#it's very important to me that they're not romantic or platonic but a secret third thing

[vaguely-concerned]

on the one hand I think inner demons could stand to have a bit more romanced rook specific content, but on the other hand the underlying in-built implication that 'yours is the one true voice of comfort and safety in my inner world' is a sentiment and intimacy so way beyond the romantic or the platonic or any secret third thing you could care to name that it makes me lose my entire poor little mind a bit. it's so big and fundamental — near-existential — that in that exact moment at least the distinctions kind of seem irrelevant.

all the people lucanis' mind conjures up along the way are relationships he has that are unavoidably mixed and fraught in some ways even when they're also full of love (they are fraught BECAUSE they're full of love) — the good in them inseparable from things that hurt him at the same time. (it's about: the basic disorganized attachment patterns this poor guy is dragging around with him. careful with those, they're dellamorte heirlooms. what you love also inevitably hurts you and you won't be allowed to have one without the other, you have to surrender parts of your soul to hold on to what little you have left: this is the story up until now.) and the idea that rook isn't that to him — that beneath the fear of wanting them when romanced (which is more its own separate thing because within this psychology, actively wanting something and not just clinging on for dear life to even a meager status quo lest you lose it is in itself dangerous bordering on catastrophic), this is a relationship where there isn't resentment, or guilt, or shame, or dread, or rage, or self-hate, or any of the other emotions that keep him paralyzed, unable to move this way or that. no debts, nothing owed of yourself and your soul's substance except what you can freely and safely and happily give. love and freedom don't coexist — but, I mean, you're almost starting to make me think........... unless...👀👀👀. the unconditional and undramatic 'you are here and I am here with you, you can be exactly how you are right now with me and it's safe for us both even though you're afraid it won't be, I'm not going anywhere' acceptance rook shows him here that he returns to them in the big romance scene, when it's rook who needs it. the way he's just. standing there in the center of it all, like a child desperately helplessly waiting to be found, hiding in the place he hopes you'll know to look first. (rook does know. it's one of the first things they say in there.)

in short the most important room in his little mind palace for the romance is the very first room — the one where rook isn't. where, in fact, rook cannot be, because they disprove the entire structure of the place with their existence and presence in his life. with everyone else he's putting words in their mouths about what they think of him, and rook is the one who actually gets to come in to speak their own words to him — and have him listen. ('he'll listen to you, he always listens to you', 'your voice is a comfort'.) of course rook isn't present anywhere else in there — at the risk of stating the obvious to a tedious degree, they aren't one of the locks, they're bringing the key. in the very finest 'the messenger and the message' sort of way.

[gardenofearthlydelightss]

I've been thinking of post-crash lottienat too much recently. They're fresh out of high school with nowhere to go. They're still traumatised from the crash and have nobody but each other. They live in a tiny little dilapidated apartment right next to a railway. Nat works in the little corner store two floors below while Lottie stays at home sewing and reading dusty old hardback books all day. They're domesticated and monotonous and completely codependent and I love them.

[little-devil-town]

they are so important to me,,

[tommyssupercoolblog]

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

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

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

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

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

[silverthefarmer]

so, Elliott and Leah

i really like them as a purely platonic friendship where they both just naturally drifted together due to their similarities (newcomers to town, both artistic and trying to "make it", both like nature, both prefer being on their own), and from what i can gather, that's how a large chunk of fans see them

and there are a significant amount of people who like them together romantically (most of them are on Reddit), which makes sense as they are each other's "counterpart." i'm not WILD about it but i get that the same things that make them good friends can be seen that way. if i see some cute fanart i wouldn't hate it

but i'm here today because i would like to suggest... a secret third thing

i'm here to confess, i'm sort of starting to get really attached to the idea of Elliott having some sort of unrequited feelings for Leah

it just makes sense to me? we know he's a romantic. we know he's secretly pretty lonely. Elliott is very sweet, but i can totally see him as- i say this in the most judgement-neutral way i can manage- the kind of guy who has difficulty seperating platonic and romantic feelings when it comes to women. it's like... you know, society. but also a thing that pops up when you base your worldview around romance novels

it's a mix of things, you know? loneliness, social norms based on heteronormativity, being "in love with love." in my ideal situation of Leah gently turning him down, it's very easy to see her saying that Elliott is too "in love with love" and mixing up his own feelings

