#Discussing my asexuality with a friend this week

[only-1-a]

Quotes from me this week.

"I totally could have asked Hilary out! The only reason I didn't is 'cause my life was falling apart!"

[weebsinstash]

Thinking bout how mean demi Alastor would be regarding the post cheating/meltdown/breakup sex… he’s still a sadist and now that he’s more comfortable with physical intimacy and like 20% more deranged that def gets reflected in his “catering to your needs”. Overstim, edging, anything that leaves you at his “mercy”

Reader, visibly sweating because YOU know that HE knows most of the dirty dirty nasty NASTY SHENANIGANS you've committed in the last month or two of Just Straight Up Sluttery: so Alastor, now that you've discovered this new part of yourself, surely you've, uh, developed some new tastes and healthy outlets for intimacy?

Alastor, who's just spent the last several weeks rounding up all your sexual partners and he does mean ALL of them to torture every last detail of what you did out of them, and has recently discovered how much he likes the feeling of a riding crop in his hands, along with a list of kinks where cheating/cuckoldry is definitely NOT one of them: oh yes :) healthy outlets :) so anyways my pet, about your punishment--

You're just like "ok Alastor um, since you're new to this and old fashioned you probably want to, cuddle, and, ease into it, and--" bitch he wants to tie you up. Bitch he has developed SUCH a craving for watching you tied up and helpless because, oh you're so sweet and vulnerable and need him to protect you ❤️ his sweet vulnerable little doe ❤️ aw, your struggling is so cute ❤️ do you want to be let go? Guess you better beg nice and pretty~

I dunno man... I was LITERALLY discussing a concept like this with an asexual buddy of mine actually, the amount of aces horny for Alastor is giving, truly, and we were MUTUALLY like, "listen... listen... asexuality is real and we respect that, ok... but it's also a spectrum... and I want this man going his entire life and afterlife not caring or having a taste for those things UNTIL he meets you and he has to deal with, discover, and come to understand all his new desires" and I keep thinking of multiple ways to swing that?

Just him having his equivalent of his first schoolboy crush and not knowing why he can't stop himself from laughing at your jokes? Why is he suddenly so... POSSESSIVE of your company? Why does he want to hurt the men who come around you even more than usual? He goes to Rosie for advice and she's just, DROPPING HER TEA CUP, "oh ALASTOR HONEY, you've got yourself a little crush!!" and all but squealing with delight as she wants ALL the details and, well, Rosie IS a trusted friend... and once he starts talking about you, he can't stop himself for some reason, he just enjoys sharing little details and stories and things about you amd, oh gosh Rosie you should hear this thing that happened the other day it was just the most charming little--

I want this man coming to take you back and he's kicking some door down and he finds you THROATING A GUY. I want it AWKWARD. I want him finding you doing something that immediately makes everyone involved go OH SHIT. I want some dude freaking out hollering "THE RADIO DEMON?!" because he and a buddy were spitroasting you on your hands and knees and you give a very recognizable "alastor????" around the dude's meat CLEARLY KNOWING THE GUY and your unlucky one night stand has his Oh Fuck moment as he makes perfect eye contact with the notorious cannibal who is currently witnessing this, uh, gentleman having his hand fisted in your hair as he--

Just the mental image of, it's the end of the night or even the morning and the fucking sun is coming up or, their time equivalent of sunrise since I don't think they have like days and nights, but, Alastor is just sitting there reading a book humming to himself, completely put together not a hair out of place, with candles going, a gentle song on the radio, and beside him you're just facedown completely naked in bed with welts all over your ass as his shadow gives you a nice aftercare massage. Dude just sips some coffee, humming and smirking as he regards you "now did we learn our lesson about... making impulsive unsafe decisions without consulting our partner?"

you, still face down as your legs still refuse to stop shaking: that if I want to get fucked really hard all I have to do is commit adultery?

Alastor, who has recently discovered all the Super Fun New Ways he can fuck 'discipline' you for riling him up and getting him jealous on purpose because now that he's finally acting like this it's all but making you a cat in heat 'being a brat', smiling with legitimate sadistic glee as he reaches for a pair of leather gloves: incorrect :)

[icaruspendragon]

＼⁠(⁠°⁠o⁠°⁠)⁠／you're aspec too!!! (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠) I love finding other fellow asexuals!!!

it’s actually been a rather recent discovery for me. because while i’ve known about asexuality since i was like 14, my understanding of it was pretty superficial until about a year or so ago.

during college i’d hear my friends talking about sex and how great it was or i’d read in fanfic about how it was this incredibly pleasurable thing and be like “hm. that is not how i feel during it but maybe i just haven’t been with the right partner.” but i’d had a couple enjoyable experiences, so the possibility of being aspec simply did not cross my mind. especially as i grew more comfortable and confident in my bisexuality. while i know it’s flawed now, my line of thinking at the time was, “i can’t be ace because im bi.”

i think it was hard for me to figure it all out because sex was always fine, it was just seldom to never something i thought to do unless it’s what my partner wanted. like i didn’t mind it. but apparently lots of people enjoy it a great deal and want to initiate it on their own. i’ve never really been one of those people.

and it was easy to write off/ignore for a long time as i thought my lack of want to have sexual encounters had to do with trauma/mental illness, but as i worked through and processed it all, my desire (or lack there of) stayed the same.

so it’s really only been within the past few months of somewhat frantic googling and discussions with people who are ace that i realized all signs were pointing to aspec. i mean all signs have been pointing there for a while. just look at this text i sent my friend scott back in 2021.

but i didn’t have the words/label to adequately describe what i’ve always felt. like i can’t tell you how many trips i made to the gynecologist to try and “figure out” what was “wrong” with me. but now i know there’s nothing wrong with me. i just don’t really feel sexual attraction. and that’s okay!! i’m not broken or damaged or whatever thoughts i had from like ages 19-25 about sex and my relationship with it were telling me.

the aspec label itself is one that i’ve only felt comfortable using for the past few weeks, but it definitely feels like the right one. even though having a name for it is a recent thing for me, i’ve always felt this way.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for being condescending towards an asexual kid in GSA?

🙃🏳️‍🌈 to find later

Long post so buckle up.

I (17, they/it/he) am one of three co-leaders of my school’s GSA, along with R (18, she/her) and N (17, he/him). All three of us are openly bi, and I’m also openly trans and (most importantly) very loudly aromantic. We’re all in 12th grade now but we were leaders last year (in 11th grade) too. The school/GSA is small enough that all four grades (9–12, so around 13–18 years old) are in the same GSA, there’s no separate upper grade and lower grade groups. We also have two advisors, both cis queer teachers; and some younger queer faculty members also join sometimes for formal events. We take turns running events during club time, such as fun crafts or watching music videos. Sometimes we also do educational stuff or documentaries, including having teachers come in to facilitate discussions.

