#queerplatonic partners. take it or leave it.

[zarasu]

Romantic bingqiu with queerplatonic liushen and eventual queerplatonic bingliushen, pretend relationship

---

When Binghe is in the abyss, Lqg gets into a bit of a conundrum.

Political peak lord reasons make him have to find a partner, as quickly as possible. Seeing his friend strangely upset about him, Sqq goes to reassure him that he could get any girl he wants and gets an awkward confession instead that Lqg, in fact, isn’t interested in anyone either romantically or sexually and probably never will be. Sqq, bro that he is, makes a suggestion. They’re going to pretend to be a couple so Lqg doesn’t have to get together with anyone that would have expectations. 

This goes surprisingly well. Lqg visits Sqq so often that he might as well live in the bamboo house too and no one doubts that they’re a couple. They get along well after a few initial hiccups and quickly grow very fond of each other until they’re inseparable. 

After almost two years of all that, Binghe returns from the abyss and, through the power of communication and Lqg’s bluntness, makes up with Sqq and returns to Qing Jing Peak as a disciple, miraculously recovered from death.

At this point, Binghe doesn’t feel entitled to his Shizun’s love, so when he finds out that Liushen are “together”, he quietly accepts it even though his heart breaks a little.

Several months pass that look somewhat like this: 

Lqg goes on hunts, brings Sqq back interesting things and is overall very content with his life. He also expects Sqq to eventually get together with the disciple he acted like a grieving widow about for so long. He’s secure enough in his relationship with Sqq to know that it won’t change that much, even when Bingqiu happens.

Sqq is ecstatic that Binghe is back and that he has somewhat forgiven him. He can’t stop touching him and making him spend time with Sqq and squeezing as much time and attention out of Binghe as he can while wondering why he still wants more. He’s also very confused as to why he keeps getting upset when Binghe talks too much to any girl or is out of his sight for more than two hours. Lastly, Binghe seems strangely down, but Sqq is sure it’s just the lingering trauma from the abyss. He also keeps the fact that his relationship with Lqg is purely queerplatonic a secret, partly because he barely even remembers these days that they’re pretending to be romantic and partly because he doesn’t want to betray Lqg’s trust.

Meanwhile, Binghe is devastated every time he sees Liushen being tender or comfortable with each other and more or less depressed the rest of the time. He looks at Sqq yearningly 16 hours a day and cries into his pillow every night. He hates Lqg with all of his soul, but can’t even find that much fault with him except that he doesn’t cook or clean for Sqq and that he doesn’t flatter and admire Sqq enough and that he isn’t jealous enough and does Sqq even feel loved??? 

He goes through a whole arc of cooking and cleaning for Sqq before he realises that it makes him too sad to do that when Sqq will never return his love. He also decimates three entire demon clans and the demon realm is weeping and desperately trying to find Binghe a bride so he’ll calm down.

It all comes to a head when Binghe decides he can’t take it anymore and packs his little rucksack to leave Qing Jing Peak. He only gets halfway down the mountain before Lqg catches him in the act and confronts him because: Is he going to abandon Sqq? Does he not love him after all??

Binghe tensely tells him that he doesn’t need to worry, Binghe isn’t going to try and steal him from Lqg. He was just about to leave.

Lqg replies that he better get his butt back up there and explains the situation to him.

Having his worldview rearranged, Binghe quietly goes back to the dorms and takes a few days to process the information. Lqg and Sqq are together but not romantically? Not even sexually? Binghe isn’t quite sure how someone can be with Sqq in a purely platonic way but he’s prepared to accept it. It takes him a while, but eventually, he reaches the conclusion that: if he has the chance to be with Sqq as long as he accepts that Lqg is going to be a part of their life too, he’s gonna take it.

Meanwhile, Lqg has told Sqq all of his confrontation with Binghe and Sqq is highkey panicking. What if Binghe hates him now for being gay for him? Probably gay. Admittedly, likely gay. What if he’s disgusted with him?? He wavers between going to talk to Binghe about it and avoiding him at all costs. 

In the end, it’s Binghe who confronts him and they have a long talk that ends with them snogging on the floor, Binghe crying, and two emotionally constipated love confessions.

It takes some time, but the three find a way to fit together. Bingqiu are unbearable the first while and Lqg goes on many, many hunts to not hear anything he doesn’t want to hear. But, eventually, Lqg returns to being a frequent visitor and even spends the night there now and then. Binghe grows… fond… of Lqg. He supposes. At least somewhat. Lqg thinks Binghe is a little strange, but he’s Lqg’s now, so that’s alright. Sqq can be a bit strange too. Bingqiu are still unbearable, but what can you do? In the end, they’re happy in their own way, all three of them.

#svsss #bingqiu #luo binghe #shen qingqiu #liu qingge #ace lqg #ficlet #fic idea #queerplatonic relationships #romantic bingqiu #queerplatonic liushen and bingliushen #short

[draconym]

Mmmmmm talk of the Catholic Church being the reason people don't touch other's daemons is something that never really was clear to me because I haven't read the books since like 2007 and instead was a part of an online daemon community talking to our daemons lmao (I still do). But that's such a fascinating thought. If daemons were real (with some changes as were debated on the forum), how would various religions feel about it? It would always be somewhat intimate, you wouldn't want a stranger running up and touching your daemon but people hug and kiss friends and family, queerplatonic relationships are well heard about now. Would the queer community be more willing to open up and let friends and others touch their daemon because the queer community is so intimate in the right time and place, it's such a fascinating thought. Would former Christian atheists have the same holdings over only partners touching daemons? Would different sects of Christianity have different thoughts? You mentioning theater and the Catholic Church has my mind running wild. Artists with daemons in general is fascinating to think about.

Also, something that's always been on my mind as a wannabe zoologist is zoos and daemons. If we take daemons into our world where there aren't talking polar bears and such, how do wild animals react to them? Do daemons smell like their human? Will a pet cat recognize a mouse daemon or try to eat it? Will a pet dog adore their human but be wary of their human's hyena daemon?

Honestly the hypotheticals of daemons both in Lyra's world and our own are fascinating to think on, and something I still think about to this day as I talk to my daemon, despite leaving that community a long time ago. Sorry for this random rambling but you have opened up something inside me lmao

I don't know about you but if my good friends always had little animals hanging out with them you bet I'd ask to pet them. There are plenty of people in the real world who have been socialized to be afraid of loving platonic touch, and plenty of people who haven't, so it's not that big a leap to imagine that in Pullman's fantasy world, close friends from more relaxed societies might briefly touch each other's daemons.

Also it's been a long time since I've read the books but I do think it's canon that nonhuman animals react to daemons as they would a human; whether the daemon is their same species or a prey animal, animals can somehow sense that daemons are human/dust and not Animal in nature, and are therefore less interested in them. So I think our pets would usually treat our daemons as they would treat the rest of us.

Anyway do keep talking to your daemon because I think it is a cool and fun way to process your thoughts. :)

#his dark materials #frankly i have similar thought processing mechanisms i just refer to them differently #would like to wrap up HDM blogging for now though bc that other post is getting out of hand

[monstrousproductions]

Ace rep in Monstrous Agonies!

Monstrous Agonies may be deservedly famed for its monsterfucking, but what if you're more in the mood for monster cuddling? Monster hand-holding? Painting miniatures with your monster while you listen to a podcast together?

Have no fear - there's plenty of asexual and aromantic rep to be found in Monstrous Agonies too! Here are four big ace moments in the show so far, with quotes from the transcripts.

You can listen to Monstrous Agonies wherever you get your podcasts, or check out monstrousagonies.co.uk to listen online and for full transcripts for every episode!

Episode Twenty One - Love in the Ace-pocalypse

The first time a character describes themselves as something akin to asexual is an admittedly blink-and-you'll miss it moment in Episode Twenty One, during a letter from someone worried the relationship that seemed so promising during the apocalypse now seems to have stalled a little...

I don't mean sex. Well, I don't not mean sex. I mean, look, I don't even know if he- Personally, I can take it or leave it, but- [sighs] I just thought there'd be something, alright? Something different.

It's a small enough mention, but a gentle acknowledgement that sex is not actually what makes a relationship special! There's also a little easter egg in this episode for fans of a certain book/TV show popular on tunglr dot com, if I tell you that this letter, which mentions wielding a sword at the apocalypse-averting showdown, was tagged in the planning document as "ethereal/occult"... 😇😈

Episode Twenty Eight - Human Juice Box

The first unambigious, canonical declaration by a character of their asexual identity comes from a letter-writer affectionately known as Human Juice Box, with a question about how to make their queerplatonic partner feel more comfortable with the inherent intimacy of drinking another person's blood directly from their chewy meaty neck.

We already hold hands and cuddle and sometimes even shower together. But because neither of us intended it as romantic or sexual I've never considered it to be!

