#I love some platonic bonding
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inconmess · 2 years ago
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Reversed
Dorym Week Day 1
Prompt: Whatever Comes Next
Tbh wasn't initially going to participate, lot of mixed feelings about it but then I hit EXU Prime again and running a nostalgia party so... here it goes.
"You sleep ok?" Dorian asked as he sat beside Orym, gently nudging the halfling aside to make room in the bed.
"Yeah... yeah. At least, as much as I could get. You?"
"Yeah. I slept fine."
Orym nodded as he looked down, fiddling with his fingers. "I am... sorry for what went down yesterday. I should've been more watchful."
"What?"
"I put us all in danger because of my carelessness. If it wasn't for the random stranger... you would've... it's..."
"Not your fault." Dorian cut in. "What happened yesterday wasn't your fault."
"But it is! You should be blaming me! I should've never- Dorian, why are you laughing?" Orym asked in shock as the genasi doubled over in silent laughter.
"Oh no, it's not you. I mean, it kinda is but it just... Remember Niirdal-Poc?"
"Of course I do?"
"The one where I tried to steal some breakfast wine and you said that it wasn't my fault that I put you in danger the day before because moments like that happen? You try to do your best and hope it ends up well?"
"Yeah..."
"Sometimes, you should take your own advise."
"But I am supposed to be the guard! I am supposed to notice things!"
"And you didn't. And that's ok. You did your best. You were injured. You were tired and we've had some pretty long days before today. Tell me, is it my fault that I wasn't prepared for it? It had been my watch after all."
"No! It's not!"
"Then, Orym," he said, kneeling down before the halfling and cupping his cheek. "it wasn't your fault either. Or we take the blame equally. Up to you."
"Ok." he sighed out, not really happy with the logic because he knew it was true, just as true as his guilt was.
"We always face things together. Now and whatever comes next. You don't have to carry things alone or suppress them, alright? Fearne and I are always with you." Orym silently nodded at that as he leaned further into the touch.
"Now. Do we want to steal some breakfast wine?"
"With the citrus?"
"With the citrus."
"Normally I don't... but alright."
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bookshelf-in-progress · 5 months ago
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I love how a well-written romance is so often structured as a mystery. A person starts with a certain idea about another person, and over the course of the story, they uncover more evidence that gives them a fuller picture of who the other person truly is. They learn about layers to the personality and backstory that give the other person more depth. They learn how the other person's personality meshes with theirs. Even the third-act misunderstanding fits the mystery structure--it looks like they've uncovered the final secret to the other person's identity, which is that they're not the worthy person they seemed to be, but then discover that they misinterpreted that evidence, or the other person takes steps to apologize and repair the level of trust. When the mystery is resolved, they've reached a full understanding of each other and know they've found a partner they can trust their whole future to.
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sometimesmaybespoof · 20 days ago
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When she Half on my Life till I 2
#Spoofsart#Gordon Freeman#halflife2#half life#Alyx Vance#Freemance#PlatonicFreemance#can be seen as romantic if youd like! i like both versions of freemance! ^^ i just personally adore platonic freenance#seriously tho freemance is such an interesting ship ( platonic or romantic ) im gonna yap about platonic freemance cuz i wanna.#SPOILERS AHEAD !!!!#i always like to imagine that when alyx was told about gordon and who he was/what he did during the Resonance Cascade. all of it was a mix#of stories told by civilians and her dad and Kliner and Barney! all painting him as this heroic silent fearless hero who trashed his way out#of black mesa with nothing bu a crowbar! the aliens and HECU feared him yadda yadda yadda! but then when she ACTUALLY MEETS HIM#SEES HIM FOR HERSELF. hes all beaten up on the ground in his civvies and she had to save him from the civil patrol cops 😭#pathetic little loser meow meow bark woof awwooo whgrhrgrgrgr (im love gordon- )#and she still has that “celebrity crush” ordeal with him#but after hours of fighting alongside him she learns that hes not what the stories painted him out to be#hes just some guy#during ep 2 when youre driving around with alyx. i like to imagine that during every pitstop Gordon just looks around finds nick nacks#thingamajigs and other stuff and shows it to Alyx. like letting his guard down and actually being human instead of in a constant state of#locking in and surviving yknow? anyway where was i? yeah they bond during the roadtrip to whiteforest#small moments of acting like stupid little kids together! and its during these moments that alyx realizes that shes happy with being gordon#s best friend! not a downgrade at all tho#friendships can be just as fun as relationships!#i see romantic and platonic as equals mmkay#anyway where was i?#yeah i drew this on Magma with a good friend of mine ^^ Razzmtazz!!!!#love drawing HL2 it rewired my brain.#love yall even tho i dont post much if at all 😭#i swear im cooking - gaben
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iwritenarrativesandstuff · 5 months ago
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See, I think Charles’ annoyance and frustration with the Cat King really was just pure protectiveness and not any kind of jealousy - it’s understandable, because Edwin is not telling him what happened even though something clearly did, which is not typical for them. Edwin doesn’t usually hide things like this! Of course he’s worried!
