#the evil aromantics should be respected

[dramatic-delirium]

Who's out there shipping Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang the two most aro bitches in the novel

[honey-minded-hivemind]

🍷The Heir of Evil🐉 AU fans have decided, and...

🍷The Heir of Evil🐉 AU Reader will be an IceWing!!

I have a few headcanons for them, and a a bit of backstory and lore planned, too😊 Let's dive in:

• ❄IceWing!🍷Heir of Evil!🐉 Reader is the grandchild or great-grandchild to the wicked IceWing queen, specifically the one who put the tribe into multiple wars and skirmishes and tried to take over the dragon world. Reader isn't like her (they're not an irredeemable monster who hurts others for fun)

• Heir! Reader wears jewelry that is mostly silver or black, but loves any sort of colorful gemstones or charms...

• Heir! Reader only wears the pieces of jewelry that are necessary; they don't want to waste the tribe's treasure on frivolous items, and if the jewelry appeals to other tribes, then it might make Reader and the IceWings seem more appealing, like they're dragons, too...

• Heir! Reader is good with algebra, dragon biology, and creative writing...

• Heir! Reader is torn between what the two sides of their kingdom wants: to stay unscheming and try to foster peace, hoping other tribes will leave them alone and not hurt them further... or to amass enough power and treasure that they can wage a war against the other tribes, or at least the IceWing hybrids who some view as traitors...

• Heir! Reader's necklace they were told to never take off is enchanted, but they don't know that. The necklace hides something about them, which is why their vanished/dead parent gave it to them...

• Heir! Reader has had to stop a coup for their throne/title at age four (about 12 year old in WoF dragon years), which led to them earning the respect of the remaining advisors and generals of their late parent/late family, as well as the respect of the few nobles left and the different IceWing villages...

• Heir! Reader's hatching day is a mystery, as no one ever saw their egg, nor them, when they were first hatched, save for their deceased parent and a late ally of their's...

• Heir! Reader has an army of pet foxes, all of which are (diet) platonic yandere for them (they're all so cute and cuddly and fluffy-!)

• Heir! Reader, unlike most IceWings, enjoys trying cooked meats and exotic dishes from other tribes and kingdoms...

• Heir! Reader prefers to sleep with a fur blanket, not because they're cold (they're an IceWing), but because they like the soft fur and fuzzy texture...

• Heir! Reader is an aromantic-asexual...

• Heir! Reader enjoys traditonal IceWing foods such as fresh salmon with lemon juice, thinly-sliced caribou strips, puffin and moss salad, kalimari (squid), bear jerkey, ox ribs seasoned lightly with moss, seal meat marinated in ginger/lemon/honey, as well as ice cream, frozen berry slush, and lemon-flavored shaved ice...

• Heir! Reader likes traditional dishes from other kingdoms such as: MudWing's Diamond Delta Gumbo, SandWing's Cinnamon Milk and Roasted Lizard Kebabs, SkyWing's Charred+Barbecued Eagle Wings, SeaWing's Thousand Scales Thousand Fish Sushi, RainWing's Mango-Orange Juice, NightWing's Smoked Boarchops, HiveWing's Honey-roasted Shrimp, SilkWing's Loaded Baked and Sweet Potatoes, and LeafWing's Planter's Pie...

• Heir! Reader sometimes wears a small, spiked tailband on the end of their tail, nestled above where their spikes are...

• Heir! Reader enjoys sunrises, and writes new poems and hymns for their tribe to sing at their Gifts of the Ice Dragon Festival...

• Heir! Reader enjoys old literature, especially comedies...

(I will make another post about Heir! Reader facts, but dealing with IceWing culture)

(I wonder what their name could/should/would be?)

[your-ace-fluffy-neighbour]

Hazbin Hotel stuff:

Is Alastor aromantic?

I don't want to form an opinion as I’m only asexual. So I'll just list some neutral thought?

Disclaimer: This post is not against anybody, solely made this because I want this nasty fandom war about this topic to finally rest. I couldn't care less either way what he is, I'll always love his character. Plus he's a fictional cartoon deer demon, I think everyone can customize him as much as they like in *headcanon*. People naturally want to connect with their favorite characters,

just please don’t start online arguments over it.

So:

He is painted to be a psychopath, and by definition they can't feel love. So I wouldn't call that aromantic (it would look bad on Vivzie a little). Unfortunately psychos can, however, be sexual (in some pretty gross ways too), so we really dodged a bullet there. We’ve had a glimpse into his other emotions besides being a malevolent sadistic puppet master. So he might not be a psychopath at all *and* be an aroace individual. He might just be taken over by evil or some other fan theories that are out there, but since we’ve only seen season 1, it’s hard to say anything for sure.

Setting aside the “who said what where”, it hasn’t been confirmed canon, so until then, we can only speculate.

But again, it’s important to note that it's all a spectrum, which is also very overlooked in representation. So he could be on the aroace-spectrum. Asexuals don't have to be sex repulsed and— I'm not aromantic, I'm not sure how that spectrum works, so I'll leave that to you, guys. And yes, there are still people at the very end of that spectrum, so respect everybody, regardless where they stand. Everybody’s feelings are valid, there should be no argument there.

Oh and

Happy Pride Month for all!

[jaynesilver]

I'm coming from out of nowhere asking some headcannons lol. What headcannons do you have for Phasma? 👀

PHASMA, oh God, my beloved Phasma.

Warning: spoilers for the Phasma novel and a bit of comics.

So, there's a broad difference in a lot of places between canon Phasma and fanon Phasma, as is the case with a lot of characters. Canonically, as shown in the Phasma novel by Delilah S. Dawson (which is amazing, and everyone should read it), she is a brutal, mostly unrepentant survivor. She doesn't care about anyone but herself. She does not have friends, and barely has allies.

