#i love media that prioritizes platonic relationships!!! and i love them!!!!!!

[fridayyy-13th]

oh don't mind me, just crying about malevolent even though i'm nowhere near caught up

just...before john found his name, when he and arthur were still constantly butting heads and not getting along, arthur still took to calling him "friend..." he still called him friend are you hearing me right now!!! aaaaagh!!!!

[fiamat12]

Ring Anon here to try to answer this question:

“Do we think it's a promise ring or engagement ring? And who bought it: Nic or Luke?”

The short answer is, I don’t think we have enough info to know this for sure but I am going to take a guess:

First of all, I think there is a small chance that it doesn’t represent a traditional romantic relationship. I think it could possibly be a momento to represent their unique friendship/relationship as well as Nic’s experience and accomplishment filming season 3, which Luke is an integral part of. In this case I think she would have bought it herself to commemorate the experience and her success. Nic is nostalgic and enjoys symbolism and likes to have physical reminders of important experiences and people in her life (photos, for example.) The Claddagh ring represents “Love, loyalty and friendship” and it I think it does represent all of those things between the two of them, but we don’t know for sure what type of love that is. I don’t think it’s familial (the have NEVER referred to themselves as having a bro/sis type of relationship), and it’s hard to say its platonic because I think there are clear signs of romantic and sexual attraction in their body language, but I don’t know if they define it as romantic or have made the choice to move forward with an irl relationship outside of their professional romance and personal friendship. If they haven’t decided to move forward in that way, I think it’s for one of these reasons:

A) They’ve decided not to pursue a personal romantic relationship while they are working together/playing opposite each other

B) They don’t feel that they are compatible outside of the context of Bton/set/work

C) One or both of them, most likely Nic, doesn’t want to have a traditional dating relationship because she doesn’t trust it due to past experiences, or she has a different paradigm on romantic relationships. She has said herself she is cynical about love and also she seems to prioritize all of her friendships and relationships as opposed to centering her life around one romantic partner. If this is the case it could create a conflict with L’s approach to relationships as he seems to be someone who likes being in a monogamous partnership.

Okay, with that disclaimer out of the way, I think there are signs that they could presently be moving forward in a romantic partnership, and the presence of the ring, the timing of when it was ordered and when she got it, how/when she wears it, and it’s orientation is one of the biggest ones. The Claddagh ring IS a relationship ring. That’s its whole purpose. Claddagh rings are also an old school way to broadcast your availability/relationship status, even before the advent of social media. She’s wearing it in the “in a relationship/not available” position, and she has been since she got it in Galway. She wears it out publicly, it’s front and center on that new Polaroid, she wore it in the festival pics with JD, and she wears it straight out of the shower when she’s doing her skincare. It’s the first thing back on after a photo shoot. She wears it like it has personal significance to her, like one would wear a wedding or engagement ring. She wears it in sponsored posts and makes sure we see it. She knows the fandom speculates about it and STILL makes sure we see it. In my opinion the ring, and who/what it represents, is very significant to her and close to her heart.

I’ve seen the speculation that the rings on the hands are like L’s, and I think that’s very interesting. He doesn’t wear those rings consistently anymore, but if they are supposed to be his hands and he’s LITERALLY HOLDING HER HEART I’m melting into a puddle on the spot.

If I had to guess, I don’t think they were engaged when she got the ring. I think Nic needed more time to feel ready for that step, and I think Luke needed some time to handle business/wrap up loose ends. I feel like it would be weird for them to be engaged but separated much of the summer and him off with A on vacation, etc. I also feel like if they were engaged she would be wearing it on her left ring finger, unless they are secretly engaged and want to keep it under wraps. But it is an engagement ring, according to how it was marketed. And the nature of the type of ring it is offers some fluidity in that it can change what it represents as the relationship grows and changes, which I think is actually very beautiful and appropriate for a friends-to-lovers story. And I think if they are in a romantic relationship, I do think it is serious and headed towards engagement if not already there. I think they mean too much to each other to date causally or risk their friendship for anything but endgame.

So, I think it could be a promise ring, and a symbol that they are going to explore and pursue the feelings between them. If it is, he may have bought it for her. He does have a history of being a gift-giver of nostalgic/symbolic gifts (camera). The timing of him meeting her family at the same time she got it is also interesting (was someone asked for permission/blessings?)

The “waiting for you” lyrics and the fact that she kept flashing it on SM when he was going through what may have been a disentangling this summer I think might have been some reassurance for him that she is waiting for him and not going anywhere. I feel like they may have taken a break before after filming season 3 and it went wrong: maybe she got spooked and ran away or something like that, leading to him to go off the rails/HBS/date A. And then maybe they talked it out and made a plan while on tour, but he’s nervous that she’s going to do that again. So maybe he put a ring on it to show he’s serious and she’s sending him (and us) little messages that she’s still on board by wearing it and showing it off.

Okay, a couple more things… in the comments or my last anon post there was a link to a post speculating that N may have bought L the bracelet he mentioned in the interview that said something about friendship being the best foundation for love. I think that would be very interesting because it would be a bold statement from her suggesting that their friendship had turned into irl love, or that she was open to trying again, earlier on in the tour than most of our timelines suggest. It’s possible it was from a fan because I think that line was in the trailer, right? But it would be a very thoughtful and personal and generous gift if it was from a fan. And if it was from her, and she gave him personal jewelry that represented love and friendship, I think it could make sense that he reciprocated with a ring that holds a similar meaning. A very significant, gorgeous, expensive, but no-pressure-we’ll-go-there-when-you’re-ready ring.

Thank you for your thoughts! I appreciate you looking at all sides - because we truly never know ;-) I do, however, think that the couple - yes, I said it, the *couple* - are speaking rather loudly at this point. Imo, Nic has left us w/ little doubt in her recent posts and Luke, in his Spain post (he tried! Lol) that they are together 👫

Quite simply, and w/out rehashing their entire timeline, their relationship was not a thunderbolt from sky (to take a line from Colin). Once S3 filming started, I believe art imitated life; if you want to take a hint from Luke, maybe even as far back as the pic to which he took "the great unliking"... S2 pic of June 2021.

But this is about THE RING, and I do believe it signifies something serious between them. There are the Italy engagement truthers I can get on board with (or at least consider) because I do believe they're deeply in love and realized it as soon as they reunited for the WT. I also think that they've hidden it for privacy (not unlike most celebs) & to protect their reputations (also not unlike most celebs. I've discussed the HBS/ homewrecker issues in other posts)

As for A, I think that was done long ago (Feb/March) and was never serious to begin with... and that the only disentangling that Nic was waiting for was on a public perception level; Luke needed to clear things up image wise to where he & Nic could launch on a positive note. I think Nic was telling us that, like Charli XCX and her fiancé (drummer of Luke's fave band), they've been secretly together for a minute...

I can't wait to see if that ring goes on another finger soon, or if it will be announced that it already signifies a certain commitment? Since again, I believe what has been portrayed publicly is very different than what's being going on bts.

Only time will tell, but I'm confident good things are ahead for Lukola fans! 🙏

[assiraphales]

It's honestly so funny that oda, the toei writers/animators, and the opla writers are all zolu shippers. They're like "no canon crew ships 🙅‍♀️ but heres luffy and zoro in love - just for fun"

zoro and luffy goes crazy bc while oda says there’s no romance between crew mates (which I support 100% tbh bc there’s some media where I don’t think fanon and canon should mix especially in something like one piece where romance in general is not prioritized/does not drive the story), it’s very clear that zoro and luffy are THE duo. every relationship in the series is important in different ways but I truly think zoro and luffy are the closest to soulmates that one piece has to offer, and opla the anime and the manga all support how critical / a driving force that their canonical love (platonic) for each other is. even dudebros say if, god forbid, the strawhats ever disbanded at the very least zoro would stay by luffy’s side. very til death do they part tbh and I love that for them

[camplease]

i really love how cam and pal represent how platonic love is not a lesser form of love, and how it can encompass love in all of its complexity, in all of the beautiful and powerful and healing ways, and in all of the obsessive and self-destructive and co-dependent ways that love can exist. they dedicated their entire lives and whatever exists beyond life to each other. and their love is in no way diminished in comparison to other relationships portrayed in the series just because it’s platonic

there are so few representations of this in media. in fact, if any others of this magnitude exist, i am personally unaware of them. and, also significantly, there’s so little cultural awareness and acceptance of this, both from the perspective of social norms, and right down to legislature

this is so important when romantic and sexual relationships are centered in nearly every modern society and expected to be prioritized. many people do not even realize it’s an option even if it’s something that might work better or equally well for them. but even for those who know and actively want a platonic loved one be able to access the same aspects of their life and legacy, there are tangible, practical barriers

of course there are other limitations on this even for romantic/sexual couples based on any number of axes of marginalization that the people in those relationships exist within, and i would never downplay that, especially considering that i exist on several of those axes myself. but it's still important to acknowledge that even in the most progressive communities, people tend to understand and try to accommodate sexual and romantic partnerships by default before it even occurs to them to consider platonic ones, regardless of how much value the people in the relationship actually place on it

there are so many conversations about how representation matters, as there should be, and this is a rare incarnation of this particular type of love being represented this way. and not only that, but it being so central to the narrative and to the overarching themes of the series!

the idea that “the perfect love” can be a friendship - i cannot overstate how reading it, how witnessing the weight and the depth of their love, was profound

[biblically-accurate-soup]

i think the reason i love mitsumi and shimas relationship so much is that the manga has made it clear that they matter to each other no matter if their dynamic is romantic or not. like obviously i am expecting (and rooting) for them to get together, but i’ve never seen a piece of media actually put a platonic relationship on such a high level, even prioritizing it over a potential romantic one

[piracytheorist]

Anyway so if you ship Dami/anya and are sensitive about it you might wanna skip this post.

