#the only other fandom that i can think of and had a rivaling quality was VLD

[cryinggirlnamedhelen]

feeling a bit generous today, so for anyone who needs these, here are some tips for writing blue lock specifically (also some bonus facts at the end)

- right off the bat, don’t let popularity and likes on your posts be the only thing on your mind. when you write, make sure you’re also enjoying what you’re writing. doing this stuff only for fame and fans is a bit sad, but not only that, the quality of your work will decrease due to less passion.

- if you want it to get popular and fast, writing for rin, kaiser, or nagi is your best bet. they’re easily the most popular when it comes to this part of the fanbase, and people will eat up ANYTHING sweet when it comes to these nonchalant men.

- listening to music while you write can be helpful. i know it’s not for everyone, but listening to a playlist that matches the vibe of what im writing helps me lock in really well. here is a playlist for writing something fluffy and lovey. here is a playlist for writing something angst and made from pure sadness. here is a playlist for something obsessive and intense. here is a playlist for something that really makes you think about your life choices. (yes, i made all of these playlists, and these are the ones that i listen to)

- using the egoist bible to confirm information is immensely helpful. not only is anyone else who reads the egoist bible see those small Easter eggs, but adding those small hints about their character can also be cute and makes for better writing.

- use colored dividers. i get mine from this post (thank you to firefly graphics!!!) and this post (thank you to aquazero!!!) and make sure you use the colors in order with the characters. for example, i use teal for rin, dark blue for kaiser, and yellow for bachira.

- using song lyrics or song names as titles or inspiration is easy for ideas and for attention. many times, i will listen to a song and realize how much it matches with the blue lock boys or realize that it’ll make an incredible prompt for a drabble. for example, in no. 1 party anthem, there is the iconic “the look of love” part. for that, i made a post with the same title as the lyric and made it about how their eyes are when they are in love.

- putting 2-4 characters in a prompt drabble is the ideal amount. it gets you more popularity quicker due to more characters and more tags, but also, anyone who only started reading the prompt for a certain character can also enjoy reading about the rest of the characters.

- use as many tags as you can. if you look at the tags on my post, i use a monstrous amount.

- quality >>>>>>> quantity ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS. even a 100 word drabble can be more beautiful or impactful than a 1000 word fic if it’s worded better, has a better concept, has better character writing, and has better interactions.

- there are many tropes that work well with certain characters. for example, i always write kaiser with the childhood best friends trope, because not only does it match his character, but it also makes the best quality content. another example is karasu with academic rivals for obvious reasons, although im pretty sure we all already know that.

bonus facts!!!:

- i tend to have a hard time writing sae. he’s a difficult character to understand, which makes him all the more appealing to me but also just as annoying to write. because we have no idea what happened to him when he was in spain, he’s hard to write without being ooc or weird. before kaiser’s backstory, i also had a hard time writing for kaiser. (im an infp 4w5, if that helps)

- the only blue lock boys i can confidently say are green flags are barou, kunigami (pre-wildcard), yukimiya, and karasu. many of the others (isagi, reo, bachira, etc) are extremely close to being green flags but all have questionably toxic things that make them yellow flags.

- i wanna write for shidou so bad, but because the fandom mischaracterizes his so much, it’s hard to write for him validly without getting criticized. for example, shidou is NOT going to beat you up for no reason or be disturbing towards you for no reason. if you don’t play soccer or if you’re not particularly special, then he’s honestly just really chill. think of him like hisoka from hxh but less of a pdf file.

[crazedear]

Joongdok (ORV) Fanfic recs

GUESS WHO'S BACK? BACK AGAIN? That's right folks, your girlie just got into another fandom that has completely taken ahold of her life and is going to be all she thinks about and hyper fixates on for the next few weeks until she once again enters a state of misery before finding smth new.

To be honest, ORV is one of those fandoms that I'd actually hate to get tired of BECAUSE ITS SO GOOD and there's still so much content for me to get thru. I'm going to be fed so well. But anyways enough of the ranting, even though if I could, I would def write a whole separate blog just ranting about ORV as a whole but yall are here for the ao3 recs and as always, I'm here to serve.

Once again I'm still on the search for more and I aim for quality, not quantity (Kind of) ALSO, I love Canon-divergence fics, so if any of you have recs, PLEASE TELL ME. ahem thank you.

Rendezvous Written by: WindsOfTime

Rated: T

Words: 39,658 (Complete - Chapters 6/6)

Yoo Joonghyuk and Kim Dokja's communication skills leave a lot to be desired, but as millennials, you'd think they'd at least remember to check their messages.

Or: a look at what canon could have been if Midday Tryst had been used more often.

Retrouvailles Written by: WindsOfTime

Rated: T

Words: 67,592 (Complete - Chapters 10/10)

Retrouvaille (French noun): 1. Reunion 2. (By extension) Retrouvailles: re-establishment of an interrupted relationship; reconciliation.

Thanks to more frequent uses of Midday Tryst during the early scenarios, Yoo Joonghyuk and Kim Dokja have grown closer. But fate was not so easily avoided.

Left alone in the wreckage of the Dark Castle, Yoo Joonghyuk must follow the trail back to his lost companion.

can't keep my hands to myself

Written by: LethalBookshelves

Rated: T

A collection of 3 different works all one-shots. All of them are super cute and entertaining to read. The three works are a continuation of each other, but you can totally read it as separate one-shots. Words in total: 12,497 Taking Action to Contain a Hopeless Squid

Written by: gayboy_advance

Rated: G Words: 1,235 (One-shot)

It started out innocent—just some minor actions to ensure the slippery man’s safety. Yoo Joonghyuk made sure to check on Kim Dokja every time before going to bed, specifically when the other was already sleeping soundly. He figured it would be less explaining if caught, as well as less likely that the man would up and leave once he had actually taken the time to fall asleep. Unfortunate or not, it was not enough to settle his worries as time progressed.

Or: Yoo Joonghyuk is anxious about Kim Dokja wandering off and accidentally killing himself at night. His solution? Sleep in Kim Dokja's bed.

unbroken faith

Written by: xinrin Rated: G Words: 1,159 (One-shot)

Not even the pain of regressing could rival the stagnation that comes with indefinite waiting. Yoo Joonghyuk lives as if his life is on pause, yet despite his resignation, he does not let go of his faith in the absurd, even as his weary grip begins to cramp and seize with the burden of time.

Kim Dokja dies again, and Yoo Joonghyuk only has one coping mechanism.

kiss me tender, kiss me sweet Written by: fusionboltstrike

Rated: G

Words: 1,011 (One-shot)

“I thought you wanted me to let go,” Jonghyuk murmurs, in between kisses. Kim Dokja lets out a dry chuckle.

“And you’d listen to me?” He turns his head to hide his face in the crook of Jonghyuk’s neck, his eyes falling shut.

“I suppose not.”

A Face He Can't Remember

Written by: ebon_iris

Rated: T

Words: 5,753 (One-shot) When Yoo Joonghyuk first hears Kim Dokja being called the "Ugliest King", it barely registers—just another ridiculous title in a world full of them. It shouldn’t matter. It doesn’t. And yet, later, when he tries to picture Kim Dokja’s face, he realises he can’t. The details slip through his grasp, frustratingly vague. It irritates him, but he dismisses it.

[JoongDok Compilation #51 (1 Hour Special)] by UriUri9158

Written by: MioChiin Rated: T

Words: 4,159 (One-shot)

[DKOS_9158]: Go back to the room at the end of the corridor, you probably missed the item there.  [DKOS_9158]: Why did you even kill every monster? The drops are bad and they barely give exp anyway.  [DKOS_9158]: Don't just skip through the notes, they contain important lore.  [DKOS_9158]: Stop ignoring me, you stupid Sunfish.  “Shut up or I will ban you.” [DKOS_9158]: If you want to be stuck for another hour, be my guest.

Kim Dokja never fails to leave his unnecessary comments during Yoo Joonghyuk's streams. Yoo Joonghyuk is only mildly annoyed.

At least the chat loves him.

Where You Go, I Go (and None Shall Come Between Us)

Written by: Anonymous

Rated: G Words: 3,781 (One-shot)

It was a Universal known fact—everyone has a soulmate, the connection always romantic.

So why was it then, that Kim Dokja was born with no marks on his skin?

Or,

ORV but gayer and everyone has a soulmate. Except Kim Dokja. Somehow.

We Are Not Dating

Written by: ebon_iris

Rated: T

Words: 10,559 (Ongoing- Chapters 7/13)

Yoo Joonghyuk is not dating Kim Dokja.

Sure, they spend most of their free time together. Sure, Kim Dokja has a habit of stealing his food, adjusting his scarf, and lingering in his space like he belongs there. Sure, their friends keep exchanging looks whenever they interact.

But they are not dating.

a hundred longings fill my soul, a thousand yearnings throng my heart

Written by: aynchent

Rated: T

Words: 31,654 (Complete - Chapters 6/6)

Kim Dokja likes Yoo Joonghyuk. Yoo Joonghyuk likes someone else. This is okay.

(It's not.)

Donut Hole

Written by: NurikoEsuki

Rated: T

Words: 64,845 (Ongoing - Chapters 15/?)

Kim Daeyoon and Yoo Jaehyun of the highly (in)famous webnovel, ‘SSSSS-grade Regressor,’ are supposed to hate each other. After all, one is the OP, Gary Stu, male fantasy-coded cold-blooded protagonist with so many cool moments; while the other is just the much less developed, typical isekai viewpoint character.

Yet, due to (unintentional?) chemistry from their actors Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk, the duo gains an unexpected shippers following.

Professor Kim's Wife 

Written By: threecrossings

Rated: T

Words: 20,280 (Ongoing - Chapters 8/?)

