the whole "you shouldn't identify as X, don't form an identity when you can't/don't know yet, you're too young, what if/you might change your mind!" etc etc. it's so silly when you think about it. what's wrong with changing your mind anyway? why did we all decide that gender/sexuality identity has to be static and can never change? why did we decide that it's a bad thing to change? because the old generation tells us change is bad? because they (mostly conservatives) want to conserve "the good old days/the way things are supposed to be" in their minds???

WHO CARES if someone says they're gay then realizes 5 years later they're bi. WHO CARES if someone says they're a girl and realizes after trying it out they're not. let people explore who they are until they figure it out even if they go through every lable available to them! maybe none fit and they make up their own! who cares! who cares if they change it every year for the rest of their lives! humans change. that's the only constant about us! why is it a bad thing, even taboo, to accept change and exploration within sexuality and gender specifically?

there's always so much shame that comes with someone realizing they were wrong, changing as a person, or discovering something new about themselves. i've seen people afraid to explore themselves more or afraid to talk about a change in identity, for fear of the queer community pushing back on them the same way they're afraid to come out to the cishets in their life who are trans/homophobic. that's just not fair that their own community can become hostile towards them, too. being in a closet within a bigger closet essentially. everyone is always told to figure it all out first before claiming an identity, because then you're locked in it for life, apparently. you can't change your mind after that. why though? what's the point of that really? why can't we embrace fluidity a bit more? why can't we accept that humans do change all the time? why is making and trying to prove that these identities are static/unchanging/innate the only way to validate them? why can't they just, I don't know, BE VALID. without reason. why must we jump through hoops to be valid when we should just automatically be valid because we are human. stop letting the cishets gatekeep everything, leading to us gatekeeping each other!

I am sometimes very hesitant to talk about my own identity. I identified as a gay/biromantic trans guy for like idk 8-10 years? transitioned and everything. then like a year or two ago, I realized/decided that doesn't fit right anymore. now i'm a nonbinary, but also kinda fluid, aroace person. sometimes I don't like to talk about that because of the stigma behind changing your gender/sexuality identities. but you know what. i'll talk about it anyway and people have to learn to accept it.

what were the consequences and bad parts about changing my mind/identity like that? none. absolutely none. (outside of people being weird about it for no reason) but the benefits are feeling more comfortable with myself, and that's no one else's business.

Senku Ishigami is Aromantic and Asexual and here is why:

Because I'm sick and tired of Senku ships (yes, the queer platonic ones too because he's a loveless AroAce, and the x reader. Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble) and because AroAces deserve good representation where we’re not labled as heartless or boring (because Senku has a heart and is kind, as much as he likes to give snide remarks at times, and is an AMAZING character), I have gathered every instance where Senku shows clear disinterest (and distaste) in romance and sexuality to prove once and for all that he has been 10 billion percent Aromantic and Asexual since day ONE.

I will talk about his responses to romance and physical touch as well as look at his "romantic relationships" throughout the manga (We’re talking about the entire work, so spoilers ahead!!)

I've cited the chapters, as well as have included the panels to which I'm referring in this post so you all can look at the proof yourselves and added the various links too.

Also Happy Pride Month everyone, it’s finally the Aces' Day of it, so it felt right to make the post today!

Now then, get excited!!

On his Sexuality:

Unlike Taiju, Senku seems to averse the idea of romance, already seen in Chapter 1, as he mocks Taiju's interest in, but refusal to act on five year long crush on, Yuzuriha, even having created a "love potion" that actually was petrol and offering it to Taiju. His expression when Yuzuriha was revived in the same dramatic sense as would be in a cliché romance, points to Senkū being very nonplussed by the show of romantic acts as well (Chapter 5).

Senku seemed equally unamused when Tsukasa stated his admiration towards him “Senku, you are… an incredible man.” (Chapter 4), replying to Tsukasa “A man who’d praise another man to his face… is either flirting or scheming. What’re you really trying to say?” (Chapter 4), clearly showing that both the flirting and the scheming are equally unwelcome.

He also mocks Hyoga‘s mannerism during their battle, saying he behaved as if this was some sort of „awkward“ love confession and that he is not interested even if he is „divorced“ (Chapter 80).

Senku claims romance and love to only cause problems due to its highly illogical nature, „A brain clouded by love is the most irrational kind. It leads to nothing but trouble.“, as he explains to Kohaku (Chapter 17) because he mistook her interest in him as romantic. Even saying „Annoying crap like that makes me wanna curl up and die.“.

