#platonic (mostly?) male and female friendships

[jar-of-maise]

incorrect quotes with my new fav trio

starring wriothesley, clorinde and neuvillette bc i said so

Wriothesley: What do you think Neuvillette will do for a distraction? Clorinde: They’ll probably, like, make a noise or throw a rock. That’s what I would do. *Building explodes and several car alarms go off* Clorinde: ... or he could do that.

...

Wriothesley: How's the sexiest person here~? Neuvillette: I don't know, how are they~? Wriothesley: I- Clorinde, from across the room: I'm doing great, thanks!

...

Clorinde: Do you ever want to talk about your emotions, Wriothesley? Wriothesley: … No. Neuvillette: I do! Clorinde: I know, Neuvillette. Neuvillette: I’m sad! Wriothesley: We know, Neuvillette

...

Neuvillette, to Wriothesley and Clorinde: *holding knife out in front of them* Are you or are you not an enemy of the people?! Wriothesley: ... Clorinde: ... Wriothesley: That is such an open-ended question. Clorinde: Yeah, it really depends on a lot of different factors-

...

Wriothesley: We need a diversion. I say Neuvillette gets naked. Neuvillette: No. Clorinde: Who are we trying to distract again?

...

Clorinde, at Neuvillette: Would you like to stay for dinner? Wriothesley, from the kitchen: Would you like to stay forever!?!

...

Clorinde: Ooh, somebody has a crush Wriothesley: Pfft, I don’t have a crush on Neuvillette I just think they’re cool, it’s not like I stay up at night thinking about them. *Later that night* Wriothesley, very much awake: Uh oh.

...

Neuvillette: There's no way they like me back. Clorinde: Wriothesley would throw himself in front of a moving car for you. Neuvillette: Wriothesley would throw himself in front of a moving car for fun.

...

Neuvillette: Why is everyone so obsessed with top or bottom? Honestly, I’d just be excited to have a bunk bed. Clorinde: Clorinde: I'm gonna tell them. Wriothesley: Don't you dare.

...

Wriothesley: Is there a cactus where your heart should be? Clorinde: What’s up your ass this morning! Neuvillette: *walks in* ...Hey. Clorinde: Hmm… nevermind. Wriothesley: WAIT NO!

...

Wriothesley: Do you cook? Neuvillette: I made a cake once. Clorinde: Yeah, it was good. Neuvillette: Really? Clorinde: Don’t make me lie twice, Neuvillette.

...

Neuvillette: Is letting someone win at chess sapiosexual bottoming? Clorinde: Can everyone in this godforsaken group please learn the skill called "Think Before You Speak"? Wriothesley: Ya know... it might be.

...

Clorinde: Did Wriothesley just tell me he loved me for the first time? Neuvillette: Yeah, he did. Clorinde: And did I just do finger guns back? Neuvillette: Yeah, you did.

...

Wriothesley: Where are my fucking keys? Clorinde: Wriothesley, Neuvillette is around, can you say it a little nicer? Wriothesley: May I ascertain the whereabouts of my FUCKING KEYS?!

...

*Neuvillette dies in a game with ships* Wriothesley: This ship is no longer a ship of love, it's a ship of vengeance, a gavel of justice against all that is wrong in the world, showing no mercy, as no mercy was shown to us. Wriothesley: The spark of love will now fuel the fires of destructive glory as I wage my war across the world with righteous fury. Clorinde: Legend has it that Neuvillette still haunts the ship, stealing my fucking drinks. Neuvillette: Of course I do.

...

Wriothesley: How do you tell someone that you wanna have sex with them in a polite way? Neuvillette: Excuse me [insert name]. Would you give me the honours of indulging in sexual activities with you? Clorinde: What the fuck is wrong with you two?

...

Clorinde: Hey, no, you stay out of this, this is between me and Wriothesley! Neuvillette: So Wriothesley knows about this? Clorinde, walking away: No, this is between me and me!

...

Neuvillette: *is wearing silk pants* How does this look? Wriothesley: Like its slips on and off really easily. Neuvillette: Wriothesley: No, I didn't mean it like that- Clorinde: We know what you meant.

...

Clorinde: What have you done with Neuvillette? Wriothesley: Nothing. Why, do you think I should?

...

Neuvillette, gardening: Hey, can you bring me the hoe? Wriothesley: Yeah, sure. *A few minutes later* Wriothesley: Here you go. Neuvillette: Wriothesley: Clorinde: Why am I here?

...

Wriothesley: I’m this close to falling in love with Neuvillette. Clorinde: Your fingertips are touching. Wriothesley: Exactly.

...

Neuvillette: Would you take a bullet for me? Wriothesley: ...yes? *Clorinde angrily burst into the room* Neuvillette: *running away* Great, thanks!

guys i love them a healthy amount i swear. NOW DIE ON THIS HILL WITH ME

PART II is now up!

[icbgwy]

the way things go ꕥ riki nishimura

main pairing: riki nishimura x fem!reader

summary: at the start of his senior year, riki nishimura notices that everything feels off—his basketball skills are slipping, and his usual charm with girls has vanished. desperate for answers, he follows his co-captain heeseung's joking advice and visits a local shaman. she reveals the source of his bad luck: major karmic debt. to regain his balance, riki must make amends for his broken and abandoned childhood friendship with the one girl who truly knew him, y/n matsuzaki.

genre: coming of age, comedy, angst.

content: smau + mostly written, childhood friends to strangers to ?, talks of the occult and spiritual connection, reader and sunoo are very much queer coded, y/n and soul are on the spectrum, crude language, sexual innuendoes, drinking and drug use, riki is an rich asshole, too many flashbacks

featuring: enhypen, p1harmony, newjeans, original characters

status: january first, two thousand twenty five

schedule: monday, wednesday, friday

note: everyone is eighteen, riki and y/n aren’t really romantically involved, but they could be… or i could do a route ending but i love male and female relationships that are strictly platonic like ji-woong and seung-wan from twenty five twenty one. i might make a taglist so feel free to comment or ask!

ִ ࣪ 𖦹 物事の進み方 ָ ࣪ ׅ

chapters and characters

es oh es / ball busters / extras

one ; written

one point five ; filler

two ;

three ; ?

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ꨄ⠀⠀⠀⠀⋆⠀⠀⠀⠀ׄ⠀⠀⠀@/icbgwy, reblog, follow !

[fabled-lady-twilla]

Twilla's Ever Growing ShigaDeku Fanfiction Recommendation List

Before diving in, please be advised that this list has everything from platonic friendship, soft and fluffy romance, omegaverse fics, problematic or dead dove content, fantasy, scifi, and horror fics, some fem Izuku and fem Shiga, and of course, plenty of smut. I'm open to reading (mostly) anything as long as I think it's well-written and it's something I find interesting or compelling. These fics are just the ones I've found so far, and eventually more will be added.