Exploring the effect of Professor Kim's Wife on the minds of impressionable undergraduates: A longitudinal case study

ways to confess to your crush

Written by: tls123

Rated: G

Words: 7,961 (One-shot)

"You know," she drawled, "That guy in the story is the kind of lead Kim Dokja likes."

a guide to wooing kim dokja: written by han sooyoung, for yoo joonghyuk.

drowning sun & crashing waves

Written by: heartsent

Rated: T

Words: 7,846 (One-shot)

I missed you so much and it hurt because you were still someone I could reach with my hands and yet you felt so far away.

Kim Dokja tries to find acceptance years after his fall out with Yoo Joonghyuk. He does it in the way he knows best: writing.

I don't usually write a review or my own thoughts in a fic list, but holy crap this one is angstyyyy. It's not necessarily intense, but Kim Dokja's perspective and experience with love hit so close to home. Beautifully written and just so personal it will dig into your soul. Just putting this out there since I know a lot of people don't necessarily enjoy reading angst, especially ones that have a sad or bittersweet ending. This note is for you all! ;P

Help! I’ve Been Reincarnated Into the Body of The Cold-Hearted Tyrannical Emperor’s Best Friend!

Written by: skellypat

Rated: T

Words: 9,004 (Ongoing - Chapters 3/?)

Following his being hit by Truck-Kun, Kim Dokja reincarnates into the body of Lord Kim, the childhood best friend to the ML in the trash webnovel: ‘Help! The Cold-Hearted Tyrannical Emperor Likes Me!’.

According to the story, Lord Kim kills himself the day of the Imperial Coronation, which causes his friend, the Crown Prince Yoo (the titular cold-hearted tyrannical emperor) to become (you guessed it!) a cold-hearted tyrannical emperor once he’s crowned.

Not wanting to die after just being give a second chance at life, Kim Dokja decides to forgo the suicide plot line and attends his friend’s coronation safe and sane, hoping that everything will be fine.

The plot doesn’t really appreciate the change. Neither does Crown Prince Yoo, for a different reason.

and as the ship went down, you never looked finer

Written by: tlsonetwothree

Rated: T

Words: 11,496 (Completed - Chapters 6/6)

“Don’t say God is so far away, try to stay.”

When Kim Dokja wakes, he wishes he hadn’t. Selfishly, he wants to go back to dreaming. To see that epilogue he had worked so hard for.

Selfishly, Yoo Joonghyuk tries to give him a reason to stay— as battered and broken he, himself, is.

They make it work, as, now, older men do. They kiss, hold, and cry— as, then, they wished they could do.

No one leaves the house by the waves.

(Kitchen conversations, and middle aged men pining.)

space away from you

Written by: IcedTeaVamp

Rated: Not rated (But I would say G)

Words: 2,829 (One-shot)

Yoo Joonghyuk goes to space to look for his (not) boyfriend in order to ask what he should do in life besides terrorism. He finds him and it doesn't turn out how he expected.

love, an afterthought

Written by: honey_rot

Rated: T

Words: 83,168 (Ongoing - Chapters 8/9)

Kim Dokja could not see Yoo Joonghyuk from where he was standing behind the screen, but the disinterest was clear in the tone of the latter as he spit out, "He is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me." Not bothering to remain there and possibly listen to them insult his looks further, Kim Dokja strided away, cooling his expression down to a neutral one. He did not betray the slightest hint of what he had heard.

He joked about it a week later in his letter to a friend, and willed himself to forget thinking too much about it.

Therefore, it was only natural that Kim Dokja was stunned to silence when he got called pretty by Yoo Joonghyuk, the same man, a year later.

Unbeknownst to him, however, that was little compared to the rest that was to come.

Alternatively: a joongdok pride and prejudice inspired au

This one is super unique and the author's writing style reflects that. As someone who loves anything Pride and Prejudice, including the original novel AND the 2005 remake of it (who doesn't?) this was a nice treat to read and immerse yourself in. Going back to the writing style, I don't know if this is the author's common style, but you can really tell they were really trying to go for that old, classic, witty, and refined tone reminiscent of Jane Austen’s work. I personally think they did quite a good job.

endings i don't want you to know

Written by: Anonymous

Rated: G

Words: 4,296 (One-shot)

"I want to send you back," the boy said, not meeting the kkoma's eye, "Before that Kim Dokja crossed the Wall."

a happy ending for kim dokja and yoo joonghyuk of the 999th turn.

Certified HR nightmare

Written by: frootyinfarc

Rated: T

Words: 63,370 (Ongoing - Chapters 11/?)

"I'm Kim Dokja, the new assistant." "I was told you'd be a fresh new face for the company. I suppose they meant this kind of fresh." Ah. How could he forget? The sole reason as to why the novel had such mixed reception in the first place was contained within all 1.84 metres of the devil standing before him. President Yoo.

Kim Dokja picks up Love on the Clock, the newest romance venture from award-winning author, Han Sooyoung. He promptly dies in a freak accident, and wakes up in said novel — not as the female lead, but as the tired assistant of the cruel male lead, Yoo Joonghyuk.

──── ⋆⭒˚.⋆🪐 ⋆⭒˚.⋆ ────

[leovaldiva]

Review of "Radio Silence" by Alice Oseman

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

word count: 768

This review contains spoilers, read at your own risk. Radio Silence follows Frances Janvier, a seventeen year old study machine. She’s head girl, has the best grades in school and harbors a secret obsession with a YouTube podcast called “Universe City”. She gets a message from the show’s creator, known only as “The Creator”, asking if she would work with them to make art for each episode. Soon after, Frances discovers that The Creator is actually her neighbor Aled Last, and they quickly become close friends. Frances had previously been friends with his twin sister, Carys, but she ran away from home a few years before. Frances feels like she can truly be herself with Aled and she doesn’t have to hide all her weirdness and be the perfect Cambridge-bound student that she is with her school friends. Aled tells Frances about how his mom is incredibly cruel to him, but in ways that cannot be classified as child abuse. “Universe City” is going smoothly, but then, for Aled’s 18th birthday, Frances, Aled and Aled’s best friend (and secret lover) and Frances’s academic rival, Daniel, get drunk and go camping. Aled posts a blurry video and the Universe City fans figure out who they are. At school, Frances is asked if Aled’s The Creator and, not wanting to lie, she says she can ‘neither confirm nor deny’. That settles it for the fandom, the secret is out. Aled is extremely upset about it, and thinks Frances purposely ratted him out. Fortunately for him, Aled is leaving for college in a few weeks. Once Aled’s gone, his “Universe City” episodes decline in quality, and Frances becomes concerned. Frances can’t worry too much about Aled though, because she has her interview with Cambridge to prepare for. Frances and Daniel finally get their letters from Cambridge, and Daniel gets in but Frances doesn’t. She feels like she’s wasted the last few years of her life, and slumps into misery. Aled posts the final episode of “Universe City”, where the main character gives up. Knowing how much the podcast meant to Aled, Frances is extremely worried and thinks he might be intending to kill himself. Aled isn’t responding to her texts or calls, and he hasn’t talked to Daniel since he left. Frances figures the only person who can help him is someone who's experienced the same treatment from his mother, Carys. She tracks her down in London and they drive up to Aled’s college. They find him, but he runs away. Aled and Carys’s mom shows up and tries to bring Aled home with her, but they convince him there are other options, besides university or his mom. Aled moves in with Frances and she applies (and gets in) to art school. 

The main theme of Radio Silence is university is not the only option, and not going doesn’t make you any less intelligent. Aled is an incredibly smart and creative person, but then he goes to university and has a horrible experience which demonstrates the struggles of university life. Radio Silence normalizes not going to university or going to a different kind of university, which is very important considering the price of traditional education currently, how it is not accessible to many people and how stressful many university environments are. Frances thinks she knows what she wants to do with her life, but then she realizes that isn’t actually what she wants to do. She realizes Cambridge wouldn’t have made her happy, only rich. Frances finds art school much more appealing, and is glad she goes there instead of Cambridge. Carys never finished secondary school and is living an amazing life that she really enjoys, with a job she likes and her best friends as roommates. Daniel gets in and goes to Cambridge, and he enjoys it. Everyone has a different future and they each have their own steps to getting there, and each path is equally successful. I give Radio Silence five stars because it was captivating and stimulating. I related to the main character, agreed with the message, the characters were well-balanced and interesting and the pace was slow enough that I could understand and enjoy it, but not so slow it became boring. The plot was enticing and consistent, and the aesthetics were reliable and pleasant. Radio Silence is a January book, it’s barely set in January, but it feels like January. My biggest regret when reading Radio Silence was reading it in April/May instead of January. The cover even looks like January, with a cozy indoor bedroom and cool colors that remind me of winter.

[masochist-marmot]

In defence of "problematic" ships

CW: references to abusive relationships

There seems to be a growing mindset in fandom spaces that a ship is not valid if it's somehow problematic. Interestingly, the criticism towards a ship is rarely formed as "I don't like it"/"it makes me uncomfortable". Instead, they often attack the shipper with a "you must enjoy being abused and will end up being killed by your partner" or whatever.

Can we not?

First of all, and I'm so sorry to break it to you, but these characters are not real people. They have been constructed to serve a narrative. And seeing an interesting dynamic on the screen/page/whatever and thinking it's worth exploring does not mean you want to be inserted into that situation, nor does it mean that you endorse it in real life. It makes me wonder if these people even understand what fiction is for. I've had my share of toxic relationships, and I'd rather not get into another one. So it's a good thing that I can explore these dynamics safely without putting myself in danger.