The letter-writer describes themselves as aromantic but not asexual, while their partner is asexual but not aromantic, and their letter explores what physical closeness and intimacy look like when sex is off the table. It also includes some fun world-building about NHS blood-bank deliveries for persons of haematophagic background 🧛

Episode Forty One - Mothman says Ace Rights!

Monstrous Agonies is largely made up of listener submissions, with some people writing in to riff off previous episodes and continue their ideas. Episode Forty One was one of these, where the in-universe letter made mention of hearing about QPRs on the radio, and having their interest piqued.

You're not alone in wanting intimacy without sex, devotion without romance.

Let this be a reminder to us all about the importance of being open about the diversity of sexual and romantic identities. Hearing the writer of Episode Twenty Eight talking about their relationship reassured this reclusive creature (I'm not saying it's Mothman but it's totally Mothman) that they can be non-monogamous and sex-repulsed, and still be as loved and cherished as they deserve 💖

Episode Fifty - Sex-Worker Succubus

For this letter-writer, sex itself wasn't the problem. As a sex worker who happened to be a succubus, they could see how useful sex could be as a way for their clients to blow off steam, while bringing in a steady income and energy source. But they weren't interested in doing it when they were off the clock - something their romantic partners could struggle to understand.

Yes, I feed on sexual energy; yes, I have sex for a living; yes, I enjoy sex. And no, I don't want to have sex with you, my romantic partner.

They're feeling the pressure of other people's expectations about them, both as a sex-worker and as a succubus. But as long as they stay true to themselves and communicate their needs, they're sure to find someone who can love them and celebrate them exactly as they are.

These are just four canonical mentions of aspec identities in the show - but as always, every character is up for interpretation! Who are your aspec headcanons? Is there anyone I missed? Does the existence of asexual vampires problematise the ace community's use of garlic bread-based humour? Let me know! 🖤💚🤍💜

#monstrous agonies #asexual #aromantic #aspec #asexuality #ace #ace pride #aroace #aromanticism #asexual characters #aromantic characters #podcast recommendations #horror podcast #queer podcast #queer creator #writblr

[hazbinhotelactorsau]

alastor

« why'd i do tha'? well, cher, it was funny, i'm an asshole, and i don' like ya! »

Name: Alastor Theodore LeBlanc

Nicknames: Al (by Charlie and Naomi), Dollface (by Antonio), Bambi (by everyone)

Height: 172cm (5'8)

Age: 33

Birthday: November 10 19XX

From: New Orleans, Louisiana

Nationality: Louisiana Arcadian (Cajun)

Languages: English, Cajun French which he pretends he's better at than he actually is (mostly knows pet names and threats/insults) (speaks with a heavy Yat accent)

Gender: Male (Intersex, Classic CAH)

Pronouns: Refers to himself with He/Him but does not care what others call him (he finds it amusing when people misgender him)

Sexuality: Cupioaroace

Partner: Antonio (Queerplatonic)

Famous For: True Crime Podcaster, Blogger and Interviewer for VOXfeed Unsolved

Plays: Alastor 'the Radio Demon'

Trivia:

originally, his character was named Andrew 'the Radio Demon' but he kept forgetting that he was supposed to answer to that name, and Blitzø thought 'Alastor' sounded more edgy anyway so they changed it to make it easier for him

his natural accent was considered too strong and 'too friendly sounding' so he learnt himself a transatlantic accent for the role. he tried to learn a queen's english accent and got absolutely obliterated for his horrible attempt by the brits in the cast

he loves fucking around with gender stereotypes and gender expression. he sometimes dabbles in drag which started purely as him being drawn to the showmanship of it but he found he actually enjoyed fucking around with his gender

he once dressed up in drag for an after party celebration and convinced a drunk oxley he was a new cast member for next season until he messed up and accidentally revealed himself. oxley didn't talk to him for a week after that

his hair is dyed red and naturally curly (a mix of 3A, 3B and some strands of 3C) which he gets from his mother. seeing his curls reminds him of her which makes him sad, so he straightens his hair most of the time to avoid getting upset. he still avoids looking in the mirror regardless though

has a soft spot for younger women (sees them as the little sister he always wanted) and thus is happy to cosplay with naomi and let victoria give him a makeover every now and then (and lecture him for his lack of hair care routine because "seriously, alastor, what the fuck do you mean you've been straightening your hair for two decades without any sort of care or routine?")

he is autistic and has adhd. he was prescribed adderall for his adhd but he never remembers to take it. he also has c-ptsd.

he was attacked by a neighbour's dog when he was 19 that left him with permanent nerve damage and a limp in his left leg. he sometimes uses a cane to help which is where his character got his microphone stand from. he's terrified of oxley's service dog because of what happened but he doesn't tell oxley because he doesn't want him to feel bad for needing an aid (the same way he uses a cane for aid)

he has freckles that he hides with makeup after lucas said he 'looks like a baby deer' which resulted in everyone giving him the nickname 'bambi' (which he pretends to hate but actually quite enjoys)

everyone finds him a bit creepy. one of his special interests is animal bones and taxidermy and he makes no effort to hide it from the others. he often gifts them little taxidermies or fossils or bones and often jokes that "y'all shouldn't be askin' wha' that is! y'all should be askin' who it is!"

fans think he's 'method acting' to play the role but the other cast members point out that "he's not method acting, that's just how he is. he's just. like that."

he isn't a serial killer or a cannibal but he loves to make jokes and leave hints that he is. he makes little snide comments that come across like he very much is a serial killer. the others can't tell if he's serious or not about it which he finds hilarious

he will do just about anything if he finds it funny enough. he thrives on fun and entertainment for himself. people are wary of him because he's known to be a prankster

despite his character, he doesn't smile that much off set. he's self-conscious of his smile and tends to reserve it only for antonio's eyes. he often complains about being cast as a character who smiles all the time (well, he complains about everything. he's a major complainer and everyone finds it hilarious and he would rather drop dead than admit to being whiny)

he's a huge fan of astrology because of antonio. he also got into tarot reading because a distant relative gifted him a tarot deck that definitely wasn't a regift one year. he enjoys doing readings for the others even if it's hard to resist messing with them (it's one of the few things he takes seriously)

#hazbin hotel #alastor hazbin hotel #alastor the radio demon #hazbin hotel actor au #actor info #radiodust #human alastor

[allthemarrowoflife]

listen listen listen i know that most people who are not endgame jily are endgame jegulus because my boy james potter became obsessed with the same two people at 12 years old and never changed his mind

but what if he. didn't. like sure, if lily or reg told him to bark he'd go "woof" cause he's gone for people who are mean to him.

but he's james fucking potter. i refuse to believe he never dated anyone else.

SO HERE'S MY PROPOSITION

lily starts hanging out with this slytherin girl, pandora lovegood, they're girlfriends, and along comes pandora's queerplatonic partner, xeno, a ravenclaw.

and james looks at this person, all long white blond hair and big blue eyes who's always saying some weird shit about creatures no one's ever heard about before, who wears flowy skirts even when people make fun of them and too many necklaces and big earrings and whose patronus is apparently a fucking moth and goes "i've only had xeno for a day but if anything happened to them i would kill everyone in this room and then myself"

no one even knows their surname, only pandora, because mcgonnagal never calls them anything other than "xenophilius" just like she only ever calls sirius "sirius", so james figures there must be something going on there and that only makes him more invested cause my man never met a fucked up person he didn't want to fix.

he starts hanging out with xeno even when pandora is not around and waves at them across the halls and listens dutifully while they rent about nargles or something, mind wandering about how the sunlight hits their hair just right and makes it shine in gold or how the blue of their eyes matches the early spring skies (he's sappy like that, leave him alone)

the other marauders are slowly freaking out about this cause james is bringing this person over to the common room and helping then look for their shoes and SINCE WHEN IS JAMES POTTER EVER INTERESTED IN ANYONE OUTSIDE OF THEIR INNER CIRCLE.

meanwhile, james is freaking out himself. he really likes xeno and would like to ask them out but he's in a queerplatonic relationship with pandora? so maybe that means he's not interest in romantic relationships? and does james even care if it's romantic or not at this point if that means xeno will hold his hand and blush when he smiles at them from the qudditch pitch?

but because he is james fucking potter, he does what he always does. jumps in with no plan whatsoever and hopes for the best.

"hey, xeno, listen. i would really like to take you to hogsmead this weekend. it doesn't have to be a date, i don't even know if you're comfortable with doing The Dating so i won't imply this is us doing The Dating, but maybe we could just talk and maybe..."

and then xeno asks to kiss him (jamespotter.exe has stopped working) and promptly says that just because they don't do The Dating with pandora, it doesn't mean they can't do The Dating with someone else.

lily and pandora are watching from behind a pillar and giggling triumphantly. this was their plan all along.

