#and not prioritize romance over platonic relationships???

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

fanon BFS: glimmer and bow are madly in love and adora feels left out :((( adora misses catra so much bc glimmer and bow don't care about her

canon BFS: literally the three of them are so close, they are RIDE OR DIE for one another and if anything, bow is the third wheeler sometimes. also adora rarely ever mentions catra in a casual setting or reminisces their past relationship.

[zannolin]

i can admit to myself i like slowburn because i'm more interested in the friendship and non-sexual intimacy aspects of the ships i like than the actual romance. i can be honest.

[sleep-deprived-lesbian]

i was thinkin about how you could rewrite dr horrible to make it Less Problematic™️ and quickly realized 99% of the work would be instantly done by just making billy gay

[velnoni]

Why I Can See Ford Pines as Demisexual

I see a lot of people headcanoning Ford to be ace/aro which is valid, especially after Bill joking/wondering if he's plansexual due to Ford saying he's attracted to preparation and logic. So I thought I'd toss my two cents in and say I can see him more as demisexual.

He's definitely dated before, as mentioned in the journal, but I think the guy probably struggled a lot to connect with people on a base level (whether platonic or not) due to receiving hostility towards his six fingers and not having much positive social interaction outside the family. When he did receive positive interactions, it was towards his academic endeavors (I say this, including his parents and school).

Let's not forget that the 30 years of running for his life didn't help with trusting people easily. Stan was his best friend, and maybe that could've been enough if things didn't take a hard turn for the worst. We see a few times in the journals/BOB how Ford feels lonely even when arriving in Gravity Falls. I think he really wanted companionship/friendship outside of his brother. And he had that with Fiddleford and what he thought with Bill as well. Kind of blinded him to the fact he was being used until it was too late, and that's taking into account Bill was an evil triangle con man.

Not to mention his work ethic was all over the place and lowkey unhealthy? The guy barely got any rest, I doubt he'd prioritize a relationship over his life work anytime soon or be able to manage both.

I feel like he personally puts the person's intellect, lifestyle, etc etc all into consideration as you would with a friend. Like what do you have in common or not, do you also believe in the supernatural and things like that. Literally just a friend and that would be enough, doubt he's actively looking for something more at his age— guy has a lot of catching up to do with family.

He's a smart fella, a bit too smart, but maybe comes off apathetic (as shown in the show), so maybe having someone who can handle that and clock it while not seeing it through the eyes of romance works well. And having trust issues, understandably so, would maybe have a relationship take some time regardless of what kind. He would need to build up some type of emotional bond/trust, especially after Bill.

There are some folks recently saying Ford shows symptoms of have Narcisstic Personality Disorder (NPD) which is quite interesting and after rewatching the show I can understand with the moments we were given.

But idk, when I think about it maybe Ford wouldn't mind romance if he overcame the hurdles of mistrust, certain social expectations, his own ego, better work schedule (with the help of the twins & Stan) and many more things I'd speak on in another post. But does anyone else agree? I can always make a headcanon post on what being with Ford would be like if asked in the ask box.

(I'd appreciate all the reblogs & likes please, trying to be more active :] )

[burst-of-iridescent]

No, Shipping Zutara Is Not Supporting Amatonormativity (Please Use Some Fucking Braincells For Once)

- a treatise by a severely pissed off aroace zutara shipper

since words don’t mean anything anymore (if they ever did on the esteemed piss-on-the-poor website), let’s start with a definition.

amatonormativity: the set of social assumptions that everyone prospers with a romantic relationship, thereby positioning marriage as a universal goal of adult life. amatonormativity forms the basis of several institutional structures that are built to cater to romantic bonds over all others, also manifesting in social pressure on individuals to find a romantic partner by pushing the false narrative that those who do not experience romance are automatically lonely, unhappy and unfulfilled. it is usually characterized by the prioritization of romantic love over other forms of love, particularly platonic.

the anti-zutara argument based on this is as follows: wanting zutara to happen is amatonormative because it a) devalues zuko and katara’s platonic bond b) pushes the idea that men and women can’t be friends and c) doesn’t align with the themes of the show, as romantic love was never the point of atla.

i would like to take the time today to tell you that this is some fucking bullshit, for the following reasons:

one, this may come as a shock to some of you, but zutara shippers did not invent the concept of romantic love in avatar: the last airbender. you are more than welcome to criticize the pairings of suki/sokka, katara/aang, mai/zuko, yue/sokka, jin/zuko, jet/katara, and even kanna/pakku for perpetuating amatonormativity through their unnecessary romantic subplots. and if you don’t have anything to say about any of those pairings, then here’s a word for you: hypocrite.

