#aromantic!deceit

[janus-cadet]

First ask of the month, asked on my Instagram account : Janus Sanders, with the aromantic flag!

I'm quite happy with the design, for once! It looks very saturated on my phone, but it was pretty on my computer, ahah.

I hope you like it ;) as a Janus and an aro myself, I felt personally concerned by it!

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Erudite | In Your Own Time

Hi, I absolutely loved Erudite!!! If you're taking requests at the moment, I'd love to see a continuation of it where Virgil (or Patton, Janus or Remus) makes it obvious that they've been flirting with Logan, and he tells them he's not interested in that way and comes out to them as aromantic (preferably with the 4 of them being supportive and reassuring him they'll still want to hang out with him now they're in a relationship) – stormofstarlight

Read on Ao3 Part 1

Warnings: internalized arophobia

Pairings: NONE WE ARE ALL PLATONIC HERE BABEY

Word Count: 2502

As soon as Roman opens his door, he stands aside to let Logan in and closes the door firmly behind them.

"They won't stop," Logan grits out, adjusting his tie over and over again until he's more just pulling on it but he can't stop because his chest won't stop twitching, "they just—I can't—I don't—"

"Easy," Roman murmurs, taking him by the hand and leading him over to the bed, "hey, hey, just come sit with me for a moment, okay?"

Logan collapses to the bed in a thoroughly undignified heap, letting Roman coax him into a floppy cuddle. Hands run through his hair as he squeezes his eyes shut, fumbling to put his glasses on the nightstand so he can freely bury his face into the crook of Roman's neck. Roman hushes him with a seemingly limitless patience, breathing slowly and steadily as a gentle reminder. The mass of frenzied energy in his chest starts to slowly unravel.

"Please—my chest—can you—?"

Roman works a hand between them to rub gentle circles into his chest again and Logan whimpers from the relief of it.

"Oh, you're alright, Logan, it's okay." Roman's lips press chastely against his forehead. "I've got you, okay? You're right here with me. Everything's okay. You're okay. Shh, shh, that's it…just get it all worked out, okay? I'm right here. You're safe."

He is. He is safe here. Roman is right, he is safe here, everything's going to be okay. Roman understands and he's holding him gently and he can just—just—

Another kiss pressed to his temple. "You're alright, Erudite."

Logan shatters.

He loses track of time almost instantly, just curled up against Roman. Everything fades into a confusing swirl of soreness and euphoria, the faint pain in his chest not enough to drown out how good it feels to just let it go. And Roman stays with him for all of it, just rubbing his chest and kissing his hair and letting him be a complete and utter mess right there, on the bed, without any need for him to do anything other than feel. A luxury he would have denied himself and been all the lesser for it.

After a long, long time, he presumes, he sags against Roman, exhausted. Roman offers a small water bottle that he sips from gratefully.

"That seemed like a lot, Erudite."

"It was," he croaks, "I'm…thank you."

"You're very welcome. I'm glad you came." Roman kisses his cheek again and takes the water bottle. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Do you want me to ask questions like last time?"

"Please?"

Roman smiles, brushing a tear from Logan's cheek. "Does it have anything to do with what we talked about last time?"

"Yes."

"Are the others flirting with you again?"

Logan rounds his shoulders. "I don't think it counts as flirting."

"Let me rephrase: are they doing things to playfully squabble for your attention and get all pouty when you don't give it to them?"

"…yes."

Roman's chuckle is enough to coax the smallest smile back to his face. Roman sees it, of course, and nudges him gently. "Is that what's making you so upset?"

"In a way," he sighs. "I don't…I don't want to not spend time with them anymore, but when they keep—they just—"

At his groan of frustration, Roman tugs lightly on his sleeve. "Is it that they don't know that you're aromantic, or you still feel as though their affection isn't for you?"

"Both?"

Roman nods sympathetically. "Do you think it would be helpful to talk to them about it?"

"But what do I say? 'Hi, I'm aromantic, I feel like you shouldn't be giving me affection?'"

"Is that true?"

"In some ways, yes. But I can figuratively see Patton's face if I said something like that to them and—"

"Yes, quite." Roman winces. "I can see it too. Yeah, maybe…maybe not that."

"Do you have any suggestions?"

"Well, do you think you'd rather come out to them first, or tell them that they're making you uncomfortable by flirting with you first?"

"Aren't the two of them connected?"

"Well, yes, but them being connected doesn't mean they have to be simultaneous. I came out to Remus before I came out to the others—actually, I don't know if I'm fully out to the others, now that I think about it." He gives himself a shake. "But this isn't about me. I—do you think you would be okay with them knowing you were aro?"

Logan sighs, leaning back against Roman. Roman lets the pause hang in the air. "I don't know. I don't want them to look at me any differently."

"Of course not," Roman says softly, carding his hand through his hair again, "I understand. Maybe you could tell them that you'd like them to stop flirting with you?"

"But them flirting—I don't know if it's flirting. And they're—they—is it wrong that I like having them want to spend time with me? Or that they want my attention?"

"No, it's not bad."

"What if I ask them to stop and they don't do anything with me anymore?"

"I don't think that'll happen, Erudite."

The name sends a small jolt of warmth through him. "But I don't think I know the difference. What if all of their attention feels wrong?"

Roman's quiet for a moment.

"Sorry."

"No, no, don't apologize. We're just talking. It's okay. This is complicated. It's hard, and it's not—I don't think any of the things we could say, any of us, will completely make these feelings go away. That's not your fault, that's just how feelings are."

"I know," Logan grumbles, "it's the worst."

Roman chuckles again, the feeling reverberating through his chest. A small smile comes to Logan's face. "It is the worst, you are absolutely correct."

He toys with a loose thread at the end of his tie. "Does that mean I should come out to them first?"

"This isn't a binary answer, Logan—"

"Boolean."

"This isn't a Boolean answer, Logan, there are more than two options. You can also just tell them that things feel different now that they're in a relationship."

Logan frowns. "But it's not my relationship."

"That doesn't mean the dynamics of all of us aren't changing. It's going to feel different for everybody, not just you. That's not an unreasonable thing to bring up. Like—okay, imagine there's a pool of water and there are…oh, god, how many of us are there?"

"Six."

"There are six buoys floating in the pool. The ripples are going to all interact, right?"

"Yes."

"Now if we tied four of them together, or the four of them were connected in some way, that would change the ripples, right?"

Begrudgingly, Logan can admit to himself that it's a very solid analogy. He mumbles something to that effect as he curls up a little more. Roman kindly refrains from teasing him about it.

"It's different. It just is. It makes sense that things are going to take some getting used to for all of us. It's not your fault that you feel a certain way about it, even if you're happy it happened in the first place."

