#otp: i hate it when you gloat

[serenasoutherlyns]

law & order: trial by jury - episode 2 - 41 shots

[serenasoutherlyns]

^^^ this is amazing. ann, you're amazing <3 <3 <3. and tracey & kelly are perfection. literally can't express how happy it makes me that tbj fic is getting written again :)

law &. order: trial by jury - tracey/kelly

the smouldering and the drowned .

https://archiveofourown.org/works/34764430

the four times kelly gaffney has ever yearned for her superior, drowning in the depth of her love and smouldering still in the aftermath.

(a long-ish fic because i felt it was obligatory to … yeah. i like them. sure. you can say that. not a hyperfixation or anything.) 

[screwtheprinceimtakingthehorse]

major spoilers under the cut!

Tl;dr: Ingrid and Z OTP

I knew from the moment Ingrid quit Parsons (and Murphy didn't leave with her) that she and Murphy couldn't work out — the entire time that she's been doing dodgy shit, i.e. violating her own moral code (remember that letter to Sears?), Murphy was telling her she was doing the right thing. To make partner. Their shared, singular goal, only it turns out Murphy is willing to go even further to achieve it — he betrays her, and while Ingrid before had the luxury of telling herself she didn't have a choice, he knows he does.

I know exactly when he sold Ingrid out: after they heard about Hunter. He had no reason to before, he and Ingrid were the dream team next to Dan (ugh), but then that fell apart. And he told her, he fucking told her: he's not going back.

He sure kept that gloating well under his hat.

Anyway, back to my point: Murphy represents Ingrid's flaws, he was the perfect foil to her ruthless pursuit of partner. He stood right at the beginning of it, with their wedding fling, and now six years later he's here for the end, whispering into her ear all the while that she's doing nothing wrong even as she's screwing people over and hates herself for doing it. What she told him about how she knew she wanted to be a lawyer? The death knell for their relationship. You don't go into Mergers & Acquisitions to right wrongs, or for justice. You go because that's where the money is.

So when Murphy wasn't upset about the dawn raid, when he told her he loved her instead? He saw that as absolution for what he'd done to her, because it marked Ingrid out as the same kind of person even as she's now on Green Tech's side: acting behind her partner's back to pull a stunt. She's on the side of the good guys now, sure, but that only matters to us, the audience. Not to Murphy. He only sees her ambition. And while he had her, he kept her busy with one hand so she wouldn't see what the other hand was doing.

And the entire time, there were subtle vibes between Ingrid and Z, but it wasn't just for the lols. He is someone who acts in alignment with his moral code, and who's actually honest about who he is and what he wants; the polar opposite of Murphy. Ingrid and Z back each other up without expecting anything in return in the finale. And here's the thing I love about Z: he represents optimism, not idealism as opposed to reality; and what Murphy calls realism, what Marty fucking Adler calls "thinking like a partner," that's just stone-cold ruthlessness and cruelty.

So hell, what I want for season 2 is for Ingrid to kick Murphy to the curb — though of course they're still going to have to work together, and that will turn out wonderfully acrimonious — and for Ingrid and Z to make good on those vibes and oh so achingly slowly fall in love. Nick moved too fast, Murphy made his move immediately when Nick was out of the picture, and Z is going to be the one who understands taking his time — and giving Ingrid time. Because, shit, this is gonna hurt.

In conclusion: Team Ingrid x Z, all the way.

[btsandvmin]

Ask: Reply - 2021.04.16

Time to answer some more of your questions. I have a lot this time, and still a lot left I’ll have to save to another post. You are all very good at being curious and asking interesting questions. There are also some asks that are replies to old asks, and then I’ll include the link to the referenced post.

This time the topics will be:

Ask 1 - About KTH1 and expectations Ask 2 - KTH1 spoiler with “Oh lady” Ask 3 - Vminies getting superiority complex Ask 4 - Not dismissing the bond between Vmin and the other boys Ask 5 - Other people’s words can influence your thoughts Ask 6 - Vmin not sharing rooms in Bon Voyage Malta Ask 7 - Has being a Vmin shipper always been so overwhelming with all the content? Ask 8 - “Just a friend” interview Ask 9 - The garnet necklace Ask 10 - Vmin in CMs Ask 11 - Taehyung uncomfortable about shipping/tae*kook? Ask 12 - What did Jimin write on his shirt in Run ep. 53? Ask 13 - Gina Maeng ask follow up Ask 14 - Vmin’s love is beautiful (and so much nice praise omg)

Today’s post is a long one... Enjoy!

Ask 1 - About KTH1 and expectations

Ok, so I did write a shit post about this... (I mean… This is literally all Vmin’s songs so far ), but I still think your questions are worth a proper answer.

Honestly I think speculating about KTH1 is kind of hard, and as seen in the shit post I am quite torn with my expectations... In general I am the type who doesn’t like to expect too much in fear of being disappointed. I rather be pleasantly surprised. That being said Vmin does have a track record of getting involved in each other’s songs. I mean a lot is just speculation of course, but we do have confirmed cases as well, enough to not be too surprised if they would keep it up and do something for Tae’s solo album as well. (Tae saying his mixtape would be named Jimin back in 2016 still haunts me.)

On the other hand, they have already given us a lot of collabs. Adding more would feel more like a statement, at least if it would be only Jimin out of the members on that album. The thing is that if Vmin would have something “real” or at least if they are a bit careful with how they come across... I am not sure they would do something too “obvious”. But where such a line would be drawn is impossible to know. I mean clearly they managed to write and sing Friends and it worked fine, even if they did get more attention as a ship.

We also know Tae has been quite loud about Jimin in ways that single him out, so maybe they would really dare push the boundaries as far as actually including Jimin in the album somehow. It’s also very possible there could be other members, and honestly we probably shouldn’t hyper focus too much on it and that it has to mean something no matter if anyone is on it or not.

I think one of the rappers being on it is probably more likely out of the members, but it seems Tae has shown an interest in collabs with people outside of BTS, so that’s kind of what I am expecting the most. No matter who in the group is on it I am sure fans will make a big deal out of it, and maybe Tae would rather have his own thing for his first album. I really don’t know how his thoughts would go.

But again, looking at how Tae and Jimin has talked about working together, and have had moments like Tae promising Jimin a song or Tae saying they will work together again... It’s definitely not impossible to get another Vmin song. I do feel it’s more likely for any connections to be vague and not instantly noticeable though (at least not anything romantic looking because we know what happened to the Christmas song). Especially considering how they have only recently revealed things like 4 clock’s inspiration more openly and had Friends followed by Sweet Night. My main stance for any possible real ship is still that they have reason to be careful, and yet another Vmin collab, on Taehyung’s first personal album would probably raise some eyebrows considering everything else we already have. But it could also be me over analyzing them, and maybe they just really like and want to work together. Tae for sure has after all been vocal about this preference and want to work with Jimin.

So yeah, on one hand they have a track record that is hard to ignore... But on the other I wonder if they might want to add another “point” for ARMY to look at them and their songs. I also don’t want to assume that if there are songs on there that sound romantic that they automatically will be about Jimin. There will have to be legit possible connections for me to acknowledge them.

It’s tricky. I guess we will have to wait and see. I am kind of scared both that there won’t be anything or that there will be SOMETHING. Thank you for the ask, and I hope I shed some light on my thoughts on this subject. Either way I am very excited and looking forward to an album full of Taehyung’s own songs and the stories he wants to tell.

Ask 2 - KTH1 spoiler with “Oh lady”

I am not sure it is “lady”, since it’s a bit unclear in general. He also has a part that just seems to go “do be do” and I don’t know if the lyrics are even finished or if he worked with someone else etc. We basically lack a lot of information. But even so using lady/her/she etc. in a song doesn’t have to mean it is about a specific person or that the person is a she or that it is Taehyung’s own feelings (I know he said he usually sings about things he have felt, but just saying it doesn’t always have to be). 

Of course I don’t want to downplay it and say it doesn’t mean anything, but considering their fanbase is majority women, they live in a homophobic country and he has even been denied to sing a romantic song with a man before, it’s not impossible to add that to make it more “relatable” or less “gay”. God, that sounds terrible. I don’t want to start discussions where we don’t take their words for what they are, so I hope you might understand my point of view. That being said of course it could just as easily be to or about a specific woman in his life that we don’t know about. Or as you say, he isn’t actually in love but is simply writing love songs that could be inspired by non-romantic relationships or movies etc. as was the case for his inspiration for Winter Bear.

Tae also used “she” in Winter Bear, and that seems a bit forgotten. Or people try to say it has to be about his grandmother... Which we obviously don’t know, it’s just the woman people jump to since he used “she” and many people don’t like the idea of him dating a woman or writing about a woman we don’t know. Either way I think we need to remember that anything is possible and we don’t know them personally and how they think or why they choose to do what they do.

I think we need to remember that there is always going to be the possibility that ships aren’t real, that the romantic songs aren’t about Jimin and that either one of them could be in a relationship with someone else (all genders included).

Ask 3 - Vminies getting superiority complex

Hello! I want to address something that has been bothering me for a while now. I have been seeing some vminnies have a superiority complex just bcoz they ship vmin. Its very rampant among new vminnies and twt vminnies. I get that we all feel validated and happy when out OTP claim to be soulmates and bff. I feel that way too. But people have to remember that vmin are real people and their relationship is dynamic. Like they did grow from bff who used to tease e/o and fight alot to soulmates who are gentle and caring. Who is to say that one day they wont drift apart (i hope not and dont think thats gonna happen but for argument sake) so there is no reason to feel superior or look down on other shippers. 

If people think vminnies are superior bcoz they are not toxic they probably know they are lying. Lbr i have seen my share of toxic vminnies though may be a lesser number but they are there and its not the ship but its that particular person who is at fault. While i agree that some ship theories cultivate hate and toxicity there may be people among those ships who are just as sane and good as we claim to be. I just wanted to address this bcoz seeing some vminnies on twt saying locals thinking vmin were tgt after coway add is a validation kind of triggered me. I m sure there would have been similar responses to any other ship bcoz they all have been tgt for a decade and are very comfortable with e/o. I just wanted to talk to someone about this and i know you have discussed similar topics in the past. So yeah this was very long.

First of all, on request I won’t show your name, but thank you for sending me this and letting me know who you are. It’s always nice to know who is behind the question. But that being said I don’t mind people asking on anon, I totally get it being a lot easier to ask or question things when you don’t have to reveal yourself. Either way I am just glad to get interesting and important topics and I do think the things you bring up are worth talking about.

As you say, there is this thing when people start to feel and act superior for various reasons, and I too have seen some Vminies do this. Getting a lot of moments is sure nice. But honestly, just imagine if another ship came and mocked Vmin or gloated every time they got more moments. It has surely happened too, and I am sure it doesn’t feel very nice when on the negative end. Just be a decent human, ship moments will always vary and it’s great to be happy about getting moments, but there is no need to compare or look down on other ships. I say it again, shipping is not a competition, just enjoy your own ship and let others enjoy theirs.

As for feelings superior based on group behavior I think we really need to stop looking at groups and start looking at individuals, both when it comes to groups we are part of and groups we consider “bad”. I have said it many times, but individuals of other groups we don’t agree with won’t all be bad, or all stupid or young etc. We might want to tell ourselves they are worse, but it really doesn’t change much. 

Being “less bad” it not a merit and it shouldn’t be a competition. We all have our own selves to answer to and we should judge other people based on their actions and not based on what group they might belong to.

I think size and the toxicity of a narrative can lead to more people in certain groups behaving in toxic ways... But I think any person could happen to fall into these behaviors if not careful and aware. Often the change is gradual too, or you feel attacked by the other “rival group” and thus feel it’s justified to attack back, and so it escalates.

Vminies are at the moment as a group smaller, and thus have less “bad apples”. We likely also have a narrative for Vmin that doesn’t require as toxic mindsets, for example extreme jealousy or Vmin being forced to hide. But there for sure are still toxic Vminies, and there are also a lot of non-toxic shippers in all groups. Usually the louder ones are also the worst ones while the chill and nice will remain in their own lane and ship more peacefully. But being part of a smaller group doesn’t make you superior, your actions is what is important.

As for small moments getting noticed or other types of “validation” for your ship, of course it’s going to feel nice. However, what people see and think of any relationship in BTS is still just an outsider view and literally has no meaning for their actual relationship beyond it being a cute moment. That’s why size and popularity also doesn’t matter as any kind of “proof”. Interpretation will always just be interpretation, good or bad, if you like it or not.

Sadly I think we will get more and more toxic behavior from more ships as the fandom grows and as some things get more normalized within those ships’ communities. It’s about certain behaviors growing into a community culture... The more toxicity that is allowed the more others will follow. That’s why bringing up the problems is important, but trying to do so without shunning people so that they don’t go and create their own space where everyone else is the enemy. After all, being open and welcoming and understanding is much more likely to make someone listen and even change their mind than by attacking them.

I answer for my own actions. So does every person. I don’t want to be judged for everything every Vminie or ARMY or Multi K-pop fan etc. has done. Generalization is a huge problem in general, not just in fandoms or ship wars. I do try to be a positive influence, to not judge too harshly and to remember that being hostile won’t help any situation. But that’s about it. I am glad you brought up this topic, because talking about it is important, but sadly I don’t think there is a lot that can be done about it. Just try to be nice and open minded.

Thank you for the ask, I hope you all understood what I wanted to say.

Ask 4 - Not dismissing the bond between Vmin and the other boys

Thank you. I really see no need for it. It’s clear as day that they all love each other, and even if one pair would happen to be romantic instead of platonic that won’t change. We don’t have to compare and we definitely don’t have to downplay the moments they share with each other. All shippers should at the very least accept the the things they do and say as mostly genuine. I trust BTS and what they show us, it’s that easy.

