, especially in the language of film. I think it's a medium with unlimited possibilities.

  What an amazing answer! How did you get your start in the anime industry?

  Kuwabara: Well, I got into the animation industry around 33 years ago, I think ... Before that, I really wanted to get a job in film because I really loved both live-action and animated films. I would always be heading to the theater in my free time. And eventually, I decided I'd like to try making a movie, or some other film myself, so I ended up enrolling in a technical school for animation, and after that, I ended up joining the company where I still work to this day.

    You've worked in the anime industry for quite some time. What is the biggest thing you have learned during your time working on anime?

  Kuwabara: That really is a hard one. When I'm asked to just list one it's hard, because I've learned so much in the past, and am still learning to this day. But something I always find is that, when I'm working on a project, I'm totally immersed in it, and just focused so entirely on working as hard as I can, and whenever I end up finishing and getting a chance to catch my breath, the thing that I'm always struck by is how grateful I am to all the other people who I've worked with.

  It's like I mentioned before, animation is definitely not a one-man job. I mentioned them before, but there're the animation staff, the art department, the photography department, the audio staff ... And that's not even everyone, there's still the project leads, and the general managers, I honestly think that animation is only possible with their collective support. And another thing that I tend to reflect on is that animation only really exists thanks to the audience. It's like realizing that, even though those of us on the creative side are the ones who put a project together, the way that it shapes up once it gets into the hands of the audience is just as important. And it's the audience themselves that are the biggest factor, there.

  It leaves me with the feeling that the truly memorable works that really shine reflect the combined passion of the creators, the people who support us, and the people who watch it once it's completed. And I'm always really grateful for that. That's the biggest thing that comes to mind.

  What is a day in the life of an anime director like? Is there anything you would like people to know about what the job is like?

  Kuwabara: Well, when I became the director on Girlfriend, Girlfriend, and this is the case with every project, but I think that I personally need to love something in order to work on it. I don't know if I'd be able to do a good job working on something unless I felt like I was one of its biggest fans, so the first step is to familiarize myself with what I'll be working on, and figuring out what I love about it. And my first impression from Girlfriend, Girlfriend after reading the manga is that it was really easy to fall in love with.

  After thinking it over, what I really do like about it is how the characters are really well developed in the sense that they feel like they could really exist. In specific terms, you have the protagonist Naoya, along with Saki, Nagisa, Mirika, and Shino, and the way that they're honest about those feelings, and live in a way that reflects those feelings, strikes me as really wonderful, and that's a big part of the story's charm. That's what makes the characters stand out, and really the big thrust of their appeal, from where I stand.

  Can you go more in-depth and explain what Girlfriend, Girlfriend is about?

  Kuwabara: Falling in love is something I think everyone can relate to, and I think that this is a story where those sort of thoughts ... Or more like, those sort of feelings are depicted very frankly. And because of that, I'm truly grateful to have been involved with this project. If there's one other thing I can add, I think it's an extremely well-executed comedy. The story as a whole is about delving into the romances that bud through the character's lives, and the comedy is sort of how we digest it. And the tempo that it unfolds at is something unlike anything else I've ever seen. The story really develops at a pretty rapid pace, but instead of feeling strange, it's actually very comfortable. I think that it's a manga where, once you start reading it, it becomes hard to stop due to the amount of momentum it has. That's another one of its big appeals and part of why I was drawn to it as a project.

  You also directed the first season of The Quintessential Quintuplets, which is another ensemble romantic comedy. Are you bringing your experience directing that series into Girlfriend, Girlfriend?

  Kuwabara: I think that when you work as a director, every single project ends up helping you grow, and it's definitely that it's all cumulative. Quintessential Quintuplets was also a comedy, so I do think my experience working on it was beneficial for Girlfriend, Girlfriend. For Quintessential, you had these five different heroines who would come into the scene, and there'd be a chat, and back and forth with their interactions, which would be what pushed the story along. And having to manage a narrative like that, one that is having to move forward while having many focal characters, is a difficult thing to do, both from a plot structure and an animation standpoint. But since I had gone through that once already, it helped me know what to do in Girlfriend, Girlfriend where you had all of these characters showing up and progressing their own arcs, along with the fun that they have with Naoya, the protagonist. So, that experience definitely helped me with knowing what to emphasize to really bring out the fun in the story.

    Do you work closely with the original manga-ka, Hiroyuki? If so, what has that experience been like?

  Kuwabara: Well, with the creator, it started with meeting him after I had become the director of the project, and from there we discussed a lot of the finer details of the story, and I got to hear a lot of his thought processes, as they relate to it. After that, with animation, after production gets decided upon, the screenplay is the first thing that gets put together — the script in other words. And a lot of us had the opportunity to check in on the script during its progress, from the producers, to people on the client side, and then those of us on the production side, and the writers, we all get together periodically and discuss things. And Hiroyuki-sensei managed to make the time to join those meetings, even though he's so busy, and he would offer all kinds of advice, which was extremely valuable. I had read through the original manga already, but he would point out things that I didn't realize, on top of offering ideas for the project himself, and the suggestions he came up with would always be very funny. We ended up taking a lot of his ideas and incorporating them into the anime.