zk shippers are not introducing the taint of romantic love into some kind of wholesome platonic utopia where it never existed. when we say zutara should have been canon, it is a statement that ends with the implicit instead of kat.aang and mai.ko tacked on at the back because if we were going to get a romantic relationship anyway, it might as well have been one that was well-developed, narratively impactful, and thematically relevant.

two, saying zutara is amatonormative is fucking rich when the main “romance” of atla is a three season long struggle to get out of the friendzone. aang’s desire to be in a romantic relationship with katara is one of his primary motivations throughout the show, and not once does either he or the narrative ever entertain the thought that just being katara’s friend might be enough. to the contrary, aang’s crush and the potential of its reciprocation is a fundamental part of how the story gets its audience to invest in both his character and the kat.aang relationship. they want you to want him to get the girl, and that’s the driving force of the ship’s development from start to finish.

you can see the influence of this in the way people defend why kat.aang had to happen: “aang would be crushed!” “it would break aang’s heart!” “aang deserves to be happy!” and that in and of itself is more amatonormative than any version of romantic zutara, as if this idea that aang is somehow doomed to a life of misery and loneliness just because he can’t be with the girl he likes isn’t inherently based on the assumption that platonic love can’t be as meaningful and satisfying as romantic love.

three, let’s be so fucking fr: a show written by cishet men in the early 2000s was not “subverting amatonormativity” by not making zutara happen, especially not when they went for the fucking olympic gold of romantic cliches — the hero gets the girl trope — instead. otherwise, why did the entire show end with an uncomfortably long liplock? if romance would’ve devalued zuko and katara’s platonic bond, then what the everloving fuck happened to their friendship in the comics and the legend of korra?

it is blatantly false to say that zutara shippers are the ones devaluing their platonic bond when the creators did it first. they evidently don’t view zutara’s platonic bond as equal to kat.aang’s romantic one, judging by their treatment of both relationships in the comics and LOK and the fact that they talked about kat.aang “winning” the ship war in the first place. because if the two relationships were of equivalent standing, why would there be a winner and a loser at all?

amatonormativity is baked into the DNA of atla, and while some people choose to reject this framework entirely (zk friendship >>> ka romance anyday), it is also not wrong for zk shippers to be annoyed at the treatment zutara received within the context of said framework. since the creators clearly thought a romantic relationship was better than a platonic one, they could at least have picked the couple that actually made sense instead of adding insult to injury by making that romance kat.aang. it is not amatonormative to acknowledge that zutara was not afforded the distinction it should have been in the eyes of those who wrote it, because it’s obvious that the decision to keep zuko and katara’s relationship platonic wasn’t to respect their friendship, but to position them as inferior to kat.aang.

four, detractors of romantic zutara often argue that their platonic relationship is inherently better & i’ve discussed before why that isn’t the case, but i also hate this argument because it’s perpetuating the very thing that aromantic people are trying to get rid of in the first place: the hierarchization of love. it is not the “gotcha!” you think it is to genuinely state that platonic love is better than romantic love, because it’s still buying into the idea that there’s some kind of order to categorizing human relationships. the solution to amatonormativity isn’t changing what form of love gets to be at the top of the list — it’s doing away with the hierarchy entirely.

i ship zuko and katara because canon already gave me their friendship. i already know what their platonic relationship looks like and that gives me more room for imagination in developing their romantic one because it’s a place canon didn’t go.

at the end of the day, friendship and romance are just different avenues of exploring intimacy. neither is inherently more valuable than the other, and neither is inherently more problematic. and if you truly believe in dismantling amatonormative beliefs, you would recognize that making a distinction between the two is only perpetuating the problem, not challenging it.

[bloomshroomz]

Partnering aromantic writing advice

The topic of aromantic characters dating is a bit of a contentious one in fandom spaces, but I think that it can be a great way to represent partnering aros if you do it right. I'm not an author, but I am a partnering aro, so I want to give some advice (or at least food for though) to those who may want to pair aromantic characters with partners in their fictional works.

1. Start with their aromanticism first.

This is very important. Do not slap their aromanticism on as an afterthought to their relationships. Develop their aromanticism first.

How do they feel about traditionally romantic activities? Do they enjoy them? Do they feel indifferent to them? Are they averse to them? Do they perceive those actions as inherently romantic in nature, or do they not? Does it depend on the action?

