#my take on this series is that the affection can be either romantic or platonic

[pikurelle]

You kmow that scene where Rio is kissing Anzu's forehead, would it be okay if it was replaced done by her female version of Riri instead as a request?

Sure, why not! ^^

I actually wished it had been Riri! No hate to Ryo’s design haha, I just find Riri’s really adorable 💜

[mouschiwrites]

Next part of this series!! Shoutout to the hottie who suggested Young Neil, yk who you are bbg ;) ok I’ll stop being creepy now 😭

Scott Pilgrim - Dating Young Neil Headcanons

You guys met through a mutual friend

They had invited you both to their house to hang out, so you guys were just kind of chilling

Neil was a bit shy at first, but he quickly saw that you were actually really cool

He had way more fun at the hangout because of you; he knew he had to see you again

The more time you spent together, the more Neil started to realize that his infatuation was more than just platonic

So, one day, Neil asks if your next hangout can be a date

He’s sooo nervous and shy about it, but when you say yes he smiles hugely

He goes all-out for your first date: a romantic picnic with flowers and rosé and everything

You guys discover that this, unfortunately, is NOT your vibe

Future dates are much more casual, and consequently much more successful

Just hanging out, doing something mundane like watching movies or playing video games or (trying) to bake cookies—that’s where you guys really connect

Occasionally you will go out together, but it’s never fancy

Dinner and a movie at the most; usually just a concert or a mall trip though

You guys behave a lot like friends, but make no mistake, you’re much more than that

Neil is a touch shy when showing physical affection; but he’s not really opposed to it either

You’ll just have to initiate it if you want something more than a hand on your waist/arm around your shoulders

Because that’s as far as he’ll go; he wants to respect your boundaries

He loves to tell you (and others) how awesome you are, for example

He can and will rant about you for hours

Much to the dismay of his friends

And he loves to do cute couple stuff together, like getting matching onesies or doing face masks

He takes so many pictures…. Even when you’re unaware

If you scroll through his camera roll, you’ll find it to be mostly full of you

Half the pictures are at weird angles, clearly taken in secret

And there’s at least one of you sleeping/napping

He’s not trying to be creepy, he just thinks you look amazing all the time and he wants to remember every time he thinks to himself “wow, they’re gorgeous”

If it wasn’t obvious by now, his love language is quality time

The causal nature of your dates mean that they happen frequently, often on a whim

Neil is always glad to spend time with you, no matter what you’re doing, and no matter how long you’re doing it

Only have five minutes? He’ll take it. You’re filing your taxes? He’ll just play his game boy in the chair next to you; don’t mind him

Nicknames for you include “baby” and “my love”

He likes to be called “handsome,” “big man,” “my love,” or “Neil” (distinct from “Young Neil,” which is what everyone else calls him)

All in all he’s just a sweet guy who loves to chill :]

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!! Take care duckies <33

(divider by saradika)

[yanderes-galore]

I just finished the clone wars now I’m curious how would Yandere platonic anakin react if his friend he knew fromHis Padawan days , left the order ?

I'm not done with the Clone Wars series so sorry if you imagined this taking place at the end of that series- but I have seen the first two prequels which were his Padawan days. I hope what I have down will work :) Sorry this took months to make- I kept it a bit general so there isn't many spoilers for the series.

If things are too OOC, tell me how to improve as I am really new to Star Wars! I'm sorry if I trigger the Star Wars fandom with my lack of knowledge :(.

Yandere! Platonic! Anakin Skywalker with Darling who leaves the order

Pairing: Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Violence, Desperate yandere, Mutual friendship turned forced, Overprotective yandere, Displays of Anakin's corruption, Manipulation, Murder.

For this concept the identity of your Master doesn't really matter.

All that really matters is they probably knew either Qui-Gon Jinn or Obi-Wan Kenobi.

This way you would've met Anakin Skywalker at some point.

Anakin is a very emotionally driven yandere.

In fact this is why he goes to the dark side as Vader eventually.

He tends to get too connected to people, which makes him a danger to others.

Ahsoka, his Padawan, and Padmé, his girlfriend/wife are good examples of this.

Personal connections are forbidden within Jedi.

That never really stopped Anakin from forming close connections, however.

In this concept you are another example of Anakin's emotions driving him.

The friendship between you both is really close.

Your Master was allies and maybe even close friends with his.

As a result you had become well acquainted with Anakin.

While Anakin held romantic feelings for Padmé as a Padawan, he felt he could let loose around you.

Anakin never liked the uptight rules of being a Jedi.

He didn't like it due to many reasons, such as the restrictions on relationships and just... angsty teen reasons.

You two met in your teens and while your Master got along with his, your Master felt Anakin would corrupt you somehow.

You were always warned to not take on Anakin's behavior as your own.

Yet you were more concerned with just relaxing and training with your fellow Padawan.

As with all of his close relationships, Anakin was always very protective over you.

Even during training he didn't entirely like he idea of going all out on you.

Although when you ask for it he relents just so he can say he 'told you so' .

You two share such a strong bond.

Nothing romantic, just one of best friends, maybe even siblings despite you not being related.

Both your Master and his thought your fate with him was intertwined with his...

Yet they dreaded the fact they weren't quite sure how.

Training with Anakin in your Padawan days made you both skilled Jedi.

By the time of the Clone Wars you had matured similar to him.

It surprised you when you learned Anakin had taken in a Padawan, Ahsoka.

You tease him about it sometimes, which causes Anakin to playfully swat at you to stop.

When Ahsoka asks about you Anakin reminisces about your Padawan days with each other and explains you are a friend.

A friend he doesn't think he could live without.

Then there's that fabled day.

The day Anakin got one of the most devastating pieces of news he'd think he'd hear as a Jedi.

You, his closest friend, wanted to leave the Jedi Order.

As the Clone Wars continued on... you decided to rethink your decision.

Your master had passed in battle and you felt a bit alone.

Sure, Anakin was still part of the Order and you could function on your own without your Master... but that wasn't the only issue.

There's reasons and ways a Jedi can quit the Order.

It's not like you can just ask to leave, however.

You are a young Jedi with no wounds that affect your combat ability.

Maybe you had differing beliefs from the Council and Order?

Maybe you had personal connections of your own like Anakin and wanted to leave to pursue those....

Either way you most likely want to go rogue or something and turn your back on your duty.

Something Anakin doesn't approve of, for selfish reasons.

He tries to talk you out of it.

He meets up with you and accuses you.

He admits he loves Padmé to you in private but keeps it secret. If you loved someone too then he suggests doing the same!

He even accuses you of abandoning him.

Does he not matter that much to you!?

He's your best friend! He cares for you!

Yet you want to abandon him your duty?

All of these words are hypocritical and you can sense it.

You two most likely argue heavily, causing your friendship to rift.

In fact, maybe you leaving the order is one of the factors that pushes him to the Dark Side due to his emotions.

He begins to blame you when you leave and go into hiding.

Anakin doesn't understand why you left at first.

Although part of him begins to when he starts giving more and more into the darkness within him.

Anakin may even begin to blame the Council and Order itself for you leaving.

Perhaps even the Republic, too

Ahsoka notices her master has a change in behavior after you left.

He's even more moody than usual.

He's... vulnerable, too.

Ahsoka notices he's trying to be stoic yet feels sad.

Devastated, actually.

Padmé no doubt tries to help Anakin through it.

He's worried for you.

When you were in the Order he was confident he could watch over you.

Now he's sent into a state of constant worry as he can't sense you.

How far out did you go?

After you left the Order you most likely don't meet Anakin for a long time.

He makes it a goal to find you again.

Maybe you meet him when he was still known as Anakin, he can sense you with the Force if he manages to get close to your location.

When he senses you with the Force then he no doubt hunts you down, abandoning any mission he was sent on.

It would be by chance but if he does meet you still as Anakin then he clings to you.

He missed you... he's always missed you.

He wants you to come back with him where he can keep you safe, you refuse.

He doesn't care how long it takes... he's going to try and coax you to stay by him once again.

You're supposed to support each other!

Ever since your Padawan days you've been by his side with a smile.

Why not now?

WHY do you fight him?

Why is he only able to take you with him after he's beaten you in a duel?

Why do you treat him as a monster... he's your friend!

A friend who refuses to leave you alone when you don't wish to be found.

If you had a family of your own there's no doubt Anakin would slaughter them.

He's corrupt and clearly has it in him to kill as he's done so before due to his rage.

After all, your family took you from him.

With them gone, you have no choice but to come with him.

Ahsoka's left horrified when she finds out what he's done.

Anakin doesn't care.

Now it can be just like old times between you.

Then there's if you meet him much later, when he's Vader.

Jedi are his enemy, yet when he meets you all alone...

He remembers you.

He knows you most likely aren't part of any side in this new war, since you left you aren't evil.

He actually praises you for leaving the Republic at least, maybe you knew something he did not?

He doesn't kill you, he spares you.

When you ask why... he says it in the best way he can.

"It's me... Anakin."

No matter how you cross paths again, be it with Anakin or Vader, his goal still stands.

He's found you...

He won't let you ever abandon him again, even if it costs you your life.