Charles’ reaction to Monty, on the other hand, is difficult to explain in a way that isn’t jealousy. You could say he’s being protective again, but Charles shows no sign of distrust in Monty, and had no idea of who Monty was or that he might betray them - he was actually very chill with him, except in a select few specific scenes. You could say he just doesn’t like him because he got brushed off during their first meeting, but not only does that not seem like Charles at all, it also doesn’t make sense, since, again, in most instances, Charles is genuinely friendly and is happy when Monty compliments him and seems to have come around to liking him (it completely flies over his head that this is a petty jab at Edwin on Monty’s part but oh well hahaha). You could say it changes up their status quo a bit and that bothers Charles. I do think this bothers him a bit, but I think, unlike Edwin, Charles’ fear and frustration here is directed more at situations (the Cat King whisking him away for several hours, as an example) than others. He’s sociable and likes being able to talk to new people. There’s absolutely no way he’d begrudge Edwin doing the same - and he doesn’t… with Niko. Edwin and Niko hit it off and become very close and that never bothers Charles at all. He’s incredibly endeared to her, just like the rest, and for the most part, he’s chill with Monty too, and smiles pretty knowingly when Edwin confesses to him having awakened some feelings. The only exceptions, where he shows definite annoyance, are when Monty first shows up and gets really in Edwin’s personal space to show him the astrology chart he made, and when Edwin is so sucked into the book Monty gave him that he doesn’t hear that Charles is talking to him, to which he annoyedly says that they seem to have been “spending a lot of time together”.
You could say he’s unused to having anyone get in Edwin’s personal space like that, but, again, Niko. She’s very tactile with him and he doesn’t seem to mind all that much; they spend time together watching things. If it was just someone getting close with Edwin in general, not only would that be weirdly possessive for the character, but it would also mean he would show discomfort with anyone getting close, I think. Does Charles see Monty as more of a potential threat than Niko, seeing as he knows her and her personality and doesn’t know Monty? Well, maybe, but again, Charles shows no sign of distrusting Monty at all.
Monty is a boy. Okay. So something about seeing Edwin so close to a boy that is not him, getting lost in thought over something this boy gave him, really rubs Charles the wrong way. Charles appears to catch on just as quickly as anyone else that there is something (or it looks like something) between Edwin and Monty. He is not surprised when Edwin comes out to him in episode 6, and in fact, seems to have just been waiting for him to verbalize it. He smiles and is not bothered at all by Edwin showing (what he thinks is) a romantic interest in Monty - he just doesn’t like it when Monty clearly shows a romantic interest in Edwin. Um. Well. Well.
Charles is jealous. I really don’t know what else to say.
Look, when I first watched this show, I actually didn’t want them to end up together romantically - I love the idea of one having fallen in love with another who does not reciprocate and the two of them still loving each other just as much. That Edwin’s confession made them closer instead of making things awkward is such a beautiful outcome to this build up and I absolutely love it. However. On my two rewatches, I caught a lot more little details, and I think it would be very strange if the show did not follow up on this. That, plus the deliberate quality of these “jealousy” moments where the camera focuses on him, Charles’ Orpheus coding throughout the show, the fact that Edwin’s arc was far more about realizing his feelings for Charles specifically than just coming to terms with his sexuality, and that even the actors admit that Charles’ response to the confession kind of left things open, it really seems to me like the path leads to a romantic endgame for them, or at the very least, that this possibility will be explored in more depth.
