#a book which features an aspec character by the way

[imaginarygrace-jpg]

but. we aren't.

heartstopper is extremely easily accessible. it's not overtly sexual like something like Sex Education or Heartbreak High, it's short and easy to watch.

fans of heartstopper aren't acting like this show invented asexuality or aromanticism. we're acknowledging that a show written by an acearo person and says "ace aro" on screen has good ace aro rep.

I'm asexual. I related to both Isaac and Ca$h's storylines in Heartstopper and Heartbreak High. Isaac's self discovery and Ca$h's blatant "You're either with me or against me, and I won't take it if you're against me" mindset.

and I love heartstopper. it's one of my favorite shows and my favorite book is Radio Silence. I love Heartbreak High. both are good ace rep. and the shows came out at the same time.

nobody "invented" ace rep. Alice Oseman is just existing in this space as an acearo person writing an acearo character. that's not inventing ace rep. that's just writing a character. we're not out here congratulating the white woman for anything that's not original. we're just fucking happy to see an ace character on our screens in a majorly popular TV show where his discovery of sexuality is a major plot point.

sorry.

[onesidedradiostatic]

the #radio silence tagging problem in the hazbin fandom

said I would make a more eye-catching psa about this, here it is

**although #radiosilence WITHOUT the space is better than #radio silence with the space, I would still like to discourage it, will elaborate later

and 90% of the time, they will listen and change accordingly.

and oh yeah. about that book.

Why shouldn't #radio silence be used?

Radio Silence is the name of a book set in the heartstopper universe by alice oseman.

(which also features a canon aspec character, pictured on the right: aled last!)

and as such: #radio silence is their MAIN FANDOM tag. it is inconsiderate to flood their tag with content from another fandom, especially one as popular as hazbin hotel. but unfortunately, this is something that is already happening because of radiosilence as a ship tag.

and if you're not convinced this is something that bothers radio silence fans, here's some input from the fans themselves:

Wait, so is #radiosilence without the space still fine to use?

it's better than the mistagging of #radio silence with the space. but ONLY on tumblr, because on tumblr, we're allowed the privilege of adding spaces to tags.

I still would like to discourage it though, because for as long as this tag is popularly in use, there will constantly be people mistagging it with a space. I've done what I could to nudge people to fix their tagging but I can't constantly keep this up.

plus, on other sites such as tiktok and twitter, #radiosilence IS literally the main tag for the book because you literally can't add spaces for tags on those sites. so the radio silence book fandom is likely even more drowned out on those sites than here on tumblr because of the popularisation of #radiosilence as a tag for one-sided radiostatic.

I will not be forcing anyone to ditch #radiosilence without the space as a tag though, especially when it's already so popularly used and essentially impossible to get everyone to change it, but I encourage you to go for other options if you are willing to such as:

#onewaybroadcast

decided via a poll last month that was ongoing before #radiosilence was initially popularised, held by ChaoticAce2005 and me.

it's the tag that I always use for one-sided radiostatic and is decently used by others as well! and you won't run into any issue with clashing with the radio silence/osemanverse fandom at all this way. but again, I will not force you, all I ask is that AT THE VERY LEAST, don't tag #radio silence with the space and to nudge others to change it if they do.

please help to silence the radio silence tag!

(the tagging issue on tiktok and twitter are outside of my jurisdiction as I don't engage with hazbin on twitter and I don't even use tiktok, but if possible, it would be appreciated if anyone is able to spread the alternate tag #onewaybroadcast on those sites too to discourage flooding the radio silence book fandom! I believe the original person to coin #radiosilence has been doing work to discourage it on tiktok too, any help is appreciated!)

[magicalella]

Hi all!! For those of you who don’t know me, My name is Ella Griffin, I’m a 24 year old trans woman based in south florida. For the last four years, I’ve been working on a super special project that I’m beyond thrilled to share with you all: my debut novel, The White Liar. As a big fan of fantasy books, I’ve felt for a long time that there’s a serious lack of authentic trans representation in the genre. For years, I yearned for even just one iconic transfem hero in a high fantasy setting. The White Liar is my attempt to fill that gap in the literary canon.

As a bit of background, I am a massive fan of hard fantasy books with an epic scope and in-depth magic systems; such as Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere books or Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea series. I’m also a big fan of gothic literature and character-driven classics like Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables and Anna Karenina, all of which have played an influence on this book. The White Liar’s setting is heavily inspired by celtic folklore, mythology and history with a feminist twist.

It’s a world where fae creatures range from tiny glowing insectoids to massive flying mounts and even humanoid beings. Yet, even the tiniest of these has the potential to unlock unfathomable magical potential through the art of Serimancy! Serimancy, the primary magic system of the book, gives users the ability to transmute or ‘spin’ the silk made by fae creatures into supernatural strength, telekinetic threads, and twelve other distinctive powers. Think Rumplestiltskin spinning straw into gold, but more vaporwave.

Without giving too much away, the book features a diverse cast of characters from all different backgrounds, including transfem, transmasc, nonbinary, aspec and disabled characters, although those aspects don’t always define their motives or character arcs. Mainly, The White Liar is a book about the nature of truth and identity; the ways in which our environment affects how we perceive those things, and the friction that creates with our own perception.

I would also characterize the book as a gaslamp fantasy like the Mistborn series or the video game Lies of P, with a baroque/art nouveau-meets-Bridgerton 19th century aesthetic. I’m a 100% independent author with a summary $0 budget publishing through kindle direct, and flat broke, so I would highly appreciate any and all support with this project, be it word of mouth or otherwise. The cover art is a digital painting created entirely by me and is canon to the book!

Thank you so, so much for giving me your time and attention. This book is my love letter to the queer community and I truly hope someone somewhere finds it hopeful or inspiring like I’ve found with the works that inspire me.

