#or at least without it being a queer platonic sort of romantic

[cognitiveleague]

Me: Ship what you want, it’s your sandbox and you can play in it however you want as long as no real-life harm is being done! 🥰

Also me: *gritting my teeth while scrolling past straight shipping fanart of queer or extremely queer-coded characters* P… people can like things I don’t like or see things I don’t see in a character and that’s fINE…!!!

[beanghostprincess]

When I said Jotaro was the gayest Jojo, I lied. It's Josuke. At least Jotaro can be bi for plot purposes but I don't think Josuke could even kiss a girl without feeling something's awfully wrong.

[briarlovesclara]

//mismag 2 spoilers

okay guys we did it. We're here. Behold, the official sequels (!) to my relationship chart. the one on the left is immediately after the finale, the one on the right is several years down the line. enjoy ❤️

(as always, details, alt id, and elaboration under cut.)

OKAY VERSION 1:

Sam and Evan: absolutely nothing has changed since the first post, but now they both know about it. Start an undefined relationship but they're both down bad.

Sam and K: I see the light and I apologize for my ignorance because they are BOTH incredibly down bad. They haven't figured it out yet because they're trying to figure EVERYTHING out but it's there.

Jammer and Evan: Jammer's feelings parallel my first post. What does that mean for him? It means locking his wings and coming over every month to see his people. Evan doesn't need to know what they have; he loves it. No notes from him.

K and Jammer: no labels! They are each other's. When someone asks, they respond "that's my K/Jammer". Nothing else needed.

Jammer and Sam: forgot to put the arrow back mutually to Jammer, but I feel like in the last episode they both sort of realized that they could be Something. At least for me, sometimes I meet or know a person and I suddenly think, "oh, I could definitely develop feelings for them". If you know you know and they're aware, but cautious about it.

K and Evan: controversial, but I think they're both down bad in the finale. They still hold that love so close to the surface. You will see where this goes with the next chart.

×××××

okay i was going to finish this last night but tumblr deleted a good chunk of my written out thoughts for the second chart so i got sad so let's do this again

×××××

VERSION 2:

Sam and Evan: pretty straightforward. They became partners of undefined type after the finale, and then one day they started saying "I'm in love with you", and then they both overthought it that night and came back in the morning like "we do need to talk about that" LMAO. probably get married eventually.

K and Sam: more complex. They're best friends who are also dating in the literal sense of they go on romantic dates. When K visits, they have dinners out and alone time at the house, but they just call it best friends (unless someone disturbs them out in public, in which case it's "leave my girl/boyfriend alone").

K and Evan: they're divorced in a romantic way. They make being exes romantic without actively dating. In 7 years they've kissed like 5 times. Their souls have a deep, old connection that is unshakeable and they are also very close friends. They're kinda funny with it too. They're hanging out and someone messes with one of them? "Hey that's my ex-boyfriend you're talking to." Confusion with style points. They love it and cherish what they had.

Sam and Jammer: they are comfortably friends who are in love with each other. Jammer probably has other romantic relationships and stuff, he's just in love with Sam, 1/5 platonically and 4/5 romantically. Same with Sam. She has her partner, her friend she's dating, and her friend Jammer she's mutually in love with.

Evan and Jammer: literal life partners. They will be together for the rest of their lives. They are each other's number ones, best friends, soulmates. In what way, you ask? What are you, a cop?

K and Jammer: more mature version of their version 1 relationship. Fully established and communicated QPR. Whereas most of the pilot program is vibes and unspoken and just love without labels, they are straight up in a QPR. Once they figure it out it's not a big deal, but when either approaches a new romance it's "by the way, I have a queer platonic partner. Here's the boundaries we have in our relationship."

TLDR: happy family :)

[bloggingboutburgers]

Hi! I know very little about QPRs and I was wondering, what is it like?

I've shared about it several times before but... It's a big relief more than anything. It's not something I could define easily, but it sort of brings me a solution to be left alone in a world where people seem somehow obsessed to put everyone in pairs for some reason – while at the same time never risking to dive into something I feel icky about like sex, or plain don't understand like romance.

It's just great to be able to hold hands with someone, cuddle with someone, roast movies with someone, have pet names with someone, and know they're perfectly content with the way you are together, all chill like this, without "catching feelings" for you or whatever. (God that's such a weird expression. So many heavily romance-coded expressions are so broad for something so specific, it weirds me out.)

People are gonna assume things about you because let's face it, most people probably don't get it, but it doesn't matter – plus, some actually do anyway, or still don't get it BUT also have the decency not to assume things, and that's pretty great.

And it's a great relief from the fear of abandonment that being aro-ace makes me feel – because when you're aro-ace and friendship is like the highest possible level of human distinction you feel, but it's not for other people, you just know you're always gonna be naturally put in the background of people's lives as soon as they get a romantic lover/sexual partner and possibly kids. You're always gonna come AT LEAST second and be left behind in a way. Having a queer platonic partner is having someone who agrees to keep you company and not let you feel lonely, while not putting you in the dead center of their life or on top of a scale of value, because they know THAT wouldn't feel right to you either.

It's letting me be myself, and be happy, and be comforted, without having to make compromises on my very identity. It ticks a lot of boxes for me in a way I didn't think could exist for my whole life until then.

...At least that's my experience of it, of course it's a very personal thing

[crepesuzette2023]

So whats like the general consensus about Stu and John? Do we think they ever messed around or not?

Ooooh, I won't burn and scar my typing fingers on anything like "general consensus," and my cop-out answer is: depends on who you ask. I mean, if you're living in a world where 'a man being with a woman' = straight, or 'a man who never came out unequivocally as queer' = straight, then John and Stu very much never messed around, and, more importantly, didn't feel the desire to.

But I think if you look at it with an open mind, without being afraid of the possibility, you'll see it's more likely they did than that they didn't.

First, you have John, with his life-long romantic idea of being in love with your creative partner (see: his comments on Yoko and Paul)—an idea that fits Stu seamlessly, and perhaps even started with him. In the Hunter Davies bio, John (in '67) calls Stu Paul's predecessor in the 'my trusted partner in art' role.