Please read the warnings on the fics themselves! All of the following recommendations can be found on AO3. I hope you enjoy! 😊

Queerplatonic Friendship

FGAP (Four Games about Pain) by 13thStep

reconcile by whatagoodegg

Cherry Milkshakes by smol_bird

Marks and Ties by GrowingAHead (shelleyk0503)

ShandMan18 by ShotoTodorhoeki

Rebuilt Anew by em_proxy

it's all fun and games till somebody falls in love by orphan_account

The Push And Pull Of Death And Life (But Which Is Worse Depends On Your Perspective) by Otaku6337

Some Degree of Romance

Baby Spice by MidnightTrashGoblin

Logical Ruse by AngeliaDark

Ask me if you dare by Niftyhope

Losing Definition by LittleLady95

Reach for me. by Lubylu1989

Lovers of Lost Dimensions by miss_nighteye (terryh)

A Home Within The Light by MissMidnightsPlace

Lusus Naturae by TenkonoTama

answer me. by supercrunch

To Depend on the Enemy by AMedicalMistake

What the Heart Wants by erza_mikazuki

Sleepwalking (When You're Gone) by ReadingToMusic

Total Simp Behaviour by ReadingToMusic

Mind-melting by ReadingToMusic

Red Ledger by AdoxographicGrim

What Baking Can Do by ACafeofSandandBones

Resthaven by StarsGarters

Don’t give strangers on the internet your name (you might fall in love with them) by IchiroIsCoolGuy

Don’t give strangers on the internet your name (you might want to marry them) by IchiroIsCoolGuy

Dead Dove, Problematic, or Smut

Wicked Ties by A_Single_Cactus (Dub-con)

Push and Pull by A_Single_Cactus (Dub-con)

good boy by a_sentimental_man (Dub-con)

Prince and Pauper by 13thStep (Obsession)

Hatakikomi by 13thStep (Captivity)

Made for me by overwhore (Captivity)

Corrosion by ReadingToMusic (Corruption)

Step It Up by AdoxographicGrim (Step-siblings)

Omegaverse

How to Court a Broken Omega by StarsGarters

Changes by A_Single_Cactus

“Can’t You See That You’re Lost?” by DerpressoResso

It's Called Public Service by AdoxographicGrim (Mild Dub-con)

Dear Agony by miss_nighteye (terryh) (Dub-con)

praying mantis by adipocere (Non-con, probably the darkest fic)

Adventure, Scifi, Fantasy, Horror

What Grows Here by Aravis

The Last Dragon by celebisaur

Castaway by StarsGarters

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by StarsGarters

Hidden in Plain Sight by A_Single_Cactus

Female Izuku + Male Tomura

According to Persephone by MamaDonovan (Very Dub-con)

Queen of the Underworld by MamaDonovan

Beautiful Disaster by miss_nighteye (terryh)

Female Izuku + Female Tomura

tell me lies, lies, beautiful lies by miss_nighteye (terryh)

i’m yours to keep by miss_nighteye (terryh)

A Familiar Sensation by A_Single_Cactus

Sad or Tragic Ending

and my one true love called me a monster by orphan_account

Nothing Else in the World but One Another by tristeza

Let me know if you have a recommendation to add! 💚💚💚

[adoringsuga]

— ruin our friendship.

⭑ featuring. chigiri hyoma

⭑ content. fem!reader, chigiri gets jelly lol, kissing that gets a little heated so be warned, several isagi mentions (& cameo!) bc i love him, & cursing

⭑ word count. 2.3k

⭑ summary. chigiri hyoma, plain and simple, is your best friend in the whole wide world. your relationship is as uncomplicated as can be; yet, after you ask a presumably innocent question about a friend of his, something comes to light that changes everything...

⭑ notes. omg this is like my first post ever so…hello (≧∀≦)!! this is also like?!??! my first fanfic ever so... lollll... it's honestly so short so i didn't even know what to even write for the summary... anywho! hope u enjoy!! hopefully there will be more to come b/c super obsessed w blue lock rn ngl

“Your hair is so soft,” you murmur mostly to yourself, fingers combing through soft, cherry-red strands, gently untangling any knots you come across with a care reserved solely for the boy currently resting his head in your lap.

Hyoma only hums appreciatively, hyper-focused on the TV in front of you two, sporadically tapping his fingers on your thigh when something of note occurs on the screen. He had turned on some old football game of his when he had invaded your apartment—unannounced, you may add,—around an hour ago. And, before you could utter a single word of complaint about his choice of entertainment, he quickly began haughtily sprouting some bullshit about having to study his old match so he could be aware of what to improve on to better his techniques and what a shame it would be if his team were to lose because someone was to interfere with his review.

Personally, you think he only said that so you wouldn’t change it to this new movie—or, ‘the overly sweet and annoying chick flick’ as Chigiri has lovingly dubbed it—you’ve been dying to watch for weeks now.

Asshole Hyoma, you think a little bitterly, It’s your apartment, you should be able to choose what you can watch or not.

(But, as your eyes flicker to the intense concentration alit on his face, the way he scrutinizes every move, every pass, every shot with an acute focus you find weirdly endearing [and oddly attractive, to your growing horror], you can’t help but think maybe this is fine for now. Maybe.

Maybe football isn’t too bad, you muse, actively ignoring the infinitesimal flush that rises to your cheeks.)

Bored of simply threading your fingers through his strands, you begin to separate his hair into chunks, intertwining the strands once you’ve deemed you’ve parted the hair neatly enough for a loose braid.

You’ve always thought that Hyoma’s hair was inexplicably beautiful, much like the rest of him. Delicate features combined with a lithe yet toned body made him increasingly popular with the female and male demographic of soccer fans (and non-fans as well), especially as his popularity grew and grew with each match he was featured in.

You, simply, admired his beauty for what it was: graceful and elegant, never perceiving him in the lustful light most fans of his had taken to since his debut, (although you would be lying if you said a part of hadn’t slowly begun to see him in a light less than platonic since the start of the year or so).

(These feelings, truthfully, make you want to crawl into a hole and die).

Shaken from your train of thought when a loud cheer erupts from the speakers, your eyes flit up at the TV briefly, blinking in surprise when someone of note catches your eye. You can’t help but gape, fingers stilling from your steadfast braiding as you let out a low whistle, gaze fixed upon the TV.

Even though it makes your heart pang painfully in your chest, you know Hyoma will never see you the way you see him, so, you might as well try and get over him now.

And, without a doubt, you think that the forward on your TV can definitely help with that.

“Whoa,” you mutter, in genuine awe at the gorgeous boy on screen. “Hey, hey, Chigirin,” your words are coupled with a few pokes to his cheek, and he turns his head slightly to look up at you once you’ve finished your ministrations, letting out an inquisitive hum with a raised eyebrow.

“Who’s that?” you question as soon as he peers up at you, pointing at the midnight-haired boy with glimmering deep blue eyes on the TV, eyes gleaming with interest.