and i can see it either way. maybe Elliott is not quite getting his own feelings, maybe he is geninuely a little in love with her. but either way, when he gets turned down by Leah, i think he would take it roughly. not because he resents her- quite the opposite. he immediately gets that this makes things very awkward for her, and that's the very last thing in the world he wants. he knows about Kel. he doesn't want to be another source of pain for her (not realizing that part of the reason Leah likes him so much is how at ease she feels around him)

i think Leah is mature enough to not hold it against him, but i still think their friendship would be a little strained for some time. they still meet up and enjoy each other's prescence, but there's a sense of distance that wasn't there before... luckily i think they're both "experienced" enough to be able to grow past it with time. still, i think Elliott would secretly be pretty guilty about it for some time even after Leah has basically forgotten about it, because he wouldn't be his drama king self if he didn't beat himself up about it lol

i like to think that the farmer's arrival helps both of them to finally get back to how things were before, whether because one of them starts dating them, or because the farmer's friendship helps them to get "oh, even though i've made another friend i've realized our friendship is really important to me, and what happened isn't nearly enough to ruin it"

as time goes by i really find myself so drawn to these kinds of relationships lol. unrequited love -> friendship... "it could have been, but it didn't happen, but ultimately, that's okay." it's so deliciously melancholy and sweet and interesting to me!! ahh!

....... what if... i wrote something. hm. put a pin in that

[fanfic-inator795]

Bad Guys 2 spoilers

Don't read if you haven't seen the leak yet

Okay, so... for as much as I did - AND STILL VERY MUCH DO - ship Wolf and Snake... I think I may be in the minority here in that I don't necessarily mind Snake having a girlfriend in the sequel.

a) the books already hinted at Doom having feelings for Snake, so it makes sense they'd want to expand on that here

b) they already have a fun dynamic, and even if Doom isn't still an edgy goth crow like she was in the books, as long as she's still fairly sardonic, I could see why her and Snake would get along well

and c) so far at least, it seems like the film's going to be treating their romance as a pretty comedic element (and tbf, I did laugh at their kiss and the Bad Guys' reactions to it)

As for Wolf and Snake - again, if we look at the books, for as much as they both have other relationships (whether they be with other friends or with their respective love interests - or, in Snake's case, manipulator) - they still very much see each other as THE most important person in their life.

If you'll excuse me for being a tad cringe, I personally sort of think of them as like Meredith and Christina from "Grey's Anatomy" - they're each other's Person. Someone they'll always be there for, ride or die, no matter what. They're partners through and through, basically that Secret Third Thing between 'platonic' and 'romantic' that's still just as important as being best friends or lovers.

Given that they're bringing in a space ship (which implies they may get into the stuff that happens in the middle books) frankly, as long as they show Wolf and Snake caring about each other and being willing to still save one another, I'm able to accept them also having romantic relationships with Diane and Doom respectively.

Honestly, just give me a scene where Snake helps calm Wolf down, or where he calls Wolf "The best thing that's ever happen to me," and we're golden.

[fourleafclovxr]

Hi!

I really love reading the SGE writing you publish on here, and I enjoy when you mention August Sader. I think he deserved more attention in the actual series and I'm so sad we don't hear more of him in Canon.

What do you think about Callis and August (as a pairing), and how did you get inspiration for the Rafal/August writing you did? It's an interesting relationship I don't see too often.

Anyways, reading your writing almost every day here makes my day, especially after stressful ones. You really bring the characters and stories to life!

thank you!! i'm glad you like whatever i have going on haha

i don't mind august/callis as a pairing (i shipped it for a while!), but i personally view them as having more of a (queer)platonic relationship. not friends, not lovers, but a secret third thing, so to speak. i imagine august has an odd relationship with the concept of romance, but that will have to be another post because it would make this answer WAY too long and it already is long.

in the canon world, i always see them as having this layer of distance yet odd connection between them - they're coparenting agatha (i firmly believe in father figure!sader), they were coworkers for an unspecified period of time (okay soman's timeline is kind of wack but i also firmly believe in the professor coworker dynamics), callis is a character in the most important lesson/tale sader will ever tell... it's like something ties them together. they play the same role in the narrative from opposite sides. sort of. that parallel is something i really, really like!

