#make them not platonic not romantic but the secret third option???

[i-put-the-ayyy-in-asexual]

How many times will Neil Gaiman create an immortal queer-platonic-partnership, bc idk how many more I can take

[dotcie]

for the tag game i ran here as fast as i could

please tell me everything about the farah and alex drabble

It's supposed to become a Drabble about Alex's choice to stay with Farah and his seemingly effortless devotion to her and her cause! :')

When the call comes on [...], you stay calm. You tell your partner: “My brother is dying, I have to fly to Urzikstan,” and leave before the clock hits midnight.  You try not to be shocked about the state he is in, or the woman at his side cradling his hand. “I’m Farah,” she says, sleep in her eyes. “Alex told me much about you.” 

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

*throws this at you at the speed of sound and runs away* I just want you to know how unwell your description of fantasy Wally and Home makes me. An intimate relationship with no fathomable label!?!!?!!! One of them is a creature/demon of void!?!!!!!??? They love each other but not quite romantic maybe not platonic but perhaps a secret third option!?!?!!!!! :DDDD!! ANYWAY! here ya go!

Plus an uncovered version

Took an artistic liberty or two for style, hope you don’t mind

[asheepinthenight]

Talon’s End - Demo

DEMO | DEMO ALT (github) | EXTRAS

Latest update: 12/30/23

Talon's End is a fantasy interactive fiction game about transformation, growth, duty, and love in its many forms. It is written with an adult audience in mind and contains some darker themes, but the demo does not contain any explicit content and should be appropriate for ages 16+. The age rating may change for the full version. Please check CWs when starting the game!

You were never destined to marry for love.

As the third child of the Earl of Eastthorn, your purpose is to marry to your family's advantage, but after one failed engagement already, your prospects are less than promising. So when the Crown calls upon you to infiltrate the lair of an Elven sorcerer in search of a powerful magical weapon, the offer is too good for your family to refuse.

But leaving your respectable home to marry an immortal being of immense power quickly puts you in uncharted territory. Between your secretive, disagreeable spouse and their labyrinthine spire infested with strange creatures, your mission to uncover their secrets is risky from the start. But as you come to know both your partner and your new home at Talon's End, you discover terrors and wonders unlike anything you've known–and the true price of your mission.

Characters and features below the cut:

Hawk (gender-selectable m/f/nb)

Ancient, inscrutable, and ornery, Hawk is your immortal Elven spouse. They are a being of few words, and those words are often less than friendly. You're taking your life into your hands coming to live in their tower and spy on them. But are they perhaps kinder than they let on? Or are they just as dangerous as they first appear?

Shea (gender-selectable m/f/nb)

Shea is the outgoing and kindhearted owner of the general store in town. Through their regular deliveries to Hawk's tower, they've gotten to know Hawk- -and now, you. They seem eager to make you feel welcome in your new home. But do they have other motives? Or is their compassion genuine?

Current demo features:

Player character with customizable gender, pronouns, romantic/physical attraction, etc.

Relationships with Hawk and Shea can be romantic, platonic, physical, or a combination; plus, a poly triad option!

Options to explore the player character's gender and attraction beyond initial choices

Choice-heavy (not stat-heavy) story with narration that adapts to your MC's personality

Achievements for doing silly (and cool) things

Upcoming features:

Option to bypass mentions of societal bigotry

Additional codex and story journal entries

More detailed character profiles

[magpod-confessions]

Daisyelias is a ship I dislike. It doesn't make sense to me for those two to have a romantic or platonic relationship. HOWEVER, it would make sense to me for them to have a sort of predator/prey dynamic, a game they keep going for a variety of reasons.

Basically,

Shipped, not romantically or platonically, but a secret third option: hunt.

.

[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

[variousqueerthings]

i do think one of the things i really enjoy about nu!who is that so many of the doctor's relationships are either established to be -- or retroactively written as in the case of some classic!who returning characters -- Super Intense in a way that cannot be quite nailed down. that ambiguity is key to my enjoyment

some of this is because of nu!who playing alloromantic-chicken -- that is, they kinda wanna do something sexy and romantic, which they see as functionally the same thing, but they veer off to the left at the last second every time (which, fascinating to analyse on its own) -- but that just means that these relationships take on a fascinating tinge of not romantic not platonic but a secret (queer) third thing that is heightened because of the science fiction Element of it all (the doctor is an immortal alien who travels around time and space, functionally forever until the show decides otherwise, while everyone else must eventually leave the show for some reason... except for the master, of course, who has themself defined their relationship as basically a secret third thing in canon... in fucking m*ffat's canon no-less), but it is still grounded in incredibly real human identity concepts and relationship constructs... but... not necessarily on purpose a lot of the time? (donna is on purpose, but would they ever describe it as an aroace qpp... maybe one day, I've just gotta get a one-on-one with rtd or david tennant, they'd get it, I know they would!) (my parasocial relationship with these two consists of me explaining aroace queer philosophy to them and both of them nodding and instantly understanding and telling me how smart I am)

this to say that anyone who does enjoy the alloromantic read of things, can obviously have at it, that's their enjoyment and the show doesn't not say that's a possible read, but it's always interesting to me when the people who don't enjoy it can't read (queerly) outside of their amatonormative box to know/understand that there are a million and one ways that these relationships can be described. there's just... no curiosity there in delving into the actual dynamics, because once something has a will-they-won't-they romantic undertone, any interesting analysis of the actual Bones of what's going on just seems to fly out of the window. it's been cursed by amatonormativity. it is nothing other than Romantic. the end

there's something about the way that amatonormativity actively makes interacting with this show worse (it's the inherent aroaceness of the main character and people not engaging with that read because they either don't know aroaceness exists or they don't think it's a real thing or they don't think it's "actually" queer, and so instead the show is hetero-ized, to the point that people might be shocked that the doctor could call a man hot, because nothing else that could be read as queer -- never mind the onscreen gay shit that's happened already -- is happening in this show, that's... that's what it is). it limits the kind of spaces it can go into and it limits the ability to enjoy the intensity of these relationships for what they are in the text, by simply reading what you don't want into it and then making up a guy to get mad at (the exception may be river song's arc, but even that -- in its own, flawed "river song consistently reads as having no self-esteem when it comes to the doctor and was also groomed from birth to be obsessed with them" kind of way -- goes beyond strictly normative alloromantic allosexual reads)