There is also this conversation with Stu's girlfriend, Astrid Kircherr, as related by Backbeat director Iain Softley:

Paying tribute to Astrid this week, film director Iain Softley revealed her moving words from his interviews with her when he made 1994 movie Backbeat about her and Stuart’s romance.

They hint at a complex relationship between her, Stuart and John. She said it was only after Stuart died that she and John “took a load of pills” and talked for 12 hours about “all the things on our minds about Stuart”. “‘He was jealous when Klaus and I fancied Stuart more, and took him home and left John out,” she told Iain.

“He told me he really loved Stuart, but was afraid of the feeling.”

Iain adds: “I think she thought he meant as a friend, I don’t think there was any suggestion they were in a relationship. But Stuart had always been John’s best friend, they shared a flat in Liverpool. John would write to Stuart as ‘Jesus Christ to John the Baptist’, in the sense Stuart was showing him the way. He looked up to him.

“There was a sense John didn’t want Stuart taken away from him, he didn’t want Stuart to stay in Hamburg.

“At the same time he was very fond of Astrid, but I think there was a conflict there.”

If John was afraid of the feeling, then I'm thinking he felt something that, at the time, and probably still today, was a scary thing to feel. I'll leave it at that.

Also, they were, what? 18, 19, 20 years old? At that age, odds are you do fool around, even if you regret it afterwards. Nothing wrong with that.

Look at this picture of Stu (r.) with Astrid and Astrid's ex, Klaus Voormann. Klaus, who later said he and Astrid didn't work as a couple because she wanted him to be exactly like her image of him, and whose marriage (to a woman) was a platonic marriage of convenience, according to himself. We have now reached the beautiful stage of come onnn! "Straight" was at the party, but so were many others. These relationships were messy! That's awesome!

And how do we feel about John feeling up Gene Vincent, while Paul and George look on knowingly, and Pete Best blanks out? We feel joyous and unsurprised.

A word about Paul vs. Stu, since we're (sort of) at it.

It's possible (what an understatement) to think of their rivalry as sexual rivalry. This is, once more, hinted at in Backbeat, where Stu is more or less giving away John to Paul.

And yet. I think it was more than that. I think everyone, back then, was fighting for more than a bed-partner. They were fighting for their future, for a life unlike their parents'. Paul was fighting for the band, Stu was fighting for John to join him on his artist's way (even giving 'rock'n'roll' a try), and John..

John was, on the one hand, the person either of the others felt he needed in order to realize his dream. But on the other hand, he was the least decided of the three. He may have perceived that, within the trio, he had the fewest fall-back options: Stu had his obvious, much-mentored artistic talent. Paul had a possible academic future bwxt to his musical talent, plus a clear determination to make it in music. John had talent in spades, but perhaps less of a clear-cut idea of where and how to apply it. So he tried keeping both of them close...?

With fun scenes like these as a result:

John sure is feeling campy/cuddly, while Paul is incandescent with rage. A hot look for both of them.

In the end, we don't know if they ever did fool around. My usual reply in those cases is: I hope they did, if they both wanted it. I hope it was good.

I need to check out this book:

John and Paul look happy.

[murdertrashbabyrat]

DO NOT CLOG A SHIP TAG WITH SHIP HATE

I know this has happened before and will happen again but I am once again endlessly fascinated that people are getting on tumblr dot com and announcing that they don’t “see a certain ship” like they “don’t see it as romantic” and then further insinuate clearly we are reaching and only they have the correct view of romance and queer relationships or something like WHO CARES?! Literally you are on THE shipping site on THE FANDOM SITE what a wild opinion to decide to post here especially under the ship tag.

It’s like yeah okay and? I don’t think most creators intend the fandom to do what it does with their characters. It very much feels like both a stifling of creativity and imagination, no what ifs allowed without credible proof sort of thing, and also talking down to the people who do see themselves and their loved ones in these characters and relationships.

And yes this is inspired most recently by Deadpool and Wolverine but it applies to too many other ships and yes it has for awhile but for some reason there’s a group of people who have been getting SO uppity about Poolverine and acting like Tumblr fandom is weird for seeing queer coding and running wild with it. Like this is literally one of the first times I’ve been absolutely incredulous to see people actually getting worked up about how much romantic tension was actually between two characters AS IF THAT IS OBJECTIVE AND SOMETHING YOU CAN MEASURE while simultaneously still actually being pro gay and pro shipping. Like more often than not loud ship deniers are homophobic.

No idgaf if you like it or see it even, like literally all fan opinions can exist. What I don’t get is why that’s really even a valid criticism to make against an entire fandom of shippers and something that is worth contributing to the community. Like. Listen to yourself.

“I don’t see the romantic tension, I don’t see the ship potential, therefore it’s a bad ship or could never happen and/or y’all are seeing things that aren’t there” like have you considered that’s a shitty thing to say in a space where we are all already playing with dolls we didn’t make? Posting in the tags dedicated to people who DO see and like that ship?

Respect the artists and writers and the fans in general who love and contribute to being a part of fandom by not being dismissive towards the parts you don’t personally get. (At the very least it’s literally common courtesy to not clog a ship tag with ship hate like where did fandom etiquette go)

Also cannot express enough this is not directed at people who respect the ship but choose a platonic translation of the relationship in the piece of media. I love platonic translations as much as the next what I can’t stand is someone entirely dismissing a romance they simply don’t happen to see.

[pokemontherapy]

I think I sort of get what the first anon was saying, there's a lot of lkdt compared to other horizons ships to the point where it sometimes feels overwhelming and inescapable and like no one cares about anything in hz but lkdt, I haven't seen many posts on Tumblr talking about wanting lkdt back but I have seen some so they definitely are out there, I mostly just scroll past and ignore them though

but in general, lkdt is kind of unavoidable now, when looking for fics on ao3 I've found lkdt fics in the tags for other pairings involving Liko and Dot - and I haven't checked in a while but there's barely any character study fics for Liko or Dot that aren't shipping them together. I've also seen lkdt shippers on here and on twitter post ship hate in the tags of other Liko or Dot ships, and again, I haven't checked in a while so I don't know if it's changed since mega voltage but last I looked it was impossible to find a Roy character study fic too because his only fics were as a supporting or background character in lkdt fics

I think it'd be nice to see some friendship fics or character study fics without there needing to be romance involved but that might just be my aroace ass talking

That’s honestly how I interpreted things as well!! Likodot is a great dynamic and it’s queer, which is Tumblr’s bread and butter, so it makes sense it would be popular. Honestly, with how little Horizons posts there are on Tumblr and how, for a time, every 3/4 posts were Likodot, I could see someone getting oversaturated with it. Heck, I did for a while.