And before you bring up the danger of romanticising abuse, I get it. There's plenty of media out there that depicts abuse and toxicity as somehow desirable qualities, and I understand that media can reflect and influence the audience's worldview. This is where you pause for a second, put on your media literacy goggles, and try to see what's actually being said. Depiction does not equal endorsement. Also, shippers are usually just existing in their own spaces and not affecting the wider public in any way.

Secondly, I see a lot of variations of "these characters are not in love because they are not good to each other". Hello? Are we seriously going to claim that romantic feelings only exist in their most pure, uncomplicated, healthy form? Interestingly enough, these sentiments are usually applied to queer ships. When Honkai: Star Rail dropped an animated short containing a prolonged and incredibly sapphic dance scene that ended in Black Swan being mentally (though unintentionally?) violated by Acheron, I saw so many comments along the lines of "I thought it was pretty gay until the mental flaying happened". I mean, it's still pretty gay. Just because you don't think it's healthy, doesn't mean it stops being queer. Are we just that afraid of showing problematic queer representation? We are people, and our relationships will be messy, and I think it's okay to show that. Though once again, I'm aware that for a long time it was all that could be shown, and that wasn't great either. I just feel like the pendulum has swung a bit too much towards the other end.

I've also seen a lot of comments to the effect of "he said he hated him so your ship is invalid". I will excuse these comments if you're on the autism spectrum and have difficulty reading past the literal meaning of words, otherwise, let's dig up those media literacy goggles again. In the next paragraph I'm going to vehemently defend my beloved akeshu, so massive spoilers for Persona 5 Royal.

In his confidant rank 8, Akechi says to the protagonist, in no uncertain terms: "I hate you." And the next time you see him alone, he shoots you in the head (it's complicated, okay?). So you could take this and run with it and go bash akeshu shippers over the head with it. Or you could try to analyse his actions and motivations over the course of the entire game and come to the conclusion that his hatred is a shorthand for a bundle of complicated emotions. Morgana even picks up on it after you fight him later in the game: "You don't really hate Joker, do you?" What Akechi actually feels is admiration and jealousy, since he feels that the protagonist has been handed everything he himself had to work so hard for. It's companionship for his first ever friend and respect for a worthy rival who will rise up to all of his challenges. It's regret that he couldn't have met Joker earlier in life when his master plan wasn't already in motion and his only driving force in life. All of this bundles up in something the emotionally stunted teenager can't and probably doesn't want to unpack, and he settles on what's both very simple and familiar to him: hatred. Which he probably latches onto so that he's capable of putting a bullet in the head of the only friend he's ever had. I could (and honestly, probably will) rant about Akechi on other occasions, but I'll leave it here for now. The point is: If the best you can muster for invalidating a ship is this, I honestly don't feel like I have to listen to your opinion.

Just to be clear, I don't think you need to go find the justifications for your ships in the actual text. In this rant I've mostly brought up ships that stem from how the characters interact in canon. (Though oddly enough, queer ships tend to be subjected to this kind of scrutiny way more than straight ones.) But sometimes it's fun to explore the most unlikely relationship dynamics by shipping characters who barely even interact. They're not what I find personally interesting, but go off. You will never find me gatekeeping ships. Even if it's Hisoka/Gon, in which case you're free to do your thing but I hope I'll never see it.

TLDR; I'm sick of people attacking each other over problematic ships. The characters aren't real, you can't hurt their feelings. But I am, as hard as that may be to grasp sometimes.

[freeeggbailiffcash]

Another Ramble shitpost

I think at its core, a lot of people have varying different takes of a character or ship that they prefer. There's literally no wrong takes or answers because everything's subjective and the point of a fandom or a fanon is that fans are fixated/ interested in a story/character/ship enough that they are invested to talk/write/draw about it.

With that said, here's more ramble shitpost for the Hamilton fandom. As a reader, I am amenable to read multiple ships given that I have enough interest in the story/plot. My go to trope is evidently enemies to lovers; Hence forth to why I'm rambling here about the different type of dynamic that exists within that trope itself.

I think the LAMS or Hamilton x Laurens ship is kinda clear cut example of best friends to lovers. I'll be brutally honest and say that it's endearing and I think it makes a lovely love story.

To fall in love with a bestfriend, one who knows your mind, who can probabyly finish your sentence mis-speak and is always defending you would be a spectatcular emotion.

For me, enemies to lovers resonate deeper with my psyche because it's the notion of having a person who's seen your worst qualities and still being able to love you as well as bring out a spark/light that you've never had with anyone else seems more exciting.

In enemies to lovers trope, there's also different a=elements to bring forward like whether it's enemies at first sight, or academic/peer rival, or friends/ally turned enemy or even enemy due to generational conflict.

So here, I feel like there's a dilemma (in terms of my personal preference) between Jamilton or Hamburr.

I've read quite a lot of fics on these two ships (and also some threesomes fic lol)

And i kinda remember seeing this tiktok vid where this guy explained the entirety of the naruto x (any gloomy character ship) is basically the same formula of cheerful sunshine x gloomy guy with trauma, only the spectrum of how much trauma the gloomy one has differs.

Like Naruto x Sasuke, Naruto x Neji and Naruto x Gaara. Though, as someone who thoroughly followed the Naruto fandom, I know that there's a stark difference in these three ships due to the character's background and interactions with Naruto.

In Hamilton case, it's a bit different I think.

For one, Aaron Burr x Alexander Hamilton kind of started as acquaintances to friends to rivals to enemies. Meanwhile, Thomas Jefferson x Alexander Hamilton follows a clearer adversaries/rivals to enemies to reluctant acquantance? (since they kinda worked together). I'm taking this in the context of Musical Hamilton isntead of Historically accurate RPF (I do read about them and I did take political philosophy classes featuring Jefferson's and Madison's philosophy but i dont think im adept enough to relate it to the musical Hamilton fandom)

Jefferson x Hamilton ship is the fun kind of enemies to lovers where they hate each other straight up due to the differences of their beliefs. I'd fo as far as to say they're on two opposing spectrums in multiple subjects of debate (kinda how they shaped the US to be a two party system lol). But I can see the potential there, since them arguing and debating would amount to a great deal of sexual tension. I absolutely fics where Jefferson sees Hamilton as a caffein fiend or liberal gremlin lol. I think the extend of enemies to lovers would entail them being different from each other or polar opposites, but there's also some similarities that allow them to trangress from hate to attraction to love. (Like Hamilton's begrudging acceptance that in spite of his views clashing with Jefferson's, he still has strong principles and enough wit to back his opinions (though, shitty). Respect is given when its due, and for one to have even an ounce of respect for an enemy kinda opens up the possibility to see beyond the initial hatred which makes the progression of the ship so enjoyable like you can curse that motherfucker all you want but you're still gonna end up fucking with him since the author already inseterted the enemy to lovers.

For Burr x Hamilton though- it has a whole fucking lot of layers that makes it all the more richer. It kinda starts with Hamilton approaching Burr with admiration and inquiring on how he can get as far as Burr did (graduating early etc) only to be disappointed at Burr's lack of conviction in his stands (talk about not meeting your heroes, huh) But, I imagined that Hamilton kinds of holds dear of his first meeting with Burr, seeing him as his first friend in America.

The evolution of Burr and Hamilton's relationship goes from being total strangers to them being constantly aware of each other/ keep meeting. They might not really run in the same circles anymore, nor do they particularly go out of their way to purposedly spite e/o but they're still in e/o life. Then comes to the moment where Washington chooses Hamilton instead of Burr which procludes Burr and Hamilton having a silent rivalry that they may or may not be concious of. For me, it's endearing how Hamilton is unlike anything Burr has ever uncover and he struggles to understand why Hamilton is the way he is and it's the same case with Hamilton about Burr.

Like they really have this grievances about how the other acts (Hamilton upset with Burr's 'wait for it' attitude while Burr feels that Hamilton brash nature of running straight into things ) and interestingly enough, the way they'd criticise e/o is in no way -they make jabs at the expense of the other but there's not much malice in it (as opposed to how Hamilton would roast Jefferson)

The reason I like enemies to lovers is that there's a moment it goes from them hating e/o to them fully acknowledging their differences that doesn't solidify their loathing but instead becomes endearing or the very thing they seek within the other. It's like complementaries. How soulmates or two different sides of the same coin?

And for the Burr x Hamilton ship- the tragic end where they end up being each other's damnation feels poetic (I can literally imagine a fic where there's the name of your greatest enemy on your left hand while the right hand is the name of your soulmate only for Burr and Hamilton to have each other's name on both hands)

I honestly dont know how i should end this ramble lol but I kinda had a same discussion with a mutual about DMTKH (where Jaha x Jai and Jai x Farhan have distinctively different dynamics in spite of the ship following an enemy to lover kind of trope)

[btr-rewatch]

hii, you mentioned you were around during the fandom's heyday, i was wondering if you had any favorite fics from back in the day you'd like to share? <3

Hello! Yes, BTR was actually my official "introduction" to online fandom when I was younger :) I spent so much time here on tumblr and fanfiction.net, which was a lot of fun because the fandom was at its biggest and most active.

Good timing with this ask, because I was actually thinking about making a post with some of the fics that were popular (or that I personally enjoyed) back when the show was on. I still have them bookmarked on my old laptop! I'll select a handful and put them under a read more.

Quick disclaimer that I cannot attest for the quality of any of these fics now. I haven't revisited most of these since I originally read them, though the main details have cemented themselves in my brain on account of my past self having read them over and over and over. Still, I don't know if my older, adult self would find them any good in regards to writing quality or the actual content.