[saintsenara]

if you are still doing ship game, thoughts on jily?

thank you very much, anon - i am always taking questions both on romantic ships and on characters' platonic vibes, the more unhinged the better.

although jily can't really be described in those terms, not least because their narrative purpose in canon is to be little more than blank canvases onto which harry can project as he goes through his series-long character arc, shedding his initial hero worship of james when confronted with the reality of his father's behaviour in order of the phoenix and starting both to fully appreciate lily's centrality to the course his life is taking and to see his dad with nuance as a real and fully-rounded person, flaws and all.

this narrative role means that the glimpses we get of them in canon feel kind of superficial - their bantering during snape's worst memory is basically high-school-teen-movie level, the snapshots of their life under lockdown in deathly hallows lovely and bittersweet but also just colour to a storyline which is already all of those things.

and this is not to say that i find jily uninteresting as a ship - i completely reject the common anti-jily position that they didn't really like each other, that they had nothing in common, or that their backgrounds made them incompatible [i'll expand on this below, but while i do think that their respective blood statuses and the impact of these on their relationship are worth thinking about, i loathe fics which portray james as chafing against his marriage because, as a pureblood, he'd be more comfortable with someone 'of his own kind'. this is bullshit, and there's far, far too much of it in this fandom]. my views on one of james' most frequent non-lily partnerships are well known, and i share the outrage many jily fans have for the way lily in particular is treated in a subfandom increasingly dominated by rigid fanon which prioritises giving depth to male characters [even if those characters are, in essence, oc's] and slash relationships over exploring the canon female characters, partnered or not.

but i do also find that a lot of jily falls into the same trap as much of the hinny i dislike - that is, a tendency to present as a sunshine-and-roses fairytale a relationship which is much more interesting if the things which canon implies [and which can be reasonably inferred outside of canon scenes from a canon coherent engagement with the text] might have introduced an element of dysfunction into james and lily's partnership are taken into account.

the shadow of the war is obviously one of these things. what role lily actually plays in the resistance is something which preoccupies me [she is never mentioned in canon to have taken a combat role - and i find it considerably more plausible that any attempt voldemort made to recruit her was at snape's request and connected to her potions prowess] particularly because, as we see in the way her death is memorialised in deathly hallows, the series regards the defence of the integrity of the nuclear family as a key aim for the good guys. how does she interact with james and his wartime role when she's pregnant, nursing, or in hiding for the vast majority of her time in the order? how does she feel about her husband being a soldier if she's behind the scenes?

indeed, what role james [and sirius] plays in the order is also something i'm obsessed with thinking about - not least because so much of the inherent tragedy of the marauders' storyline is caused by the fact that james and sirius think they're fucking invincible and that their plans to keep the potters safe are foolproof. it's entirely reasonable to read james and sirius as being pretty gung-ho about being paramilitaries - and my headcanon is absolutely that more battled-hardened order members didn't like them very much [moody does not, after all, seem massively fond of sirius] - and lily seems affected by this too [she's not holding her wand either!], and what they thought they were doing as 1981 rolls around is compelling to me.

james and lily's divergent backgrounds is also something i'd like to see explored more in fandom - not, as i've said, in the dull 'james should have married a pureblood' way, but in a way which deals with the fact that their relationship follows wizarding norms. molly weasley can blame the war all she likes, but [although i doubt this was jkr's intention] the evidence of canon is that witches and wizards marry and have children extremely young as a social standard, that couples generally don't live together before marriage, that divorce doesn't seem to be common, and that married women tend not to work. lily - a mother at twenty and, therefore, presumably married at nineteen - is coming of age, then, in a magical world which thinks about gender very differently from the muggle world of the 1970s, and i think that tension is worth exploring.

[similarly, the way in which her marriage is self-protective - lily gains a pureblood name and the social cachet which comes with it at a time when she's in rising danger on account of her birth - is something i think it's worth looking at when considering the pairing.]

there are other flashes of dysfuntion which i adore thinking about in relation to jily - lily's relationship with the other marauders [you can pry the reading that sirius resents her for stealing the love of his life - and i certainly don't mean lupin - away from him from my cold, dead hands]; how much of his misbehaviour at school james conceals from her; the fact that lily becoming more overtly interested in james from her sixth year onward must have a little bit of attempting to make snape jealous mixed into it - and whenever i stumble upon them in fics i say oh ho like horace slughorn and kick my little feet in the air.

i care rather less about 'we're so hot and flawless and not doomed' as a trope.

but i do stan james for beefing with vernon dursley even though lily told him to behave. the man really is just that annoying.

[it-happened-one-fic]

Ink and Magic - Tactician of the Scalding Sands

Author Notes: Part 4 of this sort of halfway non canon compliant what if with the overblots and their aftermath! A lot of what I said for part 1 counts for this section too. This isn't exactly romantic. in fact, I would say it counts as more platonic, but it certainly can be taken as shippy. This will also be a series, though the Diasomnia section won't come out until that entire matter is resolved in game. As per usual, reader is gender-neutral. I hope you enjoy!

Spoilers for Book 4: Schemer (Tactician) of the Scalding Sands!

[Heartslabyul] [Savanaclaw] [Octavinelle] [Scarabia: Youre Here!] [Pomefiore] [Ignihyde] [Diasomnia: To be released]

Type: Gender-neutral reader/ fic series/ Can be platonic or romantic/ fluff/ angst/ comfort/ Spoilers for Scarabia overblot.

Word Count: 1809 Words

The blot monster strained upwards, its giant arms reaching up towards the sky, before it burst apart, splattering ink everywhere as Jamil stood, fighting to stay upright even as everything fell around him.

 Scarabia students were collapsing everywhere as his spell gave way under the immense pressure of the blot monster being defeated, but even then Jamil strained against this defeat.

A frustrated cry ripped itself out of him before he spoke; his breathing labored as he slowly began to succumb to exhaustion, “I was finally going to be number one…”

He stumbled forward, his arms trembling as he looked up first at Kalim before he continued, his voice shaking with emotion that he usually restrained, “I was finally going….”

His gaze shifted and his dark eyes met mine, causing me to go still as he held my gaze with an expression that contorted his handsome, but usually neutral, face into an expression that spoke purely of frustrated anguish.

 And that was when I felt it. The familiar pang of sorrow that would spur me forward even as Jamil finished speaking, “To be free….” 

I was in motion before he’d even finished his lament and began to pitch forward toward the floor. Distantly, I heard Kalim cry out something akin to my name, but he went ignored as I rushed towards Jamil’s already limp form.

I caught him in my arms with a grunt, the weight of his plummeting body forcing me to my knees even as Floyd and Jade appeared on either side of us, one’s mismatched gaze meeting mine before a loopy smile curved across his face. Floyd.

I felt arms supporting me from behind as I was eased the rest of the way to the hard ground. And this time, I did briefly fight it.

I didn’t know why this kept happening, but I shared Ace’s concerns about my connecting to each other overblot victims. But it was too late. I was already slipping away into the dark place where all would be explained.

It wouldn’t be long before I learned exactly what had driven Jamil to the breaking point.

But what greeted me wasn’t darkness this time. Instead, I found myself frowning at an unfamiliar room where two easily recognizable boys were playing a game.

A younger version of Kalim looked up, his wide red eyes sparkling as he gazed at Jamil. Even as a child, his face was full of affection and joy as he leaned towards his playmate, “Hey! Let’s play, Jamil! I’m gonna beat you this time for sure!”

The small Jamil let out a sigh, already worn out from playing whatever game it was that Kalim wanted to continue, and let out a tired protest, “This again, Kalim? You know I’m just going to keep winning. Can we play something else instead?”

Kalim hardly had time to react to Jamil’s tired words before the darker-haired boy had received a harsh rebuke from the two adults present, whom I quickly realized were Jamil’s parents. After all, they looked so similar….

“Jamil! Don’t you take that tone with Master Kalim!”

I cringed in sympathy as the woman swatted at Jamil while the man apologized profusely to the young Kalim, who was looking in startled confusion between Jamil and the two adults, “Master Kalim, thank you for playing with our son.”

Kalim looked perfectly confused and startled as Jamil’s mother also turned to him, a nervous smile on her face, “You’re kind enough to share your company. Truly you’ve been brought up well.”

The woman had barely finished speaking before I heard Jamil’s voice from right next to me, just like the other overblot victims had been when I’d seen their memories. 

“My very first memory as a child was seeing my family bow before Kalim and his parents. I couldn't stand the sight of it.”

His tone was calm, just as I was so used to hearing it be. But what progressed through his memories and narration was deeply entrenched resentment. All towards the cheerful boy who called Jamil his best friend.

It made me wonder exactly how much of who I’d been interacting with was the real Jamil and how much was carefully faked. But in the end, no one could be as calm and unperturbed as Jamil had pretended to be.

I listened and watched patiently, though, learning about Jamil and Kalim’s shared past scene by scene of this odd black-and white-film made up of Jamil’s memories.

Apparently Jamil had been forced to always be second best…

And in many ways, his frustrations reminded me of Leona’s, save for the fact that Leona’s dissatisfaction seemed… Well, more aged. 

Plus, unlike Jamil, Leona’s trouble seemed to be more fueled by the fact he couldn’t succeed. Jamil, on the other hand, seemed more upset that he couldn’t show his numerous skills and talents. Instead, he always had to let Kalim shine while he remained in the background. A vigilant shadow to Kalim’s brightly shining presence.

And perhaps all of it was made worse by the fact that Jamil’s bitterness was tainted by what I could see was clearly genuine affection.

It was obvious from his voice and their interactions that, despite everything, Jamil really did care for Kalim. And how could he not when I could quite literally see the amount of love Kalim held for his retainer?

