#and the thought of getting into a queerplatonic relationship makes me want to run from it

[identityarchitect]

is it possible to be like. queerplatonic-repulsed the way people can be romance repulsed

[tossawary]

You know, the more I think about it, the funnier I find the concept of Monkey D. Luffy /& Boa Hancock (especially paired with Aro-Ace spectrum Luffy and Aro-Ace spectrum Hancock) just for what it must look like from an outsider's POV.

For the record, personally, my favorite Luffy ship is Zoro/Luffy - also with Aro-Ace spectrum Luffy, that's basically non-negotiable for me, I don't care whether he's sex-favorable or sex-repulsed, but he's definitely ace. It is so funny to me to think about Luffy's incredible pull with aro-ace spectrum folks. People who once thought "sucks for you fuckers obsessed with sex and/or romance, I'm built different" (Roronoa Zoro, Koby, Trafalgar Law, Boa Hancock, Bartolomeo, etc.) find themselves fascinated by this little rubber man, who regularly declares war on the government and can swallow a roast chicken whole. Some of them are happier about this than others. Some of them WISH they just wanted to fuck or marry him, that would make more sense than this shit.

But, okay, back to Luffy and Hancock (as a friendship or queerplatonic situationship, whatever, doesn't matter). Like, let's pretend this is some kind of Modern College AU (Luffy is probably not IN college, tbh, he's just there to hang out with his friends and for any food anyone makes the mistake of leaving out). You are on your way to class and you see this woman walking down the street and she is - hands down - the Most Beautiful Woman In The World.

Super tall, with incredibly long, muscular legs in shockingly high red heels, a short skirt, artful cleavage, a waterfall of sleek black hair, beautiful face, striking makeup, gorgeous jewelry. Looks too old to be an undergrad student. She looks like if a martial artist became a supermodel. Walks like that too. The phrase "please step on me" comes to mind, but not to the lips, because that's sexual harassment, and also this woman looks like she could stab you through the heart with a kick and her shoe heel, killing you instantly.

She sees someone and her entire face lights up. She runs forward (how is she running in those shoes) squealing in excitement and embraces this guy you didn't even notice before, shouting about how much she missed him, and kisses him on the lips. He is... uh... three-quarters of her height at the tallest. A real Mr. Short King.

Wow, he has a babyface. And a scar on his cheek and on his chest, which you can see because he's wearing an open button-up, in eye-searing rainbow colors and decorated with monkeys, and jorts with fur at the cuffs. And mismatched flip-flops on the wrong feet. And a straw hat on a string around his neck. It looks like he hasn't brushed his hair today. It is impossible to judge his looks because his outfit is too distracting. Now the Most Beautiful Woman in the World is blushing bright pink as she clasps one of his hands in both of hers. Mr. Short King is using his other hand to pick his nose as she talks.

They walk hand in hand together over to where an incredibly expensive-looking bright red car is parked. Mr. Short King opens the driver's door for the Most Beautiful Woman and she apparently nearly swoons at this chivalry. She climbs into the driver's seat and he gets into the passenger's side (Luffy cannot legally drive and also cannot actually drive). They drive off together. What the fuck kind of Roger-and-Jessica-Rabbit-ass Sugar Mama relationship did you just witness?

Boa Hancock keeps a photograph of Luffy as her phone background and also on her desk at work. Everyone is always like, "Is that your... son?" And Hancock is like, "No, that's my number one choice of future fiancé! Isn't he sooooo handsome?" And people can only be like, "...Okay, but why are there police lights in the background? And something is on fire? It kind of looks like he's in the process of being arrested..." And Hancock responds dreamily, "They didn't catch him! He climbed into my exercise duffel bag and I carried him out."

[sciderman]

Recently joined a spideypool discord and. I'm not gonna lie. Not a single one of these people make either of these boys as queer as they are in my head. This is probably your fault by some metric.

most things to do with spideypool are my fault by some metric, and i take full pride ownership of that - i make it a point to leave my grubby, cheese-dusted fingerprints over everything.

it's kind of really funny to hear this line of thought, remembering back to all those years that spideypoolers hounded me for queerbaiting, when truly - even those days where wade and peter weren't boning, they truly had one of the greatest queerplatonic relationships of all time, and the straights just didn't get it. not everything that's queer has to be full-frontal with tongue. i love looking back at their no-homo era, because it is so undeniably queer still.

there's a huge portion of the spideypool fanbase that are cis het, you know - not that there's anything wrong with that

but it has always felt a little different than the way i go about queer ships, and the sort of perceptions i faced in the decade that i've been running ask-spiderpool. and while i've definitely left my mark and a lot of people love what i've done with the place - what i've done with the place has always kind of intentionally been counter-to the usual fandom perception of spideypool. so much that wade and peter are actually constantly battling off the creeps.

i wrote it this way because i didn't like much of what i was seeing, and wanted something that catered to my weird taste. my taste for seeing just two unsexy losers who kind of don't know how to go about it. i wasn't in it for sexual gratification - kind of just here to make jokes about things i found funny. i found people fetishising wade and peter really funny, considering how unattractive and slobbish they are in my head. and now i find the concept of labels and sexuality and people trying to define them kind of funny, and that's what i'm exploring now.

it helps to be an insider, i guess. that's the big difference I find, from reading a lot of gay fanfiction, or gay media in general. you can tell if it's written by an insider, or an outsider. and me - i just love something confusing, sincere and messy when it comes to sexuality. just like me.

[johanarchy]

Lately I've been having a lot of fun creating some Chaos Marine OCs and I thought I might introduce them here !

So behold ! A very unlikely friend group :

The Iron Warrior is called Cassius Merle, the Death Guard is Mychos Ankou and the Emperor's Child is named Antares Fitz.

I have a whole story for how they met, but the short version is that they all got stranded on a ruined world after the end of the 13th Black Crusade and had to team up to get away.

I have informally named them The Smelly Trio because they all stink. They bicker. They share a braincell. Together they can overcome anything.

Mychos and Antares are in a romantic relationship. No one understands how it happened, least of all the two of them. Cassius is in some kind of queerplatonic partnership with both, though he would rather die than to admit that he actually likes them.

More doodles and yapping under the cut (ft me not being fully set on what their armours look like)

"I really don't care for the Gods. Like everything, they serve a purpose, but I have never needed their help blowing walls up, and I don't see why that should change."

Cassius is the youngest, he was recruited just a few decades before the Black Crusade. As most post-Heresy Chaos Marines, he isn't his Primarch's gene-son; he comes from Imperial Fist geneseed, something he feels extremely angsty about.

He's short of height and of temper, and though he tries very hard to be the hypercompetent brain of the group, he is absolutely not suited for leadership, or for functionning outside of the rigid structure of his legion. That's not his fault, he was just never really taught critical thinking. Or proper social skills.

He likes manual labor, it makes him feel useful and lets him turn his brain off, both things he desperately needs.

"You misunderstand me. I do not wish for the end of humanity. Humanity delights me, like all species of living beings do. But to think that, just because I am part of it, that I should believe it above the laws of nature ? No, this is something that I cannot accept."

Mychos is the oldest, having actually been part of one of the first waves of Death Guards from Barbarus. He used to be, and technically still is, an apothecary, but nowadays his duty is mainly to create more and more elaborate biological weapons for his fellow Plague Marines to use.

He carries himself with the unnerving friendliness and cheerfulness that only nurglites can have, and with a sort of "gentle giant" attitude that makes many people dismiss him as slow and simple minded; but do not be deceived, this is a wisened veteran who knows the world he lives in, he's just very chill about it.

He is a big nature lover, with a soft spot for fungi, which he lets grow over his exposed bones. He tends to start little gardens in every place he stays in for more than a few weeks, something he is exceptionally skilled at. He talks to all living things in his little ecosystems, plants, fungi, insects, even bacteria, and sometimes they actually answer.

"The problem with the Imperium is that it's run by losers and prudes who have never had a single minute of fun in their lives, and they expect everyone else to be as miserable as them or die. I say fuck them. Do whatever you want. If your so-called-God has a plan, you won't live long enough to see it happen anyway."

Antares is also fairly old, being of the original Emperor's Children stock, but he joined the legion at the tail end of the Great Crusade, just before the Heresy, so to him, the influence of Slaanesh has always been an integral part of it.

As such, he became the very picture of selfish hedonism; indulging his impulses and never thinking about consequences. This makes him a pretty bad soldier, as he does not respond well to authority and struggles greatly with delayed gratification. His saving grace is his skill as a fighter, especially on difficult terrain where his satyr-like mutations offer him great mobility. He had to heavily modify his armour to accomodate his legs, but his own vanity was also very much a factor in some of the choices.

Like any good slaaneshi, he loves his drugs and sex and music, but his true passion is food. He is teaching himself to cook, to varrying degrees of success, but mostly he tends to pillage the kitchens of whatever place he is helping raid at the moment. His taste is not refined, he just chases intensity in flavour.

I have more to say but it would take entirely too long to type it all up so I will stop there for now. Thank you for your time !

[beekeeperspicnic]

What a nice day to reconceptualise my entire game

Last night I reblogged this lovely post from @inkonice-main talking about Holmes and Watson's relationship as a great love story (whether romantic or platonic), and it's been clanging around in my brain ever since.

Just in case you stumbled across this post randomly, I'm currently making a cosy mystery Sherlock Holmes game set in Sussex, which has Holmes trying to put together a picnic for Watson. My plan is to write them in a close platonic friendship or queerplatonic partnership because that interpretation means a lot to me, but to keep it shipper friendly and leave the possibility open that they are a romantic couple.

The problem I've been toying over for the entire six months of development so far is WHY Holmes has decided to drop everything and make this ultimate picnic for Watson. What's his motivation, dah-ling?

And I've cycled through a few ideas:

He doesn't need a reason, elaborate theatre is how he shows affection. Perhaps true, but that doesn't give much of an emotional base for the game.

It's all sparked off by Watson writing and publishing the Creeping Man, the story with all the "The relations between us in those latter days were peculiar" content. But it never quite flowed for me. If Watson is happy with Holmes in Sussex, why is he writing so discontentedly? It also felt like telling-not-showing for players.

I thought perhaps it could be spurred on by Holmes having a nightmare where he's back on a case everything goes wrong. He realises that both he and Watson are in the twilight of their lives and if he doesn't tell Watson plainly how he feels, he may lose the chance. This is closer to working for me, but I think a dream being a character's primary motivation is silly and lazy, and this anxiety Holmes has doesn't seem reflected in the fact that they're living together happily. To the player it's obvious Watson already knows Holmes loves him, so there's no tension.

Then I read that post, and it all clicked. Because let's look at the Canon: it is a love story, but like most love stories of glorious intensity, things have not always run smoothly.

Holmes has withheld truths. He pretended to be dead for years. He constantly toys with his health and causes Watson pain and anxiety. All the paths Watson laid out for his life have been disrupted by his adoration of this brilliant but challenging man. Years of living together at this frantic, breakneck, head-over-heels pace seem to have taken their toll: Holmes suddenly wants to retreat from the world and take up his beekeeping, and Watson remarries and doesn't follow him, as he needs to live his own life. By His Last Bow, it seems they haven't seen each other for years.

"We heard of you as living the life of a hermit among your bees and your books in a small farm upon the South Downs," says Watson, suggesting he's never visited. But they reconnect, and thankfully the spark between them is still there. War is looming on the horizon, and both fear it may take their lives - "Stand with me here upon the terrace, for it may be the last quiet talk that we shall ever have," says Holmes.

That's where we leave them, looking out over a moonlit sea waiting for the dawn, exchanging words that they fear will be parting ones.

