I mean OF COURSE I'll ask this question, duh😂 all jokes aside, you know I feel the same way, idk if you were referring to that, but I remember we discussed romance for the sake of it (unsure of whether I still had a working profile or not though). So now I'm curious!
And now that we're here, congrats for being able to use both drawing and writing as creative outlets, they're usually mutually exclusive!
Sorry for the late as hell response but it's Family Day here in The True North!
LMAO I was actually referring to a post from last year regarding a word vomit rant form an Anon. Idk who it was, but in that rant the Anon mentioned Eli and Trixie's relationship.
My response to that was, in short, while I don't mind them possibly getting together(ive been a die hard Eli x Twist shipper SINCE DAY ONE YALL, but im also a multishipper so no hard feelings), I went on a two paragraph RANT about how relationships are treated in media and how I FUCKING HATE how the 'woman' in the relationship is treated. I deadass DRAGGED Hiccup and Astrid form HTTYD Race to the Edge. And how in my humble opinion, a relationship needs to have more substance other than just- getting together for the sake of it.
Here's a link to that post if you wanna read that in its full glory- {LINK} and that's not even my full feeling of romance in media if you can believe it!
[and do understand, this is all coming from the person who wrote this ->link to Romantic Poem type thing I wrote about my WF character to Aoi<- cringe as fuck tho- ]
It was a whole thing- but I digress-
Eli and Trixie's relationship in the Man-Down AU!
First things first, this isn't massive spoilers, since this all epilog stuff that just doesn't necessarily need the context of the ending.
But for a little context, remember that short fic i post last December? [This one], The one that was just a conversation between Eli and Mane? You don't need the full details other than the fact how I ended that thing with a cute joke about Eli being a little shit and asking about Mane's 'lesbian awakening'
That while done for jokes, it was also done for Eli's own peace of mind and figuring himself out, as he's at the age where he's discovering himself as a person.
Again romance is never my focus when I go into writing something or any creative project for that matter, this especially applies when I write stuff about my ships. Wether they be Cannon × Cannon or OC × Cannon.
(And this is comeing from someone who's written Lemons)
To me, romance isn't the end all be all of a character, same for the sexuality and personal preferences. (This is a tangent for another day)
But for clarity, Eli is Demisexual in my AU. Demisexuality is on the Asexual spectrum, where someone only feels deep intimate attraction for someone they have a deep, strong, emotional connection with.
However, becase of how thing's are planed out, Eli dose not fully realize this till he's like, 25. So yeah WAY in the future after the AU and after it's main traumatizing events have happened. he for a long time till then was like 'A relationship can't happen right now' because of the constant danger and shit he and his friends have had to deal with.
In that time after everything, The Gang, while still the Gang, they have all progressed in personal endeavors.
Eli, next to his role as 'The Shane', and the occasional adventure, has been using his influence to work with outreach programs to better help the people of Slugterra, make a real difference in lives outside of just protecting them.
Mane is back in the Entertainment Duel world, and is now a high ranking Platinum duelist.
Kord was taken in as RedHooks apprentice
Pronto is more or less retired with Dana now the Team's Tracker
and Trixie got her big brake and is in the Film making industry, and had credits in serval well received Films. <- this is important because while on set for one of those Films, she actually met someone, and they started dating for a while.
[Junjie is in the East doing his thing, with his sister Mei-Ling, they visit]
While that is going on Mane, Kord and Dana are dragging Eli out to Mixers, basically events for singles to mingle, every couple of weeks and this is when Eli learns he's Demisexual.
Like, again, Eli is for the most part, an easy going guy, he like's people enough platonically, but all the people he's met at those Mixers don't meet that emotional threshold. Plus, a number of them just see his last name, Shane, and all the thing's that come with it, not Eli as a person.
Eventually Trixie brakes up with her partner, the reasoning being that partner not getting why she's splitting her time between the Shane Gang and Film Making. The Cavern's aren't in world ending danger anymore, and it's not like the Shane need's the help in protecting everyone. The Shane can deal with it, Trixie dose not need to be part of that anymore, she got the notoriety of being associated with the Shane's, time to use that 'fame' she's got for herself and cut ties.