I know some also get influenced by toxic fans, but we really need to remember that no narratives by fans matter when it comes to reality and what bonds BTS share with each other. They are all great people and seem to have such love and respect for each other I frankly don’t understand how you can be a fan if you think any of it is played up to the point some claim.

Likely no ship in BTS is real, but if any is, to me I am sure the ones involved would be happy and supported by the rest of the members. That’s why it doesn’t really matter what ship would be real or not real as long as they are happy. We shouldn’t let our own views and sometimes want or hopes affect the way be judge their reality. This applies for things outside shipping as well.

Thank you for your kind words. :)

Ask 5 - Other people’s words can influence your thoughts

Indeed. The brain is a powerful thing. This is very obvious if you are a multi-shipper or a general fan, but BTS truly has a lot of questionable moments between all kinds of pairs. Focus is a interesting thing. If you like something you will notice it more, and you will also remember it more while you forget other moments. Likewise if something is “negative” like a rival ship you are likely to notice them more as well. This happens even if you just watch the general content and get your own bias. Imagine then how it might influence you when others keep repeating either your happy interpretations or things you worry about? You’ll get it stuck in your head and remember it more than other things.

Like isn’t it funny how we might gush about Vmin sharing beds, or worry about ji/kook or tae/kook cuddling while hope/kook literally sleep wrapped around each other in both Bon Voyage 3 and 4? Sometimes it’s all about perspective.

By now we need to realize that fan perspective will influence us a lot. And in particular if a lot of people say it or if it is presented in a way that makes it sound logical and intelligent. Words have power. 

I still think using “Vmin is dead” or spreading worry often in itself leads to people thinking it and it being somehow accepted as fact. In similar fashion getting to hear about certain ships or certain narratives will make us notice things in relation to that. My own words and posts too will have influence on some people that read them. That’s why I try to be so careful, and why I try to avoid using strong words or claims that might cement themselves in someone’s mind. (I’ll actually talk more about the power of language in my big analysis as well)

Thank you for your input, it’s definitely an interesting thing to consider and another aspect of why shipping mentality is so complicated. 

Ask 6 - Vmin not sharing rooms in Bon Voyage Malta

Hi and yes, I have answered this before HERE, but it’s ok. I know it’s not easy finding old topics amongst my collection posts.

Collection of asks - BTSandVMIN Collection of asks 2 - BTSandVMIN Collection of asks 3 - BTSandVMIN

In short I think Vmin wanted to share rooms but that Taehyung got fooled when Jimin stopped him from checking the upper room. Because it seemed like Jimin stopped him from walking into that room by saying he couldn’t peak Tae probably assumed it wasn’t Jimin’s room and that when Jimin said it was his room he was joking (his face was definitely something). So yeah, I think he just got fooled by Jimin’s statement about not being allowed to look inside the room before picking. There are other interesting things about this whole moment, but the one thing we should take away from it is how it is one out of now many examples that seem to show that Vmin have a preference to share rooms/beds. Thank you for the ask. :)

Ask 7 - Has being a Vmin shipper always been so overwhelming with all the content?

I wouldn’t say it’s something recent. I say it often, but we really do get very intense periods from time to time with many of the ships. For example in February 2017 with ISAC, fan signs and everything else we got a lot of Vmin too. I remember being overwhelmed myself, and that was coming out of BST era Vmin. We got many moments every day and that’s just one specific period I can remember. 

 Over the years sometimes we do get these very intense days or weeks with a lot of moments at once. Usually I get asks like “do you think something is up with Vmin lately” or “wow I can’t believe how much Vmin we have gotten lately” but really, it’s hard to tell, because it really does happen from time to time. I also still say we always get Vmin moments regularly as long as we get BTS content, but sometimes a bit more and sometimes less. I am sure there will be more times when we also get “Vmin is dead“ and worried people because we get less moments than they expect. It just happens, up and down and around it goes.

As for what ships are big I will definitely say Ji/kook and Tae/kook are the biggest, but that all BTS ships are big by now. Meaning as soon as we do get moments it will be seen online. Especially if you follow people who talk about it of course. I also think what platform you are on can result in some ships being seen more than others. For example I know ji/kook is by far the biggest BTS ship here on Tumblr while Youtube seems to have more tae/kookers.

Thank you for the ask. Let’s hope Vmin keeps overwhelming us. (But let’s not start to worry if they don’t) ;)

Ask 8 - “Just a friend” interview

Ah yes, I have a bit of a soft spot for this interview myself. I am not sure, but I think it might be from 2017 (since Tae wrote a birthday letter to Jimin in 2016), or at least that’s when I found it and saved it down. I haven’t actually tracked the original source. You can find the translation in the link shared HERE, credits to @95z​.

Seeing this close after the chaos of Let’s BTS and other letter confessions it really does seem very cringe for them to express sincere thoughts in these more formal ways. I can’t blame them. 

I do think this interview is yet another example of how much Vmin has tried to adapt to each other, learn and be more open with expressing how they feel. They literally inspire and learn from each other in how to express themselves. Isn’t it completely endearing? 

I also love how they get each other to feel strong emotions and how they are there for each other when in need. On a slightly more analytical note I also can’t help but note the “just a friend” vs “soulmate” descriptions and how they seem to have a hard time putting it into proper words. We already know this of course, but yeah... They really don’t have an easy time describing their relationship.

Thank you so much for sharing this moment. I was going to talk about it in my big analysis anyways, but honestly I can’t save everything for it, and you mentioned it so who am I to keep it to myself.

Ask 9 - The garnet necklace

Oh yeah, I know that JK wore it once and that the talk was that a fan gave it to all of maknae line. Not much was ever confirmed from what I know, but regardless it doesn’t change why I think it’s a Vmin/soulmate necklace and why I see it as special.

Here is the thing, when I use “Vmin thing” it really doesn’t have to be exclusive. To me it’s the context around it and how they have used it and even reacted to it that makes the garnet necklace something special for Vmin. In the case of the soulmate necklace Vmin wore it a lot. Almost constantly during a big part of 2017 and even a bit into 2018. They also wore it at the same time a lot. I find this very cute, and we all know “couple items” is something all fans enjoy even if it would just be a platonic relationship behind it. But if both of them wearing it was all there was, as a lot of Vmin sharing clothes (or BTS in general sharing clothes) I wouldn’t really think too much about it beyond it being cute. It could still be just a cute thing that Vmin did, but I personally see it as something beyond the normal clothes/jewelry sharing.

(At the very least you can remember Vmin did this while people thought their relationship was dead, which doesn’t make much sense to do if you hate or dislike someone.)

The things I find more noteworthy about this necklace is the fact that the fandom picked up on it and because they wore it so much and so often at the same time it was dubbed the “soulmate necklace”. Possibly knowing this Tae also brought specific attention to the necklace at two times, as if wanting to show it off. Interestingly enough, in one of these times Jimin seemed to ignore Taehyung who was bringing attention to it on purpose. For me it came across as another thing Taehyung wanted to show off and that Jimin was a bit more careful about. 

Of course I could have read it wrong, maybe Jimin just misunderstood. But even so, Tae did bring attention to it in specific relation to Jimin. You can watch the clip HERE. (BTS Tell Us What They Love About Each Other & An Update On Tony & Nate From America Hustle Life) 

The other time was in Run ep. 39, right after Vmin talked about being in school together and showing off their school uniforms. If Tae is the one to try and highlight something, I feel it likely has some meaning to him at least.

Either way the necklace is basically a symbol of Vmin’s relationship and the fact that they liked it so much and wore it together during a long period I think they liked wearing it not only because they both happened to like the design but because they both had it. If JK also had one and didn’t use it of course it could include him, but I will still say it remains significant for Vmin’s bond with each other.

As for buying a necklace together they haven’t talked about this one in particular, but Tae did mention he bought his tiger necklace with Jimin in NY, so maybe you are mixing the two things up?

Ask 10 - Vmin in CMs

Thank you for loving my blog and for the ask! :) I am not sure if you perhaps meant in a lot of BTS own photoshoots/units as well, but I’ll focus on CMs in this post since that was your direct example. I might go a bit beyond here, but I saw it as a good chance to revisit some Vmin ad moments.

I wouldn’t personally say we have gotten “way more” but I do think because of their Friends unit they got to do some more interviews together and some CM stuff too. I also think we have gotten more BTS commercials in general now, likely because it’s an income alternative to touring during the pandemic. So that obviously means more CMs, and more chances for them to be paired up. They also have gotten paired with others of course (like in the Bodyfriend CM or Baskin Robbins), but most commonly they aren’t divided in smaller groups at all.

We also have gotten Vmin paired up before, both in photoshoots and in CMs. Of course we saw some great ones in 2016 with Puma and NUGU, but I don’t think we got that much more in 2016 and before than in 2017-2019. I think what we can see is BTS having more endorsements after Covid.

Like honestly, the Puma adds are iconic. Of course the original one, but also the revisits from 2018. Puma definitely seemed to like to pair Vmin in particular. (There are so many good examples from Puma that I’m not including)

We also got a snippet in the Hyundai one, also from 2018.

Another snippet from the Coconut Chicken ad from 2017.

I mean, I don’t know if I should count the snippets at all, like from BTS x VT cosmetics in 2019, but I feel sometimes just being seen in the same frame seems to get attention as being paired up so. (I decided to not include being together when it’s at least a third member in the frame)

And guys... Have you ever watched BTS and the milk song?

What did we get so far more recently? In 2020 we had the Hyundai interview.

And the hyundai #PositiveEnergyChallenge

Fila provided a nice one, also from 2020.

Samsung gave us a snippet recently.

Coway was basically couple goals and like the best one in my own opinion (besides Puma because it is going to take a lot to beat Puma).

But other than that? I don’t think we have seen it that much, have we? I am not complaining or anything, like I am happy with what we got, but I don’t know if it’s that much. I might forget some obvious ones, but these were the ones I had top of mind. Feel free to add ads if you can think of more recent ones that I left out.

So I think we have gotten more BTS ads in general, also more where they are not all of them or single focus, and that we have seen maybe Vmin getting paired a little more after Friends. But to me there is such a small difference I can’t really say if it is anything particular to Vmin or just BTS doing more CMs.

I mean, I don’t have a sheet of who has been paired with who and how many times over the years. But either way I don’t think we should look too deeply into things like CMs or even photoshoots units. Thanks for the ask though, I hope you enjoyed this mini collection. :)

Ask 11 - Taehyung uncomfortable about shipping/tae*kook?

So this is a thought sent in after THIS ASK though it really brings up a new subject, which is that of Tae possibly being uncomfortable with shipping. As for Tae saying that to a tae/kooker in particular I think we have to remember it could very easily just have been in the moment and we can’t know why he decided to reply to that person in particular.

The Vmin post was not invasive and it wasn’t romantic. I mean, I do think Tae keeps showing again and again that if there is any person in BTS that is special to him it’s Jimin. But the difference in the posts also likely matters, but we can’t know how much. We don’t know if Tae would feel annoyed if a Vminie wrote the same thing as the tae/kooker did, and we don’t know if it was just in that moment that he got fed up with the shipping discourse in general, or if it was because it was tae/kook.

Honestly any shipper, regardless if a ship would eventually prove to be real or not, should not go and invade spaces where the boys get exposed to it. We don’t know if Taehyung would have reacted in a similar way if it happened to be another ship.

Personally I don’t think tae/kook drifted apart as a result of shipping, because honestly they still kept being pretty intimate physically and engaged in fanservice on stage etc. If they truly were uncomfortable with the idea I just don’t think they would “feed it” much at all. I think as they said in ITS they just, kind of changed and it became harder to talk. I’ve talked more about tae/kook and my views on their bond in THIS POST and a little in THIS POST as well as about BTS possible stance on shipping HERE.

I also think all of BTS has a pretty good distance from hate and fandom speculations in general. I think that because they know about shipping and partly also feed into it they probably expect crazy people to some degree as well, even if they probably don’t like it. Hetero shippers as well, or solo stans etc. have very toxic behaviors at times, but I think BTS can recognize that it is kind of “bound to happen” with their popularity, no matter what they do about it. Not saying they would like it, and they could definitely feel awkward or annoyed because of it, but it doesn’t seem to bother them too much as I think they can detach themselves from it pretty well.

I also think “fan opinions” in form of rival shipping wouldn’t really harm a hidden couple as it first would likely be a sort of “shield” and second because they have their relationships and are likely comfortable with them on their own terms. What fans think is probably secondary.

It is possible that they could get annoyed or frustrated at times, but again, if they truly felt bothered by it they probably wouldn’t do a lot of the things they do. Because I am sure they are aware to some degree that fans scrutinize their every move and ship moments. Both Tae and Jimin are some of the most physical out of the members, and also some of the members that seem to like to initiate fanservice moments... So I doubt they would have much problem and can feel secure enough in their relationship no matter what fans think.

Ask 12 - What did Jimin write on his shirt in Run ep. 53?

Hi, I guess you got curious after I talked about this episode recently in my post Ask: Reply - 2021.03.30 (Ask 8 - Going down the rabbit hole, micromoments and shipping vs believing).

I don’t know hangul, but I do know what “Jimin” looks like. On Jimin’s shirt from behind the scenes of Run ep. 53 you can see he’s written his own name “지민” Jimin followed by what looks to be “ 님 “ which is nim. So basically the text on the container in the picture says Sir Jimin.

Jimin seemed very keen on writing his name on both his own shirt and on Tae’s and even tried on JK’s. He failed of course, but he sure did try. 

Thank you for the ask, and isn’t Tae cute?