I’ve been planning (since early December) to run a two part series of discussions about asexuality and aromanticism (separate discussions of each). I really just wanted to do one day about aromanticism, but R said that if I did that, people would derail it and just talk about asexuality anyways, which both N and our advisors also agreed made sense. So, it’s two days, and the asexuality one is first so that the aromanticism one can be closer to Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week (ASAW).

There’s a girl in GSA, let’s call her A (16, she/her), who’s in 11th grade. She’s very socially awkward and if someone points out that she’s accidentally said something rude or offensive she’ll make a big deal out of not knowing and generally derail the conversation. Also, two years ago A made a ton of “jokes” about me and my little sibling (16MtF) being “secretly dating.” When I asked her (politely at first) to stop, she said she was just joking around, and kept doing it. I asked her again and also asked the theatre teacher and school counselor for help, and eventually she did stop. But A kept following me around and trying to be friends with me, and I was super uncomfortable to the point that I asked the school counselor to facilitate a conversation between A and I so that I could ask her to fucking stop. It somewhat worked. Now she still keeps trying to start conversations with me in the hallways and such, but I just brush her off or ignore her.

The one place I can’t do that is during GSA. Since I’m a leader, I have to be civil to everyone and actually talk to people (R, N, and I set norms at the start of the year during our planning meetings). A is asexual but not aromantic, and today she showed up like 5 minutes into lunch (cafeteria lines are annoying) and loudly asked if she was late. We weren’t doing anything in GSA today, just chilling. At some point during the meeting I announced casually that next week we’d be discussing asexuality, and then the week after that we’d talk about aromanticism, which leads nicely into ASAW during February break. When I said this, A immediately said that she would be extra ace that week [during ASAW]. I was like, “during aromantic spectrum awareness week?!?!” in the same tone of that “during pride month?!?!” meme. She looked like someone had just given her an F on the most important test of the year and said she hadn’t known.

I also made a comment about how there’s way more openly aspec people at our school than at most schools, and N said that maybe the presence of role models is part of that (clear subtext: he was referring to me). I said pretty loudly (more people could hear) that it was kinda funny that I’m the “ace role model” when I’m literally not asexual. A looked super lost and confused at this, and I think she might’ve thought I was ace, even though I’m super open about not being ace, and have told her directly more than once.

Here’s where the potential assholery comes into play. There’s an ad for PrEP that was fairly common on the back covers of theatre playbills in the past year. The ad shows a Black man dressed in ripped leggings with fishnets, shiny knee-length heeled leather boots, and some sort of white leather harness, doing a bridge pose with one leg extended upwards so that the “r” in PrEP is resting on the sole of the boot. The ad has a bright red background and text that says “you cast of PrEP options is changing” along with a small QR code and website link. The pose is somewhat provocative, but not out of place on a playbill for an all-ages show.

During GSA, A was saying that she thought the ad was bad, because of the leather being “fetish gear” and “weird” (basically the same arguments people use to say that gay people shouldn’t be allowed in public). I told A that there’s nothing wrong with someone wearing leather, and she said that “it’s fetish gear and that’s disgusting and degenerate and just bad advertising!”

I explained calmly, like I would to a child (although I probably wouldn’t talk about this topic with a child), that PrEP is a medicine that people take if they anticipate having sex with someone who’s HIV-positive, so it’s okay that the ad is somewhat suggestive. She seemed to accept that, but still said that the leather was weird, and the ad should’ve shown “a diverse group of people getting pills at a pharmacy” instead, because “fetish gear” was too much.

I asked if she thought that all leather clothing was inherently fetishistic, to which A said yes, and then I asked, “do you know that people can’t just choose fetishes?”

She hadn’t known that, but she still said the ad was too sexual. I pointed out that it was a fairly well-targeted advertisement, using theatre references, but maybe A was not part of the target demographic. I also said that sometimes outfits are just hot without there needing to be any fetishes involved, which she didn’t refute, and that even if it was a fetish, that wouldn’t make it inherently “bad” or “degenerate” at all.

A said that she still didn’t like it, and I told her that she was entitled to have whatever feelings she wanted to have, but that doesn’t mean the advertisement itself is a problem.

Another person (17, he/him) called out “[OP], what do you think about kink at pride?” in a sort of nonchalant way, so I walked over while saying “i’m pro–kink at pride.” The conversation eventually moved in other directions, and then club ended and we had to go to our next classes.

TL;DR: given my position of power and responsibility as a GSA leader, AITA for being kinda condescending towards an ace person who’s 2 years younger than me because she was being very sex-negative about an ad for PrEP?

What are these acronyms?

[myimaginedcorner]

SCALES OF JUSTICE - PUBLICATION SET FOR JANUARY 2025

Hello my dear readers,

WE DID IT! After a few weeks of wait and talks, I can finally announce that Scales of Justice has been officially accepted for publication, both on Hosted Games and on Steam! The current publication date is set for January 2025; however, if that changes, I will update you with new information.

You can now wishlist the game on Steam! Here's the link -> https://store.steampowered.com/app/3089710/Scales_of_Justice/

I am so, so grateful to everyone who has been here for me during these past 3 years. What began as a shy attempt at dreaming has grown into a marvelous project that taught me so much, brought me so many new experiences and skills, and is going to end with my first publication as an author. I cannot be more grateful and excited. I hope this is only the beginning of an amazing journey.

I am currently finishing my degree and working on preparing for the release; however, I will soon be posting a little more of my thoughts about future projects (including SoJ 2), continuing Torn Page, and being a bit more active around here. Until then, please, spread the word, and let's celebrate this together! ^^

DEMO DESCRIPTION:

Scales of Justice is a fantasy story that takes place in a world afar – a place called Therania. Albeit there was some interaction between Therania and other worlds a long time ago, now it’s solely a tale from their lost past… or, at least, that is the most common belief. Regardless, this story does not focus on extraterrestrial connections: its plot revolves around the people of Therania and their lives, their history and – what’s more important – their ‘determined’ future.

There are plenty of species living together in Therania, yet the human race is currently split in two: the one known as Hero kingdom, which is ruled by ‘heroes’, and the one named Vannais kingdom, controlled by ‘villains’. Both nations hate each other - here, the fight of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ is something that happens on a national level. The game is focused on lore, character development, and the player's choices: perhaps, your MC just wants to live a peaceful life... or maybe they want to save the world.

Or even rule it, if you’re into such things.

THINGS TO DO IN THIS DEMO:

Set off on a new adventure towards Neutral Lands, to meet a mythic creature of all answers - The Visionary.

Play as a woman, man, or non-binary - straight, gay, or asexual.

Gather up to 3 companions to help you in your quest - befriend, romance, or rival them, the choice is yours.

Buy a horse - we know you want one.

Fight, conjure, support, speak or think - choose your way of handling a tricky situation.

Explore the kingdom of Hero up to Menai's shores, in search for someone - or something - to aid you in your journey.

The DEMO version of the book runs up to Chapter 5 and contains 276K words overall.