#marauders era #marauders headcanon #slytherin skittles #james potter #xenophilius lovegood #pandora lovegood #lily evans #pandalily #marauders #the valkyries

[aspecpplarebeautiful]

could i want to be in a relationship with someone and still be aromantic?

because i thought i was demisexual but i don’t think i’ve genuinely had a crush on someone ever? i’ve only had intense homoplatonic friendships before and every time someone has confessed to me i get an ick or just completely get turned off and say it was because they weren���t my type.

i don’t even know what romantic love is supposed to feel like. sometimes i don’t know where the line between friend and lover ends. and my therapist thinks i’m part of the spectrum already. sorry this is all over the place but i’m just trying to figure some things out!

It is possible to be in a relationship and be aromantic. It sounds like you may be experiencing some level of romance repulsion, and that can make having a romantic relationship more difficult. But if you do find your repulsion makes romantic relationships/situations unpleasant for you, you could try looking into QPRs (queerplatonic/quasiplatonic relationships), which is an umbrella term for relationships that don't fit neatly into romance or friendship.

Some people who experience romance repulsion but still want a committed relationship find QPRs work well for them because you can heavily tailor the relationship to you and your partner's wants and you can leave out anything that triggers your romance repulsion (for example if all romance aggravates your romance repulsion, you can have a committed platonic relationship with someone).

But it may take trying some things out to figure out what works for you.

A lot of people have trouble distinguishing between what makes something a friendship or romance, it could be that you've never experienced romantic feelings and then how do you determine something you've never felt? But for some people romantic and platonic feelings can also feel the same (platoniromantic and idemromantic labels may be worth looking into if you think this may be you.)

Hopefully this is helpful for you, Anon, but feel free to ask if you have more questions or want to elaborate or explore more on anything. All the best!

[bloggingboutburgers]

Are you and your partner planning on moving in together? If so... how long did it take for you to decide it was right?

We are! And I think like... After we cried one times too many after leaving each other at the airport?

And also personally, the early 2020-late 2021 travel ban that didn't allow people from my country to visit my partner's country unless they'd been to another, non-banned country for 14 days. It made it this much harder to be with each other, and it made me have regular meltdowns even when we DID manage to painstakingly meet up, so... My partner gave me a timeline and was like "OK, then we'll get married in X years" (getting married is pretty much the only way a foreigner like me can be allowed to stay in their country without being eventually kicked out, because of the joys of binational). I needed that kind of certainty and I'm immensly grateful to them that they gave it to me.

That timeline is underway, because my partner wanted more time to get their life together in many ways, so we haven't started engagement/visa proceedings, but... That's gonna be a journey for sure. To be fully honest, I'm not even 100% sure if governments will let us do it and whatnot. But we'll do our best to make it happen someday. It's just... Gonna take a while.

But yeah, honestly, at this point, I can't wait. Our meetups are sparse, more and more expensive, eating up at their already very scarce time off (I'm French so thankfully I have a bit more of that myself), and I'd like to be there for them more than the occasional "holiday" – but also through times when they're tired from work, for instance, and I could offer them comfort at the end of the day, that kind of thing. I also live in fear of another travel ban that long or longer hitting out of nowhere, and I want to make precautions so that they can't separate us like they did before ever again.

So yeah. It's gonna be tough and long. But I can't wait.

PS: I just realized I haven't answered the "how long" part exactly, so to give a bit of a timeline: we'd been in a long-distance queerplatonic relationship for about 2 years and a half when the travel ban hit, it had been almost 4 years when we decided on that marriage timeline, and it's been about 6 years now. I expect we'll have been going for about 8 to 10 years when we can finally get married, if everything goes well.

#sorry i feel like i need to elaborate the same thing every time so sorry if you've read that before #but it's important to state the reasons I guess #long distance relationship #binational couple #travel ban #ldr #anon

[spectrum-color]

Just thinking about how much Robin Hobb had to do to force her OTP back together at the end of Fools Fate and being salty. It required:

-Burrich to be depicted as a decrepit old man when he’s like in his 50s and conveniently die, gifting Fitz with his family (!) as his last wish

-Fitz to finally realize and accept what “no limits” means with Beloved after an entire trilogy where this is a central theme and raise him from the dead because he refuses to live in a world that he isn’t part of, and then for this to not matter at all because Beloved decides actually he’s just an obstacle to Fitz’s true love Molly (?!) and leaves

-Fitz not being allowed to choose what he wants, because when he tries to choose Beloved he’s told no that’s not actually what’s good for you

-Molly not being able to choose if she would be ok with her ex bringing along his queerplatonic life partner because it’s already been decided for her that of course she wouldn’t

-Fitz getting lost in a Skill pillar for a month so he can’t have a rational discussion with Beloved about it as Prilkop the conveniently located agent of Clerres tells him all about how of course their Path is finished and staying by his Catalyst will only do harm

-Prilkop convincing Beloved that he should go back to Clerres, a place where he was physically and sexually abused before running away, because apparently it’s his job to fix them, and this actually working (!!!)

-Literally everyone in Fitz’s life, up to and including Burrich and Mollys eldest son who Fitz never speaks to on page again after this, pushing him to pursue her and telling him not to take no for an answer

-Molly and Burrich (actually Nettle) being granted Withywoods and a noble title by Patience so they no longer have to deal with the obvious issue of the class divide

-Molly magically accepting that he let her believe he was dead for 16 years and abandoned their daughter because he was upset she married someone else because her role in this book is to be his prize for completing the quest

-Neither Fitz nor Molly ever mentioning or even thinking about Burrich, his foster father and major formative influence and her husband of many years and father of her sons, except for a few passing references

So yeah, in a series where the characters generally act in believable ways even when it’s frustrating, this whole plot was just contrived as hell

#realm of the elderlings #rote #molly chandler #fitzchivalry farseer #the fool #idk how robin hobb wrote tawny man and was like ah yes molly was the love of fitzs life #and everyone will be thrilled to see them back together #and she acted surprised and affronted when people didn’t like the fitz/fool separation #like I could have told you that even without seeing other people’s reactions #unfortunately her anger and spite from that gave us beloveds treatment in f&f #and I know it’s annoying how much I post about this #but the alternative is the discord where no one wants to hear it #so be grateful it’s here where you all can ignore it

[captainschaos]

ran late on this, but my last and biggest writing for @mcyt-aro-week! day 6: coming out / found family & day 7: free day!

just some really fun fluffy writing for the big ol polycule of a household I like to rotate in my head, a bunch of aromantics, queerplatonics, and family <3 really a very self indulgent writing but truly that's gotta be the point of it all yayyy ^_^ (includes joel, lizzie, cleo, bdubs, etho, and tango btw)

[ao3 link] words: 3002

(I'm also including a longer pronoun reference for this one since I use a lot of funky ones. like I said this piece is self indulgent LOL) Lizzie: she/her Bdubs: she/he Tango: he/it Cleo: she/they/rot Etho: he/she Joel: she/he

-/-/-

Lizzie felt quite lucky to have such a splendid garden behind the house. Full of life and fresh fragrances, light and color, it was truly an environment with instantaneous spirit-lifting effects. And even better- she’d built that!

Well, not exactly. She can’t take all the credit. 

“What’s all this!” Bdubs exclaimed. 

“Hm?” Lizzie peeked around the corner from the garden bed she’d been working in, and spotted Bdubs at the bed over. She was biting his lip, frowning down at the leaves he was inspecting. 

Lizzie stood and made her way over to look over Bdubs’ mossy shoulder. 

“Just a little dehydrated, isn’t it?” she said. 

Bdubs’ frown remained persistent. “I’m not sure.” She looked up at Lizzie with those enormous eyes of his, head tilted just a little bit, questioning. It was very cute. “Isn’t the color a bit off for that?” 

Lizzie had to work very hard to steer away from those beautiful brown eyes to look back at the sickly plant. “Hm… you might be right. I still think it could just be thirsty though, and that’s definitely easier to fix! So maybeee we just give it extra water for a few days, and hope it goes away?” 

Bdubs immediately burst into his hearty laugh, and Lizzie found herself giggling along with her. 

“Oh, yes~” he said in that funny way she did. “If we pretend it’s not bad soil or something then surely it will be so!” 

Lizzie laughed, and brushed her knuckles over Bdubs’ cheek before stepping back to the plants she was working at. “Exactly!” 

Bdubs’ gaze seemed to linger on Lizzie for a moment, smiling dopily, but she quickly hopped up and headed back toward the house. “Grabbing a watering can it is~!” Lizzie blushed just a bit, but quickly got back to work in the garden bed. 

Lizzie liked this way they went about their… crushes, no use beating around the bush. Not having to hide it, but they had both agreed they didn’t feel the need to make it a standard kind of romantic relationship. It was for fun, more than anything else. 

There was something very freeing about being the only two alloromantic people in a house of aromanticism, surrounded by webs of queerplatonic and otherwise non-standard relationships, when considering a thing like theirs. Both of them had their marriages, Lizzie in a happily constructed romantic relationship with Joel, and Bdubs the happy queerplatonic partner of Cleo, but they were also both very aware of their feelings for each other. Those feelings didn’t go much deeper than fluffy romance for the two of them, but the underlying friendship and their security in the net of other dedicated relationships around them meant they could feel just fine about that. 