Ask 13 - Gina Maeng ask follow up

Glad you liked my reply. :) (From Ask: Reply - 2021.03.30  Ask 4 - Idols dating members of the same group). Yeah I get what you mean, talking about it openly I suppose isn’t so normal. But since it seems to be more and more fans who assume it happens to some degree maybe it’s not so strange if it starts getting more talked about as well. I’ll take it as a good sign, even if the information is nothing new in itself, being more open is going to make it easier for fans to realize it’s possible for their idols to be LGBT+ or have hidden relationships.

As for K-Population it doesn’t seem to be too well known, but it’s one of few actual examples to be found. So yeah, interesting that we know it has happened, and also that it shows what risks it could mean to get involved with a group member. I think the risk of a falling out is something a lot of shippers tend to forget. Anyways, thank you for your reply. ^_^

Ask 14 - Vmin’s love is beautiful (and so much nice praise omg)

Oh my... I am not sure I have ever been called sweetheart by anyone ever before. Thank you! You are making me blush with all the praise.  💜💜💜

But really, we can all just watch Vmin in awe and be happy they have each other and feel such immense love for each other, no matter what that love is. It’s kind of amazing. Like even if they are platonic their relationship is so wholesome and they put so much love and effort into it that it’s truly inspirational. I love when we get bombed with moments like this with a very intense period of great Vmin interactions. As you, me too never fail to feel all soft watching them together.

95z is love and what a love they share. Truly wonderful. 💜

You take care too, and really, thank you so much for this lovely message. it means a lot and is very heartwarming.

And with that sweet ask I’ll end the post. There was a lot of very different questions and I feel I could have written more about many of them, but alas I need to remember I can’t write full essays on everything or I would never get anything posted. Thank you all for reading and I hope you found my thoughts and speculations interesting. ^-^

[bronan]

Stanford!!

BUT OF COURSE

send me a character and i’ll list:

favorite thing about them - I love Stanford's bravery. Despite being terrified of so much, he'll never ever hesitate to throw himself headlong into danger to protect a loved one. He talks a big game and drives his friends crazy, but you can just tell that he loves them so so so much and demonstrates it all the time by his actions when shit hits the fan. Stanford found a group of people who, likewise, love him despite all of his... eccentricities, lol, and I think he may not be used to that so it just feels right to give everything he has to make sure they're safe. Even if it means something might happen to him. I think this is one of his biggest strengths that shines through when he needs it most and it shows how human he is. It's not that he's a coward, he's actually pretty realistic and a lot of the time I feel like his bitching is a huge mood, lol. I really like how he's hellbent on confronting his fears like, "I am a Rhodes and I'm not going to be defeated by the ghost of my great uncle Stansted even though I am actively metaphorically shitting my pants the entire time" etc. (was that his dead uncle's name LMAO I can't remember...) Long story short, I think Stanford's pride drives him but also his incredible love for his friends and family and I think he finds a great source of strength in said friends/family which allows him to do amazing things. Like tame a flying leech in record time, or put his car between a tank and a hard place (and potentially becoming a Stanford Pancake - all for the sake of loved ones). I always thought Stanford's biggest strength lied in his ability to form honest, genuine bonds with others which fuels his protective personality. He would have been an interesting temporary leader or even right hand man to Vert if given the chance.

least favorite thing about them - I hate that his car canonically stinks it's so cringe can you cut this poor man a break already

favorite line - I think my favorite line of stanford's is every single one that he spits with such vitriol. yes king tell us how you really feel don't hold anything back for anyone ever I support your right to bitch and moan loudly about every unsatisfactory thing in the world

brOTP - stan and simon of course. of course. my kingdom to see them mend their relationship and grow closer, confide in each other but still give each other tons of shit all the time. I'd love to see them have a quiet and serious conversation for once. Simon stepping in as the bigger brother to help stanford out when he's not feeling confident, stanford leaping up to defend and even gloat about simon's abilities when someone tries to talk shit etc. Like "only I, stanford isaac rhodes iv, can talk shit about MY BROTHER you MUPPET" can you imagine 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 - stan and zoom is big up there too. I think stanford is really a huge empath and would be there for zoom when he really needs someone. And zoom is a lot of fun and would probably drag stanford out to do stupid shit that he's terrified of but does anyway because at this point it's a matter of PRIDE okay (imagine zoom and AJ being like "stanford let's fucking GOOOOO" and as soon as stanford sees the two of them together he's like NOPE) - stan and vert of course....... simon you really need to step your game up before stanford replaces you with like ten other brother candidates. I think stan and vert have a lot of funny potential together, stan's freaking out and vert's like DUDE you gotta calm down and because it's vert and he's got this steady and reassuring way about him stan's like GOD FINE... and vert just kicks down stanford's door one day and sits down and stanford's like oh mate what happened this time... stanford knows it's bad if vert comes to HIM to complain because that means HE didn't cause whatever it was this time sklfksdgfk

OTP - Stan/AJ is probs my favorite pairing with Stanford tbh... I really liked how AJ helped Stanford chill out and focus when they were hurtling down an ice tunnel at 500 mph with enemies on their heels. And it was just really, really cute to me the way AJ took this instant shine to Stanford 🥺 I think AJ sees things in people they may not necessarily be able to see on their own and I like to think he's good at just kind of... gently drawing it out of them by being encouraging and kind and silly and just taking all the pressure and hard work out of it by being himself.

nOTP - I can't ever allow Stan and Vert to date because when simon and jack get married that would be impossibly weird sorry guys - stan/grace again I'm sorry king it will never happen. grace girl you MUST run into agura's arms as fast as you can girl -stan/zoom....not my cup of tea, I just really enjoy them having a brotherly bond

random headcanon - I'm cheating on this one by making it about simon too but I really love to imagine that stanford is honestly pretty torn up about losing his teddy bear like that, man... but he doesn't talk about it because idk he's being weird and private about it (probably mourning it tbh and trying to put on a brave face)... so simon finally joins the team, makes some remark about stanford asking if he still "sleeps with that teddy bear," promptly finds out that bear was heroically sacrificed in an epic battle (and picks up on how saddened stanford is by that like... he knows your emotionally devastated face stanford he's probably caused it like 50,000 times himself you can't hide from him), and then GOES TO THE VANDAL HOMEWORLD by himself to hunt for it so he can get it back to stanford. IT'S CUTE I want to see Simon go out of his way for stanford when he sees him trying to be strong about something that really bothers him and I want to see Stanford feel genuinely appreciated and SEEN by Simon I need it in my life STAT. It's cute until simon's like alright you owe me BIG TIME and then brags for like two weeks about how he went scuba diving for a teddy bear all for the sake of his sad poor little baby brother - ok I had to add one more. I think stanford is the best driver on the team. He drives like an absolute madman and does all kinds of crazy james bond shit in it. He is a REALLY GOOD DRIVER man

unpopular opinion - hmm.... I don't think I have any for him. Maybe that I firmly believe he and Simon love each other lol

song i associate with them - Silence by Marshmello for big depression vibes

favorite picture of them

I feel like this one just encompasses all that is...Stanford. lol.

[fedonciadale]

How are you so judgmental of SanSan shippers when you ship Hermione Granger with someone who called her a racist slur, gleefully hoped the basilisk would kill her, and enthusiastically supported an organization that wanted to murder and torture people like her (at least until he got in too deep and turned on them because he was scared for his own sake). I'm not saying Dramione's as bad as SanSan (at least there's no paedophilia), but it's still a pot kettle situation.

Hi there!

There's a lot to untangle there...

I could just answer with 'I ship what I want' or 'ever heard about ship and let ship'. I feel absolutely entitled to have a OTP in one fandom and a NOTP in another. I always tag correctly, so if you don't want to see my posts on Dramione just blacklist....

I just assume you're from the ASOIAF / Got fandom, because in my year of writing for Dramione I've yet to get shit from the HP fandom, and Dramione is hated in parts of the fandom. Yet, the concept of ship and let ship is far more ingrained in that fandom - which might be because the books are finished. I wasn't there for the drama of Harmony against Romione.

1) a minor detail: I've always read mudblood as a classicist slur as in 'blue blooded' against 'peasant' because a 'pure' lineage is essentially an idea about 'noble superiority'. Yes, the purity of nobility idea overlaps with racism in part because in a way all -isms tend to overlap.

2) I don't say anything bad about Sansan shippers. There is a difference between having a dislike for a ship and insulting the shippers. I only interact with SanSan shippers when they come into my ask box and try to convince me their ship is canon. I don't know their reasons for shipping SanSan. They can play their headcanons on repeat and I don't care and I would not deduce anything about their persons just because of who the ship because

3) there is a difference between canon-shipping and just shipping. I can ship Obi-wan Kenobi with Legolas if I want to. Canon - shipping is about where I think a story is headed. And my beef with SanSan is entirely about the insistence of some shippers that it is basically 'canon'. Newsflash : It is not. Refuting arguments about canon Sansan is about the interpretation of GRRM's work. About where it is headed. It is about how I interprete Sansa's arc. It's about how I see GRRM's so-called nihilism. In the unlikely case GRRM chooses to make SanSan canon, my beef will be with the author. (Although I freely admit that I would hate them gloating - I'd probably channel my frustration into Jonsa fics where the Hound dies).

4) I do not ship Dramione as a canon ship and I never did although I liked the potential since book four. I always knew JKR was going to go for Romione. Never liked the ship regardless of that. Canon bent Dramione is excellent enemies to lovers and the whole point of shipping them is for Draco to leave his canon persona behind. There is a reason that 'Draco apologises' is usually a point to meet in a Dramione fic. Which leads me to

5) I ship Dramione out of spite. Because I absolutely adore some JKR'S ideas and detest others. You can get me to ship (almost) any Slytherdor ship just because I'm so offended that there are no good Slytherins in canon. Give me Panville, NottPott, flood the HP fandom with Slytherdor ships and I hope with every new fanfic in that category, JKR will feel the need to shudder. Ship Slytherdor to piss off JKR.

Now for 6) There is a huge difference between Sandor Clegane and Draco Malfoy and it's not only because ASOIAF is way darker. Let's sum this up O.k : the Hound is a grown man who likes killing, who at least killed one literal child we know of, when he could just have pretended he didn't find the boy, who lusts after a 12 year old girl, who admits that he wanted to rape her... And people say he's destined to get with that girl. I think he'll get a semi-redemption by dying for one of the Stark girls, but that's it.

Then there is Draco Malfoy an entitled brat, brainwashed into feeling superior, a literal child and teenager who despite all his upbringing refuses to cross the line to kill an old dying man (despite his family probably going to suffer for that). Sry, the moment Draco decided not to kill Dumbledore is not because he was 'scared for his own sake' and it's not cowardice either. It's about not crossing that line. And that alone redeems him if you look at what huge issue the killing curse is in JKR's world.

So, sorry not sorry, Dramione and SanSan are not in the same league. Not at all. Light years apart. And that Dramione is not a ship between a grown ass man and a child is just the basics.

As we say in German. I'm not going to put that shoe on. It does not fit.

[anomander-dragnipurake]

Bowser’s Castle Chapter One: Anger

First off, this fic is an alternate path for Possessed, breaking off from it at the end of part one. Second, the reason it exists: Bowuigi is my OTP for this fandom. So while playing Superstar Saga for the first time, when I reached the part where Cackletta possesses Bowser, which happened around the time I started working on part 2 of Possessed, I naturally made the connection that Bowletta and Booigi are very similar in nature. My next thought was that after that experience perhaps Bowser would be disgusted by the idea of possession and thus wish to do something about King Boo possessing Luigi which was the sole thought that ultimately led to this fic. And I know It's implied at the end that Bowser doesn't remember anything that happened to him while Cackletta was controlling and that he doesn't even know that that's what happened but that's less fun so we're just going to ignore that for the sake of the fic.

~

Luigi’s car was still where King Boo had parked it, making it easy to circle round to it and find. Where to now? Luigi asked with a mental sigh as King Boo hopped in.

‘Uh…’ King Boo paused, holding Luigi’s hand on the ignition. ‘I don’t actually know. I didn’t think this idea would work so I didn’t plan for anything beyond this point. … You don’t have any more friends, do you?’

No. Unlike Mario he’d never been good at making friends. And the few friends he’d met in adventures, he’d never had the courage to try to keep in contact with them.

King Boo laughed. ‘You’re so pathetic, it’s funny.’

Luigi already knew he was pathetic; he knew it better than anyone. There was nothing funny about it though; he hated it even while lacking the willpower to change it.

‘Whatever though. I can think of at least one more person who should have a fun reaction to this situation.’

Who? Out of decency most people would dislike this situation but Luigi couldn’t think of anyone else who’d have a ‘fun reaction’.

King Boo didn’t reply as he started the car at last. Apparently, Luigi would just have to wait and see.

***

“Lord Bowser sir, King Boo’s here to see you,” the goomba said as they poked their head into the room. “He’s possessing an uh… ‘meatsuit’ as he calls it and he says he wants to talk to you. He’s waiting for you in the throne room.” Message delivered, they fled, as most goombas tended to do for fear of getting yelled at for delivering unwanted news, and thus no clarifying questions could be asked.

“King Boo’s the one who beat Mario up, right?” Bowser Jr. said before Bowser could even decide if he wanted to bother with trying to call the goomba back for more questions.

From the way Bowser had heard it, ‘beating up Mario’ wasn’t quite what King Boo had done. It was close enough though so… “Yeah, supposedly three times.” And Bowser was jealous about it but he wasn’t about to show that in front of his son.

Looking back down at the kitten still carefully cradled in his hands – Bowser had been teaching him the proper way to handle them – Junior gave her another little pet. “Maybe that’s what he wants to talk to you about. If you two teamed up, you’d be unstoppable, right? You could take over the whole Mushroom Kingdom and more.”

“Maybe, I don’t know.” And it that was it, would Bowser go with that idea? On one hand it would be a guaranteed victory against Mario but on the other it would mean working with King Boo.

