#being platonically in love is a thing btw

[emetophobic1]

TODAYS TOPIC: ANALOGICAL IS OBJECTIVELY THE HEALTHIEST SHIP

I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW MUCH I LOVE ANALOGICAL BECAUSE THEY ARE OBJECTIVELY THE BEST FUCKING SHIP. EVEN PLATONICALLY THEY ARE SO PERFECT. Listen, I don’t know if I’ve talked about this before but it’s FINE because I’m the CEO of Analogical Yuri and all Logan Ships. SO. YEAH.

Logan and Virgil understand each other best out of everyone in the series. They are the two chilliest and calmest (low energy) sides there. Logan can understand Virgils non-verbal cues and Virgil always seems to pay attention to Logan (this isn’t just say btw, this is REAL. It’s episode reference time BABY)

From day 1, Logan was the first side to be nice to Virgil (besides Patton but he’s nice to everyone okay) it even took THOMAS longer to accept Virgil. The entirety of My NEGATIVE Thinking was GOLDEN for Analogical shippers. Logan was the first (yes, minus Patton, he’s judged the dude before.. cmon..) to NOT judge Virgil! He didn’t judge Virgil for hissing during the debate and hardly even mentioned it from that point on, yet we know damn well if Roman was the one debating Virgil, he would’ve gotten a new nickname for it. And for the first time, Virgil didn’t immediately opt out of being dragged somewhere or completely despise having to do something he didn’t entirely like. Logan said it himself “But, despite you clearly not enjoying taking part, you still participated, you offered your points. And you even reasoned, in your own way. And all that, is commendable.” Proving what I just said. Virgil most opened up to Logan first out of everyone, he was even not fully comfortable with Patton but he was SO much more comfortable with Logan, actively opening up about how he felt “I—don’t really know how to react to you complimenting me, kind of thought you didn’t like me. Especially after like time when you called me a defeatist.” See, he actively opened up that he didn’t really like being called a defeatist and that he thought Logan didn’t like him (HE CARES IF LOGAN DOESN’T LIKE HIM, HELLO??)

Logan legit says it himself that he gets along best with Virgil because of how high-energy the other two are! “Well, you are wrong about a lot of things. But—I don’t necessarily mind your company. The other two can bring in a whole lot of sunshine and that can be unbearable… And I can’t imagine having a debate with either one of them!” Not only that but they click so much faster than anyone else in the series. They understood each other SO fast and Logan has, from day 1, always been the type to ground Virgil, saying things in their most literal form to make sure he doesn’t go through any distress from misunderstanding! “I guess I just kind of assumed that—“ “You jumped to a conclusion.” LIKE HELLO?? Logan helped Virgil see reason and even began to understand VIRGIL better!

In fact, everything after the actual debate that they said was the absolute sweetest and purest thing ever. They even went as far to jokingly “go back to disliking each other” when Thomas commented on them working things out! “We didn’t work anything out.” “He’s stubborn as ever.” They got comfortable with each other SO fast. Even during the end card of that episode, Logan is continuously talking and mentioning that he feels better now that he’s more friendly with Virgil, and despite Virgil clearly being in his own space with his headphones on, he listens to Logan nonetheless. AND NOT TO EVEN MENTION HOW VIRGIL SOMEHOW MANAGED TO RUB OFF ON LOGAN AND MAKE HIM SAY SLANG. AAAAAAHHH!!?

RIGHT. NOW. Moving On parts 1 and 2 were INCREDIBLE for Analogical. The episode was hardly centred around them and yet their moments seemed to shine the very most! In these episodes Virgil seems to rely on Logan for a lot of things, he wants to stay grounded, feel a sense of comfortability and familiarity because of how things were going. Logic and Anxiety go hand-in-hand VERY nicely. Logic can bring reason into your anxious thoughts, and boy was Thomas having a lot of those in these episodes. NOW. Logan proposed the idea of being nostalgic and while Virgil didn’t entirely want that, he agreed with Logan nonetheless! They get to Pattons room and Virgil instantly starts feeling anxious and overall REALLY upset. Things are getting chaotic, Logan’s trying to get Thomas to look forward to the future, but even in the chaos, he’s the only one to notice Virgil despite being the busiest. “…Virgil? Are you.. okay?” And Virgil shakes his head which Logan understands INSTANTLY which also allows him to see the mistake he made in the decision to go to Pattons room. “However incorrect that outlook may be! Their anxiety, worsens.” “Virgil, that’s not happening, right?” “…..No—“ “I’m gonna take that as a yes.” LOGAN JUST UNDERSTANDS BRO AAUUGGHH. Ahem… not only that but Virgil is the most concerned when Logan leaves the situation! And when they finally leave Pattons room, everyone else is all awkward and not sure what to do when they see Logan again but Virgil is instantly all like “Hey—what the heck was that?! Disappearing on us?! (Me) don’t you dare try that stunt again.” LIKE CMONNNNN (and we wont mention the infamous… “Okay… well. Warn a dude next time.” Because I fear I may accidentally summon Ashley, aka the other Analogical CEO.) OH AND LOOKING AT THE VIDEOS COMMENTS, someone actually said “guys when Logan asks if Virgil is okay and he shakes his head no without speaking, it shows that he’s already overwhelmed and looking to Logan for help because he can’t do anything by himself at that moment. He’s relying on Logan to help him out of the situation, and when he leaves you can see how devastated he is, because for him, that was the only way out” AND THAT IS EXACTLY THE TYPE OF SHIT I AM TALKING ABOUT. Logan can perfectly calm Virgil down, they are GENUINELY made for each other!?

And this is just a little tidbit but it was Logan and Virgil who first noticed that Patton wasn’t actually Patton in Can LYING Be GOOD? 💔 and also how Logan was (once again) being literal with Virgil when he pointed it out that something was fishy with Patton to make sure there was no misunderstandings. (Also look at the way he leans closer to the staircase (where Virgil is standing) to talk to Virgil.. UGH.)

