#i wrote it with the intent of it being a qpr

[ily-tomura]

Night Life

Autistic!Tomura Shigaraki, GN!Reader, QPR

Tomura doesn’t really work out traditionally, but he does love to go out walking. He prefers to go for early morning walks and night walks more than mid-day. He introduced the idea of you joining him pretty casually, but you can tell that it would mean a lot for you to join him.

He has to bundle up quite a bit so that he doesn’t get cold. Wind tends to go right through Tomura, so he layers light jackets and windbreakers.

Tomura loves listening to the sounds of the area at night. Depending on the path, he always seems to be on the look out for either animals or the occasional car. He doesn’t spend much time outside, so you’re surprised when he tells you to hush because he thinks he hears and owl. You spend a little time standing quietly with him, looking off into the tree line. Neither of you see it, but when Tomura hears the owl’s distinctive call, he looks to you excited.

He’ll sometimes stop and look up at the sky. The area has quite a bit of light pollution, but a few stars can be seen still. He talks to you about the idea of driving out into the countryside somewhere the light pollution is less bad so that he can see more of the stars. It’s a cute idea and one you want to help him fulfill.

While you’re walking together, you go back and forth talking about things you’ve been reading and watching online. It’s a nice atmosphere. There’s no pressure to talk or be performative. You’re just enjoying each other’s company.

Tomura’s favorite time to go walking is after it’s rained. It’s usually a little humid, but not so much that it makes his skin itch. He finds the reflection of street lights in puddles to be something beautiful and worth stopping for.

Sometimes, if it’s just a bit too cold, he’ll huddle next to you as you walk. If you point it out, he scoots away until he thinks your not paying attention and he’ll scoot back in. You’ve learned to just enjoy it quietly.

[unagrancantidaddepanes]

ok i wasnt gonna do it i told myself no im just not gonna say anything on this drama but this is so MINDBOGGLING that i HAVE to make a post about this

i am gonna start by saying as someone on the arospectrum i personally see peridot as either fully aroace or arospec (i like headcanoning either one) and as in a qpr or plantonic friendship with lapis.

peridot has been confirmed to be intended to be read as aroace by a storyboard artist (maya peterson) that would focus on her character, i am not denying that,

however

she is also confirmed to be intended to be read as experiencing romantic attraction, by the OTHER storyboard artist who originally worked on peridot, jesse zuke, who has just as much authority to talk about peridots character, if not more since (to my knowledge) she was the original main storyboard artist for peridot

the intention behind what peridot is suppose to represent is fundamentally contradictory, there is absolutely no use fighting over it. this is so dumb to fight over YES both sides have been confirmed canon THATS WHY THIS IS DUMB </33

ive been trying to find as many actual sources as i can (which has been pretty difficult since A LOT has been deleted) but I finally found a transcript of one of jesse zukes posts that is deleted that everyone keeps referencing

from this reddit post https://www.reddit.com/r/stevenuniverse/comments/5q738i/lauren_zuke_speaks_of_her_intention/

(jesse was formerly known as lauren)

anyone posts something shipping peridot, u get a load of comments saying "this is aroace erasure, shes written as aroace, a storyboard artist said so", anyone posts something about peridot being canonically aroace, u get a load of comments saying "shes not canonically aroace, she was written as experiencing romantic attraction, a storyboard artist said so" everyone is either one or the other it seems like NO ONE is acknowledging that both is true and really this confusion is the fault of the crewniverse ????

these storyboard artists BOTH focused heavily on working on peridot and creating her character, and their intentions behind what she is are completely contradicting.

i would love for peridot to be aroace. to me she IS aroace, but im not going to pretend like this isnt the most confusing most unclear way of confirming that. even if maya peterson intended for her to be seen as aroace, jesse zuke wrote her as the complete opposite and it would be stupid of me to ignore that. harassing eachother over this is stupid. your both correct, now shake hands and make peace with eachother lol, good night.

As an arospec person I am completely fine with people shipping peridot and I do not think it is aroace erasure, because while I would love to see an orientation like mine depicted in a character like peridot, im not going to ignore that fact the she was ALSO originally meant to be read as experiencing romantic attraction AND the fact that many of the crewniverse ships peridot with people or supports others doing it. it is not aroace erasure to ship a character that was literally intended to be read as experiencing romantic attraction by some of the people who worked on her character. rebecca god damn sugar, the creator of steven universe has made fanart shipping peridot. peridots voice actor has said she likes and supports people shipping peridot. its just that different people working on the show had wildly different intentions when creating her character, and didnt clear up a solid identity for her with everyone working on her

jesse zuke said in her post "cant speak for anyone else! many people are writing those episodes". just like if maya peterson and anyone else working on peridot intended for her to be read as aroace, other people working on her character with just as much authority were writing her completely differently. people are not seeming to acknowledge that these two things co-exist. it is not one or the other. even though they are complete opposites, somehow theyve made it so that its both at once.

she was simultaneously written to be both aroace and experiencing romantic attraction by different people writing her character, clearly because of miscommunication within the crewniverse.

heres rebecca sugars ship art btw since the first 2 were really hard to find, in case anyone else wanted some sort of actual evidence of it

also just wanted to bring attention to jesse zuke saying "anyone who wants to see the narrative they want is completely, 100% allowed to". peridot and her episodes were written to have multiple interpretations. this was written with multiple intentions. some of those intentions were aroace, some of them, like jesse zukes, were not. you are all correct peace and love

update i found a slightly longer version of jesse zukes post in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=oIl1sEQ4_iI

"I wanted to close the book on this - I am queer, and intend fully to write queer characters when I do"

this is pretty clear confirmation that peridot was fully written with completely different ideas in mind from completely different people. jesse zuke INTENDED for peridot and lapis to be read as having a queer relationship, in this post shes encouraging people to read it that way, meanwhile other writers had other intentions which are just as real and valid.

inconsistency and messy production in steven universe is not a new thing

[byoldervine]

If you're aroace, do you still write romance? If so, do you do it differently than allos do?

Tbh it’s made me very cautious of writing men and women because no matter what straight allos seem to think they’re flirting and would make a super cute couple. Back in my fic days that was often how I decided to have my characters date; I’d get loads of comments saying they couldn’t wait to see how X ship pans out when in reality it was just two friends having banter. And romance always seemed to be like a requirement in every story; if you don’t include at least a subplot where the main characters get together, what’s the point in creating them? Even if that mindset isn’t true

But just to show how my sexuality did indeed influence my writing - as well as my writing actually influencing my sexuality - I’ll give you guys an example:

I’ve mentioned it before but there was one character called Indigo who I wrote in an atrociously-written HTTYD fic on Wattpad back when I was like thirteen - all the comments were saying she was totally in love with another character, Plasma, and how they couldn’t wait to see her accept these feelings she has for him

Reminder; I had no intention of having them be in a relationship

But I decided to lean into it and explore why people perceived it this way, then used another character to be raising all the points. I did admit that, looking back as an older and more experienced writer, I did once or twice say things that implied more than intended because I didn’t fully understand the innuendo of them back then, but there was even some newer stuff that I just couldn’t figure out

So I tested my theories; I had the characters banter more, being very careful in that first chapter to keep it purely platonic, and people were going crazy about the flirting. So I figured if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em; I leaned into it, explored the idea of Indigo having feelings for Plasma. Let her get conflicted on it, let her vent that she had no idea what this kind of love feels like, just generally used it as an excuse to vent my own feelings on romantic love in general. I identified as bisexual at the time, but was starting to question things, so I just poured it out onto Indigo because it did work for her character and her general attitude to relationships of any form

Half the comments were about how they were worried about the ship and how Indigo had to realise her feelings soon - but the other half was people predicting that Indigo was aroace. I challenged my readers more directly to guess Indigo’s sexuality and asexual or aroace was the biggest guess. And so I leaned into it again and brought Indigo into what’s all but labelled as a QPR with Plasma, just to see how it goes, and in the meantime I was looking into asexuality. I think you can figure out how the latter went

But I guess what I learned from all of this when it comes to writing romance is that, at least for myself, it’s surprisingly easy to get people shipping them; have a guy and a girl banter. I’ll have to test in future if this works for visibly queer couples, but in general my go-to for flirting is just casual banter and so far it’s done the trick with my other old fics. I’m not flirting, I’m just sarcastic and British

What really scares me is writing sibling dynamics and other familial relationships because if I can make things flirty without even trying then how will this be perceived?