**This is just my reading of it. Please do not use this post as a gotcha for anyone who loves them as a platonic duo or people who really love Crystal and Charles together (because let’s face it, they’re super cute too). I’m just doing my rambles. As per usual.
#listen this got really long and I’m sorry but I wanted to be sure I covered all my bases because#I flat out hate the old argument of ‘it (romance) is the only possible explanation!’ with regards to strong bonds#because it so often invalidates strong platonic expressions of love#but… *gestures above*#they’re going to need to address this at some point I think#I really hope though that if the relationship becomes more romantic#that this does not happen in season 2 but in season 3 or something#make it a good build and emphasize the importance of their existing platonic bond#I want their bond to continue to change and grow closer via their friendship first before evolving into romantic tension :)#(also I have faith in these writers but I’ll always be worried about what happens to Crystal with all this. pls don’t cast her aside…)#the smart thing would be to have Crystal have more of the main plot action and Charles more of the feelings arc#for season 2. that’s what I’m hoping#not just any romance or jealousy for Charles but also feelings around his family and dad and his wants and fears and all that#storyrambles#this got away from me again haha#should I use my analysis tag? does this count??? …I’m using it. ->#call me ace detective the way I am ace. and also a detective.#dead boy detectives#I also love the idea of a canon gay couple in an overall queer narrative because that’s beautiful#please I want it to happen#charles rowland#edwin payne#payneland#dbda meta#dbda spoilers
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jazzy-a · 3 months ago
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I would find it hilarious if Angel's advances towards Alastor backfire on him at some point.
Instead of making Al a "Daddy", he just becomes a "Dad." And with that comes all the implications where this man is just a needless embarrassment to him.
Angel Dust: After all, I'm one of the hottest, most desirable, GORGEOUS actors in-!
Alastor: Weren't you born right after that dreadfully hilarious little boat accident?
Vaggie: Boat accident? Are you talking about... the Titanic!??
Angel Dust, fuming: You shut your f*cking face or so help me I'll tie your tubes, Radio-head! See how good you talk then!
Alastor, delighted: My! Was that a radio pun, dear? Tell me, did you have a cathedral or tombstone in your time?
Angel Dust: SHUT UP!
Alastor: Poor thing. Probably can't remember in his old age.
Angel Dust: AKJ**!#BFS@3!1JBLQW!*!!!!
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watery-melon-baller · 4 months ago
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theres people who only have one ship and people who don't have any ships and multishippers well im inventing a new kind of shipper and it's "all of these people are gay and a little in love with each other but the romance is up to interpretation"
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saffitaffi · 17 days ago
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So I just read all 914 pages of Fool’s Fate in one day. I don’t think I’ve ever read that much in one day ever. These books are so good holy snickerdoodles I love the politics and the amazing worldbuilding (robin writes matriarchies and different societal structures SO GOOD) and the realistic characters and Fitz’s unreliable narration and also the gay ass ‘friendship’ between him and the fool (fitz ‘no homo but also my bond with you is deeper than my love for anyone else including my other half bonded wolf and my wife and also sex’ farseer)
So uh. Yeah. Excuse me while I go cry in the corner. Again.
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yeah-thats-probably-it · 4 months ago
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thinking about what if data were aromantic. even after he gets the emotion chip put in, he still just doesn’t feel romantic love, and doesn’t understand what other people are feeling when they talk about it. and he’s really upset at first because he feels like after everything he’s been through to get here he still isn’t fully human. there’s still a piece missing. he’s tapped into every work of art humans have ever created and romance seems so ubiquitous that he thinks you can’t be human without it
i’m imagining this as like a b or c plot of an episode. maybe he’s been working with a crew member who turns out to be aromantic and they commiserate about how alienating it can be to hear everyone talk about romance all the time. everyone comes together at the end to help him realize that he feels so many different kinds of love, and no human’s experience with emotions is exactly the same and your humanity doesn’t depend on what emotions you do or don’t feel anyway
i think this would be a good episode. i would enjoy it
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galactic-rhea · 19 days ago
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Thoughts on Padmé x Anakin x Rex?
