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You make a very valid point here. I'm with you on shipping. I would never think that shipping someone as friends is diminishing their relationship. Like, you could easily ship Raps and Cass as friends, since they are well... that in canon. The same with many other f/f ships across media, especially in yuri. Those characters are often in what could be called romantic or intimate friendships. I think now is a really great time in terms of female friendship really blossoming in anime right now, and in some Western animation (like Amphibia, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Elena of Avalor, High Guardian Spice, or Hilda)... in recent years there's been female friendships in...

Anne Shirley (highly recommend this series)

Encouragement of Climb (and Next Summit)

Do It Yourself!!

The Aquatope on White Sand

Ippon Again!

A Place Further than the Universe (one of my favorite series)

Let’s Make a Mug Too

Laid-Back Camp

Soaring Sky Pretty Cure!

Wonderful Pretty Cure!

Train to the End of the World

Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night

Management of a Novice Alchemist

Any of the series in the Love Live! franchise

Bofuri

Super Cub [really liked this series]

Narenare Hanare

Flower and Asura

Mono

Food for the Soul

Maebashi Witches

You and Idol Pretty Cure

However, male friendships are pretty common, I think. Just look at the two male protagonists of RRR, which people shipped romantically, but had a close personal connection.

Otherwise, your comment is really making me think how I can show that nuance in the fics I wrote, as I really want to show that more, as someone who is sort of on the aro-ace spectrum I think(?) [I'm still figuring it out to be perfectly honest].

As much as it frustrates me when people believe romantic relationships are somehow more valuable than platonic ones, I also don't understand why someone shipping characters who are close friends together (f/f or m/m) is seen as diminishing their relationship.

like, the characters are still besties. the romance is built off their deep bond, the friendship is why people ship it

I'll see it under edits a lot, comments like, "finally, someone who understands they're JUST FRIENDS" or "why are you ruining their friendship?"

And look, as someone on the aro and ace spectrums, I really understand frustration with other people devaluing platonic bonds, I truly do. However, such statements often devalue friendship within them ("just friends") and assume the people who ship them cannot possibly comprehend the complexities of the relationship simply because they see it as romantic - which is not the case. tbh sometimes I end up shipping a pairing because the only people thinking deeply about their bond and posting about it are the shippers! (that's what happened to me with eremin lol)

uh anyways we know the answer is primarily homophobia, probably mixed in with some genuine frustration about amatonormativity. It sucks that the language aro/ace people have for commenting on this issue is so similar to the rhetoric other people use to poorly conceal their homophobia. There is a genuine discussion to be had about how romantic and sexual relationships are valued over platonic ones and placed on a pedestal, but they get lost in the sea of bad-faith comments.

For instance, I do sometimes see the bond between characters be reduced to their romantic connection, even in well-intentioned analyses. The "would friends look at each other/treat each other like THIS?" style of posts also often rankle me because yes! I do look at my friends with adoration, and we do hug and we do go out of our way to support each other. Yet, those are traits I enjoy in ships, so I can't even get too mad lol. The problem is when that type of affection is thought to be relegated to romance.

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Really sad to see this from @merinathropp. I think I might be blocked or something, but in any case, it's never right for someone to plagiarize another person's fic. That's what the inspiration section is for!

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Okay this has to be the dumbest opinion I've seen on Cassunzel in a while. It denies the fact that there CAN be queer subtext in a series between two female characters that the studio (Disney) and execs did NOT want to get together (after all, heterosexuality was baked into the story itself), and that someone can have multiple partners. The only thing I agree with here is that Cass and Raps aren't sisters.That is true. Anyone who says they are (Raps, you are wrong about this) is lying. Gothel kidnapped Raps. She is NOT the mother of Raps. How many times does that have to be said?

Whose stupid idea was it to make Rapunzel and Cassandra relationship have romantic tension?

This not only looks bad because of the obvious toxicity of their relationship but because it seems that those who did it forgot a tiny detail: RAPUNZEL ALREADY HAS A PARTNER!

This is supposed to take place after the movie! It's supposed to be a continuation of Rapunzel and Eugene's story!

Cassandra is just a "best friend" not a sister (because it's ridiculous) and much less a love interest for Rapunzel because she already has one!

And no, I'm not complaining that the public ships them, what I'm complaining about is that the same members of the team in charge of making the series do it and intentionally put that subtext in their relationship.

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Thought you all might be interested!