USEFUL LINKS:

If you want to know a little more about this project and read chapters 1-5, I'll leave the link to the game here -> https://dashingdon.com/play/myimaginedcorner/scales-of-justice/mygame/

If you want to discuss anything on CoG's forum, I'll leave the link for SoJ here -> https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/wip-scales-of-justice-new-project-announcement-and-demo-release/101088/16

If you want to send me a more extensive feedback, here's my email -> feedbackscalesofjustice@gmail.com

RO DESCRIPTIONS:

Shoren/Seile → Heir to the Hero kingdom’s throne, right where your journey starts. Also, your old friend who’s very attached to you. Likes to read and practices magic, enjoys adventure and heroic deeds. A recognised “hero”, with blonde curly hair, pale skin and a pair of sapphire eyes.

Robert/Reina → Order’s Paladin, defender of Hero and Knight of Fate. Brave and honourable, determined to protect the people of the kingdom. Very loyal to friends and very dangerous as an enemy. Has short brown hair, tanned skin and an athletic build.

Valerius/Venis → An Outworlder caught by cultists in the Wicked Woods. Gracious, elegant and charismatic. Has long dark brown hair with a silver streak, olive skin and golden eyes.

Arion/Aria → Leader of Vannais, a recognised “villain” who escaped from Hero and now rules the enemy kingdom. Serious but temperamental. Prefers action over words and so, is always present on battlefields and amidst negotiations, even if in an unofficial manner. Has short blonde hair, pale skin and emerald eyes.

[forsythiaproductions]

Of Sense and Soul is a game about self discovery and belonging, and seeing as it’s Ace Week, I thought it might be nice to take a little look at Hugo’s asexuality! 💜🖤🩶🤍

As a demisexual human myself (the lead developer, @ingthing) there's a lot of my own experience with aceness in Hugo's character, and I really love how he grows through the story.

In Hugo’s time, sexuality wasn’t well discussed as it is today, so he's long embraced that he’s a bookish homebody; blanketed in that persona is also his lack of attraction. He largely sees marriage and love in terms of social expectation — everyone falls in love and gets married, eventually, right? And he's comfortable being a late bloomer to all of it.

Still, his loneliness drives him to reach out through a fateful Matrimonial News advert; he’s never experienced a love story for himself, but harbours hope that he might find one, someday!

(Continued under the cut!)

Of Sense and Soul: A Queer Victorian Romance Game 💌 Wishlist us on Steam!

Both the main characters’ perspectives are playable, so I think the first meeting between Hugo and Seamus really exemplifies their differences in awareness/attraction:

"What a striking figure! And quite well dressed...I'd wager that this fellow doesn't work at a newspaper."

While Seamus basically falls flat and gets himself lost in Mr Brooks’ eyes, Hugo doesn’t think much beyond, “he’s so well dressed! He definitely doesn’t live like I do.”

It's really only once he and Mr Charkham get acquainted and their friendship grows that he finds himself drawn to his friend. He always perks up when Mr Charkham is around, pays special attention when he's in distress, and even starts to become hyperaware of being in tight quarters with him.

He chalks it up to himself being awkward around people (but it is in fact love!)

Yes, Mr Charkham is his closest friend — and at first Hugo can only understand his feelings through that lens of friendship — but later, after some enlightening conversations with his friends and family, he comes to discover those feelings are actually romantic.

It’s only after those feelings are reciprocated by Seamus that he starts to clue into what “attraction” means for him…which is a little beyond the game’s storyline, but a fun journey in itself! 💜

[wofsidequesters]

!!! Introduction !!!

Hello! Welcome, all, to the official ask blog for my WoF OCs!

Everyone seems to really like their lore and general storyline, so I figured I should make an ask blog!

I'll introduce myself first- I'm @yellow-computer-mouse, and I go by Yellow, Snowfall (Snowy with friends), Winter, Aeolus, or Oscar! :3 I mark my rambles with 📻, the same as my other ask blogs!

Now, to introduce the stars of the show... (sorry that their ref sheets are inconsistent, I'll get them all together someday!)

Wishcloud!

She/Her

Aroflux Bisexual

SkyWing/NightWing

💙

The true main character, Wishcloud lived a fairly calm life in a small cottage just beneath SkyWing territory with her father, Sharpeye, her mother, Sparrow, and her sister, Chickadee. Wishcloud was happy to stay right where she was, but Chickadee always wanted to explore. She would go out on journalism trips to interview passing dragons, hoping to learn all she could about the continent.

However, one day, Chickadee did not return. Days, weeks, months passed, and still, no sign of Wishcloud's beloved sister. Wishcloud assumed she ran away, and eventually, she too left the nest. She took up residence in the NightWing village, where she met her friend Saffron. Eventually, Wishcloud discovers her sister's true end: she was murdered in cold blood. Wishcloud has since made it her mission to track down her sister's killer, no matter what it takes.

Saffron!

She/Her

Bisexual

SandWing/RainWing

🌼

Saffron grew up in the rainforest, raised with all the other RainWings. They all thought it was a little odd she was clearly half SandWing, but Saffron didn't care! She was fine! Never mind the odd looks they gave her, or her lack of venom, or the whispers of some Chameleon. She had never heard of this guy! She was just like any normal RainWing!

Until she wasn't. The rainforest turned on her, and she went to go live in a small town on the edge of SkyWing and SandWing territory. She met an old veteran by the name of Jackal, and he mentioned his mother having an affair with a RainWing at one point, ten years after he was born. The pieces fell into place, and Saffron decided to stay with Jackal and his husband, Pine, for a while until she heard there was a new queen of the rainforest. She tentatively headed back, where Queen Glory accepted her with open wings. She met Wishcloud, and the rest was history (see Wishcloud's character summary).

Igneous and Sandshrike!

He/Him

Aromantic asexual

NightWing/SkyWing

🌋

He/Him

Gay

SandWing/SkyWing

🐦

Igneous was abandoned at hatching, much like his best friend, Sandshrike (or Shrike, for short). The two were practically joined at the hip, and they certainly gave Jackal and Pine some trouble as hatchlings. They always wanted to be some legendary heroes someday (well, Shrike did), and this chick Saffron was offering just that! Of course they'd accept!

Fuji!

He/Him

Bisexual

SkyWing

🌸

Fuji never wanted to be much like other SkyWings, which was fine, because they never wanted to be much like him, either. He got odd looks for his light scales, and rumors questioning his bloodline got him booted from the kingdom. He set up a small cafe known as The Nettle Nest in a quaint little area between the Diamond Spray Delta, the Bay of a Thousand Scales, and the rainforest. He had two common patrons, sisters, Tragedy and Disaster. They were welcome to stop by, and the two often helped him and his husband, Agrias, out with his business. It was hardly a living...

...Until it was. All of a sudden, he had 7 dragons (counting the Sea/Night sisters) coming in every day to discuss murder. Oh well. All press is good press, he supposed, and they tipped well enough.

