#('soulmate' in this case not being strictly romantic)

[shivada-jade]

genshin masterlist.

☆ = my more popular fics. you had a fun time reading them ♡ = i remember having tons of fun writing them

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what's included below: reader inserts, misc, hcs

reader inserts

series: The Greatest Showman Greatest Showman au Lyney

Timing Time Travel Albedo, Sucrose

☆♡ Soulmates an au multiple | one, two

Magical Mischief Hogwarts au multiple | one, two

☆♡ A Little Twist of Fate ...albedoes?... albedos?

♡ Serenading (hcs. bullet point) multiple | one, two

oneshots: ☆♡ Songs of a Siren a siren they met at sea multiple

♡ Cecelia Flowers (strictly platonic) their endearing brother diluc, kaeya

♡ Movie life is a movie. the stage is yours kaeya

♡ Let's Play Wii modern au with the original 4nemo ...minus aether sorry buddy

♡ Reply Back idol au with the travelers

Better Bard (bulleted) friendly competition with venti

The Abyss and other strange things kaeya encounters

Shut Up and Dance With Me basic ass fic with childe

Nice Rock A nifty gift for xiao

Communication shyness leads to flowers ganyu

Lover = Loser another basic ass fic with childe ...i need to write him to do him justice

How to Be a Romantic Zhongli trusts Childe's step by step guide

♡ Puppy Love (platonic) thoma finds it amusing

I've Never Been in Love Before the songwriter and the architect kaveh

... a mystery fic for our mysterious friend

☆♡ a silly product of procrastination i used listen to the barbie/bratz/mlp soundtrack to be able to finish work alhaitham

where you belong (Platonic) you weren't much different like his brother. diluc

Just in Case poetry is an art form to keep things alive venti

Podcasting Undercover being an idol and an anonymous podcaster is hard to balance. especially with a cheeky new idol spilling everything kaeya

chemistry shit I think i wrote this when studying chemistry. then my posts from this point on had a very different formatting. a new era began. albedo

one bed… [WIP] but you weren’t going down without a fight.

misc. [TBA]

hcs [TBA]

[mlm-squared]

I’m not sure if this makes sense, but I love my partner as so much more than a friend, but not strictly in a romantic way. Like obviously I think he’s the most beautiful person ever and I want to kiss him and hold him and do everything affectionate with him, but even if that weren’t the case, even if I didn’t have the amazing opportunity to be his lover, I’d want to still be his life partner. Who he is, as a person, is the foundation for why I love him so much, and we connect on a way that I’ve connected with no other person before; he is my soulmate first and my lover second. With that being said, I think showering him with affection that one can only give when in a relationship is the perfect way to express the love I have for him. If I weren’t able to do that, I’m not sure how I’d be able to express my love for him in a way that’s meaningful enough; I suppose I’d have to spend every second of my life writing poetry about it.

[noxiatoxia]

i cant NOT ask about a ship chart for hikakao regardless of what everyone knows about your feelings on hikakao

still failing to get a bingo duhhh.......regardless. we all know that im feral about those twins. twincest numero uno and all that.

The one space I put a * on is one I didn't feel like I could fulllyyy mark because it's a tricky subject. Because tbh i have not really seen many serious character studies for hikakao. most people who write for hikakao do it for yaoiz or for a dramatic (usually unrequited) love story, WHICH IS FINE BTW, I love twincest yaoi as much as the next guy and im also a sucker for angst, but the fact is I've not come into very many cases where people try to dissect their relationship and so it's hard for me to concretely say "Hey, I don't really agree how they're portrayed in the fan base"

That being said, there areee hikakao tropes I'm not a fan of & don't agree with, such as Kaoru hating haruhi out of jealousy (not saying he would be incapable of being jealous, just that i don't think he'd ever hate haruhi, he likes her a lot guys), Kaoru being very emo depressed (yes he is depressed/anxious and tbh I think the main issue here is less people write him with depression but more that people who write it tend to write it in a very uh. .. wattpad style if you know what i mean. which again is fine, fanfic is an outlet, but i just dont agree at all with that portrayal), hikaru being generally ooc (iykyk) and prob some other stuff i failed to mention. however a lot of this seems to be more of an old school ff.net issue, as i see it less and less on ao3, which is nice, but still.

It doesn't really help that I have a very specific outlook on their relationship that doesn't neatly fall into society's per-defined labels for a "romantic relationship" or "platonic friendship" or even what it means to be siblings. And a lot of that - how i view their relationship - is shaped by the way they themselves grew up. they have a very complicated history and even in their present, it is showing an era in their adolescence that includes a lot of change both to their lives and their outlook on it. such things will lead to an equally complicated relationship that can't really be described simply as "they are in love <3" like yes i think they are soulmates. no i dont think they are romantically involved. yes i think they fuck. no i dont think they consider themselves in a relationship or even "friends with benefits" (ironic considering i marked that spot but i did it out of simplicity bc that's how it comes off a lot of the time ...) liiike they are each other's most important person in the world. they love each other so much. but idk if they're in love y'know. of course, i love reading and even writing stories where there ARE romantic feelings involved, because different interpretations and AUs are fun, but speaking from a strictly canon pov, i think whatever they feel for each other can't really be described as romantic or platonic or familial, it's just love, plain and simple.

sometimes i like to think despite fucking his brother on the reg hikaru considers himself straight. kaoru is the exception, he doesn't count, family discount or whatever .

[yonemurishiroku]

I'm in the mood to "make my favorite characters suffer" — Estelle Akia Grayson — orphan.

Jason was killed agree with the canon in the battle with Caligula, Percy being his soul mate, [didn't I say that in this AU Jercy, are romantic soulmates?], withered away seven days after his death, but before his death he managed to take a promise from his Mother on the River Styx to take care of his daughter and keep baby Estelle Akia away from the Greco-Roman world as long as possible.

Sally and Paul take a little granddaughter to themselves and raise her under the guise of their own daughter, [it's really hard, Estelle, — a little copy of Percy with blonde hair and with a sector heterochromia of the iris, — she literally has eyes the color of the sky and the sea], the Blofis family does not treat her very well, considering her the fruit of infidelity, but Paul and Sally love her, but Paul and Sally love her, [although they certainly wanted to live their lives without children, Estelle understands and feels this].

In addition, she is really the daughter of her parents, Estelle, — a very problematic child with severe forms of ADHD and dyslexia, [Here are a few cases from her life; strangled a dog in the second grade, it was a hellhound, beat a classmate in the blood in the fourth, it was a monster], and at the age of twelve, in the sixth grade, the satyr Chuck Hedge found her…

[don't judge strictly this is a short hasty sketch].

.........*muttering* Jesus Christ the second generation is promising--- I'm fantasizing about Estelle with Chuck and maybe Hazel and Frank's child(ren) or Leo's somehow or or Nico's successor (successor bc I would never let him acquire a child of his own accord lmao).

And the fact that you fitted Estelle in the story as Jason and Percy's child instead i swear to everything holy in the sky my brain is frying holy mary---

[alyjojo]

Past Life 🗿 Karmic Spread August 2023 - Virgo

Gender I’m Picking Up On (in the past life): Male in past life, Trans female in this one

Who You Were: The Hierophant, The Magician rev & 6 Cups

What You Did: 5 Wands & 8 Swords

How It Ended: Justice

What Karma Was Brought With You: King of Pentacles & 7 Pentacles

Who You Brought With You: 8 Cups & 2 Cups

Additional energy: 4 Swords

Past Life Oracle: Spirituality & Religion, Food & Hunger, Finances

Dreaming Way: Book & Mask

Charm:

Rose 🌹 on The Hierophant (overall energy)

White Heart 🤍 on The High Priestess

Turtle 🐢 on 4 Swords

Comb 👱🏽‍♀️on The Empress

Whew. This one is gonna be controversial to the religious and trans communities alike…hot damn. Pissing everyone off in one day, that’s cool 🤦‍♀️

Disclaimer: In this reading, it appears that being a trans woman is karmic “punishment” for being a dick to lesbians via religion and very conservative, burning in hellfire type of beliefs in the past. I do NOT choose the messages, nor do I personally see the trans experience as a punishment whatsoever…though it may feel that way to them at times & I can understand that. All of that just needs to be said. I’ve seen several cases already where this is *not* everyone’s story regarding a trans experience, and I don’t mean to offend anyone. With that being said…

In the past, you were an extremely religious…well, sham. You were a sham, the villain of this batch of past lives. For impressions, I got the holy man in Robin Hood…like you’re stealing money and “taxes” right along with the Sheriff or whoever, with no real care or consideration of the people looking to you for prayer and guidance, many of which were poor and needed your help. Your beliefs were genuine, but your actions were not, and I’m not sure how you justified yourself to yourself, but you did. Rather large ego here, feeling powerful and righteous.

