#(the interpretations are equally important

[sixeyesonathiel]

“especially when that ship actively erases what makes your fave compelling”

while i do agree to a certain point, i also feel like this comes off as you disregarding the importance of geto in satoru’s life which imho does the very same thing. it’s fine to not ship them romantically tho!! that’s not the point i wanna make here, but as someone who also loves satoru more as his own person rather than as an extension of stsg… i fear it’s also just in the nature of how gege has written them/their dynamic that makes it kinda hard Not to see the ways in which geto influenced satoru (and vice versa) yknow :’)) kenjaku taking advantage of his care for geto during the shibuya incident kinda illustrates this perfectly. platonic or otherwise, geto still clearly meant Something to him if he was able to let himself believe for even a fraction of a moment that his old best friend was still alive, despite being the one who killed him. sure, there’s something to be said about the way people go about shipping them and how often their headcanons bleed into their interpretation of the actual story. but this isn’t just something that was implied in a dubious manner— gege quite literally wrote this into the story intentionally. he doesn’t need to spell it out for it to be clear how important their dynamic is tbh… some things in the story are left up to the individuals interpretation but i don’t necessarily think this is one of those cases (or at least, not as much as you might think 😅)

hey! thank you for being thoughtful in how you approached this—genuinely. i agree that suguru did mean something to satoru. i’ve never argued otherwise. that’s not the point i take issue with. their bond was significant—especially as teens during their jujutsu high years. and of course, shibuya wouldn’t have hit as hard if that history wasn’t there. satoru seeing suguru’s face and hesitating? painful. human. it proves that grief lingers.

but i think what people miss—especially in the romantic framing of their relationship—is where that influence ends. the emotional pull of that past friendship does not automatically make suguru the most formative or defining figure in satoru’s arc. when people treat stsg like it’s the foundation of his character, they end up flattening what actually makes him compelling.

satoru’s entire journey is about carrying unbearable weight alone. about choosing to protect, to teach, to reform a system no one else dared challenge. his students, his ideals, his restraint—those are what define him. reducing that to “he loved his best friend and lost him 🥺” doesn’t just feel limiting—it actively erases the complexity of his morality and the fact that he saves himself. again and again. not because of suguru. but despite what happened with him. so yes—i recognize that suguru was important. but importance doesn’t equal destiny. and importance doesn’t mean immunity from critique, either. suguru is a character who betrayed their ideals, turned genocidal, and the situation he chose to be in forced satoru to kill him. does that grief leave scars? absolutely. but it’s also a fracture, not a lifelong tether.

so when i say “that ship erases what makes him compelling,” i mean that it often reframes his growth and resilience as something born of loss, when really, his strength comes from choosing responsibility—even when it hurts. even when it costs him everything. and i personally think that deserves more attention than the echo of a boy he once knew 🙂‍↕️

[bdbdbdbdmn]

in the spirit of acknowledging transmisandry, transandrophobia, butchphobia, etc., i simply must bring up the gendering of submission and dominance. yeah in the bedroom but also in life. you do not have to suppress your inner "alpha [male]" (and/or "sigma [male]") just because guys+ like you, specifically, Aren't Allowed to be dominant. socially, morally. it's an automatic fail even if you did try because then you're an "ungrateful bitch," but it's still a gender expectation. instead of getting to be dominant compete to be respected as capable of being masculine in that particular Manhood Test, you have to apologize and give thanks constantly just for being allowed to live. you must be so much of a gentleman that you become just a gentle. and you must kiss so much of so many metaphorical asses. your right to assert yourself was never given but it feels as though it's being taken everyday that you're made to submit, to feel like a beta. please know that you are not wrong for existing and taking up space or asking for things, and also you should consider if you want different sexual dynamics and antics or whatever because you shouldn't have to do something you don't want to do, either.

i think it's the trolly problem that's causing this. they believe that you've "pulled a lever" and therefore are disqualified from deserving "Evil Masculinity," which is why some people will go out of their way to try to take it from you because "men are bad" but then don't treat cis men like this EVER (that+ trans men are easy targets who aren't allowed to defend themselves so it's like roleplaying what you wanna do to cis men but no consequences).