How do they experience attraction? Do they experience some amount of romantic attraction, or none at all? Does it happen only under very specific circumstances? Do they experience other forms of emotional attraction, like platonic or alterous attraction? Do they experience physical forms of attraction, like sexual, sensual, or aesthetic attraction?

Why have they chosen to be partnering? Are they doing it to fill an emotional need, in a world where friends often don't prioritize each other enough? Are they doing it to fill a physical need? Are they doing it because they enjoy traditionally romantic activities, regardless of whether or not they personally view those activities as romantic? Are they doing it for financial, social, and/or medical security? Are they doing it out of social pressure? Are they doing it because they perceive no inherent difference between partnership and friendship, and don't object to either?

Are they romantically partnering, or are they partnering in a different way, such as queerplatonic partnership? Are they partnering in multiple ways? What does that distinction look like for them? Is there a distinction at all?

Do they ever feel burdened by their aromanticism because they feel like it "get's in the way" of their desire for partnership? Tread very carefully if you go this route. Do not "cure" their aromanticism. Try to build towards self acceptance.

Aromantic people can date, but our aromanticism can and often does impact how we date, and how we feel about dating. Even when aromantic people are in committed relationships, or want to be, we are still aromantic.

2. Explore how this impacts their relationships.

Being aromantic often makes dating/partnering more complicated.

Did their partner(s) know that they're aromantic when they started dating? If not, do they know now? How did that conversation go?

Did the aromantic character know about their own aromanticism when they first started dating, or did they realize it later? How did they come to realize that? If they were in a relationship at the time of realizing it, did the realization spark anxiety over the future of their relationship? Did it spark relief?

Do they experience difficulty finding partners? Is it because people are less willing to date aromantic people? Is it because of highly limited attraction? Is it because the aromantic character has very specific needs when it comes to relationships, such as needing a less common (e.g. queerplatonic) relationship, or having a lot of strong boundaries around traditionally romantic activities? Is it because their orientation is difficult to explain to potential partners? Is it a combination of factors?

3. If you're writing fanfiction, respect the aromantic character's canon identity.

If an aromantic character is canonically non-partnering, romance-averse, romance-repulsed, or similar, keep it that way. Hands off.

[magnus-rhymes-with-swagness]

OKAY who wants to hear about why i think nimona challenges amatonormativity? you do! 🫵

one of the main ways this is accomplished is through ballister and ambrosius’s relationship. it’s arguable that it doesn’t necessarily fit the traditional model of romance - not only are they a queer interracial couple, and not only is their relationship ambiguous in the book, but there are certain instances, especially in the movie, that subvert traditional ideas of romance and friendship.

one instance that really stands out to me is when the director asks ambrosius what’s on his mind and he goes on his imagined rant about how arm-chopping isn’t a love language - you know the one. when he mentions ballister, he refers to him as “the man i love, my best friend.” and not just one or the other, but both! the man i love, and my best friend. he places equal emphasis on both the romantic and platonic aspects of the relationship, valuing ballister in both a romantic context and a platonic context without treating either one as more important than the other.

and even moments such as the first “i love you” and the kiss manage to subvert tradition. both of these things are generally seen as a pretty big deal, especially in fiction - if the characters are kissing or saying “i love you,” it’s usually a moment in which everything changes. a line is drawn, dividing the story into after and now. sometimes it’s dramatic and climactic, with fireworks and a swell of music, but even when it isn’t it’s still seen as a turning point of sorts. now it’s official, now it’s real. but this isn’t the case in nimona. both moments are certainly significant - they do a good job of showcasing the character development and where ballister and ambrosius are on their respective journeys, and are certainly important in terms of representation - but neither one follows the path that most fictional romance does.

another way in which nimona challenges amatonormativity would be the emphasis on friendship! in the tavern scene (in the movie) when ambrosius suggests killing nimona, ballister disagrees and says “she’s my friend.” ambrosius replies with “aren’t i more than that?”, implying he’s more important than a friend - thus upholding amatonormative ideas. ballister becomes angry at that and leaves - challenging this idea and prioritizing his platonic relationship with nimona over his romantic one with ambrosius, as nimona is the one he wants to defend.

additionally, a big part of this scene is the way ballister deliberately rejects institute values while ambrosius unintentionally upholds them. and because the story challenges homophobia and transphobia (and other forms of bigotry) through the lens of the institute, it would make sense for it to challenge amatonormativity too! it’s something that’s become incredibly normalized, to the point that lots of people don’t even know it exists, and this is reminiscent of the institute brainwashing, especially when it comes to ambrosius - he’s been manipulated his whole life and probably genuinely doesn’t understand the level to which he’s internalized institute beliefs.