“… Why.” Is all he simply says once he sees who it is, voice carefully level and gaze clouded with something you can’t quite place.

“Because he’s cute,” you answer, immediate and truthful, with an almost ariose cadence to your words. You pause for a moment, intently studying the midnight-haired boy, who, at the moment, is currently celebrating a vivacious goal when it all suddenly clicks. “Hey, wait, isn’t that Isagi-san? And aren’t you playing his team next week? Do you think you can get me his number?”

(Embarrassingly, a part you blindly hopes that Hyoma will say say no, so you can overanalyze the meaning behind such an act and further fuel your delusions that Hyoma was definitely into you just as you were to him.

And, hey, who can blame you? Getting over a guy like Hyoma is an agonizing endeavor, so sue you for trying to enjoy your delusions for a bit more before it all comes crashing down and you’re once again stuck in the role of his supportive best friend.

Forced to be something you wished you weren’t. His best friend. Only his best friend.)

Hyoma abruptly sits up from your lap, and you let out a little yelp at the suddenness of it, eyebrows furrowed. His curtain of hair hides his face from your puzzled gaze, and you tilt your head a millimeter to the right, curious.

(The strands of hair you had been braiding loosen at the movement, and eventually unravel unceremoniously after a second passes.

You’re slightly dismayed at the fact.)

Suddenly, a chill runs down your spine, and, for some inane reason, you feel as though you’ve fucked up.

“U-uhm, Chigirin,” you begin awkwardly, suddenly frantic to fill the uneasy, growing hush because truthfully, Hyoma’s unexplainable silence is really starting to weird you out. You’re about to sprout some bullshit about something your statistics professor said the other day, when, all of sudden, you’re on your back, the air knocked out of your lungs and mouth agape in shock.

Pink eyes simply stare down at you, unblinking and almost bored.

“H-Hyoma…?” you manage to stutter out after a long moment, face impossibly red as the boy in question leans over you, the heat of his breath ghosting over your lips. You lay limp, hyper-aware of the fact that even if you did want to move, you wouldn’t be able to as your wrists are being held securely in place by one of Hyoma’s hands. You vaguely wonder if it’s bad that this mere fact gives you butterflies.

(You never use his given name, and Hyoma feels a sick sense of satisfaction curl in his belly at the melodic chime of it.)

You’re warm all over, yet Hyoma seems entirely unphased; even though if he were to only move a mere inch or two, your lips would surely touch.

The thought causes something to thrum in your stomach, makes it tighten in apt anticipation and your breath catch in your throat. I can’t do this, you think, nearly hysteric. It’s all too much, and you turn your face to the side, unable to meet his piercing gaze any longer lest you confess to something you know you’ll regret immediately. Though, with the movement, your gaze somehow catches the TV once more, and there, in all his spectacular glory, is Isagi Yoichi, grinning handsomely with navy blue eyes burning with unabashed determination, calculating and undeniably resolute.

His focused gaze is locked right onto the camera, and his eyes bore intensely into yours as if you’re right there in front of him, as if he could plainly reach out and touch you.

(Oh goodness. Your delusions are growing worse and worse by the day.)

Hyoma growls, seemingly aware of what has currently captured your attention, and purses his lips as though he has just eaten something rotten.

“Don’t look at him.” He demands suddenly, using his thumb and forefinger to gently yet firmly hold your chin, tilting it in a way that ensures your gaze is set on him and only him. “Don’t look at Isagi. Don’t look at anyone else. Look at me.”

“I… what? Hyoma… What do you… ?”

“Can’t you see?” he snaps, almost furious. “I’m in love with you. I have been since I met you. I was fine not saying anything before, but I refuse to lose you to Isagi too.”

Your heart stops. Everything simply stops. Have you been in an accident? And is this simply your unconscious mind attempting to soothe you with what you’ve always dreamed of most? But it can’t be, because you can feel the searing warmth that permeates from his skin, can count every eyelash and every light, scattered freckle, can smell the addicting cologne you mentioned liking to him offhandedly months ago because a guy in your class was wearing it, and so many other things that disproves your accident theory fully.

This is real. This is happening.

Chigiri Hyoma is in love with you?

“You’re in love with me?” you echo in disbelief and rose buds bloom on the crests of Hyoma’s cheeks as he nods adamantly, the hand grasping your chin drifting up to cup your cheek instead.

Somehow, it’s that second, silent confirmation that truly affirms it for you.

Chigiri Hyoma, the perpetual thorn in your side and your best friend in the whole wide world, is in love with you.

Your heart leaps, before it swells. Chigiri Hyoma is in love with you, and he says it as though it is an undeniable fact.

Chigiri Hyoma is in love with you. He’s in love with you.

You feel dizzy at the news, everything fuzzy and muddled except for Hyoma himself, who looks to be growing increasingly nervous and tense with each passing second of silence from yourself.

I should probably say something, you think in a haze.

But, you can’t think of anything that could adequately describe the emotions you’re feeling at the moment, so you simply lift your head and softly graze your lips with his, taking in shocked, pink eyes before crashing your lips together fully. Hyoma makes a small noise of surprise, before melting into it, letting go of your wrists and instead taking your face tenderly with calloused hands, rough against petal-soft skin.

He’s practically on top of you now, but you can’t find it in yourself to care- using your newly freed hands to run your fingers through his hair, to grasp at his face, his waist, and anywhere else you can reach.

It’s not the best kiss, per se- your teeth knock together more than once in a way that causes a dull ache, and mortifying sounds keep escaping your mouth at the most inopportune moments, but God, you don’t think you’ll ever get a kiss like this again.

Regrettably, you pull away after a few more glorious moments, Hyoma chasing after your lips before settling to simply press chaste kisses at the corners of your mouth instead. He trails down after a moment, beginning to nip lightly at the soft skin of your neck, insistent yet gentle as his teeth graze your pulse ever so slightly. You whine at the feeling, almost panting as you weakly push his head away as warmth blossoms under your ribs, settling in your stomach and wisping through your limbs in a hum.

He nips once, twice, before lifting his head, albeit begrudgingly, finally allowing you the chance to suck in a breath of sweet oxygen through parted lips.

As you catch your breath, you hazily gaze up at a red-faced Hyoma, his lips rosy and swollen from pressure and eyes blown and glassy. Embarrassingly, the sight causes your chest to clench with something akin to desire, and you nibble at your kiss-bitten lips in an attempt to keep those feelings at bay, if for the time being.

A beat passes.

“I love you too,” you admit airly as soon as the heat in your cheeks and the rapid beating of your heart calms down to a somewhat manageable level, and Hyoma simply laughs, eyes glimmering with adoration.

“I think I garnered that,” he grins, before capturing your lips once more, cradling your face as though you’re the most important thing to him in the entire world.