But the reader is left with the hope that perhaps they won't be parted again this time. War can't separate these two, surely? Nothing can.

So. That's where the picnic comes in, as a last coda in this great love story.

The War is over. Holmes and Watson have reunited. Perhaps Watson visits Holmes more often now, widowed once again. And Holmes realises that what both of them need now is to be together.

Except how does he say that, as someone who does not share his innermost thoughts easily?

The picnic represents the one chance that Holmes feels he has to say, I've treated you badly. I've made mistakes. But we can get through them, because we love each other. Let's not be parted ever again. Come and stay with me here.

The picnic isn't just a picnic.

It's a proposal.

So like, no pressure, players. :P

EDIT:

Just to clarify because I think my wording confused some folks - My plan is still to write them in a close platonic friendship or queerplatonic partnership and to keep it shipper friendly and leave the possibility open that they are a romantic couple.

The change is just that in my original storyline Watson had been living with Holmes for years, and now I'm playing with the idea of exploring the picnic being the moment when they commit to living together for the rest of their lives.

[baileythebean]

EDITED!!!: Genshin SI!Bailey x Canon!Freminet

So Freminet is an INCREDIBLY complex character. He has a lot of trauma, a deep personality and is on the autism spectrum with some form of szpd (schizoid personality disorder). Because of living with the Fatui, essentially a terrorist/mafia sort of organization, he has trouble feeling like a real person and feels absolutely useless and helpless without orders from others. He is still mentally a child, a very damaged one, but a child. He’s always been physically, emotionally and verbally abused, which makes him untrusting and wary of others. He’s also antisocial and doesnt enjoy praise or reward as much as simply getting the job done and following his orders. I also headcanon him as FtM, so add dysphoria into that disaster.

Then there’s Bailey, who grew up without parents, but without longing for them, either. He just thought it was normal to not have them, and never really wanted any either. Because of this, he taught himself to read and write by observing others, and had a very vague concept of right and wrong, with a nonexistent concept of rules. Because of this upbringing, he’s developed schizotypal personality disorder, which ALSO causes a disinterest in relationships, sort of like Freminet. His behavior is strange and he doesnt always know how his actions affect others. His main offenses are vandalism and getting into fights. Because of this, he often ends up in the Fortress of Meropide (jail) and starts getting favored by Wriothesely, the warden. He’s just a kid after all. Wriothesely starts guiding him to become better and sort of becomes like his dad.

Freminet and Bailey first meet when Fremi ended up in the Fortress during the canon timeline in game. They keep running into each other, until Bailey gets curious and starts bumping into and meeting up with Freminet on purpose. Freminet talks about how he so so wants to connect with Bailey, but how there seems to be a barrier every time he tries. He just… cant get interested. But this isn’t gonna stop Bailey, of course. So whenever Freminet desperately needs comfort, Bailey is there.

“You… you can’t fix me, Bailey. It just won’t work.”

“You’re right. But it’s okay to be broken. And I know that I’ll stay by you no matter what.”

and for the first time, its someone telling him they’ll stay by his side and wait as long as they need to instead of scoffing and asking what’s wrong with him or leaving him. Bailey will wait as long as it takes for that bond to get through to Freminet, and when it does, he won’t rush things. Bailey knows how to care for something in need. Especially his boyfriend. They’re so, so, complicated and take so much time before they actually get together. So they go from really close acquaintances, to sort of warped queerplatonic partners, to first-time lovers and then to two souls deeply intertwined and in love. They keep each other alive and heal each other bit by bit, even if it took SO MUCH time and effort to get there. That just makes them so much more special and unique to me and to each other. Imagine taking years to get with someone because you want to handle them with care. It’s so fulfilling and special when you actually get where you wanted to be.

Anyways these two have my heart and I love how complicated they are.

Proofread and analyzed by: @fremiinetistic !!

[umbry-fic]

With Love (2)

Summary:

Over a thousand miles of distance and letter after heartfelt letter, Colette learns to love.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia

Characters: Colette Brunel, Lloyd Irving

Relationships: Colette Brunel & Lloyd Irving

Rating: T

Chapter: 2 of 3 (Prev | Next)

Word Count: 9928

Mirror Link: AO3

Original Post Date: 13/06/2024

Chapter Title: Then

Notes:

The bulk of the chapter is here! Featuring queerplatonic crushes, platonic crushes, not-so-platonic crushes, and a whole lot of letters. (Don't question how they're being delivered I did not think that much about it.)

~~~

Stem after thin stem, she wove together the freshly picked forget-me-nots lying in the basket before her. Brows furrowed and teeth worrying at her lip, she watched as the shape of the delicate flower crown began to form in her lap.

“Colette!”

She jumped, the almost-done flower crown fluttering to the gentle slope beneath her, her errant hands upsetting the entire basket until her feet were covered in soft blue.

Righting the basket, she began to pile flowers back in, Lloyd joining her as he apologised for startling her, even as she waved off his apologies.

“Done with whatever punishment Professor Raine concocted for you?” she asked. A few beads of sweat still clung to Lloyd’s forehead from whatever it was their teacher had made him do for falling asleep in class for the umpteenth time. Professor Raine could strike terror into the hearts of her students without even trying.

“That was the most boring two hours of my life,” he groaned, carefully placing the final stray flowers into the basket before dramatically flopping onto his back. Looking as if he didn’t have a single care in the world, he rested his head on his arms and gazed lazily at the fluffy white clouds that drifted across the perfect summer sky.

Giggling, she resumed her previous task, shifting closer to him. “Maybe you should try to listen more, then?”

He hummed softly, turning his head to look at her, something in his expression making her pause and turn her full attention to him. The sunlight fell through his hair, turning it almost golden brown - she wanted, more than anything, to run her hands through it and discover if it was as soft as it seemed. She kept her hands to herself, though, trying in vain to quash that strange current of warmth that swam through her veins whenever she was in his company.

“Janet mentioned something to me today. She said that since we already spend all of our time together, we might as well kiss and get it over with.”

“Do you want to?” she asked, careful to keep her voice steady even as her heart sped up. Perhaps this might answer the questions that had plagued her for the past few weeks, refusing to leave her alone. That thought brought with it both a sense of relief and a rush of fear, emotions that she quickly banished to the depths of her heart.

“I don’t mind.” The answer rolled from him easily, and she nodded, wondering if this would finally put an identity to the nameless emotion that awoke in her sometimes when she held his hand, their fingers interlaced, his palm warm against hers.

But when he gently pressed his lips against hers, she felt nothing. There were no sparks, not like the fairytales described. The prince was supposed to rescue the princess from her castle and free her from her imprisonment with a passionate kiss, a promise of a life to be spent together, filled end-to-end with nothing but wonder. It was a daydream that certainly wouldn't come true - nothing could save her from her pre-ordained fate, but it had been something small to cling to during moments when despair had threatened to overwhelm her. It had just been thoroughly dashed against the rocks, shattering into tiny shards that had no hope of being put back together into something salvageable.

The suspicions she had only allowed herself to admit in the dark of night where no one was there to overhear her were beginning to be confirmed - it didn’t seem like what she felt was what the scriptures described as love. It certainly wasn’t all-encompassing, and neither was there any accompanying desire that she had to resist.

But there wasn’t any point in getting lost in all of these questions, was there? It wasn’t like she would need to worry about any of this, not with the little time she had left to simply be Colette Brunel and not the Chosen.

“Hm,” Lloyd mumbled when he pulled away. “I don’t think we need to do that again.”

She blinked, resuming her weaving. “I agree.”

“Honestly, I don’t get the point,” he grumbled, waving his hand in the air. “What’s so special about all… that?” His voice held not a hint of uncertainty as he easily stated his disinterest in what was, to most people, one of the most vital parts of life.

It’s the fairytale ending, she wanted to say. But the words died in her throat, and she only shrugged, the truth she had never told anyone spilling out. “I don’t know either." Perhaps one day she would, but that day was not today. "But… I do think I want to get married.”

She never would get that fairytale ending - she would never wear a beautiful white dress, would never get married standing under an arch with her favourite flowers decorating it, would never get the chance to plan something so elaborate and see all the parts come together as her efforts came to fruition…

He was watching her again, with those warm russet eyes, his next words said with an unshakeable conviction, as if things truly were that straightforward. “If you want to, then you should.”

That encouraging warmth was enough to plant the seeds of courage within her, leading her to blurt out something she’d barely even let herself think, afraid to admit it to herself. “Well, I’d want to marry you.”

It was a strange thing to say to someone she’d just sworn off ever kissing again, but it was also, inexplicably, true. She still had no answers to any of the questions that swirled around in her head, asking herself what exactly she felt for him. But she would have liked to marry him, had it been possible, and in doing so entrust a part of herself to him, knowing he would protect that little piece of her with everything that he had.

He grinned, then, seeming to light up the space around them both with the power of the sun. “I’d get married to you too. Let’s make it a promise, then. I’ll marry you in the future, and you’ll get to have the wedding of your dreams.”

She didn’t answer, gently placing the completed flower crown on his head, letting the soft blue bloom among the brown. It was a promise that couldn’t be kept - there would only be a funeral wreath waiting for her at the end of her path. But it was a beautiful dream, one that she could perhaps indulge in on nights when she did not wish to fall asleep to the salt of tears.

Her fingers lingered, and she smiled to herself. It was as soft as she’d thought it’d be.

“I’m gonna go make one for Genis too,” she declared, standing and picking up the basket.

“Have fun!” he called after her, waving goodbye.

~~~

The first time she saw Sheena, really saw her, it felt like the world screeched to a halt, narrowing until all Colette could see was her.

Sheena had just broken her way through the wall that was separating her from their group, having painstakingly dragged herself through the mines to intercept them on the other side of the pass. Cards gripped in hand, Corinne balanced on her shoulder, she had fallen into a battle stance. There had been dirt smudged across her cheeks and a cut bleeding shallowly on her forehead, but her amber eyes shone clear, burning with determination.

Colette had been so distracted in that battle that Kratos had to drag her out of the path of direct danger twice before snapping at her to stay back if she was only going to get herself killed.

Oh, she’d thought in a daze by the campfire that night. Maybe this is…?

When she pleaded with the mysterious girl to accompany them to the ranch, part of it was for the reasons Lloyd had confidently stated. There was no point in fighting if they were not enemies, and she had no desire to hurt anyone - that was not the purpose of this journey she had set out on. But there was a tiny, selfish wish tucked behind those impassioned words. A hope that this girl who radiated determination could become her friend, ushering in a new, unexplored part of her life.

When Sheena joined their party for good, Colette finally got to know her. She was kind, loyal, and sometimes so terrified of something looming over her that she refused to share that her shoulders shook and she screwed her eyes shut, but she forced her way through it anyway because she was brave in a way Colette would never be. It was something she could not help but admire - Sheena truly did shine with a light that could not be put out, no matter how much the world tried to do so.

And she was gorgeous. Hair dark as midnight that she rarely let down, but allowed Colette to comb her fingers through on nights she’s too tired to deal with it herself. Amber eyes that were equal measures kind and playful, burning with a raging fire whenever she witnessed an injustice. Tanned skin that flushed whenever Colette so much as smiled at her.

She loved spending time with her, swapping childhood stories until the campfire ran cold, but the emotions beating in her heart were, once again, not the ones that had been described to her all her life, from the sweet words of fairytales to the severely inked pages of the scriptures. It was certainly different from what she felt around Lloyd - that was a steady, gentle flame, perfect for spending the night by, its warmth slowly spreading through one’s bones. This was more of a playful flame, jumping and leaping and never lacking in excitement, but it still didn’t seem sufficient for the never-ending, all-consuming wildfire that love was supposed to be, enough for one to give all of oneself away. She could only ever manage little slices of her heart - clasped in her and Sheena’s hands by the campfire, stored in the gentle strokes of Lloyd’s fingers through her hair as she let her head rest in his lap, seeping into the stew that she helped Genis stir, curled in the sheepish smile she gave Professor Raine when she had to ask for help with her homework, floating with the thanks she gave to Kratos on nights that stretched on without end. It would never be enough.