He was frustrated because Kalim was what was holding him back, and it was obvious that he desperately wanted to hate Kalim. It was also obvious, though, that Jamil deeply cared for the young man who was always cheerful and supportive of him, even if Kalim didn’t realize that he was the one holding Jamil back.

As scenes of Kalim repeatedly talking about how Jamil was the one he trusted most, Jamil’s facade started to crack.

“We’ll keep helping each other out, Jamil!”

The break was restrained at first, with only a slight bit of tenseness to Jamil’s voice as he spoke, “Stop.”

But Kalim didn’t stop. He couldn’t hear Jamil, and he couldn’t see what he was putting his retainer through as he smiled sunshine through each memory. 

And then the last one came. Different from the others in that Kalim was actually showing some seriousness towards his friend, as he smiled in an almost sad way that clearly spoke of how much he meant the words that came from his mouth.

“I know you’d never betray me, Jamil.”

There was no restraint this time as Jamil almost screamed his response, his voice cracking with weighty emotion as he all but pleaded with Kalim, “Just stop!”

I almost grimaced at the raw pain in his voice. Because, as much as he might like to pretend otherwise, I could clearly hear it in his voice and see it in his memories. Jamil didn’t hate Kalim. He may want to, but he couldn’t bring himself to.

And the fact that he couldn’t truly hate Kalim made his situation that much worse.

After all, just like so many adults had said in Jamil’s memories, Jamil was clever. He knew Kalim wasn’t really at fault. Rather, it was the situation.

“Kalim, your mere existence means that I…. I… I have to live my whole life deferring to you!”

I almost flinched at his yell, directed at nothing as the black and white image of Kalim faded out so that now only darkness was visible as Jamil finally broke down.

But I understood it now. Jamil was wracked with guilt, frustration, and pent-up hatred that he couldn’t direct at anyone.

By the end of the narration, Jamil had almost completely broken. 

The last thing I heard was his quiet, broken voice from out of the darkness yet from right beside me, where I couldn’t see him, “I… Even I… I wanted to be number one, too.”

My eyes flew open as I inhaled in slight surprise at the bright lights overhead, and the first thing I heard was Kalim sobbing Jamil’s name and Grim grumbling about something. 

Jamil didn’t wake up immediately, though, and I slowly realized that I was lying on the floor with his arms wrapped loosely around me. 

I pushed myself up, my arms still trembling ever so slightly as I shifted into a sitting position, unable to fully extract myself from Jamil’s hold.

“Ah, Angelish, you’re awake,” Azul's voice came from behind me, but he soon stepped around me. Causing me to look up at him as Floyd and Jade slowly slipped away from Kalim’s side, where he knelt next to Jamil.

Azul’s gaze flickered between me and Jamil before at last coming to rest on me, “So, did it happen with him too?”

I nodded silently, looking down at Jamil’s peacefully slumbering face before speaking quietly, “Yeah… I saw everything.”

Azul pursed his lips at my soft words but straightened, beckoning Jade and Floyd over, “We monitored you while you were out. While we couldn’t wake you, you also didn’t seem to be in any danger. However, it did seem like you were enchanted or something.”

I opened my mouth to respond, half-touched that the three of them had kept a check on me, but I stopped as Jamil groaned slightly and rolled over, one arm sliding off my lap while the other remained curled around where I sat.

“Where am I?” He even sounded groggy as his eyes flickered open and, surprisingly, quickly, landed on me.

I smiled slightly at him as he slowly sat up, his eyes widening as soon as he spotted me before he frowned and a guarded expression appeared on his face.

And he wore that same frown and kept glancing my way during the entire, lengthy explanation. In fact, it wasn’t until Kalim offered to be equals with him and suggested that the two of them should start off as friends once more that Jamil’s focus finally left me so that he could tear into Kalim.

I cringed in sympathy for the pale-haired boy, but I also couldn’t say that I was upset to see Jamil finally letting loose.

After seeing his memories, I’d been concerned about the two young men’s relationship and had wondered how they would move forward. Being totally clear with Kalim would be necessary, and, unfortunately, that would mean Jamil snapping at him sooner or later. 

And, as soon as Jamil’s gaze met mine after telling Kalim that he wasn’t going to hold back anymore and would never throw another competition again, a small part of me wondered if he somehow knew about my concerns.

But my worries about him and Kalim weren’t the only thing on my mind. The more it happened, the more I was beginning to wonder what it was that drew me to these young men who overblotted and why I got to see their memories and hear their thoughts.

[aro-comics]

Growth (Part 3)

Growth, 3/3 - And … with that, we finish off yet another series 🐸🐸 I hope y’all enjoyed the ride, I know it’s been a long wait for this, but I really wanted to take my time and craft this comic and what I had to say with it (and also take my time with these last few greenhouse scenes haha).

I don’t think the ways in which amatonormativity affects us has been explored as much, since our awareness of the topic is so new. Or at the very least, I haven’t seen much discussion and I feel like we’re all just taking stabs at it atm. So here’s my take, it’s something I’ve reflecting on for quite some time, and I hope you’ve found it interesting too.

Also, this is less relevant to aromanticism, but I wanted to sign off on this: I know growing up I really clung to the idea of finding the *right* relationship, romantic or not, to be this kind of … magical key, to fixing many of my personal problems. But as I’ve learned through my own experiences, sometimes all you really need is the time and space to rest, to recover, and the will to try again at the end of the day (or the next morning, or whenever your strength returns).

If love and relationships have been the key to your healing and growth – fantastic! I’m genuinely so happy for you, and I think that is beautiful. But to anyone that needs to hear it, you can be fine too without. Your growth can be something that you shape and lead, and for what it’s worth. I think you will find at the end of the day the path you carve for yourself will be beautiful in its own ways, too.

Image Description:

Slide 1: Celia shrugs “Overall, I think it’s just that society puts a lot of emphasis on celebrating growth in relation to romantic love.”

Slide 2: “It’s all too common for me to hear people talk about how someone became nicer after they’ve found “the one”, how much better they are with a lover than without”

A younger Celia is shown studying as she listens to her parents converse. They say:

“You remember [redacted]?”

“Yeah”

“Yeah, he finally got a girlfriend and its like he did a complete 180 as a person. He’s so much nicer and more patient now …”

Slide 3: Celia says “ – and as an aro, I just … wish that there was just as much focus, and celebration, for the ways people grow in the absence of romance, or any kind of relationship.”

Slide 4: “Because that family friend was wrong.”

Slide 5: “I did grow, past the lack of confidence and the so-called shyness, all of these traits that supposedly I would have gotten as a part of falling in love.”

A pot of ferns is drawn growing, unfurling, reaching towards the top of the panel.

Slide 6: “I became strong, confident. More patient and kind and understanding than I had ever been, all of these traits that supposedly would have been the rewards of love,”

Celia sits in her gardening attire. From her hand floats a fern unfurling, with sparkles in the background.

Slide 7: “Except I didn’t fall in love. I wasn’t motivated by any person, romantically or platonically or otherwise. And as much as I wish it was because I embraced self-love … it actually wasn’t either.

I grew because I had finally been given enough space to heal from what had been hurting me back then. And because I wanted to.”

Slide 8: “People love to say that everyone eventually blooms in the presence of “true love”, but I’ve always disagreed. Celia is illustrated talking to a blank person, from which a speech bubble shows a flowering plant. Celia says “I don’t agree”.

Slide 9: Back in the greenhouse, Celia is shown watering plants as the sun shines behind her. “In nature, not every plant flowers.”

Slide 10: “And those plants are no less beautiful for it.”

Shot pans out into the wider greenhouse, an array of nonflowering plants depicted around Celia as she stands with her watering can. The afternoon sun pours into the building, illuminating her and her surroundings.

[jollysunflora]

Have figured romantic and familial relationships ala the quadrant system from homestuck including my take on leprechaun romance. I spent entirely too long on these but please tell me what y'all think! Info is also below the cut for screen readers. Please credit if you use any of the ones I made…

An important note: Any of the romantic ones can involve intimacy/sex or not it depends on the relationship in question. Regarding both soulmate and foundmate relationships if it is an adult and a child the bond is always a familial one. Any of the relationships can be monogamous or polyamorous. Many bonds also may start as found but turn into soul over time via white/prism or red/heart. There are also many that have both involved (such as Ben Solo and Rey from the Star Wars sequel series being both “love/affection”/matesprits (soulmates) and “we can be great together”/ambitners (foundmates).

Each bond has a hue/flavor adjective, a hex code for the color and meanings listed.

Any of the bonds can include/start as platonic feelings/friendship because friendship is just that versatile. Technically any of the romance can be found or oul mate thee are jut general rules. However, familial relationships are separate from the romantic ones. (mint and star don't mix because one is familial and one is romantic, etc)

~

Romantic Soulmates (instant connection)

Matespritship (mate + esprit)/Heart: red (#FF0000) can be either soul (instant connection) or found (bond formed over time). Is flush and symbolizes “love/affection” and pertains to romance, though it shares territory with sellove due to being a symbol of love/affection in general no matter the type of bond.

Moirallegiance (Moira/fated + allegiance)/Diamond: pink (#FFC0CB) Is pale and can be seen even among family members because there is white/prism in it. It means “to have a best friend”.

Rhympatible (rhyme + compatible)/Balloon: fuchsia (#FF00FF) It is smooth and the meaning is “like attracts like”.