(“Hey. Isagi.” Yoichi turns at the call of his name, perking up slightly at the sight of familiar cherry-red hair tied loosely in a bun and long lashes. Putting down the small trinket he had been toying with, he opens his mouth, eager to greet Chigiri back when the other is suddenly right in front of him. Yoichi blinks, grinning openly before Chigiri abruptly takes and wrenches a large chunk of his hair harshly between thin fingers.

“Ow!” he hisses immediately, scalp throbbing hotly and already aching like a motherfucker. He’s surely going to have a headache later, and that realization, alongside the whole, you know, hair-yanking thing, puts a damper on his mood. “What was that for?” he exclaims, incredulous, angrily rubbing at the spot Chigiri had pulled with an ire Yoichi prays he’ll never experience again.

“For my girlfriend,” Chigiri states matter-of-factly, patting Yoichi on the head lightly and demeaningly as though he didn’t just violently violate his poor scalp. He gives no time for the older to respond, already swiftly turning from Yoichi and beginning to walk away, but not before brazenly declaring, “Oh. And we’re beating you too, so be ready for that.”

“Girlfriend? What the hell did I do to your girlfriend?” Yoichi sputters, blatantly ignoring Chigiri’s last statement and decidedly shelving it for a later discussion because what the fuck? What did he do to deserve to have his hair pulled again?

[What is with him and getting his hair pulled, genuinely? Do people just see him and instantly think, ‘Oh yes, he looks like he likes to get his hair pulled’?

For the record, he does not. He really does not, from the bottom of his heart.]

Chigiri simply laughs, the honeyed glow of the sun catching in his hair and making it burn a fiery red, and Isagi can only watch the other boy strolls away, left cluelessly standing with a stinging scalp and widened eyes.

“... Wait. Chigiri-san has a girlfriend?”)

[blackynsupremacy]

black!chloe sullivan: kelly rowland

x

clark kent: tom welling

note and disclaimer: if you don’t know i love the ship between clark kent and chloe sullivan in smallville. their relationship is so complex, yet it’s comforting and raw. i was having a conversation with @yugiohio, we agreed that if pete ross wasn’t casted as an african american, we thought that chloe’s role would’ve been filled with a poc actress to add ✨diversity✨. let me tell you chloe’s bob, clothing style, personality, and chemistry with clark were off the chain. i felt deep in my soul she would’ve been black (my opinion/head canon) and her character would’ve had some substance. so we came up with the hc for black!chloe.

even though chloe’s character is portrayed by a white actress and i love her too! she falls in that sad trope of (mostly poc) female best friend of a male mc that’s written to be undateable to him even though she’s known him for years and she falls for him because they have been through so much in life together as it is. with that type of friendship and trust, there’s gonna be some feelings that are beyond platonic! then that line is crossed and it fails miserably or that line is never thought of because the mc would be considered out of that female character’s league because she is a poc…that’s where the ball is dropped sadly.

so in conclusion:

this is a HEADCANON/AU/WHAT IF! if you don’t like it, get off my blog. i pay the bill on this phone and i’m gonna say what i’m going to say. ofc ik chloe sullivan isn’t black canonically, neither is pete ross in the comics, so i don’t wanna hear that shit. stay tuned because i got more ocs and hcs coming.

[epickiya722]

Where does that weird characterization of Izuku being a whiny nice guy incel even comes from anyway?

Just because he is kind that doesn't mean he's constantly doing that out of malice to get into a girl's pants, that's literally the antithesis of Izuku's whole ass character.

People say no one is against boy/girl friendships but they can't even handle platonic Iz/och as a concept.

I wish I knew where that came from, Anon! Actually on second thought, no the heck I don't.

I really hate that, just in general for these kind of characters, how some people will flip Izuku's niceness into something else that is entirely not him.

Oh, he's nice? Pushover.

Wrong, you're wrong.

He's nice? Trying to get into a girl's pants.

Disgusting, how dare you.

Seriously, they can't handle nice characters like Izuku without twisting them into some OC with the same name and completely misinterpreting the story.

Those same people as you said can't even handle M/F pairs being friends. They whine about same sex relationships and "people can't see them as friends" but BEHOLD! Here they are losing the damn mind over a canon friendship between a male character and a female one.

They also act as if people are stopping them from shipping a girl and a guy. They whine about people shipping characters of the same gender (mostly males) and mischaracterizing them. Yet turn around and do the same thing with characters of different genders! Projection, no better.

I guess they're mad that Horikoshi didn't make their "Deku Harem" concepts canon.

[katerinaaqu]

Soo is Orestes and Pylades like..another patrochilles? Like are they just really good friends but many people ship them anyways?

My dear Anon at this point people ship characters that are barely in the same frame yet alone those who show tender feelings for each other! It seems like nowadays it is impossible for people to see two characters (particularly male or female ones) being tender with each other without shipping them!

But anyways many researchers also tend to generalize that and always use the filter of homoerotic material to their interpretations even if there isn't much to indicate that because people immediately assume that characters of Greek mythology must have been a couple for some reason. It also doesn't help that many ancient or medieval scholia also said similar things for several mythological figures.

Orestes and Pylades share a very strong and tender friendship and they also share family bonds. An affair between them is not indicated by the text itself so again I mostly see it as people interpreting way too much the naturally tender speech of characters on greek texts as them being somehow couples (and is not just modern retellings but also official papers that seem to blast this out of proportion) in combination to the generally overblown idea of homosexuality in ancient Greece as if it was the absolute norm. It was not at least not the way many people interpret it. It certainly did happen and it was much more acceptable than for the upcoming Christian times but yeah it was not like people were...waving their pride flags around or anything hahaha I mean open scenes of tenderness of SUCH intimacy were generally discouraged anyways to be shown in public (the famous Greek phrase that translates as "the things you do or say at home are not for the world")

I do not see any reason to see them as couple in the text. Their relationship seems to be a tender and strong friendship. Orestes even is betrothed or married to Hermione. Pylades as well seems to support him in every step which is probably why I think of them as friends. Their tender relationship is not overly expressive or passionate. They seem to cooperate and deeply care for one another and I find no reason to assume they are lovers or rather I think it is important to project the platonic relationships such as friendship or companionship without associating them necessarily with romance or sexuality but at the same time yes I do see people interpret them as such for a combination of the reasons I mentioned above. I am not saying that the hypothesis that they are lovers as people interpret the sources or even like I said ancient scholia which also were inspired by the ideals of their time, is wrong. It is just I personally wouldn't interpret them as such because I really want to project their friendship

But yeah I guess one can say the same for any character that is tender with another or have good collaboration or anything. If one wants to filter it through the lenses of romance then nothing one other say will change that idea. The relationship between Orestes and Pylades is not as blasted out of proportion like Achilles and Patroclus but yeah I guess every time we do discover the word "friendship" in ancient texts there is always a dude in the background (ancient or modern) that would yell the overused joke "historians say"

[mythicalgeek]

The Dark Crystal Age Of Resistance is a tragically underrated work of art.