OKAY. Dealing With INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS is my FAVOURITE episode. So how they are in this episode BRRREAKS ME. Logan is struggling to make everyone see reason when Remus is completely fucking them over. Virgil is panicking the most, making Thomas think he’s a bad person for having these thoughts. So, it should be Logans job to make sure Virgil calms down so Thomas can see reason. “Logan, I’m sorry, but Thomas can’t logic his way out of this one! Facts are facts. And the fact is, Thomas had twisted thoughts, that a stable person, would NEVER have!” And Logan does go to calm Virgil down, ground the situation. “Actually—A stable person, as you put it, could absolutely have those thoughts—“ but Remus stops him. Okay now this breaks me 💔 “What he’s saying, is worth noting.” “But what if he’s lying?!” “I can assure you he’s not. You’re just para—expressing an unhealthy… amount of concern… thank you, for being on guard. But for now, you must listen.” 💔 save me. SAVE MMEEEEE. Logan makes the mistake of calling Virgil paranoia when that’s (apparently) harmful to him. He corrects himself, praises Virgil, and tries to assure him that it’s okay. Henceforth making up for his mistake. What Logan said genuinely affected Virgil and you can tell by how silent he got, crossing his arms, trying to fold in on himself pretty much. They both care what the other has to say, so while Logan understood and tried to validate Virgils fears of Thomas being a bad person, he couldn’t tolerate panic and did what he could in the moment.

When Logan said he knew who was causing their issues, he pointed to Virgil. While Remus mocked that and tried to make Virgil more uneasy, Virgil was genuinely taken aback and looked hurt that Logan was saying that he was the issue. But, he seemed to calm down more when Logan corrected himself and added Patton into the mix. And from then on, the rest of the video, Logan is pretty much perfectly calming Virgil down. Giving reasons to certain issues, making everything okay.

OKAY, some honourable mentions because I don’t feel like going into depth with every video: Are There Healthy Distractions?; Logan once again helping Virgil overcome an anxiety attack; giving him areas of escape; reasons; and grounding techniques. — What Makes The Perfect Gift?; Virgils gift to Logan was absolutely STUNNING. He knows Logan so well and managed to get him the most perfect gift possible; and also the other Christmas video where Logan gave Virgil a giftcard for some music, beautiful stuff.

Something I am willing to acknowledge is that their relationship is a little one-sided with Logan typically helping Virgil more often than Virgil helping Logan. However, that’s simply how they work and to be honest, that’s most likely how they PREFER it. Logan is there to be the voice of reason, to ground people, help them, etc. Virgil is the perfect candidate for that sort of thing, someone who needs help a lot of the time! And in either case that constant comfort that Logan has to bring to Virgil can be combated by genuine friendship / relationship. They both understand each other and are the lowest-energy sides there. Virgil is willing to listen to Logan no matter the circumstances, that’s one of the perks that comes from Logan helping him all the time: Virgil tends to agree with, listen to, and turn to Logan first in any given situation. And considering how everything is going, Logan being ignored and whatnot, what he would need right now is someone who IS willing to listen, someone who will turn to him first in any situation. Virgil.

And to mention: Virgil was once an outcast! Misunderstood and ignored, out of everyone, he would sympathise with Logan the most and therefore be able to help him the best. And after everything Logan has done for him, Virgil would be more than happy to help return the favour! I have very little doubt in my mind that when Logan finally has his little crash out, it’ll be Virgil who helps him the most.

OKAOKAYDGS EHHEHE. Now based on their personalities, I feel like if they were in an actual relationship, yk, calling themselves a couple, they would be so diabolically chill about it that if they never told anyone, nobody would know they’re dating. They seem very off-limits with PDA and their affection would most likely be given in verbal forms or gestures like acts of service. Hell, just being in the same room together would be like a date for them. And with Logan’s communication skills and always being there for Virgil + Virgil feeling comfortable enough to be open around Logan, any possible fight would just lead to another debate and everything would be solved fairly quickly. If it were ANY other side (and I’m not being biased), Logan might try to communicate but the other side would make it difficult, for example; Patton might hold off telling Logan issues and that’ll make it harder in the long term; Roman would be FAR too dramatic, I mean, we saw how they were in Why Do We Get Up In The Morning?; Janus and Logan most likely would be able to solve any arguments and communication issues very fast, looking at it from a non-biased opinion, Loceit is possibly the 2nd healthiest Logan ship! (Just Logan ship because there’s too many ships in total to count who’s 2nd healthiest.); And Remus…. 💔

Henceforth, making Virgil and Logan’s communication skills with each other top tier in comparison. Virgil would feel safest in a relationship with Logan and Logan would feel most comfortable in a relationship with Virgil! They’d simply be able to tell each other if they had any issues because Virgil knows Logan can help and Logan knows Virgil will listen. AAUUUUUGGGGHH 💔💔💔💔💥💥💥💥💥💥

Heheh. Giggles. Kicks feet. Bats eyelashes. I apologise for any spelling mistakes, I think I’ve been writing for like 2 hours in pure autistic excitement about these two… UHM and I decided to write this because I tried to make an AU in my head to daydream where Logan and Virgil were fighting or something, just vaguely toxic.. I LEGIT COULDN’T THINK OF ANY REASON THEY WOULD FIGHT AND IT WAS SO IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO CONJURE UP ANY THOUGHT OF THEM BEING MEAN TO EACH OTHER 😭 FREE MMEEEEEEE AAAAAAAAHHHH

[ninanyoka]

gils route will always be my favorite out of all of them not just bc of the amazing character development and the chemistry with hakuno but also for all those little moments where u can tell that:

1. gil slowly starts giving a fuck about someone other than himself

2. hakuno starts developing a bit of a crush on gil

like, sure gils route doesnt have super explicit romantic moments like nero and tamamo have so if u enjoy them more as platonic besties (or even as just friends with benefits sort of couple) u definitely can, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have any implicit moments or subtext at all bc it does. like for example if u play with hakunon (saying this bc specifically this scene only happens if u play as a woman btw), you'll have THIS dialogue coming from her:

and there's also this

and this (which again only happens if u play as hakunon)

like, getting upset and emotionally hurt about the notion of getting rejected for her age (lmao) by a guy she PRESUMABLY doesn't give af about, being happy for just being with him, or unexplainably getting sad when gil suddenly forgets everything about her, and her strange out of pocket suggestion for gil to act as HER lover then getting flustered and stammering when called out or confronted about it..... imo its pretty obvious hakuno does have a crush on gil much to her dismay and i think we should talk more about it tbh bc i often see these moments being brushed away either for being one-sided or bc ppl just didn't pay attention to these few convos and moments or think they're not that important to the story when they provide A LOT of saucy subtext to gil and hakunos relationship. seeing hakuno slowly realize she actually does like gil for his personality of all things is genuinely hilarious and adds imo a pretty interesting dimension to her constant angsting about liking gils company in spite of being aware he's not a good guy

also gils progressive attachment to hakuno is also worth to point out too, even if its not written to be as explicitly lovey-dovey as other servants its still there (cant put all screenshots bc even tumblr has its limits lmao)

this mf always makes sure to give the impression that he doesn't give a fuck abt anyone and that he's a heartless demon which is why its so rewarding to fish these little moments where he shows that he actually cares.......