Tragedy and Disaster! (base by @sombrathedragon)

She/They

Bisexual

SeaWing/NightWing

🌊

She/Her

Straight

SeaWing/NightWing

✨

Tragedy and her sister, Disaster, were aptly named according to their parents. At least, that's what they assumed. Their parents weren't around, abandoning them on the shore as eggs. They were raised by a small troop of MudWings, getting snippets of what a dragon should be. They wandered, taking refuge at a small cafe, The Nettle Nest. The owner agreed to let them stay with him as long as they helped out with work. They agreed, moving in with him.

Disaster came to her sister one day confessing an odd dream. A vision, she called it, describing how certain she was of who their father is: a SeaWing prince. It made sense, she argued, seeing as there were 32 of them. Tragedy was much more doubtful. Surely they would know if they had royal blood. Besides, she had more important things to think about, like the true crime case brought to her by two overeager hybrids. It was a good distraction.

Harbinger!

He/They/It

Pansexual

NightWing

📜

The NightWing twins, the first of many to regain their tribe's powers, were cursed under a blood moon to only see devastation. Armageddon and Harbinger, as they were titled, grew up thick as thieves. Harbinger only wanted to blend in, Armageddon only wanted to prove his worth, but the red stars on their foreheads served as omens to their powers. The two were plagued by nightmares, horrible visions of fire and twisters and a dragon the color of rust with striking gold eyes.

Harbinger assumed it was only the worst possible futures, writing it off as nothing. Armageddon wanted to take action. He took a dagger, snuck off into the night, and returned with blood on his talons. Upon his return, the two were attacked by a mob of fearful NightWings, afraid of what the twins may do next. Harbinger was banished from his tribe, taking up residence in the rainforest, while Armageddon fled, his whereabouts never certain.

!!! Rules !!!

Here are just some basic rules and boundaries for the blog, so you can enjoy your stay here to the fullest!

No NSFW. I am a minor.

No serious roleplays. I'm okay with you introducing your OCs, but I have a storyline, and I don't want to work your character in. Same with canon characters- they all have a place.

I reserve the right to leave an ask unanswered. If it makes me uncomfortable, I don't have to answer it. That being said, don't assume I'm ignoring you! I will be posting art with every ask, so these will take a while! I'll post mostly on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Feel free to be a recurring anon! I love that type of thing :) Also, please send deep, lore-filled asks if you want! It's what keeps ask blogs running!

~ 📻

[fanby-fckry]

Actually, I Don’t Like Cake Either

Day 1 of Ace Alastor Week: Cake Day

Word Count: 1,433

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon)

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Additional Warnings: Spoilers for Hazbin Hotel Season 1 Episode 8 The Show Must Go On

Relationships: Alastor & Rosie (Hazbin Hotel), Alastor & Charlie Magne | Morningstar

Characters: Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Rosie (Hazbin Hotel), Mentioned Charlie Magne | Morningstar, Mentioned Hazbin Hotel Ensemble

Additional Tags: Canon Compliant (mostly), Post-Season/Series 01, Humor, Attempt at Humor, Light Angst, Friendship, Asexual Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Aromantic Asexual Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Alastor is Bad at Feelings (Hazbin Hotel), Alastor Has a Heart (Hazbin Hotel), Talking, Conversations, Ace Community Inside Jokes

Series: Part 1 of Fanby’s Ace Alastor Week 2024 || Part 1 of Piece of Cake! ( || Next -> )

Summary:

“This isn’t the first cake,” Alastor confessed. “This isn’t even the second or the third! No, no, no, this is the sixth – the sixth – cake she’s given me since I returned to the hotel!”

Alastor broke into manic laughter. “I don’t even like cake!” he said. “I detest sweet things! Can’t stand them! But for some reason she Just. Keeps. Baking them!”

*

For some unknown reason, Charlie keeps baking Alastor cakes. With no sweet-tooth to speak of, nor the willpower to face Charlie’s disappointment should he turn down her gifts, Alastor seeks Rosie’s help with this dessert debacle.

Better on AO3

Alastor made his way through Cannibal Town, walking with a purpose and a cardboard pastry box.

In fact, the box was his purpose for being in Cannibal Town today.

He needed advice. And who better to ask than his dear friend Rosie?

“Alastor!” Rosie dropped everything she was doing to come rushing over to him. “Oh, it’s so good to see you! Things get so gloomy here without you!”

Alastor lifted the box above his head and out of the way as Rosie wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him in for a hug.

The movement drew Rosie’s eyes upwards, and after a moment spent embracing him, Rosie turned her attention to the box.

“What’ve we got here?” she asked.

“My reason for visiting!” Alastor announced. Then, somewhat quieter, “If I could just speak to you in private…”

“Of course, of course!” Rosie ushered Alastor away from the crowd and into one of the more secluded spaces of her emporium – the same room they’d used to discuss Rosie’s potential involvement in defending the hotel.

“Come, sit down, get comfy.” She motioned for Alastor to take the closer chair, then crossed the table to take her own seat.

Alastor did sit, but he felt far from comfortable.

“Well?” Rosie folded her hands in her lap, and Alastor felt distinctly aware of his own hands, still gripping the cardboard box. “Show me what’s in this mysterious box of yours.”

Alastor set the box on the table and opened it to reveal…

“A cake?” Rosie laughed. “Alastor, you charmer, did you bake me a cake?”

Alastor exhaled in a sigh, releasing a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

“Actually, Charlie did!” he said, doing his best to keep his cadence and tone in its typical Transatlantic manner. “Although she baked it for me. I just didn’t want it to go to waste and was hoping you might know of at least one demon around here with a sweet tooth!”

Rosie raised one eyebrow. “There’s more you’re not tellin’ me, dearie,” she said.

Alastor looked down at the cake. Then back up at Rosie. Then at the cake again.

Even with his smile, Rosie could read him like an open book. There was no point in trying to deceive her. And besides, he had come here to ask for her help.

“This isn’t the first cake,” Alastor confessed. “This isn’t even the second or the third! No, no, no, this is the sixth – the sixth – cake she’s given me since I returned to the hotel!”

Alastor broke into manic laughter. “I don’t even like cake!” he said. “I detest sweet things! Can’t stand them! But for some reason she Just. Keeps. Baking them!”

“And then she hands them off to me with that smile of hers and…” Alastor closed his eyes.

He didn’t tell Rosie that he’d grown fond of Charlie. That he genuinely considered her a friend and couldn’t stand the thought of seeing that smile fall. A smile that was so unlike his own: honest and true where his was a weapon, a mask, and – more often than not these days – a lie.

He didn’t need to. Because Rosie already knew.

Alastor opened his eyes and folded his hands on the table. “I just don’t want it to go to waste,” he repeated, and it was half true.

“Why don’t you give it to one of the other guests at that hotel of hers?” Rosie asked.