Now I don't know who this will help, it will certainly help me, but it may, idk, speak to some people who share my opinion and are tired of all the constant shipping. Maybe it's only me. Idk. My blog my rules. Block me if you will and I don't mean that ironically.

So yeah look people will ship what they wanna ship and that's okay. I'm just saying that sometimes when you're an outsider (aka aroace who didn't ship her first ship until she was 21 years old) you can see... some patterns.

And shipping this ship screams of amatonormativity and compulsory heterosexuality to me. Like when some people see two toddlers, a boy and a girl, playing together and they immediately go like "aw they're boyfriend and girlfriend!" which like. 99,9% of those people have pure intentions and thoughts about it but still. The fact that you see two toddlers interact and your immediate thought is to connect their interactions to something sexually active adults do, just because said toddlers are of the opposite gender, is exactly what amatonormativity is about.

Amatonormativity is about how the only way for someone to prosper and be happy is with a romantic partner. Other relationships they may have don't matter, their personal success and growth don't matter; if they don't have a romantic partner then they're "sad" and "unfulfilled". And growing up with this makes us cling onto the tiniest possibility of where romantic relationships can happen, and yes, leads us to see two toddlers of opposite genders and say "They're a couple!" Yes it's a joke. Yes it has good intentions. But the toddlers themselves don't follow your rules. They have no concept of romance. They just see a human their age, who is as willing and energetic for play as they are, and they cling to them because they've found a person who "communicates" in the same way. Amatonormativity is when you take that, a connection between two people and, no matter the context, you interpret it as romantic (or potentially romantic). Because god forbid anyone is happy with only platonic partners, right.

Similarly with compulsory heterosexuality, where heterosexuality is considered the norm and natural instinct of humans. It leads us to prioritizing hetero romance above all else. It leads us to seeing two characters of the opposite gender and focus only on how a romantic relationship between them can work, and only that. Nothing else.

As I said, I'm aroace, and even though I didn't realize that until less than ten years ago, I was always confused, always, since my pre-teen years even, about why there was so much romance in media, and when I entered fandom spaces I was very overwhelmed with how much people did the shipping stuff. I still don't connect with it very much but at least now I'm used to it and expect it.

So yeah. I don't think there's anything creepy or wrong with shipping this ship. But the way so many people lean to doing that says something about how our society conditions us to only have one way of thinking, the "right" way of thinking.

But Nette!, I hear you say. What about shipping twiyor? Doesn't that fall under the same circumstances? They clearly establish their relationship as one without romantic interests involved, yet look at the swarms of people shipping them!

And to that I say yes, it does. Again, I'm aroace and didn't actually ship my first ship until I was 21. You have no idea how much obsession with romance I see around me and go like that vine of "Can I please get a waffle?"

But I am a blogger that focuses a lot on narrative, and I love understanding what the author wants to tell me. I like it so much that I'll consume a bigoted piece of media just to understand how the author's bigotry works. That's how much I like understanding Author's Intent and use of narrative.

I'm not saying what I do is right, or the "best" option. It's just how I work, and that this, along with being aroace, gives me a wholly different and "outsider" perspective.

And Twiyor growing romantic feelings for each other? It can provide something to the narrative. From the very beginning they were already in a phase of working together as platonic roommates, because of how kind Yor is and how adaptable Twilight is. They reached the "mutual respect" point almost immediately. But Yor is also socially inexperienced and Twilight is also emotionally constipated. Having them grow romantic feelings for each other can provide something on par with Spy x Family: humor! Because none of them know what it feels like to be in love, and those feelings can develop while they're under layers of denial, for different reasons for each character. With Yor feeling insecure and Twilight having zero self-consciousness, it can actually make for some humor where the audience will know and the characters will not. And that can be fun! And eventually, when they do recognize their feelings, it can be a step of them knowing themselves better. All that can add layers to the romance and not do it just for the sake of romance.

That is, they don't have to become a couple to make their characters complete by the end of the story. Though it would be interesting to see how they handle the identity reveals if they come after they've developed romantic feelings, how Yor will handle physical intimacy within a romantic setting, seeing how her instinctual move upon physical proximity is to beat the other person into another dimension, and how Twilight will handle a romantic relationship that he for the first time is emotionally invested in after having faked such relationships for his missions.

Now, for the other ship (that I don't mention by name simply because I don't want this post ending up in search results and their shippers being exposed to something they most likely won't like), they're both too young to even comprehend the concept of romance - Damian has a school crush. That's all. I had one too in his age. Didn't develop into anything deeper than wanting to spend more time with the classmate in question. It cannot develop into anything deeper because six-year-old brains are naturally incapable of that. Most of what creates romantic feelings are hormones, in other words, your hormones liking another person's hormones. And six-year-olds do not produce such hormones, nor have developed receptors to analyze such hormones around them, so romance is simply naturally impossible for them. Not even mentioning sexual activity here.

So we're not talking about actual romance here. We're just talking about a 6yo boy developing fond feelings for a fellow 6yo girl. Feelings which he fights because said girl defied him and he's not used to being defied. Neglected and ignored, yes, but not defied, especially from someone whom he considers less important than him.

And while that gives him character, he's still part of the narrative. And the narrative doesn't focus on him! He's just a recurring character. The narrative focuses on Anya, and by putting her against a character who is fighting his feelings for her and ends up bullying her harder for that is not for romance; it's to provide conflict.

Stories where the characters achieve their goals easily without any obstacles are not interesting. We want our characters to face difficulties because those can help the characters grow and develop, express their feelings, prove how resourceful and adaptable they are, etc etc. It's what the matter of conflict in stories is about. Damian liking Anya creates conflict for him, and him existing in the story as he does creates conflict for her. He's literally there to make Anya grow as a character, not as a source of support, but as a source of conflict.

Let me elaborate on that: Anya has to approach Damian for the sake of the mission. In multiple cases she's shown a refusal to do so because he's mean to her and she'd rather spend time with someone who treats her well, aka Becky. Ironically, Damian growing feelings for her makes it harder for her to approach him, because he's ashamed that he has a crush on a girl of a lower class, and even more so a girl who punched and defied him. And because of that, he ends up treating Anya worse than he would be if he didn't have a crush on her. If he didn't have those feelings he would just be a decorative brat that would either ignore Anya completely or consider her pathetic for how hard she would try to approach him. Not a very interesting plot line, nor an interesting character. The "romance" there is what makes Damian layered, more relevant and interesting for the story.

As for Anya, as I said, this "romance" gives her external conflict and nothing more. She doesn't like Damian and would rather not approach him, but feels she has to to complete her "mission". And as of where the anime stands, any of her attempts towards that have led to her being insulted by Damian but progressing the mission even slightly. Her punching Damian gave Twilight a conversation starter with Donovan, and her challenging Damian to go meet his father resulted in Twilight meeting with him as well. She just had to operate under difficult circumstances because of Damian's treatment of her, but it's that that makes for an interesting story.

And so it can be very telling when people ignore all that narrative importance and focus on "But romance tho!"

Not saying it's bad or wrong. Just influenced by amatonormativity, as I said above. No-one to blame in this but the patriarchy. In this blog we fight the patriarchy by not shipping a ship the author doesn't want us to ship. W for liberation.

Yeah jokes aside I do find it an interesting way fandom works. I mean it's still a result of a toxic and harmful mentality that conservatism and patriarchy inflict upon us, but it's telling how it can influence even the way we enjoy fictional stories and what we prioritize on them when doing so, often even ignoring what the author wants to tell us.

