#sapphic ships are only ever allowed to be fluffy

[mahoutoons]

i've had this thought for a while now but i didn't know how to properly put it in words. but the short version is: sonic fandom, i do not like the way some of y'all treat wlw ships :/

in the recent years i've noticed blazamy is becoming an increasingly popular ship. which i appreciate because its a good ship which has a lot of potential. what i don't appreciate is the way its treated compared to mlm ships like sonadow.

because lets look at how people treat sonadow compared to blazamy. sonadow gets so much fanart, fanfic, aus etc where the content is deeper than "they're cute bfs". they're allowed to be angsty, messy, they're allowed to fight and argue. people can write essays upon essays about their dynamic and how they'd work as a romantic relationship. but when it comes to blazamy? all people can say about them is just "they're cute gfs who go shopping and paint each others nails :)" nothing about the potential angst of them being in seperate dimensions. nothing about how their opposite personalities would bring out the best in each other. unlike sonadow they're only ever depicted as "cute gfs" in fanworks and nothing else. even in fanfics they're just the background sapphic ship while sonadow is the main ship but they're rarely ever the main focus. and when they are the main focus, they're never fleshed out half as much as sonadow.

and unfortunately, the reason i think this happens is because people just ship blazamy so amy can be out of the way of sonadow. its also the way some of them only hc amy as a lesbian so the whole "crush on sonic" thing is explained away and she can be out of their mlm ship's way. they know that hating a female character for getting in the way of an mlm ship isn't acceptable anymore so they do the next best thing - hc her as a lesbian or pair her off with another female character just so she can be out of the way of their ship. this way they won't get accused of being sexist.

but.... this is just sexism with extra steps imo. this is just people using a wlw ship as an excuse to not have a female character in the way of an mlm ship. they don't even bother to flesh out the wlw ship beyond "cute gfs". they only ever talk about said ship when its in relation to their mlm ship. they only ever use female characters to uplift the male characters.

and before people start typing already, i am not saying every sonadow shipper who ships blazamy is like this and i am not saying you're not allowed to hc amy as a lesbian. if you want to hc her as a lesbian with comphet, go ahead, its all fun! what i have a problem with is people only doing it as a means to get a female character out of the way of an mlm ship, and as such treating her and the wlw ship she's in as props to uplift their mlm ship.

and no, this is NOT a sonadow hate post. this is just me talking about something i've noticed.

[alexsfictionaddiction]

8 Pansexual Books Everyone Should Read This Pride Month

I think the pansexual flag is probably my favourite of all of the Pride flags. It’s just so warm and happy! Pansexuality is the sexual attraction to people regardless of gender. As you may have guessed, the stripes on the flag represent attraction to those who identify as female (pink), those who identify as male (blue) and those who identify as non-binary (yellow). It differs from bisexuality in that bisexuals are typically not attracted to all genders whereas pansexuals are. Books that feature pansexual main characters aren’t very common but I’m hoping that will change over the coming years as more well-known faces are opening up about their pansexuality -Miley Cyrus, Cara Delevingne and Janelle Monae have all come out as pansexual- and as understanding of it increases. Pan writers, we need your voices! -Love, Alex x

1. Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy.

When Ari releases an old magic sword, she discovers that she is apparently the latest reincarnation of King Arthur. Together with wizard Merlin, who is aging backwards, she must embark on a quest to overthrow an oppressive government. Without a doubt, one of the most unique takes on the King Arthur legend you’ll ever read, this is an action-packed queer space romp with a wonderful cast of characters.

2. Soft on Soft by Mina Waheed.

June is a successful online make-up guru with thousands of loyal fans but in real life, her walls are the highest to climb. Enter sunshine-personified Selena. June is pansexual, Selena is demisexual, both are plus sized and this sugary sapphic romance is perfect for anyone who loves a fluffy burst of cuteness. Low on angst, high on acceptance and loveliness.

3. Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate.

When rumours of a student-teacher affair start to surface at Paloma High School, it turns out everyone has secrets and seven unlikely friends are about to come together amidst the drama. Lucas is the pansexual character and he’s so incredibly likeable. There is also an ace character and lots of cultural diversity, so pick it up if you’re looking for a great character-driven inclusive YA contemporary.

4. The Library Of The Unwritten by A. J. Hackwith.

Claire is Head Librarian at The Library of the Unwritten, a place in Hell where all of the unfinished books go but when a Hero escapes from his story, she must get him back but it triggers a terrifying power struggle between Heaven and Hell. Claire is openly pansexual and there are references to multiple other characters being queer. It’s a unique supernatural fantasy adventure that true book lovers will lap up.

5. Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler.

When a young girl loses her memory after a horrifying attempted murder, she realises that she doesn’t want for normal human needs because she is in fact an Ina -a genetically modified vampire. Sexuality as we know it is not really present in Fledgling due to the complex relationships between humans and Ina. The book challenges the rigidity of sexualities as we know them but pansexuality is the closest word that we have to describing it. This is a very unique strange sci-fi novel that has so much to say about human life.

6. Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore.

No girl who looks like Lita or Chicky has ever won the Miss Meteor pageant so the ex-best friends decide to team up and smash the long-held standards of the pageant. Chicky is an androgynous pansexual and there is a lot in this book that deals with questioning and self-acceptance but it’s done in a light-hearted manner. It’s a fun, three-dimensional, magical realism story with wonderful characters.

7. Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan.

Jubilee and Ridley’s parents are rival comic book store owners but when the two teens meet at a convention, they can’t help but fall for each other. Jubilee is pan and Ridley is bi and there is some discussion about the differences between the two, as well as Jubilee questioning whether she’s allowed to identify as queer because she has only dated guys. It’s a Romeo and Juliet retelling, so there is a lot of darkness, depiction of mental health issues and suicidal ideation.

8. The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.

When Rosemary joins the crew of the Wayfarer ship, she doesn’t expect much other than the chance to explore space a little but the madcap diverse crew offer so much more. It’s never explicitly stated but if you understand what pansexuality is, then you’ll recognise it in Sissix and potentially in Jenks too in his romance with Lovey. This is a wonderfully quirky, funny, character-driven sci-fi series that celebrates diversity and acceptance through a thoroughly loveable cast.