actually, now is a good time to use something i've had sitting in my notes for a while as an example:

i once watched one of those yt [YouTube] videos were someone reacts to a yt show about people's relationships, and it had one that made me really uncomfortable. it was a lesbian relationship, one femme, the other butch with gender dysphoria, probably some form of genderqueer. they were both tops, the femme just preferring to top, but the masc one genuinely was made too uncomfortable by it [bottoming] and wanted to set a boundary against having certain sex acts done to them, at least not as much as the other wanted. this was established before the relationship. the femme one was really pissed off and said it wasn't fair, so did a lot of comments, but it's not her body. what's fair is not doing something sexual to someone without consent. if you're dissatisfied, leave. don't take it out on your partner and try to manipulate them into letting you fuck them. but here's my other thing. cishet men don't have to deal with this. if they don't want to bottom or sub, they don't have to and are still expected to be allowed to top without it being hypocritical. women [or anyone seen as one] are considered predators and scary if they even think about, much less actually ask to top or dom a cis man. "that's not love" is how I've heard some women's desire to peg their boyfriends get described. but when it's a butch lesbian who seems to be somewhere on the transmasc spectrum, that all goes out the window. fuck them and their gender dysphoria, literally. wtf y'all. and on top of that, it seemed like the entire relationship was just the femme making the butch uncomfortable [while still trying to get more attempts to change her partner's intimacy boundaries] and then being pissy about it. it is good to try to be fair and equally satisfy your partner, but you are still allowed to say no. you're not a bad person because you were uncomfortable during sex.

i just feel like it's unhelpful if the queer community expects people who society expects to sub and bottom and listen to let that happen to themselves in the name of some distorted interpretation of a watered down political ideal. if sex is important to you and you have unmet needs, there's only so much it's ok to expect your partner to do about it. and she still got what she wanted sometimes, just not Enough. you don't have to have a 1:1 ratio of turns topping, especially if one is so clearly miserable bottoming. my brothers, siblings, and sisters in queer masculinity this is not what ladies+ normally do to cis men you do NOT have to let a girl/etc. get even anywhere NEAR the inside of you that is NOT ever an ok requirement, and this is not "using male/masc privilege, probably against vulnerable women," it's safety. if it's a need and they just try to find loopholes to get into your holes that is BAD. incompatible, break up.

but yeah i don't really like watching stuff like that anymore, this kinda upsetting stuff happens basically every video. (you should've seen me when that one guy on The Button told that lady he wanted to beat her kids💀and was complaining about his last girlfriend not wanting him to do that either. as a pickup line, btw.) i will watch stupid fucking learning videos and the news and people taking about the news instead like a nerd loser who's old

[obligateweirdo]

This is lovely.

I hope in the finale they leave the exact nature of the Ineffables’ relationship open to interpretation, as they have done so far (no objection to innuendo!).

I am absolutely not averse to Aziraphale and Crowley getting it on on ANY level, but I am also not averse to them just wanting to be together, in love and trust.

I usually identify as demi, though I’m actually a bit farther into the spectrum than that. I have never looked at someone and been physically turned on, though I can appreciate beauty. I’ve never wanted (at all) to sleep with someone I don’t like, and like a whole lot. Most of the time what I want from physical intimacy is emotional and even intellectual intimacy, which are so much deeper and so much more important to me. I don’t really understand what allosexuals want or get out of physical intimacy.

I can’t help seeing Aziraphale and Crowley as demi (though I can see them other ways as well, and enjoy them)—like the people who say Crowley is Azirasexual and Aziraphale is Crowlisexual. I think they have eyes (and maybe efforts, if you like) only for each other.

And I think that if they find each other’s bodies attractive, it’s because of the being within the body, not the body itself. I personally think Crowley wouldn’t have cared if Aziraphale had kept his roommate situation with Madame Tracy (he might have gotten tired of Madame Tracey)—he would have loved and been just as attracted to Aziraphale looking like Tracy as he was to Aziraphale looking like Michael Sheen himself.

To me, this is important. I certainly don’t mind if another point of view is equally important to others.