[asbestos-11]

Hi, I'm the same anon...... Since you liked my other message, I've come back with more Aromantic Ratio/ Aventio hcs or scenarios :

1. He sometimes reads/watches romantic media. At first, it was to understand what made romantic relationships so appealing but then quickly spiraled into critiquing the hell out of it. The misunderstanding and airport confession tropes are his least favorite to witness. Aventurine joins in eventually, laughing at how flabbergasted Ratio gets at characters' actions.

2. I actually like to think he gives good relationship advice because of the fact that he prioritizes truth. And he thinks misunderstandings are even worse to see irl. So when people are brave enough to ask him (mostly as a last resort at first), he gives his honest opinion. He's always right. This jumpstarts his students into thinking he's some kind of love expert and ask him constantly for advice. This lasts for a month before Ratio decides to put an end to it. (Throughout this whole situation, he was mostly confused about why they asked him. Shouldn't they themselves know how to navigate romantic relationships?)

(Aventurine thought it was hilarious)

3. Ratio didn't know what to get Aventurine for their anniversary. Flowers seem nice, if a bit impersonal. Jewelry seems too romantic, and it's not like Aventurine can't buy his own if he wants. Everything else seems either too little or too much.

(Ratio knows Aventurine will think nothing of what gifts society thinks are "romantic", but he would rather not deal with people making assumptions.)

He settles on making dinner for the both of them. It shouldn't feel as significant as it does. Regardless, they're both relaxed enough to have a good time.

(Aventurine tries to discreetly cancel reservation plans he had already made, but that amused look in Ratio's eyes tell him he failed.)

4. Speaking of gifts, I'd like to think that atleast once Aventurine buys him jewelry. Like matching earrings. He tells Ratio that it doesn't really mean anything, but they both know it very much does. Ratio wears it every day.

(If Aventurine notices and realizes that it feels like coming home, that's no one's business but his own.)

+1: Aventurine buys a ring.

ANON OH MY GOD THE 1ST ONE IS TOO REAL!!! hahaha i can totally see ratio watching romcoms or those christmas romance flicks and being so disappointed in the formulaicness of it all. i think he's so close to writing out an essay on the topic. also i can 100% see aventurine teasing him while watching the movie but like also secretly having his heart go doki doki over his goofy doctor.

ratio love expert by just stating the obvious of communication, consent and drop kick their ass if they start shit. he's about as real as it gets.

the last two are just so ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; uwaaaaaaaaaah god i will explode. the mental image is too much huhuhu /pos

(also anon do we think they'd get platonically wedded or would they just be content in their own little situationship, because frankly both are very cute to me)

seeing this in my inbox made me so happy. glad to see ur enjoying urself bcs i am too :D

[siesporamor]

What are your opinions on all of the main couples in SL?

LMAO, it took me so long to answer this ask, but I just have so mant thoughts. I'm not sure if the question is about endgame couples, so I'll just talk about whatever I want.

Putting this under a cut because I'm not a monster.

Lutteo is... fine. I don't hate them, but I also don't like them. Leaving aside my own headcanons for the characters, they just don't work for most of the show. Matteo in seasons 1 and 2 is a complete asshole who doesn't deserve Luna. Just to list some of the shit he does: flirts with her while he's still with Ámbar, kisses her without her consent, sometimes borderline harasses her, is a dick to her best friend, prioritizes his career over their relationship even when he ends up hurting her, never listens to her perspective and assumes all of her criticism is in bad faith. I especially can't get behind the s2 storyline, where Luna is incredibly upset by Matteo's behavior—saying he doesn't have a girlfriend during an interview and staging PR relationships, or insulting Simón live—, but he brushes it all off with the excuse that it's essential to his career and tells her she's envious of his success. And he's somehow surprised that Luna would defend her childhood best friend when her boyfriend publicly humiliates him online?

That being said, when Matteo finally becomes a decent person in s3, I think they mostly work as a couple (still don't ship them). At that point, though, does it really matter? I'm not going to forget the first two seasons. If Luna absolutely needed to end up with somebody, because amatonormativity, she deserved someone better.

Lumón is objectively the best Luna ship. They're childhood best friends and know and take care of each other like nobody else. Still, when I see such an adorable m/f friendship, I grab onto it and would rather it stayed platonic, because there's enough romance in medias.

Simbar gives me life. I'm honestly obsessed and, as I've already said, they're one of my OTPs and the reason why I started watching Soy Luna. Ámbar and Simón are characters I already love on their own and they complement each other so well. They have a great premise (dating-someone-for-a-revenge-plan trope, my beloved <3), a believable enemies to friends to lovers arc (also a favorite trope of mine), fluffy banter, delicious angst and tension, domestic scenes to balance it out, great chemistry, and the actors work their asses off in emotional scenes. They communicate, support and respect each other like a healthy couple would do. Simón is the first person to see the good in Ámbar and push her to be the better version of herself. Ámbar also challenges Simón and his perspective. While a bit dramatized for narrative purpose (don't date people to fix them), that's what a relationship should do (says the aro who's never even had a date in her life).

Gastina may not be endgame, but they are in my heart. They're adorable, have excellent chemistry, and them bonding over shared interests is both realistic and cute. While cliché, I like the FelicityForNow plotline and I think it gave Gastina a solid basis that makes it impossible not to root for them. Forever mad about the route s3 took, especially because it didn't have to? They had Gastón's actor available for a couple scenes, they could've filmed the finale with him or just slapped a clip of him onto a tablet screen, then keep his and Nina's relationship going through texts, it really wasn't that hard. To me Nina goes to college in Oxford and they get back together again, I will accept no other option.

Pelfi is such a sweet ship! It's a bit of a Simbar 1.0, in the sense that Pedro formed a genuine friendship with Delfi and helped her become a better version of herself. Even if Delfi back pedaling in s2 was random and made their relationship arc a bit weird, narratively speaking, I always enjoy these two. They're such cuties and them staring at each other with heart eyes in s3 >>>

Yamiro is considered a main couple, I guess? They can be cute, but I'm not particularly fond of either Yam or Ramiro and I also headcanon them both as gay, not to mention they hurt each other and argue a bit too much for my taste.

Thanks for the ask, I hope I interpreted the question correctly!

[kai-selfships]

Selfship questions from @salsflore! This is a spectacular idea, and I really think it would be awesome if this format of questions became a trend as opposed to ask games (those are fun and all, but I never get questions 😭). So yeah thanks for making this it’s a great idea!!

I’ll answer for my GOTG selfships because I haven’t stopped thinking about them since the new movie came out 😵‍💫

Also tagging @4i-i0v3-y0u because we talk about GOTG often :)

For context, Rocket and Drax are romantic F/Os, Peter, Groot sr, Mantis, Nebula and Gamora are Platonic F/Os, and Groot jr is a familial F/O. Also I have a silly little crush on Yondu 🤫 so when asked about “them” I’ll usually talk about Rocket or Drax, but sometimes the others too

what’s something you do to feel closer to them? fanfics, listen to songs, etc.

I love watching the Guardians of the Galaxy movies! I also enjoy watching MVs on YouTube. This is my favorite!

how did you get introduced to your f/o and/or their media? do you like their source?

My brother is a huge fan of Marvel. A couple of years ago, over the summer, he made me watch all the movies with him. I wasn’t too big of a fan of the other ones, but I really really loved the guardians :) there’s actually kind of a funny story about how I got introduced to my F/Os— when I first watched the movie, Rocket was my favorite character, but I knew if I told my family that they would make fun of me, so I instead told everyone Drax was my favorite (he’s actually my SECOND favorite lol) and I’m just now starting to let myself love Rocket :,)

what’s one or two things you especially like about your f/o? can be a headcanon!

I love how creative and smart Rocket is :) he loves to build things and invent new weapons and machines, and I think it’s really cool!

I really really love that Drax is so honest— it may annoy our friends sometimes, but he really likes me and isn’t shy about saying it.

Peter is very affectionate and loves to give hugs!! He and I are really good friends (we’ve known each other since even before the Kyln) so it’s nice to have someone who really knows me.

what’s one or two things your f/os love about you? ( self positivity time babey )

I know Rocket really loves my smile :) my S/I is less angst ridden than the rest of the team, so he’s often the one to keep everyone’s spirits up, and Rocket really appreciates the positivity.

how do you express your love to them? how do they express their love to you?

I express my love to my F/Os by being there for them. There are some things I won’t ever understand, or be able to help with, and that’s okay. But I can be a listening ear if they ever feel like opening up.

My F/Os show their love by caring for me. My S/I is the type to prioritize everyone else first, so they help me out by taking care of me when I need it. We usually make our own food (it’s hard to cook for so many different species with different nutritional needs) but when I feel burned out or particularly morose, Drax cooks for me.

a gift you’d like to give them if you could, and something they’d give to you!