in modern AUs, or any other AU where they don't have that complicated bit of history behind them, i prefer to think of them as close friends/best friends/secret third thing... two people who mesh together really well, who care for each other. i don't think it has to be romantic but i can definitely see how it could be!

as for rafal/august: oh gosh. okay. unfortunately, i sometimes have a soft spot for toxic mlm relationships... this particular one came about when i was writing an Evil!sader AU a few years ago that i eventually scrapped. in the AU, rafal was interested in the concept of a Seer who was Evil specifically, but that idea stuck with me because, yeah, why wouldn't rafal be interested in him anyway? isn't august's Sight eminently valuable to him and his ambitions? even canonically? from there it extended to rafal being interested in august, as a person, as far as my characterisation of august separates his personhood from him being a Seer. (that is to say: very little. whoops) like. it doesn't have to be romantic, again, but it has to be INCREDIBLY toxic.

one thing i like about the rafal/august dynamic, i believe that august is one of the few people who is genuinely on rafal's level in any sense at all, because of his Sight. in my head this is like: no one knows who rafal is except for august... no one knows what rafal's plans are except for august... and no one, not even rafal, knows how he's going to die (the first time) except for august, because he's going to kill him...

there are a few lines from AWWP that contributed a LOT to my august/rafal truthing - i think there's just something about the sense of familiarity between them, the private meeting where rafal supposedly kept himself distant (this might be wrong please correct me), rafal almost defending august against his sister even when she's insisting august will kill him (and the part about 'swear on my life' to link to that)... yeah.

[tommykinard]

Serious question, no hate or anything but why are so many people convinced that Ryan and Oliver would love for buddie to happen? Because everything they said sounds quite like the opposite, especially from Ryan. He said the same thing since 2019, he wants to portray this vulnerable, close, platonic friendship/bromance without it turning romantic. He also said he doesn’t even see or play Eddie as gay. And Oliver also said he doesn’t even know if he would actually want it to happen. Which means he doesn’t even think about it actually happening. Sure they love the (non toxic) fans and their love for the characters but I really don’t think they’re dying for buddie to happen. They always say they’re open to it if that’s what Tim decides and if it doesn’t come off as fanservice. But they know exactly it could never be anything but fanservice if it happens. And even if they absolutely wouldn’t want it to happen, they couldn’t say it or else they get called homophobic. So what is it that makes people believe they want Buddie to be canon?

Okay so I'm gonna answer assuming this was sent in good faith, but I really don't like the putting of words in people's mouths and also this extremism re: :they never said that", "this will never happen", etc.

I can only speak for myself, not for anyone else in fandom and definitely not for Ryan or Oliver since I don't know these people personally and I can only assume that you don't either. And as much as we joke about them being unhinged and out of PR jail and whatever, we have to remember these people are professionals who have been in the industry a long time and know how to interact with journalists and press because it's their job. They're never going to outright confirm or deny anything, they can only speak to what material they're given in the moment. As of right now, buddie is a vulnerable, close, platonic friendship. Neither of them have any reason to suggest otherwise. Also please remember that they are actors, they don't write for the show, yes they can offer input into the storylines but they cannot definitively change the trajectory of the show. Sorry anon, but Ryan and Oliver saying that they don't know the future of buddie does not mean they "don't even think about it happening". You don't know what they think, I don't know what they think, so let's stop with these extreme assumptions.

Also "they're not dying for buddie to happen"? I never said that they were. I said that from everything I've seen, I can tell that Ryan and Oliver know their characters and love their characters better than anyone in this fandom ever could. And understanding and loving Eddie means knowing the full depth of how much he loves Buck, whether that be platonic or romantic or some secret third thing. Same goes for Buck. I think if it goes the romantic route, Ryan and Oliver would have a blast getting to explore and portray another aspect to the buddie dynamic. If it doesn't go there, I think they would still knock it out of the park with how they portray a very important relationship in these characters lives, and I think they would still have a blast with it, like they've been doing this whole time. But again, I don't know them and I could be wrong, I'm just going off of the bare minimum info I have.