Padmé and Anakin are so mutually obssesed they would first have to check into that before trying to bring another person to their carefully-balanced-kind-of-damage or something it's going to explode.
Honestly it's a fun ship! But I don't have too many thoughts about them because when I consider them is usually in very low-stakes-fun-AU-scenarios.
And I'm actually a bit of a fan of Rexwalker myself! Athough I tend to like them more as very good buddies, the covering-for-you-dynamic it's so funny for them, lol It's also angsty and complicated because, y'know, the power-imbalance and unchecked trauma? Is funny that the clone that's actually a slave for the republic is the most normal if you bring him into the anidala romance circus.
Also shout out to @phoenixyfriend , she has a lot of rexanidala fics and recs for anyone interested reading this!
#I have rexwalker wips somewhere in my endless wips folder although im generally very lazy to draw or care about ships unless i REALLY dig it#which is why you see me mostly drawing anidala despite the fact I do actually have lots of ships i like/consider#anakin is such a strange character he's hard to ship around bc look at him his social circle consists of 4 ppl#and padme's impressive social circle are her coworkers and her decoys#which is impressive bc SW has SO MANY characters lol#also sorry i ramble a lot just to answer 'it's a fun one'#thanks for the ask!#rexanidala#anakin is also such an anxious and intense guy he would need a LOT of talking and reassurance and stuff#bc otherwise he would feel guilty as hell like the three of them could have agreed to it and he probably would feel like he's cheating LOL#the thing with rexanidala which is the most interesting to me to wonder about is how padmé got into rex#she's actually a very closed person and part of the reason she fell for anakin that hard was over mutual trauma bonding#so i wonder i wonderrrr#but also generally the thing with me is that i tend to lean more into non-romantic dynamics and platonic stuff believe it or not#so if you see me doing lots of art for a ship (like anidala) it must be bc i really love them both otherwise i'm more into family or#complicated relationships stuff probably because i'm aroace and a ship must have some incredible complex thing going on for me to care#with rexanidala the biggest brownie points it gets to me is all the AU possibilities the ANGSTY AU possibilities bc it would change A LOT
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toast-in-a-cowboy-hat · 3 months ago
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Honestly, shout out to whatever the hiring process is in the Compound that they looked at 2 of Britain's most autistic dorks and went "Hmm yes, those two need to be bound together for the rest of their lives" and damn, ya know?
They were correct
10/10, no notes, godspeed 🫡🫡🫡
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moowithmidnight · 1 year ago
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A blonde Career, forced into prostitution by the Capitol, reaped for the 3rd Quarter Quell alongside a loved one, punished for their “loyalty” to the Capitol, and eventually dying…
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Or:
A blonde Career, forced into prostitution by the Capitol, reaped for the 3rd Quarter Quell alongside a loved one, punished for their “loyalty” to the Capitol, and eventually dying.
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the-meme-monarch · 9 months ago
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ok newsletter euphoria has worn off i hate love again
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Okay hear me out hear me out hear me out
Sonic who's litho and Tails who's demi
(Sort of headcanons/thoughts/au musing under the cut)
Tails coming to terms with his desires regarding his best friend, wishing to hold and to be held, to kiss and to be kiss, to take care of and to be taken care of, to share as many domestic moments as one can, to take a shared adventure for the fun of it, to be intimate in a way only lovers could be, right?
And that's where the subtle horror lies in the slow realization of feelings.
To want to be like someone and to admire them is one thing. To want to be someone's friend is one thing. To want to stick with one person you like is one thing.
But to love and desire someone in that way is another.
Tails has kept watch over Sonic's relationships. He's known him long enough to spot trends in how Sonic acts. The rules, so to speak
Sonic always makes the first move. When others express interest in him (depending on the nature of the interest or how obsessive) he preens at the praise at best, treating this person like a fan, and runs away or his expression betrays his uncomfortableness/disgust at worse. This means Sonic has to be interested in you first.