“Because she would know,” Alastor insisted. “Vaggie and Angel Dust would sell me out in a heartbeat! Even if I gave it to Husker or Niffty and ordered them not to tell, it would only be a matter of time before she figured it out.”

“And besides,” he added. “Niffty really shouldn’t be eating this much sugar.”

Niffty on a sugar rush was a level of chaos even Alastor struggled to endure. At one point, the tiny cyclops had eaten an entire batch of cupcakes and wound up deep cleaning Alastor’s radio tower and stabbing a dozen demons – one of which was Alastor, himself! Non-lethally, of course. Although, the same couldn’t be said for the other eleven.

“Well, what did you do with the other five?” Rosie asked.

“Opened a portal and threw them into the same dimension I summon my tentacles from,” Alastor said with a dismissive hand wave. “They’re probably rotting in there. I’m not entirely sure whether or not those abominations eat, but I’d assume that if they do, they’re carnivorous.”

Rosie shrugged. “Well, I don’t mind sweets myself,” she said. “I prefer when they’ve got a little blood baked in, of course, but I can make do.”

“Thank you,” Alastor said, relief washing over him as Rosie picked up a knife to cut herself a slice.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do if she keeps this up,” he admitted.

Alastor knew what he had to do, and what would happen if he failed to do it. But he didn’t like the looks of either option.

Either Alastor was going to have to tell Charlie to stop and watch her mope around like a kicked puppy, or someone would eventually figure out that he was going out of his way to avoid disappointing her.

His reputation had already taken a massive hit after his battle with Adam – his televised defeat, his failure. He couldn’t afford to let any more evidence of weakness reach the masses.

Alastor’s inner monologue was interrupted by Rosie’s laughter.

“What?” he asked. “What’s so funny?”

Rosie stifled her laughter and put a hand on Alastor’s shoulder. “I think I might just have an answer to your dessert debacle, darling.”

“Oh?” Alastor’s ears perked up at the thought of a solution.

“Tell her you’d rather have garlic bread,” Rosie said, smiling ear to ear. “Bonus points if you use those exact words.”

Alastor tilted his head at a forty five degree angle. Garlic bread? he wondered. What does garlic bread have to do with anything?

But, he did prefer garlic bread to cake. Maybe if he could channel Charlie’s inexplicable urge to bake towards something he might actually eat, then he could have his cake and eat it too, so to speak.

“Well, it’s worth a shot!” Alastor decided. “Thank you for the advice, my dear. I may not grasp the particulars, but I trust your judgment! You always did have such a knack for these things. Why, it’s no wonder you’re Cannibal Town’s go-to gal for guidance.”

“Aww,” Rosie cooed, swatting playfully at his arm. “You’re such a flatterer. You’re gonna make me blush!”

Rosie hummed and took a bite of Alastor’s unwanted cake.

“Guess you’d better get back to that hotel and tell the Princess about the menu change before she fires up the oven again,” she said after swallowing the bite.

Alastor laughed. “Oh, I think I can stay a while,” he said. “Surely she’s gotten it out of her system for the time being.”

“You said this is the sixth cake?” Rosie asked.

“Yes,” Alastor confirmed.

“And would you say the rate she bakes them is consistent?”

“Hm,” Alastor hummed. “The first one was to celebrate my return… Then she baked another later in the month, then one about a week later… Two last week, and now…”

“Shit,” he cursed as it finally hit him. “The cakes are increasing.”

“Mhmm,” Rosie hummed. “How long did you have this one before you managed to sneak it out of the hotel?”

Alastor’s smile widened. “Well, it was great chatting with you, darling!” he said, wrapping Rosie into a hug and preparing to take his leave. “I’ll be seeing you!”

Rosie giggled. “Good to see you too, Alastor.”

She hugged him back, wished him luck, and just like that, Alastor was on his way.

Rosie speared a piece of cake onto her fork, capturing all four distinctly dyed layers – black, gray, white, and purple, in that order.

“Oh, Alastor,” she said to herself with a sigh.

If only he would stop cutting her off every time she tried to actually bring up the concepts of asexuality and aromanticism.

Rosie could make jokes and puns that flew over Alastor’s head – although not over a certain Princess’s head, apparently – day in and day out, but the minute she tried to explain the identities behind them, she was met with, ‘I don’t care for all those modern labels,’ and ‘I don’t understand what any of this has to do with me!’

Too bad, really. Alastor would probably get a kick out of aroace in-jokes. Even if he didn’t like cake.

[teriri-sayes]

Reactions to Chaos Creator's Chapter 263

TL;DR - Letao and his daughter are unaware that they're sacrifices too. Cale meets Letao and dominates him with DA. Cale and Letao agree to work together.

The Chapter Not much happened today. Cale was still angry, and even became angrier when he heard the old mage muttering that Letao and his daughter would be sacrifices too.

Letao had no idea about that, so Cale revealed himself and told him about it. Letao was initially wary of Cale, so Cale used his DA to subdue him. After some discussion, the two agreed to work together because "the enemy of my enemy is a friend."

Oh yeah, there's the part about dragons getting 'married' too. Letao's wife suddenly went missing, so he ended up raising his daughter. Which brings the question, is this specific to Aipotu dragons though? We never hear about the dragon dads of Raon and Dodori. And the Korean word used was "wife", so dragons get married to each other too? Or do they just call their mate as wife/husband? At least, with this information, we can now cross out that fan theory about dragons reproducing asexually... 😂

As for how Letao ended up here, his daughter just hatched from her egg when the great upheaval happened. He stayed neutral when the dragons split into factions, and lived in hiding. But he got caught when his daughter was captured by Ryan while she was playing with her beastkin friends.

Ending Remarks There weren't any funny moments today, perhaps to reflect the graveness of the location. With his business with Ryan temporarily on hold (because he still had a week left before the last execution), Cale set off to meet the emperor (with King Dennis). Hehehe, I'm excited to know what the destructive trio had done to the temple. 🤣

[sflow-er]

S2 Walty snippets series [complete]

With the final season of Young Royals almost upon us, I've been taking stock of my fics and decided to scrap the second chapter to Like you better. There is always a chance of me returning to it someday, but I don't think it really brings anything new to the fic.

That means my little series of S2-compliant Walty fics is complete, and since I never made a proper series post, here's some shameless self-promo (ft. comment quotes):

Sflow's S2 Walty snippets

S2-compliant Henry or Walty fics. The first two are consistent with each other, the last one is separate. Any of them can easily be read as a standalone. Henry is ace as always in my fics, but the depiction of his asexuality and the nature of his relationship to Walter varies.

Bright ideas: ~5k, T, platonic Walty "I love how no matter how short this little one-shot is, it still has a complete narrative structure (--) I giggled from start to finish"

Henry's motivation for rowing has been on a downward spiral all winter. He gets a little lost inside his head trying to avoid punishment for being late, until Walter tells him to get home for something exciting. Cue an awkward walk-by when Wilmon are trying to have an important talk, some related thoughts, a discussion with Walter, and an invitation for Wille to join some ridiculous shenanigans.