• Ok. So, I have to start out by mentioning Laura (known as Miss Fenway), who I wrote briefly about in my BTF Fandom Lore post. When I tell you that she was the "Queen" of the fandom for the years the show ran, I'm not kidding. Everybody knew her. She churned out fanfics like it was her job. She was responsible for a lot of the headcanons that ended up being adopted by the rest of the fandom. And she wrote "Little Hollow," the 55-chapter, 160,000-word fic that had a profound effect on the fandom. Basic premise is: Logan gets cancer, and from there, everything spirals into tragedy and heartbreak. She then wrote a fic based off an alternate ending to "Little Hollow" called "Three" that absolutely destroyed my younger self when I first read it. Like. It was just too much for me.

Back in the day, Logan was the character who was tormented the most by fic writers, and nobody tormented him quite like Miss Fenway. In some of her other fics, he loses an arm in a shark attack, becomes a drug addict, gets kidnapped, is in a car accident that leaves him brain-damaged, is in a hockey accident that leaves him with amnesia, and so on.

Personally, I was partial to "All These Lives" & its sequel "September." To THIS DAY, I cannot hear either of those Chris Daughtry songs without thinking of those fics.

• If you're into AUs, "Mania" was hands-down one of my favorite BTR fics (maybe even one of my favorite fics period). It's like...an edgier version of the boys? They're a gang of sorts, formed out of necessity in order to keep their neighborhood safe from a rival gang. They carry weapons, get into fist-fights daily, and will go to the ends of the Earth to keep Katie safe. Listen. It sounds off the rails, but read it. Trust me. Even now, years later, this fic occasionally pops into my head out of nowhere because I loved it so much.

• Fics that focused on the guys as little kids were very hit or miss (and sometimes could be weird), but I've got to include two of my favorites, "The Petting Zoo" and "Trouble." They both capture the personalities of the boys so well, and I have to imagine this is a lot what they were like as kids. Chaos all the time. Idk, I thought both of these were so funny. Worth a read, in my opinion.

• Alrighty, last fic on this list is a doozy. It's called "Another Reason." This was my absolute favorite BTR fic, and it was one that I read and literally needed several days to digest because it was such an emotional ride. This is a DARK ONE, guys. It's gritty and depressing and hard to read, to the point I only ever read it once because I was never quite ready to return to it. Kendall is kidnapped and tortured for days by someone associated with Hawk (I think??) so it def treads into AU territory because it's nowhere near the lighthearted, goofy feel of the showverse rivalry between Hawk and Rocque Records. Feeling like the police aren't doing all they can to find Kendall, the remaining three boys steal Mrs. Knight's car and take off in search of Kendall.

Like I said, I haven't reread it because it was a tough read, but I remember it being well-written and rambling at length about it to a family member.

And that's where I'll leave it for now! If anyone checks any of these out, I'd love to hear thoughts (my ask box is always open). I also welcome your own fic suggestions, since I really haven't ventured back into the BTR fanfic world yet. Also, thanks to everyone who read the fic I posted the other day!

[mania-sama]

If you don't mind me asking, who are your top 5 (or top 7) favorite (fictional) characters ever from any media? Why love them?

thanks so much for the ask!! i always love your questions <3

God, this is a hard one. Because I've consumed and fallen in love with so many pieces of media in my life, it's hard for me to tell who exactly my favorite characters are. The pool is just too big to choose from! But I'll try my best regardless!

Also an important note that as I grow older, this list could very well become out-dated very fast. Who knows what I will see or what medias I will consume that will alter my perception of reality?

In no particular order:

Bakugou Katsuki [My Hero Academia] -> THE OG. I REPEAT. THE OG ONLINE OBSESSION. My history with My Hero Academia goes way back on my online persona, when I was a wee lad and experiencing my first online hyperfixation (Warrior Cats not included). I had him as online nickname and profile picture on multiple accounts and instances. I look back and cringe on this era of my life, but I still will not stand for slander on this character. I obsessed over him because he is an incredibly well-written character, with faults, passions, interesting qualities, and an insane amount of character growth that, arguably, rivals Zuko. His character motivations still stand out to me to this day. I quit reading/watching BNHA around the war arc, like right when it finished and Midoriya fled the scene. No particular reason for quitting, I think; I just moved on from that part of my life. But, Bakugou will always stick with me just a little. AND YOU KNOW WHAT. I liked him when everyone else still hated him. I liked him before it was cool to like him. Shout out to 2020-2021 me for being an OG. I'm still a "Ground Zero" truther to this very day.

Percy Jackson [Percy Jackson and the Olympians] -> Anyone that has read the PJO and/or the following series will not be surprised to find him here. He's like Spiderman but better, which is saying a lot because I really, really like Spiderman. Percy Jackson is there for every kid who has ever felt out of place in this world; for every kid who has struggled in succeeding in any aspect of their life; for every kid who grew up in a household different from their peers; for every kid who behaves in ways that other people don't seem to understand. Spiderman was a character created to represent the reader of superhero comics: a teenage white boy. Of course, later iterations of Spiderman come to represent more individuals, but that is not who he was originally. Percy Jackson is a character that comes from a place of necessity. He is a character that represents the reader of PJO: a kid who doesn't quite fit in with the rest, for one reason or another. Percy is funny, ultra-overpowered, relatable, and still gets his happy ending. Nothing more to want in a character, really.

Robbie White | Axe Boy [Identity V] -> My hunter main for Identity V. I don't really know how to explain why I love him so much, and how he has become a character I get emotional over very fast. I seem to find one random character from a game and attach myself to them like a jellyfish. Not only is his backstory devastatingly heartbreaking, he is adorable in all of his animations, standby motions, emotes, etc.. He has carried me to many victories, and he will continue to carry me in every match I play. I literally forced myself to download IDV on my laptop and play a few matches just so I could get his Little Nightmares crossover skin. No matter how far he falls from meta, they can never make me hate you Robbie.

Kugisaki Nobara [Jujutsu Kaisen] -> I had a LOT of internal debate over this. I guess I can't confirm until I leave the fandom, but for right now, she's definitely one of my top favorite characters of all time. I'm considering writing an analysis on her because she is just so good. I have never seen a female character in a piece of media that isn't explicitly feminine embody femininity so well. It actually impresses me to a degree I cannot reasonably tell you. She's just perfect. Everything about her is everything that I want to be as a woman. She's comfortable in her own skin, confident not in a man-ish way, but in a distinctly feminine way. What gives that she wants to feel pretty and strong in a physical way? Who is saying that she can't have both? Not to mention that she's also extremely strategically smart. I love her. I really, really do. Sometimes, I imagine strangling Gege's avatar and it makes me very happy.

Oikawa Tooru [Haikyuu] -> I honest-to-God cannot believe he made it here. I tried so hard to find a character to replace him. I did not want him here out of SPITE. But here he is, somehow, and not replaced by Miles Morales (who, upon reflection, would only be here because I did not want Oikawa to be here. Miles didn't even make my honorable mentions. That is proof enough, I suppose, that Oikawa somehow deserves his spot). I've talked about it before, but I'll reiterate it here: Oikawa is a character that is very, very easy to toy around with. He is THE teenager, and THE adult. You can project pretty much any anxiety or worry onto him and it'll make sense because he's got so many self-worth issues it's laughable. I don't want to spend more time talking about him than he deserves. I am as disappointed as you are that he made this list.

Honorable Mentions:

Razor & Xiao [Genshin Impact] -> They would've made the list if I could've put one above the other for real. Silly whimsical attachment with immense appreciation for the character writing vs serious love for the writing and development of the character beyond words. Simply an impossible choice.

Akabane Karma [Assassination Classroom] -> He was my favorite character of all time at one point in history and is still the inspiration behind my Tiktok nickname (that I may change one day). Unfortunately, it's been a long time since I've watched the anime and I can't remember much of what drew me to Karma in the first place that isn't already achieved in other of my favorite characters. Still, I thought I'd honor him here.

[devine-fem]

As someone who likes Damijon as both platonic and romantic…I don’t understand the obsession of certain antis bring up whole age gap thing when it comes to Damian and Jon. It’s getting really old and pissing me off at this point.

I can’t recall a fandom I’ve been in where antis kept bringing up an age gap between two characters.

Idk if I’m talking out of my ass but it sounds like as if antis think the fandom puts Damijon in sexual situations 24/7 when that’s not the case.

Jfc no one is forcing you to ship them if you don’t (it’s not even canon!) but don’t go around accusing the fandom as p*d*s just to make a point. ( I know in fandoms there some weirdos too but it doesn’t make up a whole)

Let the Damijon fandom enjoy whatever crumbles they are getting right now…because it’s really just crumbles at this point.

If those antis also consist of those who are our rival ships (they know who they are) like yall are getting canon content rn from DC if you’re upset with the quality of it speak with your wallet idk…???

Sorry for the rant it’s just for the most part Damijon fandom has been pretty chill (excluding Twitter that’s another can of worms) and I hate the accusations parts of the fandom love to make.

Yeah… people don’t talk about how Jon had to be 11 to Damian’s 13 before he left for space because they only read super sons, they never really look at any other source or think about their ages as more than that because tom taylor said out his mouth that they were 3 years apart when dissing the ship BUT he admits himself to not know their exact ages and that it could be a 2 year age gap.

So I just think of it as two years, and with two years I don’t really care because personally even in my youth I’ve been with people who are two years older with no issue because age alone doesn’t determine whether or not someone is taking advantage of you for obvious reasons. Age gaps are not tangible things, to some people what you consider weird is normal to someone else.

Then there’s the fact that neither Jon or Damian have birthdays. Damian was aged up for teen titans which people don’t seem to care about. Among other things like how Jon and Damian are the same age in most other universes… did you know that? Also, people like to say theres a maturity gap but forget that Damian was the immature one that picked fights. Plus, when characters grow up beside each other then it’s less ‘weird’ cause then they are expierencing similar traumas. It’s probably lots smaller then we think.