but this show -- specifically nu!who, because classic!who never allowed that kind of ambiguity in the same way from what I've seen so far/have read, the word "Asexual" meant something different on that show (celibacy, monkhood, the learned scholar, etc) -- has (unintentionally?) offered a smorgasbord of intense, well-written, aromantic and asexual relationship dynamics, all centred around one single character, and people don't see it as an option, because they don't quite... get it... as concept... as a real, human concept, not just a science fiction conceit

anyway, the arguably most easily definable relationships the doctor has are with all the characters one might describe from the doctor's perspective as "proteges/students/ersatz children/grandchild," and that's not to say those relationships are not super intense, it's just a slightly easier dynamic to pinpoint and explain (although i think if, for example, bill had met thirteen that dynamic might have become very muddied very quickly......)

[charmixpower]

Other queer headcanons:

Icy -> Asexual Lesbian

She just has ace vibes to me. Darcy's whole manipulation thing by attraction is so useful but also she does not understand how it works even a little bit

Darcy -> Bisexual

She has a preference for men but it's not super strong. Shes always knew she was bisexual, baby Darcy was always aware. Smart girl hours

Stormy -> Aromatic Het

Stormy is so aromantic to me!!!! She has that aroallo energy of being hot, idk what to tell you. I literally could never see Stormy in a romantic relationship, like she'd have a platonic life partner but dating isn't real.

Sky -> Questioning (Bi pref women)

Brandon has once 100% offered to kiss Sky to see if he's bi, bc he had a crush on him and Sky still didn't realize he was bi. Like Eraklyon palace is not the place to try and question your sexuality and being attracted to people who could turn out to be spy's or he had a fuck ton of explicit power over was scary so he never figured out his sexuality until like s2~3

Brandon -> Gender Neutral, Pan, Poly

Brandon doesn't have a gender. He's completely gender neutral. Like he doesn't experience gender. He doesn't get gender euphoria or dysphoria. If he suddenly turned into a girl literally nothing would happen. He just doesn't experience gender, no gender here, godbless. He'd probably say Gender Neutral but there's other words for that

He's pan bc when he goes into the smooch competition with Stella, no one is off limits. Like I said with Stella, if they met someone they both wanted to date asking them out is a done deal

Timmy -> Gay Ace

This is just 100% vibes. Tecna is busy not dating him and Timmy needs something nice for himself. He just has the ace "I'm tired of you allos acting stupid as shit" energy in my thing, and he's gay bc he deserves nice things

Riven -> Bisexual

He's bi with a preference for women, and he would of known sooner but he was so far into the fucking closet that he had become one with the clothes. Musa helps him come out of the closet and they talk about hot people together I love them

Helia -> Alterous Transman

Alterous attraction is basically just attraction that isn't platonic or romantic vs aesthetic or sexual. It can be between them or be a secret third thing (like it is for me). Helia's alterous attraction is between platonic and romantic, and between aesthetic and sexual, everything is really fuzzy for him. He doesn't get strong anything but he still gets the feelings and impulse, it's just weak and most of the time he can't tell if it's actually platonic or aesthetic

He's also trans, this is just true. As soon as he learned what a boy and girl was he was telling his parents he was a boy. Like he knew very very early on, and he socially transitioned at a young age. Gender win for Helia

Nabu -> Gay

THIS MAN IS A HOMOSEXUAL!!!!! He and Sky make up the "raised rich and wears shiny ass earrings once they realized being GNC is an option" club, and good for him

Daphne -> Queer (Lesbian)

Daphne was WAY too busy fighting the ancestral witches to ever figure out her sexuality but she was aware of the fact that she wasn't cishet, so she just grabbed a macro label and kept it moving

Mirta -> GenderFluid Lesbian

It came to me in a dream. If she can use fairy and witch magic fluidly in canon what if her gender was fluid in my thing??? I am a fucking genius. Her hair is so non-binary. Haven't decided on pronouns yet, and Mirta just is a lesbian.

Diaspro -> Questioning (Pan)

Diaspro absolutely didn't have a single crush growing up in Eraklyon bc everyone there was a asshole and hatred her and she hated them back more. She was kinda punched in the face by her attraction to Bloom. She figures it out as soon as she leaves and talks to some normal people for like a month or something in s2 or s3

Roxy -> Agender AroAce

Roxy reminds me of my bestie who is agender, so they're agender, and I think it's funny if Roxy was watching the Winx do their relationship nonsense abt to throw up bc ew allo people. They are very repulsed, and I love them. They are literally a teenager trying to be cool and not understanding why everyone is dating or doing this gender shit. Triple A battery

Selina -> Trans Lesbian

Look at Selina's fucking ugly green hair and outfit, that is a trans lesbian if I've ever seen one

Krystal -> Bisexual

She just is, I can't explain. It's the Flora

[amethystina]

i have a question. One which may point out my slight lack of media literacy, but I must ask. It's clear from reading the snippet of who holds the devil chapter from Yohans pov that he is more than willing to wait. currently, in chapter 41, he seems to have given up. Has he actually given up or is some part of him still trying to give gaon time?

This is a little tricky since the answer is both yes and no. Or maybe I should call it a third, secret option? xD

Yo Han hasn't given up on waiting as a concept — even if three months have passed within the story since that chapter I wrote from his POV — but he's been forced to admit that he might have been waiting for the wrong thing. Like, if it was just a matter of waiting for Ga On to get used to his feelings and attraction to Yo Han, he could wait a lot longer than this. He's patient and in no rush whatsoever. He can give Ga On as much time as he needs to get over his internalised homophobia.