If your a fan of fantasy like Lord of the rings, Harry Potter and Star Wars please give The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance a watch.

Its a prequel series to the 80s movie and it's one of the best fantasy shows in recent years and goes back to classic fairytales and mythical storytelling.

Everything is mostly done with practical effects and only uses CGI where it's really necessary. The show also brings back puppetry and even though none of the character's are humans there's more humanity in this show than most media we get today.

The world of thra is a magical and strange place that you find yourself immersed in, with all the creatures and beuaty of the natural world at full display you find yourself encanted by it.

The gelfings are really adorable and you can't help but care about them, the main three protagonists have well flushed out personalities and each one has a interesting journey they go on that lead them to start the resistance and the quest to save there world.

The Skekies are really creepy and make for some pretty great villains. There motivation and interactions are giving just as much time as the heros, they rule thra with cruelty and manipulation, stealing the live force of the planet and the then the gelfing. There some of the most terrifying villains we've gottan in the last few years and I gotta say, I was absolutely horrifying by them.

This show does a lot of things right and one of them is how it writes the female characters. Deet and Brea (the two female leads) are very feminine heroines who are kind, empathetic, intuitive, clever and strong without it being showed in our faeces. Even when the female characters are warriors or soldiers there femininity is not devalued or see as a weakness. We also have more complex characters like Seledon and the gelfing leaders (who are all female) and it's just so nice to have a fantasy show that handels the female reputation so beautifully.

At the same time the male character's are also written with the same amount of care and respect, for example Rian (the main male lead) is a soldier who after finding out the truth about the skekies, is faced with the hard challenge of spreading the truth while dealing with loss and trauma, we see plenty of moments where his aloud to be vulnerable and we see him grow into a strong leader for the resistance.

We also have Hup who even though he is a side character, is a lovable podling who steals every sence he's in. He dreams of becoming a hero and has such a heartwarming friendship with Deet it's hard not to love him and want more of him.

All the relationships between the gelfing feel so intimate and pure, wheater there familial, platonic or romantic the show gives us so many beautifully written relationship and dynamics, that add to the emotional core of the story.

There's also some political drama with the gelfling clans and the skekies as they try to hold on to there power, it's done in a way that both kid's and adults can follow.

The action is surprisingly good for show with only puppets, we have sowrd fights, flying gelfings dropping booms, wild carriage rides and it's really exciting and done well.

There is only 1 season unfortunately but it's still worth the watch, I do have to warn everyone that there is a lot of scary and truely horrifying moments so if your sensitive maybe give this a pass, but there's a balance between the dark and whimsical and there's so many funny and sweet moment's that allow you two catch your breath.

This series is a hidden gem in the world of fantasy and that's a dame shame because it is everything you could whant from a epic fantasy story that we just dont see a lot of anymore.

I like shows like The Witcher and Rings of power but none of those shows have captured my imagination or sense of wonder like the dark crystal aor did. I have so much love for this beautiful, weird, creepy, wonderful, magical puppet show and I wish it got more recognition for the work of art it truly is.

The Dark Crystal Age Of Resistance is pure magic and deserve so much more attention. It's on Netflix so check it out if your looking for some good fantasy.

[anonymous-venting-space]

Why do romantic couples have to be all like "I married ✨💕my best friend💕✨"?

Like, I get the idea (sort of), but I really kinda hate it.

It might make things awkward for best friends, cause now there's an expectation they might develop romantic feelings to each other (especially male & female friendships)

But mostly it's just kinda saying that your romantic partner is all you need or care about. It's just a reminder that you'll always be just a friend to them, you can't even be their best friend.

I know this is just a petty nitpick, and it's probably not that deep, but you can call your romantic partner so many other things, spouse, lover, partner, etc. why do you need to take this from platonic relationships?

Imagine you're someone's best friend and when they get married they're all like "yeah, my partner's great, they're my best friend!" and you just know if you were to be like "I thought I was your best friend" they'd be like "Well yeah, but like you're just my friend, not like a partner or something."

And you can't even complain about it, because if you were to say it to anyone they'd just be like "I mean yeah, that's their partner, of course they care about them more than you, stop being so sensitive about it."

[kaliido-s]

Well, the kaiju ship I ship most is Mothollante, but everyone’s already given their thoughts on that so yeah. Has a lot of the pros of Mothzilla with few of the cons, as well as the wonderful aesthetic of a genetically-engineered abomination and a goddess of nature. There’s also the obligatory puns about flowers and butterflies, and Mothra-based hurt/comfort and fluff which is one of my favorite kaiju fan plots.

Mothzilla’s… alright when handled in a certain way, but it’s a “the ship is fine but why is it everywhere” type of thing. And with the MonsterVerse especially, their relationship is better if it’s platonic. All in all, I don’t really ship it, unless a particular person’s take leans to the “humanity’s sins and nature’s virtues” aspect of both of them.

Gong’s pretty good. Tired old men being tired together.

Rodorah’s pure arson and anarchy and I value it for that, but no way is that dynamic anything approaching healthy. I ship it for the lolz.

I’ve jokingly shipped Legion from Gamera and Destroyah together before. Two big buff arthropod ladies.

Angzilla has the same benefits as Gong, really, but with more Showa craziness. I find Kongzillra to be a funny threesome, esp. because GvK would have been over in ten minutes if Mothra was there to slap some sense into Goji, to calm Kong down, and to alert the humans to Mechagoji/Ghidorah.

2MUTO is the kaiju ship I like second most, it gets points for being the only canon kaiju couple I can think of outside of the two OG Rodans, and also because I just love the MUTOs in general. Fr though, those two bugs were so sweet together, and I do think they had as much if not more chemistry than the human leads. Anyone who says that Femuto would have committed mate cannibalism on Hokmuto can face my wrath. MUTOs are clearly designed to fight, hunt, and live in pairs (therefore it makes no sense for her to kill and eat him), and it’s entirely possible they’re like crocodilians (i.e. female raises the kids and protects the nest, male brings her and the wittle babies food. Babies stay with the parents for several years until they can live on their own, and may stay within the parents’ territory for several more years. But now I’m going on one of my MUTO ecology headcanon rambles again…)

That’s all I can think of for now, have fun with these and have a nice day!

ooh this is a long one

- I think the funny thing about the hurt/comfort fluff is I only really like it with the Heisei Mothra. For some reason, maybe because she starts out as a larva, she always seemed a bit less like a goddess to me and more like a really caring person just fighting for what they love. While I read other Mothras as more closed off and unsure in social situations because of their attachment to world peace, Heisei Mothra feels more sociable and peppy, and thus capable of committed relationships

- continuing that, Mothzilla I have never really been a fan of, and I think Goji and Mothra being friends is far more interesting. They care so much and mean so much to each other, but it’s because they value their friendship, and neither of them have really had a relationship like that before. They started off as a business relationship and got closer over time, and I think their friendship is very sweet.