“Let’s go see then. I want meet him.” With exaggerated care, Junior gently placed the kitten back on the cat bed with her siblings and mama before hopping up and rushing out of the room. He didn’t even bother to close the door behind him.

With a sigh, Bowser rose to his feet too. He’d have preferred to ignore King Boo until he left but it probably wouldn’t have worked anyway. Might as well go see what he wanted to hopefully get rid of him fairly quickly.

Moving far slower than Junior meant Junior reached the throne room well before Bowser did. Upon approaching it, Bowser could hear his chatter from halfway down the hall.

“… still in there? Or is he like gone now?”

King Boo’s reply was spoken much softer, rendering it indecipherable. Which was odd all by itself but his voice didn’t sound as high pitched as it should.

“Isn’t that going a bit far then? Like… it’s kind of super creepy to think about even if he is one of the bad guys.”

Bowser reached the throne room. Junior had perched himself on the arm of the throne so that he would thoroughly tower over the fellow that stood at the bottom of the throne’s dais who was decidedly not King Boo because he was human.

“His suffering is the whole point though,” the fellow said. He then turned his grin towards Bowser. “Hey Bowser, it’s been while, huh?”

"Who are you?" He was familiar but Bowser couldn’t place where he’d seen him before.

“You really don’t recognize me? I guess that’s to be expected though. It’s a-me King Boo.” He laughed, very boo-like but also very not. “And guess what I’ve done.”

Bowser’s scowl deepened to hind his confusion because why and how was King Boo suddenly human and why did Bowser recognize him? “What?”

“I’ve thoroughly defeated the Mario bros, so much so, they had me captured in a cell but Mario let me go almost right away. Not that he could’ve kept me locked up for long anyway but that’s beside the point. I’ve utterly defeated them, something you’ve failed to do time and time again.”

With an angry growl, Bowser strode all the way over to grab King Boo by the neck to lift him to face height. “How?” He was clearly missing something here and he didn’t like it. He also didn’t like King Boo’s new form or him coming here to gloat about defeating Bowser’s enemy.

“Even as stupid as you are, I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that this body of mine is familiar.” He seemed totally unphased by Bowser’s manhandling. “That’s because it’s Luigi’s, Mario’s brother, I possessed him and am now using him as a meatsuit.”

Bowser’s initial flash of rage at being called ‘stupid’ was immediately replaced by revulsion. Possession and his body being controlled by another being was something he had personal experience with and honestly it was probably the worst thing that had ever happened him, he still had nightmares about it sometimes. So this disgusted him on a personal level.

“Stop it,” he said, squeezing King Boo’s neck a little harder.

“Stop what?”

“Possessing him!”

Another boo-like laugh that sounded creepily strange coming from a voice that wasn’t a boo’s. “You disapprove, really? And here I was thinking you’d just be jealous over how thoroughly I beat the Mario bros when you never could.”

“It’s disgusting so stop it.” Bowser breathed a puff of smoke in his face.

“Nope! And there’s nothing you can do to make me stop. Unless you want to kill Luigi, I guess. It would be a disappointedly quick end to my game but go ahead if…”

Bowser growled and headbutted him as hard enough to make his own head hurt a little. King Boo made another small laugh that faded out as he went limp, his eyes sliding shut.

“Uh… Papa, did you just knock him out?”

Bowser turned to face Junior, still standing on the throne’s armrest. “This is disgusting.” He gestured with the limp body. Junior hadn’t been there for the incident with Cackletta so he probably didn’t get why Bowser was so enraged by this. He didn’t have time to explain right now though because he had to deal with it.

“KAMEK!” He stamped his foot hard enough to shake the whole room a little.

It was maybe a grand total of five seconds before little old Kamek was rushing into the room.  “Yes, Lord Bowser?” he said, wheezing a little from the run over.

“Take care of this,” he said, pushing the now not so green fellow towards Kamek.

“Um… may I ask what this is? And what exactly you’d like me to do with it.”

Bowser groaned but thankfully, Junior, hopped down from his perch to explain the situation better and faster than Bowser probably ever could. He was a smart kid.

“Okay so uh… you want me to get King Boo out of him?” Kamek asked when the explanation was finished.

“Yes!” Bowser thrust the body towards him again.

“Sir, I don’t intend to be contrarian but this is King Boo we’re talking about here, I’m not sure if I can…”

“Just do it!” Bowser stomped his foot again. This was his castle; things were done his way here. If he wanted King Boo forced out of Greenie’s body, then Kamek was going to find a way to do it whether he liked it or not.

“Yes sir.”  Kamek saluted before gesturing a couple shyguys over to take the body from Bowser to carry away presumably to his lab.

“Does this mean we’re going to be at war with King Boo’s kingdom now?” Junior asked after all the minions had filed away and it was just the two of them again.

“I don’t know and I don’t care.” It would probably be awkward if that did happen because some of his minions were boos, asking them to fight their own kind was bound to cause issues. Also, how did one wage war against ghosts? Yeah sure, sometimes boos could be defeated by physical force, but normal ghost certainly couldn’t be. But those were only potential future problems and thus he wasn’t going to worry about how to deal with them until they came to pass. For now, he was angry and wanted to punch something until it broke into a million pieces.

[melroesplace]

Gonna steal your question and ask for your top 10 ships of all time for Valentine's Day :D

Ok this is super late (and also super fucking long) because it took forever to narrow down my top 100 ships to only 10, but here we go:

1. Ron & Hermione (Harry Potter)

My very first OTP and still my favorite.  Their slow burn development from enemies to friends to lovers makes this the best relationship of the entire HP franchise.  Haters can deny it all they want, but these 2 have always and will always belong together.  Harry & Hermione would be together if Ron wasn’t around?  Nope, Hermione and Harry was pining for Ron when he was away in Deathly Hollows.  Ron & Hermione will get divorced because of their arguments?  Lol you thought, they are planning to renew their vows after 20 years of marriage.  I’m sort of gloating now, but Idc because this is one of the very few endgame ships I have.

2. Zuko & Katara (A:TLA)

In the exact opposite of what happened with Romione, this was my first ship that wasn’t canon and the first one to make me cry angry tears over the fact.   Zutara introduced me to the dark side of my fangirl, engaging in shipping wars, hating on Bryke for not getting them together even tho I should’ve known it was never gonna happen.  I’m not proud of everything my preteen self did in the Avatar fandom, but *tune of God Bless the USA* I’m proud to be a Zutarian, where at least there’s fans like me  They are twin flames, 2 sides of the same coin, and forever friends.  Plus, Dante Basco and Mae Whitman shipped them, so neener neener neener.  (Sorry, my 12 yr old fangirl came out a bit)

3. Katniss & Peeta (The Hunger Games)

#RelationshipGoals  That is all.  Ok, not really.  I love seeing a hardened badass fighter like Katniss with such a gentle soul like Peeta.  He is her anchor, she is his passion, and I am their bitch.  No matter how many times I read the books or watch the movies, I fall to pieces over them in the best way.  And to think when I first started reading the books, I was convinced Peeta would end up dead because all the signs seemed to be pointing that way.  I’ve never been so glad to be wrong in my life.

4. Magnus & Alec (Shadowhunters)

Let me start this off with #SaveShadowhunters.  I will miss Malec, I will miss the Malec fandom and I will especially miss the showrunners being so lovely to the fans.  After being disappointed by JKR, Bryke, Plec, and Shonda, it is such a relief to feel validated by a creator.  Todd, Darren, and Matt Hastings are real supporters of the LGBT community who actually listen to fans’ concerns and fight to include as much diversity as they can get away with.  I’ve never watched a show that treated an interracial same sex couple the same (or imo better) as all the other couples.  Magnus & Alec had me at “Who are you?” with their amazing chemistry.  I love one badass shadowhunter/warlock team who are also adorable boyfriends.

5. Jackie & Hyde (That 70s Show)

Sigh…..what could have been.  I will never understand how the writers could throw out such an amazing relationship after so many years together.  Jackie & Hyde are the epitome of the Opposites Attract trope.  Hyde is a sarcastic little shit and Jackie is a materialistic snob and they love each other exactly as they are.  He keeps her grounded and she makes him open up.  Since I don’t consider season 8 canon, I like to imagine Hyde opening up his own record shop in Chicago so that Jackie could pursue her dream.  They’re still together.

6. Isak & Even (Skam)

Just look at these pure babies!  You should really watch this show if you haven’t already.  I think you would love them and I don’t mind spoiling that they’re endgame so you don’t have to worry about that.  Evak probably have the hottest chemistry of everyone on this list, but they’re also 100% soft boyfriends.

7. Bonnie & Jeremy (Vampire Diaries)

TVD is responsible for at least a quarter of my ships, but Beremy was my first OTP from the show.  After watching everyone treat Bonnie like little more than a magic wand for over a year, it was nice to see someone want her simply for her.  Jeremy didn’t care about what Bonnie could do for him, he genuinely admired her strength and morals.  Bonnie stopped seeing him as her best friend’s kid brother and saw him for the hot, strong protector he is.  I will never forgive the writers for ruining their relationship twice, but I still head canon that Bonnie & Jeremy reunited as adults.

8. Harry & Uma (Descendants)

My favorite thing about Huma is that Harry is a hook wielding maniac who is also completely head over heels in love with Uma, a beautiful black girl who is Captain of their pirate crew.  He is unapologetic in how utterly devoted he is to her and even tho she keeps her feelings close to the vest, it is obvious Uma has a soft spot for her First Mate.  My least favorite thing about Huma is that despite the overwhelming evidence, I still don’t know if they’re an actual couple.  I hope D3 clears that up.

9. Dante & Ari (Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe)

*There are plenty of amazing fan art of them, I just couldn’t decide which one to post*

You should read this book if you haven’t already, it classic coming-of-age queer literature.  Ari is an introverted smart ass kid with no friends until he meets cinnamon roll Dante.  These are my favorite type of relationships to see/read, especially when its a slow burn like this.  Idk what else to say other than how much I love these two makes my heart ache in a good way.  Right after finishing the book, I went back and reread my favorite parts.

10. Kelly/Yorkie (Black Mirror)

My favorite wlw ship only appears on 1 episode of a tv anthology, that’s how amazing they are.  I relate so much to Yorkie, uncomfortable in my own skin and socially awkward.  All I want is someone like Kelly who can bring me out of my shell, but still love me for who I am.  Their relationship honestly gives me hope that even someone like me (with little relationship experience) can maybe find love.  You know, if I ever leave my damn house for anything other than work.

[verycharismaticdragon]

Here's a challenge: ghetsis for the character thingie (if you don't want to I don't blame you)

favorite thing about them

He's a very effective villain.

least favorite thing about them

Too effective in fact, I literally can't even think about shit he said to N without going into pre-panic state. Although I guess (hope) that's not a lot of other people's experience.

Other than that uh everything?

favorite line

Again, in the 'effective villain' way:

"I'm doing this out of kindness. Yes, kindness. I'm making sure the Champion doesn't get hurt for no reason. Granted, the moment when someone loses all hope... I really do love to watch that moment."

Basically this is the first time he shows his real colors not by accident, but because he believes he won and he wants to fucking gloat.

brOTP

I'm 100% sure Ghetsis doesn't think of anyone as his equal, so I don't think there could be such thing as a brotp with him.

OTP

OTP is a strong word but from what I heard/read... Rainbow Rocket Giovanni/Ghetsis makes sense. Like, "belong in the same garbage can" sense.

nOTP

I would like to take this moment to say, from the bottom of my heart, fuck people who ship protag/Ghetsis.

random headcanon

He's not in any way related to Harmonia line. He had tried to awaken the legendary dragon himself but failed, and was sure that not actually being a Harmonia was the reason. And that's why he hates BW protag so much: they didn't just foil his plans, they proved that someone could do what he could not, despite being, in his mind, a nobody from the middle of nowhere.

unpopular opinion

Saw quite a few times people comparing him to Lusamine (specifically in 'abusive parent' way) and saying that next to her he was "cartoonish" in his villainy but like... yes nobody's abusive dad is trying to steal magical creatures from people so he is the only one that can use them, but nobody's abusive mom is trying to open a portal to the dimension full of dangerous creatures either. Take away those fantastical elements and both of them are quite realistic as abusive parents, and just because you experiences line up with one and not the other, doesn't mean the opposite isn’t true for someone else. Just like... be mindful, yeah?

song i associate with them

it took me half an hour to find because I couldn't remember anything about the song except the general feel of dread but: Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums (Hecteli Remix) - A Perfect Circle

favorite picture of them

Favorite is a strong word but I like this one, because up to this moment (with his walking sprite) he seems composed, confident even, and then in this one you can see he’s losing it, and that effect is reached simply by putting his hand up, so like. Visual storytelling!

[no6secretsanta]

For @just-something-miraculous​, prompt from my trusty OTP prompt list, #40 - “At the happiest you had ever been” Hope you have a great New Year! <3

- @glittercracker​

Shion On Ice!!!

“Come on, Nezumi, we’re going to be late!” Shion called from the entryway closet, where he was gathering equipment.

“Tell me again why I have to do this?” Nezumi grumbled, pulling on a heavy sweater as he came out of the bedroom.

“Because it’s the grand opening of the holiday ice rink, and it’s a show of support for – ”

“Ah, yes.” In an excellent imitation of Shion’s voice, he continued, “ – our civil engineers and donors who put so much time, effort and money – ” he punctuated the word with a glare as he pulled on his boots “ – into this venture for the good of…well, let’s face it, their own image.”

Shion sighed. “You memorized the brochure?”

“I’m pretty sure the brochure didn’t have that last part,” Nezumi said, wrapping his scarf around his neck before he put on his jacket. “And no: I memorized you reading me the brochure, every day, for at least a month.”