The White Liar is available now on E-book here:

[a-specoftheday]

have you read any books with aspec/arospec protags?

so this question has been on the askbox sometime now... mostly because (despite being a bookworm), i stray away from books that discuss sex or romance, therefore i don't usually encounter deviants

but ! i decided to be a proper admin and i started reading "Baker Thief" by Claudie Arseneault, which features a cast of diverse queer characters in a magic vs technology setting !

while i haven't finished it yet, i encourage people to give it a read ! digital copies are cheap and easily accessible

now on the plot: it is an enemies-to-lovers (sort of), which shifts perspectives between Adèle (biromantic demisexual), a police officer trying to catch a thief, who is also the baker she has developed a crush for, Claire/Claude (aromantic genderfluid) !

if any part of this description catches your attention, definitely check it out ! you won't be disappointed

if you have any other suggestions, recommendations, or questions, don't shy away from sending them my way into the askbox !

[internetgiraffekid1673]

Michael Darling Through the Ages:

Finally finishing off the Darlings with this post and making it so painfully obvious that I'm color coding these characters that I will assume you lack color vision if you miss it. This is post number 4 for this project! I am making a crossover for Peter Pan, Milo and the Phantom Tollbooth, Alice in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz. The story will focus on all the main characters from these stories moving to the same town and going to school and having fantastical adventures together.

More info and non-formatted drawings under the cut. Posts for Alice, Wendy, John, Dorothy, and Milo.

Chicken Scratch Translation (in the order the boxes should be read):

[Neverland Era. Age: 6. Source: Portraits in the Darling residence]

[Notes: a very sweet young child with a lot of energy and a big imagination. He might not come up with a lot of ideas or plans on his own, but he fully throws himself into whatever the current game is.]

[Chill Jock Era. Age: 13. Source: School yearbook photos]

[Notes: Star of the field hockey team (which he had to start). While he's a very talented player, he happy to run support and/or let others do the strategizing. He's a very matter of fact kind of kid who deals with the facts as they come. . . Although he is still a 13 year old boy.]

[Museum Curator Era. Age: 30. Source: Professional Website Photo]

[Notes: Michael discovered his love for learning about other cultures quite young and has since discovered that material preservation and keeping physical evidence of their cultures alive was quite important to him. While his perpetual baby face makes it look worse than it is, he is still impressively young for his career choice.]

AU Info:

This is a modern!AU taking place somewhere between the 90s and the 2010s

The AU takes place in America, mostly because I am an American and will have an easier time that way. That said, Alice and the Darlings were still originally located in England and relocated to America sometime after their original adventures. Dorothy is from Kansas and Milo is from Indeterminate American Suburbia.

The school is 7-12. During the time of the story, Michael and Alice are 8th graders, John and Milo are sophomores, and Wendy and Dorothy are seniors.

I am using book canon for Alice in Wonderland (I will be using both Looking Glass Land and Wonderland) and for Milo and the Phantom Tollbooth. I'm using Warner Bros Movie canon for The Wizard of Oz. I'm using primarily Disney movie canon for Peter Pan, but will be taking elements from the boon and the stageplay as I see fit.

The story will be equal parts high school AU , focusing on their mundane adventures, and fantastical story, and all of the original Magical Otherworlds will be featured.

While this will be a gen fic, ships will appear! Wendy and Dorothy are both some kind of sapphic and will be shipped (they don't really know their own sexualities, but they do know they like girls). John is gay and Milo is aspec (exact variety as of yet undetermined) and will be shipped in an aspec way. Michael and Alice will stay single, but Michael is straight and Alice is pan.

These information files exist in universe! Who made them? That's my secret! >:)

Other Notes:

I can do what I want. The Darlings are 1/4 Japanese from their maternal grandmother.

While I tried to extrapolate the kids' future jobs and interests from their stories, Michael is unfortunately too young to profile. He carries a teddy bear and really likes Nana, so I was going to give him an animal related profession, but I changed my mind and decided to do something dumb instead. Type Michael Darling into a search engine and see if you can figure it out.

Unformatted versions:

[bloody-wonder]

Could you expand on the part about Jean vs Neil's sexuality? I assume you meant how it's portrayed in the book, I never made any comparison, so I'd be interested in hearing about it. But it could be applied to fans too. I've not seen anyone try to say Jean can't be bi or is bi because of his abuse, like people do with Neil and his asexuality. While infuriating, it's sadly not surprising. Nobody ever did it with Andrew either. Just Neil.

yes i meant that there's an obvious difference between how neil, being demi, perceives andrew throughout the aftg books and how jean, being bi, reacts to jeremy and many other hot people he encounters. it's interesting you say you never made any comparison bc for me it's impossible not to compare and see the differences. back in 2020 when i joined this fandom, it was a huge thing for me to discover that certain fanon spins on andreil aren't irksome just bc they're ooc - they're upsetting bc they erase the way nora depicted aspec attraction in a media landscape where aspec rep is still difficult to come by and aspec relationships especially so. learning that these things have names and constitute queer identities was a revelation and made me a very analytical romance reader - and a very frustrated one too bc now that i know that complex romance stories featuring people like me can be written i have little patience for characters being instantly attracted to each other for seemingly no reason.

that's why scenes like this

“I like to indulge,” Jeremy said with a dimpled smile. Kevin’s words mocked him in the back of his thoughts: “Some of them you like.” Jean cut off that line of thinking so fast he felt dizzy. It didn’t matter that Jeremy Knox was annoyingly easy to look at; Jean knew better than to look at another man too long. He’d learned that lesson the hard way and would not survive a revisit.

have a mixed effect on me. on the one hand, i recognize that this is true to the experience of allo people and admire nora for no doubt intentionally writing neil's and jean's sexualities in such a different way. both of them end up in mm relationships altho neither of them is gay - which i think adds nuance to the yaoi lol. on the other hand, to me, a relationship that features writing like this is just inherently less interesting. like, this is literally just my subjective preference but it did factor into why i didn't like tsc as much as aftg.