Whatever kind of holy man you were, you were a married one. But that marriage too, was a sham. You and your person played the role of divine counterparts, and they are a soulmate, just a different kind. I’m getting you knew them from a very young age, there could have been some level of an arranged or manipulated marriage with this as well. Your parents were friends or something, there could’ve been a literal contract or payment. I get a Middle Eastern region from this story, but none of the larger countries I know of, it feels very small, but strictly controlled.

Your wife was gay, and had a partner they loved very deeply, romantically, sensually, this was their actual person. I get it was played off as more of a best friend, or a helper?, they were inseparable, you thought nothing of it. With White Heart on The High Priestess, I get their love being pure, genuine, and their lies were not intend to hurt anyone but to protect each other. They really loved each other. When you found out, I get it was a dramatic scene, you were FURIOUS. I don’t get that you ever told anyone, or tried to divorce, though it may have been allowed in your case, but it was your reputation you were considering. Both with the people around (beneath) you, and…Allah. Which was more hated, sin that was technically not yours, divorce, or silence thereby being an accomplice to this sin? You were heavily conflicted, this played on your mind in a loop, constant worry & fear, for the rest of your life. Death was a sweet release, you felt like you were leaving “The Devil” behind and could finally be free. You felt deeply victimized by this situation, even though you were victimizing others on a daily basis with no regard.

In this life, you are not cruel 🙏 Though it may be perceived that way by one particular romantic relationship. I get you being a grown man, late 30’s-40’s, who has recently discovered or experimented with your more feminine nature…that’s probably always existed on some level. I don’t get a shocking discovery for you, but absolutely one for someone who knows you and has committed to you as the King of Pentacles. This person has come with you from the past life, clarification shows they’re someone who worked with you, on some level they were in on this mistreatment of people as well. You could be deciding to leave them, but more likely they’re deciding to leave you because this revelation has pulled the rug out from under them…they don’t really know you, and can’t wrap their head around this in the way that you would need them to in order accept you. A very painful experience. It’s for the best & you seem to understand that. Or will. I get once you transition, this former life is dead to you.

The problem is the transition, you want to go with the full surgery, but can’t afford it, there is much time passing, and saving up involved. Your whole life is just feeling comfortable in your own skin, with the added difficulty of losing a lot of people you were once close to. Friends too. They think you’re being foolish or going through a phase, many of them probably have very different beliefs than you, and healing from things they may have said or done in response to who you really are, will take a long time to heal. Some of them you may have expected more from. There is also a period of a lot of alone time, Hermit, maybe too much. You don’t seek people out, because of those that have already put you down, but there are people like you all over the world and you only need to join the right groups and go to the right places in order to find them. Tumblr is a good one 💯 But it’s not the only one.

I do see you finding someone else, a person you can deeply commit to, and the love being unconditional between you. Weirdly enough, they could work in a spiritual profession, or you meet them in a spiritual sort of way, a Pagan fair comes to mind, tarot readers, or even an online community like “Trans Christians” or something. You know it exists, everything exists. You are still traditional but in a non traditional way, and the way you love, how you believe you should treat people, what you want from others - all of this is morally & ethically sound. You’re a good person this time, after you’ve had this very difficult experience, with a lot of endings and healing, I get a major soul awakening and a feeling of “leveling up” once you accept yourself for who you are. Being kind to you & loving you is the karma.

[infizero]

Hi!!! New follower here lol. I'd love to hear about the demon/soulmate hcs 👀

HIII im glad to have you here!!!! ty for asking ^_^

(this got so long im so sorry)

so basically demons have a special type of semi-immortality (they cant die from age but can still be killed) where their lives are connected to a mortal soulmate(s)'s whom they will seek out

these mortals were historically (and still often are) humans (which led to the creation of the horned human variant thousands and thousands of years ago, but thats a different topic) < eryn's parents are a good example of this

Soulmate bonds always exist from the moment all involved parties are alive at the same time (so for instance, if there were a pair where one was a year older, the bond would exist from the moment the younger one was born), but they do not "show themselves" (i.e; the demon does not get the instinct to seek them out) until the demon reaches the age of 18. at this point, the demon will find their soulmate(s) and once they meet, their lives will be connected from then on

If a demon for some reason does not seek out their soulmate(s), they will still be naturally drawn to them, which often leads to them meeting anyway. however if by some stroke of misfortune or intentional resistance the demon never meets their soulmate(s) by age 100, then they will be left with only a single life. For this reason, even the most prickly of demons will search for their soulmate, but there are the rare, heartless few who choose this dangerous and lonely life.

also IMPORTANT NOTE soulmates in this context does NOT mean romantic partners. It often is, but asexual and/or aromantic demons are not by any means forced to be in a relationship. Soulmates in this sense purely means a person or people whom you connect to and spend your life with, and it doesn't even strictly mean you have to be together all the time. Soulmates can be strictly platonic, romantic, sexual; it simply depends on the personality and preferences of the demon. (And the mortal of course!)

(when it comes to bad and skeppy theyre gay as hell tho LOL)

^ this also means that demons can totally be in relationships w each other, since soulmates arent necessarily romantic or sexual; ur soulmate(s) could in theory just be like one of your friends who you dont even live with or anything and you live with your actual partner. (although usually soulmates will at least live near each other since yknow, your lives are linked. better to not have the person/people responsible for whether you live or die just out in the world wherever tf)

anyways yes thats the whole soulmate thing ^_^ i always found the fact that bad and skeppy's lives were linked super interesting since it's something unique to them, so i thought it'd be cool if it was a demon thing

(tina is the only other full demon on the server but i havent thought out how the soulmate bond would factor into her and hannah yet;;)

(as for eryn, they're a demon-human hybrid but that does means he still retains the soulmate-bonded semi-immortality. he issss 18 irl although since i think of c!tommy as still being 17 c!eryn would probably still be 17 rn too ^_^ i have played around w the idea of tommy being their platonic soulmate but idk if i'd actually want that to be the case. regardless c!eryn still being 17 would mean his soul bond hasnt emerged yet so it doesnt rlly matter lol)

anyways yea yea ty for being interested sorry this is so long LMFAO

[theorderofthetriad]

man, we on tumblr have got to bring back Pacific Rim AUs. I miss that feeling of "oh my god they were drift compatible..."

[absolutebl]

Hi, do you have any recommendations for a bl series similar to Manner of Death? Thanks a lot🫀

BL similar to (but not the same as) Manner of Death?

Honestly there really aren't any exactly like it. MoD is pretty unique, being more gay romantic suspense than it is BL. And using high heat and an excellent established pair with great chemistry to add to the story (rather that distract from it). 

Also you didn’t say what you liked about MoD. The suspense plot? The mature characters? The mystery elements? The action sequences? The doctor/mafia pairing (good boy/bad boy)? The high domesticity? The high heat? 

So I know stuff that hits some of the above but not others. Here you go, in no particular order... 

Tale of a Thousand Stars - Thailand, YT 

Why similar? Mature characters, complex story structure, few tropes, no trigger issues, queer friendly, great production. Spoiled rich boy gets heart transplant that changes his life, heads into mountains to teach at rural school, falls in love with park ranger. 

Not similar? More just a gay romance. No suspense elements. Low heat. 

3 Will Be Free - Thailand, YT 

Why similar? Queer AF crime thriller about three 20 somethings on the run after accidentally killing an assassin: a grifter, a nerdy mafia kid, and a stripper. They're chased by more assassins out for revenge. They all end up sleeping with each other in various ways (gay, bi, het) and all kinda end up together in a V too. All the characters are treated with complete integrity, including the assassins, and everyone is very queer, including the assassins. 