Whether he even realizes the attraction himself or not, Sonic tends to start a bit strong, but this is because of his usual target (people who are able to match or challenge him in a fight). Even if the other person seems uninterested, he has no problem flirting and teasing a bit during altercations
Sonic's romantic relationships never last longer than a year at best
As one can see, the rules are a bit stacked against him to start (at least, from Tails' pov). He's Sonic's best friend and, while they do fight sometimes, that kind of role is hardly comparable to a rival or an archenemy. Sonic gets a specific look in his eyes when engaged in an interesting battle, banter rolls off his tongue like honey. He never gets like this towards Tails. There's no situation (whether during a shared battle or in his lab or when they're just hanging out together) where Sonic looks at him with that level of interest (at least, from Tails' pov).
Of course, Tails wouldn't want to be Sonic's rival anyways (best friend is the kind of role younger him had always coveted), but it doesn't mean he can't be a little jealous...
And of course Tails knows Sonic cares about him, appreciates him. That's never really been in question either.
It's just, in the end, even if his wildest dreams came true—if he confessed his feelings, Sonic reciprocated, they started dating and it didn't ruin their best frienship—how would it then pan out? In the end, whether Sonic would return his feelings is the least of his worries!
Because Tails has seen what happens.
One of Sonic’s rivals, for example. Before they got together, Sonic enjoyed teasing and flirting with them casually. And at the beginning of their relationship, they would race each other often (perhaps more often than they had before). It was their favorite form of date—to have a "friendly" competition, followed up by sunsets and dinner on the go. Really, they almost couldn't get enough of it. But then...things shifted. Sonic didn't enjoy racing them quite as much anymore. That passionate interest began to palpably fade, and the two began to disagree. Eventually, Sonic’s presence was more of a casual one. Tails could see that he enjoyed going out to eat with his ex and hanging out with them in general, but while that was all fine and good, his ex hadn't lost that passion. So with every poke and prodding and proposition for a race, Tails could see his ex become resentful in that Sonic didn't want to be this way with them as much as they used to. Eventually every "I don't feel like it" from Sonic turned into a fight ("when do you ever feel like it?" his ex would follow up with). In the end, Sonic’s ex is still fixated on him. While they wouldn't admit it, they want Sonic’s attention back. Even without being romantic partners, they still cling to rivalhood, challenging Sonic and showing off whenever they can. But Sonic... He doesn't take it so well. Someone who was once a rival and partner to him is now an annoyance—just another person too obsessed with him. They're still fixated on Sonic, but Tails knows Sonic would be happy if they gave it up. That relationship can never be the same again.
Sonic even had a childhood friend once—his very first relationship like that. Not that they're not friends anymore, but things are different now. There was a time where Sonic traded banter with this person often, those who knew them would remark how they fought like a married couple, and they saw the looks they'd shoot each other when the other wasn't looking. It only seemed natural to onlookers that these two would get together, and yet...it took some time. Sonic would be jealous when others pursued that person, and yet, for a while, whenever they pursued him or it seemed the perfect moment to confess, he'd run. For a long while when anyone (even Tails) would ask why he wasn't dating anyone, he would just answer that he didn't want to be tied down. But he eventually gave in, decided he had no choice but to confess his feelings, and (as everyone knew would happen) these feelings were reciprocated. In fact, a number of people even though the two had been dating for years before that. But...things didn't stay all sunshine and rainbows for long. The relationship ended with a (literal) slap in the face for his best friend. The two's interests and futures had grown apart, and even love couldn't change Sonic's nature. In the end of it, he still wanted to be a free spirit, a magnet for danger, a hero to the masses. Just like with that rival of his, though the relationship was seemingly passionate at first, Sonic couldn't sustain those feelings. Sonic's partner wanted someone for life, wanted him to choose their projected future, wanted to keep him out of such great danger. The fact that Sonic seemed to be losing those kind of feelings and interest he'd had when their relationship began was perhaps one of the final straws. And although Sonic and this ex partner are still friends these days, have mended their friendship, their relationship has never been the same again. Even Tails can see that they're friends, but they no longer share that banter, Sonic no longer concerns himself over that person's love life (he's more supportive than anything), and they don't spend quite so much time around each other anymore.
So this is what it comes down to. Even if Sonic does love him back in that way, even if Sonic wants to be with him too, even if he agrees to enter that kind of relationship with him, what use is there in hoping he (Tails) would be an exception to the rules?