the things you bring up about certain fans' double standards when it comes to the potential influence of abuse on one's sexuality are very true. nobody ever claimed andrew is gay bc of the abuse he suffered and i don't think people would use this argument with jean, altho biphobia and bi erasure are definitely a thing in many fandoms. interestingly, the scene i cited above adds another layer to this conversation: so the logic of aspec neil deniers was (wishfully using the past tense here) that you can basically bully a person into being aspec and that's why neil isn't really demi, he's just repressed etc etc. but in jean's reaction to jeremy's looks and in his internal monologue throughout the book whenever he finds someone attractive we see that he doesn't welcome these feelings. he's thinking: i'm attracted to him but i've been hurt before and so i don't want to feel this way - it will only lead to problems and more hurt. now, were it true that one can be bullied into perceiving hot people around with the same kind of disinterest as neil, the many instances of sex-related physical and psychological abuse jean has been through would have doubtlessly gotten him there. instead, he's still very much bi and traumatized.

[booksandwords]

Loveless by Alice Oseman

Read time: 5 Days Rating: 4/5

The quote: You know why people pair up into couples? Because being a human is fucking terrifying. But it's a hell of a lot easier if you're not doing it alone. — Ellis

In the interest of full disclose this is an almost automatic 5 star book for me. Any book that features an aro/ace protagonist and treats them with respect and dignity will get 5 five stars, any writing plot or character other flaws be damned. The world needs more aro/ace representation where we aren't the best friend or something to be fixed. But even without my usual aro/ace crusading, this likely would have been a 5. The character are individual, realistic and oh so human, the plot is centred on identity and confusion but is written in a manner that it is readable. And it is oh so relatable for an ace (aro? demi? grey? my romantic orientation is up in the air) who found out well after school what they were. The anger, confusion, sense of overwhelm, and the bizarre sense of mourning due to the loss of what was impressed on you as the normal. One of the best phrases in the book may be "Says who? The Hetronormative rulebook? Fuck that Georgia Fuck that." and you know what amen to that Rooney. The ending is satisfying but still open as is only right for something written for this demographic. This isn't the end of their story it is only the start.

It is worth saying that for those of us who are ace and comfortable with their identity are aware very early on what is going on with Georgia. Georgia is an anxious, touch averse Ace who is trying to force herself to be "normal". With an extended family of almost perfect hetronormative ideal relationships, met early married had kids that have been subconsciously impressed on her as the future and expected of her. Combined with her love of fanfiction it had to be her to the idea that there is the perfect person for everyone. As stated in the intro to this review Georgia is very realistic in her reactions to her newly discovered identity. Confusion, anger, mourning, insecurity. I personally felt all of these and I know others in the community did as well to varying degrees. Georgia does have a conversation with the wonderful Ellis, an ace in her 30s who had to discover her identity and learn her way on her own. Moments leading up that earn this a trigger warning for something that may or may not be alluding to conversion therapy, either way, it is slightly distressing. Ellis is a beautiful woman and a great inclusion. She is a successful woman, making her own way and living her life regardless of what others think.

A moment on the character who for me is the absolute stand out. Sunil is Georgia's College parent, they end up being a something of fairy godace for Georgia. They would hate that term, but it's so fitting for me. Sunil is a homoromantic nonbinary ace with the preferred pronouns they/him (Georgia/ Oseman use him never they), he is the one who introduces the term asexual to Georgia and tells her the potential of it. I really like him, he makes me smile. No one in an Alice Oseman book is two dimensional in their identity (racial, romantic or sexual), Sunil is no exception. He is handled well with the respect of an only slightly older figure, one who is still not entirely set on their feet. And while Georgia is cis white as well as being an enby Sunil is of Indian descent.

The other supporting characters are Rooney, Pip and Jason. Rooney is Georgia's Shakespeare obsessed roommate. They meet on the first day of university and are total opposites. I like their relationship. It's non-traditional but love in a way I want to see more of. Georgia is loyal despite all of Rooney's actions. Pip and Jason are Georgia's best friends. Pip is chaos, Georgia is silent and Jason is clam. They are something of an odd combination but it works well. Jason and his love of Scooby-Doo is both funny and cute. They are all individual and that there is some conflict between them is a good thing.

This is relatable for aces in a similar way to I Was Born For This was relatable for fandom. I would say that if you enjoyed I Was Born For This for its fandom aspects you will enjoy this, even more, fandom specifically fanfic is part of Georgia and her romantic education such as it is. Georgia (, Sunil and Ellis) face misunderstandings about their sexuality. Those phrase aces hear and hate. Sunil's is particularly important they face bigotry from other members of the LBGTQ community, where it is called a made-up sexuality. Georgia gets the 'you'll find the right person', 'have you tried...', 'what about when you are older'. We've all heard them and I could hear the tone. Some of the statements are apologised for others are not, the ones that are are important and say a lot about the importance and development of the character.

A random dump because concise reviews are not possible for Alice Oseman books.

Tommy ending up in the fire is funnier than it should be. I see all kinds of unwarranted metaphors.

Fried Egg is the cutest nickname that would make no sense to anyone but the participating people involved.

Kinsey Scale Test is something hadn't heard of but yeah that is a result a questioning person doesn't want to see.

QUILTBAG is an acronym I had never heard in the LGBTQ community. It's not new, I found it in a 2012 article, where I found this definition it is a good article. "It stands for QU is for queer and questioning, I for intersex, L for Lesbian, T for transgender and transsexual and Two-Spirit, B for bisexual, A for asexual and ally, and G for gay and genderqueer. Even with all those letters, we’ve missed some of the possibilities (such as pansexual and fluid, both of which are identities I’ve heard people claim), but QUILTBAG still offers a rainbow of different ways to identify. It’s also a lot easier to say than LGBTQIA (which is what I started using after I realized how exclusive LGBT and queer were)."

Am I the only one who doesn't know what the Bailey Ball is? They aren't an Australian thing. Well, that and I studied uni by distance.