"I know, it's just…"

"Yeah," Roman agrees quietly when he can't quite finish it, "it is."

"Will you be there," he asks, turning to look up at him, "when I tell them?"

"Of course I will, Erudite. Of course."

In the end, it comes up in a rather roundabout way. Patton ordered a deck of pride-themed cards and they all decide to play a game with them. But first, they have to take the time to appreciate the quality of the artwork, and so they lay them all out so they can see them in their full splendor.

"These are sick," Virgil mumbles, looking at the array of cards spread out in front of them, "where did you say you got these from?"

"Well, they were only pre-order when I bought them—"

"Shit."

"Language, kiddo, but I can send you the link to the seller's website?"

"Yeah, gimme that. Maybe there's a way to get a hold of them."

"Why does this one have frogs?"

"Because frogs are awesome, Janny," Remus cackles, looping one arm around Patton's shoulders and pulling him in for what is probably supposed to be an affectionate side hug. "Aren't they?"

"Aww, that's so sweet, Remus!"

"Yes," Janus says, trying for his normal wry sarcasm and missing by quite a distance, "yes, it is."

Logan shuffles a little and Roman presses their shoulders together. He takes a deep breath in and out. He can do this.

"Ooh, hey, you know what'd be fun?" Virgli rubs his hands togheter. "Everyone pick the one you like the most."

"Frogs!"

"Remus!"

The carefully arranged cards scatter as Remus all but dives for the frog one, only caught by Janus quickly wrapping his arms around the exuberant green blur. Patton shakes his head fondly and places the gay pride card with the frogs on it in front of Remus. Remus squeals gleefully and snatches it up.

"No eating, Remus!"

"I won't, I won't, they're not mine."

Janus chuckles as he picks up the bisexual pride card. "Oh, Remus. We can make one you can eat later."

"Really?"

"Sure."

Virgil rolls his eyes as he puts the demisexual pride card in front of himself. "You're just encouraging him, you know."

"Oh, of course."

"I'll take the rainbow pride one, if no one else wants it?"

"All yours, Padre."

Patton claps his hands excitedly and picks it up, settling it in front of himself with a little wiggle. "This was a great idea, Virgil, they're all so pretty!"

"Right? I'm definitely stealing this deck from you at some point."

Where in the past that might have turned into a lecture about asking permission to joke that it wouldn't be stealing if Patton let him take it, instead is just another fond roll of his eyes. "Roman? Logan? Which ones did you two pick?"

Logan glances down at Roman. Roman gestures for him to go first. He looks at the pile. He could just take the asexuality pride, that would be the safer option.

It would.

But he hears Roman's soft voice calling him Erudite in the back of his mind and he makes his decision, reaching instead for the aroace pride card. After a moment, Roman picks up the aromantic pride card and puts it in front of himself.

"I don't think I know those," he hears Patton say, "what are those ones?"

"Aromantic," Roman says, leaning against Logan's side. "Mine's aromantic."

Remus wiggles an arm free from Janus's embrace to give Roman a high-five. "Hell yeah, bro. Lolo's got—did you want to say it?"

"You can."

"Lolo's got aroace."

"Oh. So…is that aromantic and asexual?"

"Yes, it is."

"Oh. That's…cool."

Virgil snorts, reaching over to give Logan a pat on the shoulder. "Tone, Pop Star."

"Oh, no, not that I don't—I didn't mean it like that," Patton says quickly, "I've just never seen that one before!"

Logan nods. He swallows the lump in his throat and reaches blindly for Roman's hand. Roman squeezes it back. "What game are we playing?"

"Right." Virgil sits up taller. "So, it's called Kings in a Corner and we all have to promise we're not teaching Janus how to play Spite and Malice."

"Oh, that doesn't seem fair."

"No, no, I agree with this assertion, we will not be teaching you that game."

"Yeah, you'd take it too seriously."

"I would not!"

"We all know that's a lie."

"Hey, L?"

Logan turns. Virgil jogs up to him as the rest of them clear away the last of the cards. "Yes?"

"Are you—that was your way of coming out to us, right?"

"Yes, I had intended it to be."

"Well, um, thanks, for that. I, uh, I'm glad you felt like it was safe enough to do." Logan just nods. "I, uh, guess you figured out we've been…flirting with you, huh?"

"I did, yes." No need to mention that Roman helped with that.

"We, uh, I'm guessing you'd rather we…didn't."

"I think so, yes. I don't…feel comfortable with it."

"Yeah, I figured." Virgil shuffles a little back and forth in the hall. His hands twist into the pockets of his hoodie. "Just—you know that we still care about you, right?"

"Are you referring to the aftermath of me coming out, or the recent relationship the four of you have entered?"

"The, uh, the second one. We do—I—okay, I'm just gonna ask this." He takes a deep breath. "Does this have anything to do with why you asked me to get Roman when you had that nightmare?"

Logan blinks. "When did you lot get this perceptive?"

Virgil shrugs, offering a sheepish smile. "I…may have gone to ask Remus what was happening—"

"Why Remus? What does Remus have to do with anything?"

"'Cause he's the one who's always rambling about how much he loves spending time with you."

"He what now?"

"C'mon, L, you know he adores you. Not like that, but he—you two just get each other, you know? So yeah, he likes talking about it." Logan is still reeling from that as Virgil keeps talking. "So I asked him if you were upset or something and he said that he—he didn't know, for sure, but he said it was something that only Princey would really understand and when you, uh, you both chose aro cards and I sort of…put it together."

"Your logic is…impeccable."

"Coming from you, that's high praise." Virgil shuffles a little closer. "Look, I know this is gonna be weird for a bit while we all figure this out, you and Roman too, but I—you know we still care about you. We still wanna help you and spend time with you. I'm not saying that to be like 'hey, you shouldn't feel weird about it,' you can absolutely still feel weird about it, just—yeah."

"I understand. Thank you, Virgil."

Virgil nods. "I'll tell the others to back off about the whole flirting thing, but I'll let—you should be the one to decide when to tell them the rest."

Logan bows his head and Virgil grins, going off into his room. Logan watches him go before going into his own room, shutting the door. He just stands there for a moment, letting himself be. Virgil's words ring in his head along with another shudder of the warmth he feels when Roman calls him Erudite. He smiles.

In his own time.

