#this is mostly about ace discourse but like

[exoflash]

"(label) discourse" "(label) isnt lgbt because waaah blah blah blah!" "(label) makes no sense" "(label) is (entirely unrelated label)phobic" go outside and talk to queer people older than 17. Please

[redysetdare]

*Sigh* every single day I see allo aspecs throwing a fit over aroaces posting about our experiences in the asexual and aromantic tags (especially the aromantic tag). Every. Single. Day. Like my sibling in talos what do you think aroace stands for? It stands for AromanticAsexual. Aroaces aren't any less aromantic than aroallos, and we're not any less asexual than alloaces. You're experiences aren't the "default" aro/ace experiences, get tf over yourselves. Why are we only "allowed" to use the aroace tag and not the aro and ace tags? And who made allo aspecs the authorities of the aspec communities?

I can understand to an extent where AlloAces and AroAllos are coming from in their frustration, but some in the tag have gotten to a point of kinda excluding aroaces.... I think a lot of people don't realize the "Aromantic" and "Asexual" tags are general tags for the community, so you're likely going to get a mix of everyone under those umbrellas. If you want specific content for a specific identity then you go to that identities tag. Also it's just frustrating because I've seen people blame aroaces for having posts "Clog up the tag" and it's like...the way to fix that is to make your own posts that YOU want to see. I never saw repulsed posts before I started making them. Sometimes if you want to see something then you got to do it yourself first. You can't expect people who are not of that identity to make posts about your identity - that's unreasonable.

Again, I understand where their feelings come from, everyone wants a voice and they feel drowned out - but when you start reaching for things to be mad at that are frankly petty (Legit saw someone get mad that the aroace, aromantic, and asexual tag always trend together. also saw someone saying the aroace tag had no right to trend on valentines day???) thats when I start to lose sympathy and start getting annoyed.

I'm willing to have a conversation about AroAllos and AlloAces experiences and the struggles they face inside and out of the community but once you start throwing other aspecs under the bus and blaming them for all your woes then I think You've lost the plot and I'm not as keen to listen to you then.

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Exit Plans for Teenage Freaks

YA contemporary + a little sff

follows a boy who suddenly finds himself able to teleport when he walks through doors, often against his will

and has to figure that out while dealing with a new crush, the end of high school and the queer club, and figuring out whether he definitely wants to train to be an ASL interpreter like his father

[starswallowingsea]

how do u take a post about how people treat aro and ace characters in media/headcanons and make it only about ace people.

[crimson--freak]

As an aro person, I’m not unfamiliar with the fact that canonically aspec characters are few and far between, but the way that some people regard people shipping arospec and acespec characters is kind of annoying.

Like you do realise that fanon shipping isn’t always going to reflect canon, right? Shippers aren’t erasing canonically aroace characters by shipping them with others. If characters are aroace in canon, they will most likely continue to be so* even if fans shipped them with other characters.

The way that some people regard aroace characters as “off-limits” from shipping when their orientations are confirmed in canon also ignores the fact that some (e.g. romance/sex favourable/indifferent, partnering, oriented, angled) aroace people do in fact choose to enter romantic/sexual relationships regardless of their orientation.

Also, fandom is pretty much built on non-canonical ships. Some of the largest early slash ships were between characters who were textually straight (or at least not textually percieved as non-straight). It didn’t matter if those ships didn’t become canon, because you can enjoy fanon/headcanons without wanting them to become canon!

I can of course agree though that fandoms are on the whole extremely amatonormative/allonormative, especially with tropes like “everyone has a soulmate” or “Pair the Spares” or “more than friends”, so it can be annoying to see canonically aroace characters treated in that way. However, this is a wider issue not just acertaining to fandom but to pretty much all popular media, so it would be unwise to blame only shippers for the abysmal lack of aspec representation. Instead of focusing on what characters “should” and “should not” be shipped together, maybe the focus should be on creating fandom communities where shipping is not the only goal.

*(of course, there is the problem of aroace characters’ identities being erased in canon, for example Jughead Jones from the Archie comics, but this was an unfortunately terrible choice made by the producers of Riverdale, not by fans of the Archie comics. There is a very significant difference between characters’ identites being erased in canon and fans making alternate fanon versions of characters, and I hope you all can recognise which is worse for aspec representation and knowledge of aspec experiences within wider culture.)