Shion looked up. Nezumi looked back, clearly grumpy, but not yet to the point of mutiny. “Look, if you really don’t want to go, I’m not going to make you. But I’ve been so busy at the hospital lately, and we haven’t even been to see the New Year’s decorations yet, and I finally have time off, and people kind of expect me to be there and if you aren’t there they’ll ask why – ”

“Enough!” Nezumi growled. “I’ll go, once, if it means you’ll shut up about it.”

Shion smiled. He’d gotten much better at getting the better of Nezumi in the year since he’d been back. “Just once,” he assured him. “And I mean, you might like it? I know I’ve only had a few lessons, but I like it.”

Nezumi sighed. “Let’s go, before I change my mind.”

“Wait, one thing first.” Shion reached back into the cupboard, and pulled out a gift-wrapped box.

“What is this?”

“A New Years present.”

“I’m pretty sure that isn’t a thing, Shion.”

“A birthday present.”

“My birthday was two months ago.”

Shion sighed, nearing exasperation. “Please, just open it!”

Nezumi pulled off the bright wrapping paper, revealing a cardboard box with a brand name and a size on it. His shoe size. He glanced up suspiciously at Shion.

“It won’t bite, Nezumi,” Shion said.

Nezumi opened the box. Inside was a pair of brand-new black figure skates. “Shion,” he began.

“Don’t argue! The rental ones are terrible, and you’ll have a much better chance of having a good time in these ones. Or at least not falling too much. Now let’s go!” Shion took the skates out of the box, snapped on guards and put them in his own skating bag, then grabbed Nezumi’s hand and pulled him out the door.

Nezumi was very quiet as they walked toward the center of town, where the outdoor rink had been constructed outside the Moon Drop. Shion kept stealing glances at him, hoping that he hadn’t pushed too far on this one. But the winter had already been long and cold, and he was desperate to get out of the house, to do something mindless and fun with his boyfriend.

He was hopeful that Nezumi wouldn’t entirely hate it, given that his demeanor wasn’t miserable, or rebellious – he had grown much more adept at reading the other man’s expressions since they’d been back together than he had been when they were younger. He didn’t know whether that was down to his own intervening life experience, or a softening in Nezumi. Probably a bit of both. At any rate, Nezumi didn’t look angry, but he didn’t look comfortable. He looked, if anything, like he was trying to solve a complicated math problem, and was stubbornly refusing to let himself ask for help. Whatever it was, hopefully skating would take his mind off of it.

Or, more realistically, attempting to stay upright. Shion still had bruises from his last few lessons, which he’d taken at a sports facility in anticipation of this grand opening. He wasn’t a city official anymore, but he was still a well-known figure, and if he had to attend this opening, he wanted to do it without entirely disgracing himself.

When they reached the rink, there was a line for tickets, but the woman at one of the booths recognized Shion and waved them through with a smile. “Lovely to see you here, Doctor,” she said.

“I wouldn’t have missed it. Wish us luck – it’s my boyfriend’s first time skating.”

“Good thing he’s with the best doctor in town, then,” she said, winking.

They passed through the gate and toward the seating area. Shion could feel Nezumi glaring at the back of his head, and he smiled to himself. Good: his words to the ticket lady had worked. Now Nezumi saw this as a challenge, and he wouldn’t give up easily.

They sat down, pulled off their shoes and began to lace up their skates. “Make sure you don’t lace them too tightly,” Shion told Nezumi. “They aren’t broken in, and they’ll hurt if you do.”

“Right,” Nezumi said, his skates already laced.

The tension looked about right to Shion, so he concentrated on his own. When he looked back, Nezumi had taken off one of the skate guards and was fingering the blade. “Careful,” Shion said. “I had them sharpened. They can cut you right now.”

“Hmm,” was all that Nezumi said, and he snapped the guard back on. Then, abruptly, he gave Shion a smile, something like mischief glinting in his eyes. “So – are you ready to show me how this is done?”

What, Shion wondered, did that look mean? Was Nezumi preparing to gloat in the likely event that Shion fell on his ass? Or was he planning to undermine all of this in some other, subtle, peculiarly Nezumi way?

Of course, asking would get him nowhere, so instead he answered the question: “I mean, I’m no expert, but I have more experience than you. Don’t be afraid to hang onto the boards. I wouldn’t hang onto me if I were you; that will end in disaster.”

“Right,” Nezumi said, as Shion wound their fingers tightly together and guided him toward the ice.

There were a number of people already out, most skating in perfunctory loops, little children clinging to the boards, and one or two more proficient skaters practicing spins or small jumps in the center. The rink had been built with a roof, but the sides were open to allow a view of the surrounding park, decorated for the holiday, its trees wrapped in multi-colored fairy lights that gleamed in the falling dusk. Cheerful music pumped from speakers overhead, and more strings of lights hung in loops from the roof. Still holding tightly to Nezumi’s hand, Shion stroked out carefully to join the flow of other skaters. He expected Nezumi to wobble, maybe to fall, but his balance seemed to be decent, even if he wasn’t moving very fast. Well, that made sense, Shion thought. He was a dancer, after all.

They made the rounds of the rink a few times, and then Nezumi said, “You must have learned more than skating forward in all those lessons. Why don’t you show me what you can do?”

Shion looked over at him. “Are you sure? I mean, is it okay if I let go of you?”

“I’ll stop if I have to,” Nezumi said, and there was a tone in his voice that matched the odd, bright spark that hadn’t left his eyes. It was almost – gleeful?

“Alright,” he said, crossing his arms and facing Nezumi down. “What are you planning?”

Nezumi blinked at him, all innocence. “Planning? What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’ve been weird ever since we left the house. And you have that look.”

“What look?”

“The one you have when you have a trick up your sleeve. Are you waiting to film me taking a nose dive?”

Nezumi smirked. “That’s exactly it. You got me.”

“Nezumi.”

“Just show me what you can do.”

Shion sighed, knowing full well that Nezumi was indeed planning something, also knowing that he’d never get it out of him. “Okay, well,” he said, “I can’t do much, but I’m learning crossovers and a two-footed spin.”

“Then let’s see them,” Nezumi said, skating alongside him far better than Shion had skated his first time out.

Shion sighed. Nezumi had definitely been born with unfair advantages when it came to using his body…at the thought, although he hadn’t said it out loud, he flushed crimson and stumbled on a crossover. He managed not to fall, and turned to see Nezumi smirking.

“Something distracting you, Your Majesty?”

“No! Of course not,” Shion said too quickly, and to cover his fluster he launched himself into a two footed spin – which was going relatively well, until he leaned too far back and lost his footing, sprawling on the ice.

“Honestly, Nezumi,” he said as Nezumi reached out a hand to him, “if you try to help me up, we’ll both end up down here.”

Nezumi’s smirk softened into a smile. “You sure about that, Your Majesty?”

Before Shion could answer, Nezumi had both of his hands and was pulling him to his feet, without the slightest waver in his balance. Once Shion was upright, Nezumi said, “Hurt anywhere?”

Shion shook his head. “There will be bruises, but – Nezumi, what are you doing?” This, as Nezumi pulled Shion close. He whispered in his ear, “Showing you how this is done.” And with a graceful sweep of one leg, Nezumi launched the two of them into a spin. Shion could only hold on, breathless and dizzy, when Nezumi finally stopped them, and dropped a kiss on Shion’s lips, parted in shock.

“Nezumi…you can skate?”

Nezumi laughed. “Looks that way, doesn’t it?”

“But…when…how…?”

Tucking Shion’s arm through his, he led them back into the stream of skaters, this time stroking out powerfully, nearly dragging Shion along with him. Then he whipped around so that he was skating backwards, holding tightly to Shion’s hands.

“No. 1. It’s so cold there for so much of the year, the lakes and ponds are almost always frozen. That’s how I started – because everybody did it. Then I realized I liked it. It’s like dancing, but faster!” He shifted his weight again, pumped a leg wide, and they were turning again, their joined hands the axis they spun around. “So,” he said as they slowed, “I got someone to teach me properly. I skated instead of acting while I was there…although it’s still acting, in the end.”

Shion could tell that people were stopping, staring, but he didn’t dare look away from Nezumi, who had gone back to skating backward, in case he lost his balance again. “All these weeks I’ve been taking lessons, and you didn’t think to tell me this? And if you like it, why were you such a brat about coming with me tonight?”

Nezumi grinned. “First question: if I’d told you, I’d have never heard the end of it. You’d have been pestering me to teach you every free moment, and, well, there are other things I kind of like to do with our limited free moments.”

Shion blushed again, and Nezumi skated a circle around him, then jumped, spinning twice in the air before he landed. “Second question…well, you didn’t need me to already be good at this.”

“What do you mean? I’m thrilled that you’re good at this!”

Nezumi sighed. “But I’m kind of not so thrilled.”

“Why?” Shion asked, honestly baffled.

“For so long, I made you think that I was better than you at everything. That you couldn’t even survive without me.”

Shion shrugged. “I couldn’t have, in West Block.”

Nezumi gave him a rueful half-smile. “Funny thing is,” he said, “I think you could have. You’d have had to learn some hard lessons but…” He sighed. “At first, I underestimated you. But not for very long. You’d have been okay without me. Better off, maybe. But I wouldn’t have been okay without you. And because I couldn’t admit that to myself, I let you, and me, keep thinking that you were helpless. That you needed me.”

Shion drew them to a stop on a quiet corner of the ice, taking off his gloves to cup Nezumi’s cold cheeks with warm hands. “I did need you. Even if I’d grown up there like you did, I’d still have needed you.”

Nezumi shook his head, but brought one of Shion’s hands to his lips, kissed it. “Do you know, I still wake up most mornings and think that I’ve dreamed all of this. That we could have ended up here…it seems impossible.”

Shion looked into Nezumi’s eyes, the gray dark in the shadows but sparked with constellations of light from the tiny bulbs glowing above them. “The only impossible thing was for us not to end up here,” he said softly.

He reached again for Nezumi’s cheek, but Nezumi caught his hand, held it firmly between them as he rummaged in his pocket with the free one. “Nezumi, what…?” And then Nezumi was slipping something onto his finger. His ring finger.

Shion hardly dared to look down. When he did, he saw a dark, slender ring on his finger. He held it up to the faint light. It was made of a strip of dark wood, banded by two strips of silvery metal. “N – Nezumi? Are you asking me…?”

“I don’t know. That depends on whether you’re going to make me get down on one knee and ask you in some god-awful, hackneyed words your grandfather probably used. Because if you are, then I want the ring back.”

“No! I mean yes! I mean – no you can’t have the ring back, and no you don’t have to get down on your knee or say anything else, and yes, I will marry you!”

“Marry me?” Nezumi asked with a gasp. “Shion, you thought I was asking you to marry me?”

Shion felt his stomach drop, his lungs freeze as solid as the ice beneath their feet. And then he saw Nezumi’s eyes, glinting with humor.

“Nezumi!” he admonished.

Nezumi laughed. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t help – ”

Shion smacked him in the shoulder. “That was NOT FUNNY! And just for that, I am picking your ring, and you have to wear it no matter what it looks like. And the wedding outfits. And the venue – ”

“Shion,” Nezumi said, and then shut him up with a kiss. “There’s time enough for all that,” he said, pulling away, although Shion clutched at him to stay. “And time for more than this – ” he said with one more peck to Shion’s lips, “later. But right now, I think you’d better tell your adoring fans the good news.”

Shion turned, to see that the entire ice rink had come to a standstill, and was watching them curiously – hopefully. Shion rewarded them with a flashbulb smile. “Nezumi and I have an announcement to make,” he said.

The cheering was so loud that the announcement never was made, but all that needed to be was understood. That, he thought, was how it always had been with Nezumi and him; and that was how it always should be.

[serenasoutherlyns]

law & order: trial by jury episode 3 - vigilante

[bitegore]

Okay. Let’s see... Optimus, Arcee, Rattrap?

already did IDW Optimus, so now, for my favorite, TFA Optimus ,because why not

TFA Optimus Prime

How I feel about this character

Help Him Please Why Is Every Single Authority Figure Garbage

He’s Not Supposed To be Dealing With This

He’s Not The Authority

Sentinel You’re Trash Now Go Help Him

Please

Someone

This Is Bullshit and Unfair To Boot

anyway i love TFA OP, but like, jegus, help him, he needs Help, not more of this like,,,,,,,,, “we don’t believe you. don’t be a hero” thing. 

every other optimus had an army behind him; this optimus has a ninja, a repairman, Bee, an angry old man medic, and an eight year old.

also this Optimus won with his ninja, repairman, Bee, angry old man medic, and eight year old. what other optimus managed that? no one, that’s who. This is the most badass Optimus. Despite being Not in charge and Not a “hero”.  

All the people I ship romantically with this character

megatron

megatron

megatron

have i mentioned megatron yet

megatron

ngl tho, TFA Megop is … very good. 

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Optiratch

Optimus and SG!Starscream, listen, i know SG Starscream never showed up but i want it and i can dream

My unpopular opinion about this character

I don’t think I have any off the top of my head but.,,, i mean if i have to think of anything all im coming up with is “optimus prime from tfa’s laugh is so fucking precious,,, i want to Protect him even though he doesn’t need it, i love him” like. nothing else is coming up

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

………..megop

listen my boy op had a decepticon logo on his desk, he had a thing for the old war videos, he recognized megatron immediately, megatron looked and sounded Like That, 

he should have had a crush.

i want that

please if we had to deal with blackarachnia being overly sexual in a threatening manner why cant we get megatron doing the same thing and then optimus just fucking tripping over himself trying to get himself to do something when hes just like, “oh my god, i want to. die. am i dead. is this heaven. is this hell. what is even happening right now oh my god”

listen it would have been so good

it could have been so good

it would have added so much dimension to megatron not remembering optimus’s name too

it would have been so good

yeah and these two are gonna be idw because i know idw better and i don’t like TFA Arcee or TFP Arcee as much as IDW Arcee

Arcee

How I feel about this character

kin

ok not really but, like, you ever have like one or two characters who you relate to REALLY FUCKING HARD? one of mine is megatron and one of mine is arcee and then i mean i have a few others but. h

i know everyone hates the arcee spotlight but like… i relate

im afab nonbinary and she existed for a while in a weird place as being the only one of her gender, and not there of choice, and being pissed about being pushed into it

and like heck, i feel that way about my entire body a lot of the time, and i relate to the gender fuckery

i like that one

also i love her and would die for her and am. big gay for her. swords. on fire. burn me . hhh

All the people I ship romantically with this character

me

elita-one

chromia

prowl (sort of)

solus prime (blame oriflamme)

My non-romantic OTP for this character

arcee and prowl

arcee and bee

arcee and wheeljack

arcee and starscream

My unpopular opinion about this character

i really did like her origin story; there was some fucked up weirdness in it and some transphobic nasty shit and some shit where you could tell the writers really didn’t like women, but i feel like if you cleaned that out it could have been good to other people than me? but like? i liked it. i related to it. 