Why not similar? Not a BL, only HFN, not strictly gay. 

He’s Coming to Me - Thailand, YT 

Why Similar? It’s a mystery? Ghost is trying to figure out how he died and then who killed him. Ends up cohabitating with a boy who can see him and will help him figure it out. They fall in love. 

Not similar? Well this one is a paranormal romance. I think it has a clean better story structure. Much less suspenseful. Low heat. 

Not Me (Airing Now) - Thailand, YT 

Why similar? Full of plot, crime and punishment style, motorcycle gang of malcontents trying to take down the corrupt politician. Has suspense elements. 

Why not? Less mature characters. Good chemistry from an established pair, but not high heat. No real mystery element. Identical twins trope. 

Until We Meet Again - Thailand, YT 

Why similar? Mystery of interweaving past lives. Violence and suspense. Complicated plot (better executed tho). 

Why not? Red thread soulmates trope, very much BL setting and courting rituals, low heat, younger characters. 

Mr Cinderella - Vietnam, YT 

Why similar? Adult grown up characters in a bad boy + good doctor pairing. Great domesticity and physical contact, good kisses. Medium heat. 

Why not? Not much of a mystery. It’s V-BL so pour production values (by comparison). Not much plot and no suspense. Action scenes are weak. Much shorter series. 

HIStory 3: Trapped - Taiwan, Viki 

Why similar? This is probubly the most like what you are looking for. Cop is chasing a mafia boss because of a cold case they were both involved with many years ago. They end up on the same side trying to figure out who done it. Fall in love. Very good high heat. Meanwhile there is another pairing of nerd//hacker cop and mafia assassin. It’s GREAT. Long series for Taiwan, too. 

Why not? Main characters end up together but have an amorphous ending. Very much BL trappings. It’s Taiwan so expect it to be Taiwanese about everything. 

Long Time No See - Korea, Gaga 

Why similar? Mature characters, high heat, very suspenseful. Assassins on either side of a terf war fall in love not knowing they are on opposite sides. Or do they? Good fight sequences. 

Why not? Short series, both of them are bad boys. It’s more “can they kill their way free” than it is a mystery. 

If that pitch doesn’t sell you I don’t know what will. 

You Make Me Dance - Korea, Viki 

Why similar? Bad boy mafia type meets goodie two shoes. Loan shark goes to put the squeeze on a lonely college dancer, falls in love with him, moves in. 

Why not? This is a more classic BL. Also it’s Korea, so very short. Medium heat. 

BROMANCES 

The Devil Judge - Korea, Viki 

Why similar? All the crime thriller suspense you could want in a Judge Dredd dystopia. Lots of gay domesticity (of course, they not *actually* gay). 

Why not? It’s not BL at all. It’s also not a gay romance. Characters end up apart. 

S.C.I. Mystery - Hong Kong, grey or ? 

Why similar? Adult characters cohabitating, rough and tumble cop + nerdy academic profiler. Lost of suspense and mystery action. 

Why not? They married but the show pretends they are “cousins.” 

Update from the future...

BLs that have airs since Manner of Death that also might entertain in a similar way:

Triage

Dear Doctor I'm Coming for Your Soul

Laws of Attraction

The Eclipse

Ghost Host, Ghost House

KinnPorsche

Oh! My Sunshine Night (at the end)

Kiseki: Dear to Me

Never Let Me Go

Make a Wish

The Sign

Pit Babe

Many of these are absolutely hot messes, but at least they aren't boring.

(source) 

[it-fits-i-ships]

Combing through every single episode of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous for Yasammy moments to write meta analysis about part 5 (master post with all previous and future parts)

On the Camp Fam's trip away from Isla Nublar we get this really sweet moment where Sammy says she feels like they're soulmates, this reminds me a lot of a post I read a few years back about how soulmates can be platonic or romantic and, while I think she sees most of the other Camp Cretaceous kids as her found family, the way that Yaz's face just softens when Sammy says the word "soulmates" suggests the possibility of something more than friendship developing between them, as does the way Yaz smiles and laughs knowing Sammy is engaging her in playful banter about her "maybe the boat is haunted" comment This scene in Mitch and Tiff's bedroom is very sweet and I think the choice of having this happen in a bedroom, where people are often depicted having very vulnerable and meaningful conversations with each other in media, is perfect for the scene because here's Yaz trying to comfort Sammy at a time when she knows she's sad about everyone's inevitable split in a way that forces Yaz to be vulnerable, she's presenting Sammy with a memento of the friends she holds so dear in a medium that is very personal to Yaz, we know that Yaz was reluctant to share her art at first because she was worried people would judge her and her talent, as an athlete she is likely being constantly scrutinized so Sammy had to bring her out of her shell and it seems only fitting that Yaz would be the most eager to put herself out there artistically for Sammy's sake, Yaz is clearly nervous about presenting the drawing to Sammy and is still working on the habit of putting herself down while showing her art to people but I love the character development of her specifically reaching out to Sammy with a gesture like this (it's a long way from season 1 Yaz's interactions) I would also like to point out the way Sammy's voice breaks a little bit when she says, "Aw, Yaz!" which suggests that she is overcome with emotion, this isn't surprising because we know by now that Sammy is a very emotional person but I think in this case it's an especially potent reaction because the drawing is coming from Yaz and I think Sammy knows how hard it can be for Yaz to make herself vulnerable with other people Also Sammy showering Yaz with praise and affection and Yaz's face basically saying, "Omg, she thinks I'm fast, strong, smart, and have a bright artistic future" in the most gay panic way possible? Adorable I really like how, in the background of several scenes during this season, Sammy is shown physically comforting, steadying, and supporting Yaz even when it's not strictly necessary, like when they crash landed on the new island Yaz probably could have stood and walked by herself but Sammy really wanted to be there for her, we also see Yaz doing similar things for Sammy, during the sand storm there's a split second after Sammy gets swept up in the sand but before Yaz gets covered in which we can see that Yaz is turning back to help Sammy, Yaz and Sammy are specifically calling for each other during the storm and the second Yaz finds Sammy she runs to steady and support her, telling her, "You're okay" which feels like one of those showing-not-telling moments of active caring in which we see how much Yaz and Sammy are concerned for each other's well-being The same goes for the scene in which Darius falls and Yaz reaches down to catch him because we can see Sammy absolutely hustling over there and grabbing Yaz around the waist, which is both a very intimate place to grab someone and a better place to get a firm grip on someone who is unsteady than the hand or wrist, Sammy saw what happened when Darius grabbed Ben by the hand on the train and she was not about to take chances with Yaz's safety so she just went for it, Sammy also keeps her hand on Yaz's waist a little bit longer than is strictly necessary I absolutely adore how every time Sammy is happy Yaz looks at her with so much love, this sweet sapphic bean simply cannot contain herself when Sammy's smiling During the bonfire when everyone is stewing in their anguish at the realization that they are stuck on yet