Starverence (star + reverence)/Star: orange (FFA500) Is bright and means a “celebrity or heroic crush turned to love”, or “pure admiration”.

Repotract (repair + contract)/Moon: yellow (#FFFF00) is dappled, like moonlight reflected in clear water. It means “mentor and student” and a good example of this would be Aang and Katara from Avatar: the Last Airbender especially in season 2.

Pursuitance (pursuit + romance)/Pot of Gold: gold (#FFD700) is shiny and symbolizes the “thrill of the chase”.

Appreagnetism (appreciate + magnetism)/Clover: green (#3CB043) is lush and symbolizes “a breath of fresh air”.

Shelender (shelter + tender)/Rainbow: blue (#0000FF) is cozy and means “nurturer and nurtured”. It also tends to be very cuddly.

Gambolship (gambol + relationship)/Horseshoe: purple (#A020F0) is cheeky and means “partner in mischief”. Sirius Black and James Potter would be a good example of this, even if they don’t end up together romantically.

Kismesissitude (kismet/fated + nemesis)/Fleur De Lis: black (#000000) is pitch and means “to have a number one rival”. The spades seen in homestuck canon are…not healthy. I chose the fleur de lis because it symbolizes french royalty and a proper rival makes you want to be the best version of yourself. (The spade from homestuck I thought about for a long time and figured that it symbolizes the toxic relationships like Gamzee/Terezi or Spades Slick/Black Queen. Aka plenty on Alternia but it’s not how proper kismesissitudes are supposed to be. An example of a good nonintimate/no sex involved kismesissitude is Goku/Vegeta from Dragonball Z. One that could involve intimacy/sex should they get together would be Seto Kaiba/Yami Yuugi if the latter had his own body.)

Auspisticism (auspicious + allegiance)/Club: gray (#808080) is ashen and means “keeps the peace”. Usually at least 3 or more involved in some way, so a lot of OT3s fit into this I’d think.

Diametrothal (diamond + betrothal)/Spiral: silver (#C0C0C0) is curly and means “opposites attract”.

Romantic Foundmates (bond formed over time)

Ambitnership (ambitious + partner)/Infinity: crimson (#DC143C) is ruddy and means “we can be great together”. Another example of this pair aside from Reylo is Sephiroth and Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy 7.

Belovant (beloved + confidant)/Circle: carmine (#960018) is elite and means “in my inner circle”. This one makes me think of the Inquisitor with their romantic interest at the end of Dragon Age: Inquisition, as well as any video game protagonist with their main love interest.

Fitteure (fitted +treasure)/Music Note: ginger (#BE5504) is lyrical and means “ lets make music together”.

Shomradeship (sharing + comrade)/Flag: bronze (#CD7F32) is solid and means “under the same flag”. The Summoner and Marquise Spinneret Mindfang are like this.

Miavity (mixed + gravity)/Looped Arrow: dijon (#C49102) is heady and means “we circle each other”.

Esseond (essential + bond)/Upside Down Triangle: goldenrod (#DAA520) is classy and means “vital member of the team”.

Enlightace (enlightening + embrace)/Lightbulb: tuscany (#FCD12A) is sheer and means “you inspire me”. Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuuga from Naruto are a good example of this type.

Aortimith (aortic + locksmith)/Key: asparagus (#7BA05B) is firm and means “you have the key to my heart”.

Invignon (invigorating + companion)/Paw Print: juniper (#3A5311) is wild and means “you bring out the animal in me”.

Dialorum (dialogue + forum)/Speech Bubble: dark green (#466D1D) is gabby and means “we can talk for hours”.

Pamurse (pamper + nurse)/Medical Cross: basil (#32612D) is gratis and means “I’ll take care of you”.

Genespoil (generous + spoil)/Gift: mantis (#74C365) is lavish and means “I want to spoil you”.

Uplifer (uplifting + rescuer)/Flotation Ring: aqua (#08787F) is stalwart and means “I’ll always rescue you”.

Speciour (specific + amour/love)/Magnifying Glass: sea (#3C9992) is plucky and means “we can always find each other”. Ruby and Sapphire from Steven Universe have this type of bond.

Heroier (heroic + musketeer)/Quatrefoil: prussian (#003153) is hardy. It means “all for one and one for all”.

Sincerort (sincere + comfort)/Tear Drop: yale (#0E4D92) is mushy and represents “you can cry on my shoulder”.

Protelief (protective + relief)/Umbrella: cobalt (#0020C2) is stout and means “get under my umbrella”.

Nomadus (nomadic + locus)/Arrow: egyptian (#1034A6) is astute and symbolizes “looking towards the same direction”.

Stronst (strong + boost)/Dumbbell: eminence (#613385) is hale and means “bringing out each others’ strength”.

Chivard (chivalric + guard)/Shield: mauve (#D7A1F9) is adamant and means “I will protect you”.

Excitark (exciting + spark)/Lightning Bolt: jam (#A50B5E) is electric and means ‘you have my attention".

Twiame (twin + flame)/Flame: eggplant (#311465) is sassy and symbolizes “you light a fire in me”.

Compatony (compatible + symphony)/Heart Monitor Line: wine (#722F37) is rhythmic and means “we’re on the same wavelength”.

Cheresire (cherished + desire)/Target: maroon (#800000) has a sharp hue/flavor and means “you’re on my radar”. It can also be represented by the eyes emoji (👀).

Familial Soulmates (instant connection)

Deromise (depths + promise)/Hands Shaking: scarlet (#FF2400) is thick and symbolizes “the blood of the covenant”.

Enerfaction (energizing + satisfaction)/Whoosh: sunshade (#FFAD33) is swift and means “cool breeze in the summer”.

Thundise (thundering + surprise)/Sideways Lightning Bolt: lemon (#FAFA33) is shocking and means “shock to the system”.

Melequality (mellow + equality)/Rocking Chair: pear (#D1E231) is mellow and it means “you help me relax”.

Strision (striking + expression)/Harlequin (#3FFF00) is vivid and means “lets make a mark”.

Swiftation (swift + collaboration)/Trophy: malachite (#0BDA51) is nimble and means “teamwork makes the dream work”.

Thrillpade (thrilling + escapade)/Pair of Dice: cyan (#00FFFF) is flashy and means “you challenge me”.

Pricynergy (priceless + synergy)/Oyster with Pearl: cerulean (#2A52BE) is precious and means “little things matter”.

Wonderisity (wonder + diversity)/Four Pointed Star: cornflower (#6593F5) is quirky and means “understanding differences”.

Stantment (standards + commitment)/Prize Ribbon: wisteria (#BDB5D5) is robust and means “defining my expectations”.

Intuiding (intuitive + understanding)/Telescope: orchid (#DA70D6) is nifty and means “you get me”. I maintain the theory that Hans and Anna from Frozen were actually this and not romantically inclined and were instead trying to conform to heteronormative expectations.

Ascendity (ascending + nobility)/Crown: cerise (#DE3163) is silky and symbolizes “you make me feel like royalty”.

Familial Foundmates (bond formed over time)

Merndred (merrymaking + kindred)/Theater Comedy Mask: bubblegum (#FFC1CC) is fresh and symbolizes “it’s always fun when I’m with you”. King Bumi and Avatar Aang are a good representation of this bond.

Simnection (similar + connection)/Peach: deep peach (#FFCBA4) is ripe and represents “two of a kind”. Despite being depicted as reincarnations of one another, I think that Princess Serenity and Usagi Tsukino as well as Prince Endymion and Mamoru Chiba are examples of this type of bond. It’s very specific and thus not very common.

Idylarmth (idyllic + warmth)/Daisy: daisy (#F8DC75) is pastoral and symbolizes “a ray of sunshine”.

Imprelight (impressive + delight)/Honeycomb: honeydew (#DBDDBD) is sweet and represents “you blow me away”.

Stylisel (stylish + parallel)/Candy: mint (#3EB489) is chill and personifies “cool and refreshing”. This style of relationship makes me think of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan from the Twilight franchise-if yknow it wasn’t a toxic dumpster fire. I also believe that a lot of familial relationships are mistaken to be romantic or vice versa the other way around due to issues with any number of those involved.

Thriream (thrifty + dream)/Spiral Shell: seafoam (#3DED97) is billowy and symbolizes “want to be part of your world”.

Elegaty (elegant + tranquility)/Lotus: lilac (#C8A2C8) is ethereal and symbolizes “tranquil and free”.

Spontanial (spontaneous + special)/Snowflake: periwinkle (#CCCCFF) is graceful and represents “pristine and clear”.

Growflection (growing + reflection)/Stalks of Wheat: wheat (#F5DEB3) is keen and symbolizes “we flourish more when we’re together”.

Enthusivel (enthusiastic + marvel)/Sand Castle: sand (#C2B280) is bouncy and represents “you make me feel so alive”.

Playment (playful + agreement)/Pair of Marbles: cloud (#C5C6D0) is jolly and means “forever a good time”.

Healthern (healthy + pattern)/Dew On a Leaf: mist (#C9D3D7) is crisp and symbolizes “the brightness of morning”.

Other Bonds

Sellove (selfless + love)/Prism: white (contains all colors) (#FFFFFF) can be either soul (instant connection) or found (bond formed over time). is referred to as serene flavor or hue. Aka a bond beyond description. The Signless and the Disciple would fit into this category.

Any Other Notes

I still have a lot of examples missing from the types of relationships, so any input would be appreciated!