[reveseke]

If i'm being honest here, the first time I thought of sidekick!Spencer and BW!Reader, I imagine them as romantic, but I must say that now that the au is created, I absolutly love them as platonic (if that makes sense ??)

Tbh I can easily see Aromantic!BW!Reader and Aromantic!Spencer here

-🕷anon

Ah, personal reflective headcanon on my part as a queerplatonic aspec individual lol.

For the side of the AU I'll be writing on my blog specifically, I'll be writing them (BW!R & Sidekick!Spence) as being in queerplatonic relationship, because I want to do that.

However, genuinely please keep in mind that what I write independently about them in my personal headcanons are as such; personal, especially when it comes from headcanons that were not requested for. They don't need to be used by others if for them the headcanons I've made don't apply when it comes to the characters, attraction & relationship, or any other points that folks may not personally like about my headcanons/feel like it would be a headcanon that applies for the characters in their opinion. :D (/info/not mad)

(in a way the qpr headcanon was also related to personal headcanon of Spencer being a-spec and romantically bi-curious (angled aromantic specifically and completely asexual + I think Spence would fit a few good tertiary attraction terms as well due to neurodivercy, but that's just me lol.))

—

Since I'm not the one that initially came up and created the AU, (that was you, I simply indulged into it and wrote based on what was talked about :3) that means that I'm not the one that polices what the characters *have to be* and what is ""true to the canon"" (double air quoting that because it's an AU of a crossover that's not really even canon compliant in any way lol.).

So everyone can make their own headcanons and thoughts on the AU if they want to write for it, please don't take my personal headcanons as the main base for the characters if they don't apply with your own headcanons and thought about them since my own headcanons are purely done from my perspective on what I think the character(s) are or would do in my own opinion (requested or not). :3 (/Info/genuine)

—

Also a funny tidbit about tertiary attractions is that tertiary attractions are not exclusive to a-spec folks (noetic [aka personality related iirc] attraction, familial attraction, and aesthetic attraction for bare basic examples) and neither is queerplatonism only a-spec folk thing, you can feel romantic & sexual attraction and be queerplatonic that's possible after all.

Even cishets who mutually want to label their relationship as queerplatonic can do so. Even romantic friendships exist without them having to be relationships for the individuals who label it as such, same with unlabeled (relationship-vice) couples exist.

^so Sidekick!Spence and BW!R don't really even need to be on the a-spec for them to be in a queerplatonic relationship.

I'm only making that point because of the mentioned aromantic Spence & BW!R, however I'm not making it to denote that possibility of aromantic BW!R & Spence lol. More or less it's made as an informative point out, because I'm not exactly sure if it's already known. /Genuine

Before you close out of this answer, I want to point out that it is late at night for me (fifteen minutes and it's midnight) so I'm tone tagging this specifically, because I have little to no sense of tone in text at the moment. I do not intend to sound rude, denoting/down putting, or passive aggressive. This text is made with genuine and positive intent. c:

(I have too many bad experiences with my lack of tone comprehension during evening hours that I'm not taking the risk of possibly sounding rude or anything lmao.)

[wikifuck]

My WIPs

I have 3-ish WIPs atm:

Puppylove 1-2

The main active one is a sequel to my published 1st draft/novel, Puppylove. The first book is about the main characters Alejandro and Fetcher meeting and starting to date and Fetcher's family drama and how Ali helps him deal with (or rather, run away from) it. The sequel is about Ali taking Fetcher on a trip to a vampire party (he is a vampire, Fetcher is a werewolf) and meeting Ali's dad and essentially book 2 is about Fetcher helping Ali deal with his family issues, except this time they actually deal and don't run away instantly!

After I finish working on the outline of book2 I'm planning to go through book 1 and pretty much rewrite it to reflect my current skill level. The story itself won't change much, just wording and I will add depth to the characters if needed. That's it.

Spirits and Bleach

The project I was working on before this was Spirits and Bleach; my first attempt at dabbling in mystery novels. It's a story about Bleach, a witch/exorcist who gets roped into investigating a murder with a random ghost they find and who at first thinks he developed a crush on them, but they end up in a QPR by the end and travel the world together. I have an outline and I started writing it out but burned out, and I don't know atm if that is because the outline was lacking or if I just needed a break from the project. I can't wait to get back to it tho, I love Bleach and I can't wait to show their story to the world.

Dino People

My 3rd project is known as DinoPi, or Dino People. It's a mess. The general point is that it's a fantasy world, maybe or maybe not with futuristic technology, where people can turn into dinosaurs. That's all I know lol. Originally it was sci-fi and the dinos were a science thing, then it was magic. Originally the story was a romance taking place in a civil war, where a spy sneaks over the border and falls in love with a good Christian boy who arrests him for sneeking over said border. Now I'm thinking of changing the genre entirely to something else. I had written like 10k words of the original plot before I got stuck and had to scrap it bc I simply had no ideas for the story. I wanted the leads to kiss, but they hated each other. I don't do enemies to lovers, I'm not skilled enough yet to make it not sound abusive. Now I'm toying with the idea of the story starting with them married and about to get a kid. Yesterday a friend asked for an idea for a movie poster to draw and I wrote down this idea:

"Well since I'm kinda stuck on the dino theme, I had an idea of the vocal point being a dude either leaping through the air to catch a falling laughing baby or holding said laughing baby in one arm and holding a gun in the air with the other, a lil like that example with how he holds the lady, and in the background are dinosaurs fighting."

said example: true lies action movie poster

Concept: Bruce wants a baby and Joker ends up being the cool spy dad bodyguard protecting the baby from bad guys (the baby is special or something. The concept is silly already so just go with it, make it stupid)

If you want a taste of what their vibes are, I made a spinoff short story called Office Work

Rep

When it comes to representation, I want to do my best to bring in diversity. I mean, even if it weren't just the moral thing to do (which it is), it's just good writing to have more than one type of character and perspective. Hence, I have the following intentions/plans for these WIPs:

Puppylove: have ace rep through Ali and auDHD rep through Fetcher. Also, Ali is black and has lived for two centuries in a world with a history similar to ours. I want to have a realistic approach when it comes to his trauma from the shit he has had to see, but I'm not going to promise any specific themes. I'm as white as can be and a lot of this will be dependent on how willing of a sensitivity reader/person who will smack me if I do a stupid I can find. Applications are open btw.

Spirits and Bleach: have ace aro and nb rep with Bleach and I'm not yet sure what their friend might bring to the table, but I sure know he isn't straight lol.

DinoPi: As I said, the story is a mess, but I have for the longest time known Joker has some sort of a disability that causes chronic pain. My thought has been he is an ambulatory wheelchair user. I don't have personal experience with this, but I have a friend who is happy to help me with the chronic pain part at least.

General gay rep you can always expect since I seem to be incapable of writing anything that doesn't have at least one gay dude in it.

[the-mighty-dragon]

I feel like I should clarify a few things about the original post because I wrote it in like two minutes while on a cocktail of recently had my first brush with romance at the late asf age of 17 which was actually just giving a dude I didn't know a chance and getting a month of text conversation so excruciatingly awkward that it kickstarted a sexuality crisis that I couldn't really focus on because of AP exams and finals, post exam emptiness, and an overdue english essay.

I wrote this from the perspective of someone situated firmly within allo/love centric parts of society. I've never been in a QPR and I doubt any of the people I know have heard of a QPR, much less would consider it a real thing/know what it is/be interested in being in one with me.

I also wrote this from the perspective of someone who has a hard time understanding social cues and keeping friendships. Something that happens every time I make friends is we'll get along well while we share classes and clubs, but soon after our schedules don't align anymore they stop responding to me. It hurts so bad to realize that while I considered them a friend, someone that I felt love and fondness for, they didn't consider me important enough to keep, as more than a replaceable piece let go of when it became inconvenient.