Rocket’s flight suit is obviously good for flying a spaceship and fighting people, but it doesn’t look very comfy (especially for the cybernetics on his back) so I think I would give him some more comfortable clothes to wear. Early on in our relationship I think I would be wayyy to embarrassed for such a grand gesture (spending money is a big deal) so I would just give him one of my shirts. Rocket absolutely loves it.

Omg me and Clyde were literally kinda talking about this earlier but basically Rocket would totally collect a whole bunch of pretty things (shiny rocks, stolen jewelry, etc) and give them as gifts to me.

what do you celebrate together? like halloween, christmas time, easter, etc.

We all celebrate Christmas together! Of course the first time was on Knowhere, much after Vol2 and Endgame and stuff, but it’s become a tradition ever since.

do you sleep together? is it peaceful or filled with snoring? do you both stay up? tell us more! ( how you sleep, when you sleep, do you wake up at the same time? )

Drax has his own bed because he can’t stand sleeping with other people (it’s the sensory processing disorder) but me and Rocket sleep together sometimes :)

Rocket’s sleep schedule is really weird because he’s meant to be nocturnal— he doesn’t sleep much at night, and takes a lot of naps in the daytime. He either snuggles with me anyway, just enjoying the closeness, or stays up building something.

When we lived on the Milano, and Groot was still a baby, he would sometimes come sleep with us (or just me) too if he had a nightmare.

Drax always wakes up earlier than me. Once we start living together in Knowhere, he gets into a habit of cooking breakfast for us all.

what’s one thing you can’t do well that the other can, vice versa ( e.g cooking, playing video games, so on and so forth )

One thing I’m not good at is cooking 😭 I’m bad at managing time, so things tend to end up burned or undercooked. Drax is really good at cooking, though!

And with something I can do well— Rocket isn’t good at writing. Numbers are easy because they’re a lot of sharp lines, but letters that curve and are kind of round (like “s” or “o”) are really difficult. It’s because his hands aren’t very good at holding the pencil, so he’s embarrassed about this, and avoids writing whenever possible. I really enjoy things like fancy lettering, painting, and drawing. It’s one of my hobbies :)

do you have similar tastes in fashion? aesthetic? food? tell us about their taste!

We Guardians kind of wear the same clothing (there’s not much range in the space junker business) but I like pretty things a lot. When not on a job, I like to wear a lot of accessories. As for food— I love all kinds of food. Literally anything.

Rocket doesn’t have a lot of options when it comes to clothes, so he just wears what he can find. He loves eating fresh foods, like fruits and seafood.

Drax’s fashion sense is complicated. Comfort takes priority, but he also is picky with colors. His species sees more colors than the human eye can pick up (hc). His taste in food is simple: he loves things with a lot of flavor, especially meat. You ever watched Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives? That kinda stuff.

how do they tend to comfort you? how do you tend to comfort them?

Everyone knows I love hugs. Drax is so strong and he gives the best hugs 😭 Rocket and I like to cuddle, and he also makes me feel better by making me laugh :) Groot is also really sweet, he and I could talk for hours.

I mostly comfort my loves with reassurance. “It’s not your fault” is a big one, both for Rocket and Drax, and Groot often needs reassurance because he feels like he’s not as good as Groot sr.

if you have a rival or nemesis f/o, why? are there any lore reasons or is it just because?

Obviously all the bad guys we’ve fought (Ronan, Ego, Thanos, the High Evolutionary), but in a more lighthearted sense, I don’t really get along well with the avengers. No real reason, I just don’t like them.

what are some uncommon headcanons you have for them?

I’m not quite sure if these are uncommon or not haha— I headcanon that Rocket likes to play video games. He got into it because Groot wanted someone to play with, and of course it was a lot of fun. I also headcanon that Rocket is hard of hearing from being too close to explosions and gunfire all his life. I headcanon Peter suffered some type of disordered eating growing up because he was always afraid that if he got too big to fit into small spaces to steal things, the Ravagers would kill him. I also headcanon that Peter has synthesia, which is why he loves music so much, but also doesn’t often listen to it when he works— it’s distracting.

what is your favorite fan theory/headcanon about them?

My favorite about Rocket is just about him being a dad to little Groot. Of course it’s practically canon, but it’s really sweet

if you live together, how’s domestic life like for you both?

We live together on Knowhere once it becomes the Guardians of the Galaxy HQ. I think this is my favorite part of our story, it’s so sweet :) that kind of life takes some adjusting to, but it’s really what we’ve all always wanted. (Post vol3) Drax gets to be a loving father figure to the children rescued from the HE, and after finding a home with the Guardians and leading a decade or so of an action-packed life, Rocket really just wants to rest. So he does. And for me, ever since I was young, all I’ve ever wanted is to love and be loved. We keep in contact with our friends and they visit often, of course.

do you have any scent hcs for them? ( sweet, something like coffee, etc )

Unpopular opinion, I think Rocket smells a lot like soap. He washes his hands often, and is kind of a clean freak tbh.

is there anything commonly misunderstood about your f/o?

I kind of like the fandom’s current interpretation of Rocket. My only complaint is that sometimes people portray him as a womanizer, when that’s not him at all.

one thing you don’t have in common, and one thing you do

One thing we don’t have in common is probably, for lack of a better word, toughness? Rocket has no hesitation when he needs to kill someone, but my S/I had a breakdown every freaking time. One thing we do have in common is the deep and profound loneliness and desire to be understood.

how do you resolve conflicts? how do you both typically react when faced with conflict or whilst dealing with an argument?

We don’t heavily disagree on anything important (like morals and ethics and stuff) so conflict is usually pretty surface level annoyance. Sometimes Drax is too loud, or says something mean on accident, or Rocket is having a bad day and snaps at us, or i feel too low energy to get stuff done, etc… usually the solution is to just spend some time away from each other to cool down and feel better. Sometimes an apology is needed, sometimes it’s just mutually understood.

have you met their friends/family? how did that go? do they even keep in contact with their friends/family?

I never met batch 89, or Drax’s late wife and daughter— but I have met Ego! And Thanos! 👍 neither of those went very well. Oh I also met Yondu and the rest of the Ravagers a few times, and Peter considers them family— there was some conflict before, but Yondu was a good friend to us. Also i thought he was kinda hot but don’t tell Peter.

tell us as much (or as little) as you'd like about any of your self ship lore/bg! the timeline!

I’m actually planning on making a timeline post soon!

if they have variations (timelines, skills, voiced languages, etc) which one is your favorite?

The biggest variations are probably their comic book vs movie characters, and while I’ve read a few of the old comics that feature the Guardians, I prefer my F/Os movie versions.

your favorite outfit/costume of theirs! if they don’t have any official skins or anything, show us something you think they’d look good in!

Rocket’s suit in the first Guardians of the Galaxy (the orange one) has a special place in my heart :3 but I also like how he looks in the Kyln’s prison outfit lol— yellow is my favorite color. As for Drax, I really really like his sleeveless shirt outfit in GOTG 3 :D

who confessed first and how did it go?

I confessed first to Drax, I’d say it went well because we ended up dating lmao. Then a little bit later Rocket realized that his feelings for me were more than platonic, but it still took him a long time to find the courage to tell me haha

did anyone know about your f/o’s feelings before they confessed? how did they find out?

Just little Groot. He and Rocket are besties, they tell each other everything.

if you have multiple f/os, do they fit into any “type?” ( e.g coincidentally they’re all smartasses, blonde, villains, etc. lol )

Kind of! Drax and Rocket aren’t very similar, but the common ground is Yondu (a crush of mine) who has a similar personality to Rocket and looks kind of like Drax (bald).

do you have any favorite scenarios you like to imagine your f/os in? ( domestic fluff, angsty, etc. )

I love hurt/comfort!!!!! I’ll get injured in battle and my F/Os will nurse me back to health!! Rocket will experience the emotional turmoil of having to fight a past abuser immediately after having a near death experience and seeing batch 89 in the sky and i’ll be there to help him through it!!!

have you ever thought about ( platonic or not ) marriage? would you consider it a good idea? why or why not?

Yeah :) I would 100% want to get married to both my romantic F/Os, especially Drax. He would be so excited about it! Me and Rocket are kind of just having fun, but it means a lot to him. All our friends would be there, too!

^ if you're planning to get married, then tell us all about your wedding! the honeymoon! the planning!