It’s more on AO3; Liko/Dot is the most popular tag in Horizons, having 199 fics, and Liko & Dot has 46 fics, with only 17 of them not being crosstagged as Liko/Dot. Friede becomes the most tagged character if you remove Likodot from your search, and Dot goes from second to fifth. Likodot takes up ~ 2/5 of Liko’s fics (197/505 fics in total) and over half of Dot’s fics (190/341 fics in total), as of Jun 1 2025. For reference, Liko & Roy (the forth most popular dynamic and second most popular platonic one, after Liko & Dot) has 43 works, a little more than 1/8 of romantic Likodot. For someone who dislikes or is even neutral to/not searching for Likodot, this can make it insanely frustrating, especially if you’re looking for platonic fics.

I’ve actually had a pretty good run with Likodotters, in the sense that all I’ve met have been kind and respectful to me :D maybe it’s because I stay out of ship tags though.

A reason for the saturation in romantic content, at least for sites like Tumblr and Twitter, could be that there’s no real platonic duo / trio tags, so sometimes for organization purposes people will put fairly ambiguous art under their romantic tags; I’ve done that before, admittedly. The closest I’ve seen to platonic tags has once again been in the Ameliko fandom, with the tag #Liko and Amethio and the blog @liko-and-amethio. Maybe that could be a solution? I do agree there should be more platonic / friendship fics and character studies, as a fellow aroace (happy Pride Month btw!). AO3 has NO excuse though, that’s just amatonormativity / shipping culture at work.

Either way, the first step to change is doing something yourself. Write a character study! Draw the characters hanging out as friends! If you need to brainstorm, feel free to shoot an ask or DM me, even :D I love brainstorming. Also, I’m curious; what’s your favorite element of the Horizons dynamics (e.g. the RTV, Liko Roy and Dot, the trainers and Pokémon, etc.)?

[luckytohavebucky]

The "SamBucky" 'shipping is problematic.

Practically my whole feed or whatever was about how "SamBucky" is "canon" because Bucky said "I love you" to Sam, but that "buddy" was clearly not meant in a romantic way (and I know Bucky called Steve "buddy" when Bucky is in love with him but the context/Bucky's tone is very different where it's so obvious he wants to confess his love but realises it's better to respect Steve's part in that which Steve must've appreciated what with undoubtedly being able to tell how Bucky felt too) nor was it any sort of not wanting to be as direct, just... Anthony was saying about this too like how sad it is that men can't have a close, emotional bond without it being made out to be something it's not when the other problem with that is how it like cheapens actual romantic relationships between 2 men since if "everybody's gay" then "nobody's gay", right?! Well... wrong, I mean... of course it doesn't work like that; using terms like " queer platonic", "situationship", or plain 'shipping individuals that shouldn't be shipped is disrespectful as it is, but there's also the glaring fact that this only happens with men, which people claim to be open-minded then can't just let men hug or rest on each other when if women do that as friends then no one assumes anything, and I just get so pissed off at how "progessive" people think they're being when nothing could be further from the truth; let men love each other in however way they do, be it a platonic, brotherly way such as in the case of Sam and Bucky or a romantic way nothing should be insisted upon or expected that isn't blatantly shown or said where there's no mistaking it or at least truly, properly implied, then far as subtlety there keeps being those who somehow got the impression Bucky doesn't know how to act in the world when he's literally been free for nearly 10 years now altogether so clearly would understand how things work anymore; he chose to be a congressman for heaven's sake, and it's not like people didn't figure out ways back in "Bucky's time", not to mention there's nothing to even indicate whether that was ever like frowned upon in the MCU, but either way Bucky would be able to tell if Sam had feelings for him because like I said (above in the parentheses), Bucky is very empathetic, and if Bucky felt the same way he'd reciprocate and this would've happened years ago instead of their supposedly leading each other on for all this time seeing as Bucky absolutely has shown his emotions/even says how he feels to 1 degree or another when he knows he can rely on someone, except neither Sam nor Bucky feels that way; there's no pretense; they really are just very good friends; and not everything has to be read into.

[hancocksbitch]

On rediscovering my own sexuality, kinks and self worth

Oh this is fun. So fun!

As I've written about before I've been on a journey that ended up in relationship anarchy and that's something that sort of grew into a reality intuitively for both me and my long-term partner.

Our relationship is redefined and more solid than ever, and in some sort of mixed state of not-entirely-platonic-not-entirely-romantic-more-just-family now. 🤗

Hence why I'm phrasing it as "having been on", rather than "currently being on". I feel completely comfortable, at home and happy in "labeling" myself as RA.

What journey I very much still am on is the one of rediscovering myself as a sexual being, this time around on no ones terms but my own (and of course any intimate partners, that goes without saying even if I'm now saying it... 😑). And what a fucking ride (pun very much intended) it is!

The first ~2 years or so of our monogamous relationship turned non-monogamous I personally didn't feel any need or want whatsoever to date or be intimate with anyone. I was over the moon for my partner (compersion is one hell of a thing, I'm so grateful to have been blessed with experiencing that) but felt like I had enough to occupy me with just working on myself, in my own pace.

Then about 6 months or so ago I had a lightbulb moment when I for the first time saw a picture of the singer Laura Pergolizzi aka LP.

"Oh. I'm obviously queer. Go figure...this explains so much." 😂

I truly, honestly didn't realize how much of a part of me was missing before that. Now looking back at my younger self I can't help but laugh a bit at how obvious it was, if I'd had the emotional bandwidth to even look for it back then. But I didn't; I had my plate full with just keeping my head above the proverbial water, a panicked fear of abandonment and a deep-seated belief that I was not worthy of loyalty or love.

The latter still lingers a bit, but I'm working on reprogramming myself, much with the help of both my kind, caring long-term partner ♥️, my wonderful crush 🥰 and also by my newfound friends and acquaintances (love y'all like honeybees loves flowers 🌸🐝).