This is part of the reason why I've always loved the idea of romantic love, I was obsessed with it as a child beyond a normal degree and even now I love shipping characters together. I always dreamed of finding that for myself one day, of being someone's favorite person because they chose to have me as their favorite. I know my view of romantic love is idealistic and unrealistic and that's why I included the Salma Deera quote at the end from the larger poem

In front of my mother and my sisters, I pretend love is cheap and vulgar. I act like it’s a sin– I pretend that love is for women on a dark path. But at night i dream of a love so heavy it makes my spine throb.– I dream up a lover who makes love like he is separating salt from water.

That's why it was so hard to even consider the idea that I might be aroace. If I wanted that true, deep love within friendships, it would be strange, even within the lgbt community it would be strange. If I cuddled with a romantic partner it would be normal, if I complimented them frequently it would be normal, if I sought them out often it would be normal, but with friends I would constantly be scared that and have to wonder whether they think I have feelings for them, if they think I'm doing too much for it to be platonic, if I'm making their partners jealous. And when I get older and we get busier with spouses and family and jobs, I'll see my friends less, My parents see their friends maybe 15-25 times a year, If I don't have a romantic partner will that be it for me? 15-25 times a year and coworkers that I'm not guaranteed to get along with?

Anyway this went from clarification to vent real fast so tldr: the og post was made about me being scared of potentially being aroace while also desiring non-familial, deep love in an allo-centric society because I know it will be so much harder to find, while also having no one irl to relate to and the feeling of isolation that causes. It was never meant to imply that romantic relationships are "truer" or more "valid" than QPRs and/or platonic relationships. Obvi the post is the world's now and anyone can relate to it and interpret it however they want but I guess I just wanted to make the original intent more clear.

Wanting a romantic relationship as a (most likely) aroace not in a "If you want a girlfriend you can't be aroace, it doesn't work like that" kind of way but in a "I want someone to choose me. I want someone to choose me, day after day, for the rest of our lives, because they want to. I want to be someone's partner, I want to be someone's first pick, I want to be their favorite one. I don't want to be shunted aside in favor of husbands, wives, and kids, because our schedule changed, because we've moved on to different things. I want to be a priority. I want them to fight to keep me, I want to fight to keep them. I want to hold someone, I want to be held. I want to exist in their space, I want them in mine. I don't want to find out they mattered so much more to me than I did to them. I dream of a love so heavy it makes my spine throb." kind of way

[aroaceconfessions]

I came out as aroace about a year ago and can I just say, it’s so funny looking back on all the times that it was glaringly obvious? I just think about all the times people asked me out and I’d get mad (cause i don’t know, sometimes people having a romantic interest in me feels almost like an affront? Don’t know if that’s common) and I’d avoid them because I didn’t want to hurt them but also because it felt so uncomfortable. If someone seemed even remotely interested in me I’d turn and haul ass in another direction. People would ask my type and I’d be like “uh… a really good friend? Want to just hang out and feel comfortable.” Beyond that the little things like people saying “one day someone will sweep you off your feet” and my response being something like “dear god that sounds awful.”

The worst offender by far is, i wrote this little story with a character based loosely off me. For the longest time the character had this love interest until I was like… i don’t know, that feels wrong. I realized while writing them they were totally aroace. So I wrote them as aroace, their love interest became their bestie. For all intents and purposes, the two are in a QPR. I wrote that… FOUR YEARS AGO. Somehow totally missed THAT MASSIVE BLINKING NEON SIGN. Seriously it feels like a comedy skit, how have I been so oblivious all this times??

Side note, love this blog. Every time I start to feel iffy about my feelings I wander on back here and see people feeling the same way as me. It’s such a relief to know I’m not alone.

[lily-janus]

Saw you're doing prompts (at least it's in the pinned post xd) and since I'm trash:

"say that again" or "Just pretend to be my date." with loceit? :D

Okay sorry this took a while but I ended up doing both. Also I hope you don't mind but it's part of a series I wrote on AO3 and continued a bit here on Tumblr😅 I don't think you need to read those to understand this one though😊 hope you like it💛💙

Being Different

Summary: Logan and Janus struggle with other people's assumptions about their relationship.

Pairing: queer platonic Loceit

Some context: Logan is AroAce and Janus is Freyromantic and Freysexual

Warnings: missed understanding and assumption about QPR being a romantic relationship, internal want to not be aspec and that's it I think, let me know if I missed anything.

Word count: 1,388

It was not uncommon for people to assume him and Janus were dating. It happened a lot actually. Logan didn't always mind it, there were times when they both agreed to do it on purpose for entertainment reasons… but then there were times they weren't.  

Of course, Janus always encourages him to not care about what other people think, but it's not about that. It irritates him because of the simple fact people assume so easily that they know everything about their relationship and its nature. It would have annoyed him even if they were in fact dating. It's the principle. 

"Awww you're such a cute couple!" The waitress commented and Logan could feel his eye twitch in annoyance.

"We're not dating." Logan hissed lowely, Janus immediately laying a hand on one of his own that were clenched to fists on the table.

The waitress didn't seem to get the hint. She winked "maybe not yet."

Logan nearly growled in frustration. "No! Not ever! We're in a QPR and you don't get to assume-"

"Logan." Janus said softly, cutting off Logan's angry rant and he trailed off with a huff.

Janus turned to the waitress. "Sorry, it's a difficult spot for us, can you leave us for a minute?"

The waitress blinked at the sudden outburst. "Ah… sure." She said and left.

Logan sighed. "I'm sorry Janus, I know I should stop caring about this by now but…" he trailed off, looking away in shame.

Janus was still holding one of his hands, his thumb now stroking it soothingly. "Logan, it's okay to be upset about it." He said softly in that silky voice of his that always seems to calm Logan down.

"In an ideal world, people will stay out of other people's lives and businesses. Now, I don't justify this behaviour, but try to understand." Janus leaned forward a bit, forcing Logan to face him and meet his eyes. "We didn't know about this possibility either, you can't blame people for being ignorant on a subject that's far from well known. But, you are allowed to be hurt by this, your feelings matter regardless of others' intentions."

Logan let Janus' words sink in for a bit, before letting out another sigh and nodding.

Janus smiled softly at him, squeezing his hand reassuringly, before smirking. "What do you say we get out of here? This place's theme is too mushy to my liking anyway."

Logan didn't get a chance to articulate a response before Janus led him up and out of the restaurant. 

He was unusually quiet for the entirety of the car ride, thinking over Janus' words, feeling his frustration fade away slowly.

The car skidded to a stop and it took Logan a few moments to realize where they were.

"The beach?" Logan questioned as they got out of the car, the sky pitch black above them. He thought over what one usually does at the beach, "I don't think swimming is recommended at this time."

Janus snorted. "Oh Logan, no, no, geez. I'm not Remus"

Logan blushed slightly. "Then… why did you bring us here? The usual activities at the beach are swimming and watching the sunset, both of which are not appropriate for this time of day."

Janus smirked. "As always you are right. But, there is something I know you like more than sunsets that comes out at this time." Janus tilted Logan's head gently towards the sky and Logan gasped softly.

"Stars." Logan wasn't dumb, he knew Janus is trying to distract him. But well, he didn't really mind it. The sky was as clear as glass and the stars shone bright, he could almost see all the famous constellations and some of the less known ones too.

Without realizing it, he sank down to the soft sand, eyes fixed on the sky, and started talking about all the different stars and galaxies. After all, space was one, if not the, favorite subject for him to talk about.

Janus stayed quiet listening intently, and, after a while, they both fell to comfortable silence.

Logan finally managed to tear his eyes away from the breathtaking sky and looked closely at Janus. Their eyes met.

"I know that look, don't you even go there." Logan said.

"What look?" Janus asked innocently.

Logan resisted the urge to snort at that. "Don't you dare bring up-"

"Remember your sister's wedding?"

"The wedding." Logan finished a second too late, sighing. "Yes, Janus, I remember. I was so lost, I didn't know what to do. So then you said-"

"Just pretend to be my date, and everything will play out smoothly." They recited at the same time, smiling nostalgically at each other. So much has changed since then.