Funny thing about aromantic ideas, they’re actually a lot more freeing for everyone. 

Bdubs pushed open the back door to the house, stepping into the mudroom behind the kitchen, singing, “I’m home~!!” 

“You were in here 15 minutes ago, moss man!” Tango snickered from where he stood by the sink. 

“And that’s a long time for people to miss my beautiful face!” 

Tango set a sparkling clean bowl on the towel that had been laid on the counter beside the sink. It seemed the phoenix had ended up with the dish duties for the day. “Of course!” He murmured the next part under its breath, with a teasing twinkle in its eye, “would have liked another five minutes of peace and quiet though…”

“HEY!” 

Tango burst into laughter, setting down the sponge as he flipped to face Bdubs, leaning back against the counter as he clutched his stomach. “Oh, it’s too easy!” 

Bdubs put her hands on her hips, expression split between an offended scowl and a suppressed grin. “What’s easy?! Being- being rude!?” 

With a last huff of laughter, Tango took two fresh towels from a drawer, and tossed one to drape over Bdubs’ face in a gentle attack. “Making you mad, mossy. Come help me dry, will ya?” 

“Hmph!” Bdubs’ voice remained angry, but his big eyes were smiling when she pulled the towel off his face. “Only because I’m so nice. Unlike some people.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Grab that pan.” 

The two of them fall into an easy rhythm in moments, only the soft clatter of stacking dishes interrupting the comfortable silence. It’s like that with them, the teasing and ribbing flowing as easily as simple, undemanding company. Partners of the same partners, that’s kind of how it settled. There was something rather reassuring about the metamour relationship for them, where they knew what the other liked because they knew what they liked themself, a kind of mirror of affection. Maybe in a world where they hadn’t found themselves colliding from shared orbits, they would have run into each other on their own and filled the gaps. But probably not. It was too comfortable like this, why would they change anything? Held in proximity by the people around them, and happy to do so. 

The drying was done in just a few minutes, and Tango giggling at its own last joke at Bdubs as she stepped back out into the garden, watering can in hand. The phoenix put his hands on its hips, surveying the now clean kitchen. Seemed everything was done here, so now to decide what to do next…

The phoenix jumped and let out a very manly squeak as a loud BANG sounded from upstairs. 

“I’m fine!” Cleo’s voice followed. 

“You sure?’ Tango shouted up, already hopping up the stairs two at a time. 

“Yep, I’m sure! Just don’t come u-” 

Whoops. Too late. Tango had already pushed open the door to Cleo’s workshop. In its defense, the zombie ought to have known he’d come running at any scary sound. 

There were bronze feathers scattered across the floor, and a life-sized figure in smooth, blank clay laying awkwardly on its side. There was some kind of contraption wrapped around its torso to cling to its back, mangled wiring in two flared shapes. Wings. A few of the bronzed feathers hung from these outstretched tendrils of copper, still swinging from the momentum of the crash, and a few splinters of clay were still spinning where they’d shattered from the elbow that had taken the brunt of the impact when the statue fell. 

“Turns out, wings are a real pain to balance!” Cleo said, shooting Tango a flicker of a smile before kneeling to gather the feathers that had come to a stop at rots feet. Tango’s own wings readjust as it kneels to join her. 

“Wait, was this-?” 

“Yeah, it was for you, silly,” Cleo cut him off with a chuckle. “Or of you. Something like that.” 

“Whah! Wh-” Tango made a series of strangled sounds as his hair started to flare up, golden flames flicking to frame his flustered expression. 

Cleo laughed even more at that, and began to teasingly shake one feather at it like a disapproving finger. “I do nice things, Tango! Don’t be so surprised.” But their smile betrayed that there was no real hurt. 

It wasn’t everyday that the two of them did things like this for each other, but it also wasn’t rare either. Tango and Cleo exchanged the occasional gift, went on the occasional date, all in a platonic sense but certainly with gestures generally associated with romance. Their relationship was more based in much smaller gestures, like huddling up together when a storm had them on edge, or holding hands on the walk to stressful adulting business. They were founded on that kind of comfort, and it occasionally, naturally for them, bloomed into these kinds of things. They’d been jokingly called girlfriends enough times for them to be able to laugh about that kind of thing, so sure! They were “just” friends, but also did dating things. Why not? But it still managed to make Tango’s wings puff up with happy embarrassment about gestures like this. 

Cleo particularly liked getting those kinds of reactions from Tango. As she watched the phoenix stumble for a response to rots jabbing, they laid a hand on his shoulder briefly. “I’ll forgive you for the rudeness because you helped clean up though.” They rubbed her thumb over his shoulder quickly before letting up and walking to the desk in one corner of the workshop, where rot very gracefully dumped all the collected feathers. Tango followed and did the same, finally seeming to recompose itself to jab back. 

“You’d better! I gotta say, bangin’ around up here with a surprise, not even with the door locked? Rookie mistake on your part.” 

“It was meant to be locked!” Cleo exclaimed with a playful pout. “I told Etho to lock it when she left a minute ago.” 

Cleo then registered the footsteps that had been passing by a few seconds ago, but were now halted outside the room. A very quiet voice piped up. “I thought I’d locked it.” 

Tango exploded with laughter as Cleo banged open the door, laughing too hard to even pretend to frown at Etho. His own eyes were smiling though behind her mask. 

“Foiled! You have to help me fix it then, since Tango already took cleanup.” 

Etho leaned over to peek into the room, eyeing the contraption on the back of the statue Tango was currently standing back up. 

“Sounds fun, actually. You were having trouble with the balancing, yeah?”

“Yeah, extra limbs are always hard. And attaching the feathers is more of a puzzle than an art, really.” Cleo stepped to the side to let Etho into the room, and began to actually assess the damage to the statue. “I’ll need to patch up that elbow too… I’ll need fresh clay.” 

“I can grab you some,” Tango offered. 

“You’re my hero, that’d be lovely Tango.” The phoenix nodded, and hopped to the door, pausing in the frame before ducking out of sight and down the stairs. 

“Coming right up!” 

So Cleo was left to look at Etho while he looked at the statue. 

“Well?” 

“I would have thought that’d do the trick, honestly,” Etho began. “It looks even enough, particularly over the leg positioning.” 

Cleo chuckled and stepped to stand beside her, crossing rots arms as rot assessed the structure. “Well, that’s what I’d thought too, but,” they gestured to the bits of clay shattering on the floor, “boom.” 

“Yeah… not ideal, huh?” 

“Nope!” 

“Hm… have you tried anchoring it with some kind of extra plating?” 

The two of them were quickly caught up in flowing discussion, as natural as water rolling downhill. Didn’t even have to think about it, they clicked so well, and ideas seemed near-telepathically tossed between them. They were built on understanding, like that. It’s why a partnership worked so well, why they were home to each other. Who cared if Etho was a good kisser or any of that, it was never a thought that crossed Cleo’s mind, or vice versa for the fae to think about the zombie like that. They didn’t have to think much about their relationship at all past the few establishing conversations they’d had about it, it just fell into place. They understood each other, in ways no one else did. If that’s not what “queerplatonic” was for, then what was? 

After several minutes of this, Tango returned from digging through closets and storage chests with a package of fresh, soft clay, and Etho took a step back as Cleo reached out for it. 

“Thanks, Tango!” 

“No problem!” The phoenix glanced between the two of them. “You guys get it figured out?” 

“I think so,” Cleo mumbled, already only half-focused on conversing, hands now occupied with smoothing over the clay patch on the statue’s elbow. It made Etho chuckle, noticing the way they stuck rots tongue out between her teeth just the tiniest bit in focus. 

“I think rot’s got a handle on it now,” Etho said. “I’ll leave you to it Cleo.” The zombie’s focus broke for just a moment to shoot him a soft smile in silent thanks, before turning back to work. Tango seemed to be settling in to chat idly while she worked, but Etho turned on heel and headed downstairs. 

There was a breeze coming in through the open windows near the front of the house, and it drew Etho toward them. She found herself wandering into the living room, where he picked a seat near one of the larger windows, and-

“RAH!” 

“Joel!” Etho exclaimed with a laugh as he suddenly found one of the house’s two brown and green folk on top of him. Not soft enough to be Bdubs’ mossy form though, and the shout was definitely Joel’s. If it wasn’t for the sound and feel of her, though, Etho wouldn’t be able to identify him through the pile of person on top of him. 

“What Etho, you stuck? Fallen into my trap? Seems like I win, Etho, if you give up that easy!” Joel was managing to poke one finger into Etho’s ribs with each sentence, so Etho started working on detangling her arms to poke back. 

“I didn’t tap yet!” After a second the fae managed to grab what seemed to be Joel’s shoulder and tug him to the side, so the smaller figure was tucked somewhat into the spot in between the side of the armchair and Etho’s body. Somewhat. She was definitely still halfway on top of Etho, with one of Etho’s arms pinned behind him, but at least he could see Joel’s overly pleased grin now. “There.”