The wedding wouldn’t be too fancy, just one of the nicer buildings on Knowhere. Nebula, surprisingly, would offer to help plan. She’s very good at things like that. Everyone would be there (maybe Gamora would even swing by) and there’d be lots of good food and drinks. For a honeymoon, we’d probably go to one of the planets less involved in interplanetary crime— ooh, I bet Xandar has some nice vacation places :) we might even get a discount for saving the Galaxy haha.

if you live together, how does your home look like? who decided on the decor?

Knowhere is known for being more functional than pretty, but I just love making things look nice— Drax and Rocket don’t mind if I handle the decor, as long as it’s not too crazy, so I get to put in carpets and nice lighting and stuff! I enjoy paintings of landscapes, since Knowhere doesn’t really have any natural beauty. It’s very colorful.

do you, or plan to, have f/o kids? ( pets and plants count! ) bonus: if you have pets, do they show any favoritism?

Groot is our kid, but he’s pretty much grown up after vol3– we all want kids, but adoption is a big decision. I suppose we could have pets, but Rocket feels kind of weird about having a “lower life form” around.

what was it like when they first said ‘i love you’? how did you reply? where was it?

Drax first said I love you maybe a month after we started living on the Milano as a team. I was super flustered— obviously he meant it, he’s a terrible liar. I said it back, but I was a little embarrassed haha.

When Rocket first said I love you, it was late at night, and he and I were hanging out eating a midnight snack because he couldn’t sleep. We were both dead tired but Rocket was having nightmares and I didn’t want to leave him alone. This was a couple months after Vol2, and we hadn’t even started dating yet.

if you could make one thing 100% canon about them, what would it be?

It’s already implied in very few scenes, but I think it would be more realistic if Rocket’s cybernetics were more of a problem to him. In my canon, he has chronic pain and nerve damage from the surgeries, and needs to take special care to upkeep his metal parts.

how do you kill time with them when bored?

Drax loves to tell stories. I love listening to him. He also tries to tell jokes, which are pretty funny.

Rocket also talks a lot, but he likes to be doing something while we talk. When he and I have down time, he works on his inventions while I just lie down and we talk.

your favorite thing about your f/o, appearance wise

I love Rocket’s eyes 👁️👁️ they r so pretty I love brown eyes— also I like that Drax is taller than me lol. And I like Yondu’s mouth. His teeth are all messed up, but I like how he whistles and grins all pointy >:3 yk?

your favorite thing about your f/o, non-appearance wise

I love how deeply Rocket loves. He cares for his friends so much, it’s beautiful.

This was kind of touched on by Mantis in vol3, but I love Drax’s positivity despite everything he’s gone through.

what’s your dynamic like? any tropes you fit?

“Silly fella that absolutely no one is intimidated by” (me) x “built like a brick shithouse, his name is literally ‘the destroyer’” (Drax)

“Loves the other so deeply, profoundly, and unconditionally” (me) x “thinks he is undeserving of love”

In terms of tropes that actually exist? Probably “sunshine x grumpy” and “best friends to lovers”

the most iconic/memed on/quoted line or event associated with your f/o

For Drax, the one I appreciate most is “nothing goes over my head… my reflexes are too fast, I would catch it.” And for Rocket, probably when he was telling little Groot how to set up the batteries to explode lol.

who’s more likely to be the sappy, cheesy romantic in the relationship?

Me ❤️

who gets flustered the easiest?

Omg Rocket does haha— he doesn’t get compliments often, so whenever I voice how much I love him and what exactly I like about him he kind of doesn’t know what to say. He also things I’m handsome :3

if you were in an emergency or stressful situation, which one of you’s the best at staying level headed keeping the other calm? who is the one absolutely freaking out?

We have emergency situations a lot, so it kind of depends. When threatened, Drax automatically goes into fight or flight (always fight, for him), and I usually try to find a peaceful way out of the situation. Rocket is almost always very good at keeping his cool in high-stakes battles, but some things throw him off.

what nicknames do you call each other?

My nicknames for Rocket: Rocky, love

Rockets nicknames for me: (embarrassing as fuck so only teasingly and in private, but—) Boo

My nicknames for Drax: Honey

Drax’s nicknames for me: none, he doesn’t really get them lol

with phones or modern au : what would your contact names be?

In my phone: Rocket 🚀 and Drax🗡️

But they just have boring old names in their contact list lol

with phones or modern au : how do they use their phone? do they have a billion screenshots in their gallery? whats their wallpaper?

Rocket: has a few apps that Groot used to play games (now he plays them too lol), his wallpaper is a photo of all of the guardians

Drax: his phone is default settings for the wallpaper, ringtone, etc— hasn’t downloaded any apps either. He uses his phone mainly for taking thousands of pictures. Mostly of the stars, and other things he finds pretty, but we’re also in there :)

favorite memory involving them ( whether in your lore as a scenario, a scene from their media, or another physical experience like when you received merch etc )

Irl, my favorite memory is seeing GOTG vol3 in the movie theater :D but in universe, my favorite memory is just any time when we’re all together and happy ❤️

are they physically affectionate? if so, how do they express it? vice versa!

Drax gives big hugs :) he’s strong enough to pick me up and carry me around! And Rocket is more shy, but he likes to cuddle with me.

any funny or awkward moments you've experienced with them?

Actually yeah, with Peter— we worked and lived together for a few months several years before the events of the first movie. Peter asks a lot of questions, like “if you’re a shapeshifter, why is your dick small”.

who’s more likely to get into, or start fights? whether with each other or with others.

Rocket starts fights. He’s insecure, and steals batteries he doesn’t need, and there was a learning curve to living with him. We all love him very much though.

what were your first impressions of each other?

My first Impression of Rocket was that he was someone strong that I’d want to stay with— we were arrested and brought to the Kyln together, and he and Groot were protecting Peter, so I decided to stick around.

His first impression of me was that I was untrustworthy (because I tried to help Peter when he and Groot tried to kidnap him)

My first impression of Drax was that he was scary, so I treated him with respect. His first impression of me was that I was kind :)

do you have an anniversary date? how was it decided & how do you (plan to) celebrate it?

No I don’t lol— maybe I should

.... would you still love them if they turned into a worm

Yeah, lol

how did their personality or lifestyle change after befriending/getting with you?

Rocket used to live his life more… unhealthily. He drank a lot and got in fights and had only Groot to support him. Once he made friends with the rest of us (and me of course) he subconsciously began thinking his life actually had some worth, and for the most part, he wanted to stay alive.

Drax was filled with so much rage after losing his family. He thought killing their killer would make him feel better, but after Ronan was dealt with he didn’t feel any more satisfied. He learned slowly that he could only heal and feel better if he opened up and allowed himself to experience love again. He jokes around more, but also cries more— he’s not “fixed”, or without the bad memories, but rather he allows himself to feel things. Before, he coped with the grief by just destroying.

something you know about them, that many others don’t?

Peter often likes to make fun of Rocket for being afraid of spiders, because once they were exploring a planet with these giant bug creatures, and Rocket froze up and couldn’t kill them. The truth is, something Rocket’s only told me and Groot, is that they reminded him of Floor, with all the hydraulic legs skittering around.

how do they reassure or affirm their love for you?

Words of affirmation mostly, and quality time spent together. I need a lot of affirmation ;-;

what’s your funniest or most embarrassing memory together?

I always love when we’re on a mission and need disguises >:3 very fun. one time we were going to a fancy gala, and we had to dress up in nice fancy clothes, but we didn’t even get halfway through the event before Drax took his shirt off and got in trouble.

what’s their sense of humor like? how easy is it to make them laugh?

Rocket and Drax are both kind of immature with their humor— Drax in a more childish way, and Rocket is just kind of a dick. Like he thinks those videos of people falling down or getting hurt are funny lmao— or, as per canon, stealing people’s prosthetics.

what inside jokes do you share?

Mostly about Gamora and Peter’s will they/won’t they relationship. We placed bets on whether they’d get together or not. I lost.

if necessary, how do you wake them up? how do they wake you up?

I’m the one who gets woken up lol, I sleep wayyy too much. Rocket usually tries to be nice about it but Drax is straight to the point and just shakes me awake lmao

any daily routines or habits you two follow?

Life is busy on Knowhere, so we don’t spend every day together. However, we at least try to have breakfast and dinner together every day :) it’s really great!

what do others in source say about your relationship? do you keep it a secret?

Everyone, for the most part, is supportive. Though there are planets like Earth where polyamory might be considered odd, in space (like businesses where you travel a lot and practically live on your ship) it’s pretty typical. We’re all men, too, but that’s pretty normal— for example, Kraglin’s been married 14 times, and has only one ex-wife.

We’ve never kept it secret.

if you have more than one f/o from the same media, which one were you drawn to first? any lore connection like did they introduce you to the others? did one make you fall for the other?