Despite what she’d said to Lloyd years ago, the disappointment still crashed over her each night as they got closer to the tower looming in the distance, bitter on her tongue as she sat awake, counting the stars that glimmered in the sky above. It had been the truth - she didn’t understand the weight everyone seemed to put on romance, but she had hoped to perhaps understand it more by the time she took her final steps up the stairway that led to the heavens, to experience something that all the other normal girls did.

But perhaps a Chosen like her, who would waste her time fretting over such trifling matters, didn’t deserve to enjoy an emotion so pure.

~~~

When her world failed to end in the Tower of Salvation, Colette’s life became incredibly hectic for a while - discovering truths that irrevocably altered her perception of herself and the world, guiltily hiding secrets behind fake smiles and trembling hands, racing against the clock to save a separated world that was rapidly hurtling towards destruction. Throughout the mad rush, there wasn’t much time to rest, and the unanswered questions that persistently hounded her were mercifully silent.

And then she and Lloyd were standing in front of a fragile sapling imbued with all the world’s hopes, swearing a vow to its guardian that they would protect it and do their part in cultivating a world where it could thrive.

Suddenly, gone were all the deadlines that had hung over her head like a guillotine, fading away into dust as if they had never been there in the first place, and she had all the time in the world to think. During the quiet moments of her journey with Lloyd around the rejoined world - staring out an inn’s window and enjoying the early morning breeze on her face, dozing off with her head resting on his shoulder and his cape carefully draped over her, walking uninterrupted through the shade of the forest with her fingers interlaced with his - she mulled over the same questions she had asked herself since the age of fourteen. It felt like she was stumbling blindly, her path to the answers that had eluded her shrouded in a thick fog that refused to part for her.

What was it that she truly felt for Lloyd? And what is it that he felt for her? She wasn’t blind - she caught the way he looked at her, different from everyone else. The way his gaze softened, the small smile that would never fail to appear when he took her hand, thumbs tenderly brushing over her knuckles. There was an easy warmth to their interactions - hands on the shoulder, fingers calmingly combing through strands of hair after a long day, falling asleep curled up together - it all came to them naturally, little touches here and there and everywhere.

It should have been a simple task, to open her mouth and ask him a question, knowing he would answer her kindly with the truth. But now that she had an entire unexplored life winding out in front of her, she found that fear had sewn her lips shut, the words like barbed thorns catching in her throat. He had said it himself, that he had no real interest in romance or anything of the sort, and neither did she garner the same appreciative glances she sometimes caught him throwing people they passed on the street. It wasn’t jealousy that held her back - it was a deep-rooted fear that she wouldn’t be enough. If she hadn’t been good enough so many times in the past, why wouldn’t it happen here as well? There was a thread tied around her heart that pulled her towards him, but she didn't wish to ensnare him with it, trapping him with the promise they had made.

Guilt accumulated in her soul all the while, for defying the rules that society had arbitrarily set for her. She had been raised all of her life with the message that she should be the shining exemplar of everything the Church preached, and even thinking of actively straying from those teachings was enough for panic to dig its insidious claws deep into her skin, forcing tears into her eyes as she shied away from the very thought. She knew she was being silly - it had all been based on a lie, and there was certainly no chance of Lloyd ever caring about any of these things. She had nothing to fear from him. But with each day spent by his side, she couldn’t bear the vulnerability of tearing out her beating heart and exposing it to him. The potent mix of guilt and fear kept her quiet, and two years passed by like sand falling through her fingers, the frigid knowledge of her unease settling in her chest like a weight. Even without a word, Lloyd probably already knew. He’d always known her the best - but he didn’t push, simply treated her the same, gently soothing her heart.

Sometimes, she wished dearly that she could possess the ability Lloyd had to believe whole-heartedly in one’s own ideals, remaining steadfast regardless of what others said or did to influence him, uncaring of what the rest of the world thought.

Sitting on the porch of the house she had grown up in, she took a deep breath, enjoying the unbroken silence of Iselia, still awaiting the rising of the sun before the villagers would rub the sleep from their eyes and push themselves from bed to go about their daily routines. She hadn’t realised how much she’d missed the sleepy bubble of her hometown - it had taken a week, the longest she’d spent here since she’d left on that fateful day after the arrival of the Oracle - for the feeling to strike her, square in the chest.

Just last night, Lloyd had said a hasty farewell to her to her and rushed off towards his father’s place. They had finally completed their mission to collect all the Exspheres, and yet another crossroads lay before them. The light in Lloyd’s eyes as they’d travelled had told her all she needed to know about the path he would decide to take. With each new sight, the infectious wonder infused into his every action had only grown, and she knew he would never run out of places to explore in this wide, wide world. He had always been a little stifled in this village, buried under the weight of studies he couldn’t understand and people who didn’t want to put in the effort to let him in. Out in the world, he could wander to his heart’s content, he could discover locations they had only ever heard about in exaggerated tales, he could offer help to anyone he came across who needed it. He belonged out there, a child of curiosity through and through - he’d found his answer, and she couldn’t be happier for him.

But where did she belong?

This wasn’t a decision he could make for her. He’d simply squeezed her hand before he’d left, and told her to think about it. There had been no judgement in his words, just a quiet understanding of the choice she would make.

Tapping her fingers against the floorboards, the clicking of her nails against wood accompanied her as she observed the village come alive with the sun, the familiar sounds she’d woken up to almost every day of her life bringing a smile to her face. Even with her eyes closed, she could see everything that was happening vividly against her eyelids. Villagers tending to the grapevines, checking that the fruits were growing plump and healthy. Children talking loudly amongst each other as they rushed towards the schoolhouse, not wanting to be late. Shopkeepers setting up, observing their wares and setting up signs.

No matter what, she would always, always love Iselia.

And so, she made her decision, realising that the answer had always been on the tip of her tongue.

There was no shock colouring Lloyd’s expression when she made the careful journey across the river to Dirk’s and told him that she was going to stay. Perhaps he’d been expecting it, for sometimes it really did feel like he knew her better than she knew herself. He didn’t question her or attempt to change her mind. Instead, he spent the night with her over cups of coffee, camped out on his rooftop for old time’s sake, naming the stars until she fell asleep with her head pillowed on his thigh.

She needed the time to be… just herself, on her own. To figure herself out - what she wanted, who she was, what she felt. And she had missed Iselia deeply. Her destiny was simply not that of a wanderer.

On the day he was to set out again, she met him at the gate, preparing to see him off.

“I’ll come visit,” he promised, pulling her into a tight embrace.

There was a little bit of sadness clinging to her words as she told him goodbye, but it wasn’t as bad as she’d thought it would be. Her heart clenched for a single painful moment, but it did not break. It wasn’t as if she’d never see him again. This wasn’t farewell, she had more faith in him than to think that way.

Leaning forward, he whispered into her ear, his breath tickling her skin. “Take as long as you need, Colette.”

Unspoken, hidden in the encouraging squeeze of his hand as he stepped back, was a vow to wait.

She pressed something into his open palm - a forget-me-not, that she’d spent the night before pressing between paper to ensure it turned out perfect. A small part of her to keep on him, a little piece of her heart for him to carry.

“I’ll write,” she promised in return, waving until her arm ached as she watched his back disappear down the dusty road she had once set off down herself, back before everything changed.

~~~

Dear Lloyd,

It feels a little strange to be writing a letter. The last one I wrote was the one I sent to my family before I approached the final seal. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that it’s been more than two years since then. So much has changed.

How are things going on your end? What town have you found yourself in now? Or are you spending most of your time on the road? Are there any interesting sights? What about people? I’m sorry for the torrent of questions, but I’d love to hear anything you have to share. I hope you’re having fun.

And have you met any new dogs? I’m sure there are many more adorable doggies out there in the world that we didn’t run into, just waiting to be found!

As for me, I’m settling back into Iselia and slowly getting used to life here again. The townsfolk were happy to see me, though they’re still keeping me at arms-length. It’s a lot like how they used to treat me in the past, leaving me on the outskirts. It stings, a little, that they’re avoiding me. It sort of makes me feel like nothing has changed at all. But I suppose they have no clue how to treat me, just like back then. Even father and grandmother seem a little lost now that I’m here for good again. No one expected me to return once I stepped foot outside the gate.

But enough of being a downer! I’m going to work on it! Most of the people here never really knew me past my title, so I’ll make sure they learn who I am from now on. Just Colette, their normal next-door neighbour. It’s a pipe dream, I know. They’ll never really be able to forget that I was once the Chosen. But nothing’s going to change unless I try.

Still, it’s wonderful to be back. It’s been nice to be able to stand in my garden again. Father took good care of it while I was gone, but there’s nothing more calming than tending to the plants. I find that it helps to clear my mind and keep me grounded. And watching the flowers bloom after hours of hard work brings me so much joy. I would like to thank you again for all the hours you spent helping me out with the garden.

I was thinking of helping out at the schoolhouse. A really nice teacher from Luin took over after Professor Raine left and she’s swamped. While there is no way I’m assisting with the actual teaching, I could help with the children. And maybe in the future, I could take some of the classes like arts and crafts. It would be something to do with my time now that it’s not all occupied by prayer readings.

Also, just a random thought, but I suppose we should stop calling her Professor Raine? That would be incredibly strange, however!

I think that’s all I wanted to write about. I’m not sure when this letter will reach you, but I hope it does.

You’re always welcome to visit, at any time.

With Love,

Colette

Colette

The words started out shaky, indentations showing where the nib of the pen pressed sharply against the paper. Eventually, the lines and curves calmed, and the sentences began to flow easily, each letter neatly drawn. Until the end, where a few of the words were scrawled over with markings so black that they were impossible to decipher. The letter was folded, unfolded, and folded again before it was finally mailed out by trembling hands.

~~~

Colette,

I don’t think I’ve written a letter since that one lesson where Professor Raine taught us how to do so. The details elude me, but I’m fairly certain that lesson ended with me in detention and Genis had something to do with it. And you’re right. We probably should stop calling her Professor Raine, no matter how strange it feels. Maybe we can do it slowly?

I received your letter in Palmacosta, and I’m still here while I write this reply. The last of the damage was repaired since the last time we were here. It’s impressive just how much they’ve managed to rebuild in just six months. I’ve been exploring the new parts of town, mapping out its nooks and crannies and browsing the new stalls. And guess what! I bumped into Chocolat and we spent a very pleasant afternoon catching up. She sends her regards, and says she hopes to visit Iselia some day soon.

Also, there’s a new dog! I’m fairly certain it’s not one we’ve encountered before. It doesn’t have the collars we made for all the other dogs we’ve met. I asked the townsfolk, and they said it wandered into town a few weeks ago and has been popping up in different places since then. I don’t have the best grasp of words, so I’ll send you a little drawing of it. I’m sure that’ll do a better job than any description I could attempt. As per tradition, you can tell me what to name them in your next letter.

About Iselia, I’m glad to hear you’re settling back in, and I hope you enjoy every day that is to come to the fullest. As for the villagers, there’s not much I can do from here but provide you with my encouragement. The way they’ve treated you has always rubbed me the wrong way, but I know this is your battle to fight. And I believe you can do it. You just need to show them what you’ve shown me. Beneath all that nonsense about your title, you’re just a normal person like anyone else, and once they understand that, I’m certain they’ll let you in.

Looking forward to receiving your next letter!

Love,

Lloyd

The paper was crinkled, and it carried the salty scent of the ocean, invoking the image of waves lapping lazily against sand. The words were nothing more than messy scratches, yet still able to be deciphered by their desired recipient, who knew that handwriting by heart. At the bottom of the paper was a sketch of a dog - an adorable little thing standing on cobblestones, the curious cock of its head captured perfectly. The letter is carefully folded and tucked away in a drawer, to be cherished.