Meeting my crush and entering into a relationship with them shortly after realizing I'm queer is one of the most wonderful things that have ever happened to me, even if I'm having minor self worth-related meltdowns at least weekly (is it really a date with me if I don't cry at one point? 🤔😉) and struggling to come to terms with and accept that YES, OTHERS CAN LOVE YOU AND FIND YOU DESIRABLE. (Nope. Still not computing that.)

And to, on top of all that, find out that I'm actually a bit of a kinky bastard? Woah. Mind blown.

Like today; I've been reading up a bit on brats within BDSM and I've been giggling at how incredibly much I see myself in what is being described. 🤭 (Really looking forward to the Basement Lab workshop on bratting I'm going to in two weeks! ☺️)

But also realising how sensual, calming and beautiful I find it to imagine submitting to my Dom and to bring them joy and pleasure. I've only just dipped my toes in that dynamic yet (much to my chagrin, I want MORE OF IT! 😄😘) but I'm already obsessed. I had an inkling that I was a sub before I met them but had such highly set standards for what a Dom would have to be to me, that I just assumed that I was never going to meet a person like that (who also wanted me back).

Imagine my surprise when I did find that. Or rather, they found me. And found me interesting! How could I not go belly up?!

I might wobble and stumble at times but I'm getting there. I'm dead set on allowing myself to have and enjoy this, teach myself that I am in fact worthy of the same things in life as everyone else - pleasure, joy, love. Friendship. Loyalty. Companionship and being desired. Pleasure, in whatever form I experience it.

Life's too short not to live it fully.

💪♥️🖤

Oh, here's the image that cured my heterosexuality: 😂🥵

[rindragon-from-twewy]

Lol ok so I've had the mdarc dlcs for a while but I've only just now found the time/motivation to play them. I binged them all in one go and ig I just wanna talk about my opinions on each one a bit (I have nobody irl to talk to about it so I figured posting is a good enough substitute lol) It's a long read tho so buckle up!

Spoilers for all of them below the cut. And feel free to comment/rebog with your own opinions too cuz I wanna hear now that I know the full context for them all!!! <3

Desuhiko's; Someone take this man to rehab for recovering cringefails, he needs help. While I love him, having him in the protag position honestly made my skin crawl a little. He's built to only be a funny side character imo. Enyne's obviously a lesbian and also my girlfriend now I'll have you know- that's why she rejected the proposal cuz she's already married to meeeee! /j ... But also I'm just a sucker for the detective x thief trope and for that reason I can't pretend that Desuhiko was completely dumb for proposing like that- you'll find a girl (or guy) who's into cringefail losers eventually my dude. Honestly if I had to change one thing about it (besides the constant second hand embarrassment enducing dialog-) would've been cool to see him interacting with the phantom thief before his elaborate plan to catch them started. But that could just be my oumasai brainrot talking.

Fubuki's; BABY GIRL BABBYYYYY!!!! Why didn't she get much focus??? Halara and Desuhiko did basically everything- they stole her spotlight :(! She totally could've figured it all out on her own if she'd found the dice herself, I'm sure!!! She didn't need anyone reminding her of her own powers nor did she need Desuhiko to accompany her to see the fortune teller! She's not an idiot, the others just don't give her a proper chance to prove it! It was an interesting mystery though. I loved seeing the trio interacting more without Yuma around. I'm guessing all bar the Yakou dlcs take place before Yuma's arrival? Slay. Also, also the fact that she took an interest in card games afterwards??? And she's so good at them that she doesn't need her forte to win?! She's so precious! I need to give her a hug! TwT

Halara's; This case what honestly easier to solve then chapter 3's but also... damn I can't believe Halara kicked Kinger from The Amazing Digital Circus in the face like that. I can't tell if he was referring to Halara or his fiance when he said "I can kill the woman anytime" but I feel like Halara kicked him extra hard for misgendering and/or demeaning his own fiance like that, depending on which it actually was. Either way it was hot as fuck. (Yeah I've been a Halara simp this whole time, now that's a lore reveal!) I loved how Halara agreed to the job even thought they knew they couldn't accept the "we can keep a cat here" payment- it means that Yakou probably found out about their affections towards cats before Yuma did! That's cute- to think they think they're so on the down low about it but it's just so obvious! I wish the culprit wasn't so obvious but oh well- these cases aren't meant to be difficult after all!

Vivia's: EMOOOOOOOOOO!!!! SEND HIM TO EMO JAIIIILLLLL!!!! DERPESSED EMOOOOOO BASTAAAAAARD!!!! <3<3<3<3<3<3 Still though- this doesn't change my mind about being neutral about the Vivia/Yakou ship. I tolerate it, live in harmony with it... I just don't see their dynamic as inherently romantic? But I get where the shippers are coming from now at the very least. I could maybe see them as queer-platonic? But that's all besides the point ig... Ryo's also much sweeter then I thought she'd be. It's interesting to think that Vivia can always see and hear ghosts. Creates a sort of chicken and egg situation. What came first? His Spectral Projection or his ability to see ghosts. Kinda reminds me of this British drama series called Ghosts - the protag has a near death experience and can see the ghosts haunting her house from then on - so I wonder if something similar happened to Vivia to trigger all this in him. Still... nice to hear a character saying that they rely on protagonists of stories they like to get enjoyment. I think a lot of people can relate to that... :>

Yakou's: ... :,( ... Why would you do that to me? Why??? It was so sad!!! Also they just photoshopped his sprite to have a green coat and no glasses that's so funny to me- Also also his wife's thiccc- 10/10 would also murder for her also tbh. Ok but in all seriousness- why couldn't they name drop her??? I feel so awkward having to give her a made up name in my own au cuz it's like what if they do eventually drop it in the future??? Like come on people, most of the other dlcs had named characters (minus Fubuki's)!!! I adore how Yakou's flashbacks were for other dlcs tho- like that's so fucking adorable. Someone really aught to move the zombies to better living conditions though- like I'm sure they could find somewhere that isn't dilapidated so they could be more comfortable. The zombies obviously have some level of consciousness remaining and I'm sure they'd all appreciate it :(!

[wolfsbaneandthistle]

Can we ship Gary and Cereza?