fake idgafer 🫵

like hbnnndnww just fuck me up, i just like slow burn complicated ships based on earned mutual respect ok? the game and supplemental material does give u very shippy stuff of them too such as the AR tapestry (which is legit nasu approved softcore gilhaku porn ill prolly make a separate post about lmao) even if it leaves other stuff vague, with this one from the TM **official** anthology being my favorite of all the stuff we have of them

the pookies...... ccc sure knew what it was doing.

anyway sorry for the rant i just rly love my niche ship a lot and wanted to gush about them 🥹🫵

[forsaken-headcanons]

alr im gonna share-maxx my oc on here bcuz why not, but also bcuz im laying on a tv screen-core for some reason n i have no idea where i am-pilled. i am safe, im just for some reason laying on a tv... while in the park during morning...

anyway, enough gibble gabble-maxxing, lets get this shit on yo (fruitcious is gonna be so confused when she finds this n reads the first half lol)

alr sooooo...

waxxer, the honeycomb tv

waxxer is a honeycomb tv-core (simple explanation; his entire body is made out of honeycomb, n his blood is made out of honey... duh-core) his screen is just a normal one albeit with... some unique features (example; showing a middle finger) n like also has wings he coded

he's just an overall chill dude who doesn't really give a fuck abt anything unless its something he loves, which case he's very passionate. has a love for coding n gaming, an absolute god at gaming, decent at coding (which is y his wings have some bugs and funky little do-dad's) oh yeah and beekeeping, his silli-pilled self has an affinity for bees

prior to forsaken he was kinda hanging around-maxxing in bee simulator and sometimes indulged in a lil bit of depth spelunking-core (its a pretty cool game n i am begging it doesn't get drama) just mostly doing his own thing..until he decided to go to bake a cake

he met fruity blue (idk if fruiticous has submitted their oc here yet, but eh) and first that happen was bluey biting him-core and he just went "eh"-pilled n waved her off him... to which they start bonding-maxxing, him making cakes n all kinds of delicious desserts with her-core, and her gaming with him n losing cuz ofc-core (for fruiticious: ur good, i just am a champ-maxxer for gaming.. ily btw) (< platonic-pilled) they even shared a sketchbook where they doodled together. oh yeah, he didn't really mind bluey's bitey n cannibalistic tendencies n hyperactive mischievous tendencies and lets her bite him

when bluey was forsaken-ed, waxxer was in distress like he had never been in before, he actually felt like he was gonna cry, which was a rare moment. he literally hung up hundreds of missing posters everywhere he went just so he could find her... when nothing came up, he... well built a honeycomb statue of her to keep himself busy

being forsakened, he was just happy he was with her again, they held each other for a few hours when they met again. although the situation was pretty bad, atleast they cud experience it together. and hey, a nice group to get to know

alr, backstory over, time to get to the fun-er-core part

abilities: (using caps just for this)

"Bee dash!!" - "yeeeaahhh, let's just hope this doesn't kill me by accident-core..."

dash in the direction ur facing and gain speed IIII for 4 secs

"Honey jam" - "OH SHHHH-OOT, NOT THE HONEY"

pours a large puddle of honey onto the ground. if the killer steps on it, they get stunned for 2 secs and get slowness III as long as they're in the trap

stats: 100 health, 15 walking speeding, 25 sprinting speed, stamina 120

alr time for sum relationships with the forsaken crew... (skipping fruity blue cuz well yeah)

007n7 (by the time im writing this he probably will get his re-write but ehhhhh idk how much it'll change) - waxxer n him have a pretty great relationship actually. sure, yes, n7 is a past exploiter n everyone is suspicious of him, bur waxxer is more focused on learning how to code from him n ask him how to make his bee wings better. n7 is just gald someone here actually likes him enough to chat to him, n is gald to teach waxxer

noob - noob thinks waxxer is too cool for them, waxxer wants noob to become his 3rd gaming buddy, as he thinks he's just like noob. he invites them to game with him and bluey n they lots of fun... when it isn't waxxer absolutely kicking their asses in competitive games

alr i think thats all for now *insert me just still laying on the tv screen bcuz for reason i haven't even moved an inch*

anyway, byeee mods, don't mind me grilling on a tv

- honey beeswax anon

oh we really like waxxer's kit... patting them rn they're so silly. sillycore. whimsypilled. joyouspilled. what are you doing to us /silly

[normystical]

hey hey hey no worries! it's not dms, its a different format, so it works ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and even if it was dms, i wouldnt mind. you take your time, really, its fine ^^

OH ALSO. cutting this off again. cuz someone reblogged our conversation so now im getting a bit anxious and i feel that i HAVE to clarify now in case it happens again lmao </3

OO wait wait i know a platonic cross ship!! in this server im in there was someone named moonie or whatever who was obsessssed with radioparfait. thats alastor and parfait cookie crk being friends. ITS SOO CUUTE,, EDGELORD AND CUTESY GAL,, I GOT ATTACHED TO THEM AS WELL EHEHE

yeahh its. well idk. people seem to include arospec stuff a lot but like. ONLY when theyre excusing shipping characters. which is kind of weird but ok. but yeah nobody outright confirmed huh?