The problem is that given what has happened lately — and everything Ga On has been saying and doing — Yo Han is, understandably, under the impression that Ga On is still in love with Soo Hyun. Ga On might be attracted to Yo Han but that's not the same as being in love with him. I elaborated a bit on that subject in another ask which you can find here.

In chapters 38 and 39, Ga On flat out said that he loves Soo Hyun, but never specified what kind of love. He didn't explain that he now suspects that it's more platonic than he first thought. But Yo Han of course assumes its romantic love since why wouldn't he? And Yo Han knows it's pointless to wait for Ga On to fall out of love with Soo Hyun. Sure, it might happen eventually, but how long would that take? And is Yo Han truly willing to submit himself to that? To wait for months — maybe even years — on the off-chance that he can become Ga On's grief rebound?

He's got too much pride for that.

Essentially, there's a pretty big difference between "I think this boy is in love with me and while he doesn't want to admit it right now, I can wait until he's ready" and "this boy I thought was in love with me is actually in love with someone else and waiting for him to maybe fall in love with me instead is going to take a while and will probably be excruciating for me."

The first he can do without problem, but not the second.

So while it looks like he's given up and is no longer waiting, that's only because he's under the impression that he's misread the situation and has been waiting for the wrong thing. But if Ga On were to explain to him that the first option is back on the table? That Ga On does want to be with Yo Han after all because he's a little gayer than initially advertised but he's also a bit scared to admit it?

Yo Han would be sceptical — and understandably wary — but he'd also be willing to give waiting another try. Because as long as he knows that he's waiting for something that's actually possible and worth the wait, he'll do it.

I mean, he would also make Ga On jump through a couple of hoops and drag it out a bit just to soothe his own bruised ego — payback, if you will — but he's willing to wait for as long as it takes if it's for the right thing.

And, deep down, he hasn't really given up. He's telling himself that he has, which is why he's acting all distant and trying to put so much distance between them but, even now, some part of him still feels a tiny bit of hope. He's hoping that he's wrong. And that Ga On will come back to him and say that it's all a big mistake.

Yo Han is too in love to give up this easily.

But that hope will eventually dwindle, especially since Yo Han is going to become more and more convinced that Ga On can't love a monster like him. Yo Han already has a list of reasons why it would be foolish — or even outright dangerous — for Ga On to love him and, unfortunately, it's only going to keep growing. But we're talking months down the line, so Ga On still has time, don't worry.

So, in short, Yo Han isn't actively waiting anymore, but that's only because he's misunderstood the situation and thinks he's been waiting for something that will never happen. But if they're able to clear that up?

Then he'd be back to waiting.

Hope that helps! :D

[autumnalwalker]

Songs and Ships Tag

Rules: write about two to five songs from them that represent your a ship between your ocs (it can be platonic or romantic or a secret third thing). then add a quote from said wip (if possible!) underneath it.

Thank you for the tag, @theprissythumbelina.

Passing the (optional) tag to @blind-the-winds, @ceph-the-ghost-writer, @void-botanist, @theimperiumchronicles, @ieppiq, and an open tag to anyone else who wants to join in.

So, now here's Sullivan and Road from Empty Names being "a secret third thing". Think of these all as being sung from Sullivan's perspective to Road, and in roughly chronological order:

Dear Fellow Traveller by Sea Wolf

Dear fellow traveler under the moon I saw you standing in the shadows and your eyes were blue You put your hand out, opened the door You said, "Come with me, boy, I want to show you something more"

You spoke my language and touched my limbs It wasn't difficult to pull me from myself again And in our travels, we found our roads You held it like a mirror, showing me the life I chose

Eternity by Mizz Fish

Friends like you are hard to find So I’ll stick with you til the end of the line We aren’t perfect but that’s alright

All your dreams, your passions, ambitions You’ve told them to me like a man on a mission And I’ve done the same to you many times

Somehow we made our way here just by lookin around Somehow we knew what was lost had somehow been found Because of you I knew I could be who I wanted to be without feelin a fool In front of those who don’t understand Because of you I knew that sometimes you may be hurtin But that cannot stop you from feelin deserving And following your dreams You come runnin when I fall even if I don’t make a call for help No one needs their eyes to see We’ll be friends for eternity

Trying times and metal struggles I know for a fact you’ll be there on the double Because you won’t want me to feel alone

And anytime you need someone beside you A shoulder to cry on, a friend to stay true You know I would never let you down

The Funnyman's Smile by Michael McCormic Jr.

Well, I had a dream I was trapped in a cave with nothing but a magic lamp I polished its side, and out you came with gold shackles around your hands You said, "Son, I think there's something people like you and me should know" Life is more than empty jokes and putting on a show 'Cause you can make the world smile, and get nothing in return And in the end you find that what you give is what they think you're worth Then you offered me three wishes, but I saw only one worth while" I said, "I want the chance to make the Funnyman smile Oh, give me a chance, a chance to show you"

Funnyman, you're not alone No, even when you're crying I'll be there to hold you close And tell you everything will be alright

Because doctors still need checkups Bartenders need a drink or two The funnyman, still needs to smile And these days, I do, too 'Cause all the times you made me laugh Now they feel a little colder To know that when life knocked you down You cried on your own shoulder 'Cause you can make the world forget its problems for a while But who was there to make you smile? Tell me, who was there to make the Funnyman smile? Oh, to make the Funnyman smile

Ship in a Bottle by fin

You can fit everything you know In a bottle for you to show Pick your brain apart and put it in And build it again with needles and pins Everything you have earned is a ship With blue waves crashing into it But nothing can touch your happy thoughts anymore With your glass ceiling, walls, and floor

Between My Teeth by Orla Gartland

And I-I-I bite my tongue 'Cause I don't know how to tell you I'm getting this urge to run And I-I-I bite my tongue 'Cause I don't know how to tell you Oh, you deserve someone else Who can treat you like I want to