Irl, I was drawn to Rocket first. Something about his voice and personality 🫣 I thought he was so cute.

In lore, technically Peter introduced me to everyone. It did not take long for me to fall for Drax, but because Rocket was more standoffish at first, we were just friends for a long time.

dream piece of merchandise or f/o-related experience you’d like to have

I don’t even know if they make these, but I’d really like a life size weighted plushie of Rocket :,)

how are they like when vulnerable?

Rocket gets angry. He cries and then hates himself for crying, so he picks fights with Peter and then hates himself more.

Drax is very quiet. He doesn’t like to show his emotions in front of everybody, so he isolated himself.

describe your f/o in 6 words or less

Rocket: dangerous, smart, sarcastic

Drax: honest, powerful, loving

describe your f/o using only emojis

Drax: 🔪💪🪨💥

Rocket: 🩻🚀🔫🔧

would you rather go to their world, or have them come to yours?

I like both ideas, but I’d have to say go to their world because there’s also things there I want to experience that has nothing to do with our relationship— I want to visit Knowhere! I want to meet abilisks! I want to fly in a spaceship!!!!

do you care about ship lore? feel free to tell us about it if you’d like!

It’s important to me :) I love thinking of scenarios for our first kiss, first date, etc :D this post actually made me realize that I’d want a wedding with them, so I’ll have a lot of fun thinking about that!

if you have a s/i, how’d you go about creating their design? what went into their lore? how do the others in the source feel about your s/i?

Well, I just started imagining it— I wanted to be kind of humanoid, but I didn’t want to be Terran like Peter. I settled on a shapeshifter alien because I love the freedom of being able to change things and explain it as “oh lol he just decided to have pointy teeth that day” because he’s a shapeshifter :) I also thought it would be cool if his true form was kind of reptilian, because snakes are my favorite animal!

does your s/i hold similarities to you, is completely like you or completely different from you? do you even have a s/i?

Personality wise, we are very similar. He looks different from me because what human features he has are just kind of how I would want to look (for example, he is bigger than I am and has facial hair, and I want to look like that but I don’t because I’m trans 🥲)

thoughts on AUs/canon divergent things? do you prefer to stick as closely to canon as possible or no?

I love AUs! I’m focusing on canon things right now though; the most canon-divergent things get are the fact that I decided to have Rocket settle down and live with me on Knowhere post vol3 instead of being the new captain.

However, when I was depressed and in 10th grade (as if I’m not still depressed lmao) I kind of coped with the stress and shame of being not “good” enough to go to a normal school by imagining that I went to my weird little school and became friends with the highschool AU Guardians. It was really comforting because they were all also too fucked up for public school, and I felt less lonely. I think I still have some drawings from back then!

quick! your f/o’s just spawned in front of you, now what do you do?!

Well, I would probably be really embarrassed because I’m in my pajamas, but I guess I’d take them outside so we could talk without waking up my parents haha. After telling them where we are, what year it is, etc, then I’d probably tell my parents. My dad would probably kick them out of the house🥲

do they have any superstitions they believe in?

It seems unfair to call this a superstition, but the only thing Rocket really believes in is the afterlife. He didn’t used to, but after seeing the rest of batch 89 in the sky, he’s not so afraid of death anymore.

would you or your f/o ever get matching things? ( keychains, tattoos, shirts, etc ) do they find it cringy or cute?

Rocket and I would have matching necklaces :) Drax really loves our wedding rings— they were a gift from Peter.

who’s more the scaredy cat out of you two?

Me by a long shot. I don’t get squeamish with blood and gore (kind of a requirement in our line of work) but whenever we fight gross looking monsters it really freaks me out. The hellspawn the HE created were by far the worst.

what kind of things is your f/o into? games, music, decor, whatever!

Rocket kind of adopted Peter’s taste in music :) he also likes to watch movies— horror movies especially. That’s something he and I have in common :) I enjoy them for spooks, but he thinks they’re hilarious.

the most random thing you associate with your f/o (foods, shapes, even textures! anything that’s not an obvious)

For Rocket: having really good muscle memory for driving a vehicle, or doing something with your hands. It’s kind of silly but, like, seeing someone solve a Rubik’s cube super fast reminds me of how he puts together scraps of metal.

For Drax: genuine laughter. It’s so lovely <3

anything your f/o absolutely hates, but you absolutely love?

Rocket can’t stand spicy food, but I absolutely love it 😋 and Drax really doesn’t like heat, but I enjoy it :) summer is my favorite season

any aesthetic or -core you associate with your f/o, whether it be due to their design or personality?

Ummmm space pirate :0 I don’t know if that makes sense, but like— have you seen Treasure Planet? That kinda deal. Danger and adventure and really stylish outfits, but also futuristic technology.

who's more likely to die first in a zombie apocalypse lol

Me 💀

do your f/os have any long term wishes or goals? what about your s/i?

For all of us, probably being in a good place to adopt kids. Right now Rocket is still dealing with his past, and Drax is busy helping Nebula with repairing Knowhere, but maybe a couple years in the future we could think about it :)

your favorite f/o fun fact or bit of lore

Rocket loves dancing. He loves singing. He loves music. Especially with Groot, haha— they have a lot of fun. And with Drax, I absolutely adore that he’s so good with kids. I love Nebula’s quote about how he wasn’t made to be a destroyer, he was made to be a dad. It was tragic that he lost his daughter, but the fact that he still has love in his heart to care for the kids we rescued from the High Evolutionary…

Drax is such a sad character, and that isn’t recognized enough. When he and Mantis are on Ego’s planet, and she uses her empathic abilities to feel his emotions and is immediately overwhelmed with sadness, all the while Drax is completely calm. He rarely shows on his face how truly sad he is.

which animal represents your f/o the best?

Um. 🦝

does your f/o run hot or cold?

Rocket hot, Drax cold

free space to gush about whatever you want ♡

I was hoping there’s be a question I’d be able to fit this into (something like “what is a way you help your F/O and vice versa”) but I am a huge sucker for non-sexual intimacy. Rocket has cybernetics on his back, and they need special care to upkeep them, and he used to have Groot take care of that, but after he passed away in the first movie… anyway, at that point, I’m Rocket’s closest friend, so even though I’m nervous as hell because I suck at robotics, Rocket asks me to help with occasional tune ups and cleaning. Hmm I guess I could have added this to our domestic routines… lol whatever. Anyway that trust means a lot to me ❤️

[benwvatt]

🍊🍍

thank you so much for the fanfic ask prompts!

🍊 Who’s a character you don’t write for that often, but keep meaning to write for more? (They’re so interesting! But maybe you have trouble pinning them down, or keep getting distracted by another blorbo…)

look, this might make me sound terrible, but as much as I treasure platonic love in my own life, I am terrible at writing it in fanfic. As a fic writer, I want to be validated, and that means writing for two (2) characters in a main romantic relationship in a relatively large fandom so I can get feedback and be understood as a writer. It's a terrible system, yes, and I still do it.

So, characters I want to write more about: Imogen Heaney, June and Nora from RWRB, all of the Murdoch Mysteries main crew, Ava and Deborah from Hacks, Tracy Stevens and Danielle Poole from For All Mankind, Parker and Sophie from Leverage... I have so many fic ideas and not enough time to write. And that's okay, I guess.

🍍 What kind of AUs do you like? Are there any AUs you hate or just generally have beef with?

Oh, thank you so much for asking me this!!! I love writing and reading almost all AUs - college, coffeeshop, fantasy, sci-fi, lawyer, professor, retail. I do have reservations about some AUs because they can be handled in ways that don't necessarily appeal to me (they aren't necessarily BAD, per se, but some AU aspects just aren't my thing.)

Like, I think high school AUs can be a bit melodramatic and hard to take seriously when I don't believe that this is how a teenager would act;

soulmate AUs can be a bit intense in terms of "I WOULD FIND YOU IN ANY UNIVERSE, I WOULD KNOW YOU, I COULD PICK YOU OUT OF A HAYSTACK" when the whole point of canon is often that someone wouldn't know you in any universe. The main character here was lucky to find their partner, but they're not magnets or drawn together by destiny;

social media / texting AUs can sometimes be written in ways that prioritize crazy disastrous moments and silliness over true character depth and growth (like, I love shenanigans, but your story can't JUST be yelling and chaos);

I also have such a moderate pet peeve for AUs that replicate the source material beat-for-beat, scene-for-scene, plot point for plot point.

The point of, like, a Cinderella AU is not to change the characters' names and appearances, substituting X for Cinderella and Y for Prince Charming, swapping one person in for another. The point of a Cinderella AU is to write a transformative story that elevates the characters, provides character growth, and uses the themes/tone/worldbuilding of Cinderella to tell a complex story.

anyways, hope I'm not being too negative! Thank youuuu. Have a lovely day.