OR: A missing moment/scene expansion for s2ep2 (written for YR week 2023) that shows us what Henry was up to before, during and after the locker room scene. My attempt at crack.

Like you better: ~2k, T, queerplatonic OR romantic Walty "I didn't know I needed queerplatonic fanfics that much. It makes me so happy!"

After the masquerade ball, Walter comes home to Henry, who is newly recovered from a migraine attack. A bit of talk about girls, their friendship, and Henry's recent revelation of his asexuality ensues. Along with some cuddles.

OR: A super fluffy missing moment between Walty at the end of s2ep4. Can be read as either queerplatonic or romantic, your choice!

Last chance: ~7k, T, romantic Walty Not consistent with the other parts of the series! "beautifully crafted (--) second chapter was amazing and gentle and like being hugged through my phone screen"

As Henry and Walter's friendship takes a romantic turn, Henry decides to take the last chance to come out to his best friend before everything changes.

OR: A first kiss + coming out/ace talk + getting together fic set after S2 (written for Ace Awareness Week 2023). Contains discussion of past acephobia, previous sexual experience (not very specific), and aversions (French kissing specifically mentioned, the rest are up to the reader's interpretation). A more sex-favourable take on ace Henry than my other fics (sex doesn't happen in the fic, though). Also, Walter is explicitly gay in this one.

[waxingrunes]

But it’s so biased and top Remus is so preferred. I just wish you were more into bottom Remus or sub Remus because it’s such a waste. Your style is so good you could make it look so good but you’re wasting your potential on one thing

I appreciate you might not be coming in at a volatile angle but I’m not your sounding board for fandom bias. Thank you for the compliment but since the last two weeks I’ve received two or three messages suggesting I should do this and that, or why I’m wrong for doing this and that, and I’ve no clue where you’re coming from. I welcome discussions on a mature and adult basis as I’m a sexually lucrative person, but the discourse I see around fandom and bedrooming is mad and makes me believe none of you have any real life experience on the topic.

Before anyone spits on my neck this isn’t me bashing asexuals, those who have chosen not to or are yet to engage in sexual or intimate relations for any reasons, or those who choose to explore their sexuality through the virtual experience of fiction and/or other online resources. I’m talking about those who witter and whine to their screens about how wrong things are, how it’s ‘stupid’ or ‘weird’ to like one thing or have preferences— last time I checked there’s no wrong way to do fiction based on the fact alone that it is fiction.

If you want to take character A and make them top, enjoy them topping, only really want to engage in character A topping environments then you hop on your merry way and saturate your experience with it. If you think character B looks like they should bottom and only enjoy it when they do so and don’t fancy reading or seeing anything that involves them doing the opposite, curate your experience to reflect exactly that. STOP ALLOWING PEOPLE TO TELL YOU HOW TO ENJOY THINGS (full stop) IN A FICTIONAL SETTING. Stop allowing people to make you feel weird or wrong for simply wanting character A to pound character B and treat them like a princess. None of us are marching up to a real life queer couple, sizing them up based on the few facts and visuals we have on them, then telling them why they don’t fuck right. This is not real life, this is play pretend and should be a safe space to enjoy whatever the fuck you want, as many times as you want, wherever you want, with whatever fucking bias you want. Go find the people who think like you and keep any ailments you have about things just like that, between you. As long as you’re not taking to public platform to shit on others, people’s likes and dislikes, and keep your opinions to the comfort of your friendship group confessionals then I promise you, there is no wrong way to do fandom.

If you are one of those people who are making posts and whipping out your scriptures like you’re some wolfstar or whoever the fuck’s prophet, coming in clutch with your lists and reasons and thesis, running around dropping anonymous messages or losing sleep because fictional character is just not to your liking and oh no the world is off its axis, put your message BACK in the bottle. Nobody cares that much and those who do I guarantee you, I guarantee you my friends, there is life outside of the internet.

[bengiyo]

She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat 2 Eps 9-12 Stray Thoughts

Last time, Nomoto and her new online friend had a watch party and discussed the nature of asexuality and homosexuality coexisting, and Nomoto shared about being in love with Kasuga; I'm a big fan of Yako. The ladies managed to connect more with Nagumo, and we learned she has an eating disorder where she can't eat in front of strangers. However, she did make donuts with them and took some home. Kasuga also managed to sever ties with her father after thinking about it and talking with other women. She asked if Nomoto would support her, and of course she did. I will never stop thinking about the Chosen Family scene.

Episode 9

Yes, Yako, coach her. We cannot let them exit this season without talking through their feelings for each other.

I have never identified with a character more than Yako. I would also enjoy my food and wine while watching my friend sweat over the crush.

Yako backstory! It really is hard in your teens when you are deeply out of alignment with other queers about sex.

The power went out and Kasuga immediately went to check on Nomoto. You love to see it.

NOMOTO IS WEARING ONE OF KASUGA'S SWEATERS, AND KASUGA JUST PULLED LINT FROM HER HAIR. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

Thank you, Nagumo! It would be awkward as hell to sit in this zone of lesbian love and not know what stage we were on!

We have verbal confirmation that Kasuga likes Nomoto! Nagumo, you are our champion! You have to get these two to the next level!!

Currently dwelling on Kasuga not lying when asked directly about her feelings. There's a difference between being out and letting people in, and I like that Kasuga told her truth to Nagumo.

Episode 10

Their project manager is at least being upfront with them that they're being asked to rebuild the entire app.

Sorry, Kasuga, but it's not often we escape compulsory heterosexuality and still have a positive interaction in a sales environment like this.

Nagumo, I love you. You have finally given us a reason to have Kasuga voice her thoughts aloud.

This show really said plainly that the presumption of heteronormativity hurts and upsets people who don't fit that mold.

I really love this show detailing how harrowing pining is when you don't know if the other person is queer and the relationship you've built means so much to you.

Episode 11

Episode 21, you aired on Valentine's Day. Please don't let me down.

This former Valentine's Day and White Day gifting tradition sounds tedious as hell.

I didn't expect Kasuga's family troubles to end with that one phone call, and here goes the aunt downplaying Kasuga's feelings and bulldozing over her expressed boundaries.

Okay, Mikami! Way to come through for my girls!!

I wanna have hotpot so bad right now.

I'm so nervous about these chocolates!!

Damn, this cake looks good. I like putting the whipped cream on the side.

Kasuga picked out different chocolates! I'm so proud of her!

Now, Kasuga, why would you go and crush me like that on Valentine's Day? I know why you need to move, but goddamn.

Episode 12

Invoices for raising her? Vile.

Queers apologizing for being selfish when they confess will never not make me cry.