Rooney and Ellis make some brilliant points about friendship and its importance to aces. The way it is made lesser than romantic relationships in general.

Apparently all the Oseman books are set in a common universe, the easiest evidence of this in Loveless is in the reference to Universe City from Radio Silence.

Roderick the plant as a metaphor was smart. I quite liked it.

This is a really quotable book there are fantastic quotes about love, friendship and maturity.

As an aside. The protagonist brings up her love of fanfic early in the book. There is there are precious little aspec fanfics out there. Mostly one would suspect because sex makes the tv industry go-round (see Shadowhunter and Riverdale for their treatment of originally aroace characters). As Clotpolesonly wrote in reply to me "aspec AUs are practically unicorns, they're so rare in fandom". One fandom that does have fanfics for them is Teen Wolf. Derek Hale can easily be read as an aspec (usually closer to the demi or grey part of the spectrum). So even if you don't know the show have a fic rec Magic and Drag Queens and Lizards, Oh My by clotpolesonly. Also That's When I Knew by Stennerd, this is for the 911 fandom pairing is Buddie, demisexual. There are I know more but not nearly as many as there are for some others.

[emmrichs]

aro-spec book recs? 🥺💚🤍🖤

i'm severely lacking in this department because reading aro books both makes me emotional in all the right and but also in all the wrong ways, so i often avoid reading them. there are a handful i've enjoyed though:

my personal favorite is probably beyond the black door by a.m. strickland, which features a demi-biromantic asexual main character. this book has everything i love in ya fantasy (soul magic, cool original mythology, court intrigue, dark mysteries, etc.) and features a romance with a villain, although he gets what he deserves. i also have a soft spot for the mc's trans best friend because i'm pretty sure he was one of the first trans characters i ever encountered in literature.

summer bird blue by akemi dawn bowman is a book first and foremost about grief and only features the main character questioning whether she is aro and ace as a subplot. i read this at a time in my life where i was struggling with grief and my aspec identities, so this book reached me at the perfect time.

loveless by alice oseman is probably more widely known than any of these other books, but i'll mention it because georgia's aroace questioning was nauseatingly familiar for me. this one deals heavily with forcing yourself into romantic and sexual situations as a person who's repulsed by both (one thing i didn't relate to) and the mc fucks up a lot, but idk i feel like it's a pretty good book in the end.

this golden flame by emily victoria has an aroace mc who just gets to go on a good old ya fantasy adventure and honestly i think we deserve that rep! it takes place in an ancient greece-inspired world with automatons and a buried secret the mc has to unravel. i love the focus on platonic relationships in this one.

[ryttu3k]

Had the Realisation that my oldest vampire character is literally only 41, so. Some actual older vampires! Below the cut - a thousand-year-old Banu Haqim nerd and a two-hundred-year-old Tzimisce who wants to be a cryptid.

Ezra ben Natan, 8th generation Banu Haqim (vizier caste)

Ezra was born in the tiny Jewish Quarter of Constantinople in 981, in a time where the Jewish population was beginning to come under pressure from both the Christian and Muslim communities. Within this instability, Ezra tried to keep up with the studies that fascinated them, eventually catching the eye of a visiting Banu Haqim vizier (a grandchilde of Tegyrius), who saw great potential for learning within the young Ezra. They were Embraced in 1006, initially refusing to return to Alamut with their sire in order to remain with their community. Eventually, their sire persuaded them to at least visit, and with some reluctance (albeit with the rapidly fraying stability of Michael the Patriarch as a fairly potent incentive to leave!), Ezra left their community in 1015.

They found they did actually fit in remarkably well in Alamut, meeting other Jewish Banu Haqim and embracing the Persian Jewish communities near the fortress, thriving amongst their fellow viziers and learning all they could, not only about the Banu Haqim but about the wider world amidst the Islamic Golden Age (while there were certainly Jewish-Islamic clashes outside of Alamut, within, they would largely consider themselves Banu Haqim first, Jewish or Muslim second). During their studies on the Baali Wars, they befriended many of the local Salubri, fascinated by their healing arts and admiring their political stance. They also became a follower of Derech Chaim, part of the Road of Heaven. When the Tremere began their persecution of the Salubri, they were appalled, and successfully petitioned for many of the local Salubri to be protected by groups of Banu Haqim warriors. This was not to last, although, for a time, they were still able to give some protection.

Following the violence of the Crusades and shortly after the condemnation of the Tremere blood curse after the Convention of Thorns and the Treaty of Tyre, Ezra, despairing at the state of their clan and the world, retreated into torpor for several centuries, eventually waking again in the early 19th century. Deciding to leave Alamut, they departed for London, a centre of great industry and change; there would be much to learn, especially everything they had missed over the past 300-odd years they had been in torpor for, and when they eventually paid a return visit to Alamut around the turn of the 20th century, they were granted the title of Distinguished Master (specialising in Jewish Banu Haqim history and with a secondary focus on the Baali Wars). They remained in England until the first World War, when they departed for the United States, settling in New York City, which was nominally Camarilla but never really siding one way or another with a specific sect and so making it relatively ideal for a member of an Independent clan to survive. Residing in Brooklyn, Ezra became the self-proclaimed protector of the Jewish community there, along with a handful of other Jewish Cainites from various clans, and were largely able to insulate them from the eventual Sabbat domination, the Battle of New York, and the Camarilla reclamation.

In modern nights, they have joined their great-grandsire Tegyrius and are nominally a part of the Camarilla (although they consider themself Jewish first, Banu Haqim second, Cainite third, and Camarilla fourth at best). Along with their studies of history and society, they have picked up an interest in technology and strive to keep up with it, and has also delighted in discovering the concept of being nonbinary, which has answered quite a few questions they've had regarding themself over the past millennium!