ballister prioritizes nimona many times, actually. when he tells ambrosius she’s “smart, kind, and quite sophisticated,” when he’s overjoyed to see her again at the end, when he refuses to kill her and saves her instead. over and over, he proves how much he cares about her, even when this involves directly going against what ambrosius wants - which, of course, is really what the institute wants. a core tenant of amatonormativity is the false notion that romantic relationships are more important or valuable than other types of relationships, but ballister actively goes against this!

to conclude, as a story that at its core is about identity and challenging societal beliefs, nimona defies expectations and traditional ideas of what it should or shouldn’t be. it’s possible that amatonormativity wasn’t what the creators had in mind, but the story still manages to challenge it with grace and elegance. just like its main character, nimona refuses to conform to what others want it to be.

[many-gay-magpies]

god what really gets me about dead boy detectives and what i think i love so much about the show and the relationships in it is that like. the romantic and sexual relationships aren't portrayed as being more unique or important than the platonic relationships. they're all just RELATIONSHIPS.

charles and crystal's attraction to each other and eventual hookup isn't this big end-all be-all relationship that shatter charles and edwin's friendship and draws charles' attention away from edwin; it's just a THING that happens. they're just two people that care about each other and happen to also be attracted to each other, and a hook-up happens, then they decide that neither of them are in the right place for it and it's nothing awful. crystal kisses charles, but it isn't some big spectacle of her declaring her love for him; it's just her saying goodbye and that she cares about him, like her hugs with niko and jenny and her handshake with edwin.

edwin realizes he loves charles romantically and tells him, and charles says he doesn't really love edwin romantically BACK, but it's okay, because they still love each other so much in so many other ways that this one tiny difference could never change them—and it doesn't!! they're still just as close, still care for each other just as much, still SHOW that care for each other just as much. their relationship didn't completely end because edwin loved charles in a way charles couldn't reciprocate, but at the same time it isn't "solved" by edwin getting over it, because there's nothing TO solve. it's just another type of love, added to everything that already exists between them. and they have LITERALLY FOREVER to figure out what it means.

the relationships between edwin & niko, crystal & niko, and crystal & edwin aren't given any less weight for being solely platonic, just as charles & crystal's relationship and edwin's feelings for charles aren't given (that much) MORE weight for being romantic. crystal and charles' conflict in the closet is about EDWIN, about how they're BOTH his friend and BOTH want to get him back; it has very little to do with the feelings between THEM, romantic or otherwise. similarly, the weight of charles' and edwin's relationship isn't diminished in the LEAST by charles not reciprocating the romantic side of his feelings (or SAYING he doesn't reciprocate, at least—we can all argue about the legitimacy of that in the notes).

i'm sure there are more examples than this, as well as probably some examples that CONTRADICT this, but like... by and large, it feels like dead boy detectives is a show where all the relationships are given equal weight regardless of platonic, sexual, romantic, or familial status, and as someone on both the asexual and aromantic spectrums who has struggled time and time again with shows casting out the importance of all other relationships in favor of prioritizing romance, that is INCREDIBLY refreshing to see.

[jitteryfool]

It frustrates me endlessly that a series about about a messy, dysfunctional family that nonetheless still cared for each other ended up sidelining these familial bonds in favor of stale, badly-written romances. This was something that already started bothering me in the previous season. I was not watching The Umbrella Academy because I want to see the Hargreeves stumble into a romantic relationship, I was watching it because I liked the siblings' banter, I liked the dynamic the Hargreeves had with each other, I loved seeing a show centering relationships that were not romantic because god knows the media likes to pretend romantic love is above any other kind of love.

I wanted to see the bonds the siblings have with each other deepened, explored, developed and most importantly be treated as central to the show. I don't give a rat ass about their romantic endeavors because they're not what's interesting to me, what drew me to the show. I mean, I'm fine with depictions of romance as long as it doesn't end up being the focal point of a character or the plot, which sadly is not really the case in TUA.

I want familial, platonic love to not be treated as below romance. That's why Five, the embodiment of 'prioritizing family over anything else' suddenly choosing romance over his siblings is such a slap in the face.

[aro-enigma]

It's rly annoying seeing people try to describe QPRs in a detailed way that will make sense to everyone. Like, I'll see people explain it as this intense commitment and I'll even see people say that it's prioritized over all other relationships (and that totally may be true for some and that's totally fine!!)