As for "they know it could never be anything but fanservice", did they tell you that? I've seen time and time again how this show surpasses expectations, I for one did not want an Eddie cheating with Shannon's doppleganger arc when it was speculation, but the show surprised me with how much I liked the way they did it. Same goes for buddie, if you think it can only ever be fanservice, just give them a chance to maybe surprise you. Ryan and Oliver are gonna get shit on no matter what they say in interviews. If they talk about buddie too much and hint about it being romantic, they're going to get accused of queerbaiting. If they don't talk about buddie at all or keep emphasizing that buddie is platonic, they're going to be called homophobic. It's a lose lose situation.

And another thing? Interviews are not word of god. This fandom (and any fandom) needs to stop placing so much weight on them. They're a fun behind the scenes look into the conversations and decisions surrounding different scenes and storylines, but that's it. Personally, I don't care what Ryan or Oliver might feel about buddie. It's fun seeing them be supportive of it, sure, but they could outright say that it was never going to happen and I wouldn't care, because they're not the writers or showrunners, what they say in an interview has no impact on the show. A lot of people weren't there or have forgotten when Tim made comments about how much he loved Taylor Kelly and wanted to pursue more journalist storylines, or when he said Eddie would have no PTSD after the shooting. So even if Tim confirmed or denied buddie in an interview? It means nothing bc it didn't occur in the show. We'll all find out whether Ryan and Oliver wanted buddie to happen or not if/when it does happen, or when the show ends. Until then just stay along for the ride or hop off if you're not having a good time.

[qprsmackdown]

Smajor and Cleo (Life Series) vs Clown and Reddoons (Lifesteal)

Smajor and Cleo propaganda: the gimmick of double life was that every player was bound to a soulmate who they share a health bar with, and cleo and scott said “mmm no we’re actually soulmates with each other our soulmates didn’t put in effort” they live together and are very gaslight gatekeep girlboss in my humble opinion. they also have the innate tragedy of outliving your partner, as everyone else died with their soulmates. Literally platonic chosen soulmates, in Double Life they break up with their assigned soulmates and choose each other instead. They are so important to me. Each series they're always friends or allies. And their alliances are like "let's be together after our husbands die" or "let's be each other's soulmates". They're also very queer sir.

Clown and Reddoons propaganda: not romantic not platonic but a secret third thing. i think theyre funny.

[tricksteroftheheart]

OHHH I WIN. Get seaglass'd

No bc I can talk so much about both of them and their relationship and how they're literally made for each other (whether you view it platonically, romantically, or a secret third thing idk) bc of their respective issues n personalities

They r so vv important to me even beyond me being Glisten and caring for Finn on a personal level :3

You have basically single-handedly made me care for Finn besides 'his gameplay is okay and he's a funny character trope' I am glad you're proud of yourself /lh I also didn't really ship you (Glisten) with anyone until very very recently and I wonder what that ship could be. Hm. Hmmmm /lh

[errorryx]

i haven't written anything in a while, but i'm still proud of some of my old one-shots. i'll link the fics with the least hits—one about pearl and cleo, and two about scarian. i used to really like playing around with relationship ambiguity, because it was (and is) a lot more interesting to me than the strictly platonic or strictly romantic relationships i wrote about in my dream smp days. they're all pretty short, easy reads.

the lamb & the knife is set in limited life and serves as an in-universe explanation for the gem-and-lizzie incident of session six. it's a little creepy, a little silly, and very reliant on the power of implication.

the synonym of companion is based around a seemingly innocuous multiple-choice question on a vocabulary quiz. it's a series of little snippets flashing back and forth between third life and double life, as grian tries to figure out whether or not he should trust scar with a very important secret.

the part when they kiss is exactly what it sounds like. i've never cared for writing or reading stories with a big, climatic kiss at the end, so i wrote it to interrogate the unquestioned obligation of these scenes. i prefer not to label these things, but you can easily interpret grian as being some flavor of aromantic, if you like.

you can also find these fics on tumblr, in my personal writing tag. i assume most people prefer reading fic on ao3, but if you enjoy my writing, i think it would be pretty cool if you reblogged it, or left me a comment.

you know what I haven’t seen going around in a while, and could use some of myself? fic recs! so, consider this both a rec and a self-promo post: recommend some fics to me in the reblogs and I’ll reblog your recs! in general, try to include both a summary and why you’re reccing it (whether it’s a self-promo or someone else’s), and let’s get some eyes on fics!

