#shipping alastor is weird

[tomatoandeggs]

Why do people find the need to invalidate aro/ace characters' identities just because they want to ship or simp for that character

As someone on the aroace spectrum, I've only ever seen allos mention the spectrum and microlabels to use as loopholes to ship. They also dont use queerplatonic relationships right. I am not against these bc i identify with aro and ace microlabels and i like to see microlabels and queerplatonic relationships getting recognized properly but not as loopholes

Its like me shipping a gay and lesbian character and calling it queerplatonic as an excuse

Its aphobic and arophobic. Especially when the character shows no interest, and even disgust, at romance and sex

Why do we, the aromantic and/or asexual community, excuse nsfw/ship drawings/fics? It wouldn't fly if you made ship art or fic of a gay and female character, so why does it fly to make an aroace character allo or sexualize them? We deserve respect

Idc what your headcanons are. It still upsets me as someone on this spectrum who uses microlabels

I just had to get my thoughts out

[greykolla-art]

@cirilee made me realise this was essentially their dynamic, and now I’m going insane I love them!😂❤️

This poor old cat getting dragged around Hell by a weird psychopath.👌

[cepheusgalaxy]

"So, you wanna make them ace?"

Asexuality 101: Making your characters asexual

Indroduction: Ok, so, from what I've seen in fandom and in general, most people don't really know how to write an asexual character. Many just quit it and make them allosexual, others just struggle their way without having much of a guide. Prime example is Alastor from Hazbin Hotel, whom many people want to involve in sexual scenarios so they go with the "asexuality is a spectrum" route. Problem is, they don't understand how asexuality is a spectrum exactly and then they just end up writing their characters as allo. Now, how to avoid this? Teaching them!

If you're looking for a good way to get started with your own asexual oc, an ace headcanon or a media charater, I've got you! (i mention sex briefly here in some parts)

My credentials: I'm ace.

The basics

What is asexuality?

Asexuality is a sexual orientation that is generally defined by the lack of sexual attraction, or a very little amount of it. Sexual attraction is many times confused with libido, which is the sexual desire. Sexual attraction is more accurately, "the desire of having sex with this specific person." Therefore, some ace people do have a libido, and do want to have sex, but mostly are just not attracted to a person.

Myths and misconceptions

Asexuals can't have sex - as many shippers say, "asexuality is a spectrum", and while some aces don't have sex indeed, they can want it and have it as well. Person to person scenario

Asexuals don't know nothing about sex - unless the ace in question is a child, they probably may know, in fact, a lot. Many ace people like reading, watching or consuming smut, and by this and other means, even if they don't have sex themselves, they pretty much know how it is and how it works. Sex is everywhere, after all. Hard to miss

Asexuality is caused by trauma - it can be! Just not always, and most aces are simply born this way

Asexuality is a medical condition - much like homosexuality, asexuality is frequently treated as an illnes and many ace people are forced into conversion therapy. Some people also hold the belief that asexuality is caused by an anormality in a person's hormones, a mental illness, etc. But it is not true! Asexual people can obviously also be mentally ill in some way, but these are different things. It is just a sexual orientation like any other!

Asexuality is caused by HRT - hormone replacement therapy, ie. taking testosterone or estrogen, is one of the most common type of medical transition for trans people. Some hold the belief that taking hormones like those can "break" your sexuality (estrogen does sometimes decrease a person's libido, but it depends on the person's organism and it doesn't take your sexual attraction away from you), and turn you asexual

Asexuality is caused by autism - this myth may be originated from the fact that many autistic people are in fact asexual, or by the fact that both asexuals and autistic people tend to be infantilized a lot. However, as much as autistic people are very commonly also ace, asexuality is not, in fact, a symptom of autism

Basic terminology

Ace - short for "asexual".

Aro - short for "aromantic"; someone who experiences little to no romantic attraction, aka typically "doesn't fall in love".

Allo - somebody who does experience attraction. "Allosexual" is someone who is not asexual, and "alloromantic" is someone who is not aromantic.

Aspec - short for "a-spectrum". The a-spectrum is an umbrella term for anyone who is in any way ace, aro, aplatonic, afamilial, or other identities that fit here.

Acespec - short for "asexual spectrum/ace spectrum". It's a part of the a-spectrum and contemplates all asexuality.