BUT THAT JUST ISN'T TRUE FOR EVERY PERSON'S VIEW OF A QPR. A queer-platonic relationship can be a deeply personal and different thing from individual to individual

As an aromantic with no connection to romantic attraction whatsoever a QPR is just any relationship that is outside of what is considered societally "normal". Ffs, I'd consider a noncommittal friends with benefits relationship to be a qpr for me.

Also, the whole idea of a specific relationship label making that relationship take priority just feels like repackaged amatonormativity. How about we not put relationships on a generic societal pedestal maybe? Each individual will decide for themselves what is most emotionally important to them and I think trying to explain QPRs to people as if they're romance-lite isn't the best way to go about it.

I truly think that pushing "you don't have to understand something to respect it" is soo much more important and useful for our community than making people understand every aspect of an identity

[tommyssupercoolblog]

Also unrelated to the last Dan and Phil post but do other phannies know about queerplatonic relationships. Do they know that there is not just romantic or platonic relationships but a secret third thing. Like if Dan and Phil aren't dating they also very well could be a secret third thing. The point of QPRs is that they upset the ideas of what relationships are "supposed" to be like and what's platonic or romantic, because like, anything romantic can be platonic and vice versa because relationships are defined by the people in them. (And also some people consider their attraction in itself to be neither or both)

Like even if they DO call each other pet names and want to live together forever in the same house, or even if they want to get married, that doesn't necessarily eliminate the possibility that their relationship is a secret third thing.

I think about this a lot when I'm in the Dan and Phil tag because I sometimes see people say the sort of "friends don't do that" talk that aromantic people especially (since they're more likely to be in or know about QPRs) complain about sometimes, and like. Jokes like that are common and easy but it does make me wonder how many people haven't stopped to consider that Dan and Phil could also...be a QPR.

You don't have to be in romantic love to be life partners, and some people prioritize friendship over romance in a way that even if they do experience romance it's so low-key to them that their friends live with them more or have more stake in their lives than partners. The priorities of your relationships, like the order of what's more important, can be different depending on who you are, and so can what those relationships look like.

I'm not saying I think they AREN'T dating persay, I mean like how would I know??!!! But there are more options than yes or no, like... "It depends on whichever is funnier" or "only on Tuesdays" or "Fun sexy little gray area" or "yes and no at the same time fuck you" or "neither, actually It's digorno". There are a rainbow of possibilities, AND shrimp colors or possibilities. The possibilities are phendless

[gingergofastboatsmojito]

Don't read this. You've been warned.

SO THIS IS WHAT MOTHERFUCKING HAPPENS WHEN YOU FUCKING DEPRIVE THE FEMALE LEAD OF SCREENTIME OVER THIS NEW COMPLETELY FUCKING UNNECESSARY CHARACTER LIKE THIS MPDG

Full article in the RB notes

AFTER THIS:

IF YOU WANTED TO SHOW US WHAT HIS PERSONAL LIFE LOOKED LIKE THE RELATIONSHIP HE NEEDED TO FUCKING ATTEMPT WAS NOT OUTSIDE WORK!!! FUCK YOU, ALL! YOU TOO, CALO!

HACKS'LOVE STORY IS PERFECTLY WRITTEN AND THE FANS ARE NEVER GASLIGHTED, THEIR INTELLIGENCE IS NOT INSULTED ON A PERMANENT BASIS. THEY ARE NOT SPOONFED EITHER, THE BALANCE EXISTS AND YOU COULDN'T FUCKING WRITE IT, YOU WENT FOR THE FUCKING CLICHÉ INSTEAD:

AND THEN THIS HAPPENED:

And don't get me wrong, I ADORE JEAN, I LOVE HACKS and I even have a blog exclusively dedicated to that show I am a fan of, so having watched all 3 seasons and believing in it from day 1, IK exactly what I'm talking about. Lucia is nailing the love story because she has the ovaries to tell it, and doesn't use her writing, direction, and executive production efforts to gaslight those who tune in to see how Deborah & Ava's love story unfold. She even writes other characters who play love interests for both but does not string that along, it has a beginning a middle, and an end because she ALWAYS SUPPORTS THE ENDGAME COUPLE NARRATIVE, SHE DOESN'T TRY TO PUSH ANOTHER BECAUSE SHE KNOWS WHY THE AUDIENCE TUNES IN AND RESPECTS THAT.