I'm sorry I got a bit testy at the dramatic cliffhanger, Kasuga. You came through for me exactly the way I hoped. Y'all should definitely find a bigger place together and stay in touch with Nagumo.

"I am very delighted and also taken aback." She's like me and I love her.

Aww that was so beautiful, and she's still crying.

I'm so glad she told Sayama immediately. We stay winning.

Man, I just watched I Only Want to See You, and I'm feeling the same difficulty in the transition from friendship to romance in the relationship.

Yes, ladies, thank you for talking through telling others and reaffirming that this is definitely a romance. Let's make sure no one, especially the audience, misunderstands.

I love how Nomoto bursts into tears when she swoons.

Oh snap the whole squad is going to meet Yako next week!!!

We did it, y'all! We got to see them confess their feelings and start dating. I'm so looking forward to seeing their relationship grow and mature, and I'm actually looking forward to the move and the attendant drama that brings. I hope Nagumo doesn't end up thinking that asking about their relationship somehow cost her the relationship she's been building with them. This was an excellent week of episodes.

Big thanks to @furritsubs for making this possible.

[matthiastalksalot]

what is being aromantic? what is being asexual?

i struggled to grasp both for so long, pushing away these parts of my identity with intense denial and a tad bit of misunderstanding.

this is the first of two parts. i talk a lot. enjoy!

CW: discussions of sex

around a year ago, i had gotten into a relationship with a boy whom i cared for deeply. we both had “crushes” on each other around october of 2022. we shared a brief new years kiss, as friends. life moved on. he got a girlfriend. i thought i had a “crush” on my best friend.

then we were roommates for an overnight school choir trip. we did all of the “romantic” things that couples were supposed to do, all the while claiming it was a joke (clarifying point: his girlfriend was well aware of this. she said that i was her boyfriend’s boyfriend).

however, he felt neglected by his girlfriend during this trip, because she wanted to spend more time with her friend group them with him. he was one of two friends of mine, and so i was always around. i helped comfort him when he felt alone. i hung out with him 24/7, having fun during the day and cuddling in our hotel bed at night.

this trip lasted a total of 4 days. we got back on a sunday. that monday, he broke up with his girlfriend. he called me, and i went out at 11pm to be with him and help him through this breakup. despite him initiating it, he was also heartbroken and distraught.

the following two weeks, we had what i would call a “situationship”. we would cuddle, hold hands, talk, hang out constantly. what we couldn’t do? date. because it was moving on too soon.

eventually, we did start dating. we were the most obnoxious PDA couple my high school had ever seen. sitting on each others laps in the cafeteria, holding hands in choir, ect. i even promposed to him by bringing a door to school in the bed of my pickup truck, and asking him out in front of our class.

you may be thinking- how did such a picture perfect relationship fail? there are many awnsers to this question, but the big one? sex.

we hung out after school daily, and the more time that passed, the more comfortable he was with beginning sex and related activities.

to be clear: we never got far. we made out once. we only did it to see if it was better than i thought it would be, as i truly did not have interest. (it was not. spit. ew.) we did a little grinding here and there, and it felt okay. we would do it for a bit, eventually i would be overstimulated, and we would stop. i would immediately turn back to what we had been doing before, which i later learned hurt his feelings.

i do not find it impossible to have the physical feelings that come with sex.

what he taught me was that i lack emotional connection when it comes to sex. to be quite frank, i found his initiation to be disruptive. i just wanted to cuddle and watch a movie, why do we have to hump and suck necks??

when i told him that i thought i may be asexual, he cried. i had been feeling off, not sure what to say. he asked what was wrong, and when i told him, he cried. he asked many questions, such as “why can’t anything ever be simple? my ex only liked my body, now you come along and fulfill all my emotional needs, but aren’t interested? have you been lying when you called me attractive?”

i comforted him. he told me it was okay, we would figure it out. we broke up weeks later. two days before it happened he tweeted “i miss being sexualized by horny men online”. yeah.

my sexuality wasn’t the only reason for our breakup, but it was a large one. despite this, i did not feel truly comfortable calling myself asexual for months following.

after all, i knew what sexual pleasure felts like.

it took me until the following january to accept myself as asexual.

over winter break in college, i got grindr and met up with a 49 year old. he called himself “erik”, although i strongly doubt that is his real name.

we hooked up. i lied to him, pretended i wasn’t a virgin. the entire thing was so awkward. i told him no kissing or anything related to mouths from the start, as i knew i didn’t like it. he held to that, and we had sex. i got off, so did he, but honestly? not quite what it is cracked up to be.

i almost passed out like three times but i didn’t know what it was or wasn’t supposed to be.

something within me changed that night, as i finally understood the difference between feeling and attraction. i do not feel attraction to anyone sexually. not my ex, not the grindr hookup.

i began to identify as asexual.

i still do, but the way i described it then was “i want to keep my sex and romantic relationships separate. because i am not sexually attracted to my partner, it would feel weird to lead them on by having sex.”

now. i am aromantic. how did we get there? story for another day. perhaps later tonight. perhaps tommorow.

it took me years to figure out my asexual identity. there are so so many naysayers, and people who do not believe in it. in situations like that, it is harder to truly find yourself. but i did. and i am sure if you reading this are in a similar spot, you will as well, in due time.

all my love,

mattisaroace

[dotster001]

Who is Asexual in each fandom?

Summary: In honor of ace visibility week, I'm dropping the characters I think are Ace in each fandom.

CW: you might not like who I hc as ace, but don't try to fight me on it cause I'll cry. These are just my opinions. Some will have big explanations, some small. Allusions to sex as a concept, but only to explain where characters lie on the spectrum. Asexuality, like every sexuality, is a spectrum, and there's various types of aces in my HC's. There is no wrong way to be ace!

Fandoms included: Ensemble stars, Ayakashi Romance Reborn, court of darkness, twisted wonderland, obey me, Ikemen Prince, Tears of Themis

Twisted Wonderland

Malleus Draconia

I've discussed this before….and I know this is one people try to tear to shreds, so I figured let's start with him.

It all started when I groovified Mals ceremonial robes card. At the time I thought that he had an ace ring. Below you will find the text I sent to my friend because I was so happy.

So from the start, I was pretty biased. And I know now that wasn't an ace ring, that was the thing pulling his sleeves down. But let's look at the following. 

Dragons have low libido, because they live so long, any mating cycle is incredibly slow. So even if he's not Ace, I feel like he has low desire for adult fun time.

Also! Aces like dragons. It's just kind of a thing, so it would make sense if dragons were like us.

Then there's a recent spoiler I saw. I don't have book seven because I'm on the English server,  and I know that it's just a translation, but I feel like it vindicated this hc. Meleanor laid an egg, and it can only hatch from love. Now, to me, that says the dragon lays an egg, and as long as they have a loving partner, it'll hatch as a product of the two of you. Feels pretty Ace to me….