Aesthetic attraction - finding someone pretty or beatiful, without necessarily wanting to have sex with them. Many ace people who didn't know they were ace report to having used to mistake it with sexual attraction.

Sensual attraction - similar to sexual attraction; the desire to touch someone, but without wanting to actuall have sex with them. Many ace people also confused this with sexual attraction.

Aphobia - discrimination against aspec people.

Amatonormativity- the belief that everybody is happier in a relationship, wether they want it or not, and should want and seek to be in one, and the general root of aphobia.

The Split Attraction Model

If you are looking on the ace community for a while, you might have heard of the split attraction model--if you haven't, here it is:

Image description: The Split Attraction Model, a cross chart inside a square, with four ends. The first end of the cross is labelled "ace", its opposite is labelled as "alloce", the third end is labelled as "alloro" and it's opposite is labelled as "aro". The section on the "alloro" and "ace" square is labelled "alloromantic asexual", the section in the "ace" and "aro" part is labelled "aromantic asexual", the section on the "alloro" and "alloce" square is labelled as "alloromantic allosexual" and the section on the "aro" and "alloce" section is labelled "aromantic allosexual". /end ID.

The split attraction model divides all orientations in four groups: The aroaces, the aroallos, the alloaces and the alloallos. It is usually shortened to "SAM".

Many people find this model useful, because it sorts your attraction into two groups: allo- and a-, and yes and no. It's simple and easy.

Many aces do not use this model to explain their attraction/lack thereof though! Hence the first distinction of aces we have here: SAM-aces and non-SAM-aces. Basically aces who use the Split Attraction Model and aces who prefer not to!

A non-SAM ace may define their asexuality as their romantic orientation as well, or label themselves differently altogether. While a SAM ace could call themselves an "asexual aromantic" or an "asexual alloromantic", a non-SAM ace could call themselves just "an asexual". In this case, they can be neither "alloro" nor "aro".

If your character is aware of their sexuality and identifies as ace, it's good to know wether they use the Split Attraction Model for themselves or not.

The spectrum

You may have heard that "asexuality is a spectrum" a thousand times, but what does it mean?

Just like "non-binary", "asexual" can be an identity on its own, but it is actually an umbrella term for a bunch of orientations. When we say that it is a spectrum, we are saying that there is Nuance. "Ace who doesn't date", "ace who dates", "ace who experiences just a little bit of sexual attraction", "aces who like sex" and so on. 'But Angel', you ask me, 'didn't you say that asexuality is when people don't have sexual attraction?' It can be! But there IS nuance, and that's what I am here to tell you.

There are two more factors beyond the SAM that you can consider:

"Are they sex repulsed, sex favorable, or sex neutral?"

Here is the "aces can still have sex" thing. A sex repulsed ace is probably what the majority of people think when they hear "asexual". It is an ace person who doesn't like sex. Doesn't want to have it, is disgusted by it, despises sexual intimacy, etc. They are the aces who tipically just don't want to have sex, and are very happy without it.

A sex favorable asexual is someone who likes it. Sure, they don't feel sexual attraction, but who's letting it stop them, right? They like sexual acts, they are fine and happy with having sex in general, and that's what the "aces can still have sex" point means. Yes, they can, if they want to! Maybe your character themself doesn't define themselves as neither repulsed nor favorable, but it's good to know what their instance on sex is.

Sex neutral asexuals are aces who are not repulsed by it, but are not really into it either. They may have sex, they may be fine with it, they may like it even, but they generally don't have a desire or strong feelings regarding it. It's just sex, after all.

Sex ambivalent asexuals are another thing I want to touch on. They are tipically aces whose instance on sex changes! Sometimes they may feel repulsed by it, sometimes they may want it, sometimes they may not care. They are neither strictly one, nor another. Their feelings change!

It's good to see where in this categorization your character or blorbo would be.

Inside the asexual spectrum, where do they stand?

If I were to represent the ace spectrum as a linear thing, I'd do it like this:

Image description: A linear representation of the asexual spectrum, in the shape of an arch. In one end, it is written "asexual", on the other, it is written "allosexual" and on the very middle, at the top of the arch, it is written "gray-asexual". /end ID.

or like this:

Image description: Another linear representation of the asexual spectrum. One of the ends is a black circle and the other is a white circle. Between them, a gradient goes from one circle to another, passing through different shades of gray. The black end is labelled as "asexual", the white end is labelled as "allosexual", and the gradient with shades of gray is labelled "different kinds of Gray-As". /end ID.