another island Sammy decides to get up and do some primal screaming (side note: I highly recommend primal screaming for people who are under a lot of stress, it really does help) and everyone is understandably surprised at first because Sammy isn't usually the yelling type, she's the happy-go-lucky mom friend, but Yaz gets over her initial shock fairly quickly and silently telegraphs, "You know what, you're right, this situation sucks and I'm with you" before getting up to join her, I think it's telling that Yaz is the first one to understand Sammy in this situation, they've gotten really close After the fire goes out we see that Sammy and Yaz are sleeping directly next to each other, much closer than any of the others are sleeping to each other The way Yaz immediately looks at Sammy when Ben says, "At least we have each other" and the soft way Yaz looks at her are amazing but what really gives me life is the way Sammy turns to hold her gaze as the shot fades out to a run rise, which has to be one of the gayest shots in the show up to this point When they discover that there's a T-rex on this island and everyone starts running Sammy immediately notices that Yaz isn't by her side and turns to pull her along, Sammy knows that in the fight/flight/freeze department Yaz is likely to freeze first because of her dinosaur related PTSD, she knows Yaz might need some extra support in that situation and she's eager to provide it Sammy smiling at Yaz's sarcastic comment and casual kicking back is so cute Yaz notices Kenji's feelings for Brooklyn before anyone else and pours herself into being his wingman (despite not being asked to do so) to the point that Ben thinks she's doing it to spend time with him because she has a crush on him, resulting in the hilariously awkward scene in which Ben turns Yaz down, my personal headcanon about this situation is that Yaz has either become aware or suspicious of her feelings for Sammy and is overcompensating by funneling her energy into "helping" Kenji so she doesn't have to think about her own feelings, possibly because she feels like it's pointless to confess to Sammy since they're all going to have to go home eventually or because she's scared of messing up of losing what they currently have As I stated in previous posts in this series, Yaz is terrified of getting hurt and losing her personal connections, we've seen throughout the show that she is especially scared of losing Sammy so I think it would take a lot for Yaz to confess and risk upsetting Sammy and ending the friendship or having a painful breakup because of the Camp Fam finally going home Also, I laughed my ass off when Yaz said, "Ben" the way she did because I could feel the implied, "I'm super queer and you're barking up the wrong tree" following it on a spiritual level, it flashed me back to turning down straight guys in high school who were under the false impression that I had any interest in them outside of platonic relationships I really like the way that Sammy supports Yaz in this subplot about her nightmares, we've already seen Yaz go out of her way to help Sammy out in big and small ways and now we're seeing a really important way that Sammy is helping and supporting Yaz (aside from the obvious character growth that Sammy has already helped Yaz achieve), she physically comforts Yaz after the plane leaves without them and asks if she's okay, Yaz really likes to put on a strong face and pretend she's okay and she's in control but in this moment she is completely broken and has no qualms about opening up to Sammy, this is probably the most we've ever seen Yaz open up about her feelings and it's all because asked, I don't think she would have been as open if Brooklyn had asked, notice how surprised Yaz is when Brooklyn sits next to her, as if she's forgotten that anyone but Sammy is there, when Yaz says, "I'm tired, and I miss my mom" she is literally and figuratively leaning on Sammy's shoulder Yaz has become good friends with the whole Camp Fam but Sammy is her comfort person, the one she trusts the most, and the

one she wants to be the closest to After Yaz cries it out we see Sammy comforting her and putting an arm around her shoulders, Yaz seems to be weak from lack of sleep and the crushing blow of missing the plane and we can see that Sammy is lovingly walking her back to the bunker and holding Yaz close while the others have a discussion that Sammy knows will be upsetting for her, Sammy realizes that the thing Yaz needs the most in that moment is a break so she makes an executive decision, one she knows Yaz would be too stubborn to make on her own, and tells the others they're going to take a nap Yaz doesn't argue, she knows she needs some down time or she's going to completely lose it, she knows that Sammy is looking out for her and the amount of relief and raw emotion in her voice when she says, "Thanks for that" speaks volumes Both Sammy's and Yaz's dialogue in the exchange about the nap remind me of that post about different ways to say you love someone

[avani008]

Historical Make Me Choose! 2. Mughal or Maurya, 8. Religion or Art. Talk About: 3, 6, 9, 15

Make me choose between the Mughal and Maurya dynasties:

This is especially grueling, because--well, luck being on my side--I want to someday write origfic historical fantasy based on both of them. So, to start with, I will take the coward's way out and say both, because they're both entertaining in different ways.

The Mughal dynasty is well-documented, which is amazing for finding out hilarious anecdotes (Hamida Banu dissing Humayun! Akbar's cheetah obsession! Jahangir's hilariously honest autobiography) as well as--reading between the lines--some pretty amazing women. The Mauryas, in contrast, are so spottily documented, we can't even be entirely sure that the Buddhist and Greek/Macedonian sources are even talking about the same events/rulers, but assuming it is so--it's a wild ride, starting with a teenager overthrowing the dominant dynasty and his line conquering most of India within two generations. From a writing standpoint, having so much left empty is a gift, leaving so much available for the imagination. And yet, I wish we knew of more ladies from that history, because what little we do get is so fascinating (Durdhara's family connections and bizarre death! Dharma who sounds steely enough to be a second Kunti! Most of Ashoka's wives, who all seem super strong-minded in their own right.)

Make me choose between studying religion and art.

Oh, religion definitely. Not that art isn't great (it is!), but religion involves so much stories, and such insight into the psychology of any given culture. I had a college instructor who argued that religion and the afterlife told you more than anything about the general optimism/worldview of a culture (ie, Mesopatamia which had erratic floods and a harsh worldview had gods who really didn't care about them; whereas ancient Egypt, with regular floods and prosperity, had an afterlife that, assuming you could get in, was one big party.) Plus, religion affects passing references (how many casual Mahabharata and Ramayana references do you see in India media? Or just in conversation?) and swear words (such that an utterance as hilarious as the word "Zounds" could be an actual profanity. Amazing.)

A historical misconception that you hate.

AHHH there are so many--the inherent classism in deciding Shakespeare couldn't actually be a dude from Stratford, but a university-educated nobleman!--but at the moment, one of the most bemusing is the claim that Mughal princesses were forbidden from marrying. I keep on running into this as fact, and...don't actually see that it has any actual basis in fact, at least not during the reigns of the six major emperors. For evidence, I present the following deep dive:

(behind the cut due to length)

Most of the time I see this cited as "Akbar forbade princesses from marrying" so we'll start with him. Certainly Akbar's aunts and sisters were mostly married, so that's not an issue.

Of Akbar's daughters that I can find: Mahi Begum died young, so she doesn't count. Aram Banu Begum seems to have been --well, if we believe her brother Jahangir--kind of A Lot, despite being her father's favorite, so it seems likely marriage either wasn't her thing, or no one was agreeable to marry her. His other two daughters, Shakr-un-nissa and Khanum Sultan, were both recorded as having married, however, with their marriages arranged by Akbar himself.

But, hey, maybe he came to that decision later. So let's look at his granddaughters: Jahangir had plenty of daughters, and I can't find references to the marriages of all of them (or even how long they lived, for that matter)--at least one, Bahar Banu Begum was married to her cousin Tahmaras, and probably others too. Another of Akbar's granddaughters, Jahan Banu Begum (daughter of Murad) was also married to her cousin Parviz.

Of the generation following: let's put aside Shan Jahan's three daughters for now, since none of them married but i would argue they're a special case. Parviz, who I mentioned before, had one daughter Nadira Banu, who married her cousin Dara Shikoh; his brother Khusrau also had a single daughter Hoshmand, who married (you guessed it!) a cousin. The final granddaughter was Arzani begum, also granddaughter of the disgraced Nur Jahan, about whom I can't find a reputable death date, much less whether or not she was married. So--yes, for the most part, these women all ended up married cousins, but it's not strictly accurate to say they couldn't marry period.

A final note on Aurangazeb, who also gets accused of hte "prevented daughters from marrying" stance: yes, his most prominent daughter Zeb-un-nissa never married, but it certainly seems she had proposals aplenty and her father only vetoed the most prominent because he disapproved of the groom's father (who was his brother. the cousin thing, again.) Two of his other daughters did marry, with no objections recorded.

So honestly? It seems marriage wasn't forbidden by any means. And for those women who didn't--well, is it so impossible to believe that these princesses figured that a life in the imperial harem (which isn't the Orientalist boring fantasy most people imagine, but instead a city of women, with libraries! and schools! and markets! hunt! play chess and polo! From the harem, women could watch politics, or engage in trade, or create architecture, or participate in community service. By no means, it was great, but opportunities sucked all-around for anyone who wasn't a cis-male in that time, and this life must have seemed preferable....) with a loving father/brother was much better than being married to some rando. Plus, esp in the case of Shah Jahan's daughter, their mother died in childbirth, quite infamously--to me, it makes perfect psychological sense that they might all be leery of marriage/childbirth.

A historical figure you think is underrated.

Sadly, most figures from Indian history, but picking one at random: Razia Sultan! Not only awesome for being the first female Muslim ruler in Indian history, but also a really really good one--committed to public service, working for civil rights for the poor and those who didn't share her racial/religious/cultural background, and also open-minded/anti-racist enough to, at the very least, make a man of African descent her foremost advisor and friend. (I ship Razia/Yakut, and NOTP her relationship with Altunia pretty strongly, but even otherwise; she clearly respected Yakut as an equal, which says a lot about her. LOVE HER.