More Than One Way to be Smitten (or, Ace is okay too 🖤🩶🤍💜)

CW: A discussion about relational intimacy, romance, and types of attraction, and how an asexual vs allosexual pov can affect the way we view the relationship between Our Ineffables -- from the singular perspective of someone on the ace spectrum (me!) who might not say everything quite right that fits Everyone. (My apologies in advance, Sincerely!) *Mention of "sexual attraction" as terminology, no details.

*****

I've recently realized that, when I repeatedly refer to Aziraphale and Crowley as "An Old Married Couple", and when I've mentioned their attractiveness to each other, this can mean different things to different people, and for many different reasons. So, I wanted to clarify myself, and maybe reassure others who share a similar point of view about Our Ineffables. They are "smitten", after all!

Some folks, including myself, see Our Ineffables as deeply committed partners who might actually be somewhere on the asexual spectrum in their relationship. Who enjoy holding hands, and times of physical closeness, and don't need to say the words "I love you" to have it entirely understood between them. There's a spectrum of points of view about this that's as broad as the spectrum of asexuality itself. Still, we're in the minority, and there are generally a lot fewer posts about these ideas.

Personally, I'm intrigued by their relational intimacy, and often write about it here. I'm a hopeless romantic, and I love the many varied ways Aziraphale and Crowley each have of expressing and affirming the bond and commitment they share. I love seeing it grow, from the Garden, through Job, and into what we see in nearly every interaction they have in S2.

Some of it is non-romantic romance, so to speak -- we see the intense bond in what is happening, but there's a depth that goes far beyond conventional "romance" and makes things like sweet talk or wooing absolutely unnecessary.

Crowley simply standing there with Aziraphale is incredibly romantic to me, in a very unconventionally romantic way. It conveys, "I have your back. I perceive what you perceive, and I trust you and agree. I'm here at your side, and no matter what we have to face, we'll face it together." To me, a moment like this is just as romantic as Aziraphale tugging Crowley out to dance in S2, or Crowley blowing the paint off Azi's jacket in S1!

I see a lot in the Ineffable Bond that's relatable for me. I spent most of my life not knowing what demisexual or grey- or asexual actually was, but I always was different. I seldom got the "adult joke", was often looked down on as either naive or prudish, and I certainly never knew how to "flirt"! (my own particular traits -- we're a varied and diverse bunch too!) For me, talking intensely about shared interests, or friendly teasing, or being innocently playful together was the best kind of "flirting", as I understood it. I'm not Aromantic, but I see the beautifully meaningful non-romantic ways Our Ineffables communicate their bond, and my romantic self finds it all Wonderful!

See, in my own personal little ace world, things like holding hands and snuggling and romantic kissing exist without being linked to sexual attraction. My playful form of "flirting" means "I like you so much!" or "Let's cuddle!" or "I love you deeply!" or "We're here for each other, and that means the world to me!" Even if my playfulness is something that others might misinterpret, I just don't see it at the time, don't perceive that layer, and didn't intend it. Speaking only for myself, it's why I look at this moment...

... and see it simply as a debonair and romantic love-gift, a tiny sweet trusting rescue. When I watch Aziraphale's rescued-damsel reaction, I see it as demure and charmed and rather innocent. He understands the romantic flirtation (that he invited!), and responds with a sweet "flirtation" of his own.

Sure, it's a "come-hither" look, but that's not necessarily the same (from this acespec pov) as a "bedroom glance"! I believe it's an invitation for Crowley to indulge in more playful romance. It's Aziraphale signaling that he's flattered, and that he's attracted to Crowley too. And maybe, possibly, it even means he's not sure what he'd like the next step to be.

This might sound silly to you. If it does, that's valid. It largely depends on whether we interpret the characters as under the asexual umbrella or as allosexual. I won't try to definitively state that one interpretation is "correct". But I'd like to point out that an asexual/acespec perception is just as valid, and can be equally based on character analysis as well as personal perspective.