[wild-at-mind]

Honestly really upset about the James Somerton thing.

[boneless-mika]

Well, I guess I'm revoking anon privileges

[musingsofanaroace]

Aro and Ace Content Creators

Fluently Aspec

This aro and ace content creator makes many short and informative videos about the different types of aros and aces that exist out there in the world. If you're suspecting that you may be aro or ace or both, this channel will give you the pertinent information you need. On the other hand, if someone in your life has come out as aro or ace or both, this channel will also help you. It will provide you with the necessary information to better understand your loved one and their experiences.

Ace Dad Advice

Cody Daigle-Orians is a gay ace and agender content creator who makes many entertaining and informative videos about anything to do with the a-spectrum. Also, he breaks down many of the stereotypes and assumptions people make about asexuality in general. Besides the online content, they have also written a few books on the subject as well: I Am Ace and The Ace and Aro Relationship Guide (out October 2024).

Lynn Saga

This non-binary and aspec content creator makes many informative videos on sexuality and gender. Also, they don't shy away from discussing emotional or vulnerable topics. They're not afraid to "tell it as it is". Seriously, go show them some love!

Rowan Ellis

This lesbian and ace content creator makes engaging and comprehensive video essays on queer topics. Her videos are always well-researched and thought-provoking. I especially liked her latest, "the chronically online state of asexual discourse". Besides creating video essays, she has also written the nonfiction book Queer and Here.

thom_is_trans

This trans content creator identifies as being on the ace spectrum. He mostly posts videos on Heartstopper related content but does occasionally branch out to different topics. Besides his witty humor and obsession over Heartstopper, he is an author and has published several queer YA books under the name T.J. Baer. Dreamers and The Boy Who Was Kissed are his latest.

Spacey Aces

This channel is run by Elle and Kaden. Elle is a genderfluid AroAce, and they are also autistic. Kaden is a non-binary and demisexual aromantic. On this channel, they explore many neurodivergent and queer topics. I especially liked the video "History of Autism | The Importance of Self-Advocacy & Community".

Evan Edinger

This British born American is a straight demisexual who mostly makes YouTube videos on anything that interests him, such as British vs American culture, photography, British politics, biking, language learning, you name it. In the past, he has also made several videos about his sexuality or sexuality in general.

Well, that's all I have for today. Until next time, take care and stay curious.

[emblemoftheattorney]

It makes me sad when I look at Ace Attorney fandom stuff from 10-15 years ago and see how much more comparatively chill and accepting they were of different ships from the most popular ones back then. It wasn’t perfect or free of discourse, obviously, but at least fans could mostly get away with shipping that stuff without getting called horrible people, unlike today where the Ace Attorney fandom is determined to bully anyone who dare ship the Unacceptable Stuff™️ out of the fandom (ESPECIALLY on aatwt my goodness). I know this isn’t just me because I’ve seen even certain older fans note this and say stuff like “Wow I’ve been in the Ace Attorney fandom for years and back then there used to be so many Narumayos and ppl who shipped so-and-so in het I’m so glad these are no longer acceptable we’ve come so far” WRONG. The fandom has turned into a hivemind who think it’s acceptable to unperson others over ships and will sooner sympathize with one who harasses another over a Bad Ship than the one getting harassed because how dare they ship outside the sacred stuff. You really think it’s a good thing the AA fandom environment has gotten tyrannical about what you’re allowed to ship? Old Ace Attorney Shipping Fandom was FAR from perfect, but if your reasons for why it was bad or worse than now are “ships I dislike were allowed to exist” hoooooo boy.

[klaraslevi]

Levi and the most irrelevant topics about his character

I have been seeing so much discourse in the fandom lately so I wanted to clear a few things up. I think Levi and his great character gets lost in all the pointless discourse.

His sexuality

Oh boy, you people make me irritated with this one. It was never confirmed or brought up simply because it doesn't matter, it is irrelevant as it gets especially for a character like Levi.

One thing I see poeple often bring up a is an "interview" where Isayama supposedly says that Levi like tall people and I would like to make one thing clear, that is an answer with no written down evidence or an actual translation. There is a version where Isayama says "does he like women?" And then there is another version which says "the type of women he likes?" Among 30 other translations and some fans saying that this was never even said, you cannot take this as canon, let alone give someone a screenshot from a random article online to convince people into your headcanons. This interview, be it fake or not, is not canon evidence and shouldn't be taken so seriously. In canon? Levi showed no interest in either genders. Using offical art as evidence that he is straight or gay based on way he is sitting standing or how he dresses is the dumbest thing ever and I don't even think I have to tell you why.

