#there was NEVER romance between them

[crush-like-that]

If you like the darkling/darklina just unfollow me atp

[squea]

pick ur pretty boy!!!! fresh from the fields of mistria!!

[ruushes]

not generally a fan of how the game implements terminology like this but this is so funny to me it’s almost worth it. shut up lucanis i need you to be listening and learning rn

[spookberry]

Another thing I find really refreshing and cool about Descendants(specifically the first one) is that there is no third act betrayal/misunderstanding/blow up between the main characters.

The VKs are all loyal to each other to the end, even once their motives have all changed and theyre no longer happy with the plan they stick together and follow Mal's lead.

Ben realizes hes been love potioned and finds it endearing and goes along with it even when the affects have worn off

Like the first descendants movie is practically allergic to the third act betrayal/misunderstanding despite CONSTANTLY setting up for one

[liquidstar]

this is not a comprehensive list

[that1notetaker]

Mha chapter 429 Spoilers! Deku hugging ochaku mirrors exactly ochako's hug when Deku's 'heart' went out of control back all those chapters ago. In both cases, both their hearts were out of control because of someone else. Izuku because of Katsuki and Ochako because of Toga. Again, they're mirrors. They've been mirroring each other for a long time. Izuku knew exactly what to say, because he literally understands. He really does. Now, I absolutely loved the tenderness of the scene. The 'hey, you can let the ugliness out, I'm here, it's okay. You can let it out." Izuku has been dealing with his own closed-off heart for a long time, and we still haven't seen HIM open up properly. I'm not sure how the manga will handle it, IF it will. But it feels like there's something missing, for Izuku's character to round up. I vote for Deku vs Kacchan 3, a reversed of 'The only one that can accept Kacchan's feelings is me'

[harrowscore]

can't believe a show based on a videogame (usually games adaptations are notoriously bad, which isn't the case here tho) gave me the beauty and the beast/twisted mirrors/enemies to traveling companions/ruthless antihero+optmistic but still badass heroine who takes none of his shit/age gap but make it sexy dynamic of my dreams. as much as i love maximus and i think he deserves the best writing ever because 1. he's a clever deconstruction of the aspiring Knight bro who's actually a bit of a loser and, as much as lucy, sees the world in black&white at first and then doesn't get what he thought he wanted but what he needs (or at least i hope he'll eventually get it), and 2. he's a cutie and i want an epic love story for him too, it's very funny how they tried to give us a puppy kind of romance and the tumblr girlies still fixated on the "toxic ~she bites his finger off and he cuts hers off and sews it on his hand in what we'll pretend it's a symbolic marriage rings exchange or whatever~ asshole who used to be a nice guy/good girl™ with a lot of spunk and hidden anger but unshakeable morals" kind of relationship.

[anistarrose]

My current version, of my ever-evolving theory, on what constitutes "aromantic stories" is that first off, there's absolutely a wide spectrum between 1, "this is explicitly undeniably about aromanticism," and 2, "there sure is a noteworthy amount of aro subtext, but representing aros clearly wasn't the author's intent." But the spectrum is best completed not as a straight line, but as a triangle, where the 3rd point is "the story probably wasn't created with aromanticism at the forefront of anyone's mind, but was created with subverting particular expectations related to romantic relationships in mind." And in my experience, a lot of juicy aromanticism-related experiences that are underrepresented in their own right can lie in that third option, regardless of whether the characters are aro-spec or allo or kind of whatever you headcanon.

So, what does make a story on this spectrum "aromantic?" IDK, I wouldn't necessarily include all or most of the firm 2s (unintentional subtext) under the aromantic story mantle. But when you get into the gray areas that inch a little closer to 1 and 3, let alone the gray area between 1 and 3 where intent is ambiguous but ultimately may not matter, it makes sense that different people will have different takes.

[vaguely-concerned]

even at this point in the story and with the romance well and truly confirmed it's very possible that lucanis has never seen even a sliver of rye's naked skin below the throat. very likely no one on the team has yet except possibly emmrich if rye got hurt in battle and needed help patching it up. high-necked watcher garb with gloves and all stay ON at all times. thank god for rye's sake that lucanis' history of romantic interest indicates that surprise bitch he could be kind of into that fhsdkjfas

[naturesass]

i want to meet you.

[endsofthearth]

so I found out ab Duo Nina gushing over legally distinct Persona 5 yaoi in her voicelines and I immediately had to pull her............

[kyouka-supremacy]

(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

[b4kuch1n]

yay! I drew these quite literally three years ago. dragonheart!milo and raihan! a knight on a doomed dragon hunt being lifted out of his station by a small village medicine man. together they become magic lawyers and overthrow the government

the main details in these do survive into the iterations I’ve drawn (instead of these actual designs I spent time to make el oh el): the “leaf” diamond quilt/gambeson and the plaited coattail for milo, the “atypical” weapons, long coat, and large number of scattered fake gold trims and accessories for raihan. I think I lost raihan the hat and added a cape for milo further down the line because like this their general silhouettes are too similar for my liking lol

[gogandmagog]

The Blythes are Quoted by L.M. Montgomery

[emilyskinners]

"we're still friends, right?" "jonah, be honest. were we ever?"

[psychicdisaster]

I think one of the reasons why I love God Troubles Me is because it's a story about a woman living with two male gods and... there's zero implied romance? Like, absolutely none. Su Moting is never treated any differently for being a woman, and their friendship is never weirdly tainted by forced romance because she is a woman. It's something I rarely see with anime (I don't watch many donghua) so it's so refreshing to see strong friendships between men and women.