Any cooperation she has with either Hux, Brendol or Armitage, is entirely vested in self interest. If you extend this to her Star Wars comics - Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Captain Phasma #1-4 - you will see a woman who is even more self-interested and completely dedicated to one thing - her own survival at any cost.

Amy cooperation she has with Armitage in overthrowing Brendol is not because she likes or respects him - she really doesn't - it is because she can see he's a better investment in her future power and survival. She does express some shock and regret when Brendol glasses her home planet in the novel, but overall, she has no compunctions about betraying and murdering her own people, including her own brother.

It is also heavily implied (to my mind) in the text of the Phasma novel that she is asexual, as it's observed that she'd never coupled with a tribe member. At one point, the POV character for sections of the novel, Siv, ponders if Phasma might've taken up with Brendol, and then goes "nah, definitely not" (lmao).

In fanon, Phasma is generally softened, and I understand why. I have often done so myself, because it's fascinating to explore a friendship between her and Armitage, a more collaborative cooperation than Brendol's canonical assassination actually was. Canon Phasma would absolutely kill Hux / let Hux die if she thought it was in her best interests to do so; Fanon Phasma is generally his friend, and more protective of him. This is because otherwise, neither of them have any friends (😂).

As shown in the text, the relationship between Hux and Phasma is one of mutual cool tolerance, and perhaps grudging respect from Hux towards her. She doesn't respect him as a person, much, from what I can tell; she respects Hux as she would a particularly sharp knife. As for everyone else? She expresses some fear about Ren (reasonable, like a predator recognizing a larger beast), and could not give less of a shit about anyone else. The troopers are canon fodder to her and she'd sacrifice them all to save herself (and does so more than once).

If I were hard-pressed for my actual opinion on her sexuality (based on what is shown in canon), I would say Phasma is asexual and aromantic. Personally, I think of her as an ace lesbian. I see her as someone who'd have little to no sexual interest in men, except as more of a power play / for her own amusement. I do not ever see her as being a submissive partner in a sexual situation. Regardless of my own opinions, Phux is a fun ship and I enjoy it a lot, as is Kyluxma, and Reysma.

In summary, I fucking love Phasma, and she's the best. Let women be evil, yeah?

Thank you for the ask! You probably weren't asking for an essay 😂

[music-oc-tournament]

OUR SECOND ROUND OF BATTLE HAS ENDED!

Once again, congratulations to all the vicious villains who won their respective polls! As for the rest, enjoy the complimentary coffee with your fellow failed antagonists. You tried your best to be the worst, and that's commendable enough.

As is expected, I will once again list the upcoming match ups below! And again, we are entering another period of propaganda! As we get closer to the end, it's imperative to remind people of why they should vote for your villain. Polls will resume on Thursday, the 11th!

SIDE A

POLYBIUS, NO AGE LISTED, XE/IT/SHE/THEY, AN AI VIRUS MASQUERADING AS A VIDEO GAME ASSISTANT, CREATED BY @threedeemensional

VS LUCE MONTAGNE, 28 (CHRONOLOGICALLY 130ISH), ANY/ALL PRONOUNS, A LESBIAN NECROMANCER WITH A PENCHANT FOR BLOOD MAGIC, CREATED BY @bleedingtooth

MOTHER, 40-50ISH, SHE/HER, AN EMOTIONALLY MANIPULATIVE MOTHER TO HER PROTAGONIST, CREATED BY @skyderman

VS CARL DENVER, 48, HE/HIM, DESCRIBED AS A MONSTER, A MURDERER, A PARASITE BITING ITS LEECH, AND A BISEXUAL BABYGIRL, CREATED BY @kingeyelidz

SIDE B

JACQUES JACQUIER, 120 YEARS OLD, PRIMARILY HE/HIM BUT ANY PRONOUNS ARE OK, A DEMON AND RIGHT HAND MAN OF THE LORD OF HELL WHO LIVES BY THE MOTTO OF “SEX, DRUGS, AND ROCK'N'ROLL”, CREATED BY @wrappedinblack-blog

VS YUUKO NISENIWA, AGELESS (20’S PHYSICALLY), SHE/HER, A KITSUNE GIRL FROM THE OTHERWORLD WHO POSES AS A THERAPIST IN ORDER TO MISLEAD AND DISRUPT THE DREAMS OF HUMANS, CREATED BY @tlvq

ROTT, 230, HE/HIM, A COMEDIC AND SARCASTIC GUY WHO’S SECRETLY A ZOMBIE THAT FEASTS ON OTHERS TO SUSTAIN HIMSELF, CREATED BY @transsalad

VS CRYPTO SYMBOL, ADULT, SHE/THEY/HE, AN AGENDER, AROMANTIC, ASEXUAL SWAG DOOFENSHMIRTZ-ESQUE VILLAIN WHO ACTS MORE EVIL THAN THEY ACTUALLY ARE, CREATED BY @element-kitten-klaws

[wolfwafflez]

Hazbin Hotel Just Because Funness: Second Favorite Character ALASTOR 

Favorite thing about them: He’s just…such an asshole. XD I love Alastor to death because he’s a super slick, sarcastic smartass (you like that alliteration?) He’s our very creepy and mischievous bad boy. Even if you’re not into bad boys, you’ll probably think he’s hot anyway cause he’s just that effortlessly good at it. You can’t help but love how he oozes sexuality without even caring about it at all. 

Least favorite thing about them: He doesn’t appear to have ANY weaknesses…at least not concrete ones. Watching him get his ass handed to him by Adam was great for disproving his supposed invincibility, but I want to know what SCARES Alastor. If he experiences insecurity, I would LOVE to see it. I want that perfect, composed facade to SHATTER.