Oh, ah, ah, please don't lean on me 'Cause I don't want your heart between my teeth I, I think I better leave 'Cause I don't want your heart between my teeth I can't take the pressure of it, I can barely breathe Ah, ah, please don't lean on me 'Cause I don't want your heart between my teeth, no

Turtles All The Way Down by Sammy Copely

See, I could choose for the both of us And you'd just go along because You've trusted me for no good reason Love no matter what the season

Force the last page of our story You're my favourite allegory Hope to god that you'll forgive me My mistakes will long outlive me Mine, mine is the unkind, kindest cut of all And I'll watch you fall

And I don't know if this makes it any easier Perhaps you'll find comfort when I say You and I are nothing more than meteors Never meant to live long past today

Yes, I'll choose for the both of us You'll just go along because You've trusted me against your judgement You deserve someone who doesn't

Force the last page of your story No more boring allegories Hope to god you'll rise above me Though you'll always be part of me Mine, mine is the unkind, kindest cut of all I'll watch you fall

Now watch me fall

And now a snippet:

“I see.  I’ll leave you to it then.  Just try not to rough anyone up too badly while you’re there.”

“Of course not.”  Unlike with this job, Sullivan had given his friend his word about certain aspects of his conduct ahead of time.  It had been long indeed since the last time his friend had simply explained a situation and left with no implication other than that they wouldn’t ask questions about what Sullivan chose to do with the information.  It was certainly one way to keep their conscience clean.  “Sleep tight,” he adds.

“I’ll try.  See you later.” 

The line goes silent but there’s no click of a hangup.

Sullivan moves to the kitchen, checks the freezer, and finds it surprisingly boring.  No stashed electronics, frozen potions, or preserved body parts.  He grabs a carton of ice cream, kicks another body out of the way so that its partially-crushed head won’t hold the door open anymore, and closes the freezer.  

Returning to the balcony, he leans over the railing, balances the carton on it and begins scooping out ice cream with a knife.  Much like the city vista below, it’s night black and speckled with glazed bits that reflect the glowing veins of light that run through it.  At least the penthouse’s late owner had good taste in something.

He glances back over his shoulder and blinks through his filters.  No significant signatures other than the already-ransacked saferoom.  He returns his gaze to the view, eats his looted ice cream and waits with his phone still up to his ear.

“Su?” his friend’s expected voice finally whispers.

“Yeah?”

“Am I a bad leader?”

“Of course not, everyone loves you.  They’d follow you anywhere.”

“But should they?”

“Hey, what brought this on?”

“This is twice now that Eris and Ashan have come back in bad shape, and every quest so far we all wind up separated.”

“That’s just a new team going through the growing pains of getting used to working together.  The point is they came back and it’s not been anything they couldn’t recover from, and you’ve been able to help everyone you’ve tried to help.  That sounds like a resounding success to me, especially for the early stages.”

Silence.

Consideration.

Waiting.

“Has this happened before?”

“Do you want me to answer that?”

“No.  I don’t think I do.  It’s just…”

Sullivan’s grip on his phone tightens.

“Just what?”

“I’ve been thinking about the gaps more than I should lately.”

“And?”  They should barely be able to think about them at all.

“The list of reasons I’d want to leave them empty is pretty short, isn’t it?”

The ice cream carton tumbles down to the streets far enough below to be another world.

“You trust me?”

“For happily ever after.”

How bitter the old joke between them is.

“This isn’t going to be another gap.  I would have tried harder to talk you out of it if I thought there was a chance of that.”

“Thanks.  I needed to hear that.”

“That’s what I’m here for.  Now get some sleep.  You’ll feel better in the morning.”

“I’ll try not to dream.”

[horrorknife]

hi ! sorry if this sounds weird but like

i stumbled upon one of your hoffheight posts and I'm so. genuinely fascinated ?? like, i THINK i understand it (I've certainly put them in a microwave and stared at them for the past few days) but i want to "get it right", if that makes ANY amount of sense. I want to interpret them correctly, I think is a better way to phrase it (it's 2am nothing I say will make more sense and I apologize for that.)

I think in a post you mentioned them being like, reflections of each other or something, which, I didn't realize but shit yeah?? they are aren't they. something about being on hair triggers or whatever. GOD they fascinate me so much I need you to understand how much this dynamic intrigues me. having them both be unstable in their own rights (esp with anger issues and all) it just. I love that ?? it's so fun!! I keep spinning them in my mind !!!

I think you also mentioned them being some flavor of qpr and as someone who's aromantic I. god qpr's my beloved. I really need them to be an evil qpr. that means a lot 2 me. ESPECIALLY if it's not even mentioned, but it definitely is a qpr. in my head Adam would have the potential (still not likely) to know what a qpr is, but he would never label it as that. at least not verbally. I love when there's a silent agreement that two people are definitely not romantic but labelling something as platonic is insincere. they're a secret third option don't worry about it !!!

sorry for dumping this into your inbox, I have a lot of thoughts and assumed it'd be mildly funny if I just left them with you. do with that what you will. I hope you have a nice day and thank you for the food for thought

[bonus ask that's ACTUALLY an ask and not just the ramblings of a mad man, do you have any fic recommendations of the two? for research, of course]

HI!!!! oh my fucking god anon you have no idea how excited and happy this makes me . *little cat running around in circles moment* 

so like. i imagine there’s this cord between them and neither of them understand it. they can both just Smell the sameness on each other, the familiarity of deepset rage and suffering and loneliness. adam’s young and impressionable and hoffman would be able to use him to his advantage. hoffman would love this guy. my characterization of adam post bathroom is lonely, detached, and even angrier than before so he gets into fights for the self destructive nature of the thing and hoffman would LOVE how unhinged he is (we all saw how much hoffman seemed to admire/get obsessed w strahm and that guy is Nuts). they’re the same kind of prey animal! they have the same fear of abandonment!!