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

i wish she would come out of the pages of my comic books and slice me into several pieces with her swords, killing me iinstantly

ok im kidding but like,

i want a five-issue series just following her 

shes so fuckin awesome i love her

Rattrap

How I feel about this character

he’s cool

i don’t have that many feelings about him but i liked what they did with him in TAAO despite hating most of TAAO

All the people I ship romantically with this character

ha. no.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

rattrap and windblade

My unpopular opinion about this character

i don’t have that many opinions about him? i really don’t. i don’t actually have any opinion outside of ‘he did a really good job fucking starscream over and i admire it.’

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

i want him to gloat at Starscream and then have Starscream mope at him until Rattrap feels vaguely guilty for reasons of i feel bad for Starscream and i have a thing for characters who feel guilt anyway

[kenjkats]

Reconciliation (TRR Fic)

Note: Ok @fairydustandsarcasm​ requested Liam and Drake fighting and making up and HOLY I was insta-inspired and had to write ASAP. Also bc I’m pretty sure PB is going to make them unrealistically makeup too quickly so… here’s my take before canon blows it all to hell XD And yeah okay it turned into a fic becaused I liked it a lot and it would’ve been too wordy for an HC lol

Also I apologize in advance if any referenced events from Book 1 or general courtly workings are wrong, this was kind rushed because I got excited and just wanted to write XD

Pairing: Drake x Riley OTP; Drake x Liam BROTP

Word count: 2243 LOL that’s ridiculous

Summary: Drake and Riley feel horrible about what their feelings for each other are doing to Liam, and Drake takes it upon himself to make things right.

Riley sits beside Drake, crying.

They met up shortly after the disaster proposal between her and Liam. She sits there with her head buried in her hands, recounting the ordeal to Drake, telling him how bad she feels in between sobs. Drake holds her in his arms, letting her rest her head against his shoulder. 

“I told him, Drake,” she says fighting back another surge of tears, “I told him I love you.”

Riley thinks she feels his body stiffen. 

“Riley…” he can’t seem to find the words. Moments pass and as Riley starts to regret letting those words out into the open, he turns her face towards his, his hands framing her face as he gently wipes away her tears.

He’s looking at her, unsure, but at the same time his eyes filled with tenderness and longing. Her heart is racing, afraid that telling him she loves him was too much too soon. And yet, all of it melted away when he pressed his lips to hers, and she was sure he felt the same.

Drake pulls away and leans his forehead against hers, a faint smile painted on his lips.

“I love you, too,” he whispers. For a moment all her guilt and sadness fade away into happiness. She frowns when Drake pulls away from her. 

He runs his fingers through his hair, “I need to talk to Liam. Before anything else happens,I have to talk to him. I owe him that much, at least.”

“Have you had the chance to talk to him?”

Riley approached Drake who stood at the back of the crowd gathered at the palace, awaiting the King’s announcement. The announcement that was supposed to be her being engaged to him had things gone another way.

Drake sighs, “No. I haven’t been able to get near him. I think he’s avoiding me.”

“How do you know?”

“I can usually barge into his room whenever I need to talk to him. Or he invites me. Suddenly his guards ignore me and tell me he’s busy all the time and to go away. I don’t blame him though, I-” he’s interrupted when the crowd begins to stir as Liam appears to address them. 

Drake’s gaze follows his best friend as he strides across the room, looking confident as always. This was the first time he saw Liam since New York and he felt a pang of guilt as their eyes met briefly across the room.

It was only a moment, but the way Liam looked at him when he recognized Drake among the crowd was… cold. His kingly charm and smile faltering for a second, before he averted his gaze and composed himself, preparing to speak.

Drake and Riley stood in silence as they listened to Liam, both of them barely breathing, anxious of what Liam would say.

“–and having rescinded my engagement with Lady Madeleine, there is the matter of my taking a wife and the queen of Cordonia.”

The crowd of nobles murmur with excitement.

“As you all know Lady Riley was framed with a scandal to remove her from the list of candidates to be queen and her name has now been cleared.”

The crowd gasps and Riley can feel dozens of eyes turn towards her in anticipation.

“However,” Liam continues, “she was not the only Lady forced out of the running that night during the Coronation. Lady Olivia was also a victim of the same plot against Lady Riley. With the other ladies having conceded to Lady Madeleine prior to my choosing her that night, Lady Riley and Lady Olivia are now the only two that remain as candidates to be queen, and if she will have me, I would like to ask Lady Olivia to be my wife and Queen.”

A wave of gasps and chatter resonate throughout the palace. Riley glances over at Olivia, whose eyes were widened in surprise, jaw dropped open. Their eyes meet and she mouths a, “What is going on?” to Riley.

Riley musters a smile despite her shock and grief at all that’s been happening lately and nods her head toward Liam, mouthing back a, “go.”

All eyes turn towards Olivia and the people part to make a path for her to meet the King. She composes herself and plasters on one of her most lady-like smiles and almost glides toward Liam.

Riley watches as Olivia places a kiss on Liam’s cheek and she gives a few words to the public.

“At least I didn’t totally ruin things for Cordonia. Clearing my name cleared hers and now you guys have a queen.”

Drake snorts, “Yeah, another one that hates me.”

After a few more words, Liam and Olivia are set to depart, and Drake sees it as a chance to speak with him. He gives a quick goodbye to Riley and moves past groups of nobles to get to Liam. He stops in his tracks when Drake grabs his arm to get his attention.

“Hey, we need to talk,” Drake says under his breath. He follows Liam’s gaze which was looking past him, and Drake turns around to find Riley behind him.

“You two certainly don’t waste time, do you,” he says coldly, brushing Drake’s hand away as he hurried towards the door with Olivia. Guards had already blocked the way before Drake could get another word in.

Liam is alone in his chambers, removing all the buckles and ribbons of his formal suit, when Drake barges through his door.

“Drake! What are you–how did you get in here?”

“Your fiance’ agreed to help me get in here as a favor,” Drake shrugs.

“She hates you.”

“I guess getting engaged put her in a good mood. Plus she may have lost a bet in New York and owes me.”

Liam lets out a sharp breath and turns his back to Drake. He continues to loosen the bow around his collar.

“So, what is this? Have you come to gloat?”

“What?”

“You two were quick to be together in public.”

“Jesus, Liam, she’s still a lady of the court she had to attend and I’m always at these things for you.”

“You speak as if we’re still friends and that should matter.”

Drake shakes his head in disbelief. Liam is always so level-headed and reasonable. Rarely has he seen him like this. But he has seen him like this. Liam was still a man, and he broke down when the worst happened in his life, just like anyone else.

“Damn it, Liam, you know how hard this feelings crap is for us both, but you’re usually up to talking about it when we get pissed at each other so… I’m sorry. I am really, really sorry for what happened between you and Riley, and that it was because of me.”

His words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Liam silently, calmly removed his sash and coat jacket, folding them neatly on the foot of his bed. Drake fumbled for the right words. His mind was racing, the silence pressured him into saying anything he thought would help.

“Liam you have to know that I didn’t pursue her. I didn’t steal her from you. I didn’t even plan on liking her it all just… happened. I didn’t–”

“And yet she loves you and not me,” Liam says resentfully, finally facing Drake. His face was twisted, slowly shifting from angry to pained to broken, “all of those times we snuck away from the court to hang out together and you two were sneaking around behind my back.”

Liam turns away again and Drake’s heart sinks. His best friend can’t even look at him and it’s his fault, he thinks.

“I treated you like a brother, Drake, how could you at least not tell me?” 

Drake wonders the same thing, even though his reasons at the time seemed valid.

“You were dealing with a lot, Liam. It was never a good time to even bring this mess up. And this may not be what you want to hear and it’s probably a shitty excuse but, I thought she would pick you anyway. I didn’t think it would get to this, that there was anything to tell you about.”

“And you think that makes it all okay? That you didn't know?” Liam whirls around, pointing a finger at Drake.

“No, of course not I’m just explaining that–”

“Did you sleep with her? While I was courting her? While there were nights when I went on and on about how I was falling in love with her?” 

Drake wonders how long he’s been holding onto that thought. How it must have eaten at him thinking that it had gotten that far right under his nose.

“What? No. No. Liam I wouldn’t dare. You’re my best friend. I fell for her, yes, but I wasn’t going to make a mess of things by taking it that far before we spoke.”

Liam studies him, an unreadable expression on his face, “I don’t believe it.”

“What?”

“You’re claiming you what, kept her at arm’s length? Yet she fell in love you. You must have done something.”

Drake can feel his frustration boil into anger. How could Liam accuse him of lying to him? 

“We talked! All those times you asked me to look after her and we would just talk and we got to know each other, that’s it,” Drake says grabbing his arm, imploring him to listen, “We care about you, Liam, we wouldn’t do this to you on purpose! I’m sorry it happened and that it happened this way. I was prepared to let her go and be with you if that was what she wanted.”

He know he’s hurt Liam beyond measure. Though he hopes he could at least ease the pain and reassure his friend that it wasn’t a malicious move against him. That he always thought of Liam first, even if he wanted to be with Riley with every part of his being.

“Intent doesn’t matter, Drake,” Liam yanks his arm away from Drake, “I looked like a fool down on one knee, prepared to give my life to a woman who didn’t love me.”

Drake winces at the bitterness and grief in his voice. The silence that follows seems to last an eternity. 

“I’m sorry. All I can say now is I’m sorry,” he pleads, reaching for Liam again.

“Get your hands off me!” Liam shoves Drake away and he stumbles backward.

"Go ahead!” he yells back, “Yell at me some more if you want, punch me in the face if you need to, I probably deserve it, come on.”

Drake is egging him on, hoping that if words couldn’t get through, maybe getting Liam to express it this way would help.

“I just might if you don’t get out of my face, Drake,” Liam warns.

“Do it, come on!”

Liam squares his shoulders and his chest puffs out as he takes a step towards Drake. His fist clenches at his side, and in the next moment, releases.

Liam shakes his head, “Just go, Drake. Please.”

Drake frowns. He turns to leave, giving up hope that this would get anywhere. He thinks about how admirable his friend is. How, if the tables were turned, he would’ve taken that punch, and now he feels worse knowing that even when his friend was broken, he refused to hurt others. Drake stops at the door.

“No. I am not leaving until we sort something out. I’ll be damned if I let you do this again.”

“Do what,” Liam scoffs.

“Disappear! Retreat into yourself. You locked yourself away when there was that attempt on your life years ago and I know you. You’re going to do it all again because we hurt you and you don’t know how to deal with it. You have been a brother to me, Liam, so I will always be here for you, too. I’m not leaving.”

Liam faces Drake, his anger waning. Liam is exhausted from all of the pain and resentment. He rubs his temples and walks over to the mini-bar in the corner of his chambers. Liam pours two glasses of whiskey and hands one to Drake as he gulps down the other.

They both sit on the edge of Liam’s bed for a long time, drinking whiskey.

“I know you two didn’t mean to,” Liam says, breaking the silence.

Drake is almost unsure of what he heard and looks at Liam in surprise.

“I told Riley that day that as upset as I am, I’m… happy for you both. I’m happy for you, Drake. You have always been there for me through all of these courtly functions. You tolerate it all and watch the world revolve around me. You deserve your own happiness.”

“You’re unbelievable,” Drake smiles. He’s glad Liam is so forgiving, but it always makes him feel worse at the same, “and thank you.”

“I just need time to adjust to the idea of you two. You understand, I hope.”

“Of course,” he says, clapping Liam on the shoulder. 

Liam smiles at that, and he returns the gesture, “Still, I hope you would be willing to be my best man when I get married?”

Drake scoffs, “Olivia would kill you.”

“I’m sure you’d enjoy her disappointment anyway. She’ll understand.”

They laugh.

“Seriously though, Liam. Me? Would they even let you? I’m not–”

“I am the King, and I can have my best friend by my side as my best man.”

Drake chuckles and raises his glass to Liam, “So be it.”

[jewell-chan]

Top 16 Shuichi Saihara ships

Another Amino copy/paste and this probably be extremely controversial, but let’s give it a go posting it. This is my Top 16 Saihara ships, including crossover ships as an entry. And yes, this is my quick opinion and I know there will be controversial choices but I do explain my points and I am aware which choices are controversial and why. Major spoilers under the cut:

Art source: https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=62325101

Hiyo, and finally, I’ll be actually listening to my poll results. And here, I’ll be going back to discussing two things that set this fandom on fire: Shipping and opinions. Yes, I know, the horror.

If you hadn’t guessed from the title, this will be ranking the ship of Shuichi Saihara, the Super High School Level Detective. It’s 16 because Saihara is pretty much shipped with the entire cast and more.