- Kongzilla is (usually) very relaxed old man yaoi and I like that a lot

- If you read my other previous ask about Rodorah, you’ll know how I feel about it. Very wacky very goofy very arson.

- Y’know what, I totally think Legion could get it. She’s pulled tons of arthropod ladies before.

- Again, relaxed old man yaoi, I like that a lot. For them it’s way more like, they’ve been friends for so long and have only gotten closer over time, and everyone’s wondering whether they’re official or not, and maybe they won’t say it out loud cause they don’t want the attention, but they are.

- I had a pretty brief Kongzillra phase and that was pretty fun. Mostly used for laughs and silly shipping dynamics where there’s no bad blood. They’re a power throuple.

- The MUTOs are so cute to me, the part where they meet each other in Chinatown, call to each other, nuzzle, and sync up their vocalizations when they kiss lives in my head rent free. It’s too bad Godzilla hates straight romance, because they were a very adorable and committed couple. (I also would be super into any MUTO ecology posts if you’re offering)

(this clip. this clip right here. the sound design, the cuteness, chefs kiss.)

[txxxciii]

hmm today I will reveal my personal favorite ships in welcome home

if you disagree with me it's fine, just keep in mind not everyone's ships are the same

Wally and Barnaby: the first ever ship I thought of when joining the fandom. My initial thought was that the basic formula of "two best friends" and "size difference" would definitely be a win-win for the fandom, but I was actually quite surprised to see some people who despise this ship, claiming it to be "zoophilic". Needless to say that I haven't heard or seen such argument against the Fluffybird (Red Guy and Duck from DHMIS) ship, but oh well. Anyways, I just think they're very neat and could definitely be classified as a "best childhood friend who have a little something going on" dynamic. And! While I mostly see these two as mutual pining partners, I can totally view them as a simple platonic "two guys being besties and having fun"! Also I don't know if any Welcome Home ships have names, but I saw someone call this pairing Wallaby and I think I'll go with that :)

Frank and Julie: now, listen to me on this one please. I know perfectly well Frank and Eddie are a canon couple, and I'm down with that! It's just that I'm a sucker for a more platonic-romantic kind of pairing between best friends. They just seem so funky together and have the good ol' "opposites attracts" dynamic with them. Again, same case as Wallaby, I ship these two romantically, but cool with them just being pals. There isn't enough male and female friendship representation in media, and I personally believe that Frank and Julie are a good example of such. My heart just simply melts whenever a Frank/Julie art appears on my feed, it's so wholesome and soft..

Howdy and Poppy: ... okay. I don't really have enough evidence to backup this one but uh. My brain just went and created this pairing in my head and I absolutely love it. JUST GENERALLY SPEAKING both of them have a parental vibe, and the contrast between a huge green guy with multiple limbs and a giant bird with mostly red feathers is just.. pleasing for my eyes (complementary colors! complementary colors!). While the fandom widely agrees that Poppy is a "worried mom friend of the group", I haven't seen anyone say that Howdy is much of an "outgoing dad friend of the group". Personality wise they'd make a pleasant dynamic and with how both of them basically take care of others in their own ways could be played out too. And just AHHHH thinking about them makes my brain very happy!!!! if no one draws fanart of them I WILL (threat).

[roniinoodles]

Hello, Noodle here. I’m 29 and do not have a preference for pronouns, comfortable with just about any. I write mainly on discord and am most comfortable doing so. I tend to make servers for myself and my partner(s) for organization. 

I am looking for a writing partner(s) who is 21+, who is also interested in having a solid foundation of communication and maybe even a good friendship outside of our writing. I genuinely like to know the person(s) I am writing with as it makes me more comfortable to write with them and come to them with ideas/plots. 

I’m looking for mainly ship partners for romantic settings and plots. I don’t mind writing platonic ships in the background of the plot's main ship. I do not have any triggers or anything that is super off limits, I’m willing to explore out of character what kind of things my partner is interested in or uncomfortable with. I am comfortable with writing most types of nsfw content, such as smut and other assorted topics. My writing length can vary from one paragraph to multiple. I also prefer at least a base plot idea before beginning to write together. I’ve written primarily m/m or m/f ships. 

Currently I’m mostly interested in writing in the GOT fandom, the tv series specifically as I have not read the books. I have several canons and oc’s. Looking primarily for m/f ships, but could also be interested in m/m. 

Characters I write:

Jon Snow Daenerys Targaryen Tormund Giantsbane Sansa Stark Jamie Lannister (haven't yet but would like to try) A few original characters (both male and female) I am willing to explore with anyone interested.

If you are interested, my dm’s are open or react to this post and I’ll seek you out.

[officialgleamstar]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Oxventure (Web Series) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Lilith Cappellanaga & Edvard Lumière Characters: Lilith Cappellanaga, Edvard Lumière Additional Tags: Post-Episode: Murder at Volisport Academy (Oxventure: Blades in the Dark), Fluff without Plot, Male-Female Friendship, Platonic Cuddling, Vulnerability Summary:

Lilith lays her head in Edvard's lap. For the sake of scientific curiosity, but mostly because it's been a long day.

sorry i was gonna write like, something about the fic here, but the number for this fic is 54995599??? thats so cool to me for some reason. what a pleasing number. um. anyways. these two are fun :]

[justsomerandomfanfic]

can i request a matchup for my hero academia? platonic and/or romantic. male or female. (preferably a villain lol)

physical: height 5'3, brown eyes, short black hair, glasses, alternative style, piercings

personality: i'm a sagittarius if that means anything lol. i like video games, music, and anime. my music taste is mostly metal. i'm an introvert, it takes me a while to get close to people and show my true personality, but once i do i'm funny and a ride or die friend.

Hello!

Of course, you can have romantic and platonic matchups for MHA!

Villains as requested ;)

I hope you enjoy them!

Romantic and Platonic Matchups; My Hero Academia

~~~

Romantic;

~~~

My Hero Academia;

Tomura Shigaraki -

You first meet Tomura during a chaotic confrontation between the League of Villains and a group of heroes.

You were caught in the middle.

Oof.

You had accidentally stumbled into the wrong place at the wrong time.

And here you were hoping for a nice day where you could go out and buy yourself a new video game.

Tomura noticed you immediately when his eyes met yours - he wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about you that made him pause.

For a split second.

In that moment, he made sure that his League didn’t harm you, even though he didn’t know you at all.

Something about you being there, so... Unafraid of the chaos surrounding you, intrigued him.

Despite the fight, his attention stayed on you, silently guarding you from the attacks around you.

When the fight ended and everyone retreated, he didn't say much.

He stared at you for a good minute or so, and you stared right back.

He then simply told you to "Get lost" before walking away.

You were the first person in a long time that he didn't want to destroy.

And that realization was both confusing, irritating, and fascinating for him.