General Taglist: @frxgprince@potereregina@gattonero17@iamhereforthegayshit@thefingergunsgirl@awkwardandanxiousfander@creative-lampd-liberties@djpurple3@winterswrandomness@sanders-sides-uncorrect-quotes@iminyourfandom@bullet-tothefeels@full-of-roman-angst-trash  @ask-elsalvador @ramdomthingsfrommymind@demoniccheese83@pattonsandershugs @el-does-photography @princeanxious@firefinch-ember@fandomssaremysoul@im-an-anxious-wreck@crazy-multifandomfangirl @punk-academian-witch@enby-ralsei@unicornssunflowersandstuff@wildhorsewolf @thetruthaboutthesun @stubbornness-and-spite @princedarkandstormv  @your-local-fookin-deadmeme @angels-and-dreams@averykedavra @a-ghostlight-for-roman @treasurechestininterweb @cricketanne @queerly-fluid-fan @compactdiscdraws@cecil-but-gayer@i-am-overly-complicated@annytheseal@alias290@tranquil-space-ninja @arxticandy @mychemically-imbalanced-romance@whyiask@crows-ace @emilythezeldafan@frida0043 @ieatspinalcords @snowyfires@cyanide-violence@oonagh2@xxpanic-at-the-everywherexx@rabbitsartcorner @percy-07734@triflingassailantofmyemotions @virgil-sanders-the-gay-emo@cerulean-watermelon@puffed-up-bees@meltheromanstan@joyrose-fandomer@insanitori@mavenmush@justablah65@10paradox10@uhhh-hi-there-i-am-nervous@cutebisexualmess@bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti@ultrageekygirl

[hellenic-whore]

I'm Eira!

TERFS, Radfems,Bigots and"radqueers" consume a satchel of Richards.

With that out of the way, any Palestinians here are certainly welcome but I do not have any money to give you. I'll share your stories as I am able but that's all I can do, I'm sorry.

I draw boys!

Look at them over at @eira-draws

I don't fuck with AI "art" In most cases. If you want the exceptions let me know

I'm a silly little catthing that wants to have a good time!!

My gender and sense of self are fluid,If they exist at all.

I like boys in a gay/achillean though.

I know English and I am conversational at best in latin.

If you need a trigger tagged let me know,I'll do my best to remember!

I like pokemon,The binding of isaac Ancient Rome,The Magnus Archives, and I would whore myself out for coffee,I also animals in genral,especially cats,cephalopods,whales and centipedes/millipedes and sharks (especially Greenland/sleeper sharks) , I like plushies and Really adore the band Paramore,I love Heartless by @abd-illustrates too.

Horror of all sorts brings me joy, especially the Magnus Archives/Protocol and Analog horror (many kinds, especially Mandela Catelogue) and light SCP stuff, though my interest has grown and diminished over time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I might have untagged content featuring bugs,blood,and other stuff! I normally tag them with the name of the critter or just "bugs" or the word "blood" or "gore" because people write trigger warnings too many ways.

Shout out to @palatteflags for making me this awesome moodboard

And shout-out to @radiotrophicfungi for most of the cute blinkies!

[hpowellsmith]

Play Royal Affairs - Out Now!

Steam | Apple Store | Google Play Store | Browser | Amazon

As the middle child of the Queen of Westerlin, you’ve led a sheltered life in the palace, but now you must spread your wings and prepare for your royal responsibilities with a year at the exclusive Archambault Academy.

Everyone knows your name, everyone has an opinion on what you do, and everyone views you as the face of the new generation of royalty. Your every move is reported in the press, a word from you could make or break a teacher’s career–or the fate of the school itself. You’re being courted by every club and social group on campus; and there are countless students who would love to be in your orbit.

In luxurious armchairs behind ivy-covered walls, you and your fellow students debate political theory—but outside, real trouble simmers across the realm. There are activists fighting to open voting rights beyond the aristocracy, and you can use your influence to sway the government’s decision in either direction. Relations are growing increasingly uneasy with your country’s neighbors, and there are conspiracies around every corner. Why is your mother whispering behind closed doors with the Prime Minister? Have the leaders of the protests really disappeared? Which allies can you trust? There are some secrets that only your royal authority can uncover.

Will you honor centuries of royal tradition and follow the path that your mother the Queen has laid out for you? Or will you be a force of change, leading your country in a new direction as you break free of a lifetime of expectations?

Oh, and speaking of expectations—there’s also the foreign royal that your mother wants you to marry. Who is in your class. And who happens to hate you.

Play as male, female, or non-binary; gay, straight, or bisexual; monogamous or polyamorous; asexual and/or aromantic.

Find love and/or friendship with your free-spirited childhood companion, a firebrand radical, a dreamy dancer, a financier haunted by tragedy, your devoted bodyguard, or a rival foreign royal.

Cuddle and train your pet: a horse, dog, or bird of prey.

Put on a lavish play, become a sports star, or run Student Council; and represent Archambault Academy against its rival Gallatin.

Become your classmates’ confidante and help them solve their problems—or make those problems worse.

Embrace your royal responsibility and carry on your mother’s tradition—and perhaps even take your sister’s place as heir to the throne.

Forge a path to the future by supporting revolutionaries’ calls for change, or stamp out the movement with scheming and deceit.

When this tumultuous year ends, will you be Archambault Academy’s crowning glory?

Steam | Apple Store | Google Play Store | Browser | Amazon

[deconstructthesoup]

I've been thinking about this lately, so, here's my Slay the Princess ships and why I ship them:

Witch x Damsel, aka Sleeping Briars: There's just something that's so compelling about the two "fairytale" vessels---aka, a witch and your classic damsel in distress---who can both lead to some of the most romantic routes in the game. The dynamic between a devious little prankster who has serious trust issues and can't let anyone get close as a result and an adorable sweetheart who trusts everyone and falls in love way too fast is really interesting to me, and I think they'd actually be pretty good influences on each other.

Adversary x Razor: Two ladies who love fighting, bloodshed, and pain in general? The potential is right there. They're different enough that there's some dimension, but they're similar enough that their dynamic would be killer. Literally.

Spectre x Stranger: Honestly, I just think that they're both very charming and would probably get along really well, but there is something to be said about them being the two Vessels you get when you don't really give the Princess a chance---either if you kill her without hesitation and get Spectre, or if you refuse to even meet her and get Stranger. They're both lonely and scattered, and maybe they'd find something in each other.

Thorn x Wild (Wounded): There's something really sweet and intimate about two people who've hurt and been hurt finding comfort in each other. Idk, I think it's nice.

Burned Grey x Drowned Grey: It's... it's right there. The duality is right there. The wedding gown and the funeral gown, the fire and the water---it's right there.

Prisoner x Skeptic: This is really the only Voice/Vessel ship I've got on my list, and it's because in my opinion, it's the most grounded. Prisoner is arguably the most human out of all of the vessels, and Skeptic's whole thing of picking things apart and looking at everything from a different angle feels like a pretty reasonable response to the insanity of the construct. Her cynicism combined with his suspicious attitude could make for a really interesting dynamic, and I think they'd balance each other out well.