I generally don’t mind the idea of shipping my characters- all the crew of the Little Bird are unrelated adults. Several of them are made explicitly to play around with ideas of romance in an uncertain and alien world.

Gary and Cereza in particular I can see- the tldr is that I don’t write them quite as romantic, but it’s a weird gray area for them. But it does have me yapping about my silly guys for several paragraphs :)

Gary and Cereza are best friends and long-time coworkers! Out of everyone on the Little Bird, they’re by far the closest. They’re also… business-married?

Pair bonds are legally sort of like marriage, and a lot of human groups do use them as a way to do marriage things easier, but they’re also more so a way for people to work together long-term. Enith, where the standard comes from, considers it illegal for two companies or guilds to work together without establishing at least one pair-bond to work together. Atistke, which isn’t technically where Gary is from but is what his baseline is established by, considers it a standard for people who have to work closely together- especially in a dangerous environment.

Horizon is kind of in between the human and Enithian standards. Cereza, if they had stayed on the colony, wouldn’t have expected to ever go into a pair bond. Their family just doesn’t do human-style marriages anymore, instead leaning towards a more generalized (?) kind of monogamy. They actually lean towards the Enithian standard- with your mother raising you and your father only existing in the context of what job you’re supposed to go into. Since Cereza was born into a local family under a guild that pretty much had a monopoly on the area, they weren’t ever going to do business with another guild.

And then Cereza went into spacecraft mechanics instead, and suddenly started working all over the place. Gary and Cereza met on some space station, worked together for a long time, and then decided they wanted to keep working together.

It is, in context, a business decision. Gary does structural and electrical engineering, Cereza balances him out with mechanical engineering and repair specialization, and vise versa. Being paired bonded is what allows them to legally travel together, and it means they have more wiggle room with the guys who Gary is contracted out by.

It is also, to Gary and Cereza, a way to stay close to the guy they like. The other end of pair bonds is that they’re supposed to be to get to know each other better than anyone, ostensibly to work together better, but- half the reason it gets used as a actual marriage is because Enith is pretty strict on who you can have close relationships with.

Sex, romance, and even friendship are tied up in the caste system. Enith hates it when people have kids with someone outside of the ‘mother’ caste. Guilds hate it when people get too friendly with people from other guilds.

And they did become close friends while working together, without a pair bond. They were both disenfranchised with their work, depressed with the system they live in. They both found a lot of comfort in being friends with one another, despite the dubious legality of their relationship.

If one of them was reassigned without them being pair bonded, they likely wouldn’t have ever seen each other again. They’re two complete weirdos for being the ones to propose and arrange the bond, instead of a guild or Gary’s bosses, but they’re just barely skating in what’s legal in the Enithian galaxy.

I don’t write either of them as being particularly romantic. They’re both more focused on other parts of their lives. Gary’s trying to get a life outside of work, Cereza’s trying to reconnect with their cultural identity, and that’s how I try to write them.

They’re more queer-platonic to me- if romance was an in-universe question that another human had asked them, they’d probably say they hadn’t considered it.

However- romance is definitely a way to read their relationship. They love each other, through and through. Pair bonds are a weird gray zone where they mean a lot of things to a lot of different characters!

[variousqueerthings]

Your aspec Doctor metas are top!! <2

aw thanks! i do like a good aspec character analysis focus!

been half a sec since ive talked about them specifically, but im interested in how all of this will continue to play into my lens for 15, who is a far more generally flirtatious iteration of the character (not that flirting means either sexual or romantic interest, but certainly there's more straightforward -- for lack of a better word -- "sexiness" injected into ng's run vs the far dorkier doctors of the past)

ultimately though, reading the doctor as aspec is always very easy to me because of that tension that occurs when writing an alien character -- and especially an alien character that's deliberately had these ideas be a part of them from at least Very Very early on, even if it was for more perhaps not all the right reasons (which, i really would love to gather the classic!who's doctors most aspec moments. there's "you're a beautiful woman, probably" which is obvs amazing, but... there are More, but im not plugged in enough to know them + still havent seen all of classic) -- which is that in creating an "alien quality", writers so often fall into aspec narratives without knowing it, because to them the two main traits of humanity are alloromantic and allosexual (there's another layer to this that im too sleepy to get into that is also to do with platonic and familial connections, but. you didn't write to me to get another meta, suffice to say there's something there a more awake-me could potentially say something about). writers/directors/storytellers talk about sex and romance in a particular way that both assumes a self-evident nature to them (this is simply "being human") while also, potentially/probably without realising, acknowledging the non-self-evident tension when imbuing certain characters with certain traits that become relatable despite their best attempts (or even wanted them to be relatable, but Not Like That Go Away Neurodivergents And Queers!!!)

all this to say that yes, the doctor is alien, and the alien-element has been stated (by julie gardner for one) to be enhanced by non-normative relationships to romance (not using these words ofc) and by steven moffat as something that he's tried to argue can go hand-in-hand with especially sex, which, i think his weakest writing occurred whenever he tried to turn the doctor into "just another bloke" and this usually happened when he started adding (het) sex and (het) romance elements into the plot

and rtd and ng are adding... non-het allo elements into the plot. those non-het elements have ofc always been there, im not saying they're new, but again, these ones are different to, say, jack kissing the doctor, or the show making casual references to different (alien) genders and (alien) male pregnancy and the like. this is the doctor making out with another guy type Stuff, which is new

but, the doctor was never alien because of the non-normative romantic and sexual plots. the dt era was incredibly aspec (and i think there's something interesting to be said for jodie whittaker's lesbian aspec vibes, but again, energy, late, sleeps) and kids and adults all over related to the doctor for a long time, because the doctor has a lot of relatable aspects to them. so the aspec is sort of alien, because it's about showcasing non-normative relationships to certain kinds of human social norms and aspec is a Go-To for that, but the aspec is now also just... built into the character in a way that i cannot unsee and think would be a shame to totally try to distance oneself from (and hey, moffat tried, and eleven + twelve... still really fuckn aspec if you ask me)

the question is, i suppose, how are these new sexier queer overtones going to relate with the general coherency of this character when reading from this lens. yes, the doctor is many things, and changes across regenerations, but BUT! i think there should always be some aspec in there. and i don't think that there won't be, but it'll be fun to read some aspec into a flirtatious, more confidently out-there character, because often aspec is considered synonymous with kinda dorky about things

but also it'd be fun if at soooome point a writer/director/producer on this show acknowledged that the aspec elements have been there for fucking ever and 1. they are Queer 2. they're not boring/inherently alien/otherwise lesser human-or-narrative ideas and 3. one can be more deliberate with these ideas potentially

the third one esp is dangerous though, because the risk then is that we get a PSA about the doctor being aspec when they've been comfortably not giving much of a fuck for awhile. but i do think something fun to do one day would be if the doctor were also aspec within their own culture (altho now we've got the whole whatsit child thing, so the doctor is a whole new level of alien i guess. anyway. you can tell the sleeps are getitng me because the tangents are getting worse)