Personality: Studious and inquisitive, with a strong sense of duty and protection. A strong supporter of the concept of tikkun olam (lit. 'repair of the world'), which they interpret as a directive to protect and heal as much as possible, and they try to be compassionate in all they do. They do, however, have a dislike verging on hatred for the Tremere, not just for the injustices they've inflicted upon their own clan, but for their actions against the Salubri.

Disciplines: Auspex 5, Presence 3, Quietus (Minhit Dume/Hematus) 5, Obfuscate 4, Celerity 2. Possesses True Faith 1

-

Wish, 10th generation Tzimisce

Wish hails from Tennessee, born Louetta Patterson in the then-new town of Knoxville in 1804. Forever drawn to the Great Smoky Mountains, they spent a wild childhood roaming the forests and foothills, delighting in the freedom from being a girl, from being human, in the early nineteenth century. When their parents tried to reign in the borderline feral child by arranging a marriage between them and the older son of a neighbouring farmer (they were fifteen, he was in his late twenties), they ran, first to their beloved mountains, then further on, following the Appalachians all the way into Ohio, passing themself off as a boy named Louis. While trying to eke out a survival in Columbus, they had an encounter that would change - or rather end - their life, accepting an errand to deliver a parcel to a strange foreign gentleman, surprisingly late at night for visitors.

This gentleman was a Tzimisce, originally from Eastern Europe, now part of the growing Sabbat movement in America. Pleased by Wish's resourcefulness, independence, and curiosity, he offered them the opportunity to discover a newer, wilder facet to life, and Embraced them in 1822. This, frankly, suited Wish just fine, who had never really seen themself as much human anyway, and after a period of mentorship, they returned to the Great Smoky Mountains they so adored, changing their name to Wish proper (from the last syllable of ‘Louis’) and setting up their own little domain there. They wanted nothing to do with human wars and conflicts. They just wanted the mountains and the natural environment.

They didn't get many visitors. That was fine. They could pick up books and eventually records from Knoxville (carefully avoiding the presence of anyone they knew, or else using their new skill of Vicissitude to disguise themself), and eventually built up a largely underground haven in their beloved mountains. Originally satiating their thirst on animals and occasionally on humans during their odd trips to the city, the Appalachian Trail gave them not just a steady stream of hikers to take the odd slurp from, but also the attentions of arsonists and vandals, who... well, were generally not seen again. They also, quite regularly, feed on invasive boars, which compete with the native black bears; two birds (well, boars) with one stone!

In modern nights, they don't look much human any more, and there may be more than the usual number of cryptid sightings in their neck of the woods. They have, much to their dismay, been obligated to get involved with politics, and human politics, no less - learning how to send petitions and communicate with others online about the dangers of regional exploitation, to preserve the Appalachians they so love. More enjoyably, they've also taken correspondence courses on conservation, and are adept at using camera traps to record the wildlife of their domain, taking biodiversity surveys, and the like.

Personality: Introverted, generally pretty relaxed, happy for the odd visitor to show up so they can do the whole Hospitality thing but also, you know, very happy to send them away after three days. Doesn't see themself as human any more, and frankly hasn't since their mortal days; while some Tzimisce go for straight monstrosity, Wish prefers adding animal features, anything from a spectacular rack of antlers to shimmery cuttlefish chromatophores.

Considers themself a caretaker of the environment, and follows the Path of Harmony - the world is in constant flux, and the best way to adapt to it is to flux with it. Despite their Sabbat sire, pretty firmly Autarkis. Politics is for people more human than they are, frankly! Still speaks with a strong Tennessee drawl. Lover of music and words; if you happen to be in the mountains at night, hearing the sound of a record player or perhaps a fiddle, or spot someone lounging in a deck chair with a flashlight wedged in their antlers so they can read... yeah, probably them. Would much rather chill than argue; they get on well with the local Gangrel and even decently with the Fae and Garou, who recognise them as a part of the mountain community and not the larger Cainite society as a whole.

Fond of furries. They’re trying so hard, bless their li’l souls. Maybe they’d make good Tzimisce or Gangrel!

Disciplines: Auspex 4, Animalism 5 (has crow famalus named, uh, Crow because corvidae are smartasses and they respect that), Vicissitude 3, Potence 2 (very useful for, you know, catching invasive boars)

Posts that are straight-out Vibes: antlers, gender, music, that whole being nonbinary/neurodiverse/aspec and also enjoying nonhuman characters and themes while also not wanting to be a stereotype but at the same time the vibes are impeccable thing, a friend

[briefpainfulandfullofgarbage]

#cluecrewquestionnaire

I was tagged by @hotchkiss-and-tell ten years ago and I’m just doing this now ahhh (my keyboard is broken typing take years :/ )

rules: copy and paste, answer the questions, tag 10 mutuals to do the same!

1. What is your favorite Nancy Drew game and why?

As a kid I really liked DDI, SHA, and CUR but I haven’t played them in years

2. Have you played all 32 games in the series? If not, which ones haven’t you played? If yes, which one did you play first?

I’ve played all the games except WAC and TOT. I really wanna play WAC but I don’t have a PC :/ (I heard there’s a way to make the PC games work on a mac but idk I’m bad at computers) I could play TOT but it doesn’t look that exciting tbh lol I will play it someday tho

3. What is your favorite line from any character in the series?

The one that’s referenced in my url cuz it’s just like.... so true. But also the part in TMB when Nancy asks Jamila what she thinks of Dylan and Jamila says “did I have to have an opinion on him?” and Nancy says “I guess not” and Jamila says “oh good that’s a relief.” And also like anything Joe has ever said

4. If you could change the ending to any game, which one would it be (no spoilers, though)?

Mmmm... idk about a specific game but I liked how in SAW and GTH you had more than one option for what Nancy could do and I wish more games had multiple endings

5. Which game is your least favorite, and why?

tbh RAN but I feel like that’s too obvious an answer?? but it’s true??? Other than that I guess I don’t like CLK much? I just don’t like driving or mini golf