What if things are amazing at first, and then over time Sonic begins to lose interest in him? What if those feelings disappear? What if getting together with Sonic ruins their best friendship because all interest has faded away?
What if Tails confesses only to end up as an ex who is a casual friend at best or an annoyance at worst (because Tails knows getting over Sonic would be near impossible)? Then it would be all his (Tails') fault, wouldn't it?
And that's exactly why he figures it's best to leave things as is. As long as he can stay best friends with him, as long as he can still be by Sonic's side through thick and thin, as long as they can still care for each other and be for each other as they are now, that's enough isn't it? In the end, Tails would choose a future where he's still at Sonic's side over having his feelings requited.
As for Sonic, it does, admittedly, take a while for him to sort of realize those feelings of his. This is partially due to him being dense, but also because he's grown so used to Tails' presence. He's just used to the fact that Tails is always around, always able to be contacted, that the days are largely similar. It just never really occurred to him for a while that Tails could (or would) leave him for any reason.
But after enough times being separated from him completely, then dealing with enough minor jealousy as Tails expresses possible interest in others, it sort of just hits him one day while the two are hanging out (probably playing video games and eating chili dogs or something, or perhaps even while watching a sunset) that he wants to do this forever. He wants to continue this life where he can pull Tails along on adventures and crash at his place and relax with him and bust badniks with him and everything.
Long ago, back when he'd first met Tails, there was this bit of nagging fear in him. Even as he eventually would come to regard Tails as his best friend, for the longest time there was this nagging fear that Tails' admiration and wish to stick to his side would become...something else, and that Sonic would have to confront it one day, potentially risking their relationship.
It's almost weird now thinking that he truly wouldn't oppose the idea of Tails confessing to him (if Tails does indeed feel the same, but Sonic doesn't know for sure). Perhaps it wouldn't be bad (even if cheesy) to live out a fantasy of the first kiss, where Tails confesses and Sonic tenderly steals it...
But pretty soon a new kind of horror sets in—a new "what if".
Because, you see, though he can still count the number of exes on his fingers, Sonic has never had a relationship like that last more than a year. Things always start out great! All Sonic wants to do is be around this person as much as he can be, and that person shares the sentiment. But then as Sonic finally settles in, tension eventually follows. That person becomes increasingly more frustrated in him, and Sonic himself comes to realize that he no longer wants to spend every waking moment with them. He's busy, he has things he wants to do (sometimes alone), other people he wants to hang out with. He doesn't mean to leave this person in the dust, he's just not quite as interested in them as he used to be. And apparently that's a problem
Sonic has never cheated, not once. Maybe he can be a bit of an ass sometimes, but messing around with other people while he has a partner is not his thing. But...this doesn't matter either. Eventually the accusations come—that he doesn’t love them anymore (not true), that he isn't as interested in them anymore (something he can't really refute once he starts to think about it), that he's probably looking at other people (not true).
So inevitably, Sonic can no longer take the tension and facilitates the breakup, or this person breaks up with him (an event that's never better than bittersweet)
In short, that obsession that attraction that attachment—it all begins to fade eventually, no matter how close he is with that person. He often doesn't want to just break up with them (again, just because those feeling start to fade doesn't mean he doesn't love them or cares about them less), but it's an inevitability. People logically want to be with someone who loves them just as much as they do in the same way that they do, and Sonic just...can't seem to live up to that.
If he and Tails started a romantic and/or sexual relationship, could he even place hope in the fact that Tails would be the exception? He knows in his soul that even if these feelings of his began to change or his interest in this way began to fade, he'd never just stop loving or caring about Tails altogether. Best friend or partner in romance, Sonic knows he'd still want him at his side.
But with his track record, who could guarantee that Tails wouldn't grow resentful of him too as things began to change (compared to the very start of that kind of relationship)? And would he really be able to blame Tails? After all, most people want someone who will be just as interested in them as they are in the same way that they are. If Sonic can't always promise that, then isn't it doomed from the start as it always is?
Not that he's never had thoughts such as these before, but in his last relationships (since those people seemed to be cut from similar cloths as him personality wise) he'd been willing to take the risk in hope things would be different. But he doesn't want to lose Tails—can't. What would be the point of solidifying a relationship like that with Tails if he lost his best friend in the process? At that point, it would be all his (Sonic's) fault, since he knew this would probably happen.