Favorite line (s): “Why I haven’t been that entertained since the stock market crash of 1929! Hahahaha…so many orphans…"

“Well I’m starved, who wants some jambalaya?!”

“Why hello there, you wayward sinner! Do you like blood, violence and depravity of a sexual nature? Of course you do, that’s why you’re in Hell!!”

“Yes, I know it’s been a while since someone with style treated Hell to a broadcast. Sinners rejoice!”

“A reminder to all, not to mess with the Radio Demon!!”

“Alastor. Pleasure to be meeting you, quite a pleasure…I’m about to end your fucking life!”

Favorite friendship: He and Niffty are the cutest.

Best ship: Alastor is canonically asexual and aromantic, meaning he has absolutely zero interest in romance or sex of any kind with anyone. That being said, I DO like the idea of him and Vox…not officially, just for fun. XD I love their dynamic, and can definitely see some feelings of that nature on Vox’s side. In terms of actual shipping though, I respect his aroaceness. 

Worst ship: Charlie. Just…ew. No. Doesn’t work even a little bit.

Random headcanon: When Alastor was alive, he no doubt had soooo many women hitting on him/asking him out all the time (since he was handsome, funny, charismatic…the whole package.) I like to think there was at least one woman he decided to give a chance, either out of curiosity or feeling like he should out of obligation (or pressure from his mother), and it went VERY. BADLY. XD Like, I imagine her leaning in to kiss him after the date, or ACTUALLY kissing him, and he just has a full blown breakdown, runs off and never speaks to her again. 

Unpopular opinion: People who say Alastor actually loves/cares about Charlie or any of the hotel crew are…wrong. XD Alastor is evil as shit. He is an extremely manipulative, vindictive psychopath. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. He’s at the hotel for his own agenda, not because he actually wants to help anyone. I mean, come on. The guy was a cannibalistic serial killer when alive. Full Hannibal Lecter. And is now an overlord of Hell. What do you expect?

Song I associate with them that’s not on the soundtrack: “Fan Behavior” by Isaac Dunbar.

Favorite picture of them: 

[transfemlogan]

16?

- 🌧️

i have already answered 16 for the positive one here . & i have been asked 2 answer it 2 more times after NSHSJDNDH so instead. i will answer 16 on the negative one & if i can think of another small detail in canon ill talk abt it. it's just hard 2 know whats a "small detail" & whats not

negative fandom ask game

you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

i can't understand why everyone loves soulmate AUs.

that's a lie and exaggeration, i do get it to some extent. i understand that it's because the concept of having a "one true love" that will love you forever and ever is appealing & comforting 2 a lot of people. i respect & understand that.

but i fucking hate soulmate AUs.

for background: i am a relationship anarchist & a nonamorous romance + sex repulsed aroaceapl. i do not date, i do not have sex, i find romance & sex repulsive, i do not have queerplatonic relationships, i don't feel platonic attraction most of the time, i'm touch repulsed, i want to live alone; the idea of "dying alone" & "being alone forever" is the most appealing thought ever. & it's how i want my future to be.

SO. i find soulmate AUs to be the most horrifying & terrifying thing on the planet DNEHRKFNFJ

ignoring the fact that all soulmate aus are aphobic & actively ignore aspecs, the ones that do attempt to include aspecs tend to still exclude people.

"well you don't have to have a romantic soulmate! you can have a platonic one!" what about aplatonic folk? what about people who don't want to have friends?

& then its "well not everyone gets a soulmate!" what about aspex who DO want a soulmate? like genuinely what does that mean? how can you take in account every single unique sexuality & experience. i understa d that obvs soulmate aus r not trying 2 do thst but like. how does that work.

& you never ever see a soulmate au that takes in account aromantic allosexuals, because obviously having sex w/o feelings attached to it is evil & wrong. (HEAVY SARCASM!)

i do not want the universe/government/etc to pick who I get into a relationship with? who's the universe or the government or whoever tell ME who i can & can't date???

i think relationships need to be built and made and formed. I understand it's like "oh, but you have someone who is destined to love you forever", but it's like... i'd rather have someone who chooses to love me. not is forced to. someone who is willing to build a relationship with me & is choosing to love me.

i have wanted to write a soulmate au where a side (probably logan) actively ignores their soulmate & goes against the rules but i havent done it yet & i probably wont.

IDK I KNOW THIS IS ALL JUST SILLY BUT LIKE. HOW DO YOU GUYS FIND THAT ... APPEALING??? THAT WOULD BE TERRIFYING. if there was someone out there destined for me??? That i HAD to get into a relationship with whether i liked it or not???? whether it was my choice??? like ABSOLUTELY NOT. i don't want to be forced into a relationship just cuz the universe told me i should be. & i dont want to be forced into loving someone just because someone else told me I should be. that i had to love them because they loved me back!!! like this sounds like an abusive manipulative horror story waiting 2 be told (<- which now i def want to see. someone get on that. write a soulmate au where the persons soulmate uses it as an excuse to abuse & manipulate them & guilt trip them that'd be cool)

AND THEN SOMETIMES SOULMATE AUS HAVE THE MOST TERRIFYING SYMPTOMS EVER??? i saw one where you are constantly hearing your soulmates thoughrs. thats fucking terrifying. to never have a moment alone? to never have fucking privacy?? in ur own head? i saw a fic, which like no hate 2 the author it was beautifully written just so terrifying to me, where janus shares his thoughts w/ logan constantly & tells logan 2 "shut up so he can get work done" or whatever. LIKE WHAT DO YOU MEAN. WHERE AM I.

maybe its just cuz i was abused as a child & have been in an abusive relationship & im traumatisdd & its affected my way of living & entire life, but all i can hear when i see soulmate aus is how genuinely terrifying it would be if you were in an abusive relationship w/ a soulmate.

imagine have your thoughts always be read by your abuser. that no matter what happens, your abuser will always hear what you're thinking. you can't think of ways to escape or even begin to examine your relationship, because youe abuser will always be able to punch that down. & even if somehow you do escape, you will never bs free of them. thats fucking terrifying. & also a great metaphor for experiencing an abusive relationship & having ptsd after it can someone write that too. someone get on that.

if i shared my thoughts w/ my "soulmate" id probably actually kill myself i knkw thats a wild fucking thing 2 say out of no where but i am not joking. if i could never ever have a moments alone in my own head id actually be ending it right now. its almost 1 am can u tell i havent gotten sleep at all.