also now that you mention representation of allos in the context of the split attraction model... allos can use that too, which im guesisng you already know? but shockingly a lot dont, and im mildly annoyed by that ig? i think itd make for good representation and stuff. could be fun to work with. i have a bi lesbian oc, specifically homoromantic and bisexual in particular. idk i just think more headcanons like that would be cool. but the closest i literally EVER get is seeing someone use, for instance, the pan flag and the poly flag, and i say oh cool so theyre varioriented? and theyre like oh whoops haha no i just meant polyamorous damn wrong flag. gahhh. i made a "your fave is varioriented" sorta blog to try and normalize it but most of the submissions are apsec stuff. which is fine, of course, but it frustrates me bc of what the whole initial purpose of the thing was yk,,

and BOY are people weird about the morality of that stuff. yk. inherently morally neutral stuff. but whats the weirdest is sex bc its both required but also bad??? and sex without romance is just out of the question,, some stories arent exactly arophobic but FEEL that way bc of the message. like helluva boss. idc what anyone says, m&m were the assholes at ozzie's. imagine being a romance-repulsed horndog at the place and having to listen to a cheesy love song out of nowhere,, also not to mention the stuff with blitz and all. but whatever i guess. im just glad theres like ONE webcomic where it was RESPECTED that the character "wasnt a relationship person" as she put it. i hardcore believe shes aroallo even if its not outright confirmed. hattie from live with yourself! btw. i love her

WOOF ok thats a lot of text aushsh sorry. i warned you though;; MOVING ON

yeahh i guess i sometimes try to rush a bit. though i suppose its no big deal. still, its kind of hard to decide how characters feel about each other, i suppose? based on their personalities and stuff? or maybe i just use a different method to decide,, idk

WOAH theres a makeship plush of a character?? was not aware,, but yeahh i played it when i was young too ^_^ theres sooo many more islands now, the layout of the menu where you choose which island to go to is different now,, but yeahh auglur is so gorgeous,, im also fond of strombonin but auglur is probably the most objectively pretty. i also drew them once ehe,, as part of a ship thing i fear. but that ship was part of a hashtag relatable aromantic moment so it could probably be worth it if i share it. if you wanted to see?

edit: "i wanted you though" instead of warned?? catastrophic typo i fear

i ddont go here and by "i dont go here" i mean "i do pretty much go here but somehow i dont feel a close connection to this fandom whatever dont question it man" but i saw you discuss the skins and i saw someone sent this in a server im in. which is rad af

...aaaand am just now realizing that its possible its not canon tho. but like. if it is. well damn /pos

woauh hi new mutual!!! i was gonnnaaaa say it isnt canon HOWEVER ! I looked more into it and apparently it is?? i thought it was an edit at first but when she's hit she makes that face :] (since you only half go here im gonna assume you doooo know how the game works? in case not ummm. horror survival thing. you can get hit, characters make different faces when hit.) anywho thank you for the ask i would not have known this if you didnt say anything :0!

[jaeclerc]

He was watching the two most important people of his life interacting like they were family, no one would blame his heart for fluttering on his chest || for chalex! 🫶🏻

Alex wasn’t even sure why he was so nervous to introduce his girlfriend to George. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about George’s opinion, it was that he knew George would finally just be happy he let himself move on in a manner and that was scary. Introducing someone who indicated that Alex was finally getting over everything that happened to the person who knew him the best. Who saw everything that occurred.

“Alex-“ Charlotte said in the way she did, stretching the syllables and softening the vowels. “Does he know? Like? You told him, right?” He was so focused on how the white button up contrasted her tan from their recent vacation to her home, and the slight peak of a mark on her inner thigh, that he almost didn’t hear her.

“Oh uh-“ He was actually stuttering too, his lips pressed into a line to hide his guilty smile. “I didn’t? I mean he’s kinda a posh asshole but he’s not-he wouldn’t be judgmental! I think he would just be surprised that the kid we grew up with is now gorgeous.” He stepped close to her, brushing a strand of her hair over her shoulder to kiss her and assure her when she turned her face so he kissed his cheek.

“These distractions will not work. Phone him.” She patted his cheek and grinned at him. Perhaps that’s why he was so nervous.

-

George reacted how Alex imagined he would have, gracefully and weird.

“It’s no problem to me, mate. I’m glad that she just makes you happy!” was his response, which Charlotte looked happy with, gathering her bag and sunglasses and waiting impatiently for him by the door when he hung up.

-

The problem that Alex did not foresee was the fact that, despite Charlotte coming out and becoming Charlotte, and George continuing up the ranks to be an F1 driver, they still got along swimmingly and so they both slotted right into bullying the shit out of Alex and giggling together in a corner about his atrocities of clothing and haircuts.

If George wanted to see an atrocity, he should see some of Charlotte’s choices of clothing that Alex convinced her to not wear.

But at the end of it, he was watching the two most important people of his life interacting like they were family and no one could blame him if his heart was fluttering in his chest.

He was falling rapidly in love with Charlotte. When they reconnected, Alex revealed that he had a 14 year old crush on her from before they both left the sport for various reasons. That crush never left and now, he’s watching that crush grow into a full blown love, heart sickness.

Not to be too sappy on George Russell and he would never admit this to his face, but Alex had always been platonically in love with him and George took him in when his whole life fell apart and he needed someone to help him. George held him as he cried and begged the universe to make it better. George got him through to Uni and helped him actually get in.

Without George, Alex wouldn’t be where he was. Finally happy and content.

George turned to him when Charlotte went to the bathroom and said in that not casual trying to be casual voice he did “Funny how the boy you had a one off crush on when we were 14 is now the girl you’re madly in love with. She had you in a full blown panic. What’s that thing that you say? The Universe has a funny way of knowing the path we’re meant to take? I think that’s the best example I’ve ever seen.”

Alex loved him so much. Alex also hated him but George would be the one to hand him off at his wedding, he feels.

[meanderingstream]

Thoughts on Leverage OT3 and Canon

I think that if some of the things that the OT3 said to each other were said by a man and a woman in a TV show, the audience would clearly read it as romantic. Like if a hetero ship said:

“For better or worse, we change together,” from the Rundown Job {for better, for worse, in sickness and in health…}

and “til my dying day” from the Long Goodbye Job {to death do us part},

and (you never really need anything.) “Yeah, I did [soft, loving look], but thanks to you I don’t have to search anymore,” from the Long Goodbye Job

and Hardison’s “for tonight, [name] has perfect pitch. You ever wonder how Britney Spears sounds so good on her tracks? Well, this is it, except mine's is in real time, Baby.” From the Studio Job,

and Parker’s [I’ll] “be here for you forever and we’ll always be together” from the Harry Wilson Job,

and Hardison’s “I’m here if you need me. Anytime,” from the Fractured Job

and the Hurricane Job with Parker and Eliot’s “I can’t do this without you.” “Well, that’s never gonna happen, [name].” “The arm around me was a nice touch,”

and “I’m making a four-course meal for them” from the Date Night Job

and “maybe I don’t like watching someone I care about take punches meant for me. You know, maybe I don’t wanna do a job that involves me watching you get hurt all the time.” From the Weekend in Paris Job

and “I mean, I’m in a great relationship, but would I even be in it if it were up to those swiping machines?” “We are in trouble.” “Nah, I mean, [me and you]? That’s fine. That’s working.”