And I don't think that at this point I have to make a stronger case about how much I fucking worship Sydney Adamu and will always defend her, but hey! being truthful, objective, and realistic is MY way of protecting her. Unpopular opinion? Maybe. Do I give a fuck? HAHAAAAAAAAAA GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK!

So, Deborah's character is a lot more complex than Sydney's.

Deborah re-discovers her sexuality and re-defines herself as she falls in love with a subordinate and rebuilds her career after everyone left her for dead in the dust of it, and turns a cancelation around at the age of 100 years old in a world that is no longer the world she knew and made her bitch, which made her filthy rich but also cost her EVERYTHING.

Sydney, on the other hand, is this nuanced character, with a dead mom we know NOTHING ABOUT, a potentially recovered alcoholic father we know nothing about either, a past we know almost nothing about, a love life and sexuality we can guess but WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT EITHER, with a "platonic romance with a white boy who gave her his life long dream and heart on a fucking plate" THAT NO ONE WANTS TO FUCKING EXPLORE BECAUSE THEY TRY TO SHOVE THIS MPDG WHITE GIRL CHARACTER DOWN OUR FUCKING THROATS and a bunch of other motherfucking layers that remain completely unwritten and off-screen. No screen time whatsoever for character development in S2 for Sydney, BUT THIS ONE? I EVEN HAD TO PUT UP WITH HER MOTHERFUCKING ASS!!!

So summing up: This award was taken from Ayo, not won by Jean, because Jean had a whole team having her back, Ayo was RELEGATED BY HER OWN TEAM TO PRIORITIZE A FUCKING MPDG UNNECESSARY WHITE CHARACTER, AND IF I COULD FUCKING SUE THE RESPONSIBLE ONES, FOR THIS, I 10000% WOULD.

FUCK YOU, ALL AT DISNEY WHO LET THIS HAPPEN AND DON'T EVEN GET ME FUCKING STARTED ON S3, THE NEXT AWARD SEASON WILL BE EVEN WORSE BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN LOUD AND CLEAR FOR 2 FUCKING YEARS NOW, BUT STORER AND APPARENTLY DISNEY DON'T FUCKING LISTEN AND THEN THIS HAPPENS:

[our-aplatonic-experience]

I'm Aplatonic and Alloromantic, and I've yet to find anybody who understands.

I feel bad when I prioritize romance over friendship. I've never felt 'I have to befriend them' Only, 'I wanna date them/ oh! They look queer or autistic and I wanna talk to them!' I have the desire to kiss all of my friends and any type of touch is registered as romantic to me, which obviously causes problems. I can't tell my friends I love them because I don't mean it platonically. I can't mean it platonically. It makes me feel like a bad person when I see aromantic people comment about how people make everything romantic/ don't value friendships. I'm sorry I don't. I can't.

I've had to hear it from non aro people too. My entire life from elementary to now has been people telling me to stop thinking about/prioritizing romantic relationships. It's TORTURE.

I'm afraid if I tell any of my friends they'll feel weird about it even though it changes nothing. I still value them as people. I just can't love them platonically. It has to be romantic.

Please tell me someone understands

.

[platonic-pals-punchout]

WELCOME TO PLANTONIC PALS PUNCHOUT!

If Saturday cartoons taught us anything it’s that The Power Of Friendship is the ultimate weapon that can defeat any obstacle! But can it defeat...other friendships!? 

This tournament will pit Dynamic Duo vs Dynamic Duo to see who has the Ultimate Friendship. They will do this by punching other pairs in the face winning polls! The competition will be single-bracket-style (because that’s the only kind I know how to do lol)

[SUBMIT HERE!] but read the rules first :3 We have 100 fandoms represented by over 130 submissions! Thanks so much to everyone!! Preliminary polls are being organized NOW to limit the number of pairs to 1 per fandom. 

Rules: 

👉Characters must be (or once were) canonically friends, which means they’ve had on-screen/in-text buddy time together, or have mentioned their friendship explicitly. Characters who start as friends but lose their friendship are allowed! 👉No real people, real people playing themselves (DSMP, etc), or country-fictions (Hetalia, etc). I may accept pets or OCs IF they get multiple submissions from different people and there’s room left in the bracket (I feel bad when they lose :(  )  👉No Harry Potter or Attack on Titan. 👉Pairs only. As fun as groups are, I worry that having more characters on their team may sway the votes. Characters with DID or who otherwise have alternate identities count as a single character. 👉Canonically romantic pairs must have significant on-screen/in-text platonic time, and/or emphasis placed on buddy-hood over romance throughout the story.* (a good example is Phoenix Wright & Miles Edgeworth) This is semi-subjective & somewhat controversial, so I’ll be prioritizing purely platonic friendships. Friends With Benefits™️ are totally fine as long as they are actually friends.  👉Familial pairs are fine as long as their buddy-hood is emphasized throughout the story. (a good example is Goofy & Max) 