So this is why Sonic decides it's best to leave things as they are. As long as he can still crash at Tails' place, come to him for strategical or technological advice, take him along on adventures, bust badniks with him, play video games with him, be his best friend and have him by his side, isn't that better? Isn't that enough? In the end, Sonic would rather take the future as it comes (deal with the possibility of Tails leaving him one day) and get to have him by his side now than have his feelings requited.
But I'd like to imagine that, one day, the two can't ignore the whatever it is going on between them. The moment is scary, and admitting those feelings doesn't bring as much relief to either of them as it should. They're both apprehensive about starting that kind of relationship for their own reasons. Should they really "get together" simply because the feelings are mutual?
And so starts this weird gray period of the nature of their relationship. They're still best friends for sure, but neither has decided they want to be in a declared state of "dating". If anything, at first it seems like the two have gone right back to trying to exist like normal (business as usual), hang out like they always do, treat each other like they always did before. The only difference in this case is that the feelings are requited now.
But things begin to shift and change during this gray period no matter how hard they try. The two end up sharing their first kisses, every interaction carries a bit of a different weight than before. If it's even possible, more than before people mistake them for a couple, especially their friends (who can't really understand why they're not, even if they try to be supportive for the most part).
And yet, while feelings, their actions, etc seem to make everything undeniable (as if they're dating all but officially in name), Sonic can feel it come on. He can see the signs, recognize that those once undeniable feelings of attraction (romantic or otherwise) is beginning to fade away, meaning that it's only a matter of time.
Meaning that the last thing they should do is "get together" now, because Sonic can't promise Tails those feelings that were so strong before.
And Tails realizes it too. It actually scares him a bit at first, already seeing the signs. He can't help but fear that it's inevitable—that Sonic will lose all interest in him and grow apart from him. It makes him feel like an idiot. Even if back then there was no way to keep those feelings between them wrapped up and hidden, he feels like an idiot for confessing at all—like he should have found some other path. This whole thing, it makes him want to cling to Sonic even more, though he fears making this all worse by being too clingy...
But, fear aside, things do turn out okay.
I'd like to think that one day they wake up in Tails bed together, Sonic brushes Tails' bangs aside, gazing at the fox's expression before he opens his eyes, and feels that though his feelings have undeniably changed, it's just that. Though those kinds of feelings began to fade away, his love did not. More than ever, even though he doesn't love Tails in the same way he did a while ago, or even before he came to feel for him romantically, he cares for him so so deeply. He still wants Tails to be with him going forward.
And yes Tails sees it—the way Sonic has grown more casual, doesn't seek out kisses as much, isn't quite as clingy as he used to be—but his fear begins to let up as well. While he will perhaps keep that nagging fear of Sonic leaving him forever, even Tails comes to see that Sonic has no intention of breaking their friendship. Where Tails once was afraid they'd naturally grow apart and bitter as Sonic's feelings faded and Tails would be clingy by comparison, he sees that Sonic's feelings haven't really faded—not truly. They've only just changed.
Things are undeniably different from before, but Sonic seems to want to be with him still. He still wants him by his side as much as he can have him. Though he's more casual in his expression of feelings, Sonic is still interested in what Tails has to say, he still enjoys making him happy. In fact, somehow, Tails almost suspects Sonic has begun to love him more than before despite the shift in their relationship and in Sonic's feelings.
They were both so afraid things would naturally end in failure, but they cared for each other, and they accepted each other as they were.
Maybe the two decide to officially become partners one day ("partners" in a way that elevates their existing partnership to a status which coveys that they want to live out their lives at each other side, no other types of feelings or actions or life choices inherently implied), perhaps because Sonic (despite not having those large feelings of romance anymore) still doesn't want Tails to choose anyone else but him
And maybe the two don't! Even if they don't label themselves as dating or in any type of partnership society and others recognize as "inherently stronger" than best friendship, they're still best friends and partners. They're still going to spend their lives together, happily doing the things they always do as long as the universe allows it. No matter who comes and goes into their lives, their bond is a constant presence.