A historical myth/legend/rumour/story (flexible)

Oh, forget it, we're going to talk about Razia and Yakut, or at least the rumor they were romantically involved. A few words on Yakut: he was of Abyssinian ancestry, and actually came to her father's court as a slave, but was soon freed and allowed to rise up the ranks (this was very much a socially accepted Thing in the Mamluk court--more on this later--but he definitely had to face significant racism. Sure, there's no actual proof that he and Razia were involved, but--she made him her Master of the Horse (you know who else did? Elizabeth I for Robert Dudley. Just saying.); she never turned from him, even in the face of nasty rumors, and his loyalty to her meant he died in battle defending her throne; and fwiw, she didn't marry another as long as he lived. It's...questionable, too, how voluntary her marriage to Altunia was to me; certainly, being held hostage by the dude doesn't make for a great start. Now, again like Liz I/Robin Dudley, they could just have been BFFs/platonic soulmates, but if so I don't care--their dynamic is just A+ to me and I love it.

A historical headcanon that you have.

Akbar was dyslexic, and this was the reason behind his famous illiteracy.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Hey, I kinda had a thought about that Quirk Swap Au idea you have…

Since A-1 and the Big Three of A-3 are all Soulmates... Does that mean they're going to be a big Atypical Family in the future? If so then familial titles are going to be hecka confusing if kids come around! (even if they don't use them)...

Oh god! The Next Gen from this group is going to be pure chaos!

A kid that Tenya's Quirk with Toga's personality and Midoriya's notetaking tendency! Or Bakago's Quirk with Todoroki's personality and Jiro's love of music! Or Ochako's Quirk with Tsuyu's personality and Kiminari's enthusiasm! So so many chaotic combinations! And that's not even throwing in the possibility for some of these Quirks to blend together to form a new Quirk! I have a feeling that a kid between Shouji and Tokoyami would have a Quirk that would allow them to manipulate shadows that can turn into tendrils, hands, eyes, and ears.

It's all just chaos! And it would be an everyday thing for the family!

Lmao it would be fucking chaos.

Well. The "Big Three" I've decided are their own group but they were previously the most chaotic nonsense before our current idiots. (And side note: I understand why they're referred to as "the big three", but my Percy Jackson ass brain gives me whiplash when I read that title)

Like. In terms of actual romantic relationships for this AU like.

In general? The whole group is Soulmates but that doesn't mean all have to be romantic. But they also kind of are?

It's like.

Overall the Soulmates would pair off into smaller couples or polyships that are explicitly romantic. But because of both the Soulmate Bond and just the general how close they get through shared time and experience, the lines between platonic and romantic get very blurred. Only some groups have the proper "romantic" label but if you ask any one about the others they'd describe it very... Queerplatonic but slightly leading toward romance? Like "yeah I'll flop into their bed at 2 am and we'll kiss sometimes and I'd definitly raise children with them but we're not together-toghether ya know?" Some sets are actually queerplatonic due to being monosexual or in at least one case if I keep the "Dark Shadow is her own person" then obvs she and Tokoyami are strictly platonic because siblings.

But yeah it's just. A really out of whack family dynamic. And any kids that are added in would add to the blurred lines because they're basically community raised.

[bakasara]

Hey, I think you're one of the most objetive people in here, so I wanted to ask you. What do you think of how, well, romantic, the goodbye scene between the brothers was? I think that's one of the more problematic parts of the episode when it comes to the conspiracy theories, the network could have banned Cas, but I don't think they'd push to get both the director and actors to play it that way. But I dunno. What do you think?

That scene was funny to me as I watched it because it got me thinking about all the people who didn’t quite dare believe in a kiss (for obvious reasons) and hoped for hand touching/holding and a forehead touch between Dean and Cas. I’m not entirely sure what I think of it. Nobody would think that was weird between two sisters or if the scene existed in a show that routinely shows men touching affectionately in both platonic and romantic contexts outside of tragic moments. Supernatural has shown Sam and Dean embracing tightly and touching each other’s faces before, mostly in tragic moments, but in this case there was definitely a heightened emphasis on their hands touching over Dean’s heart and their faces inching closer until their foreheads touched. It’s weird, this was probably the wet dream of lots of destiel fans (to see it happen between Dean and Cas) and of a lot of wincest fans, too. If I have to be rational about it, my speculation is that it was most likely done with the intent of making this The Most Dramatic And FinalTM of countless deaths on the show - to up the emotional ante. Then again, the whole episode wasn’t just brotastic; the final product carries a structure that is more common of (tragic) romances: Sam, the man who lost his soulmate, who marries someone else yet never quite stops grieving him, his spouse barely the shadow of what would be his true love; Dean, who dies and should be at peace yet is never complete and has no other goal in life except reuniting with his true love. I don’t think that was necessarily the intent, and I also think that’s a shitty way of showing the love between the two brothers regardless of how (accidentally??) tragically romantic it seems. I’m furious about how much Dean was turned into a distant mirage of his character that only has his face, literally emptied of all desire that is not the outwardly platonic desire for his brother at his side, when codependency is the thing he was supposed to progress out of and when it’s patent that any other desire ran the risk of being too expressly queer. And Sam never had as much structural emphasis placed on his emotional progress as Dean but he got disrespected too imo (not to mention how Eileen was mistreated, etc.). I digress, but TL;DR: yeah that scene’s framing highlighted affectionate touch more than Spn’s usual and in a way that easily recalled romantic gestures, even though they don’t strictly have to be. But enough for me to notice. But then again the whole episode framed Dean and Sam, structurally, in a way that’s a more typical of tragic romances than sibling bonds. My best guess is still that wincest is not what was intended though, even subtextually.

[coffeebeannate]

From This Prompt List

“If a person is destined to have a soulmate in this life, they will find that one of their eyes has changed colour, reflecting the colour of their anticipated soulmate.

For this to occur, the two must be in close proximity to one another (most studies say no less than several miles, but others claim that there have been some variations), and that, upon meeting, the eyes will revert to normal.

In some legendary, and notable cases, the eye colours will remain heterochromatic for the rest of their lives.

Of course, keep in mind that these stories are not always the same, and not every couple has a soulmate status. And that there is nothing less valid about non-soulmate couples.”

“Nicky?”

Nicky looked up, hastily closing the cover over his tablet, “Ah, sorry, can I help you?” 

“The computers broken, again.” His co-worker sounds the most interesting combination of annoyed and sheepish, “Do we have to call tech support?”

“No, no, let me take a look, it’s alright.” Standing up from the desk, “The one we use for catalogue searching?”

“What else?”

He sighs, muttering curses under his breath, “Thing is about as good as a piece of scrap metal, at this point.” Resigning himself to an afternoon tinkering with the world’s most stubborn library resource computer. “It’s alright, go back to work, I’ll let you know if it decides to behave.”

“Thanks, Nicky, call me if you need help.”

“Yeah, yeah no problem” Facing the not-ancient but absolutely useless desktop, “You going to behave, or do we have to fight?”

Predictably, the computer blinks at him, Nicky sighs again and settles before it.

---

It isn’t that Nicky hates his life. Because he doesn’t, and despite what people might think, he’s fairly content. Working full-time as the head librarian might seem like an outdated job, but Nicky’s only 32, and he likes to argue that libraries are a vital part of society. Upgraded as they are, and some facets available entirely online. Besides, he had a degree in the stuff, and plenty of practice.

Andy might’ve had a series of interesting names for his life. His small apartment, three cats, more books and tech than is strictly necessary for a single man to have, and a car that is really a ridiculous thing, but it runs and he loves it and maybe the radio doesn’t work and it has no AC and the heater is also dying, but it’s a good car and he happens to find it charming.

He’s fine.

He’s dated, some one night stands, but nothing sticks.

“Are you reading that book again?” Andy asks, when she catches the soulmates book opened up on his tablet for what is definitely not the 10th, 12th, let’s not talk about it time.

“I think it’s comforting,” Nicky retorts, catching her look of disbelief.

“You know that in most cases, that shit’s a load of crap, yeah? Quynh and I have been married for eight years, no issue. She’s my soulmate, magical eyeballs aside.”