[nin-jay-go]

hiya! destiny aaaand bruise! -zaptrap

OH BOY DO I HAVE THOUGHTS ABOUT THESE TWO

yayyy geode got a bingo! (i dont like calling it bruise so i use the alt name lol)

geode was like. my first official ninjago ship. i had it canon from back in 2017 when i was literally 14 dfjghdkjfghd and now i'm 20 and they're still in my brain rent free <3 they're like an old married couple to me. they've been together for years and argue and fight but love each other endlessly through everything ;w;

also cole fell first and jay fell harder <3 cole kept it all bottled up for the longest time and jay fell in love and didn't know how to handle it so he just. was jay about it jdfhgkjdhfg you know how he gets <3

as for destiny i have to preface it with my usual disclaimer: i only ship it in the context that a) it's Very Complicated (i usually just put them as a qpr for easy labeling) and b) mostly shipped if the kai-lloyd sibling relationship is not as direct as canon, so the garmajiang family thing isn't Too weird about it

they're not romantic they're not platonic they hate each other they can't imagine life without the other they see themselves in their own reflections they want to kill each other they know that if they had gone just a bit to the other side they would swap places. they are absolutely everything to me you don't understand

froths at the mouth. basically they're a secret third thing in shipping to me. aka they're soulmates but in the way that a magnet is a soulmate between its two ends. they repel each other and want each other dead but they're very important to me to pair together. their love language is biting each other i think

[somebody-909]

Stalkyoo After the Formal (pt.1) - Role Reversal and Yeong-Gi's Denial of His Feelings

The black and white formal acts as a turning point in Shin-ae and Yeong-gi’s relationship, establishing their friendship and giving them moments of romantic tension.

It all leads to the emotional finale on the hospital balcony, where Yeong-gi first feels genuine romantic feelings for Shin-Ae.

This analysis looks at key moments that show how Shin-ae and Yeong-gi’s relationship changes after the formal arc — displaying emerging romantic feelings, and why their roles seemed to have reversed: it is now Yeong-gi who is hesitant to get any closer to Shin-ae, and she is the one eager to connect with him.

Ep. 75 | Elevator - Why the awkwardness and melancholy?

When Yeong-gi first sees Shin-ae after the balcony he seems quite... polite and distanced. He doesn’t act like the Yeong-gi of the past at all. He doesn't joke around with her like he used to... He doesn't smile or act friendly and he awkwardly turns away after looking at her.

He only smiles in the first panel, and his expression is… complicated. Note his soft smile, slightly closed eyes and slightly furrowed brows.

It's a soft, fond but slightly melancholic look.

This mixed expression is caused by genuine fondness for the person it’s for, with the additional tension and slight melancholy/sadness caused by the fact that this fondness is unspoken. This Look™, is the first expression he gives her after the balcony.

(But if I’m speaking more subjectively, this is the look people give those they love, but where it is unspoken. The melancholy associated with the expression makes it less likely to be purely platonic in nature — platonic friendships don’t often have this sense of something hidden and unspoken, and more often have relatively straightforward reciprocal affection. The romantic nature is also emphasized since The Look™ is being given to someone Yeong-gi has known for only a few weeks/months.)

At the least, this unspoken fondness may explain why Yeong-gi seems so awkward afterward:

He senses a difference in their feelings towards each other (he feels this because he is somewhat aware of the true nature of his, but Shin-ae is not/would not be at this stage)

He does not appreciate the nature of these feelings and does not want to entertain them (for reasons mentioned in my balcony analysis)

Shin-Ae also notices his odd demeanour and tells him she thought he'd be more excited - Yeong-gi's behaviour is purposefully shown to be different now. It's hard to imagine this is the same guy who'd joke around, easily and outwardly showing his joy to be around Shin-ae.

In Ep. 78, Yeong-gi is called by Shin-ae after she’s forced late when Dieter passes out. He has The Look™ while speaking to her. (Notably, Yeong-gi only has this look when they are not directly looking at each other). When Yeong-gi picks her up, he seems awkward once again… especially due to seeming like a third wheel in Shin-ae and Dieter's budding relationship.

He has The Look™ in images 1, 2, and 4. And in image 3, he seems very awkward being with Shin-Ae and Dieter. (I'd argue his expression also shows displeasure — he slightly, and under-the-surface, doesn't like what's happening).

