#hostshipping

The hosts have arrived everybody please contain your applause sit back down nO SIR MA’AM—

Hostshipping board for anon

For this ask meme, and y'all are welcome to submit an ask if you'd like, I love to spout headcanons about ships.

You know, I feel silly for not seeing this one coming lol. And hey, fun fact: the only reason I wrote a butterflyshipping fic in the first place, aside from being inspired by that one other fic, is the name. I just really like butterflies lol. And at the time, I was growing my writing muscles by just writing every ship that even slightly intrigued me.

Good for you for getting me to talk about the ladies that I ignore most of the time. It's not that I don't like them, they're just not high on my list compared to other characters.

Gives nose/forehead kisses

Mai gives it to both of them because she loves the cute faces they make. Ryou really loves receiving them. Mai makes a pretty cute face herself when Ryou leans over and gives her head a peck.

Gets jealous the most

Anzu has a very jealous personality, so I'd have to say her, but if Ryou ever got jealous, it would be a sad kind of jealous that makes him ball up in insecurity.

Picks the other up from the bar when they’re too drunk to drive

Ryou doesn't like driving, it makes him anxious, but he's not big on drinking and the ladies are, especially out with friends, so that leaves him as the designated driver. He drives Mai's car and always makes them both sit in the backseat.

Takes care of on sick days

Ryou mostly does this, partly because he was so alone for most of his life and always wished he'd had someone to take care of him, but when he's the one that's sick, Anzu is the one taking care of him. Mai is supportive, just not the caretaking type.

Drags the other person out into the water on beach day

Ryou is the one getting dragged, after he's got two coats of sunscreen on him. I would say Anzu would be dragging him alongside Mai, but in the beach/pool episode of Season Zero she didn't want to get in the water either, so I think Mai is dragging them both in, even if it's just the shallows.

Gives unprompted massages

Mai, and Anzu to a lesser degree. Mai is very touchy, and sometimes she startles Ryou with the unsolicited/unexpected touches, and he'll say something if it's ever a problem.

Drives/rides shotgun

Mai drives, Anzu rides shotgun, Ryou is occupied in the backseat with his happy meal.

Brings the other lunch at work

I've explained my "Ryou doesn't cook" headcanons elsewhere, and I can't imagine Mai can either (mainly cause she didn't have to) so that leaves Anzu as the one saying "you remembered to bring lunch to work today right? You didn't??? Hold on, I'll be there in 40 minutes."

Has the better parental relationship

Anzu has a normal relationship with her parents while Ryou's are dead/MIA and Mai's were distant and detached.

Tries to start role-playing in bed

Mai is bold, no fear and no insecurity. Ryou is easily embarrassed, Anzu goes along with it sometimes.

Embarrassingly drunk dancer

ALL OF THEM. If Ryou has had enough to drink that he starts dancing though, it doesn't last long before he passes out or collapses. Anzu cannot stand fucking still, she will just be constantly jiving to the music in her own mind. Mai is the least embarrassing about it, but it's still a bit not-quite-what-she-would-normally-do.

Still cries watching Titanic

Ryou and Anzu the most, but all of them really, depends on the day. If Mai and Anzu are PMSing and turn it on, Ryou will cry with them because he can't help it, he's too empathetic.

Firmly believes in couples costumes

Mai mostly, but Anzu has a lot of fun with it too. One time they dressed up as a devil/angel/reaper for Halloween, and even though both ladies wanted Ryou to be the angel, he insisted on being the reaper or else he wouldn't participate. So Ryou was the reaper, Anzu was the angel, and Mai was the devil.

Breaks the expensive gift rule during Christmas

As the one with the most money, Mai does often. It makes Ryou feel bad though, so cause of that she tries to follow the rule.

Makes the other eat breakfast

ANZU. She's the absolute mom in the relationship, if that makes sense. Mai is like, "I've got a latte, that IS my breakfast" and Ryou's like "I'll eat an hot pocket at lunch, I'll be fine until then" and Anzu is like "No! Three meals a day! Sit down and eat!"

Remembers anniversaries

All of them are actually really good about this, and the only surprises are the presents themselves. They start talking plans months in advance, and sometimes they go on little trips

Brings up having kids

Anzu, because she wants them the most, and then Mai suggests they try to get pregnant at the same time so they can go through it together, and just the idea of that gives Ryou a nervous breakdown, so they both backpedal like, "It's okay sweetie, it's not happening right now, it was just a suggestion." Ryou is absolutely going to be a stay-at-home dad though. He will be there for every second of his kids' lives. Meanwhile, Mai is the "wait right here kiddos, Mommy needs to go teach this man a lesson" parent.

BONUS HEADCANON

I go absolutely feral for these two. Honestly, I'm not sure what I drabbled is even that good! @pharaoh-ink and I are slowly working on a terrific piece for these two, and I can otherwise recommend this fic I did. But, I hope you enjoy below!

Hi Anon! Those are pretty cool pairs. Its’s a shame Anzu didn’t get a lot of interactions with the two of them in canon, since any kind of relationship they could develop has the potential to be insanely strong. Provided they manage to overcome their respective difficulties, of course. 

I’ve already tried to explore Anzu/Malik’s potential relationship in a previous ask. Bottom line: any possible bond between the two of them would be based on a mutual understanding between two passionate individuals who share a drive to live life to its fullest, yet are still struggling to put the past behind them: Anzu with her pain, after losing Atem, and Malik, with his past as a tombkeeper. Their relationship would need a lot of time to evolve, and both would have their fair share of hurdles to overcome - be it resentment on Anzu’s part after having been made as a tool to threaten her friends’ lives, or Malik’s guilt for the exact same reasons. 

Though the way I see it, it wouldn’t be as complicated as for Ryou/Anzu, which is a hit or miss, given Ryou’s solitary nature and need to distance himself from others, out of fear of hurting them. 

Add to that list having a heck lot of emotional baggage to deal with, after the canon events. Without any loving family to support him. Contrary to Malik. Of course, you could argue he has friends among Yuugi’s group for that, but there has always been a sense of distance between them and Ryou… which gives me a gloomy outlook on his whereabouts post canon. After everything that’s happened in his life; the death of his family; TKB/Zork possessing him for who knows how long; it’s very likely that Ryou would retreat more than ever, if only because he needs time to process all of this and decide what he’s going to do with the rest of his life. 

Hostshipping is one of those few Ryou ships I can see working (aside from RyouxMalik and RyouxHonda), since Anzu is an attentive person and would be the most likely to pick up on his withdrawal. She could reach out to him. And with enough patience, she could manage to get him to open up and talk freely about what’s on his mind.