Contrahero: Come on. Come on. They're perfect. The first time I saw the Stranger ending, my head was already buzzing with "they're staying in the cabin? Together? Married couple! Married couple!" thoughts. I'm far from the only person in the fandom who sees how amazing the dynamic of the intrepid knight and the goofy little jester is.

Smitten x Cold: The dynamic between the dashing romantic who lives off of passion and feeling and the tired and quiet soul who seems to have cut himself off from emotion altogether is too compelling to ignore. The tension just writes itself.

Stubborn x Opportunist: While these two seem pretty different at first glance, I think the fact that both of them are voices who don't know when to quit speaks wonders as to how they might bounce off of each other. One of them solves problems through fists and fighting and the other solves problems through words and deceit---and I think that creates a pretty interesting duo.

Huntcheat: @tai-janai got me hooked. It's actually pretty damn adorable, I dunno what else to say.

(Also, Nightmare is aromantic in pretty much every one of my AUs, and Paranoid is aroace more often than not)

[thedisabilitybookarchive]

Disability in Books: International Asexuality Day

[ID: A poster. Large black text reading "International Asexuality Day" is in the centre. Above it, to the left, smaller black text reading "Disability in Books". The background is a straight diagonal version of the Disability Pride flag. In the upper right corner, the logo for the Disability Book Archive. In the lower left corner, the Asexual Pride flag. /end]

[ID: The same poster. The flag and logo have shrunken slightly in size. The title has been removed, replaced with two book covers and some text. The first cover is for "Asking For A Friend" by Ronnie Riley and is in the upper left hand corner. Black text listed next to it reads "Middle-Grade", "Contemporary", "Anxiety, ADHD", "Additional Biromantic Rep", and "June 2024 Release". The second cover is for "Deathless Divide" by Justina Ireland and is down the lower right side of the poster. Large black text listed next to it reads "Young Adult", "Historical, Horror, Fantasy", "Amputee", "Additional Bisexual Rep", "Zombies", and "Series". /end]

[ID: The same poster. The book covers and text have changed. The first cover is for "Hazel's Theory of Everything" by Lisa Jenn Bigelow. Large black text listed next to it reads "Middle-Grade, Young Adult", "Contemporary", "Wheelchair User SC", and "Additional Questioning and Aromantic Rep". The second cover is for "Learning Curves" by Ceillie Simkiss. Large black text listed next to it reads "New Adult, Adult", "Romance, Contemporary", "ADHD", "F/F; Fat Peurto-Rican Lesbian MC x Panromantic Asexual MC", and "Novella". /end]

[ID: The same poster. The book covers and text have changed. The first cover is for "Our Bloody Pearl" by D. N. Bryn. Large black text listed next to it reads "Adult", "Fantasy, Romance", "Paraplegic, PTSD, Sign Language, Vitiligo", "Additional Non-Binary, Transgender, Agender and Aromantic Rep", and "Series". The second cover is for "Tarnished Are the Stars" by Rosiee Thor. Large black text listed next to it reads "Young Adult", "Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Romance", "Heart Condition", "Additional Aromantic, Lesbian and Queer Rep", and "Space". /end]

♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠ [ID: 58 Ace of Spade emojis /end]

A small collection of books featuring disabled asexual characters in honour of International Asexuality Day!

Every book on this list features 1 or more asexual main characters. Honourable mention for the City of Spires series, which features a large cast of aspec characters, alongside characters who are deaf, have memory loss, PTSD, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, and a main character with a condition that dulls his senses.

[ID: The same poster, with no text, showing 3 book covers. The books are "City of Strife", "City of Betrayal" and "City of Deceity", all by Claudie Arseneault. /end]

Books on this list:

♠ 'Asking For a Friend'- Ronnie Riley ♠ 'Deathless Divide'- Justina Ireland ♠ 'Hazel's Theory of Evolution'- Lisa Jenn Bigelow ♠ 'Learning Curves'- Ceillie Simkiss ♠ 'Our Bloody Pearl'- D. N. Bryn ♠ 'Tarnished Are the Stars'- Rosiee Thor ♠ 'City of Strife'- Claudie Arseneault ♠ 'City of Betrayal'- Claudie Arseneault ♠ 'City of Deceit'- Claudie Arseneault

Happy International Asexuality Day!

[rjthirsty]

Introducing RJ!

Hi, y'all. I'm RJ, and I guess an idea of what I talk about typically goes in these posts. You'll find an extreme thirst for 2D men, my abnormal life, art I enjoy, and some of my writing. This is an adult blog, so expect everything to be M-rated and higher.

About me

I go by RJ Mercy on Twitch, Twitter, itch.io, and ko-fi. On Ao3 and tumblr, I'm RJ Thirsty. Get it? I thought it was funny.

I'm just your neurospicy NB aromantic friend who thirsts, streams, and writes fanfic and other otome-related content.

I'm chronically ill, which I forget new people don't know, but after 4 years, it's just something you live with at this point. Sometimes I'll talk about it, so don't freak out if I say I'm sick. It's normal.

I play mainly otome games. I play mainly on mobile, but also on Switch and PC.

I'm obsessed with the Ikemen Series.

If you're interested in what's in the mind of a simp, or maybe you want a rambling request, send me an ask and I'll do my best to answer.

If you like what I do, send me a ko-fi. I've started a membership system on there, and commissions will be listed there first.

Tags

#rjhyperfixate - my screenshots + rambles about otome

#rjthirsty characters - my OCs + ideas

#commission - my commission pieces

#rjthirsty fanfic - my fanfics, drabbles, and headcanons

#rjthirsty deceit and decay - A Gilbert-centric (IkePri) dark fic I'm working on

#rjthirsty ikepri au - an AU with gender changes

#ikepri abc - The alphabet with 1 prince a month

Masterlists & Fanfic Under Cut

Ikemen Prince Fanfic Master List

Deceit and Decay Masterlist linked in picture.

IkePri ABC Masterlist linked in picture.

Ikemen Princess Masterlist linked in picture.

Other Writing

The Loss of Youth (Kasey [oc] - IkePri) - Mature, DD:DNE, CW = Lots!

Flashes in Time (Kasey-centric [oc] - IkePri) - A Series of Drabbles, Angst

Kasey's Hobby (Roderic/Kasey [oc] - IkePri) - NSFW

Perfect Distraction (Okazaki/AFAB!Reader - Collar x Malice) - NSFW Commission

A Man Only You Know (Yanagi/AFAB!Reader - Collar x Malice) - NSFW Commission

Drowning in Desire (Nicola/AFAB!Reader - Piofiore) - Mature Commission

Bouquet of Obsession (Nicola/Lili - Piofiore) - NSFW Commission

Shackled to You (Nicola/Lili - Piofiore) - NSFW Commission

Pegging Morax Headcanon (Morax/AFAB!Reader - WHB) - NSFW Commission

Currently Playing & Completed

Ikemen Prince - All Main Routes - Chevalier Sequel - Leon Sequel-DNF -

Ikemen Sengoku - All Main Routes (Except Keiji) - Nobunaga & Hideyoshi Eternal - Hideyoshi Sequel

Ikemen Villains - William Mad Love - Elbert Main Route

All dividers used in fics come from @cafekitsune

Art, if not credited, comes from official art owned by @cyikemen

Banners are edited by me.