ANYWAY I HATE SOULMATE AUS. NUMBER ONE SOULMATE HATER !!!! ITS TERRIFYING & SO UNCOMFORTABLE 2 EVEN THINK ABOUT

negative fandom ask game

[ihateliterature]

The very personal opinions of a very cynical heartless aro that would get most alloros to flatten immediately

1. Love is morally neutral. "Evil" people can love, and sometimes hurt the people they love, sometimes exactly because of that love

(fun fact just got publicly humiliated for this one. For a second time. Bc I complained about being publicly humiliated the first one, bc who cares about my dignity when I said that live could be bad right?)

This is the tamest one, buckle up

2. Weddings are pathetic. If you have anything but an ironic pizza party in funny costumes I believe you're the biggest loser, and also really wasteful. Also marriage should not exist, at all, if you ask me

3. If I could I would actually make it more difficult for monogamous marriages to exist bc just the concept of having so much of your life hang onto a single other person sounds like a recipe for disaster

4. If you're not aromantic, non-monogamous, single by choice or a relationship anarchist I literally couldn't care less about your opinions on love and relationships. What could you even tell me that I haven't heard before?

5. There is no one I trust less than alloromantic women

6. Platonic affection is the deepest and most profound type of affection bc it's the only one that is associated completely with your free will. No obligation, no great force taking away your senses, just you and the people you chose to care about

7. Jealousy is fucking weird and actually unhealthy. If I was with someone and they got jealous I would break it out on the spot

8. I've never and I will never be friends with someone I know is romantically interested in me. Just the act of telling me let's me know how much you respect me

[bluedalahorse]

One time, almost a decade ago, one of my friends got married. During the reception the rest of my friends and I were all hanging out at our designated table and having a good time, and my friend’s new husband came by our table and told us he needed to have a serious talk with us.

What he said was: that he and my friend who married him were happy together, and yes they were married now, but they still needed the other relationships in their lives. That their friends still mattered to them. And he wanted us to promise we would still come and see my friend and invite her to things and generally hang out with her as before, because he knew she needed all of us.

It was a very genuine moment, not performative. And it was so helpful to me as an aromantic, because our general cultural atmosphere pushes so much the idea that a monogamous romantic partnership that lasts forever is the highest and most important kind of love. I spent a lot of my 20s worried that I wold gradually become less important to people and lose all of my close friends as they paired off. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened. But I know a lot of people who’ve had that fear, or who still struggle with it.

Anyway, not to drag this back to fiction and fandoms on main, but this is why I want to push back against amatonormativity in things like ‘shipping and romance stories. That doesn’t always mean pushing back against ‘shipping and romance stories period; I’m an aroace fan who likes my ‘ships and romances and even kissing and sex scenes in fiction. (The idea of feeling the butterflies IRL is absolute horror to me, but it’s kind of fun when you get to inhabit a fictional character’s head for a while and see how they experience it.)

What it does mean, for me, to push back against amatonormativity in these spaces, is that I wanna see romantic stories where even if the romance is foregrounded, you know that the character’s platonic relationships are important—sometimes just as important—to them. Where it’s seen as a positive sign when the potential partner clicks with the best friend and they respect one another. When someone goes out of their way to connect with a potential partner’s close sibling or other significant family member. I also think it’s really important that these platonic connection characters feel like real, three-dimensional people, and react to the main romantic relationship in a range of ways—and not just in a way that involves bland cheerleading for the One True Pairing. When someone close to you enters a serious relationship, there is always an adjustment period as you figure out how to work this new person into your life. And this integration process isn’t always linear, either. Sometimes serious conflicts can arise. It takes time and communication!

To wrap up, this is why I find most fic and fiction scenarios where it’s only the main couple, only having eyes on one another, being very singly focused on one another, and very few secondary characters feel fully realized in the story, and everyone who is Good among the supporting characters automatically cheers the OTP on and if they don’t that’s a sign of Evil… well, it all feels a bit bleak to me. Like yes I want to read the snuggle scenes and the grand declarations of love but I also want the moment where the partner meets the friend group for the first time and accidentally expresses a controversial opinion about whether or not pineapple belongs on pizza. I want the more serious moment where the potential partner cares for the protagonist’s close sibling and the protagonist goes yep I can trust that person they’re for me. I also want people to have to work through the difficult stuff, too. There’s story potential in that.

Tl;dr even if platonic relationships are not foregrounded in a piece of fiction, they should still matter. I’m glad I’ve been able to find more writers recently who do a good job with that. And I will always take more recommendations (especially fanfic-wise) for authors who do that well!

[akumei-official]

soooo at what point in the game did you start thinking, "yeah these two are in love" c:

((yes it's me again. i'll keep spamming you with asks because ive been alone for FAR. TOO. LONG. write that fic. i will be waiting))

No problem, feel free to send me as many questions as you'd like (o´∀`o)

Honestly, I didn't think that at any point in the game. To me, Colress reads as aromantic and single-minded in achieving his goals, and Mei is too busy with the Gym challenge and trying to take down Neo Team Plasma to be falling in love. That being said, the building blocks are there — Colress recognises the player's singular potential, focuses on them out of all the Trainers he's met and battled with, and is supportive of them all throughout their journey. I imagine Mei feels shocked and a little betrayed when she sees Colress at the helm of the Plasma Frigate! She wouldn't have believed someone who had been so kind and encouraging to her was capable of freezing over Opelucid City (and I don't care what the game/manga say, that Kyurem beam definitely killed some people).

