#and then of course things keep devolving but they're all bonding with each other

[fionnaskyborn]

for the longest time i was a loss as to what to bring to the potluck because i thought i should bring something good and of high quality but then i realized that i was supposed to be having fun and that the whole point of the event is to have fun. so here i am, smiling at you, handing you a doodle of Guys From My AU because, let's face it, if i were to make a full illustration for any of them i'd only be able to participate in Potluck 2027. look at the itty bitty bastards :)

(the lineup is missing the team's AI but he was too darn itty bitty to draw next to the already ittybitty-fied Big Dudes)

[do-you-ship-it-polls]

Do you ship it?

reason under the cut!

People say Kavetham is a good ship because they're roommates who bicker all the time and are basically a married couple already, but it goes so much deeper than that.

What if we met in grad school, where we were instantly drawn to one another because of our diametrically-opposed, perfectly-mirrored ideologies? What if we spent our days embroiled in intellectual debates with one another, fascinated by the way each other's minds worked, all while bonding over our similarly fucked-up family situations and the pervasive sense of loneliness we shared? What if you were a relentless altruist, and what if I was the kind of person who valued self-preservation above all; you, an artist and architect, and I, a linguist and historian; and what if we were so sure that our differences were the strength of our relationship that we decided to pursue a joint research project?

What if that all fell apart, because one day I could no longer bear to see you drive yourself into the ground for the sake of other people, and I said things to you that I could never take back, and it made you walk away from our friendship forever? What if, from that day on, we were no longer on speaking terms, and as we grew older and graduated and became successful researchers with jobs in completely different fields, our only form of communication was firing passive-aggressive shots at each other's worldviews through academic journals and tavern message boards?

And then what if, many years later, your self-sacrificial nature finally got the better of you, and you gave up everything to create your magnum opus? And, while everyone around you celebrated your victory, you were secretly at rock bottom, homeless and drinking yourself to death? What if that was when I found my way to you again? What if, in a moment of weakness, you confided in me about everything you had been through since we had parted ways, and I offered my home to you, then? As a temporary place to stay, maybe, while you got yourself back on your feet.

And just like that, what if we started living together, trying to work our way past the festering, unresolved bitterness between us, picking through the suffocating feelings of regret and yearning and the "I-hate-to-admit-it-but-I-still-care-about-you"s and the constant reminders that we once considered each other family in the absence of our biological families? What if we spent every single day since then trying to gather the shards of our old relationship and reassemble it into something on at least vaguely civil terms? What if that's not an easy task; what if, despite caring for each other so deeply, we have forgotten how to hold a conversation that doesn't devolve into an argument?

But what if, over the course of our story, we were each put into situations that make us realize that we are too precious to one another to keep wasting our relationship away on miscommunications? For example, what if you learned that all your mother wanted for you was to have a companion who would support you unconditionally (even when they didn't fully understand you), just as your parents supported each other -- and you realized that I am the one who fills such a role for you? What if, as we continued to face conflicts with stakes both big and small, we slowly got over our communication issues, and grew content with calling our shared house a "home"?

So, what I mean to ask is: what if we were roommates who bickered all the time and were basically a married couple already?

tag: @kanon-kun

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They're roommates and never seem to be away from each other, even the new character Sethos sees it between them and he just met them (I would go more into detail but I am dying on the inside rn and this is all I can muster)

tag: @animedragonwhouseswitchcraft (sorry once again i missed this one)

[couchie]

i have the foresight to guess that the tags might hit the limit and i might have to rewrite them here so im putting these here from the get-go

all of these open up nice things actually. hear me out:

1) small bed just means that they need to cuddle, proper style. only one bed is already about forced proximity and what better way to force the proximity if it's a twin sized mattress?

lumpy version would make way for more domestic hilarity, i would say. twisting and turning and waking each other up and stealing blanket and cold feet and elbowing each other while unconscious and such. it would be great, even though it doesnt strictly follow the only one bed trope's thing. they will eventually fall asleep, and then there will still be time for the awkward slash full of tension waking up scenes, it's just more funny and rather slice-of-life now

2) this is very literally the whole "alt person wearing their cutesy partner's sparkly rings and their partner wearing their chokers" thing. he was punk she did balet kind of stuff

would also be a nice character study. who flaunts it, despite not matching any piece of clothing they own? who hides it beneath long sleeves and fashion items positioned just right? who changes their aesthetic to fit it?

3) oh that's a grand idea. hilarity ensuing while character A goes in and tries to ask for a bouquet without having a sneeze cut in every three words. then they come back again and again and honestly, A, i'm kinda getting worried that coming here so often is detrimental to your health at this rate.

that, or, and hear me out, A sees the hottie working as a florist, pops five allergy meds before walking in like everything's normal. they are interested in flower meanings, they come back again, the relationship blooms. they start going out. B takes A on a surprise date, to a garden picnic, because they know that A was actually interested in all the flowers, only to see A start to cough like they have the fucking plague and A has to tell them about how they were actually taking meds every time before visiting B's workplace. B finds it sweet but also lightheartedly berated A about not telling them about it

4) honestly, if the friends-to-lovers doesnt involve at least a little teasing and embarrassing stories, is it really friends-to-lovers? it's about the yearning, yes, but it's also about the bond and the memories they already have. of course A knows that B used to crush on their 3rd grade teacher

5) that's really just another excuse to cuddle closer. hypothermia is only a mood killer if you let it be /j

jokes aside though, that also has the potential to devolve into a sickfic, which is great imo

6) DHHEJDJE more hilarity and slice-of-life as they try and lie about how they met and the other's tastes and then they have to pretend it's true and discuss it later. (because "you fucking moron, i hate watermelon" "who the fuck hates watermelon???"). trying to keep the timeline of events together when they have supposedly met in a coffeeshop that one of the two has not set a foot in before. and then friends making your favorite, A, thought it would be a nice gesture since B mentioned that you love fish. and then they have to smile and thank them and eat some with a grin that's totally not slipping into a grimace and their ""partner"" kicks them under the table and they kick them right back because this is your fault, asshole-

7) more opportunities for the shovel talk and some good old posturing and the "ugh, i hate to say it, but i think they're growing on me"

8) the flaws just make it more human. the attempt is all that matters, and i'm sure that the hurt party would laugh with tears still in their eyes when the other one makes an awkward attempt at comfort. i'm also sniffing around at the possibility of a failed hurt/comfort. yknow. theyre bad at the comforting, and they try to help, they really do, but they are bad at words, and then they fuck it up, and now the other is at defensive from them, and it has escalated into an argument neither one was emotionally stable enough for and they both leave worse than they started with, because for one of them, they feel like a failure, not even able to comfort their companion, and getting yelled at when trying, even if they were trying to help, really– and for the other, opening up about a hurt, being vulnerable and needing comfort, but needing to get on the defensive instead, and the hurt of it, especially when they were already shaky

...i am aware that is not at all what hurt/comfort is about but it's just an interesting venue to go into, is all i'm saying

9) like prev tags said, just more reason to come back again and see the cute worker look for the book again and again. and maybe get acquaintanced with some people. completely by circumstance, of course, nothing more and nothing less. smiley emotion