6. Which character is your favorite? Why?

Of the mains Joe cuz he’s hilarious and Bess cuz I really liked her in MED. She was just really hashtag relatable?? Of the others Zoe Wolfe (SPY) and Dagny Silva (SEA) cuz I’m bi af and my type is girls who could kick my ass apparently. I like Henry (CRY) cuz he’s super depressing and funny. Also Gray (DED) cuz his whole existential crisis thing is too real. As an adult I have a newfound appreciation for Emily (CLK) cuz I too never leave my room unless the house is currently on fire. Also Jamila (TMB), Grigor (LIE) Colton (GTH), and Alexei (ASH)

7. Which character is your least favorite? Why?

Richard Topham (CLK) is the worst. So is Red Knott (DOG). And Tino Balducci (TRN), Colin (VEN), Toni (ASH), Lisa (TRT)

8. How do you feel about the whole Nancy/Ned vs. Nancy/Frank situation? Do you ship her with someone else? Who, and why?

Unpopular opinion but I don’t actually have an opinion?? I’m not really upset either way. I’m also here for aroace Nancy who’s in a committed relationship with adventure. (I did tell Ned I loved him in SEA tho cuz I just like... can’t make characters sad??)

9. Do you have any fun headcanons about any of the games or characters?

Mmmm not really tbh I’m boring. But Nancy is aspec, George is gay, and Joe is bi. That’s all I got rn idk about the others. @harpersthornton inspired me with their sims posts so I made sim versions of some of my favs. I’m not quite as good as they are at making them look accurate but sometimes my sims will do things and I’ll be like you know what I bet Frank does that

10. If you could visit any of the locations of the games, which ones would they be and why?

I’ve been to a few but Japan has been on my bucket list forever cuz I’m half Japanese. I really wanna go to Iceland to see the northern lights. Also New Orleans cuz it looks cool and I wanna go before global warming does its thing. 

11. Did you read any of the original Nancy Drew books? If yes, do you like them? If no, would you consider reading one?

I read some of them when I was a kid but I haven’t since so I don’t really remember if they were good or not. I liked them at the time tho

12. What is one thing any good detective can’t live without?

Koko kringles? Lack of tact and boundaries? Kleptomania? A Mary Poppins bag to carry all the stuff you took cuz it’ll ‘come in handy later’?

13. Which game had the best soundtrack?

Ohhh... tbh I don’t pay as much attention to the soundtracks as I should... I thought the SAW soundtrack was really cool tho

14. What is one thing you wish HER would’ve included in any of the games (a conversation, interaction, location, feature, etc.)?

Hmm... more diversity I guess? More lgbt+ and poc characters? Also in GTH I wanted an option to not ask super invasive questions about Colton’s mental health but I guess it’s not really a Nancy Drew game if Nancy doesn’t ask tactless questions

15. Do you have any ideas for a future game? What is it?

MID

16. How long does it take you to finish a game from start to finish?

I try to take at least a few days to finish each game. If I know I’m almost at the end I’ll try to do anything but finish the game lol

17. Did any of the games scare you? If yes, which ones? If no, why?

OMG anything with alarms gives me hella anxiety. Anything that’s timed and idk how much time I actually have. I always made my mom do those parts when I was a kid. Tbh they still make me anxious but I’m an adult so now I just suffertm

18. Why did you join the Nancy Drew fandom here on tumblr?

I got back into the games when I was in college and had no friends and hella free time. I lurked for a while before I finally pulled the trigger piglet

19. What is your favorite Nancy Drew joke (from in-game or even floating around the internet)?

How salty everyone is about her’s terrible marketing decisions

20. Who is someone in the clue crew you’ve always wanted to get to know?

Hmmmm.... everyone tbh?? but i’m gonna tag @hotchkiss-and-tell cuz they tagged me

21. What are three unpopular opinions you hold about the games?

1. I don’t like TRN as much as everyone seems to?? I haven’t played it since I was like 10 but I remember not liking it much. Idk maybe I’d like it now?

2. I thought LIE was pretty fun? Like I know the puzzles make no sense but some of them are just like kind of relaxing? Like the pomegranate puzzle and the art puzzle on Xenia’s tablet

3. I read one (1) Joe/Sonny fic and now that pairing owns my ass but I’ve never seen anyone else ship it

22. Do you have any fun theories about any of the games?

Uhhhh my un-creative ass doesn’t have anything original but this theory about GTH by @nancy-who is my fav

23. Who was your favorite animal character featured in the games?

Tumi (SEA) is the cutest

24. Do other people in your life know about your love for Nancy Drew?

A couple, not really. I did get one of my friends to play one tho! she played CRY and she thought Henry was super hot but the game glitched and didn’t let her finish it :/

25. How long have you been playing these games?

I got FIN for christmas when I was 8 so it’s been... wow 14 years

I did this like super late so idk who has/hasn’t done this... if you see this and you wanna do it consider yourself tagged and @ me in your questionnaire :)

[bloody-wonder]

just some thoughts on aftg, aspec rep & acephobia

so last weekend i went to my first pride and it’s strange to think that i wouldn’t be here now, identifying as queer and understanding much more about myself, without aftg. i mean, i guess i would’ve found out about the ace spectrum sooner or later but i don’t think i’d have realized i’m on it if i hadn’t met neil and experienced this story through his pov. which is why in this post i want to address the so-called acephobic scenes in aftg and how they factor into aftg as a book with aspec rep.

the scenes in question are basically some casual comments made by aftg characters about neil’s love life (or rather absence thereof), most notably nicky repeatedly refusing to acknowledge that neil doesn’t “swing”. i don’t want to list them all bc i’ve seen other people do it already, and although these fans are doing the lord’s educational work out there, in all the instances when i’ve seen these posts they seem to imply that aftg is acephobic either for featuring these comments in the first place or for not having the characters who made them explicitly called out by the story. this made me think about why i wouldn’t prefer it any other way.