Ep. 85 | A Bear and Allergies - Compassion, but only at a distance

After Shin-ae’s sister invades her home and Shin-ae calls over the bois, she is obviously quite unnerved and uneasy. Yeong-gi immediately recognizes this and in aims of comforting her, tells Dieter to give her a hug (which he is unable to do without freaking out so he gives Shin-ae a hug using a bear as proxy).

Yeong-gi understands how Shin-ae feels and wants to comfort her, but instead of doing this himself (eg. by talking to her, giving her a pat on the shoulder, etc...), he tells Dieter to. Although he's being a good wingman, there’s an interesting sense of Yeong-gi making sure to keep his distance, even if he wants to be there for her.

When Shin-ae notices Yeong-gi’s allergic reaction (which they think may be a fever), she reaches to touch his forehead to gauge his temperature — he quickly declines and moves her hand aside.

In my black and white formal analysis, I discuss the motif of distance and how it’s seen in Shin-ae and Yeong-gi’s dynamic — and how it’s represented through touch and their hands. Characters who want to connect emotionally will also show physical signs they do (like extending your hand to someone). Emotional connection often requires characters to physically be present together as well. Characters who want to avoid connection avoid touch and keep their distance.

Here, Shin-ae shows a desire to “reach” Yeong-gi by helping him, and this is reflected when she extends her hand and reaches to touch his forehead. A refusal of her touch in this case is also a refusal of her help and her attempt to connect to him. Shin-ae shows some slight discomfort at this – it was a harmless attempt to help him, but he doesn’t want her to.

Yeong-gi follows with an explicit verbal refusal:

“Again, you don’t have to worry about me… You just had your home broken into, you need to put yourself before me, alright?”

This is fitting with Yeong-gi’s overarching character arc — he has an extremely low sense of self-worth that prevents him from accepting others’ concern. Him telling Shin-ae to put herself before him also fits his thinking: that those he cares about are more important than him, Shin-ae included. And it doesn’t matter if what she actually wants is to help him.*

*This is an interesting trait of Yeong-gi's... despite caring deeply for Shin-Ae, he undermines her intelligence and wishes by not accepting her affection for him, and carefully controlling how close she gets. Although born from insecurity, it is also, fascinatingly, covertly manipulative.

Ep. 85-6 | Bills - I care about you

Yeong-gi asks Shin-ae if she is able to get to where she is staying for the night and she gives him more information than he asks for, showing new emotional vulnerability. He notices this and gives her The Look™ — he appreciates that she is now more open to him.

When Yeong-gi sees her overdue bills, he makes sure to let her know that her financial struggles do not determine her worth and anyone who tells her otherwise isn’t worth her time.

“Remember you’ve always got someone to lean on with your friends, okay?”

His spiel is incredibly heartwarming, and we can understand that he states these things from his own heart. However, he keeps it impersonal, stating "your friends" (not “me” or “us”) and instead allowing Shin-Ae to define whether he fits under that category as well. Yeong-gi is no longer trying to assert his friendship anymore.

After opening up more in response and letting the boys take her to the hospital to stay with her father, she removes the "Stalker" in Yeong-gi's contact name in her phone, showing development in their relationship since they first met and a large difference in how she sees him now — they're friends, and she thinks so too.

Ep. 89 | Insolence, but only for Shin-ae (and only in secret) & a Kousuke/Yeong-gi parallel

After learning of Shin-Ae's etiquette classes, Yeong-gi enters Kousuke’s office, specifically to start trouble with him. Yeong-gi is shown to try his best lately to obey his family members (namely his father), but once again we see how he is fine with starting trouble, even if it costs him, if it's for those he cares about — despite Kousuke reminding Yeong-gi of the repercussions of getting in trouble with their father, Yeong-gi doesn’t back down.

Kousuke: “You know you’re only going to anger father if he catches you being indolent.”

Yeong-gi: “I don’t give a crap if he finds out.”

Yeong-gi then aggressively asks him about the classes Kousuke put her in:

Kousuke: “It’s for her own good.”

Yeong-gi: “What do you mean, her own good?”

Kousuke: “... She’s the worst employee I’ve ever seen, so I signed her up for classes to fix her issues.”