(i leave it here)

(i like analysing this character this way, because it's always been there and it's nigh-impossible to extricate it from them without changing a core part of the character -- within all the fluidity, there is something that carries over from regeneration to regeneration and it's not just funky fits...)

(i was complimented on my outfit today and also asked if i watch doctor who, so im designated whovian at outfit, and im aspec, so needless to say, i related to that part of them. it's not that alien, julie gardner et al)

(it is Queer)

[sabo-has-my-heart]

hello hello :3 ive been LOVINF ur scenarios soo much lately!! do u think u could write some for zoro/sanji/ace/law dating gn!reader who is aromantic but enjoys dating and doing romantic things (ie. going on dates, kissing, cuddling)? they could either be in a queerplatonic relationship and also aromantic, or in a traditionally romantic relationship but reader doesn't *always* feel romantically towards them/attraction fluctuates? maybe u could include crewmates being a little confused by the nature of their relationship, or navigating the boundaries of a non-traditional relationship? if not thats okay! ik aro relationships can b hard 2 understand for some ^^

Aw, thank you, I'm so glad you like them. I actually finished this a lot faster than I thought. So I don't know much about being aromantic, asexual, demi, pan, whatever sex-romantical (IRL, I'm actually the opposite, I want a romantic relationship but am not particularly touchy). That being said, I did look it up. There's still a lot I don't understand but I tried my best. That being said, please, please, please, please, please! Tell me what you think and give me feeback. I can't learn if you don't help me.

Warnings: GN!Reader, Aromantic!Reader, queer!Platonic relationships

Word Count: 1200

     He’d been your best friend for years, or well, maybe friends wasn’t quite the right term. You weren’t just friends but you weren’t dating either. You enjoyed the comfort of romantic things, enjoyed the warmth of cuddling, enjoyed the fun of dates, but you didn’t have ‘those feelings’ for him, or anyone really. That being said, just because you didn’t feel like that towards him, didn’t mean you didn’t sometimes enjoy the activities included in such a relationship. Was he in the same boat as you as an aromantic? No. But he understood your desire for it and was close enough to provide you with the peace and serenity of such things. Sometimes, sometimes, you wished you could feel that way towards others. It would make everything so much easier if you did. You’d be able to actually date, to tell him you loved him in that way, people wouldn’t be confused by your relationship. They understood when you said aromantic, what they didn’t quite understand was being aromantic while enjoying romantic things. Even still, they did their best to understand, or at least not give you hell for it, you were you, you liked what you liked, that was what mattered. So they let you do what made you comfortable. 

Zoro

     He liked sleeping with you, sprawled out in the warm sun on the grass, one arm around you, one behind his head as you snuggled up to him and dozed off in his arms. Honestly, your relationship worked quite well with him. He hadn’t found anyone he felt that way for and honestly didn’t care enough to look. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in finding someone, just that he was focused on other things at the moment. That being said, he still enjoyed the comfort of having a warm body next to his, it brought a sort of… peace and contentment that he didn’t otherwise get. A relationship with a crew member was always a bad idea in his mind, nor was he interested in them; he doubted any of them were particularly interested in him or simply want to cuddle with him for the sake of physical contact. Well, Luffy might, but Luffy was… interesting. You were different though, the two of you were close enough to share a bottle of sake on a moonlit night and enjoy the romantic things but without needing to be romantic. You did have an understanding that in the chance that he found someone he felt that way for, he could break it off if necessary, but until it was necessary, he was more than happy to fulfill your need for romantic actions without the romance.

Sanji

     At first, he’d been a little hesitant. A relationship that wasn’t romantic? He’d understood that you were aromantic, but he didn’t quite understand your desire for romantic touches without the actual romance. Didn’t understand wanting to cuddle or kiss or hug but not be together together. That being said, as your closest friend, he’d listened to you and was at least open to attempt it on the condition that if he was uncomfortable, you end things amicably. You’d agreed, he was your friend, you understood that he might not be comfortable with such things just as you weren’t comfortable with actual romance. Surprisingly, he found your agreement to be more comforting than previously thought. There was a warmth and tenderness in holding each other, a sort of softness and care in the kisses he placed on the top of your head. The two of you even enjoyed cooking together, just without all the lovey-dovey romance that came with a romantic relationship. Moreover, you seemed to curb some of his womanizing habits. He still fawned over women left and right, but not quite as much. While he might want a romantic relationship at some point, at the same time, he really enjoyed what he had with you.

Ace

     Ace was all over the romantic-sexual spectrum. Some days he was more interested in men than women or vice versa, some days he didn’t want a relationship with anybody, other days all he wanted was sex. The boy’s romantic and sexual preference was so all over the charts it was hard to keep up. But there was one constant. His desire for human affection, his desire to be held. He was touch starved and wanted somebody to love him, romantically or platonically, he just wanted to be held or to hold someone. Meaning that a queerplatonic relationship worked perfectly fine with him. He got to hold you, got to be held, but he didn’t have to worry about stumbling around and being romantic. He could go on a date with you, but have it be comfortable, not stumbling over his words as he tried not to mess things up. The two of you were still friends, maybe slightly more than friends, but first and foremost, friends. This also meant that he had somebody looking out for him. Somebody who would keep him from falling face first into his food, but he wouldn’t have to be embarrassed because ‘oh what will they think of me’. Someone who didn’t mind his dumbass shenanigans and not fret over him getting hurt. Hell, you joined in! And with his whole son of Roger thing, he wasn’t entirely certain he wanted a romantic relationship, a romantic relationship, whether or not he had those feelings, would just complicate things, just make things harder. No, he really liked what you two had.