In the end, it no longer matters whether Tails has romantic/sexual feelings and Sonic doesn’t, or whether they give themselves conventional labels or not, or whether other people can grasp their chosen relationship or not, or whether it's a "glorified best friendship", or anything else. All that matters is that despite the nature of any feelings involved, they choose to be together.
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anistarrose · 8 months ago
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We've all heard of mischaracterization of characters in a ship to further that ship, but also... what about mischaracterization of their wingperson? There are too many examples to list, but for one thing...
What about when fics keep making the wingperson, being treated as the "voice of reason," tell their best friend or family member "obviously your crush reciprocates romantic love for you, or they would never have done (insert act of intimacy or devotion) for you" — but the act of intimacy or devotion is literally just something the wingperson themselves would absolutely do for a friend or family in canon? Something that the wingperson, and the character being told this is proof of romance, would themselves do out of platonic love for each other in a heartbeat?
You ruined a perfectly good mutual pining fic is what you did. Look at it. It's got unexamined amatonormativity.
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lilacthebooklover · 10 months ago
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here's hoping canon doesn't end up shipping any of the fallen heroes with each other because i've already built up an entire found family sibling dynamic for their past selves inside of my head. eternal sugar's the youngest, mystic flour the oldest (shadow milk may seem like the leader atm but his middle child energy is THERE). silent salt takes on the responsibility of keeping the group out of trouble (it's tricky, but they've grown accustomed to their friends' antics). burning spice declares themselves the others' biggest protector (they will throw hands with anyone who so much as glances at their siblings friends the wrong way). eternal sugar & shadow milk are so good at making everyone smile and laugh but also they're absolute gremlins who can and will start a ridiculously extreme prank war on a whim (shadow is not subtle in the slightest and cackles at the top of his lungs, sugar plays innocent while sporting the most devious smirks known to cookiekind). mystic flour is like a mentor to the younger four, the glue that holds them together and the light that guides them towards staying on the right track. spice & shadow regularly fight each other on and off their training grounds as a weird way to show affection, flour & salt pretend to be exasperated but find it endearing, they all value each other so much and share a house together while still protecting earthbread. they're entirely platonic and entirely family and until their soul jam corrupts, they care about each other more than anything <33
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ickypuppi3 · 2 years ago
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50’s au where best friends billy and robin, who are very much in a lavender marriage, come into some money and move to a fancier neighbourhood meanwhile heather and steve, who are unhappily married and live in said neighbourhood find out there’s a couple moving in next door
so the day after billy and robin move in, heather goes over with a plate of cookies while steve’s at work and her, robin and billy just click straight away - billy meets steve later on when he gets home and billy’s sitting out on the porch with a drink but it’s them so obviously they immediately get off on the wrong foot
robin tells billy to sort his shit out because they can’t be making enemies when they’ve only just got here and they’ve got an act to keep up and heather tells steve to take the stick out his ass so billy and steve go out a few times for drinks to call a truce and become friends
in the meantime, robin and heather have been spending more and more time together and eventually robin sits billy down and is like ok i’ve gotta be honest, me and heather have been sleeping together and i think i’m in love with her - because robin and billy always agreed to be honest with one another and to not stay together if it was going to make them sad or if they found someone they really wanted to be with - and billy just stares at her and is like hey that’s really funny actually because i’ve been meaning to tell you that steve and i have been doing the exact same thing also i really like him .. yeah on second thought it might be love too, actually
and steve and heather talk to each other and they argue and cry and eventually they’re both like ok so what do we do now and they get billy and robin over and it’s super awkward for a moment before billy says something stupid and robin makes a joke and pulls heather to her for a hug
and billy smiles at them before turning to steve who’s looking stressed as hell and chewing on his thumb so he goes over and pulls steve’s hand away and tucks his hair behind his ear and it’s all very sad and gay
and then billy sort of pulls everyone out of their funk by spinning around and snapping his fingers and being like you know, we could all just .. stay as we are .. nothing has to change for us to get what we want and heather’s like ok how so billy walks over to the wall between their houses and knocks on it a few times before kicking it and steve’s like please don’t kick my wall but billy’s like no this wall could have a door built into it .. i could put a door between our houses
and that’s what they do, the end, happily ever after
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