[thechurchoftheradiodemon]

Fandom, especially the Hazbin fandom, has a huge problem with treating fanon like a gold standard for canon to reach, and visa versa (with people getting up in arms about canon-contradictory fanworks). So, people act betrayed when popular headcanons do not become a reality. Queerbaiting is definitely an issue, but not every unfulfilled wish is deceit. Whatever happens happens.

Someone else said something like this in my comments. I actually totally agree, we have to be able to differentiate canon from fanon, and respect both things for what they are. In the end, fanon is there so we are able to explore, have fun and experiment with art and stories. Canon is there to give us THE STORY to enjoy from the beginning.

I think I did not explain my self very well in that post, but I agree that the queerbaiting accusations are unfounded. I do not believe them and I do not support them. Fantheories are not the law, no matter how much the fandom likes them. In this specific case, Alastor is canonly Ace, not Aro. It has not been canonly rejected that he could be Aro, nor confirmed.

We'll see where the show takes us in that regard (I think s2 will be key), but my fantheory is that he will not be confirmed aromantic (though maybe in the spectrum). But who knows! I for one will enjoy it all the same. We will have fanon to explore alternative representations no matter what.

So lets have fun and respect each other!

[choiceofgames]

New game! Royal Affairs by Hannah Powell-Smith, author of Crème de la Crème

New game! "Royal Affairs" by Hannah Powell-Smith is now available on Steam, iOS and Android. It's 40% off until April 6. Please reshare this with friends!

Return to the exclusive boarding schools of “Crème de la Crème”—this time as a royal! Work hard, study hard, and play hard as a royal in training at the exclusive Archambault Academy. Will you rule the roost, or be a royal disaster?

https://www.choiceofgames.com/royal-affairs/

Royal Affairs is a 437,000-word interactive novel by Hannah Powell-Smith, set in the world of "Crème de la Crème." It's entirely text-based, without graphics or sound effects, and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

As the middle child of the Queen of Westerlin, you've led a sheltered life in the palace, but now you must spread your wings and prepare for your royal responsibilities with a year at the exclusive Archambault Academy.

Everyone knows your name, everyone has an opinion on what you do, and everyone views you as the face of the new generation of royalty. Your every move is reported in the press, a word from you could make or break a teacher’s career--or the fate of the school itself. You’re being courted by every club and social group on campus; and there are countless students who would love to be in your orbit.

In luxurious armchairs behind ivy-covered walls, you and your fellow students debate political theory—but outside, real trouble simmers across the realm. There are activists fighting to open voting rights beyond the aristocracy, and you can use your influence to sway the government’s decision in either direction. Relations are growing increasingly uneasy with your country’s neighbors, and there are conspiracies around every corner. Why is your mother whispering behind closed doors with the Prime Minister? Have the leaders of the protests really disappeared? Which allies can you trust? There are some secrets that only your royal authority can uncover.

Will you honor centuries of royal tradition and follow the path that your mother the Queen has laid out for you? Or will you be a force of change, leading your country in a new direction as you break free of a lifetime of expectations?

Oh, and speaking of expectations—there’s also the foreign royal that your mother wants you to marry. Who is in your class. And who happens to hate you.

-Play as male, female, or non-binary; gay, straight, or bisexual; monogamous or polyamorous; asexual and/or aromantic. -Find love and/or friendship with your free-spirited childhood companion, a firebrand radical, a dreamy dancer, a financier haunted by tragedy, your devoted bodyguard, or a rival foreign royal. -Cuddle and train your pet: a horse, dog, or bird of prey. -Put on a lavish play, become a sports star, or run Student Council; and represent Archambault Academy against its rival Gallatin. -Become your classmates’ confidante and help them solve their problems—or make those problems worse. -Embrace your royal responsibility and carry on your mother’s tradition—and perhaps even take your sister’s place as heir to the throne. -Forge a path to the future by supporting revolutionaries’ calls for change, or stamp out the movement with scheming and deceit.

When this tumultuous year ends, will you be Archambault Academy’s crowning glory?

[trans-native-tokipona]

help we've been hyperfixating on sanders sides instead of doing requests so have a sanders sides subsystem

considering adding picani and sleep to the mix, feel free to request the two if you're interested

kept it short because 7 headmates at once is a lot and i don't usually do this kind of things

also stay tuned for us sharing some of our subliminals

long post under cut

all art by @/parano--vigilant

source : sanders sides - c!thomas

role : subsystem host ; shell

--

names : Thomas

pronouns : he/him

species : human

age : 35

faceclaim :

--

gender : cis male

orientation : gay

other info : mostly unaware of the rest of his subsystem ; considers them different parts of himself instead of separate headmates. might also be unaware of the rest of the system in general. the rest of the subsystem fronts through him.

source : sanders sides - logic/Logan

role : academic ; internal self helper ; archivist

--

names : Logan , Logic

pronouns : he/him, it/its

species : human, considers himself a homunculus

age : ageless

faceclaim :

--

gender : agender male

orientation : aroace

other info : tends to focus on productivity above anything else ; often ignores what everyone else says if it doesn't go the way he wants it to go

source : sanders sides - creativity/Roman

role : protector ; crafter ; artist

--

names : Roman , Prince

pronouns : he/him, she/her

species : human with limited shapeshifting abilities

age : adultfluid

faceclaim :

--

gender : boygirl

orientation : gaybian

other info : spent a lot of time forcing herself to be more masculine in the past and still sometimes struggles to accept her more feminine side. uses his shapeshifting abilities to switch between masculine and feminine appearance (in headspace)

source : sanders sides - morality/Patton

role : soother ; caretaker

--

names : Patton , Morality , Dad

pronouns : he/him

species : human

age : adult ; dadage

faceclaim :

--

gender : cis male

orientation : bisexual

other info : the subsystem's dad, whether the others like it or not

source : sanders sides - anxiety/Virgil

role : anxiety holder ; trauma holder ; emotional distresser

--

names : Virgil , Anxiety

pronouns : it/its, they/them

species : ghost ; considers itself dead and doesn't like human terms used on them

age : agedead

faceclaim :