Joel pushed at Etho, partially readjusting and partially for the continued fight of it. “You’re pinching my leg, Etho.” 

“Well whose fault is that?”

“Yours,” Joel said with a smirk. Etho flicked her ear. 

“Okay, sure! Says the guy that jumped on me.” 

But as much as they were poking at each other, verbally and physically, neither of them were really trying to get away from the other. They just needed an excuse, of course. For the closeness, for them to be able to sit like this- and the wonderful thing was, they always found it with each other. The both of them had old problems with putting up walls, with their reputations seeming to push out any room for moments of weakness, but all it takes is one excuse to knock those down. Double Life’s soulmate bond, of course, but past that, little moments like this. For whatever reason, it was able to override any protest their proud minds might make. This was a sparring match, clearly, so they could relax and be fulfilled by the contact and presence of the other. And there was fun in the game, and a kind of admission of love under Joel caring enough to “attack.” At this point, they’d broken the walls down enough they were far more comfortable with the casual and sweet, but there was still such a power to these kinds of interactions. The ability to completely ignore any kinds of social rules, and just lay on top of each other in a chair that really didn’t fit them. 

“What are you two doing?” Lizzie piped in with a chuckle as she appeared in the doorway between the kitchen and living room. 

“I’m winning,” Joel said, beaming as she reached back to poke Etho’s ribs another time to demonstrate. “See?” 

Lizzie shook her head as the grinned at the sight of them. “You’re going to break that chair.” 

“Joel might,” Etho said, which Joel of course repaid with an elbow to the gut. “Ow!” 

“He might fall out of it, if nothing else.” Lizzie glanced to give Etho a friendly wink. “You can give him a good shove, I won’t tell.” 

“Hey!” Joel shouted as Etho started to slowly push her in a way that would roll him over the chair’s arm and onto the floor if kept up. “You’re my wife, you’re supposed to be on my side!” 

“I mean, I think being your wife is the perfect reason to want to see you pushed onto the floor,” Lizzie said with a last giggle as she turned away from the doorway. “Love you!” 

Joel suddenly found himself on the floor. “Love you too.” He pushed himself up to sit criss-cross, and crossed her arms to match as she glared up at Etho. “Can’t believe you’d team up with my wife against me.” 

Etho giggled as he peered down over the armrest at Joel, propping his cheek up with one arm against it. “Let’s be honest, I could get anyone in this house to team up to get you.” 

Joel huffed, but not quite in an annoyed enough fashion to cover her own giggling. “Yeah, you’re right.” 

And she was. Across the web of relationships stretching through this house, there were a million little reasons for anyone else to join in on the fun, to feel comfortable enough to get in on the teasing without worrying about anyone going to far, to have affection worth demonstrating in such a way. Because Joel may have been married to Lizzie, but Lizzie was kissing Bdubs, and Bdubs was linked up to Tango through partnerships with Cleo and Etho, and Joel was tangled back up into it through each unique, inescapable connection. None of them were the same, but they were all built on this household. This house, safe and vibrant and alive as it was, shared by all of them, connected all of them. It was a messy thing, all the complexities and relationships that didn’t fit in boxes or under labels, but it was their family of a strange sort. The people who were havens of safety, the place they’d built to just exist together, comfortable and happy. Far from conventional, always a blur of interwoven interactions, but at the end of the day, dinner was usually at six, and everyone would have a bed to sleep in at the end of the night. 

What more could you expect from a home? 

#mcyt aro week #ldshadowlady #bdubs #bdoubleo100 #tangotek #zombiecleo #ethoslab #joel smallishbeans #trafficshipping #hermitshipping #the hermitshipping in particular is iffy cuz that's all queerplatonic but I think I'm the first shadubs shipper in the world LMAOO #captain's words #shalestep #< that's my personal name for this polycule #which tbh I'll prolly post about to breakdown my Thoughts about them because I have Many <3 but that's for later #for now. them!!!!!!!! #gotta say it's been a blast!!!!!! tytyty to all the mods for putting this week on #it's honestly just been a really nice excuse to make stuff just for me #local queerplatonic aro who just wants more qpr content in the mcyt world LOL #but yeah. hope yall enjoy cuz I sure have <3

[xiaolumi-love]

what's your next significant relationship (romantic or queerplatonic) going to teach you?

this is a timeless, general reading, so take what resonates and leave what doesn't~

pick an image you feel most drawn to, and then read the corresponding information! it's okay to feel drawn to more than one!

1-2-3

——..✞..——»

pile 1.

your next relationship is going to be a doozy, pile one. the lesson of your next significant relationship, whether romantic or queerplatonic, is going to be the lesson of determinination, in all meanings of the word. you'll come face to face with your fears of abuse and extortion. you'll learn to determine what your needs and wants truly are, and you'll learn how to make these decisions quickly. your willpower will grow in leaps and bounds, and you will master the art of pushing forward, of determination. you will push forward so far that you will move onwards from the tumultuous waters. your ego and pride will grow, and this doesn't have to be a negative thing if you seek balance. you're probably lacking in ego and pride right now, so learning ego and pride and how to utilise it for your benefit will be part of the lesson. you'll end up putting up a facade, and your material wealth may have taken a hit. but you must remember, pile one, that these lessons are necessary for your growth into divinity. you won't be in these dire straits for long, and you are never alone. practice patience, moderation and kindness, and you will make it through. pay it forward, and you shall receive, under the methodology of karma.

——..✞..——»

pile 2.

pile two, you will gain the capacity to look forward and backward to see what you need and want. you'll be able to travel far, whether that be literally or figuratively. you may even move homes. you'll be able to have much emotional intimacy and love in your life. there's a dysfunctional family in your life, and you'll learn how to see it for what it is and all it entails. included in this dysfunctional family is a dictator, cruel and oppressive. you are likely the steady and dependable one, holding up the whole environment in a passive way. you undergo many trials, and this leads you to paranoia and the feeling of being in a stalemate. for comfort what you do is spend lots and give generously, which makes you feel like you're putting good out into the world. and you are, but remember not to be reckless. you'll be able to resolve conflict well, and find a peaceful compromise. unfortunately the dictator of the family will remain manipulative and seek to control you. while this particular pile seemingly lacks information on the relationship itself, what it means is that your partner will allow you to move forward in life, stepping away from the dysfunctional family you have probably grown up with. your relationship will be filled with blessings, pile two.

——..✞..——»

pile 3.

your next relationship, pile three, will grant you healing. you're probably burnt out right now, but this is a sign that you'll learn to begin anew. you'll learn well how to look for help when your needs and wants aren't being met, and you'll learn to accept it. your partner will bring forth in you strength you didn't know you had. not physical strength, but psychological. you'll become even more willful and iridescent. congratulations are in order, pile three. you'll also be able to see everything with childlike wonder, and the whole world will be at the tips of your fingers. you'll be able to become anything you want to become, though in this case it probably means you will grow further into yourself through the ultimate fresh start. this is the start of a new life, pile three. you'll have love and care and comfort won through hard work and unconventional means. this is probably going to be a queerplatonic relationship in that sense, pile three. keep your heart and eyes open to love of a new kind, a beautiful kind, a unique kind. much blessings are on the way.

——..✞..——»

thank you so much for reading! if you enjoyed or gained anything from this pick a pile, please consider paying forward your appreciation in the form of a tip. wishing you well with your new relationships!

don't steal/reword/repost. reblogs > likes!

-- alice the witch 💙

#tarot #witchblr #alice the witch #witch community #pagan witch #advice #timeless pick a pile #pick a pile reading #timeless pick a card #pick a card reading #witch #romance #queerplatonic #romantic relationships #queerplatonic relationships #romo #qpr #queer #queer witch #poc witch #poc

[sleepingdeath-light]

how to bake the perfect cake ; frank frankly

requested by ; an ao3 user

word count ; 1298

content ; fluff, making a mess, queerplatonic frank x reader, non binary reader, feminine reader

fandom ; welcome home

pairing ; queerplatonic frank frankly x non binary reader

read also on ; my ao3 one shot collection “where the heart is”

note ; you can stop reading after frank says ‘it’s too perfect not to share’ as after that it’s just a brief nod to the horror origins of welcome home

note 2 ; as this is my first time portraying frank in a longer format i can’t say that i’m too confident in my characterisation so apologies if he seems a bit off here

Days like these were your favourites (aside from every other day, of course): the air was delightfully cool and crisp, with a breeze just light enough to flutter your skirt and ruffle the leaves on the nearby trees; the sun was low but bright, just high enough to peek through your drawn kitchen curtains and fill the room with a warm glow; the trees were filled with the most beautiful shades of orange and red, their leaves well turned and starting to fall — creating both a beautiful canopy overhead and a sheet on the ground that made the most wonderful crackling sound when stepped on. Not quite butterfly catching weather, as your spouse preferred, but you always found a way to make the most out of whatever mother nature threw at you.