[daffodi1]

I've been in and out of the VnC tag in the past couple of days after doing a reread of the series (and finally watching the anime) and one thing I keep seeing is people asking if the whole thing between Vanitas and Noe is "queerbaiting". I can kinda understand why some people might think that, but here's my personal take on why Mochijun had no such intention (TL;DR I AM TIRED OF PEOPLE BEING MEAN ABOUT THIS SERIES AND I AM TIRED OF THE ONES DEFENDING IT BY SAYING THEY'RE NOT GAY. COME AND FIGHT ME.)

So, a lot of these opinions are going to come from some of my understandings about Japanese fandoms and the way their genres work. In order to explain this, I'm going to need to talk about another piece of media I like, an indie game called "Witch's Heart". I PROMISE I will get to why this has to do with VnC and the idea of queerbaiting.

Awhile ago, the dev of Witch's Heart came under fire for saying that any non-canon ships should not be put in the main tag, especially gay ones because "Witch's Heart is not a game about gay people" (please keep in mind that the dev could not speak English very well before you get your panties in a wad about the poor wording. They've already stated they have nothing wrong with gay ships or LGBT headcanons). A lot of people were outraged, especially since the American fandom for this game is heavily LGBT. But the thing is; the dev themself has been seen liking gay ships and art of their characters as trans, so many argued that there's no way this person hates to see those things *period*, they just didn't want them in the main tag for some reason.

That's when the Japanese members of the fandom came forward to explain; and here is what I learned. Japanese fandom tends to focus a lot on the idea of "fantasy", that being the idea that anyone can interpret any relationship as being romantic or platonic according to their wishes. That's why a lot of relationships when written tend to teeter on that line of romance and friendship, and why a lot of characters may seem subtly LGBT coded. It was stated that the reason headcanons and non-canon ships did not belong in the canon tag is because in Japanese fandom, the canon tag is strictly to give people an idea of what the story is about, whereas the non-official tag is for any headcanons and ships that aren't canon-compliant. Posting something unofficial in the canon tag is thus seen as selfishly declaring your ships and headcanons to be canon, prioritizing YOUR fantasy above anyone else's. That's why a lot of people took issue with it and saw it as rude.

It was also stated that LGBT things, especially M/M and F/F relationships, tend to be shoved aside into their own "genres" regardless of what the story is actually about. For example, sometimes I even see "No. 6", which has a very heavy plot outside of the romance, sometimes tossed to the side and categorized as "BL" (which grinds my gears for many reasons. And if you're asking "what's no. 6"-- go watch it). Thus when they said "this is not a story about gay people", they were referring to those genres.

You may be asking "okay cool but what does this have to do with VnC--" hold on hold on I am GETTING THERE.

So what I am saying about VnC is this: A lot of Mochijun's stories tend to have very homoerotic themes and relationships in them, but nothing that seems explicit. I personally believe that this is because she wants to create that "fantasy" I mentioned earlier without her stories being shoved aside and being considered "Just BL" stories. I think that doing this and allowing LGBT people to fantasize about seeing themselves in these characters they love might be the best she can do without her stories simply being tossed aside, and I don't think that what she's doing specifically counts as "queerbaiting". Several of her characters and their interactions are queer coded: Domi and her gnc manner of dressing and flirtations with women, Jeanne's way of acting around Domi, the way Roland acts around Vanitas and Noe (and how Noe blushes in response), the way Jean-Jacques and Noe's interactions happened when they could have easily put those interactions between him and Chloe instead, and of course; whatever the hell Vanitas and Noe have going on. I will never believe that she did this all just because she hates gay people and wants their money. I believe she did this out of love for her LGBT audience and a desire to give them characters they could relate to even if it can't be entirely explicit. And many people may be frustrated that it never will be as explicit as they want it to be-- and hey! You know what? Your frustration is valid! But I don't think Mochijun is the one to be angry with-- I think we should be more angry with censorship and those who shove stories with LGBT characters to the side in the first place and act like those stories don't matter outside of the relationships.

People may be thinking "did you write this just to yell at the queer fandom" and actually, I did not. I wrote this bc all of the discourse I saw defending this show was saying that Vanitas and Noe were "just friends" and that their interactions were not at all queer coded. Don't get me wrong: if you wanna see them as just besties, that's fine but to deny that any homoerotic subtext is there is being willfully ignorant at best. I won't tell you why because there are literally a million other essays you could read on the matter by fans that are more mentally ill about dedicated to the matter than me, and this has gone on too long anyway. But I couldn't stand the idea that the only two options were demonizing Mochijun or turning a blind eye to queer interpretations. There HAS to be a middle ground, people.

[ramblingdisaster73]

Hi! I have a, maybe, weirder question today. What is your headcanon, if you have any, on Marjan's sexuality?

I have my own but it's kind of a projection, basically that she's somewhere in the aro/ace spectrum. I see much of myself in her behavior about how she approaches other people romances and her own (nonexistent from what we know) romantic life.

In 3 seasons the only romantic plot involving her was with an arranged fiancé (which I'm totally fine with, too often in media female are given mainly romantic plots and it's nice hers revolve around other things, her personal growth). I also don't know much of anything of her culture, which doesn't help me understand if the way she is is related to that or not and in what sense, and I don't want to be disrespectful if I can. So it's hard to pinpoint for me.

I wish we had more to go on, but I tend to follow a similar thought to yours.

I feel like she would have been content if she had married Salim like had been arranged - but I don't think any love she felt for him was really romantic love. It felt more like a love we feel for a close friend that we are very comfortable with, than a passionate type love.

Her faith/religion is so important to her and I am not knowledgeable about dating as a Muslim woman, but she did say that hadn't ever had an unchaperoned date, part of me wonders if the kiss in his hotel room was their first 'real' kiss. I can see her honoring her commitments in regards to relationships/marriage if getting married is expected of her. I really think she would actually look for a romantic relationship on her own.

She values other people's romantic relationships, but absolutely prioritizes her platonic/familial relationships for herself. I thought it made sense that Mateo thought Salim was her brother - that was the vibe I got from them too.

I know a lot of people ship Marj & Paul, but I personally do not. Primarily because of her religion, from what I have read a Muslim woman isn't permitted to marry a non Muslim man. I think she would follow what her religion stated as far as a partner, but that is based only on what we know so far.

I wish we had more information - which, maybe we will get on this journey of hers. But with the info we do have, I would say aro/ace would be pretty consistent with what we have seen.

I love these questions, keep them coming!!

[out-of-context-aro-ace]

being an aroace in fandom i never truly understood the hyped up appeal of romantic and/or sexual ships between characters and why the familial/platonic stuff was more left to the wayside. In my eyes the family stuff was usually a lot more fulfilling and wholesome, and even angsty depending on the context and just overall more in depth. But it recently occurred to me that maybe the reason its so often overlooked is because people dont get their horny kicks from it like they do with romantic ships

Yeah, that could be it

Kinda speaks to their priorities too I think. Some people will prefer found family and friendship dynamics over the dime a dozen romantic ones

Like, my brother (I don't think he's aroace) rewatched a show specifically because of the friendship element that's the theme of the show

It's definitely a thing where most teens unhealthily prioritize their romantic relationships irl, and even prefer romance in media. But then, ideally, that's part of growing up and this'll run its course and they'll stop dropping everything for their crushes

But if you go into any fandom tag, I'll be proven wrong XD

People really really love the horny stuff, romantic or the other thing

Idk maybe the ship spoke to them, maybe they wish they had and are projecting on one or both characters, maybe they're romantically or otherwise frustrated and this is an outlet for them

Maybe friendship and found family just don't appeal as much to them, possibly because they have good friends and family already, or they just really want a romantic/ otherwise relationship

Unrelated: Dude! If you put c then a slash then an o, it turns into the symbol for care of I think!

C/o

[nagirambles]

Not FT-related, but out of curiosity, have you read Komi Can't Communicate? Its main focus is on friendship and comradery and it prioritizes platonic connections in a really wholesome way, so I thought you might like it!

I have! I am OBSESSED with it! Was. I calme ddown after a while. I have been reawakened. Would you believe if I told you I read it all, and then something like a month later an anime was announced.

Honestly my favourite part of how much I've read of it, was how the Manbagi-Tadano-Komi love triangle was written, solved, and concluded in such a wonderful, perfect way. The girls respectfully, heartbreakingly came to an understanding and cried about it together, despite knowing one of them has to give up for the other. And everyone's so damn supporting. I wish the Nalu-Nali debate could have had that treatment. Lisanna and Lucy's friendship was stolen from us.