Which, really sets Trixie off, because she did not go though all of that EMOTINAL, VIOLENT AND DAMAGING SHIT for 'fame'. she did it FOR HER FRIEND, HER FAMILY, HER HOME - BECAUSE IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO FUCKING DO! and she will continue to do it for as long as she's able to!
so yeah, she dumbed that POS, hard.
Not to say she didn't have sad feelings afterwards, oh no she did, Trixie did really like that person, but being asked to leave The Gang was hard boundary she set, the Shane Gang is her team, her second family, they stay.
And it's like, three months after the breakup, dose something happen between Trixie and Eli.
There all hanging out at the Coleman Vacation house in Tidepool Cavern, having a celibration of some kind, friends are invited what not, and at some point Eli and Trixie are like 2-4 cups of beer in, but they are not like, drunk-drunk, just a little tipsy, and they get into conversation about relationships.
It starts off as Trixie just asking if Eli's met anyone yet, he says no, Eli ask's what about her, Trixie say's no, they talk shit about her ex, as best friends do.
they then get into the crux of their issues with of why relationship's just aren't working out.
And it boils down to other people just not- understanding them, as individuals. About how perspective partners have these, ridicules expectations, nether can meet, which leads to them throwing compliments at each other in that reaffirming way:
"Your a total badass Trix. Your the reason why we lived through half the shit we did!"
"And your like, a massive dork! if people look at you and expect perfection they clearly don't know a thing about you!"
And this is where Eli's connection to Trixie come's in.
They have been Teammates and Friends for YEARS now, they have seen each other at their highest highs, and lowest lows. Eli quite literally can't imagen his life without Trixie in it. She in important to him. Like so important he can't describe it. Like yeah the rest of the Gang is important to him as well, they are his family, but it's just different with Trixie, and for a long ass time he never let himself realize that, till right now.
Eli Shane is attracted to, and in love with Trixie Sting. Not just because of the traumatic shit they have been through, but because, Trixie is loyal, fierce, challenging him in way's that still surprise him after all these years, called him out on his own problems, just- knows when he's got a hair brained idea, has stood by him, and has never seen him as Eli Shane, but as Eli, a then 15 year old kid who didn't know what he was getting himself into all those years ago when his dad fell into that coma, and a now 25 year old man who is trying to better the world around him, and to be his own person outside of his family's legacy.
And at the same time Trixie realizes she is in love with Eli. the same Eli who respects her, encourages her passion, listen's to her when she talks, takes orders from her when on missions, trusts to have his back when in a Slug-Out, who understand her need to do what's right and expose corruption where ever it is regardless of the consequences. The same Eli who broke family tradition to trust her and the rest of the team with secrets that could change everything, even when they think he's being crazy. The same Eli she silently told herself, without realizing, she could not be with because he didn't seem interested.
one thing leads to another, and someone kisses someone in a partly drunken stupor, only to pull away in panic and to blurt out an apology and how they feel in romcom fashion.
[yes I like, GOOD romcoms, sue me]
They are not, a Lovey-Dovey couple by any means. What they have is a deep mutual respect and devotion for each other.
What is the best way I can fucking describe this-?
Do you know the Anime Tiger & Bunny?
it's a super hero Anime where there is this hero team between the two tittle characters, Wild Tiger, Kotetsu T. Kaburagi and Barnaby Brooks Jr, nicknamed 'Bunny' by Kotetsu[and he's like, the only one who uses it lol it's perfect].
It's fun anime, and Tiger and Barnaby's partnership is EVERTHING, it's literally a slow-burn Best Friendship, that officially fan's are free to interpret as we wish(and yes that mean's romantic for a lot of the fan base lmao queer bating at it's finest and most acceptable in my opinion). But that relationship is defined by the fact the two characters grow to care about each other over the course of their at first, unwilling time together as a Hero Duo to Barnaby only wanting to be a Hero if Kotetsu is his partner, and Kotetsu basically seeing Barnaby as family (dude deadass says Bunny's got 'pretty eyelashes' one time in the dub and WOW man)
But yes- it's very THAT coded.
is this to say they don't get jealous or concerned? no they do, they are human after all, but cuz of that deep seeded trust in each other, they know they don't need to worry about the other unless they are literally in an world ending apocalyptic situation.
They are the pinnacle of 'I Love You & I Trust You' in the most pure and literal sense.
but yeah, that is Eli and Trixie's relationship in the Man-Down AU post everything, up till that, best friends
I may do a short fic about it later