~~~

Dear Lloyd,

Thank you for keeping the tradition alive! I think I’ll name the dog

“Colette.”

“Hm?” She looked up from her desk, letting her pen fall slack against the wood as she spotted her father hovering in the doorway. “Oh, Father! Sorry, I didn’t realise you were there. Come in.”

Her father walked in through the open door, seating himself on the edge of her bed. His smile now was a lot less stiff than it had been in the month and a half since she’d returned home - it was warmer, less tentative. She’d made sure to include herself in the activities her family conducted: weeding in the garden with father, baking pies with grandmother, visiting the orchard to pluck ripe apples. Insistently pushing and pushing until she’d knocked down their walls, and they stopped turning their heads to look at her like she would disappear in the next instance.

“I did knock on the door multiple times.”

Cheeks flushing with embarrassment, she ducked her head. “Sorry. I just got engrossed with writing letters.”

“To Lloyd?” The hard tone of his voice made her freeze, wondering what he was about to ask.

He was leaning forward now, hands steepled awkwardly together, hesitantly stringing his next words together. “It’s just… I thought you two were…”

“Oh.” The sigh rushed out of her, taking with it the weight of her nervousness. While her mission to integrate herself with the other villagers was still in its early stages, some of them had started involving her in casual conversations, bringing her into the fold in a way she’d never experienced in this village outside of her previously small circle of friends. It did, however, afford some of the bolder ones the opportunity to ask her the same question her father was currently stumbling over. Honestly, after the tenth time of being on the receiving end of it, she was starting to dread hearing even the beginning of it. It was exasperating to have to explain the same thing over and over again to people who didn’t seem to want to accept the truth she had to tell, repeatedly spinning the words and contorting their meaning to support their own perceptions. “No, Father, we didn’t suffer a messy break-up or anything of the sort. We were never in love. Not in that way.”

With the clarity of distance, it was much easier to prod at her own emotions without needing to panic over Lloyd's presence right next to her. While she’d been certain before that they’d never be in love - not in the way love had been described to her all of her life - it was easier to say with conviction now.

Whether or not she loved him in another way, she hadn’t yet agreed on.

“Oh.” Her father sounded relieved, if a little dumbstruck, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. But he didn’t refute her like others had, which was a vast improvement. Even if he couldn’t understand right now, he didn’t question her, which was much appreciated. “That’s, uh… That’s good to hear. I’m sorry for asking.”

“It’s fine, father.” The tiny nugget of frustrated rage in her chest was hard to hold onto when she knew her father was coming from a place of care, afraid that she’d retreated here because of the pain of a broken heart in order to pick up the pieces. Still, it was good that she’d corrected his misconception before it could spiral out of control.

Her father had not yet straightened up, seemingly preparing himself for another difficult question. “I do have to ask, though. Are you… truly happy here?”

She thought for a moment, rolling her pen between her fingers. She did miss Lloyd, but not in the violent way she had when she’d first left Iselia, her heart aching like it would shatter into a million pieces as she’d cradled the memory of him close, sure she would never see him again. That had been an open, bleeding wound that she'd been convinced wouldn't ever heal, while this was a scabbed-over injury. More of a gentle tug - a desire to see him again, no matter when that would be, simmering in her heart. And while her happiness here was still a bud, not yet bloomed, she was certain she could cultivate it into a beautiful flower.

“Yes, father. I am happy here.”

“That’s… that’s good.” Her father finally stood, clapping her on the shoulder. “Also, your grandmother asked me to tell you that the priests want to see you next week.”

She didn’t manage to answer him before he left the room, the last words he’d left her with sinking into her mind. Before she’d realised it, her hands were clenched into fists that she gently pried apart, wincing at the pale crescent moons she’d left in her palms. In the past two years, she hadn’t so much as stepped into a Church, and she knew her father hadn’t been attending service either, because they were both home during the times that they should be faithfully praying, calmly having tea. It was the largest source of tension in their reunited family - Grandmother always frowned whenever she failed to convince the two of them to go, before reluctantly shuffling out the door.

Her complicated emotions regarding the religion that had been part of her life for as long as she could remember had yet to be unravelled, and she knew she couldn’t run away forever. As she put her pen back to paper, she considered if it was time to start pulling apart the layers and unearthing the core of the issue, confronting it head-on.

~~~

Dear Lloyd,

Thank you for telling me about the sakura grove! That sounds really beautiful, I’d love to visit it someday. Thank you as well for the sakura flowers. I’ll be sure to cherish them.

You know how I mentioned that the priests wanted to meet me a few letters ago? I put it off for a while, but I finally built up the courage to go yesterday.

The only way to describe the experience was strange. The place was both familiar and foreign. Almost nothing had changed even after two years, but the atmosphere felt different. I suppose I no longer feel the same pressure to be perfect once I step foot in there. The standards I was once held to no longer apply.

The priests didn’t exactly look pleased that I’d dawdled for so long, but honestly, they couldn’t have done anything even if I’d decided to never show up, so it didn’t bother me too much. Even if they'd tried to scold me like they had in the past, it wouldn’t have had much effect. I know now that there are much scarier things than the priests, and things that matter much more than their approval.

As for what they wanted, they were trying to invite me to take up some sort of role in the Church. Despite publicly renouncing my status as Chosen, they must think I still hold enough sway to act as a figurehead. Unfortunately, that’s the very opposite of what I want. If I do that, I’m never going to escape from the shadow of my title. I don’t want people to listen to me just because they think I hold the Goddess’ favour. I want to talk to people as an equal.

They weren’t happy that I turned them down, but there’s nothing they can say to change my mind. This is an issue I’m not budging on. Trying to tell me that the Goddess would have been disappointed that I’m turning my back on her is certainly not going to be effective when I know the Goddess doesn’t even really exist. And from what I know of Martel, she certainly wouldn’t have thought that way.

But I think I’ll attend the next service. Once the priests had left me alone, I found that I didn’t really mind wandering around the temple. Honestly, I’ve kinda missed its peaceful quiet.

What do you think?

Hoping to hear from you soon,

Colette

Placed next to the folded pile of letters is a notebook, its pages mostly empty. Nestled behind the front cover are sweet-smelling sakura blossoms, gently pasted onto white.

~~~

The temple was silent now. Moments before it had hummed with the energy of the service, heads bowed as people were united in prayer, their collective harmonious voice rising and falling to reach the high ceiling. The last of the stragglers - a child, waving goodbye to her as they were gently tugged along by their parents - had left through the large doors to continue with their day.

Leaving Colette sitting in one of the pews near the back, eyes closed as she soaked in the peaceful quiet. She’d drifted into the temple in the middle of the small crowd, neatly avoiding most curious gazes and ducking into a pew. She hadn’t attracted too much attention, thankfully, and the villagers who had noticed her had done nothing more than flash her a friendly smile. The priests had filed neatly out after the service had ended, their gazes sliding off her as disgruntled frowns overtook their faces.

She opened her eyes to watch dust motes dance through the air, tracing their paths as her thoughts wandered, her mind calm as it always was in this place. She’d spent so many hours of her childhood here, studying over heavy books of the faith’s text, a priest sharply watching her to ensure she didn’t skive off. Back then, this had seemed like such a cold place, her heart shrivelling every time a priest chided her for failing at something, glaring at her with heavy disappointment. She had jumped with joy every time she had left through the doors to find Lloyd on the other side, shuffling his feet in the dirt as he’d waited for her.

Now, however, with nothing being asked of her, she could simply enjoy the beauty of the temple without any pressure. While it no longer gave off the impression it was going to fall apart at any moment, the cracks in the wall having finally been repaired, it certainly couldn’t hold a candle to the Meltokian chapel, with its impressive collection of stained glass windows that painted the floor in a myriad of rainbow colours. The temple didn’t possess such grandiose beauty - but it was a place she knew like the back of her hand, comforting in its familiarity and affording an uninterrupted calm. There was a timelessness to it. It had stood for centuries and felt like it would continue to do so into eternity, providing a refuge to all who needed it.

She hadn’t realised how much she’d missed the warmth of service until she was in the middle of it. That sense of everyone’s hearts being united in prayer as the soft sunlight filtered down on them was one she’d sorely missed for the past two years, all her troubles melting away as she lost herself in the magic of it once more, almost as if she’d never left.

There had been many a sleepless night she'd spent thinking about the Goddess, not wanting to wake Lloyd up as he slept soundly next to her, their limbs entangled. While the Goddess Martel was never real, the woman had been - a living, breathing person who had once walked these very same lands. She’d been brave, and kind, bearing a love for this world that had burned so bright, refusing to flicker out even in her final moments. Those were qualities Colette could still believe in, could still work towards trying to embody in every waking moment. Even if she couldn’t faithfully follow everything she’d been taught to believe… Well, there was nothing more blasphemous than realising the Goddess wasn’t real, was there? In comparison, everything else seemed silly.

It was a quiet realisation that came to her suddenly on a normal day like any other, inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. But in that instant, it felt like everything had shifted. She stood shakily, thrown a little off-balance, and gently trailed one finger across the back of the pew in front of her.

“I think… I think the way I love is a little different from everyone else,” she whispered under her breath, her words being swallowed by the boundless silence as her heart thundered in her ears.

There was no judgement, no condemnation from above, nothing to tell her that she’d sinned in some way. The world didn’t end, the river of time continuing to flow unbothered after her confession. She smiled to herself, sweeping from the aisle and out of the temple, a weight having been lifted from her chest.

~~~

Colette,

That was incredibly brave of you, to accept the Church back into your life after all the grief it’s caused you. You’re a better person than I could ever be, I could never do that. But I’m glad to hear you’ve made peace with it, and that you sound happier.

Also, you’re moving into your own place? That’s exciting! I’m certain you’ll make it a wonderful place to live. A place that’s all you - kind and inviting. I can’t wait to see it one day.

By the way, I bumped into Raine in Triet - she was staying there for the week to wait for Genis. In the meantime, she was exploring the ruins again to try and find a rumoured secret room, so I accompanied her to help her out. We didn’t find anything, but she didn’t seem discouraged. I wonder if she’ll still be eagerly looking for new discoveries even a century from now. I can’t imagine her ever changing.

I told her about how you plan to move over the next two weeks and she said she’d love to help, so expect her and Genis sometime soon! (Or maybe this letter will arrive after them? That’ll certainly be amusing.)

Love,

Lloyd

~~~

Colette placed yet another heavy box on the small, round table sitting in the middle of the room before stretching to loosen the muscles in her back. Raine and Genis had helped her efficiently pack everything she needed into manageable boxes, but Colette had insisted on carrying them over herself and doing the unpacking on her own. There were some perks to angelic strength, after all, and she didn’t want the siblings to exert themselves unnecessarily. Until the house was in a presentable state, they were both banned from the place. Raine had decided to spend her time once more exploring the underdepths of the temple, and had dragged a disgruntled Genis along.

The house she’d managed to secure was one of the few new ones that had been built now that more people were flowing into Iselia. It was likely never going to become a large, bustling town like Palmacosta, tucked away into a corner of the continent behind a desert as it was, but it was slowly growing. Dirk had been busy for the past few months, and he’d happily handed over the place to her and given her quite the enthusiastic tour.