If all those things had been said between one male and one female character, I feel like the audience would pretty clearly read it as romantic. I mean, my mom insists that Joan Watson and Sherlock Holmes got together romantically at the end of Elementary because of the hug and the line, “I’m staying. Of course I’m staying,” even though it did not read it that way to me. General audiences will read a lot of things as confirming a m/f couple because they see that kind of story so often that it’s what they expect.

Now granted, TV shows do like their slow burns because it provides tension without having to create problems in an established relationship, so fans of straight ships often do have a long wait for canonization. However, people didn’t question whether Josh and Donna from The West Wing or Tony and Ziva from NCIS were romantically interested in each other. It was clearly canon that they had those type of feelings or that type of interest for each other, there were just other things getting in the way of them actually starting to date. If a hetero ship said all those quotes listed above to each other, their romantic interest would absolutely be read as canon by the audience, even if they had not yet been shown on a date or kissing in the show. But because this is between 3 people, the OT3 is a somewhat niche ship in the general audience of Leverage outside of tumblr and AO3.

Like many of us here, I also felt let down when the Maria plotline happened in season 1 of L:R, especially after John Roger’s tweet that they’d canonized the OT3 after the Long Goodbye Job and his tweet that “your OT3 is safe” about the reboot. He specifically called it the OT3 in both cases, which pretty clearly refers to polyamory. If he meant that the characters that make up the OT3 (Hardison, Parker, and Eliot) are safe as in alive and healthy, then he should have said that. If he meant their friendship was safe, then he should have said that. If he meant they are in an open relationship or that Eliot is in a queer  emotional relationship with the other two but is not romantically and/or se✖ually involved with them, that should have been made clearer in the show. Instead, by the end of season 1, we got Eliot looking for fulfillment in life by trying to find a girlfriend to settle down with, and Parker qualifying her statement that they'd be together forever with “I know it's not the same [as a romantic relationship].”

Parker and Hardison’s romance is clearly stated and shown in the series (as it should be because they are awesome <3), but Eliot is not included in this unambiguously romantic relationship. While I am loving the partnership between the 3 of them and all of the OT3 nods so far in the 3rd season, I am also a little frustrated that they are just nods.

The burden of proof for a queer and/or poly ship is higher than a m/f pair. There is enough canon evidence to make a compelling argument that Eliot is the life partner of Hardison and Parker. However, the burden of proof for this type of relationship is higher because it is not what audiences are trained to expect. I adore the 3 of them together, and whether the series would show them all kissing or give us open, explicit discussion of their relationship as something like a queer-platonic partnership (probably not using that term, but that kind of relationship), I would love it either way. As it is now though, we get hints and nods that make OT3 shippers freak out, but that can be easily overlooked by general audiences as just good friends. If they are meant to be read as just really good friends, I wish John Rogers would not have used the term OT3, the definition of which includes the word “polyamory.” If they are meant to be polyamorous, I wish the show would make it unambiguous that’s what is going on, meeting that higher burden of proof for queer relationships.

On the other hand, I don’t want to complain about queer-baiting, because I feel like it’s not allowed to confirm your main characters are in a polyamorous relationship in a procedural like this that doesn’t center relationship drama. That seems like it’s just not possible yet. They are allowed to have a canon lesbian main character now- unlike in the original series- but I feel like maybe polyamory is still not an option. So the only other option than what the writers are currently doing is to totally disavow the OT3, which I obviously don’t want to happen. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong by the end of L:R season 3. I would absolutely love that to happen (dear God, please make that happen). But I’m not holding my breath.

I do still really appreciate John Rogers for the way he runs the show (both in the original and for season 3 of L:R) and for openly acknowledging and even supporting polyamorous ships, which is rare to find. I am aware that they fought for more queer representation in the original series but were only allowed that one cop lady from the Experiment Job in a single episode. Maybe this is the most they can get away with now, or maybe they are choosing to walk the line between hinting for the shippers while maintaining plausible deniability for everyone else. An intentional position of strategic ambiguity.

My point is that even if you don't account for the OT3 tweets, the canon status of the relationship between Hardison, Eliot, and Parker is complicated. It has enough textual evidence that if it were about a m/f pairing, then at minimum their interest/intent would be considered obviously canon. However, it does not meet the higher burden of proof that general audiences need in order to clearly realize when a queer relationship is happening. So it's left in this limbo between fully canon supported and totally unnoticed.

[fumifooms]

"Marchil? I guess I can see it on Chilchuck’s end, but what about Marcille’s? What makes you think she could develop feelings for him?" I’m glad you asked!

The first thing to note is that she does think highly of him

In the page on the right, literally defending his virtues and literally comparing him to Dalclan. And oh…

She does love a brooding mysterious guy who closes himself to love. But surely, Chilchuck isn’t her type at all, right? He’s not princely or knightly at all. In apperances certainly not, both looks wise and demeanor wise, but then that’s why she seeks to know him on a deeper level, to not only look shallowly.

And hmm. Chilchuck really is quite selfless isn’t he? Always looking out for others, and saving specifically her often, always making sure himself and, staying in or even running towards danger for her sometimes. Modesty is often considered heroic…

And can we talk about that drowning one… You can definitely frame the special attention as him knowing she tends to hesitate or be clumsy, and then his insistance on pulling her out of danger that she’s the healer aka the most important to keep alive, but. From the one who says that he just keeps his ass out of fights and won’t help this is a lot of risk to take, and he does die trying to pull her to safety in the dungeon rabbits chapter. And the drowning bit??? That’s when the dungeon collapses. The only reason they DON’T die of drowning here is that the water then gives way to outside. There was NO hope of pulling her to safety here and resurrections would likely not work either, he truly preferred to die with her than try to survive himself.