--

gender : mimicnull nixvir

orientation : nebulasexual nebularomantic

other info : doesn't front a lot because just it being co-conscious tends to give everyone else a panic attack also because when it remembers how much their presence harms the others makes it even more anxious. also an age regressor ; presents around 5 years old when regressed

source : sanders sides - deceit/Janus

role : gatekeeper ; puppetmaster ; manipulator ; impersonator

--

names : Deceit , Ethan

pronouns : any pronouns, no preference

species : shapeshifter

age : panage

faceclaim :

--

gender : genderfluid

orientation : aromantic

other info : their main goal is to stop thomas from being aware he's part of a (sub)system and they are willing to do anything to accomplish that goal. if/when thomas becomes aware of his subsystem, he keeps his gatekeeper role, and might still impersonate some of the others for fun.

source : sanders sides - creativity/Remus

role : persecutor ; malicitor ; embracer

--

names : Remus , the Duke

pronouns : he/him

species : vaguely nonhuman ; no specific label outside of that

age : ageless

faceclaim :

--

gender : transfem boy

orientation : lesboy

other info : he uses "contradictory" labels just to piss off people ; actually everything he does is to piss off people. if you let him find out about transharmful labels he will have a field day with them

[ludwigoat909]

So about gay kazui theory.

I personally think aroace Kazui makes more sense than gay Kazui imo. I can def see that he has shown no attraction to women, but I feel like if he was gay, they would've some hints about him being specifically interested in men (like idk show us him thinking about men, or show us the face of that fishermen bestie of his). Also, I don't agree with the argument that he is a green apple due to his temptation simply being "different" because this is the same argument people had against cheating theory, which was that the apple should've been red if he did a crime of love and temptation. I think the fact that his apple is green could be both a reference to that painting but also the fact that he shows no attraction for love of sex like the rest (+geen is the main color of the aromantic flag which in the flag represents a lack of romance).

In addition, there's also the chorus: "Love and destiny = crap" + the "that sticky sweet substance" following the "Smash, shatter it bye bye bye"

Doesn't sound like a man all in for romance does it?

But also the most intresting is the last one "Loving affection (minus) love, it's tacky that two way deceit" which implies he tried to look out for love and affection WITHOUT "love" love, but struggled for it.

I think Kazui simply wanted to marry his wife because he liked the idea of comfort marriage would give him. He liked the affection that would come with it, but he didn't like the part that somehow involved romantic love.

This is also something that can be seen in the line "I wanted to be loved just like a cat."

Now I don't know you but I don't think being loved just like a cat is something that would sound romantic to people (at least I hope not), and I don't remember Kazui ever asking for a fursuit, so it soynds to me the man just wanted to be taken care of just like someone would with a cat.

[clndstn-headmates]

haii !! i was wondering if you could just do as many demon slayer headmates as u can ? transids , xenogenders , and neopronouns heavily encouraged !!! please do make sure to include mitsuri and zenitsu , other than that any important (non - demon) characters are okay !!! tysm 🍡💞💞

realized that i did include some demon characters, feel free 2 ignore those. there will be two more reblogs with the rest of the characters, hope u enjoy, feel free 2 change anything! esp cuz idk this show that well lol... ^^;

-Mod Andrew

NAMES: Mitsuri Kanroji, 甘露寺 蜜璃

AGE: 19

PRONOUNS: she/her, lo/loves

GENDERS: transfem, g♡rl

SEXUALITY: bisexual, aceflux

SOURCE: Demon Slayer

SPECIES: human

ROLE: romanticist

TRANSIDS: transBPD, transbipolar, transyandere, transshyer, transOLD, wiseyoungsterage, transimmortal, transmarried, transgoddess

CISIDS: pale skin, pink/green hair, green eyes, Japanese, Demon Slayer, Love Hashira, autistic, ADHD, OCD, hyperromantic, strong, athletic, enthusiastic, innocent, loving, romantic

PARAS: hebephile (🍒🍸), pedоphile (🍍🍸), lоlicon (🐰🎀), shоtacon (🍯🐻)

APPEARANCE:

NAMES: Zenitsu Agatsuma, 我妻 善逸

AGE: 16

PRONOUNS: he/him

GENDERS: cis guy

SEXUALITY: bisexual, aroaceflux

SOURCE: Demon Slayer

SPECIES: human

ROLE: anxiety holder

TRANSIDS: nullanxiety, transstrong, transdating, transgrооmer, permasuicidal, transkitsune, nullshy, transconfident, transpopular, transwomanizer

CISIDS: pale skin, yellow/orange hair, brown eyes, Japanese, Demon Slayer, anxiety, depression, ADHD, BPD, nervous, desperate, determined, powerful, nihilistic

PARAS: hebephile (🍒🍸)

APPEARANCE:

NAMES: Tanjiro Kamado, 竈門 炭治郎

AGE: 15

PRONOUNS: they/them, he/him

GENDERS: proxvir, nonbinary boy

SEXUALITY: aromantic, asexual

SOURCE: Demon Slayer

SPECIES: human

ROLE: protector, caretaker

TRANSIDS: transHashira

CISIDS: pale skin, maroon hair, maroon eyes, Japanese, Demon Slayer, scar, ADHD, OCD, neurodivergent, determined, hard-working, kind, gentle, honest

PARAS: none

APPEARANCE:

NAMES: Nezuko Kamado, 竈門 禰豆子

AGE: perma12, chrono14

PRONOUNS: it/its, she/her, flor/floras

GENDERS: juxera, nonbinary girl

SEXUALITY: cenelian, quoiromantic, asexual

SOURCE: Demon Slayer

SPECIES: HtDtH (human to demon to human)

ROLE: littlex

TRANSIDS: forceddemon, permakid, agestuck, transnonverbal, transmuette, transimmortal, permamuzzled, transflowerpupil, lоliflux, transimouto

CISIDS: pale skin, black hair, pink eyes, Japanese, PTSD, autistic anxiety, amensia, memory loss, low empathy, ASPD, kind, protective, brave,

PARAS: demonophile (👿), AAM (🧸)

APPEARANCE:

NAMES: Shinobu Kocho, 胡蝶 しのぶ

AGE: 18

PRONOUNS: he/him, she/her

GENDERS: bigender, boygirl

SEXUALITY: lesbian, darcian, aroflux, mollsexual

SOURCE: Demon Slayer

SPECIES: human

ROLE: anger holder

TRANSIDS: butterflyage, transbugwinged, transcuteharmful, transinnocentharmful, permafacade, lavenscentian, lycheescentian, plumscentian

CISIDS: pale skin, black/purple hair, purple eyes, Japanese, Demon Slayer, Insect Hashira, ASPD, bipolar disorder, PTSD, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, calm, deceitful, resentful

PARAS: sadist (👊)

APPEARANCE:

NAMES: Inosuke Hashibira, 嘴平 伊之助

AGE: 15

PRONOUNS: they/them, it/its, he/him, rot/rots

GENDERS: boything, boybeast

SEXUALITY: aromantic, bisexual

SOURCE: Demon Slayer

SPECIES: boar therian, demihuman

ROLE: anger holder, NPD holder

TRANSIDS: transspecies, transhalfboar, transfighter, transHashira, transacuti, transcannibal, permabloodstain, permabloodyteeth, transferal

CISIDS: pale skin, black/blue hair, green eyes, Japanese, Demon Slayer, ADHD, NPD, dyslexia, egotistical, combative, prideful, boastful

PARAS: autozооphile (⚙️🐾)

APPEARANCE:

[casino-au-eggman]

Welcome to the Strawberry Casino!