Today that meant baking a lovely sponge cake to share with your neighbours — and it was going about as well as you could have hoped.

————

'Are you sure we need this many eggs?' Frank called out to you, head buried in your fridge. 'Ten just seems like too many...'

You held up the recipe book you were working off of and tapped the individual sections twice with your index finger, reading them out to him.

'Ingredients: eight large eggs, separated. Frosting: two large eggs,' you paused for a beat and then just shrugged and tossed the book to one side, 'I'm not about to argue with the professional — this thing's cost us a small fortune in ingredients and I really don't want it to go to waste...'

'Ten eggs it is,' Frank responded solemnly, retrieving the freshly bought carton and kicking the fridge shut with his heel as he returned to your side. 'This had better be the best cake we've ever had,'

You guffawed and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek.

'With all of this prep? It's going to be amazing!'

'Or a massive waste of time and money,'

'Frank!' You lightly slapped him on the chest, his expression forming the closest thing he could get to a smile as he laughed along with you. 'Would a bit of optimism kill you?'

'Better safe than sorry,'

————

You'd just about managed to make it long enough to get the batter into the oven before disaster struck; you tripped up over the edge of your skirt and sent a colossal amount of flour flying everywhere. Managing somehow to only cover your face and chest whilst absolutely smothering your less-than-pleased partner with it — and leaving you both questioning why you were ever trusted to take the heaviest bag back to the cupboard in the first place.

'... I'm sorry?' You managed, still splayed chest-down on the floor, outstretched hands still clinging to the sides of the now only half full flour container. When he didn't give any response, you continued. 'It was an accident?'

Then he sighed and let his shoulders drop as he knelt down to offer you a hand, which you gladly took — only to be met with deception when he threw another handful of flour at you. This time managing to cover what remained of your face whilst you both laughed like children.

'Now we're even,' Frank managed between bouts of laughter as he helped you back onto your feet — bursting into another giggle fit when he noticed how many white handprints decorated the length of your autumn-themed skirt.

'Oh that's what that was about? Equality?' You jokingly huffed, crossing your arms and turning away from him in mock-hurt. 'You betrayed my trust for this? How very cruel, Frank,'

Almost starting to feel bad, he reached out to turn you around, only to be met with your smirking face and recognising just a moment too late what you were doing. Immediately being tackled into a hug that allowed you to cover the few small spots of his vest that were clean and had you both falling helplessly to the kitchen floor in a mass of laughter and limbs.

The only coherent word that managed to come out between all of his startled spluttering being a faux-irritated call of your name just when his back hit the tiled floor. If you weren't his best friend he might have screamed.

————

After an hour and a half of creating far more mess than should have been possible for two sensible adults to generate, your cake was finally done. Warm and delicious smelling and ready to decorate with the frosting you'd just about managed to scrape together in time — which Frank would be responsible for (which both of you agreed was fair given your track record of spilling things had so far been three for three — somehow).

And that left you where you were now: standing back a few paces with your arms crossed over your chest as you watched Frank do the last finishing touches on the decoration, a small smile on your face as you observed from over his shoulder; your dress and face and hands all caked with flour and frosting an sugar and orange zest, with your partner being in much the same state; your mouth already watering at the smell of your confection and your sensible mind (which had been thoroughly ignored up until now) convincing you to wait just a while longer. Then when Frank took a step back to admire his work, you placed an arm around his waist and leaned into him, the two of you pleased with your efforts.

'Do you think the others will like it?' You asked, watching him from the corner of your eye, 'Or, rather, do you think they'd miss it if we just ate the whole thing?'

The almost-smile that he'd had nearly all day crept onto his features again as he lightly shook his head and gently bumped your hip with his own. 'We cannot eat a whole cake,'

'You can't eat a whole cake, you mean,' you joked, 'me, on the other hand...'

'You know exactly what I meant,' he sighed, accompanying the sound with an eye roll that had you snickering, 'besides we made a promise. And what would I tell them? "Oh sorry about the cake, my partner decided that they wanted to eat it all so we've had to show up empty-handed?" How will that look?'

You grinned cheekily up at him and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek as he frowned at you.

'I have no idea how it will look, dear friend, because I'll be busy being in a food coma — and you're more than welcome to join me, you know,' then you laughed and shoved him back. 'I'm only kidding though, we can't let something that looks that good go to waste on just us, can we?'

Frank sighed again before nodding in agreement, pulling you into an even tighter side-hug as he leaned his head on yours.

'We can't. It's too perfect not to share,'

————

The second he finished speaking you swore you could hear the sound of laughter emanating from all around you. From the floor, from the walls, from the ceiling. Inescapable, booming, shrill — children.

There were no children in your neighbourhood, there shouldn't have been anything there for you to hear. But as soon as it appeared, the sound quickly faded away and as you looked up to your friend for some sort of explanation you noticed that he was still just staring proudly at your creation.

A part of you wanted to bring it up, but you found yourself unable to speak. And, soon after that, unable to remember why you wanted to speak or what you were wanting to ask — or that you were going to ask anything at all.

Falling back into your role and holding your platonic spouse tighter because, yes, you really had made the perfect cake.

#sleepingdeath #non binary reader #fluff #platonic x reader #welcome home fluff #platonic welcome home x reader #welcome home x reader #frank frankly fluff #frank frankly x reader #platonic frank frankly x reader #queerplatonic x reader

[paladinbaby]

lost time.

@creacherkeeper / this is me trying, taylor swift / paladinbaby / georgia, phoebe bridgers / @creacherkeeper & paladinbaby / the 1, taylor swift / night shift, lucy dacus / the house on the cerulean sea, t.j klune / paladinbaby / 14 lines from love letters or suicide notes, doc luben

[Image Description: Ten images of text.

1: “She twisted and sat on her bed. Naturally, her eyes found the rocking chair in the corner of the room where Onion had sat guard for weeks when she’d first gotten to Lost. She hadn’t known until Waylon remarked on it later that Onion’s visits were usually shorter, and few and far between. It hadn’t been clear to her at the time how she was supposed to feel about that. It wasn’t clear now.

She had given Divine her jacket, knowing she was going to be traveling with Onion for the next few weeks, and there was absolutely nothing to unpack there and nothing about the situation made her throat feel tight or stomach feel heavy whatsoever.”

2: “I didn’t know if you cared if I came back / I have a lot of regrets about that”

3: “He looked upwards at her. She sat as steady as she could be, leaning back into the headboard and surrounded by pillows. His hair brushed the edge of her leg. “I’m not laughing at you. You just say that everyday.”

“And I mean it every time.”

They bit their lip to stop themself from laughing again. “Course you do, clover.”

“You’re laughing!”

They pressed a hand to their mouth, trying to stop unsuccessfully. “Okay then, if you’re so set on leaving, least let me take you to the next place? Make sure you get there safe.””

4: Black text on a blue background. “Will you have me / Or watch me fall? / If I fix you / Will you hate me?”

5: A Discord screenshot. “lev: queerplatonic (enemies)

faun: this is sending me into orbit / I think they could be queerplatonic if they talked about their feelings even once

lev: THEY LITERALLY COULD / IF THEY TALKED. ONE SINGULAR TIME

faun: rivals (life partners) / what is an enemy if not a different type of life partner”

6: White text on a grey background. “You know the greatest films of all time were never made / I guess you never know, never know / And if you wanted me, you really should’ve showed / And if you never bleed, you’re never gonna grow / And it’s alright now / But we were something, don’t you think so?”

7: “Now bite your tongue, it’s too dangerous to fall so young / Take back what you said / Can’t lose what you never had

I feel no need to forgive but I might as well / But let me kiss your lips so I know how it felt”

8: “He’d accepted long ago that some people, no matter how good their heart was or how much love they had to give, would always be alone. It was their lot in life, and Linus had figured out, at the age of twenty-seven, that it seemed to be that way for him.”

9: “The sheriff had, for a while, needed someone. And now he knows well enough that it could have been anyone, but at the time he had thought she needed him. That they’d been in the golden dark together. Which was stupid of him. To assume something of her when she’d been so sick and so new and they aren’t sure if even their assumptions held weight anymore. It really was so long ago.”

10: “The ivy grew too fast. I searched in so many spots. It seemed impossible that I had missed one. But I never found it. How can something be there, and then not be there? How do we forgive ourselves for all the things we did not become?” End ID.]

#litstack #web weaving #personal #c: lost township #onion #the title of this one in my notes was don’t like at me 😅 #*look #anyway blame luka who said I should make this

[verdemoth]

i cant post Tune without also posting Odyssey. do not separate.

Odyssey is an engineer, formerly the director of Mission Control, and before even that e did field work. Now, e’s supposedly retired from all duties, but Odyssey refuses to leave. E wont let the new owners run the team into the ground. (and e’s still holding onto some distant hope of finding es best friend alive, or at least closure)

-> Originally Odyssey was a field researcher alongside es queerplatonic partner Tune in their 20s, until the risks of such work became apparent. E then went on to develop systems to communicate with and coordinate the research team and monitor the Otherworld from safely on the ‘reality’ side of the portal. E established Mission Control, and led it for decades.