What is graysexual, you ask me? We all know that the world is not black-and-white, and as so, sexuality is also not. Grayace is a term for a person that is also asexual, but not strictly: that is, they are the "feels a little of sexual attraction" part of the spectrum. It is called like that because when we put asexual and allosexual in two ends of a spectrum, graysexuality stands in this gray area.

Gray sexuals may:

Experience sexual attraction only sometimes

Experience light sexual attraction

Experience sexual attraction under certain conditions in certain scenarios, for example, when they are already very intimate with a certain person

And many more! Graysexuality is on itself a spectrum, but having an idea of allosexual -> graysexual -> strictly asexual is already a good guide. Graysexuality can also be described as "having partial sexual attraction".

Fun fact about gray-aces: The asexual flag has four stripes; purple, white, gray and black. The purple stripe is meant to be a color signifier of the community, the white means allosexual, the gray means the gray aces and the black stripe represents people with strictly no sexual attraction. Hence the term "black stripe asexual" (which is not very popular but I personally like).

Micro-labels

You already have a basic understanding of the asexual spectrum and how it works, so you can think on where exactly in the spectrum your character/blorbo is. To help you out further, I present you the microlabels! Much like non binary is an umbrella term with many microlabels like genderqueer, xenogender and demigender, that help one explain their identity with more and more specific explanations, asexuals also have a lot of microlabels! Here are some:

Cupiosexual - asexual person that wishes to have a sexual relationship (example: i am cupioromantic person and i am basically a hopeless romantic and a yearner. cupiosexuality is similar, but with sex)

Gray sexual - asexual person with partial sexual attraction

Demisexual - asexual person who can only be attracted to people they already have a bond with

Abrosexual - person whose sexuality is fluid, and may be asexual at one time, bisexual at another, gay at another, etc.

Aceflux - asexual person whose sexuality changes, like abrosexual, but only between asexual identities

Aegosexual - asexual person who likes the idea of sex or fantasises about it, as long as it doesn't envolve them

Lythosexual - asexual person who is only sexually attracted to people they are not close with, and their sexual attraction fades out once the become closer

Myrsexual - asexual person that uses multiple asexual identities to describe their sexuality

Aroace - aromantic asexual person

Alloace - alloromantic asexual person

Apothisexual - sex-repulsed asexual person

These are not all micro labels in the asexual spectrum, but they are quite a lot. Maybe even if your charater is not sure if they are in a certain label or not, you may find them in some of these descriptions.

Links to resources with more microlabels: Tumblr post by @aroacesafeplaceforall (no images) /

/ A slightly longer list on asexuals.net (undescribed flags) /

/ Another guide for microlabels on lgbtqia.fandom.com (undescribed flags)

Bonus questions

Is it okay if I make my asexual character autistic? Is it not stereotyping? Yes, it's okay. There are actual asexual autistic people, and I'm sure they'd love to get represented as well!

Is it okay if I make my asexual character have sex? Is it not erasure? Yes, you can do that too! As long as it is where they stand in the spectrum (as explained in the topics above), you are doing a good thing by representing sex-favorable asexuals.

Do I have to make a romantic orientation for them too? No. Your character may be a non-sam ace, and identify as ace alone!

I heard that it is erasure if I make smut fanfic of ace character X. I don't get it how! While it is true many ace people have sex, many people when writing that just ignore their sexuality when writing/drawing smut of them! The spectrum is wide, so when you are doing that, remember where they stand on it.

Why can't I headcanon this ace character as allosexual? I headcanon straight characters as gay/bi/pan all the time and nobody says it's wrong! If people don't like my headcanon why can't they just look away? Because asexual people are a marginalized group, unlike straight people, so it is as okay to make them allo as it is to take an asian or black or jewish character and make them white. Because it is not just an individual headcanon; it's a part of a much bigger problem, and by avoiding headcanoning ace characters as allo, you are confronting your own internalized aphobia, which is a good thing! If you still want to make them have sex, well, that's what I made this guide for! So you can make them have sex as you wish without erasing their identity.

I am ace and am basing myself or my own experiences here. Is it okay if I...? The answer is generally yes. If you wanna write about a different ace experience than your own, a little bit of research won't hurt, though!