"It did not, in fact, play out smoothly." Logan pointed out and Janus rolled his eyes fondly.

"Yes darling, I was there. To be fair…" Janus laced their fingers together. "I did warn you not to listen to me."

Logan chuckled lightly and they fell to silence again. Inevitably, Logan's thoughts circled back to the waitress and he sighed sadly. "You know, we can't escape this. No matter how many people we'll tell and explain it to, there will always be twice as many people that are still ignorant."

Janus sighed too. "No, we can't… But we can face it head on, with our chins up, and take whatever society throws at us. We have each other, nothing will change that and that's all we need, Logan. Heteronormativity and society be damned. I love you, Logan, and that's all that matters."

Logan felt the corners of his eyes sting, he sometimes wonders what has he ever done to deserve Janus. "S-say that again." Logan asked, voice full of emotion.

Janus turned to him, smiling. "I love you Logan."

Logan threw his arms around Janus' shoulders, holding him tightly as he cried, tears streaming down his cheeks and soaking Janus' jacket. "I just… I know I shouldn't and… and I really came to terms with myself and who I am, I promise…" Logan trailed off with a sob.

"But?" Janus asked gently.

Logan took a shuddering breath. "But sometimes I wish I was… Normal… like everyone else… it would make things so much simpler. I'm so tired of explaining myself to every new person I meet, of feeling isolated and having the majority of people not relate or understand me. I sometimes wish it'll all just stop and I could take a breath or two and… be able to live my life like everyone else." 

Logan sniffed, burying his face in Janus' shoulder, unable to meet his gaze from shame, he's basically saying he wished their beautiful relationship would not be… Janus must be so hurt right now-

"I feel that way too sometimes." Janus said quietly, rubbing soothing circles on his spine. "But then…" Logan could hear Janus' smile in his voice. "Then I remember that I have you, and we have this. And I wouldn't trade that for anything." Janus pulled back a little so they're eyes could meet, he was indeed smiling and Logan almost felt a mirror smile tugging at his lips. "No one ever in my life understood me like you. So much so that sometimes I wonder if you could actually hear my thoughts." He chuckled softly.

Logan rubbed his warm cheeks, wiping his tears and sniffing. "I would be truly lost without you, Janus… thank you."

Janus smirked. "Ah yes, what would you do without me, I'd imagine life will be quite boring."

Logan smiled, grabbing his hand and lacing their fingers. "And lonely too." He added, not missing Janus' smirk melting into a gentle smile.

"Life will never be simple for us. Sometimes it will feel like too much, and sometimes it won't." Janus gave Logan's hand a squeeze. "But I'm sure that if we stick together, we're sure to figure it out."

He got up, pulling Logan with him and they both dusted themselves to get rid of all the sand.

Logan studied Janus' reassuringly familiar face the whole ride to his apartment. He was suddenly struck with the realization that none of those 'normal' people Logan was so jealous of, will ever feel that kind of connection with someone. He smiled to himself, maybe being different isn't all that bad…

[silly-goofy-mood]

Wait omg i made you start seeing them as a ship??? Hell yeah i love that jdkxkck - it's also funny that your fic re-ignited my arc 6 brainrot (i hadn't written about it in a while when you published it, and it got me thinking about the arc again and then i wrote two chapters of my exes fic in like two days lol) but the scene i asked about was sort of inspired by me being very very gay lmao, i guess we inspired each other with our brainrot! Yay!

(sparing my followers the novel, click if you want to be bombarded by brainrot - and spoilers)

You're welcome for the compliments, i just thought it was really in character: Remeny being a sore loser and trying to flirt her way out of it, Beryl finding it cute and almost being charmed by it but not giving in, calling out Remeny for her very dumb cheating tactics (in her defense it might actually be a good tactic, i wouldn't know, i've never tried putting playing cards in my cleavage - not that i have much of a cleavage to speak of lmao), the banter, the "oop are they gonna kiss?", Remeny having to reluctantly admit that her literal genius quartermaster is smart (fun fact Beryl has a 19 intelligence, which is a lot on its own but compared to Remeny's 9 it's kind of hilarious - how have these two been friends for twenty years?), Beryl being good at roasting (good for her), Remeny having no comebacks (possibly caused by a slight case of gay panic) and just making a face about it (also idk if it was your intention but i was 100% picturing a "kid is angry that you won't buy them something" sort of face, like a very dumb look for a grown-ass adult to have but also kind of cute in a way y'know - i think about these two way too much 😳), and just them being FRIENDS! Just besties! (With some slight sexual tension as a treat hehe) - i'm sad we didn't get to see much of that in the arc but idk, i feel like you pictured their dynamic very accurately!

Also don't even worry about seeming too extra about describing eyes - i feel like "electric blue" was a fitting description, when i read it i was picturing a very intense stare, like the kind you feel piercing through your soul y'know (and at least you didn't call them orbs :p)

(and i may have got you beat for dramatic eye description in my very first fic, which is not even a ship fic but does includes the gayest description i've probably ever written: "eyes bluer than the clearest skies Beryl had ever flown, with a piercing gaze that looked like it could strike you down if angered". ... Even in my fics where they aren't in love with each other, they still are lmao)

Okay one last thing about the ship, because i'm curious: were you writing them as having actual feelings for each other and not being sure what the other felt or just flirting? My personal headcanon has changed many many times, but what i actually think was going on was that they probably used to playfully flirt with each other (before, y'know... Everything) but without actual romantic interest behind it, they're more like platonic soulmates - like maybe a sort of unofficial QPR. I don't think they would work as an actual romantic relationship (see my exes fic for proof) BUT i do like the idea of it 'cause it's cute. (basically: i do ship them but i don't think they were canonically in love)

... How did i not get the death foreshadowing in every scene QUILL YOU FUCKING GENIUS

'cause now that i'm thinking about it, every flashback scene ended with some sort of reference to death, right?? Off the top of my head, the only one i could think of is the one with Lottie, which ended with her saying that her ghosts were proof that death didn't mean you had to fade to oblivion (i love her ;_;)...

You really put a LOT of thought and love and care into this fic, and I hope you know that it's seen and appreciated 🥰

Anywayyy thanks for answering the ask (and reading this novel of a reblog lmao), good luck with your responsibilities, and good luck on future fics!

Hiiiii

So for the fanfic writer ask thing (definitely didn't forget what it was called), i'm asking you about, surprise surprise, your arc 6 fic haha

Her captain, unbelieving, leaned forward until her forehead almost slid up against Beryl’s. Remeny’s electric blue eyes glared at Beryl. The red-head did her best to pull Beryl’s defenses apart. Cute as the captain was, Beryl didn’t break. “Seriously. I didn’t cheat.” Beryl said, her tone taunting, beckoning her captain to make that accusation. She used a hand to push against the captain’s shoulder to give them a bit of distance. Remeny continued to back away, eventually slumping into her chair while Beryl continued, “After all, I’m not as vile as you are. I’m not going to be shoving my playing cards anywhere else… suspicious” “You're making fun of me.” “Yes Remeny, because using your cleavage to hide your playing cards is not as clever as you think. Especially when you’re drunk out of your mind and have terrible sleight-of-hand.” The sky pirate captain, a legendary leader who single handedly led her crew through numerous successful feats of crime, shut her mouth, scrunched her nose, and pouted at the insult. Beryl's smile grew wider. “It’s just the truth, captain.” "Ahhh— you're so smart Beryl!” Remeny said as she swiped the stack of cards from the table and aggressively shuffled them for the next round. “That’s why you're our crew’s quartermaster. Now, if I was quartermaster, we would have all been dead a long time ago.” That was such a Remeny compliment. After all, it was rare to hear something so humbling from someone with such a big ego. Beryl chuckled goodheartedly as Remeny passed out the cards for their next game.

Okay so ... This is just... Impressively in-character, i just... Wow. Like you know that meme that's like "he would not fucking say that"? Yeah, well this is "they WOULD fucking say that".

anyway i guess this is an ask so how did you manage to read these characters' minds and how can i do it /j

Yes! The question I’ve been waiting for! 