Art by @/tunesofanarchy

This is a blog for all things related to the Casino Eggman and the alternate universe he lives in. It will mostly compile posts, concepts, art, and fic from other blogs but there may be exclusive original posts from time to time and asks are open here too.

AU is 18+ for themes of violence and explicit content.

About and tags navigation guide below:

Get to know Casino AU Eggman before you continue!

Art by @/creativelychaotic and Adam Bryce Thomas!

Name: Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik (didn't get his doctorate!)

Age: 56-58 (in timeline AU takes place)

D.O.B: May 6th 1946

Sexuality: Gay gray aromantic hypersexual

Height: 6’ 1"

Weight: 382 lbs minimum - 550 lbs maximum

Occupation: Owner of Strawberry Casinos global chain, owns multiple other companies and invests in a number of different things like clubs, bars, theme parks, studios, etc, too. Secretly a mob boss, terrible crime happens behind the scenes

Favorite food: Strawberries, candy, cake, donuts, junk food, fast food, anything sweet and sugary

Accessories: Heart shaped glasses, gold tooth, cigars, golden and gem jewelry, short neat polished nails, the color pink, strawberry scent, anything love heart and strawberry related

Personality/defining traits: Deceitful, manipulative, dangerously charming, flirtatious, perverted, wealthy, evil, greedy, lustful, and passionate.

Loves: Casinos, strawberries, modern Egg, Zobotnik, King Shahryar, (various versions of Eggs dimension hop to him!) Sonic, Tails, sex, money, alcohol, food, luxury, being a sugar daddy, fashion, crossdressing (forcing others to dress up for him), jewelry, cute things, Chao, murder and violence, scamming and backstabbing lol

You can see more art of him here!

Tags navigation guide:

Main tags:

#about him (for learning about Casino Eggman)

#concepts

#fics

#asks

#reblogged 

#og post

#ns4w

#modern eggman (posts including main universe Eggman)

#boom eggman (posts including Boom Eggman)

Shipping tags:

#shipping

#self ship

#casino x boom

#casino x modern

#casino x modern x boom

Enjoy your stay!

[unveiledveins]

frank grillo, homosexual, cismale + he/him → isn’t that giovanni d'angelo? i’ve seen them hanging out with the vampires. i hear they're nine hundred & ninety three, but they’ve only been in alexandria for a hundred years, on and off. they seem to be charming & intelligent, but also cunning & deceitful. 

GET TO KNOW THE MUSE

Name: Giovanni D'Angelo

Nickname(s): Gio, Van, Boss, Master

Age: 993 (but looks early-to-mid fifties)

Date of Birth: October 31st

Zodiac: Scorpio

Place of Birth: What is now Italy

Race / Ethnicity: White (Italian)

Gender: CIS-Male

Pronouns: He/Him

Sexual Orientation: Homosexual (though may or may not have fucked Eve)

Romantic Orientation: Aromantic

Species: Vampire

FAMILY

Progeny: Forty-Seven

APPEARANCE

Height: 5'11

Build: Athletic, Fit

Hair Color: Black with some streaks of grey

Eye Color: Brown

For as long as he can remember, Giovanni has always wanted more out of life. As an orphan on the streets of what is now Italy, the young man had watched as children fought and struggled to get even a scrap of food and that only those that were bigger and/or stronger were able to fill their stomachs and well... Giovanni knew that he didn't want to go to bed hungry, but he also knew he wasn't exactly the biggest of kids... So he had to be the smartest, the fastest, and the toughest. Working hard to ensure that the other kids wouldn't walk all over him, he wound up crafting a knife that he used to stab the biggest kid, telling him that the next time he tried to come after him that Giovanni would stab a vital organ... And from then, the kids in the orphanage knew now to mess with him.

But he got a thrill from that, a taste of darkness, and he wanted more. With his knife in hand, he began to wander the streets at night, looking for easy targets that he could easily rob - and rob he did, as he was quick enough to get out of the way of their sword swings and small enough to maneuver around them to get them right at a major artery, and they'd wind up handing him all of their gold. Of course, he didn't share with any of the other kids, and none had the balls enough to come up to him after he had threatened the biggest kid, but he soon found that, eventually, he would target the wrong person. Or the right person, depending on who you ask - and he'd say it was definitely the right person.

He was in his early fifties, still working the streets despite having made enough money to buy himself a forge, when he had targeted an aristocrat that he knew would be a very lucrative get. It turned out, though, that aristocrat was a vampire and that man wound up finding promise in the man and instead of downright killing him, he fed him some of his blood before doing so. When he awoke, Giovanni was no longer human... He was a vampire.

If you had to ask him, that's when his life truly began. Walking the road alongside his maker for the first decade, Giovanni was eager to get out and do more and be more, but his maker tried to urge caution and told him that sometimes it was better to simply live among the humans and go unnoticed. This was not something that Giovanni wanted and, eventually, he wound up killing his own maker before setting out on his own.

Throughout the nearly millennia he has been alive, Giovanni has wrecked havoc across the globe and has even sired a vast number of vampires that have gone on to follow his footsteps in making their mark on the world. While he has gone on to be the faceless leader of the Italian mob, that has even bled into the United States, and even the real king of Italy and most of Europe, he knows that some of his progeny also hold similar positions of power and he couldn't be more proud. Of course, it was part of the reason he had sired his progeny - because they all showed promise, they all seemed to share his sentiment in that the world was their oyster and they just needed to claim it.

Alexandria has been one of his homes for the past century, as the vampire always finds himself coming back to make deals with other creatures - mostly other vampires and witches, as they are the one species that he respects the most above the others - and to open up a club that not only caters to the mature taste of the people there... But to some of the darker tastes, as well, for those that are brave enough to enter the basement. Don't worry, though... everyone down there consents to being fed from... And some can even be... persuaded to be afraid if you, like him, prefer the taste of fear when you feed.

[hpowellsmith]

Wishlist Royal Affairs on Steam - out early 2023!