I have a different-than-standard take on the Job ox ribs scene too. When I watch the scene, I do understand the more typical interpretation. However, I interpret the scene as Crowley offering freedom, sensual (as in of-the-senses) experiences that angels see as off-limits, and a world beyond the rigid coldness of heaven's rules. And Aziraphale is hungry, starving, to experience this amazing world he's immersed in. He's starved for genuine connection with the world, for sensory experiences -- to be allowed to enjoy tastes and smells, foods and fabrics, to have FUN!

Our Angel is also starving for company, for affection, for understanding. He's technically connected with heaven's angels, but they don't care about the world, nor much about Aziraphale either. In the Job episode, he's bonding with Crowley in a way they haven't before, and both allow the playful aspects of themselves to peek out!

I recognize the starving-craving metaphors in the scene ox ribs scene. I just think there are some assumptions made about what he absolutely Must be craving. Aziraphale has never experienced anything corporeal. He's never tasted "gross matter" like tea or wine or flatbread or dates or grapes. He still dresses like the other angels and so has never worn soft wool or velvet or linen to feel the varied textures. He has never laughed (or cried) with a friend before today. To me, it seems like a large enough leap -- and a far healthier one -- for a novice who has only witnessed, but not experienced, "the world" until now.

Crowley's relaxed foot-wiggle here is so poignant to me. He's open, cynical but honest, and being more naturally himself. Crowley is immensely satisfied to have achieved this tempation, because he likes this angel. He's been very fond of him for quite awhile. Despite his demon status, he doesn't identify with hell. He identifies far more with this angel who already dances between heaven's rules and a love for the world and it's people. Crowley tempts Aziraphale, but only so far, even when the angel's "rule" about eating human food completely collapses.

Crowley is looking to create shared experiences. Then perhaps the demon won't be so alone anymore. Crowley is by this point familiar with the human sensual (of-the-senses) world -- he's wearing woolen homespun clothing, drinking wine, and even sporting a beard! -- but he's entirely alone. Crowley also craves connection, kindness, and understanding. He's incredibly isolated.

That's the theme here, as we learn later, when they sit together by the sea. Not being lonely anymore. (See Facing Loneliness)

Physical encounters, life has taught many of us, do not guarantee an end to isolation and loneliness. True friendship and companionship does. That's what they're both seeking.

For awhile, Crowley can take down his guard and completely relax in the company of someone who has also relinquished all pretense. Our demon is starting to feel safe, to confide things that are Real. When he revealed his secret about Job's goats, he took off his dark glasses and became unhidden. It was a huge risk, and an act of trust. Now Aziraphale is unhidden too.

The night after Almost-Armageddon, at the bus stop, Aziraphale showed a wistful longing that was an incredibly tender moment. Crowley responded with a soft, sweet gentleness. With or without greater physical intimacy, Good Omens is still a Love Story.

I believe Our Ineffables became "An Old Married Couple" and embraced their commitment to each other that night. They shared from a wine bottle as casually as if they'd done so many times before, and maybe they had, but this night they chose for it to mean something deeper. It was a communion, a bond. That intimacy can be intensely meaningful entirely on its own.

Aziraphale went home with Crowley. Why does it matter what they DID when they got there? Or rather, it's okay if it matters to you, but it's also okay that it doesn't matter to me. Or, even more significantly, what if it didn't matter to THEM? What if they just cuddled? Or simply held hands as they talked and planned? Or even just gazed meaningfully at each other as they spoke with a new level of confidence and commitment in their voices?

You see, it's like Schrödinger's Cat. All possibilities are valid. All can simultaneously exist, unless we open their bedroom door.

Now, I'm not saying that this is the only possible perspective. I am saying, however, that it's a valid one. It's also not exclusively an asexual perspective. I've had conversations with allosexual folks who share this pov for Our Ineffables, and folks under the asexual umbrella who enjoy an allosexual interpretation of their relationship. My hope is to make a little more space for both sides of the conversation -- and for acespec and aroace identities in real life too.

I'd like to also affirm that asexual folks can and often do experience attraction, just not sexual attraction (although they may want or choose or enjoy all types of intimacy). There can be romantic attraction. Or aesthetic attraction. Sensual attraction. Emotional attraction. Platonic attraction as well. Many acespec people are in committed and fulfulling relationships. Some of these relationships include romance, some don't. All of these relationships are meaningful and valid.