[hey-scully-itsme]

My husband and I are watching X-Files again and are debating and I wanna know your opinion. Is Skinner romantically in love with Mulder and Scully or does he loves them like a father/a general sort of love.

please know that this ask absolutely made my day. i would've answered it sooner except that real-world things unfortunately prevented me from doing my very favorite thing: giving my opinion, at length. thank you for asking me to weigh in on your marital debate.

So, when it comes to interpreting ambiguous relationships or events in any canon i don't usually settle on any one interpretation. this is because i like to be able to argue either side,* a habit with which i was cursed after my parents, unaware of the monster they were creating, signed me up for a high school debate club. that said, here's my take:

I love the reading that skinner is romantically in love with mulder and scully. unspoken ambiguous love is basically the show's whole deal so throwing skinner into the acts-of-service soup that creates adds spice to the whole thing.

i hadn't put a lot of direct thought into skinner's character before this ask but i do think he provides a fun contrast to both mulder and scully. they devote themselves to causes and people, wholeheartedly and with only a few reservations, whereas skinner, for most of his career, has been trying to walk the line and play both sides, as he says in S.R. 819. we know, though, that he used to be the same kind of passionate, active person that mulder and scully are, given what he says about his choice to volunteer for vietnam in One Breath.

i think mulder reminds him of who he used to be and scully is in some ways the ideal skinner strives for. plenty there for respect and admiration to grow into something else! his protectiveness of both of them can also lend itself to a romantic interpretation.

while their relationship stays very professional ('yes sir' and 'agents' and all that) over the course of the series those formalities start to feel similar to the way mulder and scully still address each other by their surnames, habit-as-affection/familiarity.

additionally, if we accept the reading (which i've occasionally seen elsewhere) that skinner is in love with, or at the very least interested in, scully, we can extrapolate from that that he's unlikely to openly pursue a relationship with either. he doesn't seem the type to make his feelings other people's problems and he also seems to keep very much to himself, emotionally speaking, which really piles on the ambiguity. he absolutely could care about them in an entirely platonic way and it would look more or less the same from the outside, i suspect.

all that to say, i very much think that within the text of the show it could go either way, which is very fun and also does not answer your question! hope this helps!

TL;DR: yes.

[annamarielabeau]

MCU Phase 4 ships I hope to see have some outcome.

Druig/Makkari-My favorite Marvel ship EVER!!! Like, seriously I want someone to love me the way Druig loves Makkari. Barry Keoghan and Lauren Ridloff just have amazing chemistry, need I say more. Whether it’s in a movie sequel or prequel series I just hope to see more of them being a power couple, working together more, I just want them to have more screen time than they did in the first movie, they’re so sweet! 

Sersi/Ikaris and Thena/Gilgamesh-If there’s ever more Eternals content, I would like to have a prequel series about the Eternals time on Earth to better understand the characters and the relationships. Ikaris and Sersi included. I was moved by their little moment at the end of the movie but I just want more of them to understand the severity of the scene a bit more. Thena and Gilgamesh, I tbh only see as a purely platonic friendship, but if it wasn’t that works just as well. Again with a prequel series of some kind we could see more of them together and understand the reason why Gil chose to take care of Thena. (Plus Don Lee did say he signed up for more than one Marvel project so.....)

Sersi/Dane-They were very cute together, whatever is in store for them I’m on board 100%!! 

Xu Xialing/Katy Chen-I don’t really ship these two but I can see it work. One’s the love-able dork and the other is just a bad-ass. Friends to lovers, yes! 100%

Maya Lopez/Kazi Kazimierczak-Like Gil and Thena this could very well be a platonic friendship or a romantic relationship. (The scene when Kazi is patching up her wounds tho and how Maya dressed up when she went to fight him like?!) Either way they definitely have a history together. As shown in the deleted scene for Hawkeye, I’m not sure if he’s actually dead. (95% sure he is) Whether or not he is blah blah I want to see maybe one flashback scene of them in the Echo series or how his death affects or affected Maya. 

Thor/Mighty Thor (Jane Foster)-Love and Thunder wasn’t one of my absolute favorite phase 4 movies ever but I liked this “remedy” of their relationship. The “Our Last Summer” monologue was so funny and served as a great way for the audience to understand the importance of their love etc. Jane is obviously dead, died a warrior’s death, she’s now in Vahalla. I don’t know how but at some point I just want Jane and Thor to reunite, even if it’s just for a moment. 

Wong/Sara-Not too many people know about this one I’m sure and Sara for those who don’t know Sara is the one who destroyed the Darkhold, then sacrificing herself. Again with the platonic or romantic relationship question. I think it can be seen as either of them. They might have had some history together. But the moment they had together before Sara sacrificed herself and how she touched Wong’s cheek, so sweet!

Doctor Strange/Clea-I don’t know anything about them in the comics other than at some point they get married and Clea is Dormammu’s niece. But if they get together, I’m down, I kind of just want Stephen to be happy. 

Peter Parker/MJ Waston-These two are so cute!! They deserve the world. I don’t think they’ll ever be together again which is probably for best since for the moment, they seemed to have set up a Tobey Maguire Spiderman self discovery arc for Peter. But somehow I’d love to see MJ and Peter reunite. 

Kamala Khan/Bruno Carrelli-Now Kamala Khan has a few potential love interests as she does in the comics. I’m not getting ahead of myself, there’s only been one season so far, (season 2! season 2!!!) I’m team Bruno. But if they ever get together, I’d rather see more of their backstory and more of them together. 

King Valkyrie/Captain Marvel-This ship has been around for a while and I know there has been a rumor of Valkyrie being in The Marvels because of the deleted Insta post, posted by Zenobia Shroff. I’d wouldn’t mind this at all. Kevin Feige said “Every King needs a Queen” I want to see more of Valkyrie’s bisexuality expressed.

Loki/Sylvie-I mean I don’t care either way if they end up together, I’m not uncomfortable that they’re their both Loki’s, they’re from different universes so, not that bad? When it comes to their future, I don’t see them actually end up together, for Loki season 2, they’re probably just going to ignore their history and work together, maybe flirt a bit a little on the way. 

Jack Russell/Elsa Bloodstone-I sensed a bit of romantic vibes between them, I have no idea when or if we’ll ever see them again but I kind of just want Jack to show up and see Elsa again while she’s basically creating a new legacy of her family’s name and stopping monster hunting etc. 

Jennifer Walters/(She-Hulk)Matthew Murdock(Daredevil)-Whatever happens for these two crime fighting lawyers, I’m down. They had amazing chemistry in the show and I liked it because Jen met someone who made her happy. 

Ayo/Aneka-I didn’t know this but they are a couple in the comics, this is briefly represented in the movie. Like Ayo saying “I told you not to bring the daggers” and then Aneka kissing her head towards the end of the movie. I just want to see more of these beautiful warrior women enjoying their lives in their lakefront house. Make it happen Disney Plus!!!

Shuri/M’Baku-There’s not a lot of hype around this ship, some fanfics. After seeing Wakanda Forever I just felt some romantic vibes between them. I don’t see them becoming anything. But I just liked throughout this movie Shuri and M’Baku are just these two leaders doing what’s best by their people, Shuri is struggling and receives some council from M’Baku. Even if there’s nothing romantic between them I still appreciate the respect they have for each other. 

[captain-astors]

01 Tokis Ghoul :)))

Awful takes ahoy

Favorite character:

It changes frequently but Takizawa has permanent residence in at least the top 3. Recently I've been liking Shikorae.

Least Favorite character:

I've mentioned that the worst offense a character can make is being boring. So I probably don't remember them at all, but of the ones I do know :re Touka. She's so sadly bland and it just feels like her personality hasn't been developed just taken down a couple notches. I like her so much! I don't like what was done with her.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): Oh god, in no particular order:

If I had to pick one of the big three kaneki ships: Shuuneki. shuunaki because I read a couple good fics, utaren's very interesting to me romantically and platonically, I heard of Eto Itori and Rize once and it's lived in my mind since. And then one of my many rarepairs that will seem weird or outright nonsensical is furushuu. I won't bother attempting to explain, I'd get nowhere, but if you were me it'd seem so interesting I promise. My favorite genre for all of these except for itorizeto (of which I just think they should conquer the world, the way their names connect so easily makes me happy. They're entirely there if you look at them individually, but as a whole they also overlap with each other!) is one-sided affection. I'm a fan of pining.

Character I find most attractive: 

I've never really sat back and gone "wow that is a pretty person" while reading Tokyo Ghoul. The closest I've gotten was seeing an Ayato cosplayer just pick up a person and carry them, matsumae for a moment, and when I first got into the series, Shuu.

Character I would marry: 

Kanae.

Character I would be best friends with:

Kanae, Kurona, and Nishiki seem cool but they'd hate my guts! Anyone that comes to mind first as an interesting as a friend would probably want me dead, So Hanbee or Koori. They could learn to tolerate me.

a random thought:

When tumblr starts being thirsty over “that old man” I do think of Kureo Mado (Akira’s dad) I Am Sorry. I will not change.

An unpopular opinion:

This fandom is too dead for me to know what a popular opinion is so: Kaneki isn't that interesting after the tsukiyama extermination arc, and Touka's speech to him when he came back to Anteiku did literally nothing. Touka and Hide's influence gives Kaneki brief moments of clarity before doing something stupid that'll hurt people, and then he does the stupid thing that'll hurt people anyways but we should root for him anyways because he's thinking of them... Is suppose.

