#ever since i eas a little boy i have been subjected to the expectations of being a 'girl'.

[moe-broey]

It's like........ I love that drawing so much and the scenario is so fun but I feel like I need to slap a disclaimer on it LIKE. I think something I try to capture in my work, or at least I have in the back of my mind, is subverting expectations put on you and going against the status quo.

I. Honestly really don't have the words for it, but it's important to me that what's going on between Alfonse/Moe is explicitly queer. And I think, that may be easy enough, if you're romantically inclined, to do that. But you see, I exist in a very Weird Area of demiromantic/demisexual where it's like. Not even all or nothing. It's something that is extremely situational that requires a lot of setup/conditions to be met.

And I am just. CONSTANTLY. CONSTANTLY. Plagued by romance actually and I have all this Deep Knowledge of the ins and outs of amatonormativity what have you, and then I Make Art and it's like. Damn did we really unpack all of that or are you just equating "true love" to being seen and understood and respected for who you are as a person again. Like come on I thought we were over this. And also like, am I upholding the status quo actually, am I putting their relationship on a pedestal over any other dynamics Moe could have??? And I WAS about to describe it as romantic-coded but here's the thing. What the FUCK is romance, anyway????? Like. For real actually. Like. Is it a set of behaviors? Is it a feeling? For me, being in love feels like a deep and intimate friendship. And honestly sometimes I'm just completely confounded and frustrated over The Rituals. If I think too much about it I'm gonna see red and black out and start tearing things to shreds eith my teeth

I. Don't know where I'm going with this or why I'm saying it but it needs to be known. Every SINGLE time I draw something silly that's almost flirty I have to remind everyone I just went through the 5 stages of grief and 9 circles of Hell about it.