Sit your ass back DOWN you are in no state, self-sacrifical hero much damn

And Marcille definitely noticed this imo, after all she loves learning all she can about him, remembering things like how he hates waiting on people too. She pays attention to him and what he does and what he says. This to say that it’s notable, whatever reason for it you may think (though we know by this point at least she was already aware he was an adult though it wasn’t internalized), out of everyone it’s Chilchuck’s bed that she wants to sleep in during the Golden Kingdom stay. He’s safe and comforting to her: dependable, the defining trait in her view of him as is shown by the relationship chart in the Adventurer’s Bible.

^ Lending handkerchiefs is a romance trope btw and handkerchiefs have irl history of being used for courting. Especially in old English literature and plays like Shakespeare’s Othello, and personally I do see a lot of Shakespeare in Dalclan (nobility political drama with some romance). There’s how his cowl is a dearly beloved souvenir from his family too, there’s a lot of aesthetic tropes you can apply to him.

All this to say you can 100% romanticize Chilchuck into a princely noble guy if you try and that’s exactly what Marcille does with the wife roleplay. She doesn’t need much in the first place, she latches onto crumbs and makes aesthetic narratives out of details, give her an inch she’ll take a mile.

But what’s interesting about the shift throughout the arc of her and his relationship is that she starts out idealizing him into a little angel of a kid (shapeshifter), and she ends it idealizing him as a virtuous husband and family man instead.

And what’s doubly interesting is that in the former, she’s actively warping who he is personality and demeanor wise to fit the aesthetic, he doesn’t have that bitter pride of not asking for help and the edges have been smoothened. But what she does during the wife roleplay is something else, she acknowledges the flaws and just… Accepts them, rolls with them. She’s aware of his flaws and implements them into the narrative, but the reason why his wife left doesn’t capitalize on them even, rather Chil is chilblivious and his wife loves him very much still, she’s just testing him after having had a night of feeling out of place at his side.

And this is what separates the idealization vs romanticization, she’s not twisting him into someone else she’s just uplifting what he is and focusing on the good sides.

Marcille: "he has a shitty personality sometimes but if he was my husband I’d still cherish him" "If I were your wife I’d be overjoyed to go out with you and would get myself prettied up while you complain about me taking a long time, your friends would tell me that I’m nice and that’d make me happy, but I’d also be sad because you wouldn’t tell me that you love me enough"

He’s angry and his wife left him, he’s *flawed*, but he’s still worth hyping up, still worth having his own romance story, still has a shot of winning back his beloved. She sees him for what he is, human and real and not a carefully scripted character that fits an aesthetic, and she thinks it’s still worthy of love and admiration and fighting for

And what’s funny too is that you might expect her to cool down on him once she learns more about him but actually she only gets increasingly into his business. You tell her your age and next thing you know you promise to introduce her to your family. Give her an inch she takes a mile. And too the thing is, Senshi is equally mysterious but she doesn’t pester him like at all, asks him ONCE about his succubus and he doesn’t even answer and that’s like… It. With Chilchuck it starts off innocently enough with her wanting to know his age, hometown, the stuff she mentions having asked pre-canon. But it just keeps and keeps going and escalating. Think she’ll be satisfied now knowing you have a wife and kids, maybe she’s disillusioned now? Wrong! She wants to know their names and ages and occupations and hey how did you propose to your wife? Do you think she’ll stop after meeting them? What’s next? What will she want to know next????

She’s… Like it’s not a reach that Marcille is all over him. Like it doesn’t mean it’s romantic but she just is. She is not normal about him idk. Can you not ask him about what tongue technique he used when first kissing his wife, give the man breathing room

Marcille could literally go "if I was Chilchuck’s wife" having deeply pondered and thought out the hypothetical and people would still ask where anyone sees any romantic potential between them. Oh wait

There’s a platonic explanation for everything (almost?) in Dungeon Meshi don’t say I’m saying otherwise, but it’s definitely not like there’s nothing here to read into lol

Going off a bit more under read bc it’s my fave topic

Marcille has a whole theme with the charming prince trope with her idealization and storybook motif and Chil is kinda the "Well someone perfect like that isn’t very realistic and romance is usually more complex and that’s ok and good and flawed people can still be ✨virtuous✨" catalyst

Do you see do you see she starts canon thinking the most romantic thing is a prince charming but her arc in the end has her romanticizing an average, flawed, real and realistic family man, who’s on the poorer side and is on the verge of divorce. And that’s what he needed, too, seeing the positive of himself and the situation instead of focusing on the negative is explicitly what inspires him to hope that he might be able to reconcile with his wife, gives him the courage and self-esteem to shoot his shot.

He IS a prince figure instead that now it’s not about idealizing the grand and overt it’s about romanticizing the small things in real life!! About finding joy and beauty in things that seem normal or mundane and uplifting them to make the world feel kinder!!!!

He’s the devoted virtuous man that she wantsss not the storybook prince that’s unrealistic and could crumble like a script at any time. He’s the perfect example of a flawed realistic but virtuous & devoted & loving man. Far from a prince charming, but not fully detached from it either. Something worth fighting for despite the flawed cracks. Like literally, flawed romance being worth fighting for is literally the finale of Chilchuck and Marcille’s arc on the matter, where their separate arcs and issues intersect at the most crucial moment.

Marcille is important to Chil’s arc not only because of her optimism, but also because of her interest and knowledge in romance & matters of the heart, and that’s what he needs to both open his heart up to hope and to try to reconcile with his wife, like idk sounds gay

Their arc together is literally learning to 1) see each other for how they are and not undermining their qualities capacities etc etc while still not leaving flaws unchecked either and 2) opening up to people. Marcille LITERALLY makes Chil open his heart up to hope like idk man. What do you want from me. He’s literally the guy helping her through deconstructing novels and fantasy and rose tinted glasses and like. Deconstructing the prince charming figure into something more real but still romantically beautiful like KUI KUI STOOOOP STOP I’M ALREADY HOOKED I’M ALREADY-

 Ok fine that’s me reading into the tropes too much forgive me for being storybook brained but like. Speaking his heart out to a lone woman on a balcony, Romeo and Juliette shit, asking if she, too, doesn’t want to meet his family, madly blushing. And like she’s learned with Chilchuck it’s all in the little things, all the implications he cannot speak aloud. She does reciprocate, does blush madly back, and the first thing she does is shower him in flowers and jewelry and what in her heart is coded as romantic gifts