It was certainly a smaller place than what would now be solely her father and grandmother’s house, but that suited her just fine. The furniture was sturdy but cosy, and the garden was expansive - perfect for all the plants she could already imagine planting there, just waiting to set down their roots in the soil and thrive. The house was already shaping up to be lovely. She just needed to get everything out of the boxes and into their rightful places. There was a lot of work ahead of her, but she was looking forward to it.

Opening up the first one, her fingers ghosted over crinkled paper, and she pulled out a stack of letters. They showed lines where they had been folded and unfolded countless times, lovingly handled, the words read many times over on late nights with a cup of coffee in hand and the moon for company.

A smile playing on her lips, she placed them on the shelf before reaching into the box to see what was next. A small stack of books emerged, and she stared at the familiar titles printed in cursive on the colourful covers. She knew most of their contents by heart, considering the number of times she’d devoured the tales with Lloyd or Genis curiously reading over her shoulder, flipping yellowed page after yellowed page. They had once been an escape - a glimpse into another life that was nothing more than an empty possibility.

Pursing her lips, she placed the stack of fairytales next to the letters, gently brushing off the thin layer of dust they had begun to gather from the years she had left them ignored. Perhaps some night soon, she might gain the courage to revisit them - to read those happy endings and envision her own, untethered from what anyone might expect of her.

~~~

Dear Lloyd,

The move went well. Like you said, Raine and Genis showed up. Actually, they showed up only a few hours after your letter, so I guess you beat them! Just barely. I gave ample thanks to the horses on your behalf - they really loved the carrots I’ve been growing.

I’m still getting used to the fact that I have my own place now. Some days, I wake up confused as to why I’m not in my old bedroom. And some evenings, I find that my feet carry me from the schoolhouse to my childhood home. But I’m slowly but surely getting used to it, and every day I fall more in love with this place. It’s just so cosy!

And the new garden is truly lovely. There’s so much space! I decided not to transplant most of the plants I was already growing, since Father loves tending to them too. But I brought over one sprig of forget-me-nots and got to work introducing some new life to the soil. I won’t spoil what I’ve planted! When you see them, you get to guess what they are. If you were paying attention to any of the times I gave you a tour of my old garden, then I’m sure you’ll pass with flying colours.

To end this letter, I have to share what happened yesterday. It was Saturday, and I had been invited to tea by a few of the other girls in town. (The biscuits were delicious.) When I returned home, I found the place packed to the brim with eighteen young children. They were almost spilling out the door! The rascals decided to throw me a surprise housewarming party, and they even made me a gift together. The entire thing was really cute, but I do have an orange juice stain on the wall that I don’t think is ever coming off. Well, I suppose it contributes to the spirit!

Love,

Colette

The bottom of the paper ended in jagged edges. Crumped into a ball and thrown into the wastebasket was the missing segment with only a single sentence written on it.

I think I just need a little bit more time.

~~~

Colette,

The impromptu party the children threw for you sounds really cute. They even made you a gift! You’ve wormed your way into their little hearts, haven’t you? They adore you!

Recently, I visited Meltokio, and Zelos gave me a tour of the brand-new section of the royal garden. There’s a massive fountain with a beautiful sculpture of a swan with its wings outstretched, overlooking a hedge maze that turned me around multiple times until I admitted defeat. It reminded me of the garden in that fairytale about the boy and the swan - your favourite, that we used to read together all the time. I think you’d really love this place, so I hope one day we can visit it together.

Love,

Lloyd

There’s a simple drawing of a swan with a young boy crouched next to it, stroking its feathers with care - a scene taken directly from the story, vividly brought to life. A single book was taken from the shelf that night, and she fell asleep with it in her lap, a cheerful fire crackling in the fireplace.

~~~

“Oh, this is adorable,” Sheena exclaimed, gently picking up the colourful assortment of pipe cleaners that were twisted to form the approximate shape of the head of a dog, before setting it back down by the nondescript black book on the mantelpiece. “The children made this for you?”

“They did.” Colette nodded, her forget-me-not earrings shaking with the motion. They were a gift from Presea, each delicate petal carved out of wood, presented to her when she and Regal had visited last week. “Can’t believe they spent two weeks of art lessons making this and managed to keep it hidden from me.”

“Impressive sneaking skills,” Sheena commented, pulling out a chair at the table and sitting down next to her.

It was a strange sight - Sheena standing in her house, wearing a simple dress that flowed around her knees, instead of her usual outfit, her hair falling freely down her back. She’d felt more like a ghost than a concrete presence for the past two years, busy as she was with Mizuho’s move and unable to share its new location until the entire village had been secured. It had been a shock to open the door after a series of unhurried knocks to find her beaming on the doorstep.

They’d spent a wonderful morning catching up over slices of the cake Colette had baked yesterday, before she had suggested changing into matching sundresses. Mostly as a joke, for she’d been certain Sheena would never agree. To her absolute shock, Sheena had readily done so and was now striding around the place, gazing curiously at everything - the books stacked on the shelves, the vines crawling up the outside of the window, the various potted plants scattered around, happily soaking up sunlight.

Mercifully, she did not peek at the letters, keeping a safe distance from them. The suspicious orange stain on the wall had warranted nothing more than a raised eyebrow. She did huff a laugh at the collection of cups sitting in the kitchen, each one painted with something small to indicate its intended user. A tiny puppy, Noishe’s head with his tongue lolling out of his mouth, a fuzzy paw pad, and so on.

Colette couldn’t tear her gaze away from Sheena, who seemed to be practically glowing with happiness in a way she wouldn't have let herself be years ago when guilt had weighed her down. Up close, she was even more beautiful, a small smile spreading across her face as she laid her hand atop Colette's - no longer a scared girl but a woman who had grown into herself. “It was good seeing you again.”

All of a sudden, her palms were clammy, and she swallowed, knowing what she wanted to say but unable to will the words out of her throat. It was one thing to speak her truth to an empty temple. She had acknowledged that part of herself, but it was a different thing altogether to say it to someone whom she cared about, fear once more squeezing around her neck as she choked on the words. It felt like they had sprouted thorns, catching on the fragile flesh of her throat.

“You know,” Sheena said into the heavy silence Colette had left behind as she quietly panicked, her expression understanding as she squeezed her hand. “I had a crush on you when I first met you.”

“I - wait, sorry, what?” she sputtered, completely caught off guard. Those were not a sequence of words she had ever expected to hear, jolting her heart free from her chest and sending it into free fall.

Sheena wouldn’t meet her gaze now, pale red dusting her cheeks, but she forged on, once more showcasing that blazing courage of hers as she stumbled over words in an absolutely adorable manner. “You were really kind to me even though I’d tried to kill you multiple times. And you are really, really pretty.”

“So are you,” she replied automatically, and Sheena let out a little squeak, raising her hands before dropping them to her lap, giving up on covering her now beet-red face.

“I think I’ll always love you. Not in any special kind of way. I just will,” Sheena said softly, her smile sincere. Her words formed the blanket to catch her free-falling heart, safely cushioning its descent.

Before she knew it, she’d thrown her arms around the other girl, almost sending them both pitching to the floor as she ignored Sheena’s protests. “Thank you,” she whispered breathlessly, holding her beloved friend close, heart swelling with affection that she tried her best to push into her words. “I… Back then, I wanted to be your friend, more than anything in the world, and I don’t think those feelings will ever change. So thank you so much, for doing just that.”

Sheena patted her reassuringly on the back. “It’ll be fine, see?”

Had everyone been able to see the thread tying her and Lloyd together, enduring rain and shine, remaining strong over miles of distance and refusing to fray? It did seem less daunting for her to tell him now that she’d overcome this first hurdle, even if she’d still faltered at the start. She'd managed to get past the finish line with Sheena's encouragement.

“Now, would you like to dance?” Sheena pulled her to her feet, her grin turning cheeky as she did an experimental spin and pulled Colette along.

“Me? I don’t know how! I’d just step on your feet!”

“Don’t worry about that, this isn’t those formal dances Zelos has to suffer through all the time.” Sheena waved off her concerns. “It��s just a bit of fun!”

They spent the rest of the hour twirling around the room “dancing”, miraculously not breaking anything as the room turned into a flurry of flaring skirts. Their shrieks of laughter echoed through the air as they took turns tripping over the furniture and each other, any worries lost in the wild circles they made together.

~~~

Dear Lloyd,

I’m glad you managed to drive back those monsters. It’s worrying to hear that so many strong ones have been seen near the Pass. I know you’re capable of defeating them on your own, but do promise me you’ll be careful and seek help if you need it.

It’s difficult to believe it’s been almost a full year since I’ve returned to Iselia. It’s funny to think that I once thought reuniting the two worlds would be the most change I’d ever see in my life. In a way, it was true, but so much else has changed for me and is continuing to change, even now.

Zelos swung by yesterday afternoon with a bottle of wine, the most recent Meltokian gossip, and information about a gala he’d been practically strong-armed into organising. But I won’t write about it in this letter - there are far too many details. I think I’ll tell you about it in person.

I’m sorry for making you wait so long, but I think I’m finally ready to see you again. I think now, I finally have the courage to say what I’ve wanted to tell you for so long.

I’ll be waiting, until the day we meet again.

