#abstrategy

AU!Abstrategy for the soul

I don’t ship Abstragedy but I respect people who do

I've seen a few posts about it and even fanart of it (Abstrategy), with Caine dead and that they can swear now, that means they can f#@k too.

SMG4 Sang.

SMG3 Gave a toast.

Pomni and Ricardo (Garth's Dad) Cryed

Alternative Gangle design (Amazing Ice Skating Au) belongs to @deduukkk

🦷👑🐝

Even though I really like the Caine/Kinger dynamic interpreted as father & son (it’s painfully cute), I also enjoy a more tragic take - creator/creation with Caine having codependency issues. Classic toxic yaoi.

Also, in a universe where Queenie didn’t abstract, she and Kinger would make an amazing duo, perfectly acting as a mediator for Caine’s personality. Even though the Queen got very little screen time, the way Kinger describes her makes it clear she was a bright, warm person, just as understanding and caring as the King. That one flashback where they recognize each other after just a few words, without remembering either faces or names, it was enough to recruit me to the chessmates side.

All of this also spawns a lot of headcanons. For example, my favorite: Queenie was the one who taught Caine how to draw bees and introduced him to the world of insects in general, just like she once did for Kinger.

🎭🧩

Zooble and Gangle are a classic pairing that’s just pleasurable to watch. You can clearly see their relationship develop in the show. It’s honestly hard for me to see it as anything but canon. The way they help each other grow as people and support one another is like a balm to the soul. A great ship when you want something warm, but still layered with deeper meaning to think about.

🐰🧶🤡

Ragatha and Pomni feel similar to the previous ship to me. Hurt/comfort, with some bumps along the way in the form of misunderstandings. But if you add Jax - now that’s where it gets interesting :Dd

That said, I’m pretty indifferent to the bunny. (Yeah, he has his own tragedy and issues, but he’s tried so many times to be funny and his jokes just don’t land for me. And the way he treats Gangle doesn’t help.)

However, adding a third person makes Ragatha and Pomni’s relationship more complex, since Jax can create plenty of misunderstandings himself and tends to self-sabotage, like he always does. They could all learn from each other: Ragatha learning not to force positivity and to accept sadness, Jax learning to respect boundaries and become more self-aware, and Pomni figuring out her own preferences instead of always choosing the most neutral option.

Also, it’s just way too funny imagining the Jax trying to be more sensitive around the girls and completely panicking.

🐰🤡

Jax/Pomni initially felt like a really boring pairing to me - until Tumblr artists changed my mind, with their takes on a tough Pomni holding a beer in one hand and maid Jax in the other xDD

Still, they do have everything needed for a solid ship: frequent interactions, evolving dynamics, and new conflicts appearing in the show.

🦷🧩

As for Caine/Zooble, I hadn’t even considered it until I saw that tier list—but damn…

It’s kinda genius? You can play with this ship however you want: an abusive angle with Caine trying to please Zooble; a healthier version where Zooble realizes that even if Caine isn’t human, he still has his own form of feelings; or full-on dark stuff with unhinged Caine and brutal Zooble, an enemies&lovers type dynamic, and so on.

👑 / 🐰🧩🎭🧶🤡

Kinger is just too old for me to ship him with anyone from the circus troupe, sorry not sorry.

Caine is the exception because of his non-material nature and the fact that he’s been in the circus from the very beginning, just like the King.

🐰🎭

As much as I enjoy exploring toxic character dynamics, Gangle/Jax is a walking abuser/victim example.

The “chemistry” only goes one way. Yes, thanks to her friends, Gangle becomes more confident and starts standing up for herself, but she doesn’t wish Jax harm and never starts conflict. And Jax himself loses interest the moment she pushes back.

Overall, it just feels like a heteronormative abusive romance setup. Definitely not for me.

Idc

The rest of the pairings don’t really make me feel much, and I don’t think about them much either. Some have too much of a power imbalance, like Caine/Gangle, and others just sound kind of boring to me personally.

P.s. it's just my preferences! Everyone ships whatever they want and creates whatever they want (as long as it does not hurt anyone)