A lady, stashed away in a high tower by her lonesome, waiting for someone to call out to her from below… Romeo courting type shit with an offer, a heartfelt spiel, implicit confession from underneath her balcony. Offering him flowers because he succeeded in calling out to her heart…….. And they have to climb to her too…. Crazy

Doesn’t it sound like a proposal. One that’s both so storybook-like and not, contrastedly real and grounded, all about the implications rather than in your face grand gestures, "Don’t you want to meet my family?". They literally have an arc about the topic of romance and this is the climax/pinnacle of it like god?? This is @ the woman who said "Chilchuck is a shy/bashful man so I know he wouldn’t tell me he loves me, but…" btw

To quote a friend, truly the shiny secret unlockable dating sim capture target : THE DUNGEON LORD BIT WAS SO FUNNY BECAUSE HE KNEW SHE'D TAKE IT HOOK LINE AND SINKER HES THE ONE WHO GOT HER TO TURN AROUND COMPLETELY SHES LIKE. WIDE EYED FLAG RAISED???? FLAG RAISED WITH CHILCHUCK 👀👀👀‼️👀👀‼️👀

And the way that this is the culmination of their arc together… Like people are not ready for the ‘Chil calling out to dunlord Marcille on the balcony has Romeo and Juliette romance novels imagery’ take. Or the ‘their arc is about growing to see beauty even in the non-idealized, in the flawed and in the real’ take which makes it so so perfect if she were to lower her ideal from a charming elven prince to a virtuous halfling man (which she does end up romanticizing)

So there, you got to witness in real time what happens when I think about marchil for longer than 2 minutes, there are so many layers it’s a deranged rabbithole. I saw the necronomicon of subtext and it’s driving me to madness with forbidden knowledge that no one else sees

……. Like what if I told you she implicitly picked Chilchuck over a "unrealistic prince charming who’s actually disingenuous" much earlier in the story already. If she was given the choice to think through going with a guy that seems perfect and chivalrous like her succubus she’d pick Chilchuck over the other actually. If I sound insane rn tune in for my full analysis on them coming this month hopefully thank youu. Interwoven arcs of fantasy vs reality and idealization vs pessimism I love youuu

So now you know the general thesis of my planned analysis about the importance of the prince charming figure in Marcille and Chilchuck’s arc, where she romanticizes things to a sometimes worrying degree or idealize people into something easy and digestible and poetic (like Chil being a kid, and then him being a virtuous ✨✨✨husband), and how she needs to value aesthetics less and actual acts and facts more, be more grounded (like seeing people for what they are flaws and all, and accepting that people need money and not pulling through on principles of honor or unity shouldn’t get Namari shamed) and a part of that is accepting that Chilchuck is BOTH flawed and virtuous, a loving husband that still has shitty moods and fumbled his marriage so bad etc etc. So it’s like, her image of perfect prince charming that will whisk you away on an ethereal romance -> realistic flawed middle aged dad with personality issues and a failing marriage but he still is worthy of love and having his cute grand romance story and his happy ending. Ik I keep repeating the same point through this but I need it to be burned into everyone’s brains it has its grip on me I can’t do this. They are so special……

[bugsbenefit]

genuinely still baffled by the "they don't need to address Mike's sexuality, all that matters is that he's in love with Will" crowd. especially when people say it who claim to care about Mike's character (when you could also just say you don't really care for that part of the show, which would be fine, no one cares about all characters/arcs)

because Surely you realize how him being gay or bi would change his entire character, right. whether he's attracted to girls or not would change the way all his actions up until now are to be interpreted. not even making a statement on his sexuality here, this is generally speaking

if he was actually attracted to El you'd have to address when and why he suddenly stopped loving El since in fiction "it just happened" isn't usually a satisfying answer to breaking a multi season couple up. Why is Will it for him? he's been acting weird for ages so when did he realize? and what made it click he fell out of love with El for good? you'd have to give some explanation for why he was able to proclaim his love for El accidentally in s3 and then fail to do it in the same season while looking uncomfortable with kissing her and so on since his pov was so majorly withheld

if he's not attracted to girls his arc in s5 needs to focus more on comphet and how dating El affected him/why he felt he couldn't break up with her/homophobic attitude in his surrounding slash Hawkins. or the idea of platonic and romantic love in general. there would be no how he got from point A(El) to point B(Will), like what the focus of a bi!Mike s5 arc would have to be on to explain what happened, but a focus on how he ended up at point A in the first place and why he was stuck there/how it affected him

and even core moments of the series would have entirely different meanings depending on if he's attracted to girls. "it's not my fault you don't like girls" being a peak example. if he's gay it's easy to explain it with projection. if he IS attracted to girls though it would read as a much more intentional (even if blurted out) act of homophobia, since it would be him pointing something out that Will genuinely does (not liking being around girls) but he himself can't relate to

and that's all just the surface level differences. Mike being attracted to girls or not being attracted to girls would give his arc an entirely different focus in s5. AS WELL as make his past actions have entirely different meanings. the idea that "it doesn't matter for his character" is so insanely wrong it's wild how many people confidently peddle it

[jesseisquick]

Hi, hello, just came here to say that I love your fic "trending in Japan". I was wondering if you had headcanons regarding Kenji or Emi or interpersonal relationships and stuff. Many hugs for you.

hi hello, thank you for the encouragement and hugs! After some thought ive realized I do in fact have some hcs about some of the character dynamics in the movie as well as just kenji himself, cause hes captivated my entire brain:

Kenji & Emi

Emi does not have teeth but she does inexplicably have a teething phase. kenji is forced to hide all his (salvaged) fancy cars in the garage bc the corvette's already been chewed to hell and his heart is gonna give out if he has to watch any more classics get wrecked

he reads her bedtime stories. A lot of aesop's fables, because theyre short and fun and hes trying to raise his monster daughter with good morals. emi goes hogwild for these but its unclear if she actually understands what hes saying; kenji's pretty sure she just likes the silly voices he uses for different characters

they go flying together! they go first thing in the morning before breakfast - it helps kenji shake off the grogginess of sleep and emi gets to stretch her wings. shes not able to go very far for very long initially, but as she grows and gets those cardio gainz she almost gets to be quicker than him. they have races and play air tag :)

while she doesnt have the vocal range to speak english herself, it becomes clear that emi does understand it well. (kenji also develops an ear for her chirping/squawks, though body language & facial expressions play a big part in communication for both of them) during her (much later) rebellious phase she'll simply pretend not to know what's being said when kenji is telling her to do something she doesn't wanna do, which frustrates him to no end