Law

     The doctor had never been particularly affectionate, meaning that when you came to him with this, he was confused as hell. Why him? He wasn’t cuddly, he wasn’t loving or doting, so why him? That being said, after your first time holding him, cuddling up to him, nuzzling against his chest, he found himself desiring more. He didn’t care much for romance, he wasn’t interested in it, he didn’t have a need for it, and he didn’t have a place for it in his life. He was a pirate and a surgeon, he was fairly cold to a lot of people, he’d done things that some people might call horrible, and he had other things he wanted to accomplish. Romance with anyone outside his crew was a no go and dating among crew members in such a small crew was inadvisable. As a doctor, he also understood the need for physical human affection and interaction, understood the brain’s need to be loved, even if you weren’t romantically interested. This fulfilled both of your needs. He still wasn’t very affectionate outside of his room or office. He didn’t go around holding you or kissing you, wasn’t particularly close to you, but when it was just the two of you, he enjoyed the feelings of keeping you close, of resting his head on your chest. Being the doctor that he was, he’d listened to plenty of heartbeats, but there was something soothing about the drumming in his ear. The crew knew that the two of you had taken to sharing a bed, they didn’t quite understand, but you and Law were happy in your strange non-romantic relationship, so they didn’t question it. 

[cootcutebatkat]

More Ford Headcanons

Yeah I'm making a part two right now. Why not? These will be more adult-oriented.

Ford is not at all fond of high-pitched noises. Some he tolerates, especially if he has control over them. But most of the time, he'll react by covering his ears and grimacing.

There isn't a recreational drug out there that he has tried at least once. But his most favorites are alcohol, cannabis, hallucinogenics, and amphetamines. Oh wait, caffeine is considered a drug now? In the mainstream sense and not the medicine sense? Okay, well, that's also his favorite too.

He's only done caffeine the most since he came back into Gravity Falls through the portal. But ofc, with the help of Stan and Fiddleford, he's able to drink and ingest weed as much as he'd like! And yet. There is a limit on caffeine? The nerve!

He's only allowed the limits ever since Dipper and Mabel kindly asked him to follow the rules on his intake levels. Mabel used her darling eyes on him. Dipper used his darling eyes AND plenty of research to back up his claim. Curse his love for his grand-niblings.

Ford is, in a sense, trans-human. He's had many more modifications done to him beyond just the metal plate in his head. He heals faster, runs faster, jumps higher, and has more keen senses! Of course, a vigorous exercise routine helps too.

While Ford identifies as part of the asexual and aromantic spectrum, he's not immune to such feelings either, especially the asexual part. But he's unsure if it's the person's characteristics that are sexually appealing or if the sex alone is and they just happened to be good-looking. But romance is another story.

He has felt romantic feelings towards Bill and Jheselbraum. Fiddleford too, in retrospect. But if you ask him, a queer-platonic relationship sounds much more appealing and emotionally deeper. He has yet to deduce why.

He is polyamourous too! Somewhat. Well, it takes a lot of trust and he'd prefer to deeply know the other persons involved as well. But he isn't opposed to his partner sleeping with another being, so long as Ford is aware of their location, the exits, their current defenses, the stranger's weaknesses, their immunities and defenses and and and. Okay, he's not opposed to it due to jealousy and lack of trust. He's opposed to it because he cannot risk anything bad happen to his beloveds.

That being said... STD transmission is a thing. He might also be opposed to it due to health and hygiene purposes. Unless. He could craft a rapid-testing kit that his beloveds could take with them wherever they go if they feel the urge to sleep with another being.

If his partner(s) have a habit of sleeping with other folks though... it could cause some insecurities. Communication is an absolute must at this point. But depending on the relationship and other variables, you might not hear about said insecurities. So much for communication... (Stan is probably yelling at him for it)

Sometimes, he'll avoid communication to avoid arguments. Expect a lot of serious talks during the earlier parts of your relationship, especially if Ford feels it becoming more intimate and serious. He wants to avoid conflict as much as possible.

He loves absurd memes. The internet, while it did take a while to learn due to its rapid growth, is oddly fun and a host of many research articles! Thanks to Fiddleford, he's learned to bypass many security walls and such, so he's able to access all sorts of articles without having to subscribe or pay for them!

But also. Memes. He loves them. What, you don't think an old man from the 60s and 70s who has done many different drugs and has studied anomalies and has been to a shitty college and has traveled the multiverse would be weirded out by internet humor? My dear, he thrives in it! Hell, he's learned quickly how to make them and posts them regularly. He's pretty amused by how his followers believe that some of them are just absurd jokes and not events he's actually experienced. One day, he'll reveal the truth. But he has to figure out how.

Speaking of, he and Fiddleford has been working with the people of Gravity Falls on how to prevent another apocalypse and, with the consent of the anomalies, how to research the unique flora and fauna and strange happenings in this part of Oregon.

He, Stan, and Fiddleford now all live together in Fidds new estate! The extra rooms have been turned either into guest rooms, entertainment rooms, or academic archives. AND THERE IS STILL MORE ROOM?? Fiddleford, you've truly succeeded! Ford is not only extremely happy with his friend's fortune, but he's also grateful that he gets to share it with him.

Of course, Ford loves his alone time. All the more reason why he appreciates living in a mansion with his beloveds instead of a cramped cabin (seriously, that thing is massive! And yet, it's still too small for such a large and outgoing family). It is a bit too big, though. Hell, it's not a mansion. It's a palace! He's discussed with Fidds about it, leading to a map in every room and hall (with a little "You are here" dot in each one) and a PA system next to it. With some extra work, magic, and rummaging through the alien ship, there is now quick travel throughout the estate as well! Just... hold on to the railing while you're at it. And your stomach.