When I talk about them with a three year age gap then its probably platonic but sometimes romantic, two years then its sometimes platonic or romantic, one year, platonic or romantic and I stay between these because their age can slightly change their dynamic. It’s for fun, its exploring their platonic dynamic if it had elements of romance to it. Its interchangeable to me but for the most parts its two.

They are barbies that I play with at my own free will. They are not real people, they may imitate life but they do not infact replicate it.

So yeah… when they are young I only ever have really seen or interacted with media where J and D have not done more than maybe peck. Its just supposed to be cute and sweet.

Do people not understand the concept of the fact Jon and Damian should not be getting into a serious relationship while they are young or else it would go horribly wrong? Do they not understand that a lot of the ships appeal in the childhood friends TO lovers factor?

It kind of bothers me to be having to put the fact that I l hate Jonjay and like Daminika in my bio so people can get a feel for the type of person I am. And “rival” ships? there’s no rivalry, I don’t feel threatened by other peoples ships at all… especially if they’re canon… unless its like jonjay where the origin of the ship is inherently problematic, substanceless and built on character assassination… but we hate damijon and praise THAT? We say that damijon is worse than that? I’m sorry but jonjay to jon kent is jayroy to roy harper to me.

Twitter is very strange, very very strange people on that app to which this morning I had to uninstall because I KNEW that they would feel threatened by damijons today and hate profusely in response to it.

Although, you guys gotta put that age gap shit to bed…

Dami look 14 here to you? If Damijons are the ones who don’t read comics then how do we know that they are well in their 20s and 30s here. They are both consenting adults in main continuity that can do as they please here. You simply cannot say anything. No arguement can be supported now because now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

There was no point in hate the age gap really in the first place since time was always gonna heal it anyway???

But part of me kind of understands hating it if you experience fandom through twitter which is not a fandom app at all. Damijon stans are annoying and gross on twitter, I get it but not everyone is inherently horrible for obvious reasons.

[ridiasfangirlings]

After so many years in the K Fandom I still can't understand with absolute certainty which one of the boys does Aya actually like: Saruhiko or Misaki? She "acts in love" around Misaki and hugs and flirts with him etc yet she wants Saruhiko to notice her and pines for HIS attention (I know there's also the "rival" thing mixed in cuz she wants to be recognized as being better than him) but she actually kind of seems more in love with him and is instead jealous of Misaki because he gets all of Saruhiko's attention. Because, logically speaking, if she likes Misaki yet he keeps spending all his time with Saru, she should be jealous of Saruhiko cuz he's taking Misaki away from her and also because he thinks that Saru is the amazing one and not her, yet it seems to be the other way around lol. Can you please shed some clarity on the matter here, I just can't come up with a conclusion on my own....

Oh she’s definitely interested in Fushimi, I think even Yata knows that by their last meeting. Aya I think is supposed to be something of a parallel for Fushimi, that the way she reacts to him mirrors the way Fushimi will later act towards Yata — in particular that scene at Niki’s funeral, where she says that if Fushimi and Yata join Homra while Aya is still climbing the ranks of jungle then eventually she’ll become his enemy “because you aren’t looking at Aya.” Yata also talks to her about this in the rain after middle school graduation, how she needs to be more honest with Fushimi because that’s what he’ll react to, the way she’s acting is just pushing him away more. Afterward Aya is clearly upset and again it’s not because she’s lost time with Yata, it’s because she had so much time with Fushimi and yet Yata’s the only one Fushimi is looking at. It’s not until her defeat at the end of the novel that she actually manages to say the words she’s been swallowing down, that she does think Fushimi is amazing and basically admitting that she did want his attention all this time. 

As far as her ‘crush’ on Yata goes, that seems to be again her way of getting Fushimi’s attention rather than any actual interest in Yata. She clearly is aware that Fushimi and Yata hang out together and I think her plan was probably something along the lines of ‘stealing’ Yata away so that Fushimi would look at her. It’s particularly noticeable in the way she initially interacts with Yata — one of Aya’s traits is that she puts on a certain mask in front of others, where she talks in a cutesy way, and that’s the way she’s acting when she sends Yata the love letter and when she first interacts with him. But as soon as Fushimi shows up she gets much more serious and sharp, which is pretty clearly closer to the ‘real’ Aya (and she does stop using the cutesy persona in front Yata as the novel goes on, presumably because she’s really dropped all pretense of being interested in him). She insults Yata in front of Fushimi as well, complaining that his quality goes down when he’s with Yata, which I think isn’t really something she’d do if she was romantically interested in Yata at all. The part that actually I find amusing is I do think Yata is aware she has no interest in him — again that scene in the rain — but Fushimi does seem to be taking her at face value, presumably because if it’s not said clearly to him there’s no way he’d assume anyone else finds him amazing. Aya meanwhile pretends to have interest in Yata while really having no idea what Fushimi sees in him, even after Fushimi tells her right out ‘when have you ever looked at me with shining eyes and called me amazing.’

[ooh-dream]

2 and 29 for the ask game?

2 - What’s your favourite c!Dream duo?

Honestly it’s a tie between Rivals duo and Dreambur for very different and very specific reasons.

Rivals is just a superior duo on all fronts, well rounded and perfect in every interaction they had. Dream didn’t always play the straight man in their dynamic, they can very comfortably switch roles and no quality or enjoyment is lost in that interaction. It also allows the audience to see this different side to their characters. In most of Dream’s other duos he plays a very stoic and mysterious straight man. Of course he goofs around but as the series stretched on you saw that less and that circle shrank. Techno humanized c!Dream in a way. He became less scary to dedicated Techno fans and more just an eccentric kid putting on a tough guy routine.

Dreambur? In the same way Awesamdream is just so fascinating and fucked up there’s just layers and layers of a dynamic that most of the fandom has barely scratched the surface on. The original— and greatest— version of tntduo that honestly deserves more love. The current version of tntduo will never be them; the absolute servers of cunt.

29 - Which emotion do you think rules c!Dream the most?

Fear.

Always has been….

He’s always been this scared kid. He lashes out because if you make yourself look big and scary then the you will be left alone. But c!Dream doesn’t want to be alone, he’s always thrived on being with the people loves. With them he’s always been their protector, their mediator. But that role becomes obsolete as the server grows and here comes this fear that they will no longer need him. Well he does everything in his power to keep being this protector and he gains the revive book to mitigate the threat of death being permanent. His fears begin to lead to this very prominent paranoia we see from him. He’s scared of his friends getting hurt so he pushes them away. He builds an entire prison because he’s paranoid that someone would also have this key to immortality. He asks Punz to distance himself from Dream to keep his only ally safe.

I hope this is a coherent explanation, i wrote this over the course of a few hours so I apologize if it’s confusing.

[newspropaganda]

What is your take on DSOD and how why did it suck so much?

Do you think 4KIDS didn't dub GX and 5d's because of reasons that aren't lawsuits or bad rattins?

Grammer Nazi Police when? LOL XD

Nostalgia Bait Gone Wrong!

This movie was made to cash in on my childhood, and it failed miserably since I outgrew Duel Monsters years ago.Today I decided to review a movie that I've had a visual loathing problem with since its inception back in 2016. I need to go into more depth because I can't simply ignore it.I have finally decided to review Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions and its mixed reception at the box office. There's a lot to talk about with this movie, and I hope I can cover it all since MyAnimeList has a limit on the amount of text and characters I can use.I am also going to explain two major topics. One is about production problems and nepotism, and the other is about reception and box office gross.

Oh god, this movie is going to suck, isn't it? Oh, wait. It is!

In The End It has to be this way: To me, Dark Side of Dimensions will always be the movie that killed my interest in Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, despite it being the third movie primarily focused on Duel Monsters. Let's delve into a bit of history regarding the Yu-Gi-Oh! movies. Firstly, there was the Toei Yu-Gi-Oh! movie from the late 90s, which was never released on DVD or Blu-ray, either because it was non-canon to the story or simply never considered canon. It's never been explained why it wasn't released on DVD. Then, in the early 2000s, we got the first movie for the Gallop Yu-Gi-Oh! series, Pyramid of Light, which received mixed reception. In its defense, it was created to rival Pokémon movies, but unfortunately, it didn't succeed. This led to the fandom's first uproar, with some blaming Takahashi for it. However, Takahashi wasn't responsible for it; it was actually 4KIDS who commissioned it from Japan. It's surprising that people are still misinformed about this in 2024. Next, we had Bonds Beyond Time, which was the only good movie in my opinion. And then, we have this disaster I'm reviewing.