“I know I know..I just think it’s sweet.”

Nicky does not tell her that, for the last six or seven months he’s been glued to the damned thing. Everything feels antsy. He’s not an anxious man at all. His life has never felt empty, nor hollow. And yet, a few months back everything started feeling weird. Like he just couldn’t settle. Bee’s beneath his skin. Ghosting sensations across his scalp. Tingles.

He’d casually mentioned it during his yearly physical, but the doctor determined nothing out of sorts physically, and Nicky had been delaying calling a psychiatrist.

“Maybe you just need a change of scenery.” Andy suggested, stirring too much sugar into her coffee. ‘Maybe your library is finally getting to you.”

Nicky had declined to respond, but filed it away in the back of his mind regardless.

--

The morning that it happens, Nicky is running late, and doesn’t bother to look in a mirror much beyond ‘brushing teeth and running a comb over hair” before heading into work. 

They’re finally upgrading the useless front computer, and he has to let the techs inside. Meaning he’s supposed to be at work an hour before he’d usually be, fiddling with his keys and muttering apologies as he opens the door fifteen minutes after he was supposed to let them in. Offering to buy them coffee for the troubles.

He’s that sort, after all.

He stands in the early morning crowd rush at the cafe yawning and buzzing, body thrumming with tension he can’t pinpoint, nor understand. It’s ridiculous and by the time he stumbles his way through the unfamiliar order, he feels much like he’s about to explode from it all.

The techs are thankful for their coffees, at least, Nicky tries to do some work in his office, and by the time he finally takes a break from his unsatisfactory work, it’s nearly noon.

There, in the libraries Men’s Room, is when he finally notices it.

His left eye isn’t grey, or green, or blue.

(Or whatever true colour his eyes seem to think they are)

It’s dark brown. So dark Nicky can barely see any other colour to it beyond pupil.

He blinks. Splashes water across his face, scrubs his cheeks.

It’s still there.

He takes a selfie with his camera, and stares.

Still there.

It’s still there after work, and the next day, and the Friday when he meets Andy for their usual after work time at the bar, Andy staring at him.

“So it’s not a contact?”

“No, I don’t wear contacts, or glasses! You know that.”

“You think your flowery soulmate shits legit then?”

“What else could it possibly be, Andy?”

Andy studies her beer, for once, she has no answer.

---

It is an extremely boring Wednesday morning when Nicky scrolls through his emails and finds something that bothers him for absolutely no reason at all.

It’s from one of the other departments, and it’s about the national art show being hosted at their oh so esteemed library. Nicky’s library is a popular venue because the building is historic and has a nice receiving room.

That’s not what bothers Nicky. He looks forward to this show. And it’s the first time he’d be in charge of much of it since becoming head librarian some eight months back, but no, it’s the shows headline artist that is prickling at him for yet again, reasons he can’t discern.

Nicky scrolls past the necessary details, but keeps going back to the beginning.

Headline Artist: Mixed Mediums. Classics with a Twist. Yusuf al-Kaysani

Nicky saves the email.

Again, no reason at all.

--

“Do you think it means anything?” He asks Andy and Quynh while four beers in and sitting on their couch.

“Some artist’s name you’ve never even met or heard of?” Quynh snorts, ‘Yep, definitely cracked some universal secret code there Nicky.”

He sighs, “Hand me another..”

Maybe they’re right.

Maybe he’s being ridiculous.

--

“Sorry, are you uh,,Nicky..Genova?”

Yes, okay, that does sound odd. But to his credit! He was named  Nicolò thank you very much. His mother had made some comment about classics, traditions, blah blah.

“Yeah! Sorry just let me-”

He’s at the top of a ladder, fiddling with a birds nest, of all things. The outside of the library (again historic building) attracted plenty of them.

“Take your time, I don’t usually yell at people on ladders, on principle and all.”

The voice is nice.

It’s the dumbest thought Nicky has had in his head in months.

“Good practice, that.” Finally gasping the nest, starting to climb down the ladder, “Okay!” When he’s returned to solid ground.

“So, what can I do for-”

Nicky, quite elegantly, forgets how to think. Or breathe. Or do anything appropriately life sustaining like that.

The man before him, nice voice man, his brain helpfully supplies. is..gorgeous. And see, Nicky has SEEN gorgeous men and is nicely partial to them. But this man is gorgeous, attractive and, most distractingly, has one blue-grey-green who actually knows eye, and one dark brown one.

And! Nicky notices, has completely lost his own ability to speak. The two of them seem to amend this moments later by pointing at each other’s face mostly rudely, stunned and confused.

Nicky seems to find intelligent language first, but only manages to say, “..Are you Yusuf al-Kaysani?”

The equally stunned gorgeous man confirms this, and Nicky is quite sure he either faints, or dies.

(He does neither of these things, thank you very much)

“..It’s nice to meet you, Nicky.” Yusuf says, finding actual intelligence far before Nicky does. Nicky just swallows.

--

Their eyes never reverse to their birth states.

Not at the first date.

Not at the proposal.

Nor the engagement party.

Or the wedding.

--

10 years later, Andy remarks that ‘the most romantic bastard she knows’ would indeed, find an even MORE romantic sap, and that they’d have the perfect book romance.

--

Joe’s cleaning out the closet one evening when he finds a well-worn paper back version of the novel that Nicky had read endlessly on his tablet all those years ago.

“Hey babe, you never told me you had a paper copy of this.”

“Hmm?” Nicky pokes his head out of the bathroom, “I do? Oh, yeah, it’s a bit worn out.”

Joe flips open the cover of it, peering down into the slightly musty paper, reading aloud and finding his way to join Nicky at the vanity.

~~

“Before reading this book, we must advise and remind that soulmates in this manner are rare, and that there is little scientific study to show a truth. Please do not fret if you never fall into this concept.”

Nicky hums, accepting the arm to his waist, the familiar kiss to his cheek, ghosting along the side of his lips.

“Go on,” Nicky says, casually.

“You know this story, my heart.” Joe chuckles, but continues.

“This rare phenomenon has been observed throughout history..”

[norgestan]

crisana, norandro, jorgeva and amira x dani

ha, anon just wanted all the canon couples. fair enough!

CRISANA:

see, skam s3 is my favorite season of all time, but it has never been because of the love story. isak's story hits in a lot of sensitive places for me, and isak was also the first main character i encountered that was my age. i have a really special connection to him for that reason. on the other hand... i enjoy evak for what it is, but i never saw a future for their relationship after the season ended. in a lot of ways, isak's season ended just as their relationship started, a trope that i've never liked because how am i supposed to think that they will last? how am i supposed to know how they will work as a couple? it's just, ugh.

i had similar thoughts about crisana when i watched s2, except that the love confession scene and cris as a character made it even harder to get into the couple. moreover, the way people brush other characters' roles and presence on other seasons because they're so caught up on cris and joana is like... blegh. like it makes me forget that they're actually a well-written couple at times. because imo, og they never did anything really interesting with evak once they got together. but eskam........ oh, dear eskam.

there's something so beautiful about thinking of all the girls, the teenagers that will grow up watching a relationship like theirs on popular media. their entire subplot (??? can i even call it that) in s4 is proof of how GREAT of a relationship they turned out to be. like, i just wanna SCREAM thinking about it because, how is it possible that eskam saw evak and said "we're gonna make this SO good and we'll take our time and then tie it up in an incredibly satisfying and emotional way" and then did exactly that!!!!!! the way they respect each other, communicate, genuinely try to get to each other without dumb miscommunication. the way they understand each other and lift each other up! the way joana knew how to recognize cris' intelligence when everyone was telling her she's dumb, the way cris knows how to make joana feel worth it and show her affection in such a selfless, loving way. their last scene on joana's pov in s4 was the first time i cried during that season, just because it was all wrapped up so beautifully. because eskam understood that although the appeal of their relationship comes from the soulmate status of every evak couple, they had to also put in serious work to make it all work and they also managed to get that across with grounded drama, and also a hopeful message for people struggling with mental disorders. like AAAAAAAAAAAAA god what a great couple they are. maybe i'm too much of an eskam bootlicker but they're genuinely the best evak there is. i'll die on this hill. i'm so happy young wlw get to watch them as a guideline of what they should expect of a relationship.

