#not gonna tag the other ship cause it’s not super favorable to their romantic relationship

[goginaporter]

rina, rini, and change

ricky and nini literally being built to fall apart

- love born out of childhood and that connection

- nini said ily, ricky couldn’t say it back bc of parent’s divorce and dealing with that change in his life

- nini goes on self discovery/growth arc, comes back different

- ricky is shocked that things cannot go back to the way they always were

- nini more confident, discovering she does not need to rely on boys

- after ricky is “friendzoned” by nini, he accepts it instead of fighting it (key first step)

- fighting with gina at hoco before apologizing (another sign of growth) and giving her a ride home and befriending her

- in same ep, pushing his dad to move forward and put himself out there, showing his acceptance of the divorce just as he’s accepted the breakup

- gina continues to represent this positive change for him and as she is ripped away, we see him regress and thus also push nini to regress as well (almost kiss in 108)

- ricky saying something is different after seeing gina bc he feels how he has slid back and her being there is a reminder of how change can be positive, something he has stopped believing in

- also exemplified by him thinking his parents are back together

- him realizing that parents are not together rattles him and I would argue drives him to confess to nini if almost to fix it, esp with his mom saying “not all couples are meant to be together (her and his dad, him and nini). sometimes people change.” (i.e. major foreshadowing lol)

- nini had gone on her whole girlboss journey but we see her accept ricky’s ily after she thinks that she got rejected from yac; her change didn’t work so it’s okay to slip back to who she used to be bc it’s predictable

- but BAM she did get accepted and even though she leaves yac, it was a place for her to continue to curate that girlboss arc even if that school wasn’t the right avenue. this comes at odds with her relationship with ricky and leads to the rose song and to their breakup. they had both been grasping onto the relationship as an excuse not to accept the people they had grown into and when they let go (as ricky sings) it is when they are able to move forward

- love did not grow and evolve with them as they changed and became different people so even though it was present their second time around, it wasn’t enough bc they had changed and the love stayed the same, rooted in childhood (exemplified by nini closing out that chapter of his childhood with the lottery ticket and staying in his past just as she was leaving him behind)

ricky and gina being built to last (despite some bumps)

- their first conversation being one shrouded in deceit on gina’s part, at least a little, but it was still enough to push ricky to stay. one talk with a girl he barely knew who believed in him, which was more than what he got from all the other people in his life

- this conversation, though it came from a place of slight deception, is reinforced with honesty as we see in their conversation in the car after homecoming. them “getting” each other because they are outsiders is beautiful bc their loneliness calls to each other and for the first time, they get a response

- this friendship (though it was always loaded with more from the beginning) allows them not only to forge new connections with each other (ricky who had barely made new friends since childhood vs gina who never stayed in one place long enough for these friendships to form) but also with the theater kids, allowing them to jump headfirst together into changing what made them outsiders in the first place

- we see this bond strengthen and grow as they tease each other throughout the photoshoot, gina all but tells ej, her former partner in crime, that she cares about ricky, and she helps calm ricky down at the prospect of miss jenn leaving + the show falling apart by asking him to play guitar. they lobby compliments between each other (showing how they had admired each other from afar even before hoco) and you feel this nervous excitement and tension that exists between crushes. ah young love

- them walking into the aforementioned rehearsal together and big red asking ricky what happened with gina and ricky replying with “I’m not sure yet.” suggesting his willingness and intention to get to know her better

- in each of these episodes we’ve seen ricky open up to gina slightly but this true mark of change and evolution for him is how he talks to her about his mom and her new bf. things that he used to only talk about with nini are now easily spilled to gina; he trusts her enough to go to this party with her and leaves when she does, showing this invisble string that exists between them. this moment almost definitely solidifies how their fates are now inextricably tied to each other now. for ricky, his mom was a huge question mark in his journey to accepting the divorce, so for gina to help him see that it’s okay to put his happiness first in this situation and not immediately solve it surprises and lightens him. even in the face of comfort from nini, his primary goal at the beginning of the season, he still rushes (presumably) after gina. him and nini were not on bad terms before the party and we only see him snap in the face of the thing that helped him accept change literally walking out of his life

- no surprise then that he that he turns back to nini and regresses, undoes all that change, when his change agent is gone. this isn’t to say that gina is responsible for the shift in ricky but she is the muse that guided him towards growth and her absence leads to his backtracking.

- her coming back (temporarily as they had believed at the time) reveals to ricky how impactful she was for him and he almost mourns what could’ve been; the flashback scene shows this to us for both of them as well as they hold each other for what they think will be the last time

- ofc fate has other plans so! the change we see ricky really grappling with all of s2a is his connection with gina and the person that has pushed him to be vs his role as nini’s bf and how that shoehorns him into a clingy, annoying version of himself that he has outgrown (though he refuses to fully accept that)

- after rini breakup, he talks about how he still hates change but is able to write let you go and move on. lily is his way of trying to find what helped him the last time he broke up with nini (which was gina) unfortunately, lily is not, and never will be, gina, and so that doesn’t work. however, ricky rolls with his punches and he finds himself right where he needed to be. at camp shallow lake with gina porter.