Lea is asking about a writing ask which I reblogged here. 

Onto my complementary below the cut, SPOILERS by the way. If you want to read this for yourself first, check it out on ao3 here.

First of all, you’re compliments are so nice haha. I don’t think I can give you the best answer to how I managed to “read these characters' minds” lol, but perhaps you can clean something from what I write down here.

Some background before I get into the scene itself.

I had this structural idea for this fic, which was done sorta well (I had no idea how to do it for Solas). I think we’ve both heard of the “life flashing before your eyes” before death, and here I wanted something like that for Beryl. But her life consists of her pirate crew, and finally in this fic, herself. Each flashback scene consists of a memory of a member from the crew: Remeny, Lottie, Kipp, and Kix (a small one for Salas, if you want to count that). 

I had different “triggers,” some more obvious than others, to initiate a flashback. In the one you chose, the flashback with Remeny, begins with Remeny collapsing in real time. Each other time a flashback occurs, someone is either dying, or in the case with Kipp I just had his flashback sequence come as Beryl was dying herself… I couldn’t find the perfect place hahaha. Additionally, each flashback ended with an ominous reference to death in some sort of way. I mean look: if DM Gus didn't nerf his combat (good choice), Death is what would have happened for everyone in a TPK. 

And well, I like to think of my fanfic of the version in which DM Gus didn’t adjust. The player characters in my fic have trouble speaking, continually take “cold damage” from the water, and Beryl ends up dead.

Alright, let me transition into the section you asked about specifically.

I was thinking of what would fun moment could link Beryl and Remeny together, and I immediately thought of the scene that happened during canon Arc 6. Them playing cards, (I think?) Remeny winning, and Kix doing this preprogrammed Beryl vs Remeny scoreboard. This means that Beryl and Remeny? They have HISTORY with this. They fucking love playing cards against each other, and they’re like rivals about it. So I had to choose that as the backdrop to Beryl’s flashback with Remeny.

But any memory with Remeny would be a moment filled with chatter/teasing/roughhousing/accusations but in the best way possible. Like, in the way that you’ll call your best friend a “Bitch” and roast them, but it’s all in good fun and you don’t actually mean the insults. (We see how this dynamic is bad during Arc 6 Episode 6, but most of the time this is the extent of how far Remeny will go.) So I had to have Beryl and Remeny banter. Of course the first thing Remeny would do if she lost would be to accuse Beryl of cheating.

Now, this next part I’m going to talk about is funny, because it wasn’t until talking with you/ reading your fics (of course other people were part of this too) that I started seeing Remeny/Beryl as a like. Ship ship. Which is stupid, because they literally have all the pieces and parts that would make any large fandom squeal with delight (gay rivals to lovers!). Although this fic is posted without any romantic pairings, I really leaned into that. This scene was meant to be read as possibly romantic. My treat for ya ;)

That’s why Remeny leans forward, and they’re foreheads are touching. It’s tension: are they going to kiss? Her eyes, I nearly settled into the fanfic trope of overembellishing them, but I think electric blue is exactly the vibes I wanted. In my head, I think Remeny wants to kiss and is pushing her luck… that is before Beryl pushes her captain away, and that’s why when Remeny relents she’s slumping in her chair (Like “dammit Beryl, a kiss just this once?” / “No. Kissing me won’t make me get rid of your loss.”)

During this physical moment, they keep up that friendly banter I was talking about earlier (in fact this banter continues throughout this whole section haha). The best thing for Beryl to do is bring up one of Remeny’s past cheating schemes, because let’s be honest Remeny’s definitely cheated before, and is smart about it. Like, Remeny is being hypocritical for calling out Beryl for cheating when the captain has done it before. But of course, I mentioned they’re rivals with inside jokes right? So Beryl’s going to choose the most embarrassing moment she can muster which for the writer (me) I had to ponder a bit. So like. What the fuck would Remeny do? 

Of course it’d be cheating by hiding cards with her boobs.

And like, damn that’s a good roast, so Remeny let’s Beryl have it (captain cannot think of anything else to roast Beryl back and concedes that Beryl won without cheating), and in her lack of a comeback she also admits that Beryl’s smart: that’s why she wins in cards (and wins Remeny’s heart but also this isn’t explicit).

And finally, my odd foreshadowing of death to end the flashback. “Now, if I was quartermaster, we would have all been dead a long time ago.” ← that’s what I mean. 

But it felt too cruel and ominous to end the flashback there. I mean, that’s not what the memory felt like! I didn’t want to warp it like that when the current “present” scene was so tragic, so I ended it off with them continuing onto another game. Past Beryl and Remeny are having a great time. And that’s what makes their deaths feel worse.

Thank you so much for asking! This was incredibly fulfilling and I appreciate your choice of my fic haha. Now, onto my sad irl responsibilities :p take care everyone!

[aspecpplarebeautiful]

hi im aro and i think i want to be in a qpr with my best friend but i dont feel like i know enough about that to suggest it? hes kind of in love with me and while i dont know if i feel romantically about him at all, i do feel more strongly for him than like any person ever and lately have been thinking way too much about kissing him.

im nd and i have a very hard time figuring out my own emotions even when they only really impact me, so i had been trying to like sort through it all so i would have a specific thing to tell him (like whether i wanted to date him again or idk i wanted to bring up once i understood it all. i dont like not knowing what comes next)

unfortunately that didn't work out and it all ended up in conversation last night. he's very supportive of me and wants to give me time to figure it out but i know that as much as he says that he would like a response sooner than later (and so would i really)

i had mostly jokingly? suggeste like friends with benefits type thing and he was like "so best friends who make out?" and i was like 'yes!!!' that's perfect that's like yeah. but then he said that would basically be dating and he didn't say it in like harsh way or anything but i over think absolutely everything so I've been trying to figure out if there is something like more than that to dating or if there's not and I'm just being scared of change and labels and other people or if its like the same thing and? sorry this is longer than i had planned but i already wrote it twice and i don't think a third time will clarify it any better

So for the this ask, when I use the word platonic I'm going to mean it strictly in the non-romantic sense.

So what makes something platonic vs romantic is intent. What makes making out and being good friends platonic rather than romantic? You've decided it is. And what makes that relationship non-romantic is that you've defined it that way.

I think this what makes it so confusing and throws off a lot of people. Unlike sex, there aren't clear markers for what makes something romantic. And there's very few, if any actions that are purely romantic. And a lot of things we've decided are romantic like dating, giving flowers, etc. are social constructs specific to our culture.

But I think because it's hard for people to define romance, and because so much of what is romance or not is determined internally and not something you can spot from the outside, we've created a lot of societal assumptions to determine if a thing is romantic or not (they're not accurate, and a lot of them are also very heteronormative). And one of the big assumptions you see a lot if there's things like kissing, sex, etc. involved people also assume it's romantic. And it can be difficult sometimes for people to unpack that and see sensuality and sexuality as separate things from romance and all three things as things that can exist independently without the others.

So yeah, it can definitely be difficult to deconstruct that and it sounds like maybe that's one of the roadblocks you and your friend are having. Definitely it may be worth time to sit down together and just have a discussion on what is romance, what makes something romantic vs platonic and for you specifically because you're aro what you interpret as romantic vs not is really important here. It may also help to discuss romantic vs platonic vs sensual too as separate concepts.

What makes something romantic or not is something that will vary a lot between individuals, we all have our own definitions of what is and isn't romantic to us. And for aros looking to do a QPR it can also help a lot to see what they feel is romantic or not because that can also be a factor in what they're comfortable with in a QPR or not. An obvious example being if you don't see making out as romantic, then it makes it easier to be comfortable doing that and not defining it as romantic.

For knowing about QPRs, I don't know how much research you necessarily have to do. Though of course it won't hurt. Looking at how other people have done QPRs may be useful for you too to get ideas. But because they're very individualized, and because every QPR looks different, I think the more important factor is figuring out what a QPR looks like for you. And what you'd be comfortable with or interested in doing. So two big questions to ask will be what you're comfortable with and what you want specifically and are these things compatible with your friend. It may take time to work out, and may take trial and error. But it's all about you two and what works for both of you.