It wasn't an instant friendship, but over time, you managed to get closer to Tomura.

He’s not one to trust easily, but you didn’t ask for anything from him, not at first.

Instead, you listened when he vented, no judgment.

Even when he didn't vent, you listened.

It wasn’t about him being some villain; it was about him being Tomura.

Tomura starts to soften around you, but he doesn’t admit it or show it.

There are moments when he lets his guard down without even realizing it - like when you sit with him during a particularly bad day, or when he is playing video games, just silently sharing space, and he starts to crave it, even though it scares him.

His feelings are complicated at first.

Tomura doesn’t understand why he feels this intense pull toward you, and it frustrates him. Annoys him.

It isn’t like the usual adrenaline-fueled obsessions he has with destroying or making chaos - it’s more subtle.

He finds himself thinking about you when you’re not around, questioning why you care for someone like him, and why you make him feel things he can’t explain.

Why?

You’re different from anyone he’s ever known. You’re calm and laid-back, but still, you have this fire about you that matches his own.

When he sess your piercings, he admires them, which is actually just him staring at them - which would either confuse you or make him even more endearing to you.

He might not admit it for a while, but he slowly realizes he’s falling for you - little gestures that you do, like brushing your hair from your face, leaning in closer when talking to him, or holding his gaze a little longer than usual, make him feel something he’s not ready to acknowledge.

There was no confession, but an unsaid deep understanding, where one moment, you were friends, and the next, you were dating.

Tomura isn’t the most romantic, but he’ll surprise you with small things: a weirdly thoughtful gesture like bringing you an obscure video game he thinks you’d like, or a new movie he thinks you’d appreciate.

When you’re having a bad day, Tomura might show up unannounced with your favorite candy or snacks, without saying much.

Oh, yeah, he was totally just in the neighborhood. And he totally didn't just happen to steal that candy from a baby beforehand.

He might act like it’s no big deal, but the softness in his actions betrays his desire to make you feel better.

He loves the way you laugh.

On rare occasions, you’ll catch him showing genuine affection.

He’ll rest his head against your shoulder during quieter moments, something he only does when he’s too tired to pretend anymore.

Sometimes he likes it when you run your fingers through his hair- out what is he kidding? He loves it.

Pet that hair! Pet that hair!

Touch-starved.

I bet he purrs...

You’d keep him grounded in a way that no one else can.

You’re one of the few people who can manage to get him to open up, even if it’s just a little bit.

Toga, Dabi, and the others like to make fun of him sometimes. :(

Your loyalty is undeniable.

You’d be his safe space - a person he can confide in without fear of judgment, even if he doesn’t show it all the time. He's not so good at being vulnerable.

You’d support him in ways that no one else has. You’d take care of him when he's hurt (mentally or physically), bandaging him up after an intense fight or just being there to listen when he feels overwhelmed.

Sometimes, on rare days, Tomura would sit behind you, (gloves on, obviously), with his hands covering you on a gaming controller; his chin resting on your head as you both game.

Tomura’s acts of affection are always subtle, but that makes them all the more meaningful.

If you're upset, he might say; "Do you want me to kill somebody for you?"

Tomura will listen to music with you, he'll allow you to show him all of your favorite bands and songs.

He likes music too.

If you make a joke, a really funny one, you might see the corners of Tomura's lips twist up in a very, verrrrry slight grin.

Deep down, he loves and appreciates you.

:)

~~~

Platonic;

~~~

My Hero Academia;

Kurogiri -

You met Kurogiri because of your relationship with Tomura.

You weren't particularly close with him at first, but you’d always been curious about the quiet, mysterious figure that kept to the background.

It didn’t take long for him to notice you, especially as your bond with Tomura grew.

Kurogiri doesn’t interact much with the others outside of his duties, but there was something about your easygoing nature that intrigued him.

He observed you from afar, seeing how you interacted with Tomura and the rest of the League. You didn’t try to force anything. You were just yourself, which he admired.

Seeing you slowly break out of your shell was nice to see.

With Kurogiri, friendship comes slowly, but it’s deep and meaningful when it happens.

He’s not one to casually open up, but he enjoys the way you make him feel understood, even without words.

You can tell that Kurogiri values loyalty and responsibility.

He’d never show it directly, but he’d often go out of his way to make sure you were okay, especially after stressful missions.

You quickly learned to enjoy the quiet moments with him - when he’s not being the voice of reason for the League or using his quirk, he’s surprisingly down-to-earth.

He enjoys your humor and subtle sarcasm, even if it’s hard for him to express it outwardly.

Kurogiri’s affection for you is subtle but profound.

Despite his cool exterior, Kurogiri is protective of you, especially after witnessing the risks you take for Tomura.

He silently watches over you, ensuring that no harm comes to you, even though you’re no longer directly involved in their schemes.

Honestly, Kurogiri thought of you as a daughter.

Teleports you to fun locations!

You and Kurogiri share a mutual understanding of the complex world around you. He’s seen and done things that others would find difficult to fathom, and you never try to judge him.

This unspoken bond grows into a comfortable friendship, one built on mutual respect.

You’d offer Kurogiri the same silent understanding he offers you. When he needs a break from the chaos, you’d be there, no questions asked, giving him a space to just breathe.

Kurogiri would do anything for you. Being his adopted daughter and all.

Oh, and he cares a lot, obviously!

:)

Really though, this is the chillest guy on the planet.

[piracytheorist]

What's your hot take opinion on Sxf ?

Oh boi this is probably gonna upset a lot of people and even some mutuals but. I don't think Damιanya will be canon.

And look, this comes from how I view fiction. I adore looking for Author's Intent, and that can include both positive and critical analysis. By that I mean, I like taking a work of fiction and analyse characters and scenes and gestures etc., but also, if you give me a work of fiction that is written from a bigoted point of view, I can spend hours looking into all the ways the author inserted their bias and political views into it.

That is to say, most of the time I'm not into "fixing" stuff or imagining ways a work of fiction can go according to how I would like it to go. Hence why most of the fanfic I write is mostly character and dynamic exploration rather than AUs and canon divergence that ignores canon stuff I didn't like. Not that I find it wrong to do that, everyone enjoys fiction and creates derivatives of that in their own way. But to make sense of my post here, I needed to present how I work when I consume media.

So. I am asexual, most possibly also aromantic, I can count on one hand the times I shipped a fictional couple, and I cringe every time a film or show that's not in the romance genre has the male and female lead become a couple, cause god forbid they go through an Experience™ together and keep things platonic.

Anyway, people are free to ship what they want to ship, and I'm in no way an impartial judge or the ultimate analyst, but I don't believe Anya and Damian will become a couple, even if they're aged up. Part of that comes from the fact that in well-written fiction everything happens for a reason. The reason I believe Twiyor will be canon is because it will give Twilight the experience of a real romantic relationship after having to fake those for his missions, and it can give Yor confidence in a relationship whether she's openly intimate or not.