*Sometimes characters only get together late into the story, or use the Power of Friendship even after getting together, or their relationship is on the vague side, so these duos may be included ^^ Essentially, even if they get together romantically, you’re still submitting them as friends, and confirming that their relationship is portrayed as comfortably platonic more than romantic/pining. 

As for me, my name is Murphy (he/him or she/her), I’m arospec, Autistic, and I’ve never run a tournament before. I can’t make polls on desktop for unknown reasons & barely know how to use mobile, so this blog might be a bit...scuffed, at first ^^; please be patient with me.

Shameless self-plug: if you like my me, please check out my [YouTube channel] where I do art & science education, or my [Warriors/art tumblr]. Thank you!!

[autistic-ben-tennyson]

Teen Titans and UAF

Knowing that both TT and UAF had the same producer, Glen Murakami, and that Dwayne Mcduffie did write a couple episodes of TT as well as the two series sharing several voice actors, I think the alien force trio does have a lot in common with the Teen Titans. Considering some didn’t like the OS for “replacing” TT after it was cancelled, I wonder if the UAF crew tried to replicate the dynamic with Ben, Gwen and Kevin to win over fans who didn’t like the OS. Each member of the trio sort of feels like an amalgamation of 2-3 of the titans.

Ben (Robin, Beast Boy and Raven)

Like Robin, he’s the leader of the team and struggles with his image as a hero. Robin believed he couldn’t be anything besides a hero and Ben often viewed the Omnitrix as what was special, not him. One of their enemies, Captain Nemesis/Daizo, was a crook pretending to be a hero, caring more about fame and serving as a darker reflection of them. Both often prioritize being a hero over their love interest, Starfire/Julie, and have their first kiss in the finale (Trouble in Tokyo/The Ultimate Enemy). Both can be pretty brutal when focused on hunting an enemy, Robin with Slade and Brushogun, Ben with Ultimate Kevin. Their outfits also feature racing stripes and an emblem patch, fitting their biker/racer personalities.

Like BB, he tends to joke around and act full of himself, much to the annoyance of his teammates, as a way to mask his fears. Both are green themed shapeshifters. Both are forced to step up as leader and become more mature. Both are willing to save a girl they care about, Terra/Elena, and are saddened by their, apparent, deaths. Ben does share Starfire’s willingness to help even those that look down on them like Val Yor or Reinrassig.

Ben doesn’t have as much in common with Raven but young Ben does share a voice actress with her. Coincidentally, the ghost attacking Raven in Trouble in Tokyo was voiced by Yuri Lowenthal. Unlike BB/Gwen, Ben and Raven weren’t too willing to save Terra/Ultimate Kevin because of their betrayal. A lot of fans do love shipping them with a character voiced by Greg Cipes. Their greatest enemy was a demonic entity with a cult worshipping them, Trigon/Dagon, that they defeated.

Kevin (Cyborg and BB with bits of Robin and Terra)

Like Cyborg, Kevin serves as the team muscle, but is far from stupid. Both are protective of their cars they built and skilled at engineering. Both also struggle with self image, viewing themselves as monsters until they receive acceptance. He does have Robin’s brooding tendencies and fan favorite, opposites attract, romance with a red haired girl. Like Terra, he grew up on the run as an orphan. Both have a love interest willing to save them and a manipulative mentor using them to get what they want, Slade/Servantis.

He shares the same actor as Beast Boy and is often used for comic relief. I do like the idea of him and Gwen being the reincarnation of Terra and BB with Terra wanting to repay BB for keeping faith in her. Both have a monstrous form that they try to control, the were-beast and Ultimate Kevin.

Gwen (Raven, Starfire and Terra)

Gwen has a lot in common with Starfire such as having an evil “twin” voiced by the same VA and having a dark aesthetic (Sunny/Blackfire). Both are redheads and are in a relationship with a brooding bad boy. Both are descended from powerful beings that are hated (anodites/tamaraneans)by those like Val Yor or the synthroid in Moonstruck. Gwen is less naive than Starfire and while kindhearted is a bit more snarky, like Raven.