He instantly dismissed the idea of getting Garnet, Sapphire and Ruby any boyfriends, saying “Not a chance we’ll make one of those with science!!” (Chapter 22) with a very shocked and appalled face.

When it comes to inquiring about his type, he doesn’t give any actual answers, like when Ruby, one of the prettiest girls in the Ishigami Village, asked what his type of girl is and Senku replied, without even paying any attention to her “Girls who can pump tons of oxygen into an iron forge.” (Chapter 23), a blunt answer as Kohaku calls him out on using Ruby’s ‘interest’ for his personal gain with no sincerity or care for Ruby herself.

He also responses to Nikki’s exclamation of possibly falling in love with him with clear repulsion, kindly asking her not to do that and to “nip that bud” (Chapter 66) as he does not want people to have romantic feelings towards himself. As seen with Kohaku and Nikki, he is not afraid of telling people openly that their romantic feelings are not welcomed when directed at himself, trying to kill any aroused feelings towards him as soon as possible.

He also stays unaffected by Amaryllis love confession as she tried to fool them, looking absolutely baffled and repulsed by this advance and act (Chapter 105). Senku cuts Amaryllis off, saying “I’m the one for you? Blah, blah, whatever. Where’s the treasure?” (Chapter 105), showing not even a millimetre of interest in her and being his practical self in search of the Soyuz capsule. Kohaku add to it, saying that Amaryllis has finally “Met her match” (Chapter 105), which shocks Amaryllis, making her exclaim “Resisting my irresistible charms? Is that even possible?” (Chapter 105) as everyone else, including Soyuz and Gen found her very appealing. Gen even claimed that “Dear Senku is immune to those acts” (Chapter 105) before proceeding to flirt with Amaryllis himself. As we later see as well, Amaryllis starts to understand that Senku is uninterested in romance, able to tell from Kohaku hugging him, which Senku does not reciprocate, that he has no romantic interest in others as she says that it’s “not that kind of hug” (Chapter 138).

Senku is apathetic and repulsed to any advances made towards him, as is also later seen with Luna. Every relationship he has had was only due to circumstantial needs and always with a face of pure confusion and / or a certain amount of distaste, like his accidental marriage to Ruri, after Chrome fell unconscious and couldn't fight and he in his stead won their staged battle for the village chief's position, and whom he divorced seconds later, only wanting to take the alcohol of the village to finish the sulfa drug for Ruri (Chapter 39 - 40).

Later on, after he was shot by Stanley, and as an effort to save his comrades as well as his own life, he agrees to Luna's proposal to become her boyfriend, claiming it to be "Sorta like a political marriage!" (Chapter 178), again showing no actual romantic interest in her, which is supported time and time again by characters claiming "that you people don't know Senku at all" if they think his interest in a person is of romantic nature (examples: Chapter 51, Chapter 178).

Chelsea even claims that "Doesn't sound like you're an item to me." (Chapter 178) with Kohaku agreeing that she assumed as much as Senku isn't romantically attracted to anyone. Another example for it is when he wanted to gather information on Homura, who was spying on them, and Ginro thought Senku meant it in a romantic or sexual way, to which Chrome and Kohaku both replied that "No, pretty sure that's not the case. You people don't know Senku at all." (Chapter 51).

When he was a young child and wondered why the moon was following him, Byakuya jokingly insistent on the moon loving him "Having a thing for him" (Chapter 42), to which Senku replied in disgust, claiming that he was "doing serious science" in the Anime and "Huh? Enough bedtime stories. Gimme cold, hard science facts." in the manga with a displeased expression (Chapter 42).

When Luna expressed doubts about her dating Senku, since later was gone working against Xeno, she said "I mean you're not about to tell me... That Senku ten billion percent doesn't give a crap about dating... and would say whatever I want to hear... Just to accomplish his goals, right...? Because obviously nobody'd ever be that outta line... Right?" to which every character present made clear that he does those things, with Kinro adding that "Actually, in order to further his goals, he even went as far as getting married." with Luna expressing shock that he is married, to which Kinro clarified that "Well, then he ended it..." to which she again expressed shock (Chapter 163).

He despises and is disgusted by physical contact, escaping any hugs (Chapter 74) and even threatening Taiju for hugging him buck-naked (Chapter 1). He also shows disgust at Amaryllis act to charm him as she hugs him tightly and expresses her “love” towards him (Chapter 105). Another show of absolute disgust from physical contact being when Kohaku kissed his cheek in an effort to fool Kirisame from discovering that they're intruders and enemies (Chapter 107).