something something the way they both die in the same spot, attached to the same pipe, forced to watch as LAWRENCE (OF ALL PEOPLE!!!!) abandons them for dead. adam is desperate for life adam is in a game rigged against him. hoffman fights and fights and gnashes and thrashes against this the entire series and yet he ultimately has no choice but to succumb to it, he dies the same horrific way adam did, alone and abandoned and feeling that same primal prey animal fear. there's something to both of them being lawrence's only (CANONICAL) victims (brad, ryan, and dina are lawrence's vics to me. but that's a different post) there's something to the way that adam dies in the first film and haunts the narrative forever and the person who reprises that role is HOFFMAN of all people. the way that this comes full circle is really really delicious to me

adam's camera is his buffer from the real world, it's how he processes things, he's at his best when he's unnoticed and free to Watch. guys we're not doing enough with the voyeur thing. guys. adam catalogs information adam loves holding secret knowledge. in a similar way, hoffman is holding a knife between himself and the real world, he's processing everything through a layer of violence before all else because he can't risk human connection anymore. all of his relationships are made through violence and this is of course present here as well because you adam's deepest connections are also facilitated through violence. you can argue that this is true of all saw characters and you'd be right but there's something so specially flavored about it when you look at hoffman and adam next to each other.

hoffman needs Direction From Someone Else in order to be an effective cog in the jigsaw machine–after john dies he just falls apart immediately and gets clumsy and makes stupid mistakes bc at the end of it all hoffman has been robbed of a Normal existence and the thing he really wants most is companionship (again, seen in the way he interacts w rigg and strahm–he communicates his ‘affection’ in adversarial ways to keep them hooked + offers them genuine chances at survival but they’re both too clouded and Against Him for it to work. king of misjudging situations) and direction. i think if he even had a LITTLE help he’d be a lot better at being jigsaw

conversely, adam is this poor, broke 25 year old clinking pennies together in his shithole apartment. and he has the same stripping of purpose hoffman does. he doesn’t communicate with his family anymore (for undisclosed reasons but this is one of my personal pinpoints for bi/transmasc adam), effectively abandoned by them, and we know that his one namedropped friend (his “BEST” friend btw) is a piece of shit TO him and ABOUT him. adam gets walked all over and he lives at the universe’s disposal to kick the shit out of. he’s been abandoned or mistreated by everyone significant in his life. hoffman is a well off and well respected cop with a whole department of people who highly respect him but he’s empty inside bc he’s incapable of having any meaningful relationships the moment he gets involved with john. he has to fully wall himself off again because it’s too risky to get close to other people. imagine your only worldly thread of understanding from another person ends up being the serial killer you’re chasing/impersonating. and he hates you.

adam’s a genuinely understanding and kind person under his defensiveness, we all know this, we’ve all seen saw 2004. he’d be kind to hoffman and hoffman would see stars. he forgot people were capable of treating him like a normal person. having hoffman warm up to you is the equivalent of having a crochety old man who hates everyone share apple slices with you. you’re a little nervous about it, you’re a little on edge, but he’s just cutting out his apple slices and handing you one every so often. a test of trust. maybe you’re uncomfortable but you’ll take his offering to be polite. you’ll enjoy his company, you’ll share that apple with him, you’ll forge a new bond with that person. this is the type of companionship im kind of getting at. 

um but yeah . rambling aside. back on track. unspoken/unaware qpr hoffheight is THE THING to me. yes we love each other yes we’d kill for each other no we’re not in love. we have a secret third thing and it’s called I Have To Keep This Guy Safe Right Fucking Now Because He Matters To Me More Than I Can Understand. OH mid paragraph im remembering something important. this absolutely all takes place within a sphere of hoffman and adam’s relationship starting with hoffman making adam his apprentice. i feel like that might have been obvious up there ^ but i want to be very clear w my intentions and my vision. KJDFSJKDF. ALSO oh my god . fuckkkkk fuck  fuck fml i think hoffman thinks 2 himself that angelina would probably have liked adam and that definitely endears him to the guy. 

like you said yeah i think adam has the Potential to know what a qpr is (but i dont think he does know)!! if anything he would ultimately just recognize it as an inherently special and inherently queer relationship…auuuu………i know i didnt get too into the evil parts of them too much here but thats cuz it would make me end up writing a 6k essay on them or something. just know that they do butt heads a lot because at the end of the day theyre from completely different universes and adam is an ODD/BPD king.

god . i could really just go on and on and on and on about them. i have so much more to say LOL but this is already a bit of a wordy response >__< i just have such a clear vision of their vibe and dynamic in my mind. it comes to me like sherlock visions. i’m being pelted with big times new roman font things that say shit like “HOFFHEIGHT GAY SEX” “They Are Everything To Each Other In A Codependent Ass Way” 

THANK YOU FOR THIS ASK BY THE WAY I UM. GOT SO FUCKING EXCITEDD WHEN I READ IT AKJDNJAKLDNVSJKFNFDKGNVDFK. YOU DONT KNOW WHAT THESE TWO ARE TO ME . YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW SICK AND FUCKED UP I AM OVER THEM LOLLLLL. asks that made me get up out of bed at 6:30 in the morning because i was too excited and woke up fully 

if u have more questions or u wanna rap abt this more PLEAAAAASE feel free 2 send more asks or reach out via messages i love discussing my evil plots with them. i am literally ALWAYS locked and loaded and ready to talk about hoffheight. anon i unfortunately do not have fic recs because i do not like reading fanfiction. im incredibly particular about characterization and i’m a little bit of a writing snob. i don’t trust them in anyone else’s hands for fic if i’m being honest. i don’t think anyone else’s vision will fully align with mine and i’m too autistic to risk seeing that be done wrong. i’ll get too emotional KJDNKJSNFJ

[cleardishwashers]

saying hey and bothering you with statements and questions. first, what's your favourite colour, scent and song atm? and also what little things make you happy lately?