It's this tension between Colress coming to care specifically for the player and not caring about what happens to anyone else that fuels my interest in these two. In particular, in the postgame... the fact that he's a little pouty if you refuse to battle him cracks me up, lol. This line post-defeat really sells it for me:

"The things you and your Pokémon have seen and felt… Do they belong to you and you alone? If you would, please have another Pokémon battle with me. By facing you, I feel as if I can see what I should do from now on."

He's really, really trying to understand this "bonds" thing, but Colress's... everything... gets in the way of that. There's no evidence to suggest he's unkind to his own Pokémon, but it's also hard to believe he has the closest relationship with them even if he says he wants the best method to be "the trust between Trainers and their Pokémon, just as it has always been." Still, his strength as a Trainer implies that trust and respect for his Pokémon at least factor into his method of raising them, and I feel like the player would eventually come to understand this. In my interpretation, it's Mei who develops feelings for Colress, largely based on the fact that he's an unremitting source of positivity and confidence in her life. He believes in her. He'll cheer her on in anything. He wants to understand her love for her Pokémon and is slowly beginning to understand it's not something that can be quantified by numbers. It's not too large a step from there to imagine that he'd begin to question what love means, and Mei �� who has spent all this time battling him, getting to know him, realising that his values are less evil than naïve — wants to help him find his answer.

By the way, Masters isn't helping.

[malepresentingleg]

man the wrap effect managed to surprise me by being so good, then had some really bad things along the way and finished in a completely unsatisfying way 😭spoilers ahead:

Firstly, the last episode simply undid everything from the whole series??? what was the point of all these trials if he just ends up "fixing everything" in advance? it doesn't work like that and it made the whole series feel so pointless. (And I can overlook the obvious plotholes of nim not getting pregnant and Alex and Jean not becoming friends with the popular gangs etc, that's. fine.)

Like I don't mind endings that wrap (ha) everything up in a tight little bow, but this just felt hollow.

Especially after the intensity of last episode and how it ended, it felt like we skipped straight to the epilogue without getting actual real resolution for the problems.

And of course, the Jean x Alex of it all.

I mean firstly, I would have been so much happier if she was with Tony (and what was the thing with Kat and Tony that looked like they're going to DATE when Kat is clearly aromantic 😭😭).

But more importantly, ever since we find out Alex raped Jean - I couldn't stand the idea of them being endgame. I LOVED the complexity they handled it with. I loved that, even tho he's (generally, except for some real weird outliers in the writing) a good person, and that what happened wasn't with malice, it doesn't mean it wasn't traumatizing and terrible. I loved that she does like him, but she just still can't forgive him. I kept being afraid she would just give in and be with him and kept being pleasantly surprised she turned him down bc, understandably, she couldn't get passed their past.

Then he undid everything and was good and respectful and I mean, she doesn't even know there was a timeline where it happened but ughhh still! this is what I was scared was gonna happen and it did.

I mean, Jean, my beloved darling sweetheart - for her I wanted that. I WANTED her not to have to live with all this shit, she didn't deserve it. But fuck this is how it is in real life 😭.

And I mean. he could go back to not rape her and then not get with her ....

I hated that his priority during the whole series was to nag her into forgiving him bc he wanted to go back, when she needed him to leave her alone.

I hated that the message (at least how I understood it) was that the whole thing happened because of the evil curse and not because of Alex. Because it was "the wrong time" aka before he's 18, and not because he was mindless to his partner when he should have paid the most attention.

I loved the message from the episode before - YES, you will have to live with this guilt for the rest of your life, just like she has to live with the trauma for the rest of hers!!! Shit is complicated! That's life and it's important to show that, yeah, actions have consequences, and hurting people hurts them!!! And sometimes there's nothing to do but for each of you to move, live your separate lives and try to heal.

But now he's just... off the hook? UGh

[ghostofhallownest]

listen idk if it’s worth the discourse but like…y’all remember in 2014-2016ish when queer infighting on this site was at a new height? how “activism” was bullying asexuals and aromantics and “weird” genders and neopronouns (well, except the “acceptable” ones)? how respectability politics turned into a reason to tell kids to kill themselves, or that being raped would fix them, or that they were straight/“basically” straight and therefore unwelcome, how “the A stands for Ally” was a preferred position to including aroaces in the LGBT umbrella…i could continue, but the trauma our own community inflicted on its own members isnt the point.

i think we act as though that era of purging our community of unwanted members under the guise of “activism” tapered off and was relegated to extreme corners of the internet. however…tumblr’s leftist politics don’t seem that different to me? the posts i see are reactionary, with little willingness to accept that even overtly bad things are complicated. they’re excuses to be angry and to have that anger fueled and validated because so many of us are angry and feel powerless, and posting feels like doing something; it’s “activism” as “spreading awareness” but…i don’t think it’s productive?

so many of the posts i see spouting leftist theory buzzwords are just…repackaged purity culture and respectability politics and are so far removed from the way the real world operates as to be useless except as ragebait.

it’s not only morally wrong to encourage imperfect allyship, it’s a symptom of gaslighting from said potential ally. anyone with a lukewarm opinion on queers is just as bad as the fascist who wants us dead. children refusing to cut their parents off because of their queerphobia and conservative beliefs are blinded by attachment to an abuser. “he’s a little confused but he’s got the spirit” is dying out; if your dad is conservative but working on your pronouns and slowly working on your friends’ pronouns but he still thinks Reaganomics will save us all, he wants you dead actually and you should cut 👏🏼 him 👏🏼 out👏🏼 !!

everything that happens online is obviously 100% reflected in real life, so you can’t write or draw or even think that; did you know op of this fandom gifset is a terf, aren’t you going to delete it, aren’t you scrupulously checking yourself, it’s your job to manage who sees every single user’s content btw, and if you dont ur probably a terf or at least as bad as them.

idk guys. is this not what conservative echochambers also sound like? their radicalism is morally reprehensible, ours is pure and good and necessary, right? right? because Evil and Good are the only two categories and everything fits neatly into each, right? “the reading comprehension on this site is piss poor” as a badge of honor is funny haha but when conservatives get facebook brainrot that’s a symptom of conservatism and not something we could ever fall victim to ourselves…right?

god, im so tired.