We’ll have NDRV3 spoilers from here on out since Saihara is a major character in the game so plot and character details will be discussed. Also, I’m unsure but I’ll add the warning anyway: This list may contain the mentions of adult themes and a bit of foul language. Since the title is so straightforward, I don’t really need to explain much with this OP so let’s begin.

16.Saiharu

Let’s start with one of my least favorite ships in the series. Also known as Harusai and Saikawa, Saiharu is a really poor ship in my opinion. Pandora hearts spoilers but, for those who read it, do you remember when Sharon and Reim randomly got married at the end for no reason other than both of them being Break’s friends? That’s how this ship feels to me. Except worse.

First off, Saihara and Maki’s personalities are way too serious so despite the many interactions they have, specifically in Chapter 3, they never find any particular dynamic making their chemistry seem weak as well and almost non-existent. The only, and I do mean the only, good exchange between the two is in Chapter 3 when Maki gets mad at Saihara for the implication she’s overweight and claiming the only woman Saihara has ever touched was his mother.

So that alone makes me feel neutral, leaning towards dislike, on the ship. Their chemistry being bland as fuck. However, that’s not what seals the deal. What does that for me is in Chapter 5, Maki tells Saihara and the others that she will not go into the hanger and attack Ouma and the group decide to believe her. What does she do? Go into the hanger and attack Ouma. When the group finds out about this, they have no reaction, Saihara included. When Maki thinks she’s the killer, she tries to sacrifice everyone, Saihara included, just to make sure Ouma’s dead. She put her personal bias against Ouma over the lives of Yumeno, Kiibo and Saihara who she knew were innocent.

Normally, I’d think this would be interesting. Relationships with conflict are actually well done. However, they don’t do anything with this. They do show concern for Maki’s attempt to kill everybody but it’s glossed over too quickly to notice. After the trial, Maki talks to Saihara about Kaito and it’s supposed to be a heartfelt scene between the two but at best, it feels plastic. At worst, it feels manipulative. I can’t believe this conversation after she tried to get him and the others killed and it’s not actually brought up past this point.

My final reason is why I hate this ship is because it feels the only appeal it has is because Kaito is dead so why don’t his two best friends hook up? I hated it when Pandora hearts did it in canon(keep in mind that Pandora Hearts is my favorite series of all time) and I hate the idea of it here. Thankfully, Japan agrees with me and dislikes the ship strongly with very few fans so making them canon wouldn’t help sales very much.

15.Saiguuji

Thankfully, Saiharu is the only Saihara ship I dislike. Let’s get to this weird ship. It’s fairly popular on twitter for some odd reason and while it’s fanbase is small outside of that, it’s few fans are incredibly vocal. I am fairly neutral on this ship.

This one is really personal taste, however. I just find it weird. I understand why it’s shipped but the fanbase’s treatment of it makes it sound like a tragic and canon love story gone wrong.

Like, if you want my perception of this ship, try looking at Korekiyo’s love hotel. That is how I see this pairing. So looking at the fanbase compared to things like that, I just… Ehh?

However, the incredibly bizarre fanbase aside, I actually do enjoy the dynamic between these two in Korekiyo’s FTEs. This is where I find the major appeal of the ship and definitely my favorite part of it. Korekiyo talking about anthropology and folklore tales to Saihara who’s patiently listening is actually very nice. I can see where people are coming from when they ship this. Even Korekiyo says he finds Saihara worthy for his sister.

Another thing to bring up why I can’t really grow to like this ship is because of their main story. Not only does Saihara expose Korekiyo as the killer, Korekiyo being rather pissed off about it, but Saihara finds Korekiyo absolutely disgusting in terms of his motive, even to the point of being relieved he dies. What also doesn’t help is he says “I will never understand you…” if you check his door after his demise which is probably one of the harsher comments protagonists give out we’ve had so far. Understandably so. So yeah, it’s not exactly a healthy ship and I personally have no care for it but eh, I see the appeal.

14.Saimugi

Another ship I am neutral on but can see the appeal for. This is really the ideal ship for those who like psychologically abusive villain X protagonist ships. I have seen some fans for it who pretty much enjoy it for the reasons I would assume they would.

Mugi seems like everyone’s friend for most of the game, Saihara included, and the two also have some optional scenes together. There’s also that scene when exploring for lab where she talks to Saihara more about her life outside of cosplaying.

However, in the final chapter of the game, you find out their friendship was a lie and Mugi was just a role for her to play inside of the script. While they weren’t close or anything, you could still feel they were friends. So not only is it heartbreaking for Saihara, but the final trial nails in Saihara’s suffering all caused by her. Having her be Amami’s true murderer, exposing his whole life being a lie, showing his audition tape of who he once was and all gloating about it as Saihara falls to a despairing state. It’s quite hard to watch and definitely impactful.

There’s also her Salmon mode ending(I stopped calling it prison mode since the localization says it this way) where she appoints Saihara into working with her in the cosplay business only for her true self to leak out implying she’s going to do worse things to him than what he expects she will. So with things like that, I can see the appeal of this ship. Although, it isn’t to my taste exactly.

13.Sairumi

Not a very popular ship but I can see the appeal. Although, outside of the goth aesthetic which I like, I am pretty much neutral on this ship. I do admit that Kirumi’s love hotel is my favorite and I actually do like her interactions with Saihara throughout the game. They’re both surface level with each other and get along swimmingly.

However, what lowers this ship for me is Kirumi’s pure salty and petty hatred for him in the second trial. I mean, he does have a nice line towards him after the trial to imply she doesn’t hate him but she was so furious he got her found out as the killer that she’s the only culprit who voted for Saihara out of pure spite.

12.Saihamatsu

Ah yes, the most popular ship in the fandom is only number 12. I’ve made a post going into detail on how I feel about this ship but I guess I’ll briefly repeat myself here. I have neutral feelings towards this ship. There are things I like about it, things that irk me about it and things that make me not care for it.

I do admit that it’s very cute and tragic. While I have my issues with Chapter 1, I actually really like how Kaede’s trial is done and thought her slow manipulation to exposing Saihara was amazing.

I also like certain moments between them in Chapter 1 like when Kaede asks Saihara if he’s looking up her skirt and he apologises, but unlike other anime girls where she’d get all pissy at him, Kaede took it rather maturely and didn’t mind. Another moment is in the investigation where Kaede finds a porno magazine, Saihara wonders why it shocked her so much and she fails to persuade him not to look with her which results in the two incredibly embarrassed. “It’s just Moobies- I mean movies!” got a laugh out of me.

However, my issues with this ship is the same issue I have with the anime Clannad. It’s pretty much “Look at this thing, isn’t it adorable? Oh fuck, now it’s dead. Feel sad” and then you have to angst over how the OTP was destroyed for the rest of the game because the game told you to. They don’t exactly expand on their relationship outside of them being cute and that’s fine, I like simple ships like Momoharu, but this one feels so plastic and forced in a lot of areas. Like when they’re investigating Amami’s corpse, she claims her heart skipped a beat when Saihara touched his corpse. I know it’s because she thinks she’s the killer but blind players are just gonna turn their head questioning why Kaede finds Saihara looking at a dead body hot.

And then there’s Chapter 6 where their relationship takes over and overshadows Mugi’s character a lot which genuinely pisses me off since we don’t get to see much of her true self. Instead of Saihara holding a grudge against Mugi for making everyone suffer throughout the killing game, they have him hold a grudge JUST because she was Amami’s true killer making Kaede falsely executed. Yes, that’s an asshole move but I think writing a script for a killing game and manipulating everyone to death is far worse. It’s like if one guy murdered a man and the other set fire to a school and killed every student inside, and you get mad at the guy who murdered a man.

11.Crossover ships

I don’t usually care for crossover ships outside of talent plan interactions like Mikan X Tenko(I really love this crossover ship due to their talent plan interaction) but I think Saihara has some nice ships in this category.

Ones I enjoy include the obvious Saihara X Kirigiri and the strangely amusing Saihara X Komaeda. Unfortunately, I don’t care much for Saihara’s crackships myself so this is a quick one. Honorable mention goes to Sakura X Saihara because they’re canon(Voice actor joke.)

10.Sairuma

Now this is a strangely popular pairing. I didn’t understand it very much at first since Saihara shows a lot of distaste towards Iruma and her love hotel… Sure was something. However, once I did her FTEs, I could see why this was liked. I wouldn’t exactly consider myself a fan but it sounds nice. Her FTEs actually imply that Iruma may have developed feelings for Saihara in which he accepted said feelings, although not agreed.

Said implication carries onto the third trial in a back route, funny enough. I wasn’t expecting Saihara to be able to tolerate Iruma the way he manages in his FTEs almost to a level where she can pretty much be considered another member to the group of V3 characters fighting for the Saiharabowl alongside Kaito, Kaede, Angie, Ouma, Kiibo and Yumeno. And yes, Iruma is the only one where they actually explain why she gives you her underwear after her FTEs unlike everyone else. What a treat.

9.Amasai

I do like this ship aesthetically and it has some really well done fanart. I’m going to have to replay Amami’s FTEs in order to talk about this more but I’m saving that for my FTEs review post which should come eventually since I finally managed to get my vita copy of the NISA version of the game. That aside, I can safely say that we’re getting into the ships I officially like starting with Amasai. Not saying this is OTP or even BROTP tier but I do genuinely like this ship. The issue is I can’t exactly put my finger on why.

I could say it’s because their personalities work so well with each other, but that’d be too simple of an explanation. I’d say it’s because of Amami’s FTEs and his Salmon mode ending. For those who are unaware, Amami is the Super High School Level Adventurer and upon learning his talent in his FTEs, he tells Saihara about his adventures of travelling across the world. He also explains to Saihara his situation involving his sisters and how he views himself as a terrible brother to let them go missing.

In his salmon mode ending, Amami offers Saihara to travel the world with him and look for his missing sisters together in which Saihara accepts. It’s one of my favorite Salmon mode endings and I found this a very sweet exchange between the two. My only issue with this ship is Amami’s kind of a dick to Saihara in his FTEs whether it’s outright or subtle. I don’t know if that’s just me but he seems a lot nicer with Kaede and a lot douchier with Saihara. Maybe it’s because he’s discussing his missing sisters which is a tough topic to bring up.

8.Saigoku

This is somewhat of a rarepair but it does have it’s more obvious fans and I can see the appeal of this one. Consider it a BROTP of mine actually. Gonta kind of acts like a respectful little brother to Saihara despite obviously being the taller one of the two. Their interactions are very pleasant and Gonta’s FTEs do show this.

What seals the deal for me though is Chapter 4. Unlike the other culprits, Saihara is incredibly firm and gentle with Gonta. Not even Kaede was given that type of exposure. Saihara is aware that Gonta doesn’t even remember murdering Iruma and is taking it easy on him because of that and being as calm and reassuring as he can to him. It’s a way that helps Gonta understand what’s going on, even if he is in tears while establishing so.

I can easily see why Chapter 4 brings tears to so many people and this touch is one of the many reasons. Saihara doesn’t want to believe Gonta is the killer even to the point of suggesting a personality switched, but he can only focus on his goal as a detective to accept that every bit of evidence points to him and the pieces connect the scenario too well. Even after Chapter 4, they try to hammer in Saihara sacrificed Gonta and he definitely feels that way.

7.Saihoshi

This is another BROTP of mine. Throughout Chapter 2, Saihara seemed like the only one who wanted to actively help Ryoma. A strategy I noticed Saihara uses on Angie, Ouma and Ryoma is that he wants to reach out and changed people thinking that’s the right way to go about it. Ouma points out why that’s wrong but I’ll get to that eventually. Here, it actually is the right decision.

Ryoma and Saihara are both able to read the surroundings which results in the two of them able to see eye to eye with each other’s ideals and the two of them refusing to go along with each other’s ideals. Saihara wants to help Ryoma while Ryoma thinks it’s useless. Throughout Ryoma’s FTEs, Saihara keeps bugging Ryoma and asking him to talk about himself to Saihara in order to gain his complete friendship which Ryoma catches onto quite easily.

Ryoma’s final FTE and their last main-story encounter made this BROTP for me. I’ll go in more depth on why Ryoma’s FTEs are so great in his Free time event review but it basically shows that Saihara’s attempts to reach out to Ryoma actually do work and Ryoma becomes willing to give a chance. In the main story, before Ryoma and Saihara get separated ending in Ryoma’s unfortunate demise, Ryoma says that he’s willing to find a reason to live in order to fight alongside everybody and Saihara’s conversations with Ryoma throughout the chapter is a huge motivation to get Ryoma to do so.

6.Saimeno

Now unlike Saiharu, this is actually a GOOD survivor type ship. What a surprise.The reason I like this ship is because Yumeno and Saihara are actually fairly similar in some ways and share a lot of chemistry.

The two of them both like to suppress their emotions, although Yumeno to a higher extent, and became more attached to the people around them as the game goes on. The dojo scene with Tenko shows that the two are similar in this regard.

They also have their differences as shown in the later half of the game. Saihara is more serious and reserved while in the second half of the game once Yumeno has opened her emotions, she’s more optimistic and throws jokes around a lot more to keep everyone’s spirits up.

I also really like their interactions in Chapter 4 and Yumeno’s love hotel. They’re extremely cute like Yumeno asking Saihara that if he was lost in thought from her beauty and then getting flustered over complimenting herself. Also, Yumeno’s artbook comment is really adorable “*pet pet* Good boy!”

5.Sainaga

This is a bit of a controversial choice, but I actually really love this ship. The reason for this is Angie’s FTEs and her love hotel. I just love the dynamic of the weird quirky girl dominating over the serious and submissive boy here. Strange, I wouldn’t think I’d enjoy a dynamic like that but apparently I do.