We see many moments where Aziraphale is showing what looks to be a very strong attraction to Crowley, especially when his handsome demon smiles or is charming, graceful, or indulges in a flirtation himself. If the couple is acespec, that attraction, even when our angel looks quite breathless, can be overpowering without being sexual, believe it or not! (I've been there!)

Even ace spectrum folks who are quite skilled at flirting, and who enjoy the byplay or the romance of it, aren't necessarily looking for that to lead to physical intimacy of any kind. Or maybe a little. Or maybe a lot, but maybe up to a point... (It's an infinite spectrum!)

Aziraphale and Crowley have a committed, often playful, and deeply meaningful relationship that includes many forms of attraction. They like holding hands. They flirt, they dress up for each other (France!). They tease each other, even about their flaws that both attract them and can sometimes irritate them. In S2, they are so relaxed and comfortable with each other, when there are no threats around. They lean on each other, metaphorically and literally. These Ineffable Husbands might have different ideas of or desire for romance, or physical contact (or dancing!), yet they often are so very tender with each other. They work it out, navigating it with more or less grace and finesse, awkwardness and errors, just like any couple does across time.

There are so many beautiful ways of expressing love, attraction, and emotional intimacy in real life, in all its myriad aspects. It's lovely when a show with fictional characters can capture some of those nuances. It's part of the magic that draws us to Good Omens -- two mature, imperfect beings trying their best to both discover their true natures, and trying to share those Real Selves with each other in the healthiest way they can manage. Because Good Omens doesn't limit that relatability to just some of us, it can reflect all of us.

*****

Thanks for being willing to explore this aspect and perspective of our Beloved Ineffables with me!

If you enjoyed this, you might be interested in a few of my other GO philosophical ramblings that make real-world connections:

Reflections & Divisions (Mirrors of Ourselves)

Good Omens & the Existential Art of Not Giving Up (When It's All Exhausting)

Unmasking an Angel (Free to Be Who You Really Are)

And here are my two other metas I referenced that look at the Job minisode, and at their more current relationship:

Facing Loneliness (Reaching Out in Courage)

An Old Married Couple (Together Since the Bus Stop)

Thanks for being here! (ps. Comments are invited and welcome, but please be kind. I'm a sensitive little being, and a little nervous about this one... Oh, and let me know if I misrepresented anyone or used the wrong terms. I tried hard, but I'm still learning.)

[casscainmainly]

If we're talking about David and Cass' relationship, it's important to acknowledge that Horrocks' run is an outlier. Both Puckett before and Gabrych after have panels where David more or less explicitly shows love towards Cass, or at least tenderness - see #22, #33, #37 for Puckett and #65 for Gabrych. Horrocks' run is the only one in Batgirl (2000) where David is characterised as completely cold and uncaring (in #50 particularly). I do not think this is bad, since the contrast provides ample space for nuance and interpretation, but I also think only using Horrocks' panels of David is kind of ignoring a huge chunk of his characterisation (and leads to really one-dimensional appearances like Batgirl 2008). This isn't to say Horrocks' version of David should be ignored, but that it's very much situated between two other versions of him that should be considered too.

[thatswhatsushesaid]

I'm sorry but no one is ever going to convince me that #justice prevails at the end of mdzs (even the untamed), everyone seems so freaking sad about the events that unfolded. no one is going to convince me that nhs actually found satisfaction in the way jgy & nmj are now forever just chilling in a coffin, no peace whatsoever. jgy was someone who genuinely cared for nhs and i feel it goes vice versa. Don't even get me started on Jin Ling, that child is devastated, and then having to have dealings with the man that was indirectly/directly involved with your uncles death and that even depends on if nhs picks up the slack as sect leader cause huan and jiggy were doing the work for him.

The watchtowers probably going to get disbanded, don't even know what's going on with the Nie clan, Jing lin being forced to play the role of leader so early on in his life. This was not triumphant it felt so very depressing, like damn.

i mean you're preaching to the choir here, anon, i'm in agreement with you. the only people who are happy after the guanyin temple sequence concludes are wangxian, and i think it is entirely reasonable to presume that a lot of their happiness in that moment is a direct result of getting to fuck nasty. 🤷‍♀️ good for them, i guess.