- no surprise that gina sings of finding her balance and then we see her reconnect and reconcile with ricky, the only person we see across seasons to know and accept and love her

- ricky singing kristoff’s lullaby and singing to gina specifically when he says that everything he knew about love, she had changed. gina believed in him, affirmed him, and helped him on his journey of growth and of becoming a better person. it’s why, as opposed to s1, even though he is aware of his feelings for her, he does not cross the boundary of her relationship with ej but instead invests in their friendship and in making her happy. she has changed him for the better to the point that his romantic love, just as his platonic love developed, shifts from selfish to selfless

- though they have grown from their s1 selves, ricky and gina are still able to connect and fall for each other. given that they’re soulmates, it’s inevitable.

- they fell for each other when they least expected it in s1 and it helped them move from this shared identity of outsiders (which will still always bond them) to people who belong somewhere. in s2, even though things are weird between them bc of rini and gina’s confession, they still have things that they only tell each other. and in s3, when gina says they are different people, we still see them falling deeper for each other over the course of the season, founded on the connection they forged in s1. with rina, the love flows and grows with them because that is how it started.

[kelekiahshadya]

Valentine Fandom Meme

I’m eternally late to the game since Valentine’s Day was a week and a half ago, but I saw this ask meme, and I couldn’t help myself. Since I never get asks, I’ve decided that I’m going to treat it like a meme on its own. Taken from courierhawk’s reblog; original questions from thevirdirthara. Also, apologies in advance. I use a mix of dub/sub names.

Yu-Gi-Oh

Your favorite non-canon ship?

Considering there’s only one, maybe two ACTUAL canon ships, just about any of my ships are valid, though there are slightly more canon ships if you look at the anime instead of the manga. That being said, Polar (MaiXJoey) is probably my favorite non-canon ship. I know, I know, age difference and it’s not present in the manga and blah blah blah, but I don’t care. I love Polar to death.

Is there a ship you didn’t like at first but ultimately started shipping?

Thorn (AnzuXYamiMarik) is a ship I never would’ve considered ever because I don’t ship Yami Marik with anyone, but one fic on fanfiction.net caught my attention, and my secret love for Thorn was born. Honestly, though, it has to be extremely specific circumstances for me to ship this—pretty much only if Yami Marik is human.

What is the rarest rare pair (that you ship)?

Probably Timid (SerenityXYugi). I’m not certain I’ve ever seen content for this ship anywhere. I’m surprised I even know its name. But if I think about it too long, it becomes super cute. A close tie might be Soft (SerenityXRyou) because it is also quite cute. I like cute things.

Name a popular ship you don’t get the appeal of.

Death (YamiMarikXRyou) and Puppy (SetoXJoey). As I said before, I can’t pair Yami Marik with anyone (except Anzu under special human circumstances), and even if I did, Ryou would be one of the last people I’d choose. Under certain circumstances, like years later when they’re both adults, I can maybe see Seto and Joey EVENTUALLY getting along, but as far as I’m concerned, Puppy is not a ship that would ever work. Just, no.

What is your most fluffy + happy ship?

With the power of fanfic, I can make any ship fluffy and happy. As far as pure canon is concerned, I don’t think one exists. So, with the power of my fanfic abilities, I declare that the fluffiest and happiest ship I have is Sibling (SerenityXMokuba). There might be a little angst in this relationship just because their brothers don’t get along, BUT! These two are precious fluffy babies.

What is your most angsty ship?

With the power of fanfic, I can make any ship angsty XD AUs are a particular specialty of mine in this case. Combining both canon with possible AUs, I’d have to say Manipula (AnzuXMarik) just because, canonically, there’s a lot of potential bad blood between them because of what Marik did to her and Joey and Yugi, and Marik’s not exactly a goody-two-shoes either.

A non-canon ship that should be canon?

Sibling because I consider Peach (AnzuXYugi) almost canon, and Sibling is almost the next best thing. I mean, I do ship her with Duke and Tristan, both of which are kinda canon if you look at the manga and anime respectively, but I love Sibling too much to ignore it in this question.

Your oldest ship; the one you’ve shipped for the longest time?

Peach was my first OTP in the YuGiOh franchise, and I still ship it to this day.

What ship represents the kind of relationship you’d love to have?

Peach again. I think the most important part of a romantic relationship is friendship. If you’re not besties with your significant other, then I don’t believe the relationship will work out as well. I want to be able to be myself around my significant other, and I want to be understood by them. I feel like Peach embodies this well.

Is there a ship that makes your skin crawl?

I have never been nor will ever be super comfortable with yaoi and yuri ships, but they’re not so bad as to make my skin crawl, but incest will forever make me sick, and so will pedophilia. NO THANK YOU.