[moonstruckme]

hi maeeee❤️ first of all love ur fighting it’s beautiful

secondly this is in response to ur sexuality talk!!!

i have had quite a few relationships with cis men, cis women, non-binary individuals etc. i grew up catholic and was always involved in different denominations of christianity as well. it is very much small town mid west as u can get where i live too LOL. with that being said - i hope you understand two things and i can at least assure you on them:

1.) sexuality will always be fluid. i know you’ve probably heard this parroted to you multiple times but it’s the truth. i have never really found a “label” i perfectly identify with due to my sexual confusion as well (i have identified from bi to straight to ace - a total plethora of things.) i have been able to land on “queer” now as an adult because i am able to create my own definition and label. THE LABEL YOU USE ISNT GOING TO BE THE SAME FOR EVERYONE!!! ITS WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU!!❤️ you don’t have to date multiple women to know if you’re bi (unless you would like to!) and who knows maybe your label may change in the future to something else you identify with more! learning more about yourself isn’t a bad thing and neither is exploring your options. 2.) experimentation is not a bad thing! that’s the entire part of exploration and forming connections. just being up front with people by explaining that is your first queer relationship or even date is the way to just be honest. your partner should feel like your friend and it is normal to sometimes confuse platonic from romantic (especially if you have not had a ton of experience in the latter). youre so valid regardless of whatever you feel. you are not alone in this!! ❤️❤️

Hi lovely, thank you for sharing! I really resonated with what you’ve said and it’s actually a lot easier to picture myself dating without guilt (when I do eventually date lol, I’m not in the place rn) and I really appreciate it. I’m also from a small town (except in the south) so I sort of get what you mean, sorry you had to deal with that :/

[naurielrochnur]

Realm of the Elderlings Ask Meme Thing

Thanks for the tag @tragediegh

Favorite Rote Book: Its a tie between Assassin's Quest and Fool's Fate

Why: Assassin's Quest because I became very invested in Fitz's recovery/lack thereof after his torture and death. The end of Royal Assassin felt like the end of a chapter in his life, and it was equal parts fascinating and heartbreaking to see the how Fitz grew as a character, and yet fell victim to himself in very familiar ways. Assassin's Quest is the first time that Fitz is not wholly tied to Buckkeep (at least for the first half of the book), so I really enjoyed watching him make decisions for himself. I am also a HUGE fan of characters that soldier on despite hardship, and that describes Fitz in this book very well.

Fools Fate because OH BOY is that book an emotional wrecking ball and I love to hurt my own feelings. Fitz grows a lot as a person throughout Tawny Man, but he really develops in Fools Fate. The progression of his relationship with Beloved is incredibly satisfying and heartbreaking. I also enjoyed how Fitz finally learned that he can both love Burrich and admit that he was harmed by Burrich's strict governing of the Wit during his childhood. I love the lore and word building of this book (who doesn't love dragons?)

Top Three Favorite Characters: Fitz, Web, and Beloved.

Top Three Least Favorite Characters: Keffria, Sintara, Tats

Favorite Ship (of the floating kind): Tarman without a doubt.

Top Three Favorite Ships (of the people kind): I'm very much so not a romantic shipper, so this is hard. I guess I'll say Fitz and Beloved, but in a queer platonic, messy, and confusing sort of way, Amber and Jek, and Patience and Lacey

Would you rather be Witted or Skilled? Witted

If you were Witted, what animal would you bond with? Some sort of cat, or maybe a ferret? Or perhaps a kestrel. Also, a fox would be cool, as would a corvid. I've thought way too hard about animals I would like to be bonded with and its only made me more unsure.

How were you introduced to the books? I was looking for some books to read in the summer of 2023, and I remembered that I read the three Fitz centric trilogies back in 2018 and really enjoyed them. I was not at my most mentally healthy at that stage of my life, and so could remember next to nothing of what happened, but one thing I DID remember was that while reading those books, I was able to fully fall into them and concentrate on the story. I wasn't able to fully lose myself like that with any other book at that point in my life, so I decided they were worth a reread when I could more fully appreciate them.

Share a quote you love:

"Men do not grieve as dogs do, buy they grieve for many years." -Assassin's Apprentice

That passage never fails to bring tears to my eyes.

“Not being able to think of a reply is not the same thing as accepting another's words.” -Assassin's Quest

Its so silly but this quote makes me cry. I often have trouble replying to people, particularly when I don't agree with them, and so it can be distressing to know I have something to say and yet not be able to form the words. Its extremely comforting to see that sentiment actually acknowledged.

It was a long journey, in the cold and the dark. Somewhere I could hear a whimpering, and I despised myself for that, too. But as I scraped myself along, it grew, as a spark in the distance becomes a fire as one approaches. It refused to be ignored. It grew louder in my mind, a whining against my fate, a tiny voice of resistance that forbade that I should die, that denied my failure. It was warmth and light, too, and it grew stronger and stronger as I tried to find its source.

I stopped.

I lay still.

It was inside me. The more I sought it, the stronger it grew. It loved me. Loved me even if I couldn’t, wouldn’t, didn’t love myself. Loved me even if I hated it. It set its tiny teeth in my soul and braced and held so that I couldn’t crawl any farther. And when I tried, a howl of despair burst from it, searing me, forbidding me to break so sacred a trust.

It was Smithy. He cried with my pains, physical and mental. And when I stopped struggling toward the wall, he went into a paroxysm of joy, a celebration of triumph for us. And all I could do to reward him was to lie still and no longer attempt to destroy myself. And he assured me it was enough, it was a plenitude, it was a joy. I closed my eyes. -Assassin's Apprentice

This quote resonates with me in ways I find hard to describe. Even when I was at the my worst mentally, suffering from a severe eating disorder that cascaded into severe depression, there was always at least teeny part of me that wanted me to live. It was the small, basal lizard brain that cared only for biological survival, but it was there. Eventually, after a long time and a lot of therapy, I learned to listen to that voice. I learned that the voice in my head driving me crazy over thoughts of food--the voice that I hated just as much as I hated myself--was only there because it wanted me to stop killing myself. I learned to appreciate the part of my brain that cared enough about me to sink its teeth into my mind and never let go. Through that appreciation I learned to love that voice. Through love for that voice, I learned how to start loving myself the way it loved me; fiercely, protectively, and wholly accepting. A part of me cared SO much about my survival, thought I was worth an immense effort to keep alive, and all that was within me. This quote puts to words that struggle that I felt. I had a Smithy within me all along, and that little creature saved my life.