Can you tell I was scared to say this one? 😂

Riddle

This is fully me projecting on him. But just the way he talks, and acts, it feels to me like he's just fine without extra stuff in his relationship. I feel like his is a matter of upbringing (which is still a valid form of ace!), where part of him is touch starved. But also, I feel like touch would be very overwhelming for him. His love language is more helping people, and sharing his sweets. He would like to be able to use physical expressions of love, even if it's just holding your hand, but it's overwhelming, and a little painful for him.

Obey me

Diavolo

Can't really explain this one. Someone once posted that they thought he was Ace, and I've kind of agreed with it ever since. It's just a gut feeling.

Belphie

He's the kind that might have drive sometimes, but usually he's just too tired. It's a frequent conversation he hates having with his partners; he might not be able to be there for some of your needs. He hopes people understand, but he doesn't mind thriving off his familial bonds if he "can't be enough".

Ayakashi Romance Reborn

Koga Kitamikado

To be honest, he kind of comes off as demi romantic to me. Like, he doesn't really seem interested in even romancing us until near the end. He's the kind who requires a strong emotional connection. He'd be willing to try different aspects of a relationship out with you, but he's not gonna think up anything on his own unless he feels so so strongly about you.

Ikemen Prince

Chevalier

To me, he feels like the kind of ace that would be up for stuff if his partner wanted something, but it just doesn't cross his mind. He kind of just lives his life not really thinking about adult fun time stuff, doesn't really need it.

Court of Darkness

Jasper

Look….I have been told….things….about him. But I haven't played his route, so we'll pretend those things don't exist!

I kinda see him as demi sexual. Like, he works for the man all day, and is tired and stressed. He doesn't really have the energy for emotional or sexual connection. He might be interested if you are, but he's fine no matter how you express love.

Ensemble Stars

Ibara, Shu, and Nagisa

They're together, because they are kind of in the same boat to me. None of them really understand how to human. They just don't have the drive for adult fun time stuff, nor do they get it.

Eichi

This is a second one I don't know how to explain. My guy just says so.

Hiiro

Idk, just the way he interacts with people gives me Ace vibes. Like, he's so touchy, not even thinking about it, like his touch is just a product of friendship and how he shows familial and friendly love. He doesn't seem to grasp the concept of people being more than friends (see Rinne calling Aira his girlfriend, and Hiiro not really even acknowledging it) He strikes me as almost aro ace, (which sucks cause I love him but I'm also aro ace so can't judge too much) maybe he's the kind that dating him means that sometimes you're just his really cool roommate. Sometimes he's loving boyfriend though! It just comes in phases.

Tears of Themis

I don't think any are Ace in this fandom, but that doesn't mean none of them are. It's up to interpretation.

[cyberstevie]

hey! hope you're having a good day. i've been trying to hunt down those screenshots of alden talking about pleck's asexuality in the discord again and cannot find them anywhere. in the one screenshot i have saved him tagging you is highlighted so i know the screenshots were at least yours. do you still have them anywhere? i cannot find the original post for the life of me and it's been driving me insane for weeks. either way thank you my friend

found em! it’s a lot so i’m putting a cut. this is from over two years ago - we had been discussing how we feel about ace rep, and alden came in and busted out his TED talk

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

This happened a while ago but it's been bothering me.

In high school, my best friend (Hayley) and I briefly dated after we A: realised we weren't straight and B: had romantic feelings for one another. We didn't tell anyone about it at the time, and due to the circumstances behind her breaking it off, it just. Never came up with friends. It was a little on again off again for years due to her issues around commitment and vulnerability, and eventually I put my foot down and said I was over her and just wanted to be friends, nothing more.

Around this time, a mutual friend set her up with a friend of her boyfriend. I was the last one to find out in our friend group that she was dating Tim, and only really because she asked for permission to tell Tim that we had dated, because they were starting to get serious.

At this point in time, we were all about 23, so it had been over 5 years since we'd been romantically involved. Everyone in our friend group knew we were queer, but we weren't out publicly yet, and they still didn't know about Hayley and I dating. But I still agreed because I understood her wanting to be open and honest with him.

Fast forward a year and Tim cheats on her with his ex-girlfriend. I won't go into details about how messy this was, because a lot of it is personal to them, but the relevant part is that Tim justified this to his friend group by telling them that he'd done it because he was upset about Hayley doing it first.

He tells them all that Hayley and I had dated, naming me in the process, and lies that we (Hayley and I) slept together on a recent girls trip. We find out because one of his friends is a mutual friend's boyfriend, and suddenly all hell breaks loose because our friend group finds out Hayley and I dated, and both of us are not only outed, but rumours start spreading about us cheating.

It's important to note that I'm asexual, and have some trauma around being discussed sexually that I hadn't fully dealt with at the time. Tim never apologises to me for any of it, Hayley jokes to me on the phone while in tears that it's particularly ridiculous because I'm asexual, and the two of them get back together.

Here is the messy part. I don't bring up how I'm feeling, because I'm more concerned about Hayley's feelings, for various reasons, and I have a very strong people pleasing streak that I also had not dealt with at the time.

Fast forward two years and I am suddenly unpacking all this trauma, while also dealing with a lot of personal turmoil. My friendship with Hayley has become more and more strained as we grow and change as people, and I begin to realise that we haven't really been the same around each other for a while now.

This culminates in Hayley messaging me one day to say that she and Tim are engaged, and I, caught up in what was going on at the time (and I was also at work), don't immediately reply - partially because I'm figuring out how to word a reply I don't actually mean. Except I forget to respond and later that night, she messages me and essentially tells me not to bother.

I give her space, as she told me not to message her, and then she messages me two weeks later angry about me not contacting her. I am dealing with a lot that I'm not getting into here, including a court case and a death in the family, but finally I decide to just come clean.

I message her and apologise for not responding sooner. I explain that I'm still unpacking a lot of my own problems and trying to figure things out, and I'm realising that I haven't been comfortable around Tim since the incident happened. I explain that I don't hold it against her at all, because I didn't voice any of this at the time, but it also isn't something I can ignore. I explain that I feel like we've both been trying too hard to maintain a friendship that just isn't working anymore. I tell her that I would never ask her to put a relationship aside for my sake, especially with our history, and I don't want to put her in an unfair situation by making her feel like she's having to balance the two of us, but neither do I want to put myself in an unfair situation by continuing to ignore my own feelings about him and the entire debacle.

So I tell her, point blank, that I still care about her, but we've grown apart, and I think the healthiest solution is to end our friendship. I wish her the best with Tim and explain that this isn't anyone's fault, it's just that we were already growing apart and with everything that's happened, I don't think that our relationship is repairable.

Since then, I've not had much contact with the extended friend group for similar reasons, though I'm 90% sure they've sent a gift basket for my last two birthdays, they haven't attached a name or said anything about it.

I still feel terrible about the entire situation and sometimes doubt if I did the right thing, or if there was a better way of handling things. So. AITA?

What are these acronyms?