Bottom line: Levi has no confirmed sexuality, he could be straight, bi, gay, pan, ace etc. It is irrelevant to his character and wouldn't change a thing about him. You're free to headcanon Levi as you like just don't push it onto canon when none of us know and quite frankly, shouldn't care that much about it.

Ship wars/ships/Levi's love interest

Again, another topic that people take way too seriously. Ship wars for Levi shouldn't even exist but he is among the most popular anime characters so I suppose naturally they will. Levi doesn't have a canon love interest and no matter how much some push thier ships into canon, it won't change that fact. The shipping fandom is having fun most of the time and you actually going into thier spaces to hate on them is stupid.

Shipping community is huge and most poeple are having fun. You cannot group a whole shipping fandom into the toxic bunch which I see so many poeple do. No Eruri's, Levihan's, Rivetra's, self interests etc. aren't all bad because you saw one toxic fan send hate to people who don't ship or ship a certain pairing. People seem to forget that the person they are attacking over FICTIONAL CHARACTERS is an actual person, with hobbies and emotions. Sending someone death threats or hat over a ship they ship or don't ship makes you an asshole and shouldn't be a thing.

Fun fact: Japanese fandom has a name for poeple discussing Levi and his love life. They call it "landmine" because it's so irrelevant and poeple get so worked up over who he should/shouldn't be with rather than just acknowledging the story and his character for what it is.

Bottom line: Levi has no canon ship or a love interest. Headcanons are fine and having an opinion is too but pushing it onto canon and hating on poeple because of ships is not a way to go.

The sub or dom debate

Do I even have to explain to poeple why this is stupid?

It's mostly discourse around Levi x reader writers on here and other platforms. I am a Levi x reader writer, I have a separate blog for that but as I said many times before, those things are just my little fantasies and I never push those into Levi and his actual character. I see so many get worked up when someone sees Levi as a Dom or a sub and someone doesn't agree. This is fanfiction, it is not an analysis on his character. We don't know how Levi is during sex or if he even had sex in the first place and the fact that people actually get so worked up over it is ridiculous. This is super irrelevant, has zero baring on Levi and his decisions in canon. I have my headcanon, we all do but let's not pretend like we actually know anything about Levi in this context because we don't and it's the last thing we should focus on. None us are right, it is not that deep that someone sees Levi as a sub while you see him a Dom, trust me, this shouldn't be in discussion, it had nothing to do with canon. And who even actually cares? How does this affect Levi?

__________________________________________

Levi is a great and complex character, the fact that people let all his qualities get lost in such discourses is upsetting. We can't decide these things because we emotionally attached ourselves to a headcanon or a ship. Levi is not something because you "feel" he is, remember facts over feelings. Worrying about these irrelevant things makes Levi's character get lost in pointless and never ending debates.

[bloggingboutburgers]

Some years ago I saw this online discourse about how Bi/Pan/Aro/Ace should not be part of the LGBTQIA+ group because we can "pass as straight". As a Pan, I was really hurt reading this. It felt like the one group that was supposed to fully accept me, was in fact rejecting me. It felt like if you're anything else than Gay or Lesbian, you can't be there. Since then I've been avoiding LGBTQIA+ movements, discussions etc online because I don't want to read that kind of hateful message again. But I saw your comics multiple time on my timeline and it feels like you're a great safe space for Ace and Aro. I hope you keep doing them, they're really cool. Great job :)

Yeah, I really feel your experience here TwT Same for me... The "passing" thing is bullshit (when it comes to orientation, anyone can be "passing" provided they don't look like a walking stereotype of their orientation... Right...?) and being rejected by those society collectively rejects you alongside of doubles the sense of estrangement.

My past experience with this and bullying makes it so that to this day I still have an uncontrollable anxious stomachache when preparing to go to queer events when I even dare to go, even though I know in most cases it's mostly irrational by now as there's been some progress since. It's hard to detach oneself from these past experiences.