If Anya is paired with Damian, I can see how it can help Damian have narrative development, but how will it help Anya? What is her character missing that a romantic relationship with him can provide? And if the relationship only provides development for him, then it will be unbalanced and maybe even one-sided as far as the narrative is concerned. And Anya deserves better than that. Her dynamic lies with her parents (especially when it comes to identity reveals), Bond (with her ability to see the future through him and her becoming more responsible through taking care of him), Becky (a friend that makes her feel confident to be herself and whom Anya can help open up), and whenever Endo decides to take it there at some point, the scientists who practically created her and her powers.

I'm not saying Damian will only be a hurdle and a burden to her. But honestly, she has way more dynamics and stuff going on about her for the story to force her into an "I can fix him" narrative with her bully.

And when it comes to Damian... I honestly think he has more to earn if they DON'T become a couple especially after Anya finds out about his feelings for her. Damian is growing up rich, privileged, and neglected, so he's turned into a brat and a bully who thinks is above everyone and everything. He needs (and deserves) physical affection and compassion, but he also needs to know he can grow from his toxic behavior. Fixing him of that and immediately throwing him into the relationship he craves is, frankly, an easy pass. It's not a romantic relationship, or even close friendship he needs. It's familial affection and connection. The former might help but it won't fix the issue. Again, that's very biased of me because I was bullied by kids like Damian when I was little, so the thought of me becoming interested in them after all the abuse because "they got fixed" is... unwelcome, to say the least :)

And all that's putting aside the fact that they're fucking six years old. Anya probably younger than that. But even if they're older and suitable for a romantic relationship, it's still not something that can, narratively, bring them what they need.

In my view, making Damian have a crush on her is not to lead them into a romantic relationship (at a later point because again, they're SIX) but it's to give him depth and a layered dynamic with Anya besides Anya wanting to approach him for the sake of Operation Strix. Endo made things so Anya has a lot of hurdles on her way towards that, and a spoiled bully who is fighting his own feelings for her out of spite and ends up bullying harder is only part of those hurdles.

Eventually, how I think their dynamic will go is Anya finding out about his feelings, going like "Oh that makes sense but I don't see you that way" and Damian accepting that, while he grew into a more respecting person who doesn't burst out his frustrations on innocent peers, his reward for that won't be the romantic relationship he wants, because hey, there shouldn't be a "reward" for actually becoming a decent human being :) And they stay friends who support each other.

Ending this by saying everyone is free to ship what they want to ship and that this is only my view that is influenced by my lack of interest in romantic stories and my still-prominent scars from having been a bully victim for years. I only watch the anime, but the setup I've seen in the story is enough for me to consider that this is where their dynamic will go. You might disagree and that's okay, the cool thing in fandoms is people being able to offer different points of view, but please don't reblog this just to have pointless fandom fights with me.

[jasontoddiefor]

I absolutely adore your Jiang Fengmian and Cangse Sanren just being friends posts so much because my personal theory is that they were great friends and people were weird about platonic-male female relationships and shitty about how a beautiful, renowned women married someone insignificant in their eyes. It’s so nice and refreshing and I’m tired of the whole he’s creepy and obsessed with a dead woman instead of his two best friend died and he’s trying to give their son a good life. Let the man be complex! Is he is a great parent? No, but he was arguably a better dad than attic wifer and lecher, a C level parent and someone who was kind to common folk and let their kids play with his disciples, that making him into this villain character that’s either super creepy and gross or apathetic and completely neglectful and letting Madam Yu do inhumane abuses in front of him without retort is so weird.

Sorry for the tangent, I just love you having a platonic friendship of two souls both a little bit in awe of each other’s worlds. Let him be a lowkey depressed man with his two best friends gone and dead and is now just trying his best to be a good Sect Leader and still failing at times. Let him have some complexity.

Anon you made my day with this ask.

Like, I think the "grieves the idealized version of someone he loved (romantically)" is fine, like, whatever, but it's also kinda basic?

And if they were genuine platonic friends only, it would also add to the narrative IMO? MDZS very much works on a "things left unsaid and left unacknowledged" kind of theme, and a friendship that isn't allowed to be seen as such would fit just right in. From what we see, JFM is a very mild man as well, so of course there'd be questions, misunderstandings and such messy ugly rumors.

And I think the fandom also just generally exaggerates JFM? Like while reading and watching either adaption, I mostly got a sense that this is a man who has resigned himself to living alongside his wife and mostly doesn't know how to parent any of his kids in a way that doesn't infuriate YZY so he decided that being more hands off in general is better. But not this mess of obsessive to neglectful?

Like, thos interpretations can be fun, love me a good dark fic, but that's just not what canon gives me?

But yeah!!! you're right!!! Let him be a lowkey depressed man with his two best friends gone and dead and is now just trying his best to be a good Sect Leader and still failing at times.

Also here take a snippet of friendship bc I couldn't find much on AO§:

Cangse Sanren knocks on his door until Jiang Fengmian drags himself out of bed. He doesn’t know it is her or he wouldn’t have answered the door in his sleeping robes. She doesn’t notice, of course she doesn’t, and Jiang Fengmian is relieved that nobody else is up this early.

If he didn’t know any better, he’d claim Cangse Sanren only got up early to spite Lan Qiren and his expectations of her, but she came with the habit.

“Fengmian, I need you to go shopping with me,” she declares boldly. He knows that her expectation is now, although most shops won’t open for another two hours most likely. She probably wants to go exploring the area early – and ditch the disciples accompanying him, except maybe Wei Changze. She behaves even stranger around him and Jiang Fengmian is glad to have finally found something to tease Wei Changze about.

“And why do I need to go with you?”

“I need someone to tell me when the sellers are ripping me off!”

He knows that she has gotten a much better understanding of average prices now, and doesn’t have the heart to tell her that he knows as little about the prices of average street food stalls as her. Sect heirs, generally speaking, do not go shopping in the places Cangse Sanren finds her most favorite trinkets.

Still, she grins at him and Jiang Fengmian finds himself smiling back. He kicks her out of his room to get dressed, for his sense of propriety more than hers. Cangse Sanren has a rather tolerant view on partial nudity, even to a Yunmeng native. He considers waking another disciple to tell them that it is not last night’s curse that made him disappear, but settles on writing a quick note instead.

“Where are we going?” he asks Cangse Sanren the moment they’re out of the door.

She grins again, tellingly, and takes him by the hand to drag him into a street of craftsmen he’d have never seen without her. She hardly shuts up, praising every piece of art, the food, and Jiang Fengmian whenever he points out a piece of jewelry that would be particularly unpractical for nighthunting. Most of them look like gifts one of Jin Guangshan’s terrible cousins had tried to give her.

He thinks it’s the closest he’ll get to having a sister, but he’ll keep that thought quiet, least of all it betrays something else.