i think i originally followed you bc of your oceans fanfics bc i adore the way you write them and their dynamic bc it feels very truthful and natural which i think is super difficult in their case bc they have such a unique way of talking and being around each other that i imagine to be super hard to capture in a way that feels true to their characters. anyway love your posts and presence on my dash and idk what's going on exactly but i'm rooting for you in the millennial man situation. if this is a situation where rooting is required. otherwise i'm just nodding along sympathetically i guess. hope you're having a good day!

statements and questions!!! my favorite things!!!!!

my fav color is yellow!! it’s so charming i love it :) my fav scent is mint (but also i’ve always just not been able to smell anything except mint and disinfectant idk why but i have worked with every bodily fluid in the world and can’t smell any of it so mint is kind of the only pleasant option) and my fav song rn is probably call it whatever you like by flight club!! little things that make me happy is that the weather is actually decent, i’m doing a paint by numbers of vincent van gogh’s sunflowers, i got to work with millennial man last thursday, and i’m going to a con with him in a couple weeks :)

also i will soooo cry thank u so so much <333 they truly just fucking. live in my head rent free like the Dynamic of it all. god i love it they are truly my definition of soulmates. and thank u for the rooting!!! it is just. such a situation it’s like that post that’s like not platonic or romantic but a secret third thing. and i am feeling soooo much of it for my God Damn coworker. thank u for the statements and questions and i hope u are having the best day ever!!!!!!!!! <333333333

[all54321]

It Can Mean Whatever We Want It To Mean Part 1

[AO3]

Thinking about the Trauma Bonded AU and wanted to solidify whether it’s platonic or romantic… so I chose the secret third option (queer platonic relationship)

Also while it’s not mentioned, they are both aromantic, because there needs to be more aspec rep.

Summary: After Scar learns that the hermits think him and Grian are dating, it makes him question what their relationship really is.

—————

Scar basically breathing down the back of Grian’s neck makes it hard for him to keep concentration on working on his base blueprints. Despite the distraction, he doesn’t dislodge Scar from where he’s plastered against Grian’s side.

He doesn’t know why Scar suddenly came to his base and wanted to cuddle, but they’ve been through this long enough that Grian isn’t going to ask any questions. If Scar wants to explain, he can in his own time.

“Did you know that people think we’re dating?” Scar whispers after several minutes.

“Huh?” Grian murmurs, startled, as he glances over at Scar, who is still staring down at the papers in front of them.

He shrugs, “I just kind of… heard about it.”

Grian sets down his pencil and turns to face Scar as much as he can with Scar holding onto him. Grian frowns, catching the strange lilt to Scar’s tone, “What’s on your mind?”

He pulls back slowly, until there’s no point of contact left between them, Grian shivers a little at the lack of touch. Scar looks away from him, “I was wondering what you thought about it.”

“That people think we’re dating?” he echoes, trying to figure out what about this is bothering Scar. “I mean, we’re not, but the others can think what they want.”

“I see,” he murmurs, still looking forwards. Grian can’t tell if his answer was helpful or not.

He sighs, “I know that we have a deal to not push on things, but c’mon, what’s on your mind?”

Scar takes a slow breath in, parsing through his thoughts. He eventually releases it, “It’s just that I realized that I do things with you that I don’t do with the others. Hearing that made me think of what it means.”

“Does it have to mean anything?” Grian asks, fidgeting with his pencil. “I don’t see why what we do have to mean anything.” Well it certainly means something to him, now that the topic is brought up, but it’s nothing romantic. He has no interest in dating Scar, after all.

“It feels like it has to,” Scar insists, and Grian realizes that this has been on his mind for a while now.

“Just, why does it have to mean what others think it should mean?” Grian amends quickly. “It’s between us, shouldn’t we be the ones to decide what it means?”

That seems to alleviate at least some of what bothers Scar, but not by much. He finally looks at Grian again, “What do you think it should mean?”

Somehow the question catches him off guard. After thinking on it he offers Scar a small shrug, “It doesn’t mean either or, really. Not romantic, but why does it need to be what everyone decides a friendship has to be?”

As Scar takes in his words, the conflict seems to fade, “Yeah, yeah, I like the sound of that.”

Grian smiles and extends a wing and arm, “Now, wanna get back to cuddling?”

Scar doesn’t hesitant to fall into his embrace, wrapping his arms around him again. Grian can’t continuing working like this anymore, but he doesn’t mind. He drops his pencil and returns the embrace, holding Scar close to him.

[muchadoaboutnot]

🖋️🖋️🖋️ for neptune eighteen; 🖋️🖋️🖋️ for galina; 🖋️🖋️🖋️ for sable please 💗💖💗🫣

naomiiiiiiiiiiii whenever i see you asking about neptune and galina 🥹🥹🥹🥹 it makes my heart go doki doki. ok also the third secret option of Sable, a guilty pleasure oc lfkajwekr

That's my gorl! That's my fav!!! Neptune!!! The OC that will probably outlast them all!!

I know you asked about Neptune but you can't have Neptune without Pluto. Her one surviving sister who's part of the Midwest BOS but she'll lay down her life for her little sister. They are both big ladies, 6 even except Pluto has one more inch on her sister.

Her speech check is MAXED the fuck out. So if you think you can play her you can't, like she will in fact play herself before she lets anyone else do that to her. So if someone does get the better of her it's because she let them or it was all part of the plan.

That's probably why she likes Yes Man so much because he does everything and she can finally relax. She never shows it, or showed it while on the road to becoming top dog, but she was very, very, very tired and wanted to cry a lot. So to have someone she can rely on so wholeheartedly she feels incredibly grateful.

She flirts and says risque things but she's only truly interested in and loyal to Yes Man when they finally get together. She's never been in love with anyone else, at least romantically or sexually. (Yes she fucked Benny but for the novelty.)

But even just platonically she does not love very much. She's kind and can be nice, but only a few people she has in her heart.

She enjoys bothering her companions. Keeps tabs on them after everything, whether they hate it or love it she'll show up in the nick of time to help them out if they need it.

LMAO GALINA'S STUPID ASS !!! We love a silly cunt!