Two Birds and One Stone Troupe: Now, let's delve into two topics I want to cover simultaneously: Animation and Directing. I'm going to be quite salty about this one. You see, one of my pet peeves is the apparent nepotism and the overemphasis on pretty colors and stereotyping in this movie, which I strongly oppose. This isn't me being biased or offering subjective criticism; I detest the prioritization of 'pretty colors' over substance. In today's media landscape, there's a tendency to mock older shows for not being 'flashy action,' 'self-inserted,' or 'well-made.' People often jump on the bandwagon and promote fake agendas like 'nepotism,' which is another problem I need to address. You cannot judge a movie solely based on animation. This isn't just the recurring issue with My Hero Academia and its animation; it's a problem I like to call the Yugioh Zexal fiasco.Animation production is expensive and often costs way too much. Despite how much money a show or movie makes, its value is ultimately determined by its reception at the box office. Personally, I disliked My Hero Academia because its cinematic animation received more positive reviews than its main series did. It felt like MHA was using the movies as a platform to showcase better fights because the main series itself seemed lazy and uninteresting. So, what does this have to do with the review? Well, people tend to be aggressive towards the media and often blame anime studios for being outdated or lazy. Studio Gallop was never a mainstream studio nor was it financially stable. The Yu-Gi-Oh! anime and movies had above-average production quality before the Zexal era, but then it shifted towards flashy visuals and over-the-top animation, which I found to be a mishap of nonsense. In fact, this movie is why I've disliked its production since 2014 because Konami seemed to be on a death wish to produce another movie that would likely result in financial losses. The movie was primarily focused on impressing the audience, trying to position itself as a 'savior,' but it ultimately failed miserably since people could see the excessive cost of production. The biggest problem with the movie lies in its direction, which was mediocre and poorly choreographed. To make matters worse, it was helmed by the same director I loathe, Satoshi Kuwabara. His tendency for poorly paced animation hiccups makes him a prime example of how not to hire a good director. Kuwabara comes off as lazy and immature in his approach to production. However, Yu-Gi-Oh! fans seem to get upset when his work is criticized, even though it's riddled with flaws. People often only point out issues with localization, blaming the wrong sources. But in reality, the direction of the movie was mediocre at best. He was responsible for the previous screw-up known as Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal and its mixed reception in the West due to the disaster of the anime. He was in charge of that series from day one. What I found particularly strange is that he never gave interviews or tried to explain what was even happening in the show. He appeared mostly lazy and inconsistent, in my opinion.

Nepotism Is as it's peak: This section is about Takahashi, who didn't understand his own logic in the first place. While people defended the movie for its flashy animation and nostalgia bait, Takahashi received universal criticism because he is solely at fault for this movie's failure. In the 2010s, people didn't blame him enough for Zexal, but he was blamed for this movie being a total disaster. It focused on stereotypes, dehumanizing the first Yu-Gi-Oh! show by portraying the characters as nothing more than jerks, and in the process, proving the critics right. In fact, this movie catered to those wanting another political card game war, leading to many people being divided due to his ego once again being involved.

Nepotism characterized the movie, with character assassination and story points being dropped in favor of it being a love letter to Yu-Gi-Oh! Season 6 that never happened. This whole movie is just Pyramid of Light recreated with dumb animation borrowed from Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V's production, solely to improve the movie and divide the fans once again. He tried to cover the movie's tracks under the rug because he couldn't take the fact that he knew personally if he stole animation or writing budgets from another ongoing Yu-Gi-Oh! project, it would lead to fandom wars.

Many Yu-Gi-Oh! fans know that he screwed up big time and never apologized for the movie's faults. People are split because of Takahashi's opinions and his ego regarding how Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal turned out to be a disaster, as he was involved in that series but left at some point to start early production on Dark Side of Dimensions. Many fans say that Takahashi wasn't very involved with the series, but for reasons he doesn't want to take part in a show. The reason for this is that Takahashi has an ego that lets him anger the fandom because the story wasn't in favor of anything but solely overpowering the show's credibility and creating a dumpster fire, just like how Zexal became that way.In short, he is the reason why Yu-Gi-Oh! is doomed. He can't seem to improve the story and let it progress, as his original anime, Duel Monsters, was never fully adapted. The manga was left with plot holes and a lack of depth due to arcs being cut too soon. In short, Yu-Gi-Oh! was doomed because any show past 5D's became unlikable and disrespected. This man wanted to push an agenda, much like how Zexal was supposed to be Duel Monsters 2.0.

We hated ARC-V for this? That brings me to the production itself, which was undermined by his lackeys and others who tried to make this movie happen. The movie was made sometime between 2014 and 2016, and it's largely at fault for stealing the budget from shows like Arc-V. I'm not one to just jump on the bandwagon and start supporting a movie because someone told me to. There is no movie in the whole universe I have ever been hyped about just because many people tell me to support its production rather than focusing on the actual story and characters.Studio Gallop was never a mainstream studio like Studio Mappa or Studio Bones. Gallop was a studio meant to handle shows made for children, not mainstream abominations that performed terribly at the box office. These movies were universally panned because their stories were either handled poorly in the manga or never completed. The studio often misled their fandom, promising that the movies would be gold standards, but this was a lie. The movies were more meant to be tie-ins rather than delivering what the fandom demanded.

The Box Office Disaster The movie was a box office disaster, failing to recoup its production costs and falling short of expectations. Despite the hype and nostalgia surrounding the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, The Dark Side of Dimensions couldn't draw in enough viewers to be profitable. This was partly due to the overly ambitious budget that prioritized flashy animation over a coherent and engaging story. Fans were left disappointed, and critics panned the movie for its lack of depth and substance, leading to its poor performance at the box office.

The Duels The duels, which should have been the highlight of the movie, were also a letdown. They were poorly choreographed and lacked the strategic depth that fans loved in the original series. Instead of thrilling, intellectually stimulating matches, the duels in The Dark Side of Dimensions felt rushed and overly reliant on flashy visuals. This focus on style over substance left many fans feeling cheated. The duels failed to capture the essence of what made Yu-Gi-Oh! great in the first place, ultimately contributing to the overall disappointment with the movie.

Overall The movie is just nostalgia bait 101. You can't tell me that many people have a bias for it just because of the animation and pretty colors. In fact, people hated this movie because it was made with money taken from another project, which left their fandom unhappy. If you tell me that I'm being negative because I prefer 5D's, which was universally better than this movie, it's only because you refused to watch 5D's. I'm starting to believe that Konami never planned for this movie; it was a last-second attempt to make money.

I give the the movie a 2/10

Question 2:

The lack of dubs for 5D's and GX is both the fault of 4Kids. The way it was handled years ago reflects how today’s society is afraid to speak the truth about it. I believe it’s all American bullshit politics. There is a reason why i prefer subs since we never got neither fully released on DVD.

[moonilit]

Please talk about this fic you read, I want to hear all about it ❤️

What can i say im losing my mind about it, I don’t know if I should gush about how much i love the world of ffvii and its characters or that fic specifically because that’s where the fic is from (actually two fics by the same author)

long long long rant ahead:

Its by kzam and I literally couldn’t stop reading! Seriously they are so good!! Even Catalyst that is a Cloud/Genesis pairing?? I wasn’t sure about or how would they work out? And im sure they never really met in canon so how would they work? But because their other work were amazing i jumped in because, sure why not and OH MY GOD that is one of my favorite Clouds of all times! Seriously I loved the comedy pits, it was literally the highlight in catalyst for me, so naturally and not forced.

Then there is takes one to know one that is my favorite by far like Zack is so in love y’ll someone help him 😭

he fucked up when he first met cloud and told him he was only interested in one night and cloud was like ‘yeah no, i like you as my bff’ and he fucked up, zack fucked up because he ended up developing actual feelings like those four chapters are so painful (in the best of ways) like the pining is so strong it’s creating it’s own magnetic field 😭 Zack just had to pull through Cloud just seeing him as a friend god that was so painful to read (but we all know how this story ends ;))

like im making it sound like its pure romance but there is actually a plot and the fic isn’t even from zack pov, It’s just so painful and amusing to see what zack does from cloud pov and seeing how cloud doesn’t really pick up on it, just makes you feel more for zack. That idiot, did u really had to open ur big mouth!??

Im so not over how much i loved both of these two fics, they are officially on my top tier list I can’t even organize my thoughts about them!

They are good fics and even better for people who don’t know much about ffvii universe, it’s pretty much a modern au and any unique concepts to its world are explained within the story well, so no one will feel lost

Thank u for giving me the opportunity to just gush about them i was about to explode!!!

[botwstoriesandsuch]

Actually wait though, cause quick rant as a writing nerd, I think that last ask has finally made my brain click into what I really dislike about the Age of Calamity DLC as a whole. The main problem I had with that flashback scene was that it was not a developed “romantic situation” but rather, it’s just the bare bones of a cliche. In fact, I would argue that there is not a single scene, or “situation” happening in any of the cut-scenes in Age of Calamity: Guardian of Remembrance, rather every “scene” only centers around trope.

See when you say “situation,” what you actual mean is “trope,” and tropes, inherently aren’t bad. A trope, down to its most basic fundamentals, is just a set of circumstances. A chosen one, love at first sight, an impossible riddle--or perhaps if I’m better to cater to the audience, other examples would be rivals to lovers, “there was only one bed,” soulmates and soul marks, and of course, “guy saving the girl from danger and then they fall in love.”  Trope is set-up, trope is circumstance, trope is used by every writer, director, and storyteller on the planet and it’s impossible to avoid or ignore it. And the reason why trope isn’t bad, is because trope is the building blocks of a story or scene that is meant to be developed upon.

And that brings me to what a cliche is, which is, essentially, a trope that is never developed upon, never expanded upon. Cliche is when you are given a familiar set of circumstances, and you never do anything with it. Or at the very least, you never do anything unique with it.

So a hero pulling out a sword to become something greater is a trope, something you see across many works of fiction. But Link pulling out the Master Sword is not a cliche, because the bare bones of that trope are built over with interesting and unique lore, story, and character.

So long story short: Trope = pretty good Cliche = bad

Now, can you guess which of these two techniques the Age of Calamity likes to use more?

Cute kid is saved at the last moment by their personal hero Evil cult wants to raise a dark lord and harbor destruction Mysterious traveler from the future warns the protagonist of something

Wow Nintendo! Those are some neat tropes you’ve got there! I am so glad that you uniquely developed every single one them into something interesting and fulfilling--

Oh WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAITTTTT...