so the first argument i just want to dismiss out of hand bc it’s kinda childish - having x-phobic statements in a book doesn’t automatically make this book x-phobic. besides, nora is aroace and although people can have internalized phobias of their own identites i don’t think that’s the case here. moving on to the second argument which is “you’re only allowed to have x-phobic comments in your book if the narrative explicitly frames them as wrong, for example by having the characters who made them be punished or learn to do better”. i can see where this one is coming from and yet it still reminds me of a first grader picture book storytelling formula. 

when i read aftg for the first time, even without knowing anything about the ace spectrum i still perceived these comments as wrong. during subsequent re-reads, after a bit of research and self-discovery, i undetstood why exactly they seemed wrong to me but i’ve only ever felt good about them being there bc they showcase vividly what it feels like to be subjected to casual acephobia in day-to-day life. and it has never even occured to me that these scenes might be harmful on the meta-level just bc the story doesn’t draw out attention to them and say “kids don’t do this, this is wrong” in a stern voice.

however, i do understant that the purpose of these lines can go over many (most?) readers’ heads or be misconstrued by them - just bc they aren’t in the know about the ace agenda. that’s why i think it’s important to write fandom meta about them. no one can know everything all the time and it’s okay to rely on other more knowledgeable people for additional information. but the question is, should this educational work instead be done by the book itself? is it a moral obligation of authors to put disclaimers before any potentially controversial scene lest some readers think the book normalizes problematic behaviours? does aftg normalize acephobia bc at no point in the story do the foxes learn about asexuality and apologize to neil? i guess you can tell from my tone that i believe the answers are no, no and no. but that’s only bc, for better or for worse, i have faith in human intellect and critical thinking skills.

since i started identifying as aroace, i’ve read several other books with aspec rep. one thing some of them have in common - with each other but not with aftg - is that labels are used on page, typically in conversations where the aspec character has to explain to the others what all of this means using phrases like “oh it’s when you don’t feel sexual attraction to any person of any gender”. and i don’t want to criticize these books or imply in any way that they do aspec rep wrong, to each their own, but i must confess, when i imagine myself from two years ago reading such a book with an ace character who feels more like a wikipedia entry, i just go hmm,, okay ://

by contrast, with neil you don’t know that he’s on the ace spectrum unless you know. neither the characters nor the readers are owed an explanation or a label by him. neil just exists, he lives out his identity, his aceness is in everything he is and does - and you either get it or you don’t. it’s like an inside joke, the kind that would only be spoiled by explaining it. 

[melodyfromanotherworld]

List of AUs

Because I have AUs of AUs. Sorted by likelihood of you lot ever seeing them.

Stuff I’ve Written For

Rookie Team 3 AU

AKA: “Let’s Start from the Beginning”

Basically Kourubi, Ryou, and Mai are the same age as the rest of the Konoha 12. Instead of having her consciousness swap places, Kourubi is simply a reincarnation.

Pairings: SasuKouNaru, KibaRyou, MaiSaku

Mage/Familiar AU

AKA: “Baby, There’s Magic in You”

Set in a fantasy version of the Elemental Nations, humanity is split into three categories: normal humans with no magical potential, mages who have large stores of mana that they can manipulate, and familiars, shapeshifters who have access to natural magical energy (or ‘chakra’) which allow them to change between an animal form and a human form. Each familiar has a ‘tell’ that gives away their animal form as well as a singular magical talent powered by their chakra. Mages bond with familiars in order to perform magic.

Pairings: Same as MFAW canon

Black Cat AU

AKA: “A Black Cat Followed Me Home”

In which Ryou’s sassy mouth pisses off the Hokage and ends up getting him custody over Sasuke instead of Kourubi. Kourubi’s attention is pretty much solely focused on Naruto, leading her to officially adopt him as her younger brother, tell off Jiraiya at every opportunity, and leave with the two of them when they go off on their training mission. Mai, feeling left out of the whole ‘protege’ thing, ends up taking Sakura under her wing. The end result: healer/weapons expert Sasuke, brawler Sakura, and swordsman/seal expert Naruto.

Pairings: No idea, but nothing like MFAW canon

Stuff I Might Write Eventually, Even if Just for my Own Amusement

Arranged Marriage Omegaverse AU

Kourubi’s folks aren’t as much on the up and up as originally thought, and arranged for her to marry the Uchiha spare before she was even born. And then they don’t bother to tell her until she brings Sasuke home after the Third Exam prelims. Ryou is also stuck in an arranged marriage to Neji, though he’s not sure if it still stands after he ran away. He’s thinking probably.

Pairings: Alpha!SasuOmega!Kou, Alpha!NejiOmega!Ryou

Coffee shop/College AU

In which team 3 works at a little coffee shop on the corner of campus that’s frequented by too many hot people and they complain about it. Featuring Running “club” Kourubi and friends, and “Runners appreciation club” Ryou and Mai, who honestly just want Kourubi to keep hydrated while they watch butts move in tight shorts. Kakashi and Iruka are their faculty sponsors but they’re not entirely sure how they got there.

Pairings: Basically just Team 3 lusting after everyone

Kingdoms Omegaverse Harems AU

AKA: an au that’s way too common with me and my friend’s characters (hi erik)

In which Kourubi, Ryou, and Mai are each rulers of their own kingdoms with long, long traditions of royal harems and the shenanigans that comes with that.

Pairings: Omega!KouHarem, Omega!RyouHarem, Alpha!MaiHarem, Beta!GaiOmega!Nobu, Beta!LeeOmega!Yu

Emo Punk!Team 3 Modern AU

AKA: This is what happens when you hear ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ for the first time in like two years, and then your friend encourages you (hi again, erik)

Team 3 are college freshmen. Kourubi is the ‘music saved me’ emo who wears band shirts almost exclusively, and when she’s not, she’s wearing anime graphic tees. She double majors in Music Theory and something like History or International Studies. Mai is the classic leather jacket punk who lives in her leather jacket and combat boots except when she’s living in her jacket covered in patches about beating up cat-callers and being a lesbian (plus an aspec solidarity patch for Kou’s sake). She’s a Women’s/Gender and Sexuality Studies major and probably rides a motorcycle. Ryou sits somewhere between pop-punk and scene emo and pretty much only shops at Hot Topic. He’s a nursing major who drinks his coffee black with a monster energy drink dumped into it during finals week.