Let's start off strong by just saying she's very forward in the bedroom. She's told Custis she wants to make him cry while he cums and he looks so sweet while doing it.

Morgan she's not so rough, she lets him do as he pleases a lot of the time. He probably likes it half the time while the other half he dislikes it because he knows she prefers Custis to him.

She has met Emily in Karnaca, and recognized her behind the mask. She's ambivalent at first and they never speak but Galina does not raise any alarm or tell on seeing the other woman. Instead, she just watches what she can see unfold before her.

That means Galina survives the first Dishonored game verse, she left before the plague took hold and stopped everything in Dunwall. And as the years go by she keeps her business going by hopping from island to island and happened to be in Karnaca at the time.

One of her prized possessions is a Sokolov painting. It's of fruit rotting.

She adores shoes and stockings and anything with heels and just beautiful adornments for feet. Although she doesn't have a foot fetish but she has had men suck her toes but it did nothing for her. Just felt it was silly but went along with it. But when heels are on??? Chef's kiss. She has soooooooo many pairs of shoes, all types.

She daydreamed about marrying Custis but hated when she'd repeat her new last name if that came to be. Galina Pendleton. Makes her gag. However her daydream is less romantic and more the power couple they could be since they're both very good at their perspective businesses. But... Maybe she's thought about him looking at her with love in his eyes and it makes her smile. But rarely.

Sable - I have a lot more to say about her simply because I never ... Dropped anything about her at all! She's one of those OCS that just lives in your head and only random stuff is put down as evidence they exist.

She's a guilty oc made purely because Pennywise needs his whole [clown honking noise] pounded into! Enough with IT being dom!!! Put IT in its place!!! Hence: Sable.

She's Celestial where IT is Eldritch. I mean... Go big or go home am I right? If Stephen King can make OP characters, so can I. Hence she's sort of immortal also, I haven't fleshed out her species but she's something that could take The Deadlights in a fight. Maybe? She's not as long-lived as the deadlights or IT, but I figured she's not human so IT might be fascinated by her or it also. Since I refer to her as a she because she chose that gender when integrating on Earth but being a celestial type body or being she probably would not have something like a gender. Like her true body is sort of like a comet, a small solar system body they're called, but very icy and shaped to travel fast through space.

Since she's been on Earth so long she's forgotten a lot of things she was once able to do. She's very good at acting and becoming part of humanity on Earth, so in meeting him she's slowly relearning the things she was once capable of. Although IT probably doesn't appreciate that part of her learning she does in fact have powers.

She likes humanity a lot and enjoys feelings, hence why I made her a sort of Cirque Du Soleil performer. So she's in a lot of different outfits, some clown-related some not. When I think of her aesthetic... Think... A Trip to the Moon 1902

Her tag with Pennywise is xo. I miss you and it's the Bjork song title of the same name.

She's athletic, like a gymnast and stands at 5'8. I can't figure out what hair color I want her to have yet however. So everyone thinks she just dyes her hair a lot but instead she cycles through different hair colors depending on her costume or mood.

Her human eyes are brown, while they can become a sort of purple or the reflection color of animals that can see in the dark. Finally her true eyes are just an intense heat of white light. Again, think how a comet lights up the sky.

She loves loves loves lovveesssssss slob. Like anything sloppy. She literally had no idea she was attracted to something like drool till she had Pennywise salivate onto her. Which is funny because she likes herself to be clean and her environment. But he awoke the freak in her and she wants to lick him she thinks.

As much as she likes humanity she understands humans die, she can even devoid herself of feelings or turn emotions off. Watch humans like a scientist in their experiment but sees nothing wrong with it since she's not even the same species. But she prefers to have feelings. Therefore with Pennywise, she gets he's just another animal hunting prey, the way a dolphin hunts or even commits war crimes! An intelligent creature but capable and knows it's being cruel and immoral. Yet she doesn't have to like it and definitely shows her disapproval except... She'd probably encourage him to kill humans she thinks deserve to die.

She's sort of self centered, selfish, and perhaps a little egotistical because she thought she was the only long-lived being for what felt forever to her. So it's a slap in the face when she feels fear and like "Oh shit I could die", but then that gets canceled out when she figures out the clown is less interested in killing her and more into something else.

[corinne-eaglebridge-sso]

🐴👥👕 for the character asks!

🐴 [HORSE] -> Since Jorvik is the 'Island of Horses', does your Original Character own/ride a horse? Do they even know how to ride, or could they not care less about horses? If they own a horse, what breed and name?

Corinne owns several horses, and has soulbonded with several of them! Her "main" soul horse, if she had to qualify that, would be Masha, a senior NSH mare.

Zoe owns Kieron, a Jorvik Wild stallion! They just immediately clicked, although the road to him becoming a perfect ranger horse was a long one.

Justin matched Athena to Paladin, a Jorvik Warmblood gelding!

Elaina owns Velvet, an older English Thoroughbred mare.

Feya owns Lunabelle, a Jorvik Warmblood mare.

Everlee owns Memoria, a Friesian mare!

Alou does not own a horse - they don't have the funds or time to keep one, especially since they keep travelling around. They do keep snacks for other's horses around though!

👥 [TWO PEOPLE] -> Has your Original Character formed any special bonds on Jorvik? Be it romantic, platonic, or a third secret option. Who have they bonded with?

Oh boy oh boy let me introduce you to the OC polycule!

Corinne, Elaina, Everlee, Zoe, Feya - and in the future, Athena - are all in a polycule together with a big range of different relationship types! Corinne is queerplatonic with all of them, but getting into detail on each of them would take. A lot. (and also I haven't got a full grip on it yet - I need to make a relationship web I think)

They are, of course, also all soulbonded to their horses. That counts as a special bond, right?

Alou is not currently in a relationship, but they do have their eye on a certain miscreants merch stallholder...

👕 [SHIRT] -> What does your Original Characters style of clothing look like? Does their closet show what group they belong to - e.g. how the BobCats all wear their signature pink club clothing.