And this isn’t to say that none of the plot lines in hwaoc were developed. There IS absolutely some amazing content developed with characters like Zelda and Mipha, or Revali and Sidon, which are achieved through means of both trope set up and subtext. However, I argue that the content that the game is actually providing you is far less than you think. Subtext and “unspoken narratives” certainly are valid literary techniques, but such things can often be mistaken for something else, something that’s just a fabrication of fandom. See, subtext is not fan service.

Fan service is making your fans happy. Sounds innocent on its surface, I mean who wouldn’t want to make their consumers happy? However the majority of the time (at least speaking on the perspective as a someone who studies storytelling) a lot of the time, the existence of fan service comes at the detriment of the fans, because instead of including fan service in a story for fun, fan service often replaces story.

Quick example: Literally any recent 21st century animated TV show that has had ships. Writers plan their thing, fandom is like “actually don’t do that thing, do the thing WE want.” Writers comply. The show’s quality crashes. *cough* Star vs the forces of evil I’m looking at you *cough*

Age of Calamity is guilty of the practice. Baby Sidon, Tulin, Terrako--Cute little shits that exist to distract you from the bad writing. Sooga, Urbosa, Zelda on a motorcycle--badass character moments that distract you from the fact that there are barely any character arcs in this game. You CANNOT argue to me that their cutscenes were included to further enhance the story, because nothing else happened, other than these ideas existing.

Hell, even the fun gameplay technically exists to distract you from it, but I suppose at that point it’s no longer a criticism, but rather an acknowledgement of the development process and the developers’ priorities. Nonetheless, the elements of fanservice in Age of Calamity, especially highlighted in its DLCs, far outweighs its actual substance, and the developers are able to get away with it, because our happiness as fans blind us to its valid faults, our excitement fills in the blanks and holes, and tricks us into thinking there is more than actually is.

“Ohhhh but Kip!! Not every element of a story has to have a specific, thoroughly planned purpose. Sometimes things can just exist for fuuun!” Yes, this is true. But it’s still important to remember that this mindset is a slippery slope, because the more you become compliant in it, the more incentive corporations have to get lazier and lazier with their products. Take all of Marvel Studios for example. So just remember that you can still enjoy and have fun with a game, while still demanding better, and criticizing its faults

So getting back on track, the fact remains that a large, dare I say majority, of the story presented in the Age of Calamity DLC (or arguably the whole game, that’s up to opinion) is made up of an *idea* of development, rather than actual development. AKA underdevloped tropes. AKA cliche.

The *idea* of the main antagonist being part of a mysterious cult is cool. The *idea* of a guardian eggbot time traveling around and altering events is intriguing. The IDEA of a guardsman devoting their life to repaying a debt to the kindness of their master Does Have Potential! It is not inherently bad, it is not inherently homophobic, it is not, inherently, a determent to the story.

But when you leave the trope, the setup, the idea as it is, and do nothing more to expanded upon it, and do nothing more than acknowledge its existence, it leads me to the conclusion that either you are a lazy writer, or you had an ulterior motive, that your goal was not to tell a unique story. Perhaps, it is a combination of both.

And it PHYSICALLY PAINS ME to see shit like this happen, because this is the same company that made one of the most subtext filled, well written,anti-cliche open world RPGs in existence! Shit like this does not happen per a lack of skill. It’s flat out inexcusable.

And this is also a good moment to remind you all to NOT be like me. Do NOT pre-order Triple A games. Let games come out, and assess if the content is quality, or worth your while. You wanna do that because it gives YOU more power. Preordering from large companies simply gives them the power to give whatever shit on a stick they want to you, while hiding behind the veil of brand loyalty.

Anyhow, long story short, the REAL tragedy of the game is still Sooga being white.

[enduracarrotchips]

YouTuber AU

Hello welcome to Dating Scandal but with Twitter Involved (nightmare)

A little exposition here: 

Link, Zelda, Sidon, Revali, and Riju are the most popular group of youtubers on the internet and have a huge fanbase that likes to theorize, draw fanart, and write fanfiction about them. Disclaimer, I don’t actually interact with real-person fandoms myself lol there’s just too much potential for drama and misunderstandings & they’re always bound to end in a dumpster fire but that is sort of what this au is about so.

Impa, Mipha, Daruk, and Urbosa are family friends that appear in a lot of their videos/streams. 

(This is an art blog I swear)

enter vidcon 20XX

Link: 

blows stuff up/sets stuff on fire with a side of cooking vids and gaming

most are filmed outside, he does those challenges where you try to cook stuff with limited ingredients/materials

has the largest fanbase of all of them, but not the most…intimidating.

does a lot of collab videos, mostly with Impa, Daruk, and Riju because they have similar interests/channels, but Zelda appears in his videos and is seen filming and the stans read too far into it

simps. i’m pointing at you.

Most popular videos are “shield surfing on rock!—how I broke my leg” “can Daruk eat Impa’s motorcycle?” and “how to inhale ranch dressing.”

Twitter handle is @ arsonistslullabye because he’s a hozier fan

45m subs

Zelda:

theories, analyses, conspiracies, and the occasional e x p e r i m e n t

she once got link to eat a frog for 50 bucks.

most people argue that she’s better than more popular YouTubers because she actually has quality content to give to the world and she has a lot of defensive supporters

She used to get a lot of hate before Urbosa spoke up about it and scared the bejeezus out of everyone

has an actual posting schedule

“Happy Sunday everyone, it’s Zelda Hyrule and today we will be talking about cryptozoology and why blupees exist, you cowards.”

Twitter handle is @ zeldaofhyrule and she is pan. just so you know. One of those calm extroverts that mystify me to this day.

18m subs

Sidon:

fashion/life hacks. Like gourmet troom troom but if they were real people.

Has the 2nd largest fanbase

most of them are girls

Sidon has a boyfriend though, which he told everyone at VidCon a few years ago

cue the drama and shipping and the entire fandom trying to figure out who the boyfriend is. A well known reddit thread emerged that presented the common guesses being Link, Sidon, and Zelda.

“But it can’t be Zelda, Sidon’s gay.”

“I’m not in the fandom but I thought Zelda was a boy??”

“Did you just say Sidon? Is that a typo? Are you saying that Sidon’s dating himself?”

Sidon x Sidon became a fandom joke.

Don’t look at me I’m just setting up all the worldbuilding. every fandom has their weird dark sides and Sidon x Sidon is the Linkcest of the Sidon YT fandom.

Mystery BF is actually Bazz, a pretty inconspicuous guy who appeared in a few of his videos. This was confirmed a year ago, but everyone still ships him with other YouTubers because they’re convinced he was lying to throw them off his scent. He really can’t catch a break and this is why you should not ship real people.

Twitter handle is @ officialprincesidon

says “beguiling” a lot

21m subs ᕙ( ͡❛ ▿ ͡❛)ᕗ

Mipha:

Sidon’s sister, hasn’t posted a single video but just has the channel for show because she appears in so many of Sidon’s videos as a model for his makeup tutorials and whatnot

has 328k for that. Everyone loves her, she’s great. @ mimipha

Revali:

Link’s sworn rival

Link thinks they’re friends

He kept popping up in link’s Twitter threads and making snarky comments until zelda called him out for not even following link (so why was he stalking his acc) which kept the Twitter drama to a minimum

Revali was the catalyst of a few popular memes and that’s where most of his subs come from.

drags link into a few challenges that always get a ton of views because of how competitive they get

“ITS JUST ASININE” is a running joke that everyone tries to get him to say. His @ is itsjustasinine as well

Urbosa is the only person who can win an argument with him

5m subs and growing rapidly. newer to youtube than everyone else.

Impa:

Doesn’t have a channel she’s just a mutual friend of Mipha, Zelda, and Link

Rides a motorcycle, so she is used in a few of Link’s videos.

@ ihaveamotorcycle because she thinks having a motorcycle is a personality trait. the most unruly on Twitter when it comes to replying to fan’s stuff, leaking upcoming videos and generally causing chaos.

Mipha’s girlfriend. That’s how she met Zelda and Link.

Urbosa:

Is actually a model, but she has a ton of YouTuber friends because she’s known Zelda since birth.

when she entered the youtube community she didn’t realize she would be adopting like 15 children

5m subs. her videos are professional & related to her modelling career. @ urbosasfury

I feel like she would do unboxing vids. I’m not sure what she’s unboxing.

Daruk

Just a friend of Link’s, fun guy. yells a lot. once ate a rock and had no reaction.

people are scared of him for that reason

Riju:

yoga & gymnastics & “ha look at how flexible I am its eAsY” videos

you know the type

she also does reactions and is sponsored by save the sand seals charities which she is very enthusiastic about. She’s also Urbosa’s niece and the only minor in the gang (15). I like to think that the champions YT community is actually not creepy so everyone respects her a ton

doesn’t post frequently, she mostly appears in Link’s videos to jump out of airplanes or whatever. And sometimes Zelda’s if she’s interested in the topic. 500k subs, but she’s always really popular when she appears in Link’s videos.

VidCon:

In the months leading up to VidCon, some fans on the internet made a few discoveries: first of all, that the inside of Link’s house is painted green. This is a big deal because all of his videos are filmed outside either in his backyard or on trips that he and the brosquad go on to do…whatever bros do. explosions. idk. The point is he had some announcement about VidCon and filmed it inside. Only the wall and a potted plant were shown.

However, the colour was similar to the the shade of Zelda’s living room. Fans dug through years and years of old videos and found a clip of Zelda walking through a hallway, where there was an open door and a glimpse of a houseplant.

There were 2 types of responses to the theory:

“They could just be roommates guys calm down”

“and they were ROOMMATES?”

others pointed out that Link could just not have a house and had to crash in Zelda’s

Some guy on reddit claimed he had a botany degree and declared that the houseplants in the clips were not of the same genus. Normal people pointed out that the plant would have grown 4 years between the clips and would look considerably different.