What is a character you can only imagine in one particular ship?

Surprise, surprise, it’s Joey. Blame it on the lack of female characters available in YuGiOh, but I have only ever shipped him with Mai. The only way Joey gets any love in my writing/headcanons is if there are OCs involved, assuming he’s not already paired with Mai.

What is your favorite canon ship?

Rose (CeceliaXPegasus). I’m super sad that it ended so badly in canon because they are adorable, and one of my ultimate favorite YGO pairing fanarts is for this ship.

Name a ship that deserved more content.

Peach if only because I want to see them actually get together. I think that because friendship is a super focus of YuGiOh as a whole, we got a lot less romantic content than we otherwise might have liked, but that’s okay with me. That’s why fanfiction/fanart exists XD

Is there a ship you feel gets undeserved hate in fandom?

Depends on what corner of the fandom you’re in. I personally hate it when people hate on Anzu, no matter the ship she might be in, especially when they hate on her in favor of their yaoi pairings. That’s super unfair to Anzu as a character since she’s awesome and one of my favorite female characters of all time.

What is the first ship you had?

I already mentioned this in the oldest ship question, but I’ll say it again—Peach.

Is there a ship that made you realize something about yourself?

I don’t know if I can cite a specific ship, but shipping in YuGiOh is what made me realize that I like character/ship potential almost more than I like ships themselves, hence why I multiship. Because of this realization and multishipping in YuGiOh, I’ve been able to extend that to other fandoms, especially Harry Potter.

Is there a type of ship you always go for?

Depends on the situation. I’m a sucker for strong female characters who could be paired with lots of guys because I’m such a multishipper, and I love cute fluffy pairings. I do like ships with interesting conflict, but the fluffy ones always get me.

Is there a ship the writers have ruined for you?

Not that I can think of. I mean, almost no ships are canon in YuGiOh, so rather than “ruining” ships, it’s mostly just unknown for the various potential ships.

Is there a ship the fandom has ruined for you?

Not really. I already had my reasons for not shipping certain ships, and I’ve never been turned away from a ship I already shipped. I will say, though, that I wish people would tag their freakin’ ships so that I don’t have to see stuff on my dash that I don’t ship.

Have you ever created fan created content for a ship?

Yes. I’ve never drawn any of my YuGiOh ships, but I have written a couple oneshots for Peach and one for Polar. I’ve also referenced/included the following ships in stories focused on OC ships: Peach, Polar, Ardent (SerenityXTristan), Kiddy (RebeccaXMokuba), Half (MihoXRyou), Tie (MihoXTristan), Azure (AnzuXSeto), and Sedate (SerenityXMarik).

Favorite thing you’ve ever created for a ship?

Do children count? Or grandchildren? My YuGiOh OC story has an entire second and third generation to follow. I have children/grandchildren for the following ships: Peach, Polar, Ardent, Kiddy, and Half.

Is there a ship you’ll never admit you have?

No. I’m not ashamed of my ships. I admit that I don’t talk about some of them as much, but that doesn’t mean I don’t ship them or that I’m afraid to admit it.

Have you ever started shipping a ship because of the fans?

Yes. It wasn’t until fandom hit really hard in recent years that Sibling joined my roster of ships.

What is one scene you want to see happen for all your ships?

A proposal. Is that cliché? I don’t care XD

Is there a ship you wish you didn’t know existed? 

Any incest ships. I don’t know why they exist or if there are people who ship them, but I wish they’d never been conceived (the ships, not the people).

Name a ship that ended like you wanted it to.

Considering both canon ships ended in death, I’m gonna say none of them. All my ships end nicely in my head.

Name a ship that deserved better in the end.

Rose and Mizu (KisaraXSeth). Both of these ships ended in tragedy, and it makes me so sad. I NEED THEM TO BE HAPPY.

Is there a character you have several ships for?

Oh yes. Many of them. I’m a multishipper XD I have Anzu in the most ships. My Anzu ships are Azure, Host (AnzuXRyou), Manipula, Peach, Persevere (AnzuXDuke), Thorn, and Vex (AnzuXYamiBakura).

What is the ship you ignore 98% of canon for?

I don’t ignore canon, I bend canon *coughAUISMYFRIENDcough* Okay, okay, maybe my two Miho pairings, Half and Tie. Not much info is given in the manga except that Tristan/Honda has a crush on her and that she’s kinda shy, and she doesn’t exist in DM. I ignore season 0 super hardcore when it comes to Miho. To be perfectly honest, she almost feels more like an OC most days.

Is there a ship you like but you dislike the fandom?

Not really. It’s usually the other way around ’cause I love my YuGiOh friends, but most of them ship stuff I don’t.

If you’re curious about the bajillion other ships I ship that I haven’t mentioned, or if you’re wondering what het ships I don’t ship (since I’ve already ruled out all yaoi, yuri, and incest), or if you want to rant about ships we share, feel free to drop me an ask! I enjoy talking about my ships~