Definitely listen to your feelings. If you're not comfortable with something that's OK. If you get a feeling of yes! like you did with the concept of 'best friends who make out' that's something you should listen to too.

All the best, Anon! And good luck!

[ily-tomura]

“It’s not easy to talk about, but…”

Autistic!Tomura Shigaraki, QPR, GN!Reader, Discussions of Pain

The whole time you’ve known him, you’d never describe Tomura as someone who really complains. He’ll frustratedly talk about games levels that he’s stuck on or how hot it is, any little thing that doesn’t really matter, but if something is really, genuinely bothering him, he keeps it to himself.

It’s really hard for him to talk about the things that bother him, especially if the kind of help he needs is something he’d have to talk to a stranger about. You understand that he’s had a rough time with professionals, so you’ve never pushed him on it.

You were getting started on breakfast when he says he wants to talk to you sometime about something important. “It doesn’t have to be now, or even today, but just…. Sometime. Is that okay?” He’s clearly very nervous bringing it up, and you can tell it’s important to him. He doesn’t look at you when he says it, but that’s not unusual for him.

It ends up being almost a week later when Tomura approaches you again to finally sit down and talk. He fidgets with his phone, likely with notes of what he wants to say. He takes a deep breath before he starts.

“It’s not easy to talk about, but I don’t want to be in pain anymore… I just don’t know how not to be…”

You sit quietly, just listening to him talk for the longest time. He’s done a lot of reading and tried to figure out what’s been happening to his skin his whole life on his own but he just can’t do it. He’s tried soothing creams, numbing creams, anti-inflammatory gels, everything, anything, but they just makes it hurt more or make it hurt differently. He’s tired. Tired of waking up in the middle of the night unable to stop scratching. He tried wearing gloves to bed, he’s tried trimming his fingernails super short, he’s tried anything he could think of. It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t causing open scratches all over his body all the time.

“It’s hard to take care of a body that burns and bleeds when you’re just trying to clean and care for it.” Tomura says, kneading the bottom hem of his hoodie with his hands.

There are the beginnings of tears welling in his eyes as he’s clearly frustrated and embarrassed at not being able to solve it on his own.

Eventually he gets quiet, and lays back. He takes a breath, before continuing. “I don’t even know if it’s a real itch at this point. I’ve thought about it being some kind of nervous tic, or compulsive behavior, maybe a mix of a few things, I’m just….”

The tears roll down the side of his face, but he wipes them on his hoodie sleeve.

“… I don’t want everything to hurt anymore.”

You ask if you can give him a hug, and he says yes. He sits up so you can wrap you arms around him for a moment. That seems to help soothe him, if only a bit.

It’s definitely a long road ahead, but you tell him that you can help advocate for him and be there to support him if he wants to find someone to talk to about these kinds of problems. He looks nervous at that, but you assure him that you can start as small as he needs to. He visibly relaxes, laying back down. He looks up at you, and pats for you to lie down next to him.

You lie back with him, just sitting there in silence for a little while. You know it’s not a lot, but just having you in his corner seems to make his whole disposition a little more hopeful.

[asexual-society]

I consider myself romance favorable aro and i think both your answer and the concern of that anon were valid. I love typical romantic gestures and they bring me joy and closeness but it's a very different feeling. I don't think we should act (and that's not what you guys are doing, just saying) like we feel same desire towards partners or it makes us just as romantically giddy. I might want to do those things but it's not the same as "the want" and the intention romo person has behind those

Behind those actions. So it is different and i really get why it wouldn't be enough for someone when they care about feelings being reciprocated in the same way and experiencing the same craving. I love very strongly but very differently despite doing and liking all the romantic gestures. We don't have to pretend it's the same. It can be fulfilling and good for both parties but be aware of the difference and needs before you decide anything or you can get hurt

Yeah you're totally right, honestly, as an aro person myself (although not romance favourable), I don't think I'd be entirely comfortable in a relationship where my partner was romantically attracted to me for the exact reasons you mention, so I completely agree and I get that. My aromanticism is really important to me and I hope I didn't imply that there was no difference in the experiences of aro and alloro people, just that some aro people do have fulfilling relationships with alloros, as long as both parties understand how the other person feels. I actually think people can run into the same sort of communication-related issues when entering into a QPR with an alloro person but from a slightly different angle, so yeah, 100% agree with you.

I do love those "romantic" gestures, like you say, and on some level it sort of hurts for people to act like the amount I care about those closest to me isn't enough, or as much as other people's romantic feelings, which is sort of where I was coming from there. I'm not pretending it's the same feeling, I think I just let my personal insecurities get in the way when I wrote it, but I do understand and know that for some people that isn't enough and that's not anyone's fault, which I hope I got across at least.

[introspectev]

Merthur.

I do not want to diminish the true devastation a lot of people felt, and still feel, about having this ship not be canon (and how some see it as a bit of queerbating before Johnlock and Destiel made Merthur seem so benign in comparison). I can see where people are coming from. I myself have shipped them in fanfic. In fact, Merthur is what got me into fanfic via Tumblr back in 2014. But can I offer up an alternate view of the Merlin/Arthur relationship for a moment?

Merthur as a QPR.

I doubt this was the intention of the writers either, but as a newly realized aroace myself, I've found quite a lot of evidence to support this view on our beloved medieval dorks. I might make a video essay outlining these evidences because that will be a lot of work but here are my general thoughts on the subject.

One: Merlin, for me, is aroace. He never really shows an interest in romance or sex throughout the show but he has very meaningful friendships with most, if not all, of the other characters. And his love for Arthur is so absolute, its transcendent. Before I discovered the terms regarding aromantism and asexuality, I was quick to hop on that bandwagon in which I declare that Merlin is clearly in romantic love with Arthur. More lgbt+ representation in media is always a plus. And I still think Merthur is a very valid romantic ship. But now, I wonder why Merlin's love for Arthur has to be inherently romantic? Why is romantic love put on such a pedestal? Why is platonic love so diminished by society? Can I claim warlocks and dragons as aro culture?

Anyway...

Two: Arthur and Gwen are a valid ship, too, and I feel like most Merthur shippers immediately dismiss their romance. But personally, I really love Gwen as a character and I love her romantic relationship with Arthur. And what i like most about Gwen is that she knows how much Merlin means to Arthur as well. In this interpretation of Merthur being a QPR, i see Gwen as a character who knows that the bond between Merlin and Arthur as a platonic relationship runs deeper and truer than her own, but she doesn't get jealous or demand that her romantic feelings be more valid than their platonic ones. And I think that's a wonderful thought.

I dont know, man. Am I making any sense? The more I think about it, the more I realize that I've been feeling this way longer than initially thought, long before I even realized I was aroace. It was subconscious, I guess, if my Ace!Merlin Modern AU fanfic I wrote 4 years ago is any indication. I guess... I'm just wondering if anyone else has wanted to interpret Merthur the same way or can see where I'm coming from. Please let me know. Am I just so starved for arospec content that I will literally remake the Merthur ship into the queerplatonic relationship representation that I've been searching for these past 6 months since I learned the term?

Possibly...

Am I going to continue to do this with all my favorite shows and movies from my youth when I rewatch them in the future?

Definitely. :)

[entity9silvergen]

My Oriented Aroace Headcanons From 8 Fandoms

Oriented Aroace is an aspec identity where someone does not experience sexual or romantic attraction but experience other forms of attraction in a way that causes another nonaspec label describing sexuality to feel significant enough to have a place alongside one’s aroace identity. For more information on this term, here is the info page on the oriented aroace subreddit and here is the wiki page on it.

Headcanon is a subbranch of fanon, meaning headcanon is something generally not accepted as canon but some fans choose to believe about the original content. In the queer community, it is common to headcanon characters as queer. Sometimes it’s with good reason, sometimes it’s just because we like the characters, sometimes it’s because we see something of ourselves within the characters. 

Here are some of my oriented aroace headcanons.