Love,

Colette

Her handwriting here was steady and unhurried, a stark contrast to the first letter she wrote. She sucked in a deep breath before sending it, determined to see things through.

~~~

There was a knock on the door, and Colette froze, something in her heart telling her that this was the moment she’d been anticipating with bated breath since she’d sent that last letter. She hadn’t been expecting a reply back - he’d always believed actions spoke louder than words. And so, day after day, she had waited, her faith never wavering.

On the other side of the door was the boy she’d grown up with, a bag casually slung over his shoulder and a well-worn cloak billowing in the wind. A boy who, somewhere along the way, had become a man, knowing well what he wanted to protect and capable of doing so with his own hands.

It was hard to believe that he was standing right there, close enough to touch, after almost a year apart. His tan had deepened a few freckles scattered along the bridge of his nose, his hair long enough to flop into his face even without the rain to weigh it down. But the way he carried himself and the warm smile on his lips was familiar - an image that had been carved deep into her heart long ago, from sweet afternoons spent with her head pillowed on his stomach as he read out loud her favourite tales. Someone who’d been hurt terribly by the world many times over, but who had forgiven time and time again, continuing to bravely reach out his hand and refusing to close off his heart.

“It really is lovely,” he said as she stepped aside silently, allowing him entrance. His gaze wandered around the house, landing on the many pieces of the life she’d built up for herself as their fingers brushed and slotted into place against each other, a motion so ingrained in her that it came as naturally as breathing, even after their time apart.

His hand pressed something into her palm - the same forget-me-not she had given to him when he had first set out. There was not a single blemish on the pale blue petals, the slice of her heart she’d entrusted to him returned in perfect condition.

Tears were pricking at the corners of her eyes, her chest flooding with the emotion she had finally decided to put a name to. Carefully slipping the forget-me-not into a pocket, she raised his hand, her thumb tracing over the new scars and callouses he had collected, warmth travelling down her arm from where they were touching. He said nothing, only waited patiently, giving her all of his attention with soft, encouraging brown.

“I love you,” she whispered, the truth spilling out of her, easier than she thought it would be. The words she’d uttered lingered in the silence, gaining a life of their own and beating their wings with a hidden strength, refusing to fade. They had been true for a long time - perhaps forever, since the day a young boy had comforted a girl crying all alone, not caring a bit who she was. A love that lived in every single one of her breaths, waiting to be revealed like the kind unwrapping of a gift with trembling hands.

Yes, she didn’t love him in the way that most expected of her. He was not her entire world. No, her love for him was quiet. It was cups of coffee passed over a campfire, it was the gentle comfort offered after a nightmare, it was words and drawings and flowers delivered in pieces of parchment imbued with all that they felt. What they had was a bond that could not be broken, no matter how strange it appeared to others. A slice of her heart belonged permanently with him, who knew her best, just as a little piece of her heart belonged to everyone she cherished. Each time he set off, she would give him that piece of her heart again, trusting him to one day return.

She loved him, even if she had never fallen in love with him.

“I love you too.” It’s an easy thing for him to admit, who had likely known it all along. Still, it meant everything to her to hear it from him, as he gently wiped away the tears that had started to roll down her cheeks, tenderly pressing a kiss to her temple, the imprint of his warmth lingering. A reassurance that this strange emotion that defied expectations was shared, that he too had entrusted her a piece of his heart.

He’d told her once under a night sky full of stars that she was deserving of happiness, and while she’d taken a long, convoluted path to reach the point where she could accept that, she had, at long last, arrived. She had taken her first steps onto a new path towards a happiness of her own making, each cobblestone paved by her own hands, building a life that followed her own rules and answered to no one else.

She couldn't wait to see where it would take her.

[scribblespirit]

Happy Valentine's Day!! 💝 (+ long personal ramble lmao)

Well I did intend on posting earlier than this, but I wanted to wish a big happy Valentine's to everyone who actually follows along with the random crap that I post on this site-- and an especially big hug to all of my fellow aspec, arospec, and aroace lovelies!! I've always valued the celebration of all forms of love on February 14th, whatever dumbass society that we live in who decided that it's strictly a holiday for romantic couples can show themselves out the mfing door. Romantic love, platonic love, familial love, s*xual love, queerplatonic love, polyamorous love, animal love, ALL types of feeling & showing love are so wonderful and deserve to be celebrated!! If you feel sad about being single on Valentine's Day, don't let our stupid economy blind you to how loved you are in many different ways by many different people!! 🫶

On that note, this year marks a very meaningful occasion for me personally. I'm currently 21 years old, I learned I was asexual when I was 16 and didn't understand that I was arospec too until I was 20. I've always been totally content either celebrating Valentine's Day with my close friends, or basically ignoring the day all together. But as of last summer, I am now in my first Queerplatonic relationship with my incredible partner @rubinaitoart (and our beloved @lovelucigoosey, who is always with us 🎗️🩵) and I thought that today would be a fitting day to finally proclaim my cheesiness online lol! Rubin, I love you so so much and I'm seriously so lucky to have you. Thank you for being my very first Valentine's Day partner, for making me feel so loved I nearly happy-cry every time, and for just always being your supportive, talented, caring, funny, amazing and beautiful self!! 💜💜💜 /p

My patience to see your smile and give you the biggest hug face-to-face is dwindling with every day, but also knowing that we will get there someday is one of my favourite things to think about :'D To my online besties, Checkmate or otherwise, thank you for being the best long-distance found family I could ever ask for!! Every one of you guys means the world to me, I'm so grateful that you all put your care and energy toward a little chatty bundle of emotions like me. My bucket list purely consists of a list of each of you guys, and I will not quit until I get to properly see and hug all of you or else your name is not getting checked off of the bucket list!! But yeah fr thank you guys I fuckin' love my friends I don't know how I got so lucky 🥹💕

To my kittens (not that I expect they'll be reading this), thank you for being such little fluffballs of joy and chaos. Thank you for coming upstairs and insisting to check on me when I have been face-deep in homework for 6 hours, and for dragging me away for cuddles whenever I need it. To my parents (who definitely won't be reading this XD), thanks for being some badass and wonderful parents.

To Luci, I mean I check in pretty often so you probably already know what I'm gonna say. I hope you're happy, I hope you're smiling, I hope you're running and I hope you're free of pain. Love you always boo 🩵

I just have so much love in my heart that I wish I could share as much as possible. I love my family and my kittens and my friends from university who help keep me somewhat sane. I love my Discord friends/found family who help keep me very sane, and are always there to make me laugh and to celebrate achievements together. I love my queerplatonic boyfriend/partner, I love his voice and his hair, I love his obsession passion for The Arcana, I love his fluffy puppy Aster, I love how he makes me smile and that I'm capable doing the same.

Thanks guys. I really really love you all ❤️

...

(Also I haven't slept in like 38 hours and I'm struggling to stay awake as I write this so I hope it is at all legible, it's probably too long but quite frankly if you read the entire thing and made it all the way down here then massive kudos to you. I did warn that I was chatty and emotional, those two traits never go well together 😂)

[small-world-au]

RAHHH IM IN YOUR ASKS AGAIN AND IM SORRY FOR RANTING BUT HERE’S ANOTHER INSANELY COMPLICATED AND THOUGHT-OUT SHIP I MADE WEHEHEHE

Genshin SI!Bailey x Canon!Freminet

So Freminet is an INCREDIBLY complex character. He has a lot of trauma, a deep personality and is probably on the autism spectrum with some form of szpd (schizoid personality disorder). Because of his background with the Fatui, essentially a terrorist/mafia sort of organization, he has trouble feeling like a real person and feels absolutely useless and helpless without orders from others. He is still mentally a child, a very damaged one, but a child. He’s always been physically, emotionally and verbally abused, which makes him untrusting and wary of others. He’s also antisocial and doesnt enjoy praise or reward as much as simply getting the job done and following his orders. I also headcanon him as FtM, so add dysphoria into that disaster.

Then there’s Bailey, who grew up without parents, but without longing for them, either. He just thought it was normal to not have them, and never really wanted any either. Because of this, he taught himself to read and write by observing others, and had a very vague concept of right and wrong, with a nonexistent concept of rules. Because of this upbringing, he’s developed schizotypal personality disorder, which ALSO causes a disinterest in relationships, sort of like Freminet. His behavior is strange and he doesnt always know how his actions affect others. His main offenses are vandalism and getting into fights. Because of this, he often ends up in the Fortress of Meropide (jail) and starts getting favored by Wriothesely, the warden. He’s just a kid after all. Wriothesely starts guiding him to become better and sort of becomes like his dad.

Freminet and Bailey first meet when Fremi ended up in the Fortress during the canon timeline in game. They keep running into each other, until Bailey gets curious and starts bumping into and meeting up with Freminet on purpose. Freminet talks about how he so so wants to connect with Bailey, but how there seems to be a barrier every time he tries. He just… cant get interested. But this isn’t gonna stop Bailey, of course. So whenever Freminet desperately needs comfort, Bailey is there.

“You… you can’t fix me, Bailey. It just won’t work.”

“You’re right. I can’t fix you. Because you’re not even broken, Freminet.”

and for the first time, its someone telling him they’ll stay by his side and wait as long as they need to instead of scoffing and asking what’s wrong with him or leaving him. Bailey will wait as long as it takes for that bond to get through to Freminet, and when it does, he won’t rush things. Bailey knows how to care for something in need. Especially his boyfriend. They’re so, so, complicated and take so much time before they actually get together. So they go from really close acquaintances, to sort of warped queerplatonic partners, to first-time lovers and then to two souls deeply intertwined and in love. They keep each other alive and heal each other bit by bit, even if it took SO MUCH time and effort to get there. That just makes them so much more special and unique to me and to each other. Imagine taking years to get with someone because you want to handle them with care. It’s so fulfilling and special when you actually get where you wanted to be.

Anyways these two have my heart and I love how complicated they are.

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DYNAMIC!!!!

THEY SO SO SO CUTE!!!!!! 🥺🥺🥺

[st0rmyskies]

I’m new to the LU fandom, I really love the series but I’m kinda confused about the whole link/link shippings. It’s not something I have a real issue with as long as the links in question aren’t related by blood or anything, but I’m really confused how the ships came to be????

Wildlight especially because yes, there’s definitely chemistry and a deep bond between them, but I’ve never thought about their relationship going beyond that and into sexual????

I always kinda felt like they’d be queer-platonic, like, they’re so close their relationship can’t be defined as purely platonic but it’s not sexual. There’s a lot of love and affection but it doesn’t fall neatly into romantic either?

They’re just. Two people who really care about each other and want to enjoy their time together while it lasts to the fullest and just. Experience life with the other by their side.

Mostly I just feel really confused and like I’m lacking a lot of information. I’m sorry if this doesn’t make sense or seems rude, I just don’t understand in general, and thought maybe you could provide some insight???

So I, for example, don't like mango. Some people love mango but and think apples are boring, and I would clutch my pearls about that and go on a 40 minute tirade about how apples are the shit. The same can be said for shipping. When it comes to ships, both with regard to types of ships and pairings, a lot of it comes down to personal preference. It's as simple as that.

That's the main idea here, anon. There's not any information you're missing. The rest is under the cut for specifics about Wildlight and other Linkships.

No matter how you ship Wild and Twilight, with even the various flavors of queerplatonic or simple friendship being considered "shipping" of sorts for the purposes of this conversation, as you said: it's obvious that the two of them have chemistry. They have history together. They look to one another when Time says cryptic shit like two siblings wondering if that lore drop from dad was true or not. Twilight scolds Wild for getting himself injured in defense of Wind and Wild doesn't hesitate to give it back to him a bit. In the most recent arc, while everyone on the team is affected by Twilight's injury in one way or another, Wild is the one who loses his mind a bit over the whole thing. Their bond runs deep.

Like you, there is a huge group of fans who look at that relationship and enjoy that flavor of queerplatonic rep. They choose to ship Wild and Twilight in that way, and that's cool. But some of us look at the same relationship and prefer to explore the spicier side of things under the same context, and that's cool too. There was recently a text post I reblogged that went something long the lines of fic writers "using preestablished relationships to give sex [in their works] emotional context." Without having to write thousands of words of backstory to get two people together, sometimes we as fic writers lean on the source material to establish the soft stuff so we can get right into the more hardcore fare. It's a fun little thought experiment to consider how two characters like Twi and Wild who have such obvious caring for one another in canon might engage with one another behind the scenes.