My Canon OTP:

This is a funny one because I am either neutral or outright annoyed by most canon ships. I guess Nishikimi, they support and love each other and Kimi’s character couldn’t be assassinated to love a man because it was a quality of her personality from the beginning, and even if :re doesn’t devote too much time to her she’s still an influential and decent character.  

My Non-canon OTP: 

I kind of ship almost anything that drifts my way a little bit and nothing passionately. You could give me any of the ones I've mentioned and 50% of those I haven't and I'd go "yeah sure that one"

Most Badass Character:

ETO YOSHIMURA MY EVERYTHING, I don’t care how many times Kaneki changes his hair color she is unmatched.

Most Epic Villain:

Furuta and his weird methods. It’s unfortunate we never got a real idea of how strong he is because kingneki got a final form complete with religious imagery to crush the sinner! And barely took a scratch that entire fight. Seriously if the early confrontation with an aggressive bisexual with a poorly thought out plan trying to eat your main character is more intense than the final fight of the series with a character who’s a living manifestation of all of the issues that characters in this series suffer from, both on the receiving and giving end, I feel like it’s all gone off the deep end.

Pairing I am not a fan of:

The two weirdly-prevalent-in-the-old-fandom cousin pairings. Yes the one-sided attraction is canon, they’re still cousins and I don’t like it when that obsession is romanticized even when rewritten to be “ethical” otherwise. Unhealthy pairings can be interesting if handled well but they’re also related. But if you want my petty "nothing wrong with this the vibes just aren't it" answer, Hinami and Ayato.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another):

Is all of them an option. Mostly joking but really, so many of them never got a good resolution or were straight up abandoned by the narrative but it's okay because look! Main character got a happy family! Not sure how because from the state we saw him in earlier I don't think he's fit to have a stable friendship let alone a wife and two kids but alright I guess kisses cure issues. I feel the worst for Takizawa, Furuta, Shuu, and Mutsuki currently because I'm thinking about how they never got a good resolution.

Favourite Friendship:

I’m making it friendshipS because there is no way I could limit myself to just 1, Chie and Tsukiyama, Shikorae and Takizawa, the clowns in general, the quinx squad in general, and I know it's not nearly canon but Furuta and Eto were made enemies BECAUSE GOD WAS AFRAID OF WHAT THEY WOULD ACHIEVE IF THEY WERE FRIENDS. I like to ponder the mischief and mind games that would ensue they're so awful.

Character I most identify with:

Oh I'm not self aware enough for this one assign me a person if you wish! I've been made to take quiz things a few times and I believe my results from those have been taki, kuki, and furuta but I don't trust my reading comprehension skills, the quiz makers opinions, or my own answers enough to trust that.

Character I wish I could be:

If we're just talking abilities, Shikorae. If you mean "You literally have to become them", unfortunately how fun it would be to play their role comes hand in hand with trauma, Touma Higemaru perhaps. Bikakus are my favorite kind of Kagune, and he's a pretty blank slate. I could do a lot, anyone with more intrigue ends up dead or completely alone.

I had a lot of fun with this one.

[starblaster]

Hello! I’m not too caught up on murderbot, a series I haven’t gotten into yet.

Could I have some context on the book compared to the fanbase? Thank you, I love your posts :]

all you really need to know is that there are pockets/circles of people in the fandom who have terminal fandom brainrot which causes them to justify the erasure of character traits, particularly in murderbot and perihelion, for the sake of writing fanfiction and creating other highly out-of-character fan content.

full disclosure, i myself am an autistic survivor of sexual, physical, and emotional trauma. so, yes, this is highly personal and i take it very personally.

and i also want to note that murderbot, in-text, is never explicitly stated to be the labels "asexual" or "aromantic" or "aplatonic" (nor "agender" either, and you could make the case that murderbot's identity is undeclared (1) (2) — another identity that receives hardly any representation, fiction or otherwise) but there is a lot of textual evidence that murderbot is viscerally sex and romance repulsed, as well as touch-averse and averse to most platonic affection, including the words like "relationship" and "friend" or "friendship", using the term "friend" incredibly sparingly, like i do as a post-trauma aplatonic person. we know these things as facts, presented in the text. so it is especially bizarre that people would insist that, for example, "actually since murderbot is asexual i as an arospec asexual get to decide that murderbot is actually sex-favorable and romance-favorable and i'm going to interpret its touch-aversion as a flaw and i'm going to write a fic where gurathin (of all people) fixes that." as if that isn't horrifying, and honestly indicative of a person's lack of understanding of other peoples' boundaries.

being sex-repulsed is not a flaw that needs to be fixed. being romance-repulsed is not a flaw that needs to be fixed. being touch-averse is not a flaw that needs to be fixed. being aplatonic is not a flaw that needs to be fixed. the murderbot diaries books have never implied that these things are 'flaws' in murderbot that 'need to be fixed' and, yet, time and time again you'll see fanfiction penned by murderbot fans in which they explicitly frame it this way, and they justify doing so by saying (among other things) that they are 'projecting' onto murderbot, that they themselves are aroace and they're fine with romance so they'll 'let murderbot have romantic interactions' with another character despite how utterly distressed it would be, and how much of a literal assault that would be to canon murderbot.

and gee, it's almost like murderbot shares a lot of traits with trauma survivors (you know, because it is one), like how survivors of sexual assault can be sex-repulsed and romance-repulsed... like, wow, it's almost as if its preferences are not simply because it is aroace or simply because it's autism-coded but because it is a fucking trauma survivor! like it's all of these things! picking and choosing which of these things to 'read' for ignores whole chunks of murderbot's character. remember what it told us in all systems red? "It’s wrong to think of a construct as half bot, half human. It makes it sound like the halves are discrete, like the bot half should want to obey orders and do its job and the human half should want to protect itself and get the hell out of here. As opposed to the reality, which was that I was one whole confused entity"?

you cannot just say "fuck you" to canon all the time no matter what. it's an irresponsible way to examine a piece of media. the way this kind of attitude is fostered in fandom spaces is disturbing to me, primarily because it is downright disrespectful to the source material and what it represents.

i am issuing a content warning for commentary regarding sexual assault below the cut, it is pertinent to my comment above about murderbot and canon and sexual assault survival, but also contains the rest of my answer to this ask:

it would not be a stretch to think it might be possible that murderbot itself has endured sexual harassment or assault from humans. its internal commentary about sexbots, the purpose of sexbots/comfortunits, and talking about their functions in opposition to itself, combined with other comments about being asked to do things that do not meet its designation as a secunit (such as tidying/cleaning up after humans).

i will accept that this is conjecture and based on nothing entirely concrete, but i am interpreting this as a possibility from my own experiences as a sexual assault survivor (and speaking from the perspective of a sex worker who has encountered and been on the receiving end of this specific type of anger and frustration murderbot has for sexbots early on); the way that it comments aggressively about things related to sex and comfortunits imply how adamant it is for people to understand that it is not a comfortunit, it is not a sexbot, it is repulsed and triggered by sex, it is repulsed and triggered by romance. much like other references to its traumas, it does the survivor-typical thing and avoids mentioning names, avoids topics, avoids its triggers as much as it can, and insists upon its preferences repeatedly. it's not hiding these facts about itself away.

so when people overlook this, that fandom behavior comes off as negligent. it tells me that people have not been reading the source material very closely at all. it tells me that people are only willing to relate to murderbot insofar as they themselves can personally know what it has experienced.

except not everything you fucking read has to be about you. "relatability" does not a good protagonist make. unfortunately, that's just about all that people with fandom brainrot give a shit about. unless, god forbid, a trauma survivor reading these books also shares murderbot's strong repulsions to sex and romance and feels defensive. in which case the fandom-brain idiots go "well we all interpret murderbot in our own special ways".

it stops being interpretation when you're just erasing the character. i just wish people would accept that.

[azulawriting]

I’m ambivalent on the ship wars, and here’s why

I probably shouldn’t be even writing this because the ship wars are back at it again with the new anime season, and my opinion will probably not make either side happy.

Full disclosure, up until very recently, I was an anime-only person when it came to Bleach. I watched the filler, but not the movies because of all the flack I got for watching non-canon content. Bleach has always been a “niche” series in my area, so you can imagine that it’s not that I didn’t want to read the manga back when I watched the show on TV and over some websites of dubious legality. Once the anime was over, I naturally found ways to read the manga from that point on. 

I assumed that the anime was basically a 1-to-1 adaptation of the manga, save for the fillers. And, like many fans back when TYBW was ongoing, had my gripes on how rushed the ending came. Mind you, by the time Bleach as a manga ended, I was already a full-on weeb and I had read/watched many other shows. The magic that had captured 11-year-old me into this universe was growing thin by some of the rushed and lack-of what I thought to be key points for the arc to develop. As much as it’s interesting to have Ichigo be part Quincy, having little to no explanation as to why Uryu decided to be part of the Sternritters was…disappointing. There were good things, but by the point the final chapters were rolling by, my enjoyment of Bleach as a whole became dependent on what the ending ships became. Is it petty? Sure, but I wouldn’t go as low as to burn tomes of Bleach for not having my way.

As an anime-only, I will say this: The anime makes an extremely clear point that Orihime’s affection is completely one-sided. At no point did I get the impression that Ichigo would reciprocate her feelings, and my perception of that didn’t change much in the manga. Although I thought it was good for Orihime’s character to have Ichigo acknowledge that she can fight by his side. But as I said, at the time, I was full on board with IchiRuki and that single moment wasn’t going to suddenly change my perspective.