Ok so I don't have a full grip on it yet so I'll make this quick and it's likely to fluctuate at points.

Corinne just kind of dresses like I do, I guess. Which is very different depending on the amount of effort she wants to put in. Preference for long skirts and highwaisted pants though.

Athena - very very feminine. Soft colours, tends to favour pastels (especially pink) and white. Looks like she jumped out of an aesthetic moodboard.

Zoe - earth tones, darker jewel tones. Often just whatever is on hand and comfortable. Tends to lean more androgynous to masc, but honestly does not put much effort into presenting a certain way, it just kind of happens. Also often seen in a ranger uniform.

Elaina - warm colours! Comfy, often knitted fabrics. The person you're always looking at and going "are you not overheating?" in summer.

Feya - take Elaina. Now make it opposite. Cool colours. Still comfy, but prefers more flowy fabrics. This is the person you're looking at in winter and going "why are you in a thin top and shorts when it is snowing"

Alou - honestly just very casual. Doesn't really stand out much. Mostly earth tones with maybe some pastel accents. Goes over the top in jewelry though. They have a jewelry business, it's allowed!

[nuggets-and-stars]

Six! Tickle headcanons?

Katherine of Aragon

babytalks her lees. definitely

also wiggles her fingers above a death spot

will VERY much make her lees ask for tickles if they're being a brat about it (coughAnnecough)

always has an iron grip on whoever she's wrecking

legit didn't know how ticklish she was until one of the other queens poked her in the ribs to get her attention

and she S C R E A M E D

she immediately lies (badly) and says that she just got startled

no one believes her

has a very raspy cackle (after the initial scream)

Anne definitely wrecks her the most out of the queens. But as soon as she first hears Lina's (that's what the fandom calls her right) laugh, her jaw drops. She thinks it's the prettiest thing ever

her ribs and underarms are two major death spots for her

because of Henrat, she actually doesn't like her laugh and attempts to hide it or at least muffle it

hasn't known a day of peace ever since the others found out about her insecurity

Anne Boleyn

the most mischievous mf you will ever meet

she just randomly pokes ppl in the side to see them jump, and acts like she didn't do anything

she thinks it's the funniest thing

when she's wrecking someone, she'll often rapidly switch between places to keep the lee on their toes

she loves teasing whoever she's wrecking

"tktktktktk"

really fucking ticklish though

acts like a brat to provoke someone into tickling her

has a bit of a bubbly, giggly laugh

that you will only hear if she's being tickled

the others absolutely adore it

her most ticklish spots are probably her neck and stomach

she has scars along her neck from the whole y'know beheaded situation. So if you trace them she will lose her shit

often swears and makes threats through her laughter (which are very empty)

squirmer

her cheeks are a massive melt spot

Jane Seymour

a very gentle ler

like so gentle it drives the others up the wall

she teases them with complements. Only complements

she'll say a pun and likely scribble at their stomach or something to get them to laugh at it

"Wow you thought it was funny? I didn't even think it was that funny. :)" ... >:(

is the best at cheer up tickles

either she'll know when you're upset and ask if you want tickles or you have to be very upfront with her

"Hey, Jane? Can you... do the thing..?" "What thing?"

I like to think that they all sometimes give platonic kisses to each other (or romantic if you ship any of them together) so ticklish kisses are very common with Jane

I honestly don't really see her as a lee so if you have any lee hc, I'd love to hear them :)

Anne of Cleves

the scariest ler ever

think of any type of ler, and that's her (that rhymed!)

gives killer raspberries

like absolutely deadly raspberries

playful, gentle, sadistic, you name it

knows exactly what teases to do to get the queens all red in the face

they are legitimately terrified by how she knows exactly how to get them flustered. She claims she's just observant

she'll never admit this, but she likes to see them smile. She sometimes feels guilty that she "had the best" out of the queens, so she feels like she has to make up for that

so I feel like she'd have people pleasing tendencies

like, she's not a people pleaser, just has some tendencies

and only towards the other queens

and don't think the others just let these insecurities fly by

and it turns out, Anna gets flustered super easily when teases are directed at her

and is also super ticklish

has very airy and squeaky giggles littered with snorts

her death spots are her waist and thighs plus a secret third option (her ears)

hates being the shortest out of the queens simply because they can hold her and wreck her super easily (either she or the other Anne are the shortest)

Katherine Howard

OKAY 👏

hated physical touch for the longest time because of *gestures to All You Wanna Do*

but here's the thing, she hated physical touch, but she wanted physical touch

so there's a bit of a problem there

she also saw the queens constantly wrecking each other almost on a daily basis, which she wanted to participate in

they never targeted Katherine because they know that she hates physical touch and they respect that

so Katherine approached Jane and asked if she could tickle her (through many stutters and a bright red face)

Jane ofc happily agreed and just lightly started tickling her

she knows Jane has no ill intent, she actually enjoys being tickled a lot

she became a prime target after that

oddly enough, the queens found her apologizing and often blaming herself for things after that time with Jane

so when they hear her apologize for something that she shouldn't apologize for, she's gone

also if she tries to blame herself for something that wasn't her fault

very much prefers gentle tickles to rough tickles

very giggly laugh, much like Anne (her cousin I should clarify)

a walking tickle spot (but she is uncomfortable with having her feet touch)

and her back is a big melt spot

isn't much of a ler aside from the occasional poke

Catherine Parr

oh this girl

THIS GIRL

honestly isn't much of a ler either

but she will get fed up with one of them. Stare them dead in the eyes, and just wreck their shit

due to being a night owl, she'll get tickled if she's writing late into the night and they're trying to convince her to sleep

but also gets wake up tickles

or tickles if she can't fall asleep

absolutely weak to raspberries (which makes her one of Anna's favorite targets)

can't even say tickle

her laugh gets silent very quickly

her death spots are her sides, underarms, neck, and ribs

EXTRA HC: they give each other comfort tickles if one has a nightmare

And that's all! If any of you have any headcanons I wouldn't mind if you sent them to me via inbox