Is this enough for me to write my ace character? It is a start. This is a general guide, and there are some things I haven't touched on this guide (like aphobia) so I'd advice you to do more in-depth research on topics you want to focus more on, but this should get you pretty far.

Extra

"Is Alastor from Hazbin Hotel canonically ace or aroace?" (slightly related, because some people looking for this guide to write this guy might want to know this too)

Answer: link to a post clearing this up this with some sources. Short answer though, is that he is confirmed to be ace, not aroace.

"If I didn't understand something here, or I have more questions, can I ask you?"

Answer: Yes! You can reblog this post with questions, and my inbox is also open, and I make sure to always let anon on. I will be happy to help if I can.

"One of the image descriptions on this post was off or confusing, can you change it to X so it is better to understand it?"

Answer: Of course! I will need you to signal me in either the notes or in the inbox what I need to change, though.

"Are asexual people queer?"

Answer: Yes! Because the queer community, as the name suggests, is for people who are different, odd, and are not considered "normal" because of that. Asexual people are not a part of "the norm", because we don't feel sexual attraction, and therefore, we, and by extension your ace characters too, are queer.

<2

[starweaversguidetothehazbinhotel]

Okay I am taking the NSFW out of this prompt.

https://www.tumblr.com/worm-writes-hicfics/757388510855593984/hey-its-the-same-person-who-asked-about-a-luci

It may or may not be a hot take- but..

-~-~-

Lucifer can’t get hiccups.

A shame really-Because he finds them absolutely ADORABLE. They are the mortal version of a rubber duck squeak.

So tiny. So precious. So human.

Oh- He has tried to trigger his own hiccup-fit; but after a millennium or two, Lucifer has begrudgingly accepted that it’s never going to happen. It’s disappointing, but He is not mortal and his angelic body doesn’t need to randomly spasm in such a way. (After all this time, He’s still not even sure why humans bodies did it. Seriously- besides being cute- it served no purpose whatsoever)

The hotels resident radio demon however? For all his sense of propriety and self-control; is NOT immune to the condition.

A fact Lucifer gleefully discovered after a night of drunkenly swapping puns and terrible dad jokes with his daughter’s creepy hotelier.

Alastor’s laughter ringing through the hotel lobby; before dissolving into a fit of unrefined snorts, hiccups, and -“Apple of Eden, was that a BLEAT?”

Oh; that had no right being as adorable -interesting-as it was. And it was definitely not something Lucifer would exploit for his own amusement in the future.

Now he just needs to figure out how to make the sinner laugh like that again.

[clarity2electricboogaloo]

I love queerplatonic alastor duos sm‼️‼️

*explodes*

[celtrist]

I don't know if this is a "hot take" and by no means am I trying to be rude, but It's funny since, considering the designs I've seen, most to every radioapple fan child looks like they could be a radiobelle fan child and vice-versa.

Makes sense as Charlie is Lucifer’s daughter and takes... EVERYTHING after him. But you see, it's all in the nose. But no one wants to be giving noseless children, so Radiobelle is the only one of the two that's able to have a differentiation from Radioapple kids with the puppy nose lol

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

Hello *checks notes* StaticRadio, RadioRose, StaticDoll, StaticRose, RadioDoll and DollRose communites. I come bearing several Artificial Cannibals sketches that I cannot find the energy to line or color atm.

Was gonna do VoxVel as the long bacon one bcuz Im still on my all pronouns enby Vox shit and I LOVE PROPAGANDA!!!!!!!! But then I switched it to Rosie & Vel bcuz I felt like making art of the Rarest Pair :)(might actually clean that one up later and also make a VoxVel version Idk)

Vel forced Alastor to say the 3 weed smoking girlfriends line. She thought it would be funny, and she was correct. None of her old ass partners get it tho unfortunately </3

Oh also kinda shitty relationship chart so everyone can see my Vision more clearly

[hlkproductions]

while i'm terribly shy about showing ocs i make for things i've got a love-hate relationship with, i can't help but feel too many positive emotions whenever i draw alastor interacting with things that crank up other aspects of him left unexplored. sheba's one such thing, whose design is so.... -grabby hands- yknow? fun. so im biting the bullet and showing her off. she and another character, Glory, have been in my back pocket since april/may.

anyway, the rundown i have for sheba is she is in alastor's employ alongside husker and niffty. lent out to the hotel as a bellhop / lobby boy, her history with the radio demon lies in a contract made while she was still alive. her servitude and loyalty is exchanged for protection from the things and people she died to free herself of, with a little added "bonus" of accessing a thimble's worth of alastor's power when she's, as he puts it, shut out her weaknesses.

once a sacrificial lamb of a cult she carries a lot of wounds when it comes to trusting others or opening up to the concept of friendship and family. thanks to handing over one of her teeth for that bit of power, sheba cannot use profanities and has to be creative with her curse words.