So, did something change?

Yes, but no(?) 

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate IchiRuki for being a ship that appeals to my idealistic view of romance: a close relationship where two people build each other up and don’t give up on each other no matter what. I’m starting to finally read the manga and so far, I’ve barely reached the Fake Karakura Town arc. I won’t say I suddenly see the error in IchiRuki, and bend down to the canon for making total sense and being obvious from day 1. But I can safely say that I can see why some people are so adamant to say that IchiHime was the right end-game ship. My problem so far with it is that although I can’t definitively say Ichigo doesn’t care about Orihime as more than a friend, I can’t be sure it’s a hundred per cent non-platonic. I don’t have the panels fresh on my mind, but I do get that when Orihime’s captured, we see Ichigo get more reckless and distant with his actual friends and hurt them because he “doesn’t trust them”. I can easily take this as Ichigo caring particularly for Orihime….but I have nothing similar to compare it to. When Rukia was captured, he had a similar reaction, but we didn’t see the breakdown in his friendship with say Tatsuki, because to everyone but Chad, Uryu and Orihime, Rukia stopped existing. I’d argue I was surprised more at how Ishida was way more concerned than usual and wanted to go out on his lonesome to rescue Orihime himself. That’s something I would read as inherently more open to a romantic interpretation given what we know of Ishida’s character thus far. The anime adapted the scene between Uryu and Urahara (I think), but after an entire season of filler, this little moment felt less significant to me than it did when I read it.

But I digress.

So far the only moment where I can safely say that Ichigo did prioritize Orihime is when Ulquiorra admits to having manipulated her into coming to Hueco Mundo. You’re free to interpret it as definitive proof or some indication of Ichigo’s feelings, but I’m not completely sold on it. Again, his sole reason for being there is to save her and prove Soul Society’s assessment of her actions to be incorrect. You can call it nitpicking, but, you gotta understand that, to me, Ichigo is somebody who would probably fight to the death for any of his friends. It takes a lot for me to try to get hints of romantic behaviour from him versus just platonic camaraderie.

Another thing that, while reading the Hueco Mundo in particular, doesn't sell me into IchiHime is how Orihime thinks of Ichigo’s hollow powers as “not her Ichigo”. She is right in saying that White Ichigo is not really him, but it is still something that’s part of him. I can’t say for sure that it’s clear that Rukia would accept it and be cool with it, I don’t think that’d be right considering her story with Kaien. However, the key difference is that if nothing else, Rukia was the one to shake Ichigo’s dread over his power off him. Orihime freezes and is rightly terrified of it, going so far as to no longer believe or want Ichigo to win against Grimmjow the moment he puts the mask on. It takes Nel to snap her out of it. I wonder how this attitude will affect Orihime for his final fight with Ulquiorra. Because if that chapter(s) is anything like its anime equivalent, I think it paints quite a grim picture of the dynamics of the two. At the very least, it’d make Orihime really start reconsidering her feelings for him if what just defeated her captor is “not her Ichigo”. If “not her Ichigo” is the only side of him that would rise to protect her, is her affection for him ever going to bloom and positively change him?

And before you think I’m stating that I’m still anti-IchiHime, this same train of thought lead me to recontextualize that moment in TYBW where Ichigo asks Orihime to fight by his side. Considering the manga thus far, I would be open to interpreting that moment in the final chapters as a romantic moment between the two. But I still have a lot of reading to do. As I’m writing this, I’m in the middle of chapter 328. I don’t know if I’ll make other posts updating my thoughts on the manga as I keep reading. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been on Tumblr and this post is probably gonna die, buried under hundreds of more active accounts.

Nevertheless, there you have it. I’m honestly a bit ambivalent about the ship wars. I can see excellent reasons for both ships to exist. I don’t ship IchiHime, but I get you guys who do. You aren’t crazy. I still don’t think that what I got thus far would sell me into thinking the end-game ships make 100% sense, but now I can’t say that IchiHime is completely baseless. It has something. Kubo may be pardoned for that. Shonen romances aren’t usually great and deep anyhow.

What I don’t excuse Kubo for is making Kazui that much of a psycho in the hell chapter. I don’t care if he was tricked or not, his parents should know better. I mean…come on, it’s Ichigo’s son. His spiritual pressure must be monstrous and he couldn’t have learnt to be a shinigami that young on his own. It’s completely OOC for both Orihime and Ichigo to not give two damns about where their kid goes and just slap him on the wrist for sneaking out at night and doing whatever. Namely sending souls to hell.

[yanderes-galore]

Heres the second one

Second one is a Dragon Age: Inquisition with a Yandere Verric Tethras Concept, he's the dwarven character companion

I love him cuz of his chest hair

Okay! I watched a retrospective on the series and watched character lore/analysis for Varric before writing this. Despite that things may be off, so please bear with me. Sorry it took so long :( The wiki doesn't give me his personality so I had to do some guessing. I'll take feedback as this is my first Dragon Age fic.

Yandere! Varric Tethras Concept

Pairing: Platonic/Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Blackmail/Deception, Some trauma, Subtle corruption via Red Lyrium, Overprotective behavior, Some Possessive behavior, Controlling behavior, Stalking, Mentioned possible kidnapping/isolation, Forced/Dubious companionship/relationship.

Varric, a dwarf and head of his family ever since his brother lost his mind... soon even becoming ruler of Kirkwall in Inquisition.

His family is primarily known for being merchants.

But they also seem (IMO) to have a mafia-like characteristic to them, as Varric always seems to have information you need and often helps his party out with obstacles.

Varric's primary weapon is a specialized crossbow named 'Bianca' and he is primarily good-hearted in nature.

Varric is also known to be a storyteller, specifically for tragedies.

He is a good friend of Hawke, which could be a way you meet him.

Or perhaps you met the dwarf in a tavern.

Either way, Varric likes to make friends with his companions.

He appreciates kind and thoughtful acts and, despite his background, is a good person.

Varric is a rogue and monitors a "spy network" in his family, which is no doubt how he gets his information.

In terms of making him yandere... here's my theory.

Perhaps we can involve Red Lyrium in some way... as Varric has some experience with it.

It wouldn't be enough to fully corrupt him... but maybe that could drive him to do more obsessive acts?

For this concept I'll say you're a companion of Hawke, someone Varric has to work with often.

As a result he naturally tries to get to know you and be your friend.

Despite the dwarf's friendly nature... he is skilled with diplomacy, lying, and blackmail.

So I feel Varric is capable of being manipulative to get what he wants.

His friendly nature may make you trust him, but you can hear distrust from other companions.

Despite this he is very loyal.

In terms of what intention he'd be more likely to have as a yandere, I'd say he may be more likely to be a platonic yandere.

I'm not saying he can't be a romantic yandere, I just believe it would take longer due to his past.

Varric is a good friend, he could also be a good partner, but I think his yandere tendencies would be from Red Lyrium exposure.

Sure, he's already capable of manipulative actions, but he wouldn't use them to get you unless he was driven by something darker.

Red Lyrium would be a perfect cause for his obsessive behavior since his story involves it.

Varric starts off very friendly and compassionate towards you.

As you travel with Varric and/or Hawke, he's always spinning some tale for you to listen to.

He is charming to listen to and is playful with the way he speaks to you.

Even before Red Lyrium alters his way of thinking he is protective and caring towards you.

You're a close friend, one he begins to trust as you two bond.

Despite his mischievous side... he isn't that bad to be around.

Although when he's around Red Lyrium more often, like in Dragon Age Inquisition, his behavior gets more corrupted.

It's not enough to completely take over... but enough to alter his feelings towards you.

This corruption may either make him a paranoid and overprotective friend who won't leave you alone...

Or make him interpret blooming romantic feelings as feelings of possession.

He isn't fully in control of such behavior, but there's times he's lucid.

I feel like Red Lyrium affecting him would make him feel guilty.

After all... he thinks of his brother.

He doesn't want to harm you, but here he is...

He's manipulating you, stalking you, blackmailing you and lying to you to get you to stay.

There's times he apologizes... although there's other times he just won't let you go, gripping your hand tightly.

Varric hates being a thug, not really wanting to use violence to make others comply.

However, as Red Lyrium makes him Overprotective/Possessive of you... he does think of just using his crossbow to remove perceived threats.

His obsession/corruption makes him paranoid.

He feels he can lose you if he isn't careful.

So in his mind he should stick by you, keep you safe... keep you his.

Even in this mindset he somewhat trusts Hawke with you... but dislikes The Inquisitor around you.

He's shown to be more jealous at times in this state to.

You want to get Varric help, or even distance yourself from him.

Yet Varric never seems to have you out of his sight.

He always seems to know everything about you.

After all... you're companions... there's no need to fear him.

Varric gets increasingly more affectionate towards you.

Hand holding, hugs... kisses if his intentions turn romantic due to his corruption.

How obsessive he is begins to scare you.

Far are you know there's no cure for the mild corruption Varric is experiencing.

So his mindset towards you may get worse and worse...

Who knows how long it will be before Varric feels the only way to keep you safe is in a cell...

A feat easier than you think once he's ruler of Kirkwall.

[uozlulu]

🍒, 🥝,🍈 for the fic ask game

Thanks for sending an ask :D

🍒 What’s your favorite character dynamic to write? (Can be romantic or platonic, specific or general!)