Return to the exclusive boarding schools of Creme de la Creme - this time as a royal! Work hard, study hard, and play hard as a royal in training at the exclusive Archambault Academy. Will you rule the roost, or be a royal disaster?

Royal Affairs is an interactive novel by Hannah Powell-Smith, set in the world of Creme de la Creme. It's entirely text-based, without graphics or sound effects, and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

As the middle child of a royal family, you've led a sheltered life in the palace, but now you must spread your wings and prepare for your royal responsibilities. Term is about to begin at Archambault Academy and it's time for your big entrance.

Everyone knows your name, everyone has an opinion on what you do, and everyone views you as the face of the new generation of royalty. You’re being courted by every club and social group on campus; and there are countless students who would love to be your friend - or more.

Meanwhile, outside your school’s ivy-covered walls, trouble simmers across the country as activists fight to open voting rights beyond the aristocracy. You can use your influence to sway the Parliament’s decision - but in which direction?

Will you flaunt your fame, or retreat from the spotlight? And if you do seek publicity, will the papers love you or despise you? Will you honor centuries of royal tradition and follow the path that your mother the Queen has laid out for you, or be a force of change, leading your country in a new direction as you break free of the expectations laid on you all your life? How will you navigate intense family ties and political upheaval to come out on top?

Oh, yes, and there’s also the foreign royal that your mother wants you to marry. Who is in your class. And who happens to hate you.

Play as male, female, or non-binary; gay, straight, or bisexual; monogamous or polyamorous; asexual and/or aromantic.

Cuddle and train your pet: a horse, dog, or bird of prey.

Put on a lavish play, become a sports star, or run Student Council - and bring fame or disrepute to your school.

Help fix your classmates' problems, or make them worse.

Make a savvy political marriage, fall in love with the wrong person for the right reasons, or make friendships that will last for life.

Help rebels work for a different future, or stamp them out with scheming and deceit.

Will you embrace responsibility or forge your own path?

[thesporkidentity]

so i've listened to band sinister...more times than i should probably admit over the past few days of not feeling well. and i think the reason i keep coming back to it, aside from it being a (relatively lol) bite-sized read at just under 8 hours, and the narrator putting his whole damn...self? ability? voice...vussy? mmm, no don't like that one...into the sex scenes, is because it just feels. comfortable. it feels kind.

(spoilers and LOTS of feelings)

guy of course is the easiest to see. he really is just the sweetest bundle of love and nerves, but he doesn't fall into the cliche of the innocent young bottom who is sweet and kind because he assumes the world is sweet and kind and has never experienced hardship or cruelty.

he is inexperienced in some ways, but he's not a naif, nor are his kindness and compassion unthinking or born of ignorance. they're actually pretty hard-won despite years of mistreatment and neglect at the hands of family and the scorn of society for what other people did when he was 8 years old, and through all his anxiety spirals to when he tries to understand and empathize with other people's points of view to predict the outcome of any given situation. he's not some effortlessly pure disney virgin. he's kind because he's put in the effort to learn how to understand where other people are coming from and to be kind in light of that knowledge.

and then philip is just. gentle is the word i keep coming back to. in fact the entire murder is very gentle with the frisby siblings, but philip especially. he's gentle with guy's anxiety, even goes so far as to try and side-step future anxiety spirals with reassurances when he sees a looming pitfall, and is so careful in reaffirming consent and lack of any judgment throughout all of their sexual encounters.

and it would have been so easy for it to come off as hokey, like the unbearably preachy sex scenes i occasionally see that seem to be written less as an expression of the characters' passions but rather like a sex ed pamphlet or an extremely explicit after-school special, there to educate on how to do sex morally.

but it doesn't, because all of the talk about consent isn't just thrown in to satisfy the purity police about safe sex, it's intrinsic to the characters and their journeys. for philip and the birdwits, growing up and having to teach themselves how to love in a world that doesn't love them or make room for their kind of unconventional relationships, and for guy to learn that he's allowed to be an active participant in his own life when previously his life has been all about what other people and society have done to him, to be allowed to say no, and crucially to also be allowed to say YES. and it flows so naturally from all of them that what could have been dry sex ed actually feels so sweet and intimate and right for them.

the way they treat the aromantic (coded at least even if they don't have the word for it) corvin is just. so good for me as an aromantic. so often people talk about aromantics (especially men) who still dare to want and have sex like we're some sort of predators, as though having clearly negotiated and consensual sex with someone is a deceit, is taking advantage if there's no ability to then fall in love with your partner. but while he does slut it up, there's no judgment (from the book or characters whose opinions we actually care about). in fact, his public reputation is pretty much exactly how a lot of people still talk about aro-not-aces today. but he's not a heartless devil using people, in fact the others talk about him as the one with the biggest heart and the most love to give, it's just not romantic love. he's not vilified because he wasn't able to reciprocate philip's youthful love, nor was his friendship treated as a consolation prize in their continuing relations. his (and john's) friendship is considered equally important to the blooming romantic relationship of the book.

ALSO ON THAT NOTE! POLYAMORY! and not just polyamory, but a rather complex polycule that blends boundaries between romance and sex and queerplatonic. that acknowledges you can have a relationship of friendship and sex that is just as important as one with romance and sex, or romance and NO sex, or even friendship but NO romance and NO sex, because philip tells guy that even if he took the sex out of his relationship with john and corvin in order to have sex only with guy, it wouldn't actually lessen the importance of his bond with them and that they would STILL be part of any relationship he entered because they were part of his heart. i just loved that it treated all these relationships as equals, sexual or romantic or platonic, they can be just as intense and committed as what we're told is the traditional relationship of 2 people in romantic and sexual love. and to see my own fuzzy 3-way qpr validated like that, and not in a way where it's shouted from a soapbox but in a quieter way built into the assumptions of the way the characters view the working of the world, was just. very good for me.

and it's not just the characters that are kind to each other. the book even extends its kindness to some characters who are antagonistic and drive us absolutely BONKERS. do i mean aunt beatrice? i absolutely mean aunt beatrice (and her reverend dent). guy and the narrative itself acknowledge that, as overbearing and thoughtlessly cruel as they were, and also a little bit selfish in their motives for "helping," they were still trying to help in the way their society would have told them is right and proper, even if we can also see that it's misguided. and while it doesn't undo the hurt, it also doesn't negate the help, because that financial help was actually quite vital when guy and amanda were growing up. it acknowledges that the motives do matter when it comes to things like possible future reconciliation, and even reveals aunt beatrice as someone who needs kindness and care herself.

i just. god this is really long and rambling, but i really enjoyed this book, guys. it's very sweet and gentle and, while it doesn't have the lurid drama of, say, manda's gothic romance, it is very emotionally cathartic and satisfying.