Even this blog being the way it is now is total chance - I just decided to draw something about asexuality again one day for Asexual Awareness Week and SOMEHOW this time around people responded positively to it so I decided to double down and keep venting decades of pent-up feelings. That's really just how it went 🙈

[ariaste]

hheeyy I am probably gonna buy your pirate book regardless, because it does sound wonderful, but just so I know what I'm getting my little ace brain into: the gizmodo article you linked described Brother Julian as having "a frankly inconvenient vow of celibacy" and i had terrible flashbacks of the way the dragon age 2 fandom talked about Sebastian so like. Does Julian *also* think his vow is inconvenient, or am I going to have to go in accepting that funny queer pirates who resolve things with polyamory is worth wincing through a few conversations where his suitors just Cannot Believe someone so hot doesn't want to fuck oh my we must save him from himself or. whatever the fuck. Again, i loved A Touch Of Gold And Iron so I do trust you, but I've had authors i trust suddenly and unthinkingly have their characters spout aphobic talking points before, so i just want a warning, i guess. Thank you and I promise this isn't intended as a judgement of any kind, just me making sure I'm taking care of myself

No worries! I have not seen any of the Dragon Age 2 discourse and I don't know who Sebastian is, but I think I can sort of glean from context what you mean.

The answer about Julian is a little spoilery for mostly worldbuilding and a bit of his character arc, but not plot. I'm gonna try to put it under a cut, but tumblr is broken sometimes, so if the cut does not work, I apologize to the general public.

Julian is a monk of the Vintish church, which is sort of "what if the Catholic church but make it The Enlightenment" -- their religion teaches that the pursuit of knowledge and Understanding is deeply holy and that the Emperor of Heaven filled the world with mysteries specifically because he wanted humanity to figure out his little puzzles. Monks of this church take vows not to give up all "sinful" things, but to give up the one thing that occupies their mind above all else and causes them to be distracted from the pursuit of knowledge. For some people that might be alcohol, or gambling, or an addiction, or wearing pretty clothes, or anger/resentment, or whatever. For Julian, that thing was sex. He is the most allosexual man who has ever lived. He LOVED sex. It was a source of pure joy and delight and fulfillment for him -- he's one of those people who can find something wonderful and attractive in pretty much everyone he meets.

There were some Urgent Circumstances fifteen years ago in his past where taking that vow was preferable to the alternative that would have happened if he hadn't taken it, so in that sense it was a tool that served a purpose -- it was at one point a deeply convenient way of saving his own ass. I also think it was an important lesson for Young Julian to realize that sometimes you have to make sacrifices and that sacrifices HURT.

However, whether he would say in hindsight now that it was inconvenient... I think he has mixed feelings. He's very good at nuance, Julian is, and so he recognizes that all his experiences have made him into the person who he is and that he has Learned and Grown and Gained Knowledge Of Himself, which he does sincerely believe is a holy and righteous thing -- he deeply values the journey that he has been on. But at the same time.... at his heart he's just a fun guy and secretly an absolute gremlin in his own ways, you know? And tools that were once useful and relevant do not always remain so. Hope that helps!! I am on the ace/demi spectrum myself, so I've got some irritating experiences of the ways that people write about ace characters and try to "fix" them -- this is definitely not that situation.

Also, just cause you mentioned you're ace -- FYI there isn't any on-page sex in the book, just lots of dumb sex jokes and flirting. :)

[a-polite-melody]

Holding up a 2000 person poll as proof that transmascs shouldn’t speak about the ways our masculinity is intrinsically tied to our oppression and can compound with it in complex ways that aren’t just “gives more privilege” (ie. intersectionality) is sad, actually.

Good job. You’ve found an audience of people who also want an oppressed minority to stop talking about their intersectional experience. Do you want a round of applause? Do you think you deserve a prize? Do you think you’ve made a point other than that your following (and following-in-law) mostly agree with you?

Like. I don’t know. Anyone who’s cultivated a like-minded following could make a poll like that with similar results about pretty much anything. A transmisogynist could do the exact same thing and I’d bet the person who made the “is transandrophobia real?” poll could see how the results of that poll are extremely biased and not indicative of anything except an audience who agrees. But hey. If it confirms your right biases it’s right, if it confirms someone else’s wrong biases it’s wrong, even if the methodology was the same, I guess, because…….. ???