NORANDRO: already done :)

JORGEVA:

i mean... it's eskam's fault, without a doubt. i love what eskam did with them in s1: the change of pacing, the way they created jorge, the little story changes to make it more nuanced, i think come together in a pretty satisfying way to show a teenage romance with no real support to last for more than a while. i don’t think eskam fully got the gist of what jonas was supposed to be, but it’s for the better if we think of the message in season 1. for that reason, jorge is like the one jonas who i really wouldn’t mind coming back to his eva. so why don’t i like them?

the answer is simply that i don’t enjoy their trope and i don’t think eskam made a real case of eva and jorge getting back together. they work well as friends, sure, and it’s clear as day that jorge still has feelings for eva, sure. but like, what tells me that they’re just ready to go all in again? eva goes through a really great arc and i would definitely agree she’s in a good place to be in a relationship again, but we know NOTHING about jorge’s journey. he’s just, silently pining on eva and that’s it. i do think it’s sweet and the hints of their lost romance throughout the show are wholesome, but there’s just nothing more to it. jorge and eva work AMAZINGLY as friends! i don’t see why they should push a romantic endgame for them. in my head, eva kissing jorge at that party was just a mesh of the excitement of a new era, the nostalgia of ending highschool, the high of being on this place with someone she really cares about, stuff like that, but it just ends there, and it’s great that way. nothing about eva’s character really led to her aching to be in a relationship again, and for me it feels right to end things with her being single and surrounded by great friends.

MAYBE if eskam had devoted some time showing us their progress and romantic potential instead of trying to convince us that kasim was a real, compelling character. maybe. lol.

DAMIRA:

(god, i don’t know how long this will be LOL)

i have. so many thought about this fucking pairing. let’s see what we can do LOL. the thing about damira is that i don’t think it’s a pairing that eskam had in mind when they laid out the first two seasons. the little hints of a friendship/childhood crush that happened during cris’ season really got the fandom and they quickly became the most popular non-canon ship in the show, so that’s where i think eskam said “okay, let’s run with this”. but it’s just...... meh. like i can tell that relationships like crisana were carefully crafted (well implemented in nora’s season, greatly wrapped up in amira’s season) but i cannot say the same for dani and amira. it’s almost like virihugo, where they just started giving each other Eyes on the middle of season 3, out of NOWHERE. it just feels forced to me and so i never really felt anything for the couple in question... like, for starters, i think nora and miquel were WAY more shippable than those two, strictly talking about their setup.

if you ever saw any of my posts during s4 then you should know how i actually feel about how they developed their romance (check my anti damira tag for more?) and i don’t wanna go through all those specific points again... but damira is not only an infuriating romance, but also a bad pairing in a narrative setting. like, damira clearly exists to answer amira’s questions about how would the future of a romance with a white guy would be, right? does she get an answer? no she fucking doesn’t, their final clip is like “after all these weeks, we still have no idea so we’re gonna cut things short, go back to our initial dynamic, and wait to see if amira any of us change our minds <3″. so like, even in that sense damira is a HUGE waste of time, and just like everything that happens to amira during her season it has no lasting impacts on her character or her settings.

and personally, i love couples where they’re both equal, and communicate at last, and both make great efforts to change so the relationship can flourish. this is why i offer so much praise to norandro and crisana, where in the first couple both character go through tremendous character growth and work through their problems individually before getting together, and in the second couple they show them clashing and fighting just to display their resolutions and show how willing they are to actually talk to each other and keep their relationship stable. dani and amira, on the other hand.... blegh. eskam wants me to think dani is a knight in shining armor for liking amira but that’s all he ever does. he doesn’t defend her in front of his friends, he doesn’t make efforts to get to know her and her world, he doesn’t communicate his real feelings to her, and the one time he did he humiliated her in public. like, idk, like, even MIQUEL explicitly defended nora when his roommates berated her for not drinking alcohol LOL.

at the end of the day the problem with damira is that it completely misses the point of yousana and its target audience. making yousef a white guy is not necessarily a bad choice if you implement it well (which eskam didn’t do btw), but you have to take into account that sana’s season exists to make a primarily white christian-raised audience relate and stand up for the muslim characters in the show. when the lazier partner of the main couple who makes zero efforts to work on the relationship happens to be white, it just means people will be sympathetic of him, and nor amira - and that’s exactly what happened in the show. people either thought amira was being too harsh by laying conditions for dani before they even began dating and making sure he respected her boundaries, or just wanted all the drama to go away soon so amira could kiss dani by the end of the season. so like, yeah. terrible stuff.

i would’ve liked damira’s impact on the season and amira’s journey a lot more if it had been about a one sided childhood crush from amira’s part. i thought their friendship was charming up to s3, and i simply hate that dani is literally in no way an older brother figure for the girl squad, since it’s a dynamic that’s lacking in the show and it would be a nice way to make dani be some sort of non-creepy eskild for the girl squad (but noooo, his only interactions w the gs are hooking up with eva and dating amira. smh). it would’ve been fun to have amira intimately dealing with those feelings just to learn a lesson by the end of it, at the time that she also falls for her muslim love interest - which is actually the isak/jonas/even dynamic when you think about it, also something that eskam didn’t really do with cris’ season. but also, all of this would mean that eskam had to do the good writing thing for s4, which they kinda forgot to do throughout the entirety of the season so, yeah.

[nikibogwater]

Bogwater’s Guide to Writing Platonic Relationships

Have a seat, dears, pour yourself a mug of cocoa, and let’s talk about writing for a bit. Specifically, writing emotionally intense, compelling relationships that are completely devoid of any romantic tension.

“Niki, those don’t exist! The only relationships that are truly intense and compelling are the romantic ones! Everybody knows that!”

*gently bonks you on the head with my magic scepter* NO. This is a common misconception that is perpetuated by media and especially fandom culture. And it stems from this bizarre idea that emotional intimacy must always equate with romantic intimacy. I have no idea where this idea got its start, but if you ask literally anybody who has experienced real, genuine friendship in their life, they will tell you it’s absolute nonsense. Just because you’re not doing the kissy-kiss with someone, that doesn’t mean you’re not emotionally intimate with them.

“But I don’t want any emotional intimacy without the kissy-kiss! It’s boring!” 

Yeah, so, there’s a reason platonic relationships in modern media often feel less interesting than romantic ones, and it’s precisely because of what I said above. Media producers and many fic authors are skittish about showing platonic love with the same level of depth and emotional intensity as romantic, so it often ends up being somewhat watered down and simplified, to the point that it becomes a less interesting relationship. The only thing this does is perpetuate the idea that any and all emotional intimacy immediately implies romantic attraction (it does not) while also devaluing the very real importance of genuine friendship/familial bonds. 

“Okay, but what if I just like romance better?”

That’s your personal preference, and that’s okay! Everybody has their favorite genres and tropes that resonate with them more than others. My personal favorite is Family, Found or otherwise (with a healthy dose of Hurt/Comfort on the side), but I can totally understand if romance speaks to you more. HOWEVER. This does not excuse writers and other content producers from low-key asserting that romantic relationships are objectively “better” than platonic ones. Hard fact of life: Nobody needs to experience romance, and even those who do experience it do so in different ways. But everybody does need to have emotional connections with other people through the bonds of friendship and family. Believe it or not, romantic love is not a universal experience. Platonic though? Everybody knows that one, and everybody needs it to be happy. To devalue it as a whole is to impose a toxic mindset that forces people to experience relationships in a very narrow and restrictive way.

Okay--*steps off my soap box and kicks it to the side*--now that we’ve established that friendship is important and should be given the same value that society gives to romance, let’s talk about a few ways to write intense and compelling platonic relationships!

Emotional Intimacy:

I’ve talked about this a lot already, but just in case some of you are confused, emotional intimacy is just when two people have a very deep familiarity and understanding of each other. They understand how the other’s mind works, and feel comfortable opening up to each other about their own stuff. Obviously, this is very important for any relationship, platonic or romantic, but writers will often limit such familiarity between characters to the romantic relationships. The first step to writing an interesting friendship is to not do that. Show that your platonic soulmates understand each other and are vulnerable with each other. Here are some easy ways to do that:

Character A knows all of Character B’s personal preferences--likes and dislikes, including small things like food, flowers, music, etc. 