The same can be said for characters who don't seem to have a whole ton of on-screen chemistry, as it were. Sky is very obviously in love with his Zelda, and that's part of the reason why he was the focus of the poly!Sky series. Because yes, SS Zelink is adorable, but what if Sky wasn't limited to that relationship alone? How would his relationships look like with Twilight, with Warriors, with Time? For me, it's a fun exploration and skill-development exercise to write believable romantic and/or sexual relationships that you wouldn't expect in-universe, especially since they firmly aren't established in the source material.

I, for one, also enjoy exploring both healthy and unhealthy sexual relationships through fiction. By far, my favorite kind of couple to write has to be the train wreck: those who bring out the worst in one another and have incendiary chemistry in the bedroom. HSH WarrTime falls into this category, and Twilight/Dark does too in a different sense. It's that journey from "Omg this would NEVER work" to "Dark has one person and one person only he will behave for" that never fails to hook me.

In the end, it boils down to the same reason why most restaurants have such a diverse menu. Some people prefer one flavor of cooked-up relationships, others may prefer another. Some of us change tastes depending on the day. And maybe in relationships that you personally don't see romance or a sexual connection, to someone else it looks plain as day.

And that's all totally okay.

[its-no-biggie]

Have you looked into QPRs/Queerplatonic Relationships? It’s kind of like that!!!!!

yes i know all about them! i actually have a lot of thoughts about this so strap in bc we're in for a long one.

for me personally, i dont think its really necessary to distinguish a platonic relationship where you live together or do other "marriage things" from any other kind of friendship. some friendships are closer or last longer than others and thats fine, so i just dont see why i would need a different word for it? like, every description of a qpr ive seen is different from a regular platonic relationship in up to 2 ways: 1. its "deeper" or "more meaningful" than regular friendships (implies that friendships cannot be as deep or meaningful as a marriage, which i reject) and 2. you do things together that regular friends dont do (but who says we cant do those with all of our friends? why can you only break these rules with one special person? when does it go from a slightly unconventional friendship to a qpr? idk doesnt really make sense to me). im sure those distinctions matter to some people, but i just dont really find them useful

and the deeper issue here is that society has drilled into us that we need to have one person that is The Most Important, that we rely on to fulfill all of our relationship needs. this is the concept of "amatonormativity": the idea that everyone needs to settle down with someone into a traditional monogamous relationship, and that no other relationship is as important or fulfilling as that one. and i just dont subscribe to that kind of hierarchy (for me personally! obviously not telling anyone how to live their life. your relationship boundaries and labels are your business). like im already throwing out the idea of a traditional marriage by not wanting a sexual relationship, so may as well throw out everything else i dont like while im at it. i dont think the person youre having sex with has to be the person youre closest with in the world, i dont think the person you share finances with has to be the person you primarily rely on emotionally, i think physical and emotional intimacy should not be reserved for sexual relationships, and i think every relationship fulfills a different role and combining them all into one Ultimate Most Important Relationship- FOR LIFE- isnt always a good idea. whether its a marriage or a qpr or whatever else.

and honestly i think the main reason this viewpoint is so uncommon (well, aside from the fact that most people dont really examine what theyre taught about marriage and monogamy and the way things "should" be) is because of jealousy. i totally understand the desire to be The Most Important Person in someone elses life, to feel wanted and needed by someone that you love. and finding out that someone youre very close to also relies on someone else definitely stings a bit! but just because something makes you a little upset doesnt mean that its actually bad. i think everyone should have lots of people to rely on outside of their partner, and people they trust just as much or more than their partner, and i think we would all be a lot healthier and happier if we accepted that and got rid of the traditional hierarchy of "everyone must come second to your spouse, because your spouse should fulfill all of your relationship needs, and if they dont then theyre a bad spouse"

like. sometimes people who are very good for each other are not compatible sexually. why shouldnt they fulfill those needs elsewhere? (IF theyre both okay with it. im not condoning cheating, im talking about unconventional relationship boundaries that are mutually agreed upon.) sometimes people who love each other do not agree on how a household should be run. why should they move in together just because their relationship has reached a certain stage? why should someones long-term friendships suddenly become less important to them once they get into a romantic relationship?? all these rules are made up! i reject them all! relationship anarchy!!

and just to be clear- im not saying that traditional monogamous relationships are bad. if you want those kinds of relationship boundaries, where one person is the most important to you and your relationship is very exclusive, more power to you! but that isnt the only option, and its frustrating how much our society devalues friendship in favour of marriage. i mean, even people who dont want a romantic relationship needed to define something thats MORE than "just friends". because friends dont get married. friends dont sleep together. friends dont raise children together. those things go beyond "just friends". but i say screw that! friends can do whatever they want together! i love my friends a lot and i refuse to be confined by what friends are and arent "supposed" to do together. and its a shame that you really only see these kinds of unconventional relationship dynamics in the polyamorous and aro/ace communities. everyone should question what they know about relationships and how theyre supposed to function, and decide for themselves what kind of boundaries work for their specific relationships. at least thats what i think

[cumulonimbuns]

hi, yesterday i stumbled across the knights self-destruction and got so hooked i stayed up until it was three in the morning and my head hurt and i physically couldnt keep reading, and now ive caught all the way up. i am so obsessed with everything, im always a slut for angst and thats what i initially clicked for but my GOSH i am so digging the relationships between zelda and link and sidon and yona and yona and link especially. i am so so so overjoyed to see link and zeldas relationship portrayed in such a queerplatonic-feeling way, being in a qpr myself. this fic may have had a hand in making me realize me being some flavor of poly so thanks for that. i adore the zora worldbuilding youve done with the distinction between heart and treasure and how both of these are so deeply committed and emotional ways of feeling towards one another. and GOSH the angsty scenes were delicious. yona is a riot, and i am so in love with her portrayal. much like link i fucking need zelda to see this.

and just when i thought more bliss wasnt possible i find your blog and see your wonderful art of this story.

also the scene with link breaking down in yonas arms and him wresting with the gang have my heart even though my all time favorite is the sages reactions to links breakdown and his reaction to them seeing him. also link telling zelda about what clouds feel like. god im just HGN. i am never getting my brain back to normal from this. have a nice day.

I MEANT TO RESPOND TO THIS AGES AGO BUT GOT BUSY. SO SORRY BOUT THAT!

First of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! This made me very happy to read <3

I too am a slut for angst. I love to be hurt, but also need me that comfort. Which is why you all can take the solace in the fact that no story of mine will have an unhappy ending. SAD ENDINGS ARE FINE, I JUST CAN’T DO IT. I am not strong enough. I inflict much hurt but in the end it will be taken care of.

I’m glad the QPR vibes came across how I wanted them too!! I’ve always viewed/treated qpr’s with the same importance as romantic relationships bc they are!! So each pairing is as committed to one another as they would be to a romantic partner. It’s just how they express that love and some of the vibes are different. Another thing I’m so happy about is that you totally get where my brain was coming from with the ‘some flavor of poly’ bc in a way that’s exactly what’s happening. Like I said, qpr’s are just as valid and important as a romantic relationship, so there are some poly negotiations that goes down with all that. Making sure everyone is on the same page, comfortable, and agreeing.

It’s a bit hilarious how obsessed I’ve become with Yona. Nintendo barely gave us anything for this woman so I decided to run wild. Now I am completely insane with the amount of love I have for her, and it literally all stems from the fact I’ve turned her into my own character with all the random hc i threw on her at this point lmao. And I too need Zelda and Yona to meet.

And thank you so much for stopping by my blog to say hi and compliment my writing/art! It’s rlly made me smile. (And don’t worry, my brain is never returning to normalcy after this lmao, TOTK fan fiction/art has changed me as a person)

Here’s a lil doodle for you to show my appreciation (and a sorry for taking so long to respond fdhfhf, i know you probably don’t care, but I do)

<3<3<3<3 HOPE YOU HAVE A LOVELY DAY OR NIGHT!!! <3<3<3<3

[goldyluna]

Ask Game: Tsukasa, Basil, Undyne (or you can answer only on Tsukasa if you don't want to answer on three 💖)

Tsukasa Tenma

First impression: Loud and embarassing. I had to skip some of his story, because it was giving me the second hand embarrassment.

Impression now: He is still loud and embarrassing, but he grew on my so much. I love all of the cast but he holds a special place in my heart with my kins. He is funny, he truly is a star ⭐

Favorite moment: I really liked the scene duting the Main Story where he and Emu were on Ferris Wheel. I also like the scene where Tsukasa imitates Rui (and others too), I just find it funny

Idea for a story: a lider swap au where all the liders swap their groups. They could learn how to lead different types of groups in different environments. I know it is a story idea for all of the cast, but I think it would be interesting to see Tsukasa—loud, eccentic and charismatic—with different type of people, to see him interact with them and make new friends. He could take it as an opportunity to broaden his horizons, to think about new ideas for show and to get new opinions from other people. It would be a really good opportunity for all of them to learn more about themself

Unpopular opinion: dunno if unpopular, but I think Tukasa's fans/haters can be ones of the most annoying and/or overwhelming people in fandom

Favorite relationship: his relationship with Saki and Toya. They are just so siblings, I love it. I also really love his relationship with Kaito, I think they really understand each other

Favorite headcanon: I really like when people make him aroace (even if I also like shiping him in not queerplatonic way). And I love when others headcanon him and Saki as Polish

✨

BASIL

First impression: what a sweet little boy, I hope nothing bad happens to him

Impression now: oh, he needs so much terapy. Give him all the terapy he needs, please and thank you. Everyone did some bad things, but damn, I would give him a really long hug

Favorite moment: this one can contain spoilers!!! I really like his photos, the wholesome ones and not so wholesome ones. Like, babe, what are you doing taking a photo of crime scene, stop. I also really like how he was represented as a watermelon, and his head went pop

Idea for a story: Basil living a happy live, preferably. Where he has a flower shop decorated with photos. A lot of friends. With a little angst of him spiraling down because someone from his past comes to his shop and then lashing out on his childhood friends for leaving him in the worst moments of his life. Yes, it is me projecting right now xD

Unpopular opinion: Spoiler! I think Basil should hold a grudge about Sunny and others. Sunny left him alone, Aubrey bullied him, Kel wasn't really being a friend for him too, during those few years. Like, I love the game, it shows us the real, hard problems, they all went through a lot. But I dont think they all would go out of this situation stronger together

Favorite relationship: I think all of the characters have interesting relationship, can't say I have a favourite one. I don't really ship anyone for real

Favorite headcanon: i like when others make him nonbinary. He looks like a person that would take in a lot if animals, bunnies the most

✨

Undyne

First impression: my first thought was "oh wow, she will be a bitch" in a "she is gonna be a real pain in the ass during battles". But I liked her design

Impression now: she really was a pain in the ass during the battle xD I died so many times (mostly in genocide route). I think she is really cool and baddas and her music theme is so goooood

Favorite moment: when after the battle in the pacifist route she is running after us to Hotland that, you know, is hot and she is a fish. It was really funny to me when we could pour water on her

Idea for a story: her going to aquarium in the zoo and wanting to go swim with other fish

Unpopular opinion: I really am bad in unpopular things as I dunno what really is unpopular, so bear with me. I really think she should be more buff

Favorite relationship: I can't choose between her relationship with Alphys and with Papyrus. Both relationships are so sweet and loved all interacions between them in the game

Favorite headcanon: she wanted to be a mermaid (she still does) and when Alphys do a ship art for them (because let's be real, Alphys would do that) she would draw Undyne oc as a badass mermaid and she would love it every time

[user-needs-new-hyperfixation]

Some of this is copy-pasted from my response to a comment on one of my fics several months back, so sorry to anyone who read that and will now have deja vu.

These thoughts are based on my perception/headcanon of Sherlock and Liam as an allosexual couple. I’m totally supportive of people who like to ship pairs as ace/queerplatonic/etc, but with these two I do find it a liiiiiitle bit of a stretch...have y’all seen the train scene? They have the horniest of energy, good golly. But that’s in my opinion, and anyone who sees it differently is absolutely valid; we’re here to have fun, so have fun with it!

Okay, disclaimers out of the way: the more canon Sherliam gets, the more I love that they don’t meet typical BL seme/uke cliches. I do catch myself borderline feminizing Liam on occasion, primarily because I want him to be held, and engulfed in too-big sweaters that smell like Sherlock, and tucked into comfy armchairs with blankets and books: and alas, gender stereotype nonsense makes that feel like feminization even though it really isn’t. And that’s totally separate from the way I perceive their potential sexual dynamic, which is basically: switchy as hell, but Liam is more prone to being a bit dommy.

