![Ship Tips [ Updated! ]](https://cdn2.scratch.mit.edu/get_image/project/585303602_480x360.png)
Don't mind the lazy thumbnail pffft ¤ ‐ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ⊙ ‐ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -¤ Hello there! After the lot of ships occurring in Riverclan at around the same time ( including my own, Board Games ), I decided I'd make a guide based on my own research. I, of course, am a clueless aromatic, so I had pretty much no idea how crushes really worked; I, in result, t o r t u r e d myself through 6 million Psych2Go videos in order to learn. Now, I'm writing these tips so you don't have to. DISCLAIMER: I am in no way qualified to write this. I am not a psychologist, a professional writer, or even a regular romance-loving person. These are just my insights based on extensive research. Also, there is no wrong way to ship, so feel no need to abide by anything on this guide. [ This was partially inspired by @Soccergal515's similar role-playing tips projects ] This can be used for rps, comics, or just regular story-writing ¤ ‐ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ⊙ ‐ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¤ - - - - The Romantic Process > i - Stage 1 - Interest - Generally, Cat #1 is oblivious to their crush at this point - May start exhibiting behaviors such as being happy at even the mention of Cat #2, going out of their way to talk to them, etc [ See: Behaviors ] - This stage can occur anytime whether it be shortly after the two meet or well into their friendship - Typically, attraction that occurs sooner is usually towards physical traits while later attraction is tied more closely to personality > ii - Stage 2 - Curiousity - Cat #1 attempts to find out more about Cat #2, whether it be by directly asking them or simply through noticing their habits - Cat #1 will try to mimic their behaviors and interests in order to impress them [ See: Behaviors ] - Cat #1 begins to consider the possibility of having a crush. The closer their friendship is, however, the more conflicted they are about this and therefore takes longer to realize their crush > iii - Stage 3 - Infatuation - At this stage, Cat #1 is fully aware of and accepts their crush on Cat #2 - The world seems perfect to Cat #1; they're much more happy than usual - Cat #1 puts Cat #2 on a pedestal, being almost incapable of finding them or even thinking of them to be flawed in any way > iv - Stage 4 - Sharing - Cat #1 shares their crush to their closest friends - Doing this causes them to learn more about Cat #2 and they start to realize their flaws - This can either lead them to Stage 5 or straight to Stage 6 > v - Stage 5 - Falling in love - Although Cat #1 is more aware of Cat #2's flaws, they're still in love with them, perhaps even more so than before - Behaviors become painfully obvious - At this stage, Cat #1 is ready to confess their love > vi - Stage 6 - Falling out of love - This isn't a bad thing! - This can either happen after Stage 5 or immediately after Stage 4 - Cat #1 gets over their feelings, be it by realizing that Cat #2 wasn't as great as they once thought or them ( be it in reality or perceived ) not liking them back - This usually doesn't happen immediately after Cat #1 hypothetically learns Cat #2 doesn't like them back and instead is a bit of struggle almost to put their feelings aside (keep in mind that the timing for all of these stages varies incredibly; a stage can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few years. of course, this also varies on what kind of crush it is. if it's purely physical (a hallway crush, essentially) then the cat will most likely zoom through the stages way faster than a cat who is actually in love.)
- - - - Behaviors - Keep in mind that characters will generally NOT display every trait on here. It depends on their personality, the situation, and such. - Another thing to keep in mind is that, although many behaviors begin at stage 1 or 2, they are subtle at that time and intensify as the crush goes on > i - Favoritism - Cat #1 actively seeks out conversations with Cat #2, even at the expense of ditching their own friends - Will attempt to make up excuses to talk to Cat #2 at any moment - Usually begins at Stage 1 or 2 > ii - Blushing - Please don't abuse the blushes. They have feelings, too :( - Jokes aside, I see most people portray crushes as just a bunch of blushes and then a confession. There's nothing wrong with this, of course, but it's anything but realistic. Most people don't actually blush at the sight/mention of their crush but keep in mind that some still do - Usually begins at stage 1 or 2 > iii - Obsessiveness - As the name suggests, Cat #1 obsesses over Cat #2 - They often are distracted, thinking about Cat #2 a lot more often than they should. Everything reminds them of Cat #2, even things that seem to have little to do with their actual conversations - Cat #1 could actually end up being a little bit creepy doing this--thinking like, "What would Cat #2 do in this situation?", imagining future conversations with Cat #2 in their head, etc etc etc constantly and almost pathetically. - They treasure and remember every small and insignificant detail about Cat #2, more on that in a second - Usually begins in Stage 2 > iv - Yearn to Impress - Cat #1 uses their data about Cat #2 to attempt to impress them by pretending to like/do the same things - For example, let's say a person has a crush that really likes baking. Although they don't like baking themselves, they might bake cookies for their crush in order to impress them - Another example: The person's crush's favorite color is red. Their favorite color is blue, but they say their favorite color is red, too, to try to make themselves seem more similar - They also, almost subconsciously, pick up their traits. Another another example: The crush taps their foot a lot, so the person begins to tap their foot, too. They might also pick up catchphrases or other things the crush often says - Usually begins at Stage 2 > v - Fidgeting - Cat #1 might fiddle with fingers ( or claws, in a cat's case ), twitch a bit, play with small objects sheepishly, shuffle their feet, etc in front of their crush - Not much else to it lol - Usually begins at Stage 2 or 3 > vi - Staring - Cat #1 might intently gaze at Cat #2 for long periods of time, always noticing when they first come into the room and etc etc - Again, another simple one - Usually begins at Stage 1 > vii - Happiness at Sight/Mention - Cat #1 will seem extremely happy at even the mention or sight of Cat #2 - If jokes are made about Cat #2, Cat #1 will go hysterical over them or at least will find the jokes funnier than usual - Usually begins at Stage 1 or 2 > viii - Jealousy - Cat #1 will get very easily jealous of those who talk to or are friends with Cat #2, thinking that their crush likes their friends and such more than they do them - Cat #1 might resent others purely because of the fact that they spend more time with Cat #2 than they do - Usually begins at Stage 3 or 4 > ix - Catastrophic Thinking - Cat #1 can overthink the most insignificant of events that occur with Cat #2 - This can lead them to think that Cat #2 hates them and be extremely upset about it merely because their crush looked at them weird when they asked them a question - If you couldn't already tell, they often jump to conclusions when this occurs - Usually begins at Stage 3 or 4 > x - Voice/Name Recognition - Cat #1 will be able to pick out Cat #2's voice in a crowd rather easily and be overjoyed when they do hear it - They often are on the lookout for mentions of Cat #2 and hear clearly and heed attention to their crush's name just as they do their own - They also might think their name/voice is interesting or sounds pleasant, sometimes casually bringing it up in conversations > xi - Dreaming - Cat #1 might have dreams about Cat #2 on a regular basis - These dreams can be normal or a bit more romantic - Usually begins at Stage 1 or 2 > xii - Sharing of Secrets - Cat #1 might tell Cat #2 more about their personal life, their secrets, their emotions and such more so than they would to a normal cat - This can either be because they simply want a shoulder to lean on or that they want attention - Usually begins at Stage 2 or 3 There are more, of course, but these are the main ones, I believe