[wutheringmights]

How about Wind, for the ask meme

Another one of my favorite boys and should have more content surrounding him! Let's a-go!

What I love about them: Remember how I said that TP Link was my first? Phantom Hourglass Link was my second, so Wind has a special place in my heart (though I've never played Wind Waker shhhh). I am obsessed with Wind's meta-relationship with the Hero's Spirit. He both willingly embraced the role of a hero to save his sister and was manipulated into taking a mantel he shouldn't have by adults who had no problem involving a child in their schemes. He unknowingly subjects himself to Demise's curse because he didn't know better. The adult in his life he trusted didn't know either. Only we the audience know the implications of what he's done, but he doesn't. He has no idea what he's subjected himself to. And it's so tragic, but it makes for some great meta-storytelling.

What I hate about them: I know his entire brand is being the child of the Chain, but I think making him so young is a missed opportunity. He's not old enough to start questioning what's happened to him, and I want to see an older WW/PH Link reflecting on his earlier adventures so badly.

Favorite Moment/Quote: You know the scene where Wind and Time are talking about meeting Ganondorf, and Wind says that Ganondorf looked scared? That's the good kush.

What I would like to see more focus on: Unsurprisingly, I want more people to do more with Wind having a bit of a coming of age arc where he does confront the past, comes to terms with having to become a hero, and asks himself whether he really needs to bring Hyrule back or not.

What I would like to see less focus on: I want to see less of Wind feeling guilty for letting the King of Red Lions destroy Hyrule, or generally Wind admiring the Hyrules of the past. It's more interesting if traveling around all the different Hyrules makes him realize that he might prefer the Great Sea, even if the Great Sea was a punishment of the gods.

Favorite pairing with: Yeah.... I don't actually have a good ship for Wind. I honestly can't really see him ever being romantically involved with someone, even as he gets older. My adult headcanons for Wind involve him not liking being in relationships. So... aromantic Wind it is for me!

Favorite friendship: Linebeck! You thought I simped hard for Midna? I simp for Linebeck way more, and I love Linebeck and Wind's friendship. I honestly think post-WW/PH, Wind travels the ocean with Linebeck instead of Tetra. I don't really see them having a father/son relationship, though. They're equals, through and through. Linebeck respects Wind's experience and maturity (and probably is the only one with the wherewithal to tell Wind that his life experiences are not normal) while Wind probably can only relate to this washed out adventurer more than anyone else his age.

NOTP: Tetra/Link is a no-go for me, mostly because I don't really like Tetra. I want to like her so bad, but I just can't vibe with her and I can't abide by the implication of founding New Hyrule. I also think that her friendship with Wind falls apart when they reach adulthood. So, there you have it. I'm not too bugged by the pairing that I can't enjoy content with them in it, but it's not a part of my personal canon.

Favorite headcanon: I like the idea that Wind is the only Link who ever had a conversation with Ganondorf. Unlike everyone else who views Ganondorf as a irredeemable villain, Wind sympathizes with him and knows where he's coming from. And everyone scoffs at this because, of course a child would feel bad for the villain. At first, Wind thinks he might have been tricked by Ganondorf until he realizes one day that everyone else is either blinded by their bitterness towards the King of Evil or needs to believe that Ganondorf is unquestionably evil in order to justify their life experiences. And that realization is the mark of Wind beginning to grow up and let go of the idealism of the Hero of Courage.

[pentowrite-wingstofly]

Amatonormativity is not a thing because it IS normal AND HEALTHY for humans to experience romantic and sexual attraction. Just like all animals, it is GOOD that humans NORMALLY experience these things. It's fine if you don't, but don't pretend that it's bad to "normalize" very normal behaviors. Asexuality is a non-oppressed minority that does not require representation in every single post. Trying to take away joy from people who are healthy, normal functioning humans is evil and you need to stop being so narcissistic.

Hello, Anon! Thank you for sharing your opinion. :)

You are right in that it is "normal" for humans for experience romantic and sexual attraction. Around 99% of the population is allosexual and alloromantic.

However, the insinuation that asexuals and aromantics are nonfunctioning and unhealthy is both incorrect and impolite.

Amatonormativity is not the belief that romantic attraction is wrong, it is a term referring to societal assumptions and pressures concerning romance and marriage. To quote Elizabeth Brake, the first person to use this term, amatonormativity refers to "the assumptions that a central, exclusive, amorous relationship is normal for humans, in that it is a universally shared goal, and that such a relationship is normative, in that it should be aimed at in preference to other relationship types."

Skimming over your statement about animals and romantic love, amatonormativity is both real and harmful. Singles researcher Bella DePaulo says, "It’s hurting single people because they’re led to believe that there’s something wrong with them, something wrong with their lives, even if they recognize at some level that they want to be single, and it also hurts married people, and people who want to be coupled, because if they’re in a bad relationship, they still think, If I become single, maybe I’m going to be even more unhappy.”