[mediocrgatsby]

has anyone ever done a trans analysis of blue sargent? because I think there’s something there for sure

[squorttle-pox]

idk if it means anything really, but i think it's interesting how after all their time together as a couple in a christianity-adjacent world, lucifer and lilith only had one (1) child, and it was only 200 years ago at that

[lemonhemlock]

so, i'm going through your anti team black tag and living my best life, but one post in particular that you made got me thinking.

“george made damn sure rhaenyra’s bloodline sat on the throne at the end bc, if the hightowers won, house targaryen would have been reformed, and he couldn’t kill them all off at the end of the main series”

i'm pretty sure this might've just been a joke, but it makes me curious. do you think something like a targaryen reformation would be possible, hypothetically speaking? i certainly wouldn't mind it in a "greens win" AU scenario, but that's just me. i wanna know if anyone else sees potential in this. 💚💚💚

Hello, yes, this was mostly a joke, as it happens. 😅 (anon is referring to this post) To introduce another lengthy parenthesis, I remember at the time that some of the reactions to that post were in the range for "why doesn't anyone understand that the Hightowers are also feudal lords vying for their own interests and not some great reformists out to save Westeros", which... Listen. 😄 To put equitably, this fandom has a considerable issue with knowing when to level criticism and when to just treat banter as lighthearted horsing around and not take it too seriously. Something which even I'm not exempt from, I don't think. 🤷‍♀️

So, in the interest of making a meme, that post was kind of half-true in that it simplified a more nuanced concept (that was never an avenue that the author decided to explore anyway) for the sake of humour. I have, in the past, detailed my thoughts on House Hightower and what I think is their role in the wider narrative. This is based on the information we have on them presently. If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong. Who knows, maybe Lord Leyton and Melara plan on blowing Oldtown up for shits and giggles. We don't have to guess everything correctly - another aspect this community struggles with in their fandom wars and obsession with having the most correct, morally pure take.

Regardless, yes, the Hightowers obviously are a privileged family at the top of the social food chain, benefitting from the exploitation awarded by feudalism - a political-economic system based on vast inequality. Therefore, any type of reform they might be willing to undertake will be limited and not really something that significantly changes the status-quo. Just like the beloved, fan-favourite, and mostly confirmed "winners" - the Starks. A third element that our fandom has trouble accepting is the concept of incremental change. I feel like it would basically be a truism to point out that incremental change has been the most reliable vector of socio-economic evolution throughout human history. So, bad news for them, I suppose, but any superficial study of history will reveal that feudalism hardly collapsed overnight. Which leads us back to the idea that any small change, no matter how limited, does matter in the long run, because, as time passes, it will be compounded with another small change and so on.

Anyway, coming back to the question. Would Targaryen reformation be possible? Certainly! GRRM could have made up any story he wanted. Anything is possible if you plan for it and it makes sense within your worldbuilding. As it stands, the Targaryens are foreigners with a questionable culture, hailing from a land that used to engage in practices that even the feudal Westerosi found backwards, distasteful, barbaric or immoral: slavery, human sacrifice, incest, great feats of violence such as pillaging and conquering neighbouring lands for the sake of feeding their population to their volcano gods etc. The Targaryens also have fire-breathing monsters that, while not exactly enough all the time to prevent any rebellions from happening, are weapons that no one else has access to and that can cause a great deal of damage that no one else can replicate.

So, in order to "reform" and integrate, they would need to renounce all that. They would need to do it the traditional way. They do some of the work, but never go all the way. They accept the main religion of the land, but they don't let go of inter-marrying, because they don't want to lose their access to dragons. There are attempts to integrate, but, by the time of the events of the main series, they have returned to incest. Funnily enough, Aegon V plays a role in both - he marries outside of the family and has no dragons left, but his succeeding son and daughter marry each other and, eventually, Aegon decides that bringing back dragons is not such a bad idea after all. I do think that the symbolic weight of Daenerys having both her parents and her grandparents as brother-sister sets is laying the "dragon blood" metaphor thick - and that it holds more magical weight than any mathematical calculation of her actual watered-down Targaryen DNA.