Yeong-gi: “Have you ever voiced your concerns… tell her what she can improve upon? … She may have her flaws, but she’s a lot more capable than you think!”

Kousuke: “I’m preparing her for what’s to come her way in the future.”

Yeong-gi: “You don’t even know if she wants this career for her future! Everytime I see her, she’s miserable. Like she wants to leave. She’s uncomfortable!”

In my black and white formal analysis, I discuss how there are multiple instances— where Yeong-gi and Kousuke, as well as how they affect Shin-Ae, are purposefully contrasted — and this is paralleled here.

Consistently in these instances, (although Kousuke’s intentions are often good) Yeong-gi is shown to be the one who best understands Shin-Ae. At the very least, Yeong-gi is shown here to care for Shin-Ae enough to confront his brother and potentially face the wrath of his father, despite trying especially hard to be in their good graces recently.

However, it is important to note — Yeong-gi goes out of his way to ensure his intentions of helping Shin-ae are indirect and she does not know. Instead, he tries to help her in roundabout ways, secretly.

Yeong-gi does not want his good intentions to reach her.

Conclusions

Yeong-gi displays a notable difference in how he acts, especially around Shin-ae. His new emerging feelings conflict his insecurities, resulting in a standoffish Yeong-gi who is secretive in his affection, and calculatingly tries to distance himself from Shin-ae. But... this isn't what he truly wants, and is instead, another form of self-sabotage.

However, as time goes on, Yeong-gi cannot keep this facade up indefinitely... and he's occasionally caught off guard, giving us glimpses into what he truly feels.

[mintchochipkookie]

For the Fandom ask: Merlin (if you haven't already answered for it).

Hi hi hi! There's been a sudden increase in Merlin edits on my dash and I've been so nostalgic for the show but it's been so long since I watched it. These answers are gonna be solely based on vague memories and ✨emotions✨ that have stuck around for 10 years.

my favorite female character Really the only 2 who got any focus were Gwen and Morgana and I love both of them. Morgana had a lot more going on in general and I think her character journey was interesting, but I think they could've added more nuance to it. Because of that I'll probably go with Gwen. She is a lil ray of sunshine who deserves everything good in this world. She's so sweet and awkward and loyal, but is a strong queen in her own right and you know what? Good on them for ending the show with her on the throne. One thing I'm still upset about is the lack of Morgana/Gwen interaction or relationship exploration, post S3?????

my favorite male character I think this one's gonna come down to the 2 leads as well, but I've never been able to decide on just one tbh. They both really are two sides of the same coin and their characters have SO much overlap. Based on nothing but sympathy, I'm gonna pick Merlin because I think he went through a lot more pain and suffering and shouldered all his responsibilities in secret. He didn't do it for any reason besides protecting his best friend and also he is a good boy. (Arthur is a very good boy too, don't get me wrong.)

my favorite season Ummmm I think S3 or 5? My memory is kinda foggy, but I generally love the third season of a show lol it's just a thing. But it's also when a lot changes and things get going sooo

my favorite episode Oh there's a few that I always remember and will rewatch when I need to smile. A Servant of Two Masters is one of those cuz they're just such dorks omg. I also really like The Death Song of Uther Pendragon?? And I really loved every time Lancelot was on, it's a shame he barely got any time on the show. 😢

my favorite cast member Look Merlin was during the peak of my Tumblr geeking days and I just really really love Bradley and Colin's relationship, and I'm not picking one.

my favorite ship I'm gonna say Merthur even tho idk how I ship them. It's mostly platonic for me, but idk, like their relationship is definitely really intense. However you want to interpret it, Merlin/Arthur is the heart of the show and is the most important one. I also liked Arthur/Gwen and Lancelot/Gwen was kinda cute too.

a character I’d die defending Is there anyone to defend? Who is out here hating on any of these sweet babies? They're all great, I'd defend any of them in a heartbeat.

a character I just can’t sympathize with Uther, FUCK that guy.

a character I grew to love I don't think there was anyone who I didn't really like you know. I think maaaybe Gwaine, just cuz I ended up liking him a lot more than I did initially.

my anti otp Again, nothing in canon that's too weird, but Merlin/Gwen. I refuse to ship them romantically at all, I loveee their friendship.

Send me a fandom ask!