So yeah. Anyone worried about someone having made a poll? Don’t be. All that poll does is show the demographics around the person who made it. Well, and generate an ego boost for “being right”. It sucks, it shows how many people will glom onto someone because it’s trendy to hate on a particular queer group (if polls were a thing back during ace discourse this particular blogger would’ve made a similar one back then about cishet aces (we’ve all been saying this shit is recycled but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)), but the best thing to do is block, move on, and raise awareness about why that thing was bullshit. It’s unfortunately the only way these “discourses” “stop”. You just push through reminding yourself that these are a noisy minority of the community and raising awareness of bigotry.

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

I really can't stop myself so here it goes. If you liked this episode, just don't read it. So those scenes... Since we watch Ohm get arrested until we see Ter do that, there were less than ten minutes between them. And the different ways these situations were handled is problematic, to put it mildly.

I wrote in the tags of this @lurkingshan post that I think that the reason this was done this way was because we have a redemption for Ter coming. And I was also talking with @colourme-feral about it, and like she said, maybe he will do some self reflection, come out, go on an apology tour and maybe get a boyfriend by the end. (Please do not drag Kao into this or I will lose it for real). For me that's the only rational explanation as to why these scenes were handled in such a different way.

But that certainly does not justify it. And the thing is, even if the writing wasn't always stellar, this show has been trying to say some important things. The proposal that followed the marriage equality news, the HPV psa's, all the conversations around sex, having an ace character for crying out loud, and so on. And how did they get this one so wrong.

The first scene was fine. Ohm did something really wrong (and criminal) and faced the consequences. I don't believe we will ever see him again. And then not 10 minutes later Ter does the same thing, ,and yes, it was the same thing, and we're suppose to think it's funny? We're suppose to react to this like it's an opportunity for growth for Dee or for the relationship with Yak?Or even better, a point of comparison between red or green flags? (Which, by the way, that is not the bar people. I am all for red flag and green flag discourse and banter but seriously not assaulting someone is not where we want that line to be).

It's not cute and it pisses me off because this is important. Because if you're gonna include SA or even anything close to that, you at least should keep it consistent. Either it is a big deal or it isn't. I might hate how it's handled either way but choose a side. There's already such a stigma in how we treat SA differently when it comes to gay men, and to have such a clear representation of that in the space of ten minutes was honestly outrageous. Not to mention that, just like @twig-tea wrote here, using these sa plots as a way to push romance forward is unfeeling and for me it taints anything that comes after. As gorgeous or cute as these two may be, it just doesn't land well for me at all.

All this to say, I am disappointed with this show. I will continue watching, mostly for the side couple, and Kao honestly, and because there are still nice moments in there somewhere.

[eroguron0nsense]

Doflamingo, Love, and Arrested Development

This is mostly just me paraphrasing other Doffy metas and comments I've made but I kinda feel like the real tragedy behind Doflamingo's warped psychology kind of gets missed by people who focus more on his trauma in and of itself and get lost in discourses about having sympathy for characters despite their complete lack of morality and disregard for everyone (perfectly possible), or whether Doflamingo has any redeeming characteristics or genuine concern for anyone or anything outside of himself (he doesn't).

Doffy's story is fundamentally a tragedy, but not because of his childhood traumas or how drastic and painful they are; plenty of One Piece characters experience severe abuses or incomprehensible loss, but they're ultimately stories of how to find hope in the face of the incomprehensibly traumatic, or the salvation/redemptive power of love. Even characters who don't necessarily see their goals fulfilled (see Fisher Tiger, Pedro, Ashura Doji, EGGHEAD SPOILERS etc) aren't fundamentally tragic ones in the way that, say, Ace is, in that they die having fulfilled their goals to the best of their ability and knowing that people will carry on where they left off, even if they don't get to see the liberation they hoped for. Rosinante's story isn't a tragedy because he dies satisfied that he's given hope to someone he loves deeply (and to some extent tried to make amends for some of the guilt he clearly feels for participating in an institution that ruined that child's life).