In any such scenario where GRRM decided to go down a Targaryen reformation path, IMO it would have been thematically-relevant to ease into it via a marriage alliance with one of the oldest families in Westeros - a well-respected, rich house that also has close links to both the only centre of higher education and the main religious organization in the land. Hence the meme. :) But it doesn't last and the Targaryens go back to their dastardly ways eventually, that's the point of them in the story, because the author chose it to be the point.

[shiningstarr15]

Alright I’ve seen enough takes on this and while I understand everyone’s viewpoint and validate it I want to give mine bc mine is probably a very niche perspective.

When it comes to the relationship between Gregory and Vanessa, I do view them as siblings. And no not in the umbrella way, not in the “this is the only thing that makes the most sense” sort of way, I mean they have sibling energy period. And I’ll tell you why.

Bc I do not view them as being immediate found family. At all. They have too much trauma both independently and with each other. I don’t even think they’d like each other very much at first. I feel like their initial relationship would be more of a ”you saved me so I’ll return the favor by helping you out” way.

Personally. I don’t think relationships with strong bonds should immediately go into something romantic or familial (maybe it’s cuz I’m raging aroace and very platonic/queerplatonic bc I know that’s an unpopular opinion) but in my eyes, you NEED TO BUILD A FRIENDSHIP FIRST. and I think that’s exactly what they’re gonna do.

They’re gonna slowly and gradually form a friendship, one that most people would think is strange and unusual bc it’s an adult and a child but let’s be fr neither of them are what you’d consider “typical” (yes I personally hc them both being ND. Again, this is my opinion). I also don’t think they don’t really give af what people think. So why would they bother putting a label that they don’t really agree with on them? No imo they won’t do that unless they truly do mean it.

Again, this could very well be projecting. But I am personally someone that doesn’t like being given a “sister” label unless it’s actually meant. Maybe it’s my extreme sibling complex. But I don’t think I’m wrong for feeling that way. And imo, I think overtime they would view each other in the way best friends view each other as siblings. I don’t even think there would even need to be anything legal. But if there was, she would be a legal guardian at best. Bc it still gives the freedom to identify how they choose. And to me, it’s very similar to Lilo and Nani from “Lilo and Stitch.”

Bc I think two things can be true at the same time. Vanessa can be a caregiver, and have some responsibilities when it comes to making sure Gregory is ok and kept safe. But also, she herself needs someone to take care of her. Bc she can’t. And while I do like the idea of Freddy taking care of them both, I also like them taking care of each other.

She definitely has aspects that could be seen as maternal, but I don’t view her as essentially parental. She simply isn’t ready. There’s too much trauma and a bit of emotional immaturity (again not a bad thing, she’s very childlike imo). I think she sees him more equal than that. Not someone that is helpless and needs to be watched 24/7. But someone that needs a little guidance every now and then. And that’s where I think looking up to her in an older sibling kinda way comes in.

She’s like a combined playmate and caregiver. An equal partner but also someone that takes on the worst of the burden so he doesn’t have to. Even though he will do so anyway bc he cares that much about her.

So yea, that’s my take on their relationship. Again, it’s just my opinion, and I understand people not agreeing and wanting something else for them. But this is how I choose to view them, and I don’t think that it’s wrong ❤️

[tmae3114]

just saw a post saying "the 'problem' is only in your heads" about people complaining about the utter saturation of exclusive shipping focus in fandom and the constant devaluation of platonic relationships that oh-so-often comes with it because "it IS platonic in canon and shipping can't change that" AS THOUGH THAT IS THE PROBLEM WE ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT AND I AM GOING TO SCREAM

[stillresolved]

“I want to know what makes you happy.”

[ for annie ! ]

@xinxiins / "i want to know..." prompts

WHAT A STRANGE QUESTION TO ASK. Most of the time when people see her, they don’t ask her about her life. If they even ask them in the first place. She can always see it in their eyes, the prying questions: what happened, how did you get like this, will you ever be the same again, oh that poor girl-

The questions are never about her, so much as they are about what was done to her. The same difference between a subject and an object. Maybe that’s why he asks her this question instead. She doesn’t know what he’s been through and it is vice versa too, but like is attracted to like. The wounded have a way of finding one another, the same way rivers will always make their way to the sea in the end.