Amatonormativity affects people who are single, aromantic, polyamorous, or prioritize platonic/familial relationships in their lives.

"It's hard for these categories, because the world around them assumes they will want one type of love and may discriminate against them or make them feel weird or isolated for being 'different,'” says Dr Meg-John Barker, who is a psychotherapist and specialist in gender, sexual, and relationship diversity.

I am not referring to amatonormativity as "'[normalizing]' very normal behaviors," I am referring to it as unhealthy pressures concerning romantic and platonic love.

You are correct, asexuality is a minority. We are not by any means non-oppressed. If you like some more information you can read this post.

I'm not sure where you're getting what the rest of what you're saying. Requiring representation in every post? Feel free to search my blog for the tag "asexual." You know how many posts show up? 6. I have more than 175 posts.

I am not in any way trying to take away joy from alloromantics. Most alloromantics are beautiful, amazing people. What I was doing in saying there was amatonormativity in that post was pointing out exactly how ingrained amatonormativity is in our culture. It's impossible to escape, whether you stay in a fandom or post memes or have a writing blog. There's no way around amatonormativity.

I'm sorry if pointing out things you don't want to know makes me seem evil.

Narcissistic? That seems a bit strong, don't you think? Being involved in issues pertaining to myself is absolutely normal.

I am being no more narcissistic than a gay person indicating heteronormativity in a post.

I am being no more narcissistic than the time I educated my male friend on women's safety.

I am being no more narcissistic than my friends who are not white-passing talking about racism.

It is important to educate society on the issues it has. These issues are real. And we need to address them.

For more information on amatonormativity, see here, here, and here. (These are articles from The Washington Post, BBC, and Psychology Today, respectively.)

[cienie-isengardu]

There is one thing that you mention a lot and it is Bi-Han's lack of social skills and well I do not agree at all, that is, Bi-Han as with Sektor is quite introverted but I do believe that the Lin kuei taught them social skills to be able to infiltrate them among the people during missions. Bi-Han I think he has manners and social skills but he doesn't hide when he doesn't like someone. He was sarcastic with Quan chi but at no time did he insult him or refuse to do his job

I do not have any doubt that Bi-Han’s speech patterns depend on whom he is interacting (x) but as much as honesty and straightforwardness are in itself valuable traits, frankness is not always an acceptable choice to rely on. Having social skills helps to navigate how to behave and talk to different people to not overstep or break generally accepted norms and in result, to build a healthy relationship, or in case of living in a strict warrior society, to not get in trouble. Bi-Han for me lacks in this department, especially in mentioned interaction with Quan Chi, because he was not on equal ground with the sorcerer yet had this borderline challenging attitude. And most likely yes, some of the rudeness came from not liking nor respecting the suspicious guy that already proved to be some insidious bastard for hiring another man for the same job. But the thing is, he wasn’t there to question a lucrative customer that was personally approved by the Grandmaster and he should keep his accusations and rude remarks to himself, not throw it into the sorcerer's face just like that.

I mean, as much as dark and evil Lin Kuei are, customer service is a vital part of the earning money process. Bi-Han wasn’t there as equal to Grandmaster (the superior whom he swore to obey) nor Quan Chi (approved client). Between these three characters, Sub-Zero was just a tool to finish an already made transaction, no one was interested in what he thought or felt at that moment. As much as the accusation to some degree may be forgiven, since Quan Chi openly antagonized Sub-Zero by calling Lin Kuei the ninja (an intended insult) and admitted to hiring Shiray Ryu (the enemy of Lin Kuei), he shouldn’t be so aggressive nor so open. It toned down once Grandmaster stopped their argument. Even then, Bi-Han could - should - ask about the mission in a more polite or at least neutral way, instead of “If it's so precious, why don't you get it yourself?”, since his superior made it clear Sub-Zero is gonna do another job for the client (“Now you will use the map on your next mission. Quan Chi has once again retained your services”).

The whole situation feel to me like Grandmaster promised Quan Chi the best man for the job but said man had this “fuck you” attitude from the start. Sub-Zero represented Lin Kuei but instead of the professional and obedient subordinate of Grandmaster there was an abrasive warrior who called Quan Chi on his lies and backed down only because his boss had enough of his attitude and the pointless argument. Not the best social awareness if you ask me.

Bi-Han wasn’t any more polite to Raiden (“That's it? Not even a thank you?”) and either deliberately provoked Scorpion during the Tournament or he was simply brutally honest about not caring about Shirai Ryu’s fate. Which, considering what he knew about the massacre, Scorpion’s obsession about him and just heard Hanzo’s promise to not kill him, he was stubbornly arrogant or really lacked empathy or good understanding of emotional impact his words may have on his sworn enemy. Considering how Bi-Han is described as “the most cunning” above all, we know he is pretty intelligent. But his harsh, abrasive, often confrontational behaviour makes me think he is good with cold logic, not exactly with empathy and because of that, he is not always reading the situation well and may “forget his place” when dealing with people he does not respect or care about or outright provoke them in the worst way. The whole argument with Quan Chi in the first place shouldn’t even happen because really, it wouldn’t be the first time an outsider (client) didn't care about the assassin's life and saw him as just a tool. Grandmaster himself wasn’t bothered nor surprised by Quan Chi’s deal with Shirai Ryu and so Bi-Han’s outburst is even more out of place in my opinion.

How much of this is Bi-Han’s intention to be a rude bastard and how much came from limited social skills (and maybe from introverted nature?) is of course up to debate. But to be fair, all cryomancers have this cheeky and passive-aggressive attitude in common (Frost for example seems like being constantly angry at everyone and doesn’t hold her sharp tongue, younger Kuai Liang literally disturbed Mortal Kombat last Tournament and told Shao Kahn to give him murderer of brother, Conquest!Sub-Zero was no less stubborn and asocial). I do see cryomancers in general as the asocial, aromantic & asexual (maybe even autistic to some degree?) people whose natural coldness may have handicapped sense of social norms and the fact that they are trained killers (thus have empathy dulled even more) don’t help at all.