1. Sai (Naruto)

This is by far my favorite aroace headcanon but I don’t talk about it much because I don’t want to support the stereotype that aromantics are heartless or that asexuals are traumatized. In Naruto Shippuden, Sai is a character who does not experience emotions after an illegal black ops organization killed his brother and brain washed him. He does, however, recover his emotions and learns to be very in touch with them. In Boruto, he is married to Ino and has a son named Inojin.

I headcanon Sai as pan-oriented aroace, possibly demialterous as well, but he experiences some degree of internalized homophobia and aphobia which leads him to pursue a romantic relationship with Ino. I don’t doubt that he loves her, he definitely does but I don’t think he loves her in the same way that she loves him. I wrote about this for Aromantic Writing Month. I believe that Sai initially started courting Ino because that was what was expected of him. Ino went along with it because she is attracted to him. At some point she probably realized Sai doesn’t quite feel the same way as her but they talked about it and continued their relationship as a allo-aspec qpr.

2. Rook Blonko (Ben 10) 

Rook Blonko is Ben’s (work) partner in Ben 10: Omniverse. He is an alien from the planet Revonnah. When we see his homeplanet, we learn that he is very attractive by Revonnahgander and all the local girls are interested in him but he is bothered by it, only showing affection for one girl named Rayona. They end up dating later in the series. A couple villains show interest in Rook as well and he is usually bothered by it or has mixed feelings with no desire for reciprocation. 

I headcanon him as hetero-angled aroace, specifically gray/ frayromantic and acespike. Gray romanticism means that someone is aromantic but can experience some kind of limited romantic attraction or experiences romantic attraction under specific circumstances. Frayromantic is essentially the opposite of demiromantic. Someone may experience romantic attraction that fades as they get to know the other person. Acespike means that someone is asexual but can sometimes experience spikes of sexual attraction. 

If you have seen the show, you may know where my thoughts are coming from. Rook mostly shows romantic interest in Rayona before they start dating. Once they’re in a relationship, their feelings seem very platonic and their relationship is much like a qpr. This may be because of their age, lack of experience, or their culture but I’d like to imagine that Rayona feels the same way as Rook and they are in a qpr.

The only other character Rook has shown interest in is Isosceles Vreedle. He is briefly attracted her during a battle but doesn’t seem to have any intent on acting on his feelings (presumably because he is in a relationship). He seems to be aware that this is out of character for him, which leads me to believe that he is acespike. 

3. Alain (Pokémon)

Alain is the star of the Mega Evolution specials and Ash’s main rival in the Kalos League. I headcanon him as gay-oriented aroace.

I don’t have much of a reason for this. Headcanons don’t necessarily need reasons but I’m still going to try to explain this one.

He never has any romantic interests in the show, probably because we don’t see much of him and his story is very focused on his Pokémon training. There are many characters who are solely focused on Pokemon training and that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re aroace but with Alain, I can’t really see him ever wanting to settle down or pursue a relationship though and he doesn’t seem like a women’s man. 

His perfect life is retiring young from a decent battle career on a Pokemon ranch where he works as a Pokemon professor, giving out starter pokemon and providing a place for trainers to send their pokemon when their parties are full. He won’t have many visitors but maybe he’ll have a close companion to keep him company and help out with any projects he’s working on.

4. Toph (Avatar: The Last Airbender/ The Legend Of Korra)

Toph is Aang’s earthbending teacher in ATLA, the founder of metalbending in the comics, and Lin and Suyin’s mother in TLOK. I headcanon her as sapphic or trixic-oriented aroace.

Sapphic and trixic are both non-exclusive terms for attraction to women but sapphic is specifically for women and trixic is for non-binary people. Canonically, Toph is a girl but she is very free spirited and independent and I feel like she wouldn’t let something like gender limit her.

In TLOK, Toph does mention that she tried to have relationships with Lin and Suyin’s fathers but it didn’t really work out. I imagine that Toph is sex favorable and likes sex as kind of a fun way to enjoy herself but does not experience sexual attraction nor does she feel a need to have regular partners. Similar goes for romance. She is romance-indifferent but does not like it much.

The lesbian Toph headcanon is a popular one. Not really sure why but Toph seems like a ladies’ woman. She likes to have her fun and she just finds women to be better companions than men in these aspects. She doesn’t get attatched easily though and she’s not really into the commitment. 

5. Korvo (Solar Opposites)

Again, I feel like this plays into a stereotype that I don’t want to support but these are my headcanons and I will do with them as I want. Korvo is an alien who is having a hard time adjusting to living on Earth. We know that his species has no biological sex and do not reproduce sexually but many of them choose genders, enjoy sexual activity, and pursue romantic relationships. I headcanon Korvo as bi-oriented aroace, possibly bi-electio aroace.

I have not seen the most recent season but in season 1, Korvo is mostly uninterested in anything outside of returning the ship. We have seen him in real no romantic contexts but he and Terry are co-parents of sorts. We also see him in a couple of sexual contexts. When he got zapped by a ray that removed his intelligence, he tried humping Terry and when he and Terry tried going to college, he remained on his side of his and Terry’s shared bed when Terry brought home sexual partners.

I don’t think Terry and Korvo are in a relationship or a qpr but am not completely opposed to the idea. My point was just that we know he isn’t repulsed by the idea of doing traditionally romantic or sexual things with someone who is masculine in nature. I think he could also appreciate what a woman brings to the table, as seen when he built a robot to fulfill the role of wife and mother in the house.

I don’t think Korvo is interested in a relationship but he does value the companionship and wouldn’t be unhappy with a partner. He may struggle to maintain a partnership but I don’t think gender would be much of a factor.

6. Todd Chavez (BoJack Horseman)

Todd is BoJack’s off-and-on best friend/ roommate. Canonically, he is asexual and heteroromantic (presumably, all we know for sure is that he is alloromantic). I headcanon him as straight-oriented aroace, specifically heteroqueerpatonic and panplatonic.

I love that Todd is canonically asexual and I appreciate that they showed an asexual character who is not aromantic. But, all of Todd’s relationships have that queerplatonic vibe. When he described the kind of relationship he wanted with Emily, it didn’t sound like a romantic relationship. What he had with Yolanda certainly wasn’t romantic. Maybe it was just the writing but Todd seemed most happy when his relationship resembled a qpr. When he was dating Maude, the lines between romance and friendship were blurry and they seemed very happy, and that included not doing traditionally romantic things like getting married.

I could also see Todd as greyromantic. For him, I feel like having a label isn’t really that big of a deal. Being able to say he was asexual was a big deal for him but he just wants to be himself and find whatever makes him happy. Sex and a traditional romantic relationship don’t really seem to be a part of that.

7. Silver Surfer (Marvel Comics)

Again, this isn’t one I talk about much because I don’t want to support the stereotype that aromantics or asexuals are inhuman or lacking emotion. Before becoming the Silver Surfer, Norrin Radd is in a relationship on his home planet and he does express interest in a few women after becoming the Silver Surfer. I headcanon him as straight-oriented aroace.

Some of it may have to do with Galactus’s interference. Maybe not. The Surfer doesn’t need sex or romance (no one does but you catch my drift) but he doesn’t really want it either. Sometimes it is portrayed from a sense of duty but we don’t really know what he’s feeling. He’s been one of my favorite characters for years so I may just be projecting but it feels right.

He can get lonely. He wants a companion but I don’t think he’d want a romantic one or even a queerplatonic partner. He’d be most happy with a friend and he’d get all the fulfillment he needs from one. A romantic partner might be a bit too much.

8. Gina Linetti (Brooklyn 99)

Gina is Jake’s childhood friend, Captain Holt’s assistant, and Boyle’s... something. I’ve seen a lot of headcanons that she is pansexual but I headcanon her as heteroflexible-oriented aroace.

Gina, like Toph, is just kind of doing her own thing. I feel like she’d be sex favorable and romance indifferent. Sex is fun, relationships are alright, she’s just living her best life. Men are nice, women are too. She’s just living life and rocking with whatever rolls her way.

When she has her daughter, she does want to settle down a bit but not with a man. She loves the kid and steps up to her new responsibility but she doesn’t let it change her. She’s still as wild and free and she doesn’t want or need anyone.