Kakashi is the grad student who somehow always ends up as the TA of any and all lit classes they take. No one knows if he actually goes to class and he won’t answer any questions about what his field of study actually is. A purveyor of ‘poor college student chic’ he goes places for the free shirts and leaves immediately after getting one. He’s worn the same jeans all week.

Iruka is a Early Childhood Education Major who’s so straight-laced and sweet that it gives people cavities. Sweaters are a staple of his wardrobe. Also cardigans. He carries around coloring books and crayons during dead week and passes them out to people who look like they’re about to cry. He, Kakashi, and Genma are the triangular core of normalcy around which the weirdness revolves. But everyone has a few marbles loose, so this doesn’t end up meaning much.

Genma is the Farmer’s Market Hot (TM) single dad who is strangely charmed by Ryou’s half dead, Caffeine high flirting at the Sunday Farmer’s Market that Ryou dragged them too because it had coffee as black as his soul and Kourubi wanted to test if the Farmer’s Market Hot theory was true. Turns out it was. But she wasn’t the one who ended up with a man. Genma ended up with Umeko after her pediatrician intervened and told her Crazy Vegan mother that no, babies cannot survive on almond milk. He may or may not basically end up as Ryou’s sugar daddy.

Noboru is their hipster, grad student RA who introduced them to the farmer’s market in the first place. Gai is his jock boyfriend who seems to spend more time at the gym than in class. Hangs out with Genma at the farmer’s market and is horrified at Ryou’s flirting and Genma’s acceptance of it.

Hinata is the pastel/soft loli who Kourubi ends up RA-ing with the rest of the Konoha twelve her sophomore year. She and Mai end up being the ultimate lesbian power couple on campus.

Stuff I’ll Probably Never Write but are Fun to Think About Anyway

Silver Millennium AU

AKA: this is all @purple-possibilities fault

Set during the Silver Millennium of Sailor Moon lore, Sakumo is the younger brother of Queen Serenity, making Kakashi and Usagi/Serenity II cousins. Basically this is just an excuse for Moon Prince Kakashi. All the major clans of Konoha send their heirs to the moon along with the Sailor Senshi/Princesses because peace is brought through understanding or some bullshit. The Uchiha clan are from Mars, the Hyuuga from Pluto, the Karasuno from Jupiter’s moons, Uzumaki/Namikaze and Inuzuka from Earth, the Nara from Saturn, the Yamanaka from Venus, the Aburame from Mercury, and the Akimichi from Uranus. Kaguya Ootsutsuki is the matriarch of the Dark Moon Family, and is basically one of those bitchy, gossipy noble women that has far too much influence for her own good.

Pairings: Doesn’t fucking matter. I’ve got me Moon Prince Kakashi

[bloody-wonder]

Hey I feel like ur the best person to ask about this, have u ever read any romances liked u rlly liked other than andreil in tfc? Specifically any similar to them, possibly with acespec characters

tbh i like many romance stories, especially among the classic ones, but never have i ever read anything like andreil. i wish someone could recommend me a book with a romance like that. so you’ll have to lower your expectations for this rec list, my friend ://

last year i was specifically searching for romances featuring aroace characters through the aroace characters database and managed to find two books i ended up liking - however neither of them is technically a romance.

the first one is seven ways we lie by riley redgate. it’s a ya mystery that follows seven pov and one of them is an aroace guy who develops a relationship with another guy throughout the book. it’s not a romance, but it’s not a friendship either (can’t tell why cause spoilers). anyway i read this book in one sitting, liked it very much and could relate to the aroace character and his experiences (much more than to anything alice oseman has written on the subject btw). although the book isn’t focused on him, still i found his pov and what he had going on with that other guy very neat.

the other book is mindtouch by mca hogarth. it’s a slice of life sci fi fantasy about two aliens studying xenopsychology at an intergalactic university. there’s no plot, it just follows their day-to-day life and developing relationship which is “a special kind of friendship”. one of them is aroace-coded ig, the other one is even touch-averse - which like,, extra kudos from me :D in general this book is weird in a very refreshing kind of way, but it’s only part one so i can’t vouch for the rest of the books in the series. 

*both of these books got some negative reviews from the moderators of the aroace characters database for allegedly using aphobic tropes but idk i don’t agree with that. in any case do some research before reading in order to avoid unpleasant surprises.

the next category i call ✨aroace friendly romances✨ - these are regular romances that either don’t focus on attraction very much or even if they do they frame it in a way that i personally approve of hehe

howl’s moving castle - ig this needs no introduction. i will only say that in the animated movie miyazaki has really doubled down on romance and war whereas the og book is more about being weird and magical and avoiding the responsibilities of adulthood at all costs. this is a must read okay

spinning silver and uprooted by naomi novik are eastern europe inspired fantasy books that feature awesome romances between clever women with lots of agency and aloof supernatural men who are low key assholes - aka the only acceptable straight ship dynamic for me. between the two books there are three romances and each is aroace friendly in a different manner: for one of the couples in spinning silver the book covers only the pre-relationship phase (aka the best stuff) whereas the couple in uprooted has it all in a more traditional romance way but the language the main character uses to describe what essentially is her attraction towards the guy is very non-formulaic and engaging. just in general, there were a few remarks here and there throughout these books which made me think that maybe naomi novik knows about the aspec agenda. or maybe she’s just a very good and attentive writer, you never know🤷

other romances i’ve liked in recent years are captive prince, a charm of magpies, the folk of the air and the grandmaster of demonic cultivation but these hardly have anything aspec about them😬