  Another thing is, after the scriptwriting process we begin to work on storyboards. I don't know if everyone is familiar with what they look like, but it's essentially ... If the script is the blueprint for how the dialog will work, the storyboard then takes that dialog and, with a mixture of rough art and written direction, it creates a blueprint for the animation staff when they're drawing the characters. Hiroyuki-sensei also did some checks during that storyboard process and gave us a bit of device for little tweaks like what facial expressions would be best and what lines would go best and where. He really helped us understand certain key things about the story. So I'm really glad to have gotten to work with someone who was willing to offer so much advice to the project, and give such helpful advice.

  What can fans of the Girlfriend, Girlfriend manga look forward to most with the anime?

  Kuwabara: Well, a big appeal of Girlfriend, Girlfriend is all the cute girl characters, and I think people will really appreciate them when they see them in the anime. There's a real joy in seeing how expressive they become when animated, getting angry or crying, laughing. Other than that, there're the elements of action. You'll get to see the characters act out the more kinetic elements in a way the manga couldn't, and I think that'll be something worth looking forward to.

  Beyond that, when we started working on the Girlfriend, Girlfriend anime, we were really conscientious about maintaining the speed and momentum that the manga has, and careful not to do anything that would slow it down. I think that the animation is going to really feel like the manga come to life, and I think that getting to experience just how fast it hits with jokes will be something that's really entertaining. There are so many things I could touch on. We've put a lot of effort into making it a visually appealing show. And in order to properly express what the girls and Naoya are feeling, we use a lot of abstract touches to depict the interiority of the characters that the manga didn't get a chance to. I'd say those are all the things that I think people can look forward to.

  How has your team adapted your work process during the COVID-19 pandemic?

  Kuwabara: Well, even in Japan, the COVID pandemic isn't quite under control, and there have been effects felt in the process of animation production. Normally everyone assembles at the studio, and there's a lot of in-person interaction and discussion, and that is in the background as everything proceeds to unfold. But with COVID's prevalence, a lot of people are working from home instead. Because of that, there's a lot less naturally occurring communication, so instead, we try to make sure that those conversations still happen either using Zoom or other video chat software, and by actively making time for that, we keep the lines of communication open during production still.

  In addition to that, on the sound production side, when recording the voice-over for the characters, they now split up the recordings so that a lot of people aren't crowded together which is intended to help avoid infection. The thing is, since everyone involved is a professional, we're all consciously making sure none of this has a negative impact on the project, so I'd say the audience shouldn't need to worry.

    How do you feel about Naoya's idea to date two girls at once?

  Kuwabara: That's definitely the most notable thing about Girlfriend, Girlfriend, the fact that the protagonist is going out with two girls at once. And that's easy to see how something that can leave people with a negative impression of the protagonist, but reading the manga, I came to really like Naoya as a protagonist. And I think that's because he seriously cares about both Saki and Nagisa. He has a pure, unclouded love for both of them, and cares deeply as a result. I think that forms the core of his character.

  I think when it comes to fiction, no matter how bad a character might be, or how bad they're depicted, if they have one fundamental thing that makes up their character, that they won't budge on, the audience will be able to appreciate that. And that's something that they'll even come to approve of. I think you can really get a feel for Naoya's unshakable love in Girlfriend, Girlfriend. And the way he's so earnest ... If you take a step back, you can really see that he really doesn't come across as very cool or impressive. But that's a big part of how you can tell he's serious about his feelings for them, and how he works hard for both their sakes. That's why I think that, in the manga, it's able to take a protagonist in a situation that would normally get him hated and instead turns it into something that is a part of his charm.

  Who is your favorite girl out of all the female leads in Girlfriend, Girlfriend?

  Kuwabara: Well, that's actually a pretty common question, and it even comes up with other projects ... And I swear this is the truth: I like both of them equally. I think it'd probably impact the show in a bad way if I had a preference. Saki, Nagisa, and the rest of the characters all have things that make them amazing, and I feel like I can depict this story well because I genuinely like them all so much. So, I'm really sorry, but I honestly love them both. If I absolutely have to pick one, I would say Saki's mom is particularly cute.

  You're a man of culture. Is there anything else you would like to say to fans of Girlfriend, Girlfriend?

  Kuwabara: I hope you'll all really enjoy Girlfriend, Girlfriend. I think it will be really entertaining for both people who are familiar with the manga and for people who aren't. It's got a fun sense of speed, and I think the characters have turned out particularly cute. Those of us on the staff have worked really hard on it, so we'd all be really pleased if you checked it out. All we can really do is try to put together a great show and deliver it to you all, and it's my belief that it will only truly shine with its full potential once it's in the audience's hands. So, I'd love it if Girlfriend, Girlfriend became that kind of a project. Thanks for talking with me. Thank you for watching Girlfriend, Girlfriend on Crunchyroll.

      Watch Girlfriend, Girlfriend on Crunchyroll Now!

    Cayla Coats is the Editor-in-Chief of Crunchyroll News EN. She tweets @ceicocat.

By: Cayla Coats