[sign-from-god-complex]

Um, so you're like a Tumblr god with writing, so do you have any tips on how to get your stories noticed and out there? Thank you!

ashdgfsdh that’s so!!!! nice!!!!! ty!!! so, to be totally honest, part of my situation is that I got really lucky with one of my fics early on, where it got like,,, a lot of notes and as such I ended up with way more followers but I can still try to give some tips!!!

(this got a little long, so I’m putting it under a cut)

1. Tagging

People (me included) will go through the Sanders Sides or character tags to find stuff to reblog. Only the first five tags you throw in will actually have your work in them (i.e. if you tag ‘1′, ‘2′, ‘3′, ‘4′, ‘5′, ‘6′, the fic will only show up when you search 1-5) and it won’t show up through searches at all if you use certain words (swear words, in particular, I’ve noticed).

Making sure to tag your stuff in a way that people will see definitely helps but also make sure it’s relevant tags. People looking for prinxiety won’t be thrilled to have analogical in the tag they’re searching. You can check my fics for the way I tag them if you want!

And, in relation to a different kind of tagging, use tag lists! I know there’s some general ones online (@the-taglist-repository has a bunch) but sometimes author’s will also just straight up tell you to tag them in stuff (e.g. I love being tagged in aspec or autistic sides content, @/rosesisupposes likes being tagged in superhero AUs, @/sleepless-in-starbucks demands /j to be tagged in all losleep content, etc. etc.).

I would be careful about just tagging people though. I’m, personally, not a fan of being tagged in things that I haven’t asked to be tagged in. It strikes me a little bit as ‘you’re a big blog so I’m just using your followers to try and promote myself’, even if that isn’t the intention.

2. Make content regularly

Now, I get that regularly putting out content is definitely not as easy as just saying you will—life gets in the way sometimes and creativity is stressful—but it definitely helped me when I started writing. I wasn’t doing much else with my time (an unusual circumstance), so I was putting out like,, at least 2 fics a month. In the entirety of last year I wrote 80 fics. But seriously, the more you write, the better your writing will be (practise!) and the more likely people will see it.

You can also try doing writing games like I’ve done for follower milestones in the past. You can find lists of prompts on tumblr, reblog them and ask people to send you a prompt and a ship for you to write a drabble for. There’s also things like Secret Santa (where people trade content for the holidays) and Soulmate September is this month, organised by @tsshipmonth2020! So participating in writing events that you find could also help!

3. Interact with other writers

The biggest thing, I think, personally, to help content creators is for them to work together to lift each other up (sounds kinda cheesy but I’m serious). If you comment on other people’s work telling them how much you enjoyed their fics, I guarantee they’ll be thrilled and you may become friends! (I’ve had,,, several friendships start this way; @/sleepless-in-starbucks and @/max-is-tired, among others).

And you can interact with writers outside of tumblr too! Discord is a super great way to chat with other writers and get your fics out there, I’ve found. There’s even some discord servers dedicated specifically to writing tss fanfics (@potestessemagishomosexualitatis has a great one that I’m in and ik there’s one run by discord user ‘parallelwrites’, though I’m not certain of their tumblr URL).

4. Write what you enjoy!

I guarantee people can tell if you’re writing stuff you’re not enjoying. You don’t have to write only the most popular ships to get notes on your writing (I mean, just look at Lia, who’s basically made their blog on the foundation of losleep). You should write the things you like, even if they’re niche, cause I promise if you want to read it, there’s other people out there who do as well.

I mean, I just read a qpr sleepxiety soulmate AU that the author (@averykedavra) described as ‘self-indulgent’. I’m a huge fan of platonic/queerplatonic sleepxiety but I never see it written! It’s not popular! But Avery wrote it and I loved it. I did not expect so many people to be thrilled about my aroace-Logan coming out story! I wrote it for Me but people really seemed to enjoy it! You never know what people will love.

5. Take care of yourself

This is maybe not so much writing advice as it is a caveat for all the stuff I’ve said here. At the end of the day, writing is fun and getting praise on your stories feels awesome, and I totally get that, but you gotta make sure not to burn yourself out. I went through a period when I started fic writing where I was,,,, a little too dependant on the feedback I got and if I didn’t get what I considered “enough notes” it basically sent me into a downward spiral.

Now, that’s me and I know not everyone will feel that way, but it’s good to remember you have worth outside of what you create. If you can’t manage to write the amount you think you “should” be, that’s okay. If you can’t manage to finish a piece you’ve been working on, that’s okay. If you go for months without writing because of stress, life or simply writer’s block, that’s all okay.

You are the most important thing in your creative endeavours; don’t forget that.

[ozarkkaya]

Queerplatonic Relationships

Are incredibly valid! I just have an incredible amount of feelings about my qpp and our qpr and qprs in general and I just. Need to spill this. So here goes this nice long post detailing all my feelings on queerplatonic relationships, at least a paragraph spewing love for my queerplatonic partner, and saying thank you to celebrities in queerplatonic relationships!

To start off this post I just want to lay down all of my cards relevant to this conversation. I’m aroace and in a qpr with my favorite person in the world- @asher-larkspur. For me, what being aroace means is this: I don’t feel romantic attraction, cant understand romantic attraction, and am a little repulsed by sex. It doesn’t come up in my day-to-day life, but every once in a while it’ll crop up; someone’ll ask me if I have a crush or something and I’ll be like “hm no, I don’t,, get those!” I really WANT to understand romantic attraction, but no matter how many times people explain it to me, it just don’t make sense. 

Growing up, we all hear about how one day we’ll find our Prince Charming; about how someday we’ll fall deeply in love and find our happily ever after. That’s our standard. We’re raised on fairy-tales and the media obsessing over who’s dating who. For a lot of aro people-- for a lot of lgbtqia+ people, actually --this results in some form of compulsive heteronormalcy. I forced myself to have two(2) crushes, both on boys that I wanted to befriend and hang out with the same way I would with my girl friends. The idea of being all mushy and lovey with them always kind of confused me; kind of freaked me out; but I had to have a crush on someone, right?

After all, everyone in the media had them. My friends all had crushes, and all the adults I knew were in relationships, so I was supposed to have a crush. 

And then Ash referred to me as their queerplatonic partner. I don’t remember exactly when it happened, but that day I went and did some cursory google searches into what a queerplatonic relationship was. And yeah-- Ash and I were definitely queerplatonic partners. I’d been referring to us as “platonic soulmates”, but qpp was an actual phrase for what I thought we were.

It’s been a year, maybe two since that first realization. And I’ve been paying more attention to people in media. I can’t say ‘Heidi Klume’ without someone’s instant response being ‘Tim Gunn’-- and its because they’re just,,, close. They’re people in a deep and close emotional relationship, who have absolutely no interest in dating each other.

France has another example-- Vitaa and Slimane wrote a love song surrounding their platonic love, and have consistently declared that they are not romantically involved with each other. Avant Toi is a song about how they are soulmates, and yet it has no romantic intentions. They’re platonic soulmates.

When I was a kid, I didn’t know that was allowed.

And now I do. I’m allowed to not want to be in a romantic relationship. I’m allowed to be ace. And I can still get ‘the human experience’. 

So this is a public thank you to every single person who is in a QPR right now and is open with this information. This is a public thank you to celebrities who have deep emotional bonds with each other but who aren’t dating each other.

Thank you for letting people like me know that we’re allowed to be us.

Queerplatonic relationships are so, so incredibly valid. They deserve so much more representation in media. I’m proud to be in a QPR. I’m proud to say that I could never date Ash, but that I consider them to be my soulmate. I’m proud to say that I love them, platonically. 

And this is a public thank you to Ash for being just. The most amazing person. I can’t,, I can’t say anything more than I’ve already told you because I don’t have the words. I love you so, so, so much and I just want you to know that, alright? You’re my QPP and we’re going to have our apartment and move in together and its going to be domestic and soft. It’ll be us and we’ll be domestic and platonic and we’ll have our cats and our snake and its going to be amazing because you’re gonna be there and you’re my favorite person in the whole wide world.

Sorry that this got. Long. I just have a lot of emotions, alright, I’m just sitting here with so many emotions about this and I needed to spill them out.