#Zelink trended on twitter for a while and people posted other old clips from both of their channels and the frog video blew up again

Impa retweeted a post tagged as #zelink with “rofl” and later publicly apologized for causing confusion.

Fans noticed that in the “can a motorcycle drive over my arm” (it was clickbait he’s fine) episode 2 years ago, Link was eating out of a paper lunch bag with his name written on it in handwriting that a few people claimed to look like Zelda’s, leading people to believe that she had packed him a lunch.

However, this theory was shot down with the counterargument that Zelda can’t cook. although. i mean how much skill do you need to make a sandwich.

No one knows what tumblr is doing at this time

Zelda wore a scarf in her “Save the Sand Seals” video that matched identically to the scarf Link wore when he travelled to Hebra to film a shield surfing video, but it’s been debated wether it’s actually the same scarf or not.

Neither Zelda nor Link has spoken up about the theories, and besides Impa’s one slip on twitter, neither has any of their friends. Zelda received a lot of backlash for the assumption that she was dating Link because he has a lot of delusional fans that didn’t want her to “steal their man” or whatever the hell that type of fan would get mad about

Oh yea and bolson & karson run a zelink fanpage on twitter sorry I forgot about that

after that whole mess, everyone was even more anticipant of VidCon in the hopes that some of their questions would be answered.

The whole batch went to VidCon this year: Link, Impa, Daruk, and Riju are a gang while Sidon and Mipha go together and Zelda & Revali each go separately. Urbosa is there for supervision moral support

Zelda has always been much better at dodging questions that she doesn’t want to answer than anyone else, so her Q&A went without a hitch. When asked to confirm the rumours she said “which one?” and then moved on to the next question (without actually confirming any rumours).

Link is generally a more awkward person but eventually said that he had filmed the video in Zelda’s house because it was nicer and didn’t realize it would cause such an uproar. Fans were disappointed, but Bolson claimed he saw Link and Zelda exiting the hotel elevator on the same floor after Link’s Q&A session. No one believed him.

Fans went back to theorizing over who Link, Zelda, and Sidon were all dating, because apparently they can’t just be dating unknown people and have to be with other YouTubers

Sidon and Bazz got engaged about a week after VidCon, making at least 4 preteen girls cry

actually try 4 million

Sidon x Sidon made a brief comeback but Sidon spoke up about his fandom for the first time ever on twitter and told everyone that no, he was not dating himself. eventually, everyone settled down and accepted that none of them were in a relationship save for a few loud fans.

Link and Zelda still got the occasional “when will you tell us who you’re dating?” comment but most of them were joking and the people who still hardcore shipped them were generally frowned upon. Zelda’s popularity went up after VidCon and she regained the 200k subscribers she’d lost after the first theory dropped.

Two months after VidCon, Link posted a video titled “Zelda and I’s House Tour!” and gave around 45 million people a heart attack

as revealed in the video, they had actually been dating since they were 16 and everyone’s just a fool.

the potted plant is named Hestu.

[rawmeknockout]

who's your fave character to write for? 👀👀👀👀

my fave character to write for changes all the time i used to do a TON of swerve and have a lot of swerve ideas and im not really 'burnt out' on him per se but ive explored his character so much in terms of romance/smut that i feel im rehashing the same ideas and i think a fresh perspective would help

im a sucker for rodimus i have a soft side for arrogant people irl and crush hard on anyone who is just way too confident but i love how he is soft and really cares about people too bc i can relate to that i have so much love for rodimus even if he is a shallow bastard and makes poor decisions for his own ego, i feel like theres a lot of room for improvement there esp if he had someone as his opposite (cough rival cough) to push on him and force him to think outside his own worldview im a big dork for rivals to lovers tho its like enemies to lovers but enemies generally start off VERY antagonistic and rivals are generally antagonistic yes but have room for an underlying respect and admiration and wiggle room to how they could interact as friends

someone i never get requests for but love immensely with my whole heart is bumblebee all bumblebees (i even have a soft spot for bayverse but i will NEVER touch those movies i dont want them within the bi county area stay away from me) i have loved bee since i was a kid bc the first transformers i watched was tfa and i loved characters like jack spicer and bee and other such overconfident jerks with a soft side as ive explored other series that love for bee has only grown i love him when hes a bold leader who wants to earn respect but treats even his enemies with kindness and i love him when he's a scout who gets into trouble bc hes just too gentle and weak i have so many thoughts about bumblebee i love him lots i could go on and on about the different bees (and their relationships with starscream ill die on this hill) hes always such a gentle good guy and deserves the whole world i dont care if transformers is overrun with bumblebee content i want MORE

i also love to write cheetor but strictly beast wars and cyberverse cheetor i feel only terror with beast machines cheetor im a big sucker for anything that has a likeness to cats and the fact that his alt mode is a cheetah i think is so cool im a cat lady through and through i love cat mugs and posters and slippers so ofc one of my fave robots has to be the cat one which also brings up ravage whom i adore in a different way than cheetor they are complete opposites in many regards but they are both loyal which is a quality i treasure in any character or person i think the most interesting thing about ravages story (particularly idw here) is that he is essentially a man with a body that makes others see him as a creature rather than a person i like that the writers took the time to think about all the altmodes the decepticons have and how their original functions made them sympathetic to megatrons cause

i also like writing for rumble and frenzy (all the cassetticons really) although i have a hard time bc two of my friends are big cassette fans and i want to portray them in a way that they would when it comes to transformers or any fandom imma be honest and say,,,,,,,,, ive hardly looked at the source material i havent read much and i havent watched much i saw big sexy robots and i was hooked and i love the story but,,,,,,,,,,, theres no way my attention span would allow me to read a full range of comics man i dont have that in me

other than that i dont want to say that im clinical in how i approach characters but im technical and i know them in a general sense and expand upon them in a way i feel a real person with specific personality traits would act i want them to feel more in depth than just a one or two dimensional character i want to write them in various situations bc deep down we all are just,,,,,, love creatures we all love and we all love to be loved

[unknown-lifeform]

Please… please I would love to hear about your ygo gx thoughts bc I’ve missed hearing about that show…

GX was so good so fucking good, it's my favorite out of the ygo spinoffs that I've watched (5d's and ArcV), it's got so many good characters and it even has a good and satisfying ending, I'm about to be so incoherent in these ramblings

Judai is a great character, he's not my favorite character out of the show but I still love him. Good boy who was so hopeful and friendly (to hide all the trauma) and then ended up having more horrific trauma and having to relearn how to be hopeful and friendly (but in a more genuine way, not simply repressing things as he used to). 10/10 would hug

With my fave being Yubel which you might guess. They were the og problematic fave. I remember being 10 and watching this dragon ruining things for everyone else like hm. I think this may awake a lot of things in me. And I watched the dub as a kid, where they are depicted as a woman, then I found out they are genderqueer in the original version and I was like even more in love. They just have all the things I love. Queer. Dramatic. Obsessive evil bastard. Mental health issue. Dragon.

And there's so many other quality characters. Steve Irwin with a whole crocodile and a magic eye whose powers are never actually elaborated upon at any point. Burned out former straight A student who did what everyone in academia eventually wishes aka become a BDSM emo and start electrocuting people. A dude who is also a dinosaur through a plot twist even Jurassic Park would never dream of. This show was throwing all the wildest concepts at us and it was fucking beautiful

But like. The thing is. Yes the character concepts were wild. Yes you had to employ a lot of suspension of disbelief at times even for a ygo show. But the character development was also so so good? And not just for the main character and maybe one or two other guys, but so many got their development! Manjoume, Shou and Kaiser, Asuka, they all got their season four spotlight to see their new goals, and even side characters like O'Brian got their small moments. Seeing them all go their ways was so beautiful

Ships are also damn good. Judai/Yubel/Johan polycule is very good. Also I can't get over the fact that this gay throuple is technically kind of canon in a very fucked up way. Most of the couples ygo wants you to ship are the hint hint nudge nudge flavor of straight shonen couples that never gets too explicit, but then GX season 3 gives you love triangle between two guys and one's guy genderqueer jealous ex who is also a dragon. Insane

Other good ships: Judai/Manjoume (hell yeah rivals), Edo/Kaiser (hell YEAH rivals), O'Brian/Jim (hunk boyfriends), Jim/Kenzan (fossil boyfriends), actually can we go for the ultimate muscle and ship O'Brian/Jim/Kenzan? But yes lots of shipping potential

Anyways it's kind of annoying there isn't a lot for GX on ao3, or at least there wasn't last I checked. There is so much fic potential. Maybe ffnet might have more, it usually does for old fandoms, but ffnet's interface frustrates me. Plus the fact that GX was kind of badly received, what with being the first spinoff, might have just cut out the number of fanworks even later on

It really is a pity tho that GX was unpopular at first. It's a really good series, it's almost a bit too goofy at first but the change in tone in later seasons is great, plus fitting too considering that it is a kind of coming age thing, all these high schoolers starting out full of hope and naivety and then getting trauma for it. The fact that it's also the only spinoff that has strong ties to DM gives it so much potential. I mean, does Manjoume's family have any particular ties to Kaiba corp? Which and how many of the GX kids would one day meet Yugi, or the rest of the DM gang? What if Judai on his travels ends up meeting people like the Ishtars? For that matter, did the Ishtars know about the multiple dimensions or the Supreme King? Because if anyone from DM was going to be aware of all the things we discover in GX, it would have been them

What if Seto Kaiba and Hell Kaiser got in a fist fight what then

I just love GX so much