But anyways. I adore Komi can't Communicate! I think people consider Komi a Mary Sue in disdainful ways, but they've all missed the point! A mary sue is usually regarded as bad because they're too perfect and unrelatable. Komi is 'too perfect and hailed' too, but it's played as something that drives her into a corner in comedic ways, and her social anxiety and communication disorder is the most relatable form of it I have ever seen in any media, ever. She is a Mary Sue? Sure! In the best way possible, because someone has managed to make a Mary sue relatable as heck.

I love everyone's relationships, especially the 'boys will be boys' moments in field trip episodes, but I was most surprised by how the romance spoke to me, especially since that's the thing I look out for the least in any media. I think that's an indicator of just how good the romance was written and developed over those hundreds of chapters.

And I always adore nonsensical, parody and pun-stuffed slapstick comedy. it reminds me of Gintama, another of my faves. All the references and Japanese-exclusive puns (like all of their names) make it difficult for a common audience to really understand these kinds of anime, so I'm kind of sad I don't have a ton of friends to talk about it with.

Anyways, to this day a joke that vividly remains in my mind is Tadano's report card with the perfect averages across the board. He is literally the Satou guy from Saiki Kusuo, but if he were a main character. Tadano is the best boy, hands down. He is the perfect main character with how wonderful he is as a human being.

And I still die inside knowing there are people who don't get or read those tiny footnotes and extra subs that explain puns to them in other languages. Osana Najimi should have been literally translated as Friendy Childhood in the dub so people could understand the magnificence of that pun. I don't even watch dubs.

[ashtraythief]

Do you think Supernatural changed how you looked at platonic relationships? You so rarely see media that shows how important platonic relationships are, it’s usually romantic relationships that always trump them. And then we have this show where the main thing that carried the show for 15 years is the special bond between the brothers and how well the actors portrayed it. I don’t know if there will ever be a show like that again. But I feel like because I watched Supernatural I really put a lot of effort into my platonic relationships, and I value them as much as my romantic ones. How do you feel about it?

Oh, that's such a good question!

Definitely, supernatural is very special in that regard. There are stories about friendship and brotherhood out there, but a lot of them don't end well (several westerns a la Butch and Sundance come to mind), and you're right that it's still rare.

For me, I don't know if supernatural actively changed how I approached platonic relationship, but it certainly gave me something to watch that validated my approach.

I've been very fortunate that over the years I found friends who value friendships a lot and sometimes even equally with their romantic relationship. I haven't dated in a while now, for numerous reasons, and I don't miss it a lot. Most of what I miss about it are very practical things, like someone living with you who kills nasty bugs, someone to help carry the mental load of running a household or doing adult shit, and someone for physical touch, however that looks. But I don't miss something emotionally, because my friendships give me what I need. And I realize that that doesn't work for everybody, that some people just want the romantic love and that's totally fine, everyone is build differently. I don't know if that makes me, idk, demi-romantic or what, because I've had romantic relationships and enjoyed having those, so I'm not averse to romance, and I also don't really need a label for this, but I think friendships can absolutely be as fulfilling on a lot of levels. Even the physical touch if your friends are up for cuddles. (seriously, cuddling with friends is so underrated. Hug your friends. Cuddle while watching a movie. Give them a squeeze just because you feel like it. During covid, my old roomie and I instituted a daily hug because we were both getting so touch starved and it was so good that we just kept hugging afterward. My current roomie is, despite being a good firend, not a cuddly person, because she's just not into touching that much, so when I went on a trip with friends this summer, I jokingly warned them that I was a little touch starved and one of my friends, who's a very touchy-feely kind of guy, just took it upon himself it hug me every day. Just really long hugs. And I was only half kidding about the touch starving and it was just so good. Batteries recharged. My best friend and I always cuddle when we watch a movie. So if your friends are up for it, go cuddle. It's not just for romance and family. Friendship cuddles are amazing.)

I think friendship can give you a lot of things that traditionally, romance was supposed to give you. Like I can call my roommates for nasty bugs. If I need advice on what electronic device to buy because mine finally died and I hate dealing with that stuff, I call a knowledgeable friend who will research what I need and give me options to buy. Truly wonderful. (this all sounds like I'm just taking stuff here, but I promise I'm a good friend to my friends and do things for them too 😅) And I'm not trying to devalue romance here. But I think there's this idea that your romantic partner has to be everything and no one person in your life can be everything for you. And then why should your relationships with friends be worth less than with your romantic partner. I appreciate that people want to prioritize their relationship with their partner, in different degrees, and that's valid (especially if you have children and parent them together) but I don't think it's something I'd ever want, even if I met the romantic love of my life tomorrow.

Now, supernatural obviously has the family component built in and I think that the family you grow up with does come with an inbuilt set of responsibility and connection that found family and friendship needs to work up too, and there is more... idk if acceptance is the right word, but understanding for close family relationships that can be prioritized, but it was still a show that didn't prioritize romance and as someone who doesn't either, it was very refreshing to watch.

I'm glad the show helped you care more for your friendships, because I think good friendships are so important for emotional health and just a happy life honestly. Just, go out there. Find your people and have a good time with them. And that can look however you want it to look ❤️ not unlike Sam and Dean in supernatural, my best friend and I were frequently mistaken for a lesbian couple (and my best friend is like, the straightest person I know. Seriously. So straight. Not that I hold it against her, but like. So so straight.) because we didn't care about relationship conventions and friendship conventions and acted like a "traditional" couple. Now I realize that early seasons spn played the mistaken for a couple thing as joke, haha look people thing they're gay, hilarious, but I think it does say a lot about how we as a society expect romantic and platonic relationships to look like. And like, fuck that. Build your relationships however you want to. Lead them however you want to. Do things with your friends that traditionally might be reserved for couples if you want to do it. Friendships are so important and I'm so glad that spn can help people reevaluate their view and approach to platonic relationships. So happy for you and your friends, nonnie 💙

Sorry for the long ramble, but this always gives me feelings.

[penelopelima]

I find it fascinating that, still today, you can't escape this take that everyone now seems to agree on. "The Hunger Games was about the horrors and the oppression, and Suzanne Collins intended to criticize the media by subverting romantic tropes and highlighting how they focus on easy, star-crossed lovers stories instead of the deeper thematic elements at play. Oh, and the movie is responsible for focusing too much on romance, the books are nothing like that."

Be honest with me. Do you really think that intention was well executed? I mean, sure, some of that was there. But it falls really short. Sure, the Capitol exploited their fake love-affair and they had to play into it to survive. Except that no, that was only on Katniss' part, Peeta was crushing from the beginning, and she ended up reciprocating.

There ended up being a very real romance arc that vertebrated the trilogy. The characters involved are very preoccupied with their interpersonal drama, their hurt feelings, their miscomunication, their sacrifice for each other. Come on, Katniss prioritizes saving him over challenging the system all the time. She only commits to the rebellion as a result of seeing him reject her due to brainwashing, in a sort of "well if you don't love me I guess I'll just die then". In fact, the only character within the triangle that was actually more interested in overthrowing the dictatorship ended up, in true American media fashion, being villainized for it, his characterization becoming very much an unsympathetic caricature of the typical "you become what you once hated" trope. Which was unneeded, by the way, since you already had the full-circle revolution trope and the leader of the revolution who is deep down just as bad as the dictator trope. Like, Suzanne, you could have done with a bit of nuance by not making every main supporter of overthrowing the Capitol a crazed maniac.

The real message of the Hunger Games books was very much "you can disagree with an unfair system, but the moment your motivations go beyond pure survival or protecting loved ones, you may just become an extremist."

You will see this take of The Hunger Games not being about romance so often that it almost manipulates your memories about reading it, tbh. So many people say there was no love triangle. False, there was. I've seen even some people say that Katniss and Gale had only platonic feelings for each other. False, Gale was pretty clearly interested in her from the beginning, and Katniss contemplated the idea of a relationship with him several times throughout the books. Why is everyone saying that the books had no triangle, and that this was a marketing ploy for the movie exclusively? Have you collectively decided to forget the text?

I read them when they came out, while I was a teen, and I still found the romance arc endlessly frustrating and truly anticlimatic. The weakest part of the story. So, I get that Suzanne Collins might have had that intention in mind when writing, but she could have been much more groundbreaking by actually making the romance purely fabricated for the sake of talk shows and sponsors. Instead of dragging that "love triangle and fake relationship but deep down real relationship angst and pining", which really watered down the tone. You can't say there's romance subversion when the romance can be accurately summarized in ao3 tags.

By the way, there is nothing wrong with writing or reading romance. I just cannot for the life of me fathom why so many people are denying its existence in the books, or downplaying its importance in the narrative.