Kenji

developed a pretty massive chip on his shoulder after moving to the states. it wasn't just bitterness over his dad staying behind, though that was a part of it. this is canon but he was picked on in school for "how [he talked], how [he looked] and what [he ate]." he felt like he had something to prove to both his father and the world. he threw himself into sports - specifically baseball - and his academics, and he did so well that it forced everyone to shut up about how he was different from them and focus on how he was better than them

^ playing off this: kenji had a bonkers fucking yonkers routine when he was a kid/in highschool. he'd get up hours before school started to practice his swing, go for a ~1hr run, workout, study, etc. He'd go to school, come home, and do it all again. this is exaggerated but my point is that this kid was DETERMINED and had the discipline to see that determination through to the end

didnt have many friends because of all aforementioned things. he had acquaintances, and he was invited to parties and outings and stuff (never went), but he spent most of his free time hanging out with his mom. he never really had a "parents are so embarrassing" phase. he always liked to do anything with his mother: going to the bank, going grocery shopping, watching cheesy telenovelas till ungodly hours in the morning, etc. she was his no.1 supporter, confidant, and best friend

he played for his university's baseball team and got scouted at 19. his mom forced him to finish his bachelor's first so once he graduated with his degree in kinesiology at 21, he was drafted to the dodgers

Kenji & Ami

both of them, up until meeting each other, were totally dedicated to their career (and child) so they had basically 0 time for friends. theyre both borderline losers but theyre juuust good enough at what they do for people to admire them instead of finding them sad and lowkey pathetic

kenji is way more into the idea of being friends than ami is. hes pretty enthusiastic about it; he thinks that they have a kind of rapport, since they share a similar work ethic and are both (unbeknownst to ami) single parents. he calls her to chat abt random things. ami initially isnt superrrr into it; she thinks kenji is kinda lonely and desperate for human connection, & it isnt until her mom points out that she has not spoken to anyone outside of work-related reasons in 10+ years that shes like oh shit, i am also lonely and desperate for human connection. so she grudgingly acquires a friend. theyre both really bad at it

need to clarify that in my mind their dynamic is 95% kenji yapping about work and drama in his personal life (circumventing the 8m baby kaiju hes raising) while ami goes "mhm mhm" and takes notes until kenji notices and is like What are you doing. at which point ami is like...... right . nothing. im listening. and forces herself to put the notepad away. she has a hard time disengaging from the reporter mindset and just hearing something intriguing without turning it into an article. the other 5% are the rare moments where theyre connecting super well - ami's psychoanalyzing the hell out of whatever kenji just said and hes like what are you my therapist. over time she starts opening up to him, too, and eventually theyre comfortable enough to be having philosophical discussions over breakfast just for funsies

before kenji reveals that hes ultraman, ami thinks hes in a gang. he keeps showing up to their lunch "dates" with like bruised eyes and fractured bones and gets all shifty when she tries to ask about what happened. when she eventually confronts him about it, hes so offended that she thinks hed be involved in something like that that he tells her about being ultraman

thats about all i can think of rn, though im sure ill think of more after rotating all the characters in my head for a while. thanks again for stopping in, i appreciate the support :)

[muirmarie]

Me: I joke about writing the same McCoy centric story over and over again in different ways

Me: and like. I love doing it and imma keep doing it because it makes me happy.

Me: but also. I do sometimes wonder if it's like. A little Much.

Me: like maybe I should branch out or something

Me: [reads another fundamental and extremely insulting misread of McCoy's character by someone who is clearly making a Choice to cast McCoy as the villain, because they have to get him out of the way of spirk, because they're too???? idk immature??? to realize that even when you're in a relationship with one person, other ppl can and SHOULD still be important to you]

Me: lmao I hope I AM too much actually!!!! I hope it is 100% obnoxious how much I love that doctor!!!!! Time to write more versions of the same story of McCoy being forced to realize that he is loved and cared for!!!!!!

Me: I KNOW MY NICHE AND IMMA DIE IN THAT NICHE, THANKS

[hephaestuscrew]

Thinking about the protective way Clara tells Fleet not to go into DeVries' dangerous-looking training set-up, and about how when Septimus mentions Fleet's friend Fleet's immediate assumption is that he must mean Clara, and about "This is Miss Clara Entwhistle, my partner - in business, my business partner." / "I'm also his friend, but he doesn't like to say it.", and about how Fleet rarely smiles but he smiles to himself at Clara having a good idea (and Clara notices the change in his expression), and about how Clara is trying to work out Fleet's birthday through a process of elimination, and about how Fleet tries twice to shut down the conversation with Frances Byrne that's making Clara uncomfortable, and about how panicked and angry he sounds after realising she's been poisoned...

[charlesemersonwinchesteriii]

Ignore all logistical considerations of "would they ever meet each other under these circumstances". If you don't think Jules Bashir would have chosen to join Starfleet, imagine he is on the station for some other reason, or they meet in some other location.

I wanted to make this poll because I've seen various fics where Garak reassures Julian that far from being upset over him being augmented, Garak is grateful for it, either explicitly because (he thinks) they wouldn't be able to have their usual conversations if it weren't for the augmentations, or simply because he likes Julian "just the way he is" and wouldn't want him to be "different". I disagree that Garak would think like this (or at the very least, I think Julian would react negatively if he did, rather than be reassured), so I wanted to hear everyone else's thoughts.

[karezaru]

higashi's probs the only one i genuinely enjoy shipping yagami with, mlm-wise. whatever the hell's going on with them? i need more of it

[s-ccaam-era-crepe]

Kelly and Sam are the most ‘good luck babe’ ever and in this essay I will-

[jils-things]

i know me and my friends tend to joke a lot over how red is (hc) huge and how hes basically caked up and down 😭😭but that genuinely comforts me because i can hug someone and feel super warm and comfy (aka chest lol) but i mean this in the most wholesome way i promise asdkaldkadjak <3333🥺

[likedbyuarmyhope]

me when i make a spreadsheet of every single bts song (from group albums) and assign each song a category based on theme/message and then calculate how many songs are in each category and what total percentage of bts songs each category makes up