-> Tune and Odyssey were very close for a very long time, having met in their school years. They were best friends, partners for life, two halves of a whole. It’s been some years now since Tune’s disappearance, and Odyssey’s mostly come to terms with it, but still feels his absence keenly.

-> Odyssey’s a generally kind individual but not particularly nice. E’s gruff, immensely stubborn, with a mean sarcastic streak. Some coworkers might describe em as cantankerous. But at the end of the day e’s well-intentioned and altruistic.

-> Odyssey is very, VERY bitter about the investors who bought ownership of the team from the original founders a couple years back. E hates them. E’s just WAITING for the chance to prove there’s something unscrupulous happening, e can FEEL it. E hasn’t had results yet but the vibes are rancid.

-> Though formally retired, Odyssey continues to do much of the same work e’s been doing for decades, out of spite and because e trusts few people with the systems e built. E adamantly refuses to cooperate with anyone associated with the company, which is probably directly related to es early ‘retirement’. Odyssey’s not happy about it and won’t do them any favours.

-> Odyssey is only middle aged but e feels so much older. E’s so tired. And so worried. E hopes for the best but is always prepared for the worst.

-> Odyssey’s role as director was succeeded by Maven, who e mentored. Odyssey treats them as a ward and as a friend. E respects and trusts them, but…… When the Storm hit, it was one of Maven’s first missions directing with little input from Odyssey. It was supposed to be that, anyway, before that disaster. Odyssey doesn’t blame them for what happened, but but can’t seem to talk them out of beating themself up over it. Directing the EEG is no longer Odyssey’s job so e tries to step back and let Maven make their own decisions, but they’ve obviously not dealt well with the pressure, and Odyssey can’t leave well enough alone. E has a tendency to step in and take over es old duties at the first sign of trouble in a misguided attempt to shield Maven from the trauma of handling another crisis. E doesn’t mean to imply that they’re not capable, but unfortunately they are not helping Maven’s shattered confidence and fear of making mistakes by taking control from them.

-> Odyssey is legally blind, and though es glasses can help em make out some shapes in the right conditions, in unfamiliar spaces and bad lighting e utilizes a cane to get a feel for es surroundings. While es poor eyesight is likely hereditary, e became an amputee following a severe injury on es last field mission. E opts not to use any prosthetics, finding them uncomfortable and unwieldy. E’s often accompanied by one or both of the spider shaped robots e designed and programmed to assist the exploration team, which have been retired from the field as well since suffering some damage in the Storm. Odyssey is very fond of them.

-> The larger robot, Marie, was named after Odyssey’s cousin Mariner, who also worked for the EEG for a time. The two used to be close, but have had a falling out coinciding with Tune’s presumed death and Mariner’s retirement. Xe pushed for Odyssey to quit as well, but despite xer desperation xe wouldn’t confess why xe was so adamant about it.

-> The loss of Tune hit Odyssey very hard, and e’s become quite reclusive. E tends to stick to es room when not doing other work, and would spend a lot of time alone if not sought out by the other people who are close with em.

-> Spirit, Tune’s sibling, can probably best understand what Odyssey’s going though. The two have always gotten along well, having met through Tune. When Odyssey was injured, they requested Spirit join the team in es place, providing a glowing recommendation to the then owners. E’s always thought highly of Spirit, as a skilled and reliable member of the team (and someone e could trust to keep an eye on Tune where e couldn’t).

-> Spirit’s been different, recently. Odyssey has slowly tried opening up to them to talk about their shared loss, after es initial attempts to distance emself from the team in es grief. But any attempt seems stilted and awkward, so usually Odyssey never gets around to that part, and sticks to shallow small talk and talking At them about other problems. Honestly e just wants their company, and e feels they could use it, too. Odyssey worries for Spirit’s physical wellbeing in the Otherworld, and their mental wellbeing in the wake of losing their sibling. But they’re still capable of looking after themself, so e doesn’t push too hard. E just figures… well. Spirit probably needs the same kind of help e does, and e’s trying to be that for them.

-> If there’s a coworker that Odyssey really Does Not get along with, it’s Curiosity. In the past they’ve had a standard and respectful relationship. But with Tune M.I.A. and the EEG’s new ownership, Odyssey’s being phased out of the team though circumstance and es own actions and e’s feeling quite frustrated. E projects a lot of those frustrations into Curiosity, the new de facto leader of the field team and symbolic of the changes Odyssey rejects. Curiosity, for her part, isn’t keen on sitting around and taking flak from Odyssey.

-> Mostly they try to avoid each other, and that turns out fine. But when they do interact, Odyssey is… difficult about it. E will nitpick any plan of hers to test how it holds up, always double-checks her work, tries to pull rank/seniority regardless of relevance.. all in all, nothing malicious, but instead unreasonably hypercritical. E claims e’s only making sure she’s up to handle whatever the Otherworld throws at them next.

-> Phoenix on the other hand is a long time friend of Odyssey and Tune, having also met them through school before he dropped out. They’ve been a sturdy pillar of support for Odyssey through es grief, and regularly checks up on em to make sure es looking after emself. Though Phoenix, like Curiosity, is ambivalent about the new ownership, he is unlike Curiosity in that he is in good standing with Odyssey and is privy to sooo many rants about it. They talk often. Phoenix is really the only other person Odyssey trusts with maintaining the systems e built.

-> Phoenix and Odyssey had a brief romantic fling as young adults, which Odyssey now finds very amusing. Even moreso because Phoenix is kind of embarrassed about being ‘something of a headstrong dumbass’ at that age, in their own words. It’s one of the few things Odyssey and Curiosity (who also once dated Phoenix) can agree upon. It’s all in good fun.

#image #alt text #my art #my characters #set: eeg #char: odyssey #flight rising #flight rising art #odyssey is maybe my favourite :] #i think e’s neat #named after the 2001 mars odyssey orbiter #which is/was the primary means of communication between nasa and surface probes on mars #with rovers such as spirit and opportunity and curiosity. and the phoenix lander #the names for es spider robots Themis and Marie come from names for scientific instruments onboard the satellite #Themis: THermal EMission Imaging System #Marie: MArs Radiation Envronment Experiment (ok i don’t know where they took the i from or which word is the e) #anyway i love space probes

[tf2shipswag]

THE DEMO-SOLLY-ZHANNA POLYCULE IS PRIME TF2 CONTENT.

Demo introducing Zhanna to his mother like "Ye know me boyfriend Jane, I called you bout him when we were stationed out in Arizona, aye? Right numpty, the soldier from BLU? Ach, well, this is his wife, Zhanna... Now, before ye go on an' wallop me upside me head, hear me out. This is all an agreement, so dontcha go thinkin Jane's a knob for havin' a wife while bein' with us. Zhanna's a lovely hen, keeps up with us, and I'd be lyin' if I said I didnae like her too. So, yea. Your boyo's finally got hisself a family."

and his ma would be all confused but still be like "Me boy!"

I came up with the name Boots n Bombs n Brawn, and I think it's perfect. It suits them.

I love poly people.

They all sleep together in the same too small bed and take turns being the little spoon.

Zhanna and Jane about to take a shower after a really long day, but uh oh, who goes first? Jane says "Now hold it right there, son. That shower faucet has my name all over it! I will shove my dirty, unshowered foot up your sorry ass if you do not step aside!" and Zhanna is like "Alright then, maggot-bear, fight me! I have won against much bigger shower thief than you! I will beat you, and shower first, and then will have to shower you after because you will be pile of broken bones!"

and then soldier is like "Alright Thats It" strips naked "FIGHT ME, MAGGOT!!"

and then zhanna also strips naked "SO BE IT, YOU WILL LOSE!!"

And then Demo walks in from the hallway, not entirely surprised at seeing his too partners naked, dirty, and about to wrestle in front of the bathroom door. "Have you lot heard of this concept called... Sharing the shower. You know. Showering Together? I hear it can be quite romantic" wiggles eyebrows

Zhanna and Solly pause, fists raised, sparring positions held. "hrmmmm. A third option. I see..." Solly mumbles. Jane and zhanna exchange looks, debating whether this idea is worth trying. Zhanna makes up her mind "I will shower with you if you keep your unshowered foot out of my ass" n she holds out her hand as though proposing a handshake

Soldier considers it. "Only if you leave my bones ubroken and unpiled!"

"deal" they shake hands enthusiastically

and then they shower together and show off their muscles whilst covered in soap bubbles

"ok, you obviously win in the pectoral department, but get a load of This!" shows off upper back muscles (and his slouch) from carrying around fuck off huge rocket launchers

"impressive, but look!" Shows off huge neck and arm and back muscles from wrestling and beating the shit out of bears

and they are both utterly infatuated with eachother.