Like Raven, she’s a powerful sorceress who must keep their powers under control for fear of losing themselves. Both are the most mature of their respective teams, sometimes having to take an older sibling role to Ben/Beast Boy whenever they’re acting stupid. Both have a brother-sister bond with their team leader and are very close, platonically.

She shares the same actress as Terra and is in a relationship with a character voiced by Greg Cipes. Some of her concept art did make her look more like Terra as well. She’s on the opposite end of Terra with her being the one trying to save her love interest, in spite of being told their evil and beyond help by everyone else.

I know some of these are just coincidental but I do think Murakami wanted to replicate the dynamic and feel of Teen Titans for UAF. OV has a closer art style due to Derrick J Wyatt’s involvement but is more colorful and light hearted. Perhaps it was to win back viewers who thought the original Ben 10 was too immature and focused on selling toys and hated it since it came right after Teen Titans was cancelled.

[stupidrant]

Thank you for tackling another facet of fandom's misogyny which is justifying the hatred for and dismissal of story important female characters and their no less important relationships with male leads by means of invented (and often completely ridiculous) M/M ships. Hei**tre*s is a perfect example of that as it's preferred over a canon romantic storyline for Atreus (which is Atreus/Angrboda). Whereas Heimdall is worshiped and prioritized over Angrboda despite the fact that he is a textbook filler character and a stereotypical two dimensional secondary antagonist "who dies first".

Yet Angrboda whose every single scene brings something new to the story or moves the plot and whose interactions with Atreus are so vital to said plot you cannot omit a single one of them without the game becoming completely different and Atreus's arc crumbling and losing logic, cohesion and sense is dismissed as "boring".

This is that "woke misogyny" that we discussed before (and proves yet again how gamebros and "progressives" are in fact the two sides of the same bigoted coin, just like Alphas and Nice Guys).

Furthermore, this "progressive misogyny" pattern often includes those people making up "arguments" as to why male lead's relationship with a multi-faceted female character is supposedly "unhealthy" or "forced" (which is laughable given their own fanon ships have zero basis in canon). But their imagined M/M ship is somehow "complex and inspiring" because they want a male character they (often undeservedly) put on a pedestal (in this case Heimdall) to get a trophy in the form of another character (Atreus). Whom they - and that's the most absurd part - often also hate as much as they do his canon female love interest. But deem this "worthless and annoying fun-sponge" to be good enough to be a prize for their favourite man.

It's the same toxic thinking that, within the non-romantic realm, reduced Atreus to Kratos's prize and then concluded he wasn't worth becoming one. However, trolls decided that Atreus still might fulfill their fantasy of Thrud/Atreus or Heimdall/Atreus and become a prize for one of them. That's why their favourite moments in their interactions is when Thrud or Heimdall exert physical violence against Atreus and "put that runt in place".

Meanwhile, Angrboda is also seen as an "unworthy" prize, just for Atreus. It all boils down to dehumanization and treating one character as an accessory for another (and shoes how sexism affects characters regardless of gender, just in a different way). That's why canon Atreboda makes trolls so angry as it's an equal and supportive relationship for both of them.

You are also correct in seeing the potential in Skjoldr, sadly, likely becoming that glorified secondary male character whom trolls might use as a perfect cover for their misogyny. So they could continue dismissing or putting down Angrboda to prop up Atreus's interactions with Skjoldr and Thrud. Another scenario that isn't out of the realm of possibility is, as you noted, Atreus forming a trio with Skjoldr and Thrud, with Angrboda being pushed to sidelines.

Now, obviously, canonically neither Skjoldr nor Thrud would ever become Atreus's love interests and are most likely going to have a romantic arc of their own, with one another. But before it happens or in the process of it happening the writers/developers might opt for the "bros over romance" route in regards to A/T/S trio vs Atreboda relationship. It's all the more plausible if the other, grim scenario I suggested before comes to pass and Skjoldr is ultimately sacrificed for Thrud's angst (and, in this case, Atreus's as well, in a platonic sense).

With the criticism she gets, i think they will go against the “bros over atreboda” thing. I think atreboda will be a bigger focus and understandably so (or at least im hoping they will. as i said before, they continued with atreus despite trolls. Im expecting them to do the same with angrboda) I’ve noticed most main (or only) love interests get treated like this. And its usually the female ones in particular. i dont understand why so many people hate on them all the time? Its not like theyre always the same yet there is smth “unappealing” to so many people about said love interests all the time. I wonder if it has to do with the “not like other girls” sort of thing..