Angie’s final FTE has Angie admit that she’s in love with Saihara due to his aggression, and while said aggression was not Saihara’s intention, it sure got Angie to take a liking to him. And I can’t explain why but I loved their interaction. Angie’s quirky and ambiguously bizarre attitude played off of Saihara’s straight man side perfectly. It’s also a part of the FTEs that give some characterisation to Saihara as well as the one he’s hanging out with.

4.Saiten

Ah yes, I can hear people screeching in the distance. I clarified before that Tenko isn’t confirmed a lesbian, just incredibly likely is. In fact, I headcanon her as a lesbian. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a crime against humanity to ship her with a guy. If you guys can ship Komahina despite Hajime likely being straight, I can ship Tenko with Saihara and Kaito. With that out of the way, yes, I ship Saihara with Tenko.

Of course, this ship is incredibly unlikely or got a long way to go. I guess you could say Saiten has still got a ways to go. So why do I like Saiten? Well, as many people have picked up, Saihara seems to be the boy Tenko tolerates the most. She was a bit rude when her dojo showed up(not when they entered) and didn’t let him participate in the celebrity experience, but those aside, she seems to like Saihara. Or at least, she likes Saihara and doesn’t realize such considering her degenerate males thing is only delusion.

These two generally have some nice interactions throughout both Tenko’s FTEs and the main story. The dojo scene and her first FTE in particular shows that she does care about Saihara and respects him to some level despite constantly berating him for being a boy. The part of her FTE where she flips Saihara so hard he passes out, but she feels guilty and brings him to his bed soon after is one of my favorite moments in the FTEs of any of the V3 characters, really.

3.Oumasai

I have a full ship thoughts post on this and while it’s a little outdated, it still holds up opinion-wise. I find their main story interactions quite lacking outside of half of Chapter 4 and Chapter 3 but I really love the dynamic between these two in Ouma’s FTEs, Salmon mode ending and other bonus content. And yes, I am aware of how popular this ship is which results in it having a lot of fans and haters. That means that my liking to this ship and not Saihamatsu is probably going to get me some flak.

First off, I absolutely adore the aesthetic between these two. Ouma’s black, white and purple blends very well with Saihara’s white, black and blue but not in a way where they contrast so much. Saihara’s a detective and Ouma’s a supreme leader which can be bended into a cop and a phantom thief too, so their talents go hand-in-hand. Funny enough, Ouma’s love hotel is quite similar to that scenario.

Getting into their interactions and personalities, Ouma has trust issues and uses his coping mechanism to both keep himself alive and to avoid attachment to anyone. The reason for his ideals is currently unknown. However, despite everything, Ouma wants a friend. Someone who can see his true self and gain his trust. Since Saihara was a detective, he was Ouma’s opportunity to do so. Ouma’s FTEs are his attempt to get closer to Saihara and have a friend who can understand him and figure him out.

The game also implies that in the process of this that Ouma developed feelings for Saihara which is where the love for this ship spawned, thank you single-chapter-4-line-that-caused-an-entire-community-to-go-nuts. I also adore Ouma’s salmon mode ending. Not even the Super High School Level Detective can ace everything perfectly. Ouma calls Saihara out on trying to change him to reveal his true self rather than finding his true self through the fake one which is a pretentious attempt and not a strategy if you want to gain someone’s trust. However, Saihara does take up on Ouma’s idea and agrees to see his true self underneath. Unfortunately, the main story didn’t go as well and while Saihara couldn’t understand Ouma by the end, he still viewed him as his friend. Unfortunately, it was too late for that and Ouma was violently killed off.

2.Saimota

This is the true BROTP right here. After Kaede’s death, Kaito felt the need to carry on her wish and role as leader and tried to train Saihara’s confidence up and understand him like Kaede did. As a result, Kaito ended up understanding Saihara more than Kaede did. He’s what kept Saihara in line the whole time after Kaede’s death. As a result, he, along with Ouma and Kiibo, was the one who ultimately brought Saihara to confront his fear of exposing the truth and prepared him for the consequences in doing so.

Their main story summary aside, these two are pretty much the definition of a bromance. They’re a Kamina/Simon duo(I don’t like calling Kaito a Kamina clone because he isn’t, but Saimota does have a Simon/Kamina feel to it) in which there’s an unconfident but intelligent member and an arrogant but dumb member. What I find interesting however is the way they handle the Simon and Kamina type of relationship in which they have Kaito grow jealous of Saihara for being able to talk with both his mind and his heart while he can only do the latter and focus on his beliefs.

However, after Chapter 4, Kaito gains a lot of character development in which he learns to put his bias aside, use his head a little more and apologise to Saihara for venting out his jealousy onto him. It’s good that V3 gave character development to all of it’s main characters unlike the other games(DR1 had Kirigiri develop, SDR2 had Hajime develop, but DR1 still left Naegi and Togami(until the series went on and he became more of a friend to the group) for development and Chiaki and Komaeda focused more on being endearing characters than having development which isn’t a bad thing) and both Kaito and Saihara are no exception.

Also, can I just point out how Saihara acts like he has a crush on Kaito in his FTEs, like can we just talk about that beauty?

1.Saiibo

I had already made a post on this, but yes, I fucking love Saiibo. I love it a lot. It’s so cute and pure and sweet and comfy and perfect and- I really like Saiibo.

Okay yes, I admit that my favorite thing about this ship is just how cute it is. It is absolutely freaking adorable and even when I try to have a serious discussion on it, I always let my inner fangirl slide which I am proving as I type. Kiibo tries his hardest to be seen as a human and Saihara tries to help out every now and again only to end up comforting him on his failed efforts which is shown in Chapter 5.

I love how this ship is mostly background noise in the main story so it’s easy to appreciate and there’s no strong interactions nor conflict between the two so it also makes it a nice friendship in the background. In Kiibo’s FTEs, Saihara tries to help Kiibo get a career of some sort to help him feel more human and learns more about his history in the process. I’ll go in further depth in my FTE review but Kiibo’s FTEs are amazing for more reasons than the Saiibo scenes. My favorite part in Kiibo’s FTEs is his singing which is so bad Saihara is frightened by it.

And let’s not forget Chapter 6. With Kiibo bringing Saihara back to his senses, the audience erasing Kiibo’s AI through the survey poll and Saihara quite literally breaking his chains to save him. It’s definitely my favorite part of Chapter 6 and a really well done climax. And then you have Kiibo sacrifice himself for the survivors. One of the saddest moments in the game for me. There’s also Kiibo’s love hotel which is also really cute. Kiibo tries to learn romance with Saihara which results in the two holding hands.. Which Saihara points out isn’t really holding hands and just shaking hands.

And those were my top 16 Saihara ships. This was a bit of a short list, especially for one that took so long, but I thought it wouldn’t be fair if I gave in depth paragraphs to Saiharu, Saihamatsu and Oumasai while Saiibo, Saiguuji and Sainaga got almost nothing. I hope you enjoyed this quicky at the very least.

[thebvdguysog]

MODERN VERSE BELL AND CLARKE AND O AND MUR

so i don’t over flow everyone’s dash.

ULTIMATE SHIP MEME!

Send in two (or more) names and I’ll fill all this out about the ship!

BELLAMY AND CLARKE 

General:

Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last? - forever? obvvv

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - Not quickly at all, just slow and amazing 

How was their first kiss? - You know how amazing and happy it makes you feel when you look up at the night sky and  you can see every single star, shinning so bright? Like that 

Wedding:

Who proposed? - Bell

Who is the best man/men? - Fucking murphy 

Who is the braid’s maid(s)? - Probably octavia? 

Who did the most planning? - Clarke, octavia probably helped do the most 

Who stressed the most? - Clarke, Bellamy was calm the entire time. 

How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - Lmao ummmmm Echo! 

Sex:

Who is on top? - Clarke, bellamy loves it. 

Who is the one to instigate things? - BELLAMY but clarke too

How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

How long do they normally last? - 10 minutes? Maybe an hour if bellamy’s had a few drinks. 

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - Bellamy does

How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - Fuck maybe one or two? 

How many children will they adopt? - Maybe, 1? 

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - Bellamy. 

Who is the stricter parent? - BELLAMY????!?!!?!?!

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - BELLAMY but he encourages safe dangerous stunts in the backyard. 

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Clarke 

Who is the more loved parent? - Both of them, probably clarke though honestly. 

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? Both

Who cried the most at graduation? - Clarke, bellamy teared up 

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - Clarke, bellamy would teach them a lesson.

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - BELLAMY LOVES TO COOK

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Bellamy?? 

Who does the grocery shopping? - Clarke

How often do they bake desserts? - Rarely 

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - Meat, at least bellamy is. 

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Bellamy

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Clarke

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking? - neither

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Clarke, bellamy hates cleaning. 

Who is really against chores? - Bellamy 

Who cleans up after the pets? - Ha, not bellamy 

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Bellamy 

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - Clarke, bellamy moans about it 

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Bellamy and he gloated all damn day about it, “You guys should clean more, I found money.” 

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Both

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - Both 

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - Eh, sometimes 

What are their goals for the relationship? - They didn’t even agree to being in a relationship! 

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - Clarke 

Who plays the most pranks? - B E L L AMY!! 

OCTAVIA AND MURPHY

General:

Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last? - A lifetime 

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - Not quickly at all 

How was their first kiss? - Soft, tender, then silence 

Wedding:

Who proposed? - Murphy 

Who is the best man/men? - Bellamy? 

Who is the braid’s maid(s)? - Clarke 

Who did the most planning? - Octavia, Murphy wasn’t having it 

Who stressed the most? - Murphy 

How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? -

Sex:

Who is on top? - Both 

Who is the one to instigate things? - BOTH 

How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

How long do they normally last? - First round, a couple minutes. Whose to say after that

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - Murphy takes special attention in this area

How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - Possibly one, if Octavia convinces murphy to have any 

How many children will they adopt? - None 

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - Octavia 

Who is the stricter parent? - Both 

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - Octavia

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Octavia 

Who is the more loved parent? - both!

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? Octavia 

Who cried the most at graduation? - Octavia 

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - Murphy 

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - Murphy!! 

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Neither? 

Who does the grocery shopping? - Both!!!!

How often do they bake desserts? - every night? lmao 

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? -Both 

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Both! but most likely mur 

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Probably murphy, alone time without asking for it 

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking? - Octavia 

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Murphy 

Who is really against chores? - Sometimes both 

Who cleans up after the pets? - Murphy 

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Murphy

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - Neither 

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? -Octavia, murphy doesnt detail clean, he picks shit up off the flor. 

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Both, probably together. 

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - Both, they run in the morning 

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - Rarely 

What are their goals for the relationship? - Making it

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - Murphy 

Who plays the most pranks? - BOTH 

[malvoliowithin]

richard III and anne for the ship ask!

How do much do I ship it?: Never heard of it/ Notp / Dislike / used to ship / maybe / ship it / aww / otp / IS IT CANON YET? (Historically; I think their relationship is interesting and that they probably cared for each other. In the Shakespeare play, though, Yikes™. I still think the relationship is interesting, but it’s interesting the way watching a train crash is interesting. Anyway I’ll base most of this off the Shakespearean rendering since this is a Shakespeare blog and most of my followers are familiar with that)

What non sexual activities do they like to do together? They like to insult each other mercilessly, apparently. They don’t tend to be around each other all that often. Sometimes they leave notes for each other, though. Just in case either one needed to be reminded how much they hate the other. 

Who does chores around the house? Historically? Neither. In the modern AU I think actually Richard because he likes to keep up appearances and control everything. 

Who’s the better cook? Anne.

Who’s the funniest drunk? Richard, until he starts getting weird and quiet and can’t handle being in public anymore. Anne is just happy and sometimes very loving when she’s drunk.

Do they have kids? They have one son, Edward of Middleham. Historically they had three children but two were Richard’s bastards that he decided to take in, Katherine Plantagenet and John whose last name I don’t know. I do like the idea of Shakespeare’s Richard having a child but I don’t know if it makes sense for him to have fathered bastards (and kept them) due to the fact that he’s supposed to be not only ugly, but ugly and evil. But heck. Maybe he really just likes his kids. 

Do they have any traditions? Does “gloating about that time you killed your wife’s ex-husband” count as a tradition because oh man

What do they fight about? You’d think they would fight a lot. They actually don’t. Anne doesn’t really like to bring up the deaths of her family at Richard’s hands because it changes nothing and Richard, aside from disliking Anne on principle because of her family name, doesn’t really have any qualms with her personally. Their relationship is more a matter of quiet coldness and occasionally scathing remarks, but aside from that, they get along if only for protocol. 

What would they do if they found their paring tag on tumblr? (If they have one) Freak out because WHAT THE HECK

Who cried at the end of Marley and me? Anne but not much because Richard would mock her.

Who always wins at Mario kart? Anne. And then she mocks Richard for missing with his turtle shells.

One thing I like about this ship? Like I said, I like their relationship historically. From what I’ve read, their marriage was very much in agreement and advantageous for the two of them, and they had to go through quite a bit to actually get married due to laws and verdicts concerning Anne. Beyond that, despite it being a political match, they two of them seem to have remained devoted to each other for the twelve years they were together and there is some evidence they cared about each other too, so it was more that just a marriage to benefit them politically.

One thing I don’t like about the ship? Well, pretty much the entire ship from the Shakespearean perspective (and, I guess, if you buy into the idea that he poisoned her which he almost certainly did not, in reality) is horrifying. 

The song I would say fits them? Snow White Queen by Evanescence works for them from Anne’s perspective. (in the play, that is)

Another headcanon about the paring? (Free space) Anne likes to play “how can I fuck with Richard’s psyche” which is something that she’s figured out how to do after years of marriage to him. It involves figuring out his word games and mental tricks and beating them from the outset, and even better, finding his weak spots and insecurities and picking at them until he’s left speechless. It’s rare, and it’s difficult, but being married to Richard is a war, she has to have some way of getting the upper hand.