A can finish B’s sentences for them. 

A is willing to talk about their feelings when B asks if they’re okay.

A and B trust each other and know the other always has their back

A and B will occasionally reference events in their shared history and even have inside jokes

A will seek B out for comfort when they are upset.

A and B almost never miscommunicate--they know what the other means when they say something, and will immediately notice if the other is acting strange.

A and B can communicate with each other silently, via subtle looks, eye movements, or gestures.

Selflessness:

To quote a grossly over-marketed Disney franchise, “Love is putting someone else’s needs before yours.” This is the simplest and also most accurate definition of love I’ve come across, and it is universal to all kinds of relationships. So in order to make your platonic relationship compelling, you need to show that the characters are willing to make sacrifices for each other--even big ones. Make sure this is a mutual exchange between both characters, because otherwise you risk making the relationship look a bit toxic. Here are a few of my favorite examples of selflessness between friends/family:

Character A willingly puts themselves in harm’s way in order to protect Character B.

A is always ready to drop what they’re doing and come to B’s assistance. 

A and B regularly do small favors for each other without being asked. 

A is always mindful of B’s needs and makes sure they’re taken care of.

A and B always do their best not to hurt each other, either physically or emotionally. 

A is openly very worried whenever B is in danger and stops at nothing to help them.

Affection:

This is the part where most writers balk when writing platonic relationships. “They can’t touch each other!!! That’s sexy and weird!!!” No, it’s not. This idea that any and all signs of affection are exclusive to romantic relationships is toxic, and we need to wipe it from existence. Obviously there are different levels of physical intimacy, and some absolutely are exclusive to romantic relationships. Here’s a list of No-Gos if you want to keep a relationship completely platonic:

Kissing on the lips/mouth/neck.

Gazing deeply and silently into each other’s eyes for long periods of time for no other reason than to simply Gaze.

Doing the Do or otherwise touching each other in an explicitly sexual way (I feel like this one should be pretty obvious. Also wth guys, that stuff is grooooosssssssss 🤢)

Honestly those are the only ones that I can think of that are always exclusively romantic. Everything else requires pre-established context in order to be taken as such. So here’s a list of affectionate gestures that are totally safe for established platonic relationships!

Little forehead/cheek kisses.

Hugs--yes, even prolonged ones. Sometimes friends/family just want to hold each other for a while, and not in a sexy way. 

Holding hands.

Leaning on each other.

Playing with each other’s hair or gently petting it in order to offer comfort.

Sleeping next to each other when circumstances require it (and neither of them makes any fuss over it)

Saying “I love you.” STOP MAKING THIS AN EXCLUSIVELY ROMANTIC THING, PLEASE, FOR THE SAKE OF ALL THAT IS PURE IN THIS WORLD!

Touching foreheads (my personal favorite of the lot!)

Maintaining prolonged eye-contact during moments of sincerity and communication, especially if Character A is trying to tell B something important.

Sweet little smiles, or other such soft looks of fondness

And many other gestures that I don’t have time to go over in this list.

Tip the First: When writing platonic affection, be sure to bear in mind your characters’ personalities and physical differences. For example, if Character A is significantly bigger and heavier than Character B, they probably wouldn’t be tackle-hugging B, because that would risk seriously injuring B. Different personalities also have different levels of comfort when it comes to physical affection. If you’re writing fanfic, it helps to revisit the source material and observe how the two characters interact with each other. And remember: just because two characters aren’t physically affectionate with each other, it does NOT mean they don’t have a deep and meaningful friendship. Also bear in mind that many people have different dynamics with different friends simply due to the way their personalities fit together. Not all of my friendships look the same, and it’s not because of insincerity on my part--I just have different interactions with different people.

Tip the Second: If you want the gestures of affection to really pack a punch, use them sparingly. Save your long, warm embraces for when the two characters finally reunite after a long separation. Have Character A take B’s hand only when they can sense that B is frightened and in need of reassurance. A “First Platonic Hug” scene can be just as sweet and feelsy as a “First Kiss” scene if you do it right! Also, don’t be afraid to talk at length about how a gesture of affection makes a character feel. Describe the warm fuzzies that bubble up in their chest when their friend/family member gives them a hug, wax poetic about how grateful they are to have said friend/family member in their life. Taking time to explore and dwell on a certain feeling should never be strictly reserved for the ones associated with romance. 

And when in doubt:

Observe the professionals. Here are some fantastic platonic relationships from various pieces of media that I take tons of inspiration from:

Frodo and Sam from Lord of the Rings (especially in the books)

Jim and Toby from Dreamworks’ Tales of Arcadia series

Din and Cara from Star Wars: The Mandalorian

Lilo and Nani from Disney’s Lilo and Stitch

So in conclusion:

Listen, I get it. Romance is exciting and cute and sexy and very important in its own right, and society likes to beat us over the head with it these days. But I cannot impress on you enough just how vital platonic relationships are to living a good and fulfilling life. I am who I am today because of the family and friends who have helped me grow. Please don’t disregard it, whether in your writing or in your own life. Cherish friendship. Acknowledge the depth of your platonic feelings for someone. And writers, please don’t be afraid to express those feelings in your work. If we let friendship and family die, I can assure you, any potential for healthy romantic relationships will quickly follow suit. 

[annzybwrites]

For the ask game!

Do you stick to canon when writing the characters? If we're talking about Moomin, which one do you prefer going with when writing your fics? (this includes the world and things like characterizations)

Thank you for asking!! I'm putting this under a read more because it got a little too long, haha XD

OKAY, so if we're talking strictly Moomins, then this is a great time for the "Is Snufmin canon?" question. Because, like, technically Snufmin is not romantically canon, which immediately puts all of my Moomin fanfictions on the "not canon" side of the line. However, I genuinely do feel like the subtext, the constant mentions of "pining" in the books, and the history of Tove's life in general is enough to qualify Snufmin as canon. So in that case, yes, I do try to stick to canon when writing the characters. And so far, people seem to like my characterizations for them, so I must be doing something right!

I love fantasy the most, and Moominvalley has such great lore and creativity behind it! Plus, since there's so much "canon" material to choose from this gives me a LOT of leeway when writing them which I really love <3

Fanfiction in general for me has pretty consistently been my way to write romance for the ships I love, and I'd say at least half the time these ships aren't canon. Usually, I'll see a character dynamic I really like (either a dynamic that was presented in the piece of media itself, or a dynamic I've seen in other fanfictions/fanart for), and I'll start to get ideas for it.

And, honestly, I almost always write AUs, which I believe would immediately make my works not canon. But I really like AUs, because it allows me to tweak characters' personalities a bit to fit the new world while still keeping their core traits. I.e. if I put fantasy characters into a high school, then their basic personality and internal motivations, so to speak, would stay the same, but relate to high school drama/hijinks. And just the opposite if I give characters magic they didn't have before; their personalities would stay the same, but now I get to imagine how they'd react to getting new powers, or having grown up with these powers in the first place. (Speaking about Moomins again, you can see my love for AUs in my longer fics via the soulmate AU and the mermaid AU [which I know you've read both of so XD]).

If we're talking about sticking to canon in regards to the worlds the characters are in, that kind of just depends on the fic I'm writing. If I'm going to be writing a high school or college fic for a show that doesn't have that setting, then the fic will definitely not be sticking to canon. For Moomins, I really love Moominvalley so I'll try to stick to that setting, but since it is a fantastical land I have no qualms about adding in other areas they can visit (like the nearby library I put in Red Strings).

That being said, I do like to imagine the Moomin characters in different worlds, too. I have idly been thinking of a "City Moomins" AU which is, as it sounds, the Moomin characters but in a huge city and how they'd respond to such an environment.

So, long story short, canon doesn't really matter to me. I write what I write while keeping the characters as in character as possible depending on the setting! Especially for my longer fics I tend to deviate from canon. For my one-shots, those can be fairly canon adjacent!

Hope that answers the question? I feel like I went a bit off the rails, but there you go <3