Riley and Val blossom in my new fic

It's entitled "Unexpected Blue Bonnets: Surprised Valentina, Riley's Romantic Boldness, and Venezuela Truth-Bombs" or can be called "Unexpected Blue Bonnets" for short. Here's the summary:

One warm spring day, Val is relaxing on her bed, reading about the news, and thinking back to when she arrived in the U.S. as an immigrant from Venezuela, with her parents, almost seventeen years before. She is surprised when her adorable Minnesotan friend (or more than a friend) shows up to hang out. In the process they connect with one another, have some awkwardness, eat together, and enjoy one another's company, while their love continues to blossom like a beautiful centaurea cyanus flower.

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If you like idols, mind control, and the like, then this fic is for you!

My latest fic, a fix-it fic for the series finale (not counting the OVA) for 22/7, a dark idol anime I finished recently, is out! This fic has mind control, emotional manipulation, drug use (implied), and is undoubtedly a paranoid fiction. Enjoy!

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Perhaps one day it shall. This is from an episode of Rose of Versailles.

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What would Oscar think of all the royals and nobles across fiction, from Elena Castillo Flores to Adora, Charlie Morningstar to Sailor Moon? It's hard to know. But if she was alive now, she would be railing against royals and those in power, without a doubt.

Note this comes from episode 14 of Rose of Versailles.

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Pretty clear Aphra is a lesbian, not bi, as this person claims, but ok.

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I'd just like to have a correction here. It isn't technically on PrimeVideo to stream, as its just a link to Crunchyroll. This is what the page partially looks like:

I'd just like to say I detest this feature on PrimeVideo, as it's always disappointing when you see pages like this, because you think you can stream a series, then it turns out you can't. It's frustrating.

Did anyone else know that the rights to High Guardian Spice also belong to Prime video?

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An interesting headcanon, although I'm more in the Cassunzel camp myself.

So I headcanoned that Rapunzel platonically kisses her friends (like forehead, cheek, head, etc) so I wanted to make a post on how they would react to her kissing them for the first time

Starting with Cassandra, varian, and lance

Spoilers for seasons 1-3!!

Cassandra

The first time it happened Rapunzel was congratulating her on something.She would act like she didn't like it, and at first she didn't, i feel like she doesn't really like physical affection unless she knows the person enough, but with time she started to like it. She would always kinda just roll her eyes or look at Rapunzel weird but eventually it became something she loved about her.

If she kisses her when Eugene is around she looks over to him and smirks if she gets the chance (Eugene does the same to Cassandra lol)

During her moonstone arc when Cassandra needed comfort the most she really missed those little kisses and hugs Rapunzel would give her :( she's kinda everyone's comfort person

Varian

The first time it happened she kissed the top of his head while hugging him goodbye and mentally he was like "oh.. alrighty then". Varian has his boundaries when it comes to physical touch but he was totally fine with hugs, kisses, stuff like that from his family and closer friends (and eventually Hugo) . I think he finds physical touch/ personal attention relaxing

(super touched starved. DARE I SAY both Eugene and varian are touched starved as hell)

He eventually gets used to it and doesn't even realize that some people don't get the treatment Rapunzels friends do lol

lance

First time she did it calmed him down pretty quickly. At first he was like "what??" Then he got with the program. I think she makes sure to give lance affection when he's stressed. She's noticing a pattern with these touch starved freaks. Lance loves it when she pecs him on the cheek when she's excited about something or excited for him. He finds it adorable.

If he notices she needs a hug he returns the favor. I like to think he comforted her off screen during season 3 with Cassandra. After she was feeling better she would kinda awkwardly apologize and try to laugh it off but lance reassures her that everyone needs comfort, even her

I'll do VAT7K characters next!! :]

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It's out! The new episode of Beloved Zako Streamer! Gay to the max!

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The gayness from Suzu continues... (right before this she is talking about eloping with Ao)

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This is such a cute moment... and Suzu told her to say this to Ao, lol.

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Thought you would all be interested!

My latest fic is out! It is set right after s5 of SPOP and brings together Adora, Catra, and the usual cast of princesses... along with some unexpected visitors! A lot of great Catradora moments, Castaspella teasing about her partner, and much more! Enjoy!

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They look so beautiful.

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There's no heterosexual way that she is presented here... just saying, this is pretty gay.

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My favorite catgirls (that I know)

1. Fran [Reincarnated as a Sword]

2. Izutsumi [Dungeon Meshi]

3. Blake Belladonna [RWBY]

4. Catra [She-Ra and the Princesses of Power]

5. Olive [High Guardian Spice]

6. T'Ana [Star Trek: Lower Decks]

7. Ichigo Momomiya [Tokyo Mew Mew New]