“...Water?” She offers, hesitantly. Is that too simple of an answer to say? Although perhaps it is not right to say it makes her happy so much as it calms her, silences the thoughts when she can’t do so herself. “The beach. I grew up with the sea and the sand at my feet. And Samchu– the neighborhood cat. She likes it when her chin is scratched.” She closes her eyes, remembering Samchu’s purring against her fingers. The calico cat would then rub her head against the back of Annie’s hand. A small smile. 

“Chocolate. I like the dark ones and mint. I don’t like it when they’re in bars; the individual pieces have prettier wrapping.” Would anyone care if they knew? Annie doesn’t know, but if they would, would they go out of their to–

Oh wait, there is one person. 

What makes Annie happy, Lí Chényǔ asks her, when sanity and coherence already feels out of of arm’s reach. Happiness? It wasn’t even, and still doesn’t feel like a priority for her. And yet, and yet-! In the midst of this chaos, she did find something. Or rather someone found her. She thinks of long hair and a stoic demeanor. Of a voice strong and controlled, but still chooses to call Annie’s name gently. Yes, that’s her north star, isn’t it? Annie’s light in this dark chasm.

“Ara.”

My best friend. 

“She makes me happy.”

[lawbotcj]

i love motley jokerman bungle a lot, same with his little yellow boyfriend (i don't remember this one's name) and the clown witch looking lady with the crocodile face (maribel i think) theyre all very cool and whimsical fellows who i enjoy greatly 😊

🃏YES that was Motley and Ragtag, ive been at a loss for what to do with motley lately

🟢Maribel was like a shopkeeper

🟢x2 She had a little sister named Matilda

Who was supposed to be a party member in an rpg, as the witch character next to 2 vampires and a zombie rabbit. 🟡🔴🟢🔵

🏡Outside of Jasper's mansion is many things. Like a Swamp.

🟢x3 Maribel and Matilda's mother Margatroyd lives in the swamp and her head was the foundation for their shack. 🏠

im never sure what i should just blurt out and what i should put behind a paywall lately but im enjoying writing all this on my phone on the train. i remember damn everything about my oc lore im just the only person who knows much of it rn.

[cherry-bomb-ships]

Man you know whats so so fun. Is the difference in relationship between my f/os I got before I transitioned and f/os I got afterwards. To the ones I added after, I imagine then as always seeing me as some kinda gender ambiguous They creature and finding it so impossible to see me any other way. But for the f/os I got BEFORE figuring myself out, they know what I was like and who I was before I KNEW who I was, they've seen both sides of me and I think they can recognize how much happier I am where I am now 🥺💖🥺💖🥺💖🥺💖

[welcometogrouchland]

Lesbian Stephanie Brown...oh you're so real to me

[nixariel]

There are always different interpretations. Other interpretations (or even deliberate misinterpretations) can be just as rewarding. So don't say romance is the only way to see a relationship, just own that you find that interpretation more interesting. Don't put your opinion down to something in the text that you can't control, stand up for it. via hellfridge

Shipping is fun and all but I swear every single time someone makes a comment, whether as a joke or in a legitimate analysis, about there being "no other explanation" for a pair's interactions, I lose just a bit more of my sanity

Like, no, you guys don't get it. Romance is not about the Amount of devotion, it's about the COLOR. the FLAVOR of it all. a character can be just as devoted to their platonic friend as they are to their romantic partner, and they don't love either of them more, just differently.

But because the majority of people still have it stuck in their minds that romance exists on the highest tier of love, I'm stuck seeing endless takes that boil down to "these two care about each other too much for it to NOT be romantic" as if that's the core determining factor to how literally any of this works

In conclusion: stop telling me that I don't understand the story if I don't interpret the leads as romantic, I am TIRED

[actual-corpse]

Studying law is so fun like...

You watch your professor sip coffee like that Kermit meme, and you wonder what everyone has been smoking in order to make them make stupid rulings.