[gayest-squrrel]

i keep seeing people ship aro characters and using "aro ppl date/ace ppl have sex" as a justification and it is so infuriating

Yes aros can date but doesn't mean they'll want to., we're the least likely to wanna date !

Why does it seem like people try 10x harder to ship aro and ace characters than any other one I swear (probably because they're the characters you have to change the most to put into romantic/sexual relationships 🙃)

especially especially ESPECIALLY when that character is not only explicitly aro/ace but also just NOT INTERESTED IN ROMANCE/SEX

THEY ARENT ATTRACTED TO PEOPLE THAT WAY AND ARENT INTERESTED IN DOING THAT STUFF

You're making them act out of character. They would not fucking say that

[aerodynamic-acephalic]

i don't think there is anything more dear to me than the weird "it's not romantic, it's not sexual, but 'platonic' and 'familial' don't quite cover it" relationship between:

the edgelord who may or may not have committed several atrocities.

the ray of sunshine who has been through too many atrocities but remains a ray of sunshine regardless/in spite of it.

[massiveladycat]

me watching another aroace character gets erased and forced into dating

[feathers-second-face]

Edit: So Idk if it's just me but tumblr ate the quality on this so uh- Click it to read it better Ig? My hand writing sucks tho so it might be impossible to read either way.

This happens often. They get along even though one of them is essentially playing telephone through Alastor. Poor boi.

Apparently 'friend' makes this person feel bad. Huh.

DO NOT TAG AS SHIP!

[dolls-self-ships]

Hair headcanons for the Hazbin Hotel crew because I thought of them walking home idk man

Lucifer: smooth and shiny but slightly sticky/stiff from all the fucking hair gel he uses

Charlie: perfect fairytale princess hair- smooth, soft, shiny, silky, perfect mwah 😘

Vaggie: soft but a bit frizzy, gets tangled easily too (Charlie helps her brush her hair 🥹)

Husk: a bit scraggly and stale with some dried up alcohol in it (he’s too depressed to bathe often so he just licks away what he can when he can), the base of his fur/scalp is really soft though

Angeldust: Soooo much fucking hair product oh my god. Has to put a lot on for shoots ofc, but holy fuck it’s so strange feeling. Like, it’s nice to look at and touch but you can just tell it’s drowning in oils and heat protectant and hair mouse and perfume. It’s smooth and silky but in an icky way not a nice way

Alastor: Prickly :( Not soft at all. Do not touch it

Sir Pentious: is it even hair?? It’s more like his hood that acts as a pseudo-hair but I imagine it’s very soft and smooth to the touch, shiny too (was probably reeeealy thick when he was alive too)

Cherri: naturally very fluffy and soft hair but maybe a bit greasy (she’s got better things to do than wash it everyday okay?? Damn)

Nifty: stiff as FUCK, uses lots of hair product like Angel, but definitely takes care of it more often. She’s a 1950’s girly so she sleeps in rollers every night. She needs her curls to stay pristine and in place or else she will have a breakdown.

Vox: …..

Valentino: ……

Velvette: has the BEST hair out of everyone on this list. She keeps it styled, clean, soft, and beautiful every day and never skips on a hair washing day. Sleeps in a silk bonnet every night ofc 🥰

[sadqueerenergy]

Just saw a post where alastor impregnated Charlie, that's enough Internet today.

[nillisaie]

RadioFluff 🦌📻🍰🐑

Alastor x Nilla

My first time filling one of these out. I tried my best. Might redo it one day or make adjustments

Blank templates I used:

I'm pretty sure the original post had more colors..? But I don't remember exactly and I don't remember where I saw the original post (sorry)

[mechieonu]

haven't seen HH yet & my only real hope is that charlastor keeps whatever dynamic they had goin on