Doffy, on the other hand, is a never-ending downward spiral from day 1. He was indoctrinated by evil people from birth and never has it addressed (his parents, for all their talk about living more simply than the Celestial Dragons, NEVER actually say "slavery is bad" to Doffy when he asks them why they don't own people any more and I have my own theory on why), who then suffers unbelievable trauma and has his sense of loss–both of his "birthright" and his innocence/ childhood–weaponized for evil. And he spends the rest of his life in this semi-permanent state of arrested development and violent entitlement. He can't have the station and privilege of the Celestial Dragons to... own slaves and live in luxury, so he builds a kingdom where HE reigns supreme and everyone who crosses him is killed or enslaved as a toy. His mother dies and he kills his father, so he assembles a cult-like "family" to try and compensate for the one he's lost/destroyed, but he doesn't and likely doesn't know how to love them in any meaningful way beyond being possessive of them and seeing them as extensions of himself (e.g. he's willing to kill anyone who makes fun of Pica because no one's allowed to antagonize his "family", but he also orders Monet to do a suicide bombing in Punk Hazard, and he's willing to sacrifice one of them for the eternal life surgery, etc). I think that might be why, even though he should know Corazon has every reason to hate and fear him, he's still so eager to take his brother in when they reunite as adults–he shouldn't trust him, and he eventually comes to suspect him of treason, but he's desperate to have a family and Corazon is emblematic of something he wants but can never have because he's a cruel stunted person who knows nothing but entitlement and violence and cannot process the idea that anything has value or merits selflessness and sacrifice.

Everything Doflamingo does is defined by trying to replace or compensate for the family and privilege he was "supposed" to have, but he doesn't love anyone or even understand how real love works because he's been taught to have no regard for human life and all he knows is that love = absolute servitude, that his interests are ultimately more important than the wellbeing of his "family" members, and that betrayal means death. And far be it from me to sympathize with a fallen aristocrat's deranged revenge power fantasies, but it does demonstrate how oppressive institutions inevitably deprive their own beneficiaries of some of their humanity, and consequently fuck them for life. Doffy craves genuine affection and has had his capacity for it permanently stunted by his former class station and indoctrination.

This craving for love combined with an inability to actually feel it in any meaningful way factors into why he's so obsessed with Law, who he kept hardcore projecting onto in the flashbacks and who he expected to turn out just like him. His brother chose Law over Doflamingo and even his undercover mission out of love, and for all his traumas and hangups, Law can find his own crew and friends who he cares about, and he's able to live on and find meaning even after losing EVERYTHING because Corazon genuinely loved him enough to die protecting him. Doffy, on the other hand, is doomed to a loveless, misanthropic, cruel existence where he tortures countless people to compensate, but he can't replace what he's lost and he'll never find it. It's not what Corazon would have wanted, but Law fighting for and honouring Corazon's memory in everything he does enrages Doffy, who will never be able to understand why they cared for each other so deeply, and why both of them are integral to his downfall.

[ellilyre]

Reyna is aro/aroace and you shouldn't ship her

(by an aro guy)(please read (especially if you ship her romantically)

(simple lexicon : aromantic = little/no romantic attraction. asexual = little/no sexual attraction. alloromantic = average romantic attraction.)

Here I mostly talk about aromantism bc 1)as its children books there are not mentions of sexual attractions 2)I am aro but not ace, and I do not want to talk for a community I am not part of.

I can't find the screenshot but Rick said she's ace. Ace ≠ aro, but I wouldn't be surprised if Rick (a white cishet man (love him tho)) doesn't know the difference between the 2 (just like many queer ppl active within the community). So I assume he means she's aroace.

The discourse she has in ToA where she explains she doesn't need a romo partner is the most aro-coded thing I've ever seen a character said. I teared up because it's the first time I see a character actually vocalizing what I feel.

Shipping Reyna romantically is just like shipping Nico with a woman.

"But aro ppl can still date !"

Yes they can (i have dated romantically both before and after figuring out my aromantism). The questions "can we ship aro characters" is often talked about in the aro community, and one answer often comes up :

Most aro ppl are not comfortable with allo ppl shipping aro characters.

To me, this sentence feels like an excuse to ship her and ignore what aromantic is (in most cases) about. You want to give her the label so you're inclusive and an ally, but you don't want to commit to it and actually address her identity bc it would change from your habits (shipping).

You have every character. You can take any characters and ship them. There are less a-spect characters than homo/bi/trans characters. Often, if we call a character aro-coded we get called homophobic for "ignoring" the bond they have with a same-sex character (that could very well be platonic). In 19 years, Reyna is the first character that I actually can relate to.

Why can't Reyna's identity be as important and respected as Nico's ? Do you only care about queer representation when it work for your ships ? Do your support stops when the identities are not longer "fun" ? I am genuinely asking these questions.

Do not erase her identity and what she represents for many people. Shipping is less important than queer representation.