I think that I gravitate towards dynamics that have a lot of emotion and connection to them. Like you've got the relationships that have a lot of history to them. Asta & Yuno are effectively basically twins and their bond runs deep. EraserMic have known each other for 15 years and they share so much baggage and it's fun to explore how that might have drawn them closer together. Devil's Minion (Armand/Daniel) have like an at least 13 year history if not longer depending on which canon you're talking and there's just so much going on there you can explore.

But deep connections can sometimes be something that's swift and drowning almost like Destiel or they grow on each other like weeds after some time and energy like InuKag and that's also fascinating. This is also why I like the League of Villains as found family because I think their ability to trauma bond to each other quickly is a fascinating thing to explore.

I think in general I'm fascinated by how people can come together, can choose each other be it platonic, romantic, etc.... and it's so fun to write characters that have that kind of charge to them

🥝 What’s your favorite trope/AO3 tag to write?

I love writing crossovers, though I don't do it as much as I could. I think it's fun to either swap scenarios or settings to see what happens or combine casts of things to see how they all interact with one another.

I also like to take inspiration from places like Tumblr, LJ, etc...because I always like to write things I think people are looking to read and I like being able to jump from some post to whatever scenario pops into my head. It's why I have a whole series dedicated to all the inspirations I've gotten from Tumblr over the years.

🍈 Who’s your blorbo and what are some of your favorite headcanons/ideas about them that repeatedly show up in your fics? Free pass to rant about blorbo opinions.

Oh I have so many blorbos. I have so much affection for a lot of characters in a lot of things I read and watch. I think my blorbo of all time though was Dean Winchester. He's just so relatable on many levels and you can just explore what's going through that head of his, how trauma might have shaped whatever's going on with him. He also felt very effortless to write even though my SPN fics could have been better if I'd been more into the editing process at the time I wrote them.

The thing I could never get into with him the way a good chunk of fandom seemed to was the incest stuff. I have a brother who's about five years younger than me so to me, Dean and Sam are pretty normal siblings when you take away the trauma bonding. Like that episode where Gabriel shows up the first time "Tall Tales" I think it's called had me on the floor because that was like peak sibling content. The wallet scene reminded me of when I was 10 and my brother was 5 and I would babysit him when he was grounded from the TV and I'd have to get the remote control away from him and put it on top of the fridge.

I also think the ending Dean got in SPN was a bit BS because like I always kind of wanted him to eventually become a kind of Bobby to a new generation. To kind of become hunting adjacent, because I think he never could have fully gotten away from hunting, but I think he'd have liked the grow his found family aspect of that and make little gadgets for other hunters to use. Get him to a healthier relationship with Sam while he's at it, like they seemed to be moving towards at the end of season five where Sam can come and go and live a life outside of hunting, though Sam too would probably never be completely free from it.

===

Put a fruit from this post in my ask box and I'll answer fic related questions (You can also ask non-fruit related questions if you have any. That's also cool)

[a-moth-to-the-light]

Fruits Basket Diaries, #6: Why Do I Adore Ayame So Much?

[see part 1 here]

[see part 5 here]

This is part of an ongoing series where I’ll be cataloguing my experience rereading (and finishing for the first time) the Fruits Basket manga. I’ve just finished reading up to the end of the manga, so there will be spoilers for the whole story!

Fruits Basket is full of unrequited loves, both platonic and romantic. Usually, these kind of "lost love" relationships, ones based in a history of complete infatuation on one side that isn't mirrored on the other, either turn into romance stories or are filled with distress, but Fruits Basket takes a very different approach, allowing these relationships to exist as a unique variety of affection, something soft and tender instead of fiery and dramatic. We get to see characters who feel love and admiration for those who don't quite reciprocate live peacefully with those feelings, using them as the source of a strong friendship rather than screaming them from the rooftops. These characters (Ayame, Haru, Hanajima), get to find lovers of their own while their former (and, admittedly, still a bit current) obsession (Hatori, Yuki, Tohru) does the same, but they never have to pretend their feelings don't exist--in fact, they still have loving friendships with their former obsessions, even if they aren't "the one" for them.

We also see the beginnings of these kind of relationships within Fruits Basket--Momiji watches Tohru leave with Kyo and hopes he'll find someone of his own one day; Kagura retains her affection for Kyo, even while she acknowledges his relationship with Tohru; Yuki gets a dramatic, tearful goodbye with Tohru, even as she connects with Kyo and he gets closer with Machi. For these characters, "moving on" doesn't mean leaving their feelings behind, it just means accepting new parts of life along with the old; as Hanajima puts it so beautifully, "My weakness will always be Tohru-kun". And yeah, I get that. I've spent a lot of time trying to cleanse myself of feelings, to just make them go away so everything can "be normal". Eventually, though, I found that truly accepting and loving the part of myself that fell in love with the person in the first place, the part of myself that still sees them and glows a bit, is what has truly helped me move forward in relationships like these without guilt. Because yes, there will always be people who are my weaknesses, people who I was once infatuated with and who I still have a strong attachment to, and that doesn't have to be painful. Hanajima gets the best of both worlds, it seems--she lives her own life outside of Tohru, but she also loves Tohru enough to fight for her happiness. This dynamic mirrors my experiences with some of the most important people in my life, and I think that's why each of the three pairings I mentioned earlier, ones I see as the main examples of this dynamic, is so special to me. Seeing Haru and Yuki's friendship develop as Yuki realizes how deeply Haru cares for him and starts to reach out in return was especially comforting, putting a positive spin on Haru's long-held affection instead of forcing him to "get over" it.

There's this one quote from the final volume: "But the one thing I do know is that love isn't just about loving what's in front of you. The past, the future... maybe it's about holding all of them close to your heart." Maybe past infatuations don't have to be regrettable, failures to sweep under the rug--through the relationships it shows, Fruits Basket finds the potential of the past to make the present beautiful, even when not everyone's dreams came true back then. The people I would consider my weaknesses, as Hanajima said, were, are, and will be the source of many special moments in my life. Even as I pursue relationships and goals I never would have dreamed of in my younger days, there are still people from those days I would drop everything to support, and that, Fruits Basket reminds me, is, indeed, a special kind of love.

[lily-patent-pending]

Tag ppl you wanna know betteeer

Tagged by: @gracelikesfries (i copy pasted your post to use as a template and i'm terrified i'm gonna somehow post it before i'm finished typing ._.)

Last song: "Sweet Hibiscus Tea" by Penelope Scott. i tend to listen to albums or songs on repeat a lot when i first find them, and that's what i'm currently doing with The Junkyard 2

Favorite Color: pastel pink, but mint green is a close second! (the only hex code i know by heart is #00ff7f, which used to be my favourite colour. that's the shade picture below, although now i prefer a slightly more blue shade. maybe #00ffb3

Currently Watching: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic; i don't really watch shows (since i don't have a TV and i don't have access to any streaming service... and i'm too afraid to pirate stuff >.>) so it's kind of a lie to say i'm "Currently Watching" anything except like, YouTube series. but i watched the first episode with some friends a while back and i really enjoyed it, and i'd like to watch more with them sometime. i also started watching Ben 10 with a different friend over Summer, but neither of us are great at following up on stuff so that fell through.

Last Movie: i watched an outdoor screening of Back to the Future recently. the movie was good, if a bit weird (i've seen it before as a kid but i forgot that Libyan terrorists were a major plot point??? or that his mother kept trying to seduce him???) but i didn't bring a coat and i was freezing by the end of it.

Currently Reading:

Non-fiction - i don't really read non-fiction, and to be honest i can't think of one that i'm reading currently off of the top of my head. but i'd like to read The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. i've read all of his other novels and listened to all the episodes of The Anthropocene Reviewed podcast, just haven't gotten a chance to read the book yet.

Fiction - i got a copy of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow for Christmas that i've only recently started reading (i tend to not read for months at a time and then plough through a whole book in a weekend, like i did with Will Grayson, Will Grayson). i'm not far enough in to give a solid review. i'm also reading Dying to Know You with a friend, which is nice :)

Sweet/spicy/savory: Savoury, although i also like sweet stuff (and i have a pretty high tolerance for what i'd consider sickly). i can handle spice fairly well, but i don't necessarily enjoy the sensation by itself.

Relationship status: single and unsure if i'm even interested in a relationship. i don't really have a solid idea in my head of what would differentiate a romantic relationship from a platonic one, either.

Current Obsessions: i have a few long-standing ones (namely Pokémon, Undertale, and FNaF) that come back with a vengeance every so often. last week i went into a frenzy and wrote a 50+ slide presentation about shiny Pokémon, and i've been watching a lot of FNaF and Deltarune theories - i'm really interested in seeing what different conclusions people come to.

Last googled: i specifically didn't Google to find a picture of my favourite colours until after writing this section... and then proceeded to search "my little pony friendship is magic" to make sure i had the name of the show right (with the punctuation and whatnot). uhh the last things i looked up on my phone were "dialog" and "dialogue" (to see if they were different words or just a color/colour situation) and "i'm going to buy an absurd amount of orange juice".

Currently working on: uhhhh ummmm... i'm... making a slideshow on the story of FNaF ? and, y'know, starting university, i guess. idk, mostly just taking stuff as it comes at the moment.

i'm gonna tag @funnydogy because we're mutuals but haven't really interacted (and yet your posts about sans the skeleton eating cigarettes have affected my everyday life) and @scrampton because you also reblog posts about sans eating cigarettes. what's up with that?