But like...They're the same age and height and even weight to start with. There are no particular inequalities in their education or unbalanced power dynamics. Sure, the Lord of Crime is puppeting Sherlock around, but Sherlock knows that, and though he doesn’t feel he’s truly on equal footing with Liam until right before the fall, it doesn’t feel...skeezy. Liam never actually lies to him (*glares at English manga translation*). There might not be outright spoken honesty between them, but there’s a mutual understanding of the game they’re playing, and overall their energy is incredibly nontoxic for an “enemies to lovers” dynamic (not that they ever really managed “enemies” to begin with).

(Another disclaimer: I don’t have a problem with shipping toxic pairs, Hannigram is one of my all time fave ships. But the older I get the more I’m drawn to happy stories and healthy representation and boy oh boy has Yuumori been delivering.)

Anyway, back to avoiding BL standards: Liam is pretty and fashionable and a scholar but sometimes exudes such dom vibes. Sherlock is an athletic borderline himbo, vaguely wrong-side-of-the-tracks, but gets blushy and flustered easily. Liam is the damsel in distress saved by his dashing hero: but he is also the criminal mastermind taunting his rival. Liam is rich to Sherlock's working-class, except nope, Liam is an adopted East End kid and Sherlock's family is running the country.

So many gay stories, with BL being probably the worst offender but far from the only one, blatantly signal top/bottom, feminine/masculine. They practically put a giant flashing arrow over one guy’s head that says “HE’S THE GIRL IN THE RELATIONSHIP.” And as someone who is neither a gay man nor prone to entering relationships at all, I can’t really speak for the realism of these things; I know there are people who strongly align themselves with presentations like twink, bear, etc. And I’m sure many people have a strong preference for a particular role in the bedroom, especially in a dating scene dominated by hookup culture: but it also feels so disingenuous to me that anyone, particularly in a long-term partnership, would be like, “This is the only one thing I ever do.” Even in a straight relationship that sounds hella boring.

And Sherlock and Liam sidestep those assumptions so neatly, which up until chapter 67 I would have said is simply because...it’s not BL. But now we’ve got chapter 75 and they’re practically married. Mix together the almost undeniable sexual charge of their early interactions with their more recent LITERALLY VOWING TO SPEND THEIR LIVES TOGETHER and it seems reasonable to assume that sex is on the table. Yet nothing about the way they look or act demands the reader assign them certain sexual roles. They don't feel like a collection of stereotypes signalling top and bottom, they feel like an actual human couple who probably have preferences in bed but also like to switch things up and try new things.

I appreciate that.

[arodabi]

okay, i’m finally getting around to writing this, and uhh ill say its for aro week too. this is written as an aro person directed at alloromantic people. when i refer to writing, i’m kind of using it as a general term for creative works. Here’s me throwing my hat in on the question:

Can you ship aromantic characters?

and my answer is,,,,, actually a question. Why do you want to ship aromantic characters? 

I want alloros to realize that for a lot of aros, we do not get to see ourselves represented often. I can actually count on like one hand how many popular canon aro characters there are, and on the whole, none of their identities are respected. people constantly try to weasel their way out of actually writing aro characters, or they just ignore or deny their identity outright. fandom spaces (hell creative spaces in general) are at best not welcoming to aros, and at worst actively hostile towards us. So when the first question brought up when a character gets canonically confirmed as aro is “okay cool but can i ship them???” or “that’s nice but how can i still write about my fave ship that involves them??” i want to fucking scream. its a slap to the face and it shows that people really do not give a shit about aros. you say stuff like that and all i hear is “my fictional ship is so much more important than representing your marginalized minority identity” so instead of me just sitting here and saying “yes you can totally ship aro characters, as long as you’re respectful!!!” i’m saying “can you stop and think why you want to shove an aro character into a romantic relationship at the first chance you get?? maybe you have some arophobia you haven’t worked on?? maybe since we live in an amatonormative world, you’re letting that influence your views??” because that question being the first thing out of your mouth when you see a character you like confirmed as aro? that’s already disrespectful towards aros in my book.

So back to my question, Why do you want to ship aromantic characters? is it because you can’t write characters without them being in romantic relationships? or because you think a character without a romantic relationship is boring? Because if so, that’s a bad reason and it sounds like amatonormativity is rotting your brain. 

Is it because you just really like a ship with the aro character? Because you can write two characters with a strong relationship without writing them as a couple. A strong friendship can hold just as much power as a romantic relationship.

Is it because fuck aros, i will write what I wanna write and I don't wanna write this character with their canon identity? because then you’re just an arophobic asshole that needs to work on your shitty opinions. aro representation is just as important as any other lgbtqia+ representation.

Now if you’re reading this and thinking “well i heard aros can be in queerplatonic relationships!” I want you to think for a second. Are you writing a qpr or are you writing a romantic relationship with the serial numbers filed off? Have you talked to aro people or read stuff actually written by us? because, yes, some qprs can look a lot like a romantic relationship from the outside, but that’s just it, you’re looking at it from the outside. qprs are more than just “romantic relationship with extra steps”, and i think it’s really telling how many times i see alloromantic people saying they’re depicting an aro character in a qpr, not a romantic relationship, but then they never ever make any effort to distinguish the qpr from any other romantic relationship they write or draw. It just feels like qprs are getting used by alloros as a gatcha any time an aro person objects to how they depict (or don’t depict) aromanticism. if you want to write a character in a qpr then go for it! but you need to actually do research, talk to aros, get multiple opinions and not just take the first opinion that agrees with you and run with it.

“But what about headcanoning a character as arospec?” now i will say before i go into this, i am aro, not arospec, so if an arospec person wants to come in and correct me at any part here im happy to listen. but my problem when alloros bring up arospec identities is a very similar problem to how qprs are often depicted. I remember when Peridot Stevenuniverse got confirmed aro (she did, do not argue this with me) people were jumping over themselves to assure everyone that “a character getting confirmed as aro just means they are any arospec identity” which,, uhh,, not true? i mean if an arospec person wants to see a canon aro character as, say, aroflux, i’ve got no problem, aro and arospec people can do what they want really. but, i do have a problem with all the alloro fans who were spreading this. because, do you really see the character as demiromantic? or are you using that identity to deflect criticism from erasing aro identities? are you actually trying to write a good depiction of a demiro person? or are you just writing normal ship stuff and slapping a “uwu ive never felt romantic attraction until i met you! and now i will act exactly like any alloromantic person!” at the beginning? being in fandom spaces, i do see the occasional fic actually depicting an aspec identity (i say aspec her because aro is so rare that most of these examples i’ve seen have been acespec identities rather than arospec) but like 99% of the time, that’s written by someone who actually shares the identity. before you use our terms and identities to cover your ass when you erase us, consider not fucking doing that. consider listening to all aros and getting our thoughts and input. 

And last here is “but what about romance positive aros?” now i think most of what i’ve said previously can be applied here. the only thing i wanna add is, i think its very interesting that almost every time i see non aros depict aros, they always write them as very into romance, very open to be in romantic relationships, and very quiet about their aro identity. despite the character in canon not showing any of these traits. romance positive aros are good and important, but not every aro is romance positive. there’s quite a few of us that are romance repulsed, and alloros only depicting aros as super romance positive no matter what is suspicious to say the least. if an aro character is shown to be open to participating in romantic activities in canon then of course write them that way. but if an aro character is shown to be uninterested in, or even actively against romantic activities then respect that too.

so, to wrap up my thoughts in this ramble: please ask yourself why you want to ship aro characters so bad, because if the only reason is that amatonormativity has brainwashed you into not being able to write, or draw, or do anything with a character without them being in a romantic relationship, then you uhhh need to work on that, that’s honestly a writing/creative flaw imo. if you like the relationship dynamic between an aro character and another character, consider making them friends. friendship is not less powerful than romantic relationships. nobody is ever too old for the power of friendship trope. If you’re erasing an aro character’s identity because fuck aros, then fuck off somewhere far away from me and work on your bullshit. qprs, arospec identities, and romance positive aros are all very real, very important parts of the aro community, but please talk to other aros about them and actually make an effort to understand how these things work, dont just assume. And also don’t use these things as a way to erase aro identities and cover your ass if get called out. its disrespectful towards all aros.

The most important thing to do before writing or creating work with aro characters is to talk to aros, and not just the aros that agree with you. look up what a qpr actually is, learn how aros experience their arospec identities, talk to aros with multiple outlooks on romance. and if you can’t bring yourself to reach out, at least read through our own writings, whether that’s fiction, or informational posts, fuck, look through our memes if u wanna. Just please actually make an effort.

So, Can you ship aro characters? its complicated. look at trends in your fandom, question why you want to, and do research. Be an aro ally, listen to us. That’s really the most important thing.

[pollyna]

On this queer house (and I'm sorry for the running comments? annnd it got shippy lol):

Class '86:

Wolfman: gay but when the kids start using the moronsexual name he starts to identify with that because he married Hollywood, didn't he?

Hollywood: gay and he would like to say to his husband that he's the moron, not him, get it?

Sundown: bi

Chipper: bi

Slider: bi even if thought he was straight for the longest of times (did know u were that old, Ronnie)

Iceman: gay/homosexual/gay (the day he comes out to Ron he would liked to answer: and during summer the sand is hot. Something other earth breaking truth I should made aware of?)

Goose: queer (he serenades them and leaves them with a broken heart, and then Carole comes around and his brain fries once and for all)

Maverick: the bi king

Cougar: he's probably gay but he's repressed af so he says he's the most heterosexual person on this and other planets (I read too many past!cougar/iceman where he breaks iceman's heart to not be of part)

Merlin: not enough informations on him but after surviving being Mav's backset he will probably reconsider half of his life

Jester & Viper: they're tired dads™️ nothing else is required by them, that's says more than anything else.

People around the '86 class:

Carole: bi

Charlie: bi? (me🤝charlie: questioning her sexuality)

Class '22(?):

Rooster: bi (the tale wants that Bradley realised he was bi while putting milk in his cereal, at the tender age of 13, obtaining to spill milk everywhere and on his uncle Tom's uniform too)

Hangman: gay (the day he did coming out with Javy he presented himself drapped in rainbow flag because he had to make an entrance. He was fifteen and Javy was still asleep. The cuddle a lot after because Javy was still sleeping Seresin.)

Coyote: he's the tired bisexual of the group for the love of god someone should give this man a break

Phoenix: greyro bisexual (she is the dangerous thing Halo sleeps with. Who needs a knife or a gun when she is there)

Bob: aroace (his&Phe queerplatonic relationship is life. Apparently in this language is known as the ay-ay spectrum bc you can't pronounce the a someone should give bob the maracas to play as introduction when they ask him his sexuality)

Halo: aro lesbian (Phe says she kisses her in the softest and more determined way someone has ever kissed her)

Omaha: biromantic asexual (flying as backset with Halo give him time to talk about shit he isn't really comfortable talking with everybody around)

Payback: gay (when he was five he asked his mom if he could fall in love with a plane because they were absolutely the best thing ever. Now he thinks the same everytime he looks at Mickey)

Fanboy: pan (his granma ironed the the flag for his first pride because don't you dare going around with that thing all wrinkled)

Harvard: greysexual homoromantic (his bio on Instagram says, Harvard graduate, medical doctor, Naval aviator, my other half snors)

Yale: gay (he's a big fan of ds9 and most of his photos have a quote of the tvshow expect from when he postes about Harvard, than is poetry. It's nauseating, the entire squad hates and loves it.)

Fritz: raging bi with a little application for older people that everybody in the NAVY knows about (see his crush on Admiral Kazansky)

People around the '22 class:

Cyclone: he's bi but he won't let anyone knows because he's not weak

Hondo: pan (his wife made him a patch that he wears for all June and it has the dagger squad insigna in but it isn't in black and white but in blue, pink and yellow)

Warlock: queer (he says the term fits quiet well with him and honest to God Navy is already hard enough without him having to question his own label. His cat is the most affectionate creature this planet has ever saw and sometimes he takes her to work because it's a good antistress and leaves Cyclone and his problems out of his door)

Penny: bi™️ (she meets Charlie, at someone point along the line, and they have a sort of rebound night because of Maverick but it stops being about Maverick 0.01 second after they kiss.)