"Awww look! You made heart shaped puddle of dirty water!" Zhanna points to the ground "Hah! I think that is my blood! From when I tried opening a soup can with my teeth!" Solly responds.

Demo is so affectionately fed up with their shenanigans. Like, usually demo and solly are The Duo for chaos and shenanigans. But having Zhanna around is like having a woman version of solly. So its double trouble, and demo has to constantly balance out their unhingedness

anyways yeah. Thats my propaganda

this is such good content oh my gooooooooooooooooooood

okay i know i said i usually like boots n bombs as queerplatonic but the exception is when zhanna is also included because their polycule is INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!! they are all so in love its crazy

literally soldier and zhanna will cover themselves in like. syrup or something in the kitchen while making pancakes and have a fist-fight and demoman will see them and join them and then they'll all stand up and give each other pats on the back and tell eachother what they did well in the fight and then they make out while the pancakes burn to a crisp and the smoke alarm goes off. this is all in the team-base kitchen btw and it's like 5-7 am

#polyculepropaganda #tf2shipswag2023 #demosoldierzhanna #tf2 demoman x soldier x zhanna #soldierzhanna #demosoldier #boots n bombs #tf2 demoman x soldier #tf2 soldier x zhanna #not a poll

[critter-rarepair-reccs]

Hey friends, happy Wednesday! Today we are highlighting our dearly beloved Voice of the Tempest, Keyleth! We have six fics featuring various rarepairs including her! As always, you can find them below the cut and if you check any of them out, I encourage you to leave kudoes and comments to spread the rarepair love 💕

tell me what you need (oh, you look so free) by ladyofrosefire (5,348 words, Explicit) Pairing: Zahra Hydris/Keyleth (Zahraleth) Warnings: CNC scene where the negotiation occurs largely off screen.

Keyleth goes to Zahra with a request—to be taken out of her head, down, and apart. And to not have to say what she wants.

Reccer Says: It has both excellent characterization and understandable choreography where no one suddenly grows a third hand.

Can You Squeeze Us in Somewhere? by Star_Joy (828 words, General) Pairings: Shaun Gilmore/Keyleth/Vax'ildan (Vaxlethmore), Queerplatonic Shaun Gilmore/Keyleth Warnings: None

Vax and Keyleth get back to Emon after an adventure and are utterly exhausted. Luckily, they have Gilmore to turn to for rest.

Reccer Says: It’s sooooo cute. Just lovely fluffy goodness. Also very fun to see Gilmore and Keyleth as queerplatonic partners within this ot3!!

Let It Build by wtgw (5,946 words, Explicit) Pairing: Keyleth/Grog Strongjaw (Grogleth) Warnings: Mild Blood, Under-negotiated Kink

Grog helps Keyleth manage her anger issues. Friendly violence and violent sex ensues — it’s not romantic, it’s just helping a friend out!

Reccer Says: It was surprisingly emotional and sweet, and the descriptions of how angry Keyleth was were almost scary! also aromantic4demisexual friend sex!

i'll be there for you by romeoandjulietyouwish (1,357 words, General) Pairings: Queerplatonic Shaun Gilmore/Keyleth, Shaun Gilmore/Keyleth/Vax'ildan (Vaxlethmore) Warnings: None

While out one night, someone starts following Keyleth. She takes refuge at Gilmore’s. Cuddling and comfort ensue.

Reccer Says: While it’s not tagged as such, Shaun and Kiki are really the focus here and they’re so sweet. Shaun’s so full of love, I adore him. Also the three of them all together at the end is very cute 🥰

Broken; Unbidden; Unearthed: Love in the Limelight by marleybone (7,036 words, Mature) Pairing: Keyleth/Vex'ahlia (Vexleth) Warnings: Allusions to a past abusive relationship

Vex is an actress, Keyleth is a model. Vex sees her at a runaway show one night, is infatuated, and things spiral out from there.

Reccer Says: okay LISTEN, Keyleth hasn’t really technically shown up yet and it’s been a minute since an update but what’s there is So Good regardless. The depth of worldbuilding in the three chapters up is so good and the banter between Vex and the supporting cast is amazing. Also it being a memoir from Vex’s POV, written by Tary, about her and Keyleth’s love story? Genius, I’m obsessed and desperately craving more.

steady your breath, honey, lower your spear by friendly_ficus (6,020 words, Teen) Pairing: Keyleth/Grog Strongjaw (Grogleth) Warnings: Grief/Mourning

Keyleth isn't coping well in the aftermath of the fight against Vecna--and losing Vax. She's angry and eager to pick fights wherever she can, regardless of if she gets hurt doing it. When Grog realizes this, he offers to fight with her himself. Neither of them expected any feelings to grow from it, until, of course, they did.

Reccer Says: An exceptionally characterized and written piece, it's stuck with me even years after first reading it. It approaches the Keyleth/Grog relationship with such believability and tenderness, not to mention dealing with Keyleth's grief and the complex process of having feeling for someone after loss. An all around fantastic piece.

Thank you for joining us this week’s recc list! All the love to everyone who submitted a fic 💕 All enclosed recommendations were submitted by the community via our submissions form, which you can find here. All fic information is as it was provided by the reccer, so it may not be accurate to the author’s intent or the precise contents of the fic itself. Please assume good intent from all parties 💕

Submissions for next week’s list are already open! We’ll be featuring Polyamorous Ships. If you have any you’d like to highlight, you can send them in here. The week after that, the theme is Enemies to Lovers and the weeks after that we’re taking recommendations for Miscommunication fics and Works in Progress! Submissions for all of these themes are currently open.

If you want more rarepair fic, check out @cr-summer-wildflowers and their event collections on ao3! If you want some friendship after all this romance, take a look at @critter-genfic-events and their recc lists! And if you’re interested in everyone’s favorite wizards, you can’t go wrong with the lists at @aeor-is-for-reccing !

Thanks all and have a lovely day/night/timezone! 💕

#critter rarepair recc lists #zahraleth #vaxlethmore #gilmore x keyleth #grogleth #vexleth #critical role #cr fanfic #keyleth #keyleth of the air ashari

[and-stir-the-stars]

obsessively thinking about jeremy's introduction arc in saffron au,,

Evan just got back from being kidnapped a couple months ago and the experience left him feeling worthless and monstrous and undeserving of any kindness or love, and you add that on top of it being Mike AND MIKE'S FRIENDS who continuously hurt and then almost killed Evan at the Bite. And of course when Mike starts getting close to Jeremy, Ev is going to be scared Mike will choose Jeremy over him.

And when Ev can't stop Jeremy and Mike from getting close, Evan runs away before Mike will have the chance to hurt him again.

Mike is terrified when his little brother suddenly disappears again. He finds Evan relatively quick, but he learns that this time Evan CHOSE to leave because he was scared of Jeremy.

Mike doesn't want to lose Ev and he doesn't want to lose Jeremy either, but Evan is so fucking scared. And after how Mike manipulated Evan’s fears when they were kids, Mike doesn't see any solution other than offering to cut contact with Jeremy. He's not letting his little brother get hurt ever again.

Ev running away has left Mike terrified, too. So, he takes Evan to visit some of the runaway teen shelters that Mike had to frequent when he ran away from William.

At first, Evan is confused and hurt. He misinterprets Mike taking him to these places as Mike's silent way of telling Evan to leave again, to run away and never come back because "I don't want you anymore."

When Ev starts to freak and lash out, Mike realizes his mistake and has to explain properly. "I love you. I want you to be safe, and i want you to be safe *with me.* But if something else happens that I can't predict again, if you ever feel like you can't be near me again, i want you to know there are places you can go. Places where you can be cared for, with people who will look out for you. I don't want you to be alone like I was, to go through what I went through. I don't want you to leave me. I want to be here to keep you safe, forever, but if something happens, then-- I just-- you staying safe is the most important thing to me, even if you decide that you have to be away from me to be safe."

And to Ev, it's confusing and it's scary... but somehow it does get through to him. Evan decides to risk believing again that Mike really does unconditionally love him.

And they try going back to normal, except... Evan can see how miserable Mike is without Jeremy around. And Ev isn't so sure anymore that making Mike cut Jeremy out of his life was the right choice.

So Evan leaves the house, and he goes straight to Jeremy. He tries to explain Mike's sudden silence. He tries explaining that Mike never wanted to ignore or abandon Jeremy; Ev explains that Mike only did all of that because Evan asked him to, that Mike misses Jeremy every day and wants Jem in his life again. Ev apologizes for what he did and asks Jeremy to give Mike another chance.

For as strong as Evan is trying to be, he's also so scared, and he tearily asks Jem to take Mike back but "please don't steal my brother away from me. He's all that I have."

Jeremy promises that they won't ever, ever steal Evan's big brother from him.

*author's note; mike and jeremy are queerplatonic partners, not boyfriends

#mike afton #michael afton #evan afton #the crying child #jeremy fitzgerald #saffron pawn au #tw kidnapping