At the same time, I strongly believe that not every warrior was constantly or even often working undercover and Lin Kuei used its members adequately to their skills. Some are better at spying (thus are better at interacting with people to get the needed information), some are better killers (whose interaction with people doesn't matter as long as the job is finished). There is not enough source material to say for sure what was Bi-Han’s specialization but Mythologies: Sub-Zero strongly suggest is was actually assassination and theft, as we were told by Grandmaster (“Once again, our most cunning assassin and thief is successful.”). The known jobs he did involved breaking into heavily guarded places (Shaolin Temple, Temple of Elements) to steal artifacts and killing people on the way. There was no need for Bi-Han to have any social skills nor during the Mortal Kombat Tournament, when he was hired exactly to eliminate (kill) Earthrealm’s Champions. Of course, this is barely the tip of the iceberg, more or less the last year of Bi-Han’s life, but if he truly was one of the clan's best, sending him on long-term undercover missions could be a waste of an opportunity for profitable earnings. I mean, stealing and killing are usually short-termed jobs, the “go in and get out” as fast as possible to not leave any trace behind. Those jobs of course also take time for proper preparation but because of its specific nature, a warrior can be sent from one place to another almost immediately, especially if the lucrative customer (like Shang Tsung or Quan Chi) needs to solve an urgent problems quickly. The game and movies are separated sources, but Mortal Kombat (2021) seems too put Bi-Han mainly on the assassination jobs or staying at Shang Tsung’s side than anything truly involding good understanding of social ettiquete; beside the sorcerer, Bi-Han did not interact much with other people, even with his own allies. Then there is the possibility that Bi-Han could work ultimately more in lawless, wild Outworld than modern Earthrealm which also would affect his behaviour and sense of social norms.

I believe Bi-Han took some undercover missions, but I see him more like operating in the city to do some quick dirty jobs and moving to another target than staying in one place for months while playing “normal” human being. That way he was more useful to clan by earning good money in short period of time and maybe correcting faults of other warriors (supervising them) or killing Shirai Ruy / enemy’s agents along the way. He probably could fit into society for a specified period of time if that was absolutely necessary but I don’t think it happened often. And even then, he most likely kept to himself because Bi-Han is introverted by nature.

At the end of day, the coldness and social detachment was a useful trait for a killer and murdering was most likely Sub-Zero’s expertise so forcing him to spend months on anything else seems to me like wasting both his potential and good job offers. So the Grandmaster (Lin Kuei) could tolerate Sub-Zero’s natural frankness because his social skills weren’t ever the priority.

Bi-Han’s abrasive ways to communicate with others, lack of empathy, the visible isolating himself leads me to think he lacks social skills (and maybe even could fit somewhere on autistic spectrum). At this point of time, I think cryomancers in general are dense when it comes to social norms and interacting with people and I don’t mean it as they are stupid or unable to learn. They just have different (mental?) mindset about such things than other people, even other Lin Kuei warriors. Of course, it is just my take on the matter so anyone can disagree : )

(Ironically, I have the impression that Sektor would do better in long-term undercover work than Bi-Han but he is hardly better at pretending to be a normal human being. The difference is that he is the quiet type easy to overlook while anyone not familiar with Bi-Han's specific behaviour will see him as the rude bastard.)

[alecscudder1987]

@ the good omens vs spn fandom war happening on my dash rn. pleaseeee all of you go touch grass. please go wallow in dirt and weeds and come back refreshed in a week, because the things i am reading with my own two eyes are Insane.

the disrespect you all are showing to ace/arospec people in these posts is absolutely astounding.

friendship and romance aren't cut and dry. they aren't opposites, nor are they exclusive. there are so many ways to have healthy romantic relationships-- not even to mention the myriad of queer-platonic combinations! just because *your* experience of romance (queer or otherwise) is centered around physicality doesn't mean it's like that for everyone else.

frankly, it's quite insulting to finally find an aro/ace safe space (like the good omens fandom has been for me and many others) and be bullied out because of... the author's tweets? a second season announcement?

a note for us hellers: we should know better by now than to expect perfection from authors. we shouldn't excuse homophobia, but... that's... not what's going on here.

good omens is a stunning tribute to the happy ending: love triumphs over evil, fate, capitalism, and a whole lot of really annoying paperwork.

art is for interpretation. that interpretation doesn't have to be queer.

the beauty of good omens is that it's a story for everyone. that's part of the reason the fandom's been active for over 30 years! it's an excellent queer allegory, for sure. but you're allowed to have other opinions. that's what fandoms are for.

i would argue that good omens is explicitly queer. i read crowley and aziraphale as queer-platonic life partners. and frankly, i find their relationship so much more fulfilling than many other canonically queer canons i've seen. they're treated with respect in canon. their love literally saves the world.

yeah, they don't kiss. but consider the large part of the lgbtqia community you're leaving out if you exclude arospec and acespec people from this discussion.

by saying good omens is a queerbait, you're saying aromantic and asexual people don't belong in the queer community.

idc how many times i have to say this, but good omens was and is not a queerbait. the future remains to be seen, of course, but i (personally) have faith in everyone involved and neil gaiman to do these characters and their world justice.

look to sherlock, merlin and supernatural if you want to watch queer-coded and canonically gay characters be exploited and killed for little more than a longing glance.

aromantic and asexual people have a hard enough time being embraced as it is. please think about the message you want to send before you post. thanks.

tl;dr y'all talk about wanting nuanced queer and arospec representation until you get it.