Another strong instance is the amount of disgust he expressed at the thought of having had to cuddle with Magma to prevent hypothermia (Chapter 56), calling it the "Worst-case scenario" and even putting emphasis on it being the worst-case.

At best, Senku exhibits little to no reaction about naked bodies, being very neutral about the fact and rationalising that in an emergency like that, it doesn’t matter whether or not one is naked, making no comments about appearances or the like. The complete opposite of Taiju, who became very worried for Yuzuriha’s comfort, not wanting her to be naked at revival (Chapter 3). He’s equally unimpressed with Ryusui at his revival and the confidence he showed, being more bewildered at Ryusui’s sudden comment about his naked state being “tacky” in front of three beauties (Chapter 85).

There are only a few rare times where he actually allows physical contact, most of them being little touches or even hugs after hard-fought battles or difficult tasks (not counting in the high fives and handshakes since they're not as "intimate" and Senku clearly has no problem with them), such as allowing Kohaku to hug him after defeating Ibara on Treasure Island (Chapter 138), noticeably not hugging her back. Amaryllis in that instance explains how the hug they shared is not of romantic love, saying "No, it isn’t like that. It’s not that kind of hug.“ when Gen claimed that Kirisame still thinks they're a couple when they absolutely aren't.

Another time being that he allows Suika, after seven years of her trying to break the second world-wide petrification event, to hug him (Chapter 196, start of Chapter 197), as well as Taiju and Chrome, after they seized victory and regained control of the Miracle Cave (Chapter 75). Here Inagaki himself confirmed that Senku is not the type of person to be considerate of others feelings, so he doesn't hug back. Even in the special chapter Senkū doesn't hug Kohaku back while lost on sea and doesn't even blush, despite the circumstances, which Kohaku calls out (Chapter 232.5).

When during the Communications Arc they catch Homura, to avoid her informing the Tsukasa Empire of Senku's recreation of telephones, Senku pinned her to the ground, to which Homura told him to be careful where he touches with Senku replying "That won't work on me, so drop the act." (Chapter 62), having her show a defeated face that Senku exhibited no reaction in being in such a compromising position. He also implies that he is not one of the men Homura can flirt with even after civilisation is up again (but considering her own affections towards Hyoga, she also wouldn’t try) "After our scientific civilization is up and running, there'll be plenty of impressionable young boys for you to flirt with.".

Senku, unlike other characters, has never been stated to be or have been in any romantic entanglement before the petrification event either in the Q&As (Big example in Volume 22 or 23 as seen in this translation from Reddit, the link is at the end of the post), as well as the relationship chart from Chapter 179, where love interests are shown, but Senkū himself has none because he’s not attracted to anyone romantically.

Even with the fanbook, the types of people each character enjoy are general statements, not indicative of romantic/sexual attraction considering that most characters talk about and say "people" in general. Senkū's for example are "people who do what needs to be done", which is reflected by the people he's surrounded by, as he says he likes those who quickly catch onto the situation, for example Ryūsui and Stanley, who get a verbal shout-out (Chapter 85, Chapter 221) since Senkū values intelligence.

He has yet to refer to himself as being in a relationship with anyone too and by the end of the manga, Senku stays single with his sole focus still being science, confirmed by Luna still trying to win Senku over, showing she hasn’t had any success in the past years since they first met (Chapter 232).

Senku's sole interest has been in science and science alone. Rather he exploits the romantic entanglements of others for himself, like getting Chrome on his site to make his Kingdom of Science grow using Chrome's attraction to Ruri (Chapter 21). The only two instances of him being in a relationship have been purely accidental and / or of strategic nature to reach a goal.

On Ruri:

Never mind that Ruri herself isn’t interested in Senku, their accidental marriage due to Chrome fainting before he and Senku could finish their staged fight for the position of village chief and Ruri's husband was solely completed on Senku's part to get his hands on the resources necessary for the completion of the sulfa drug to save Ruri's life, claiming it to be „Aaargh… This just got a whole lot more annoying“. He divorced her barely a few seconds in, as he wasn't allowed to leave the village due to his "marriage celebration" to which he instantly uttered "Then I demand a divorce" (Chapter 40) before taking off with Kaseki, Kohaku and the alcohol to complete the drug. Ever since their divorce has been referenced as pure comedic effect, even from Senku when he ridiculed Hyoga during their fight saying "What is this, an awkward confession of love at school? Hate to break it to you, but I'm married. Well, divorced... But still." (Chapter 80) as the other wanted to Senku to join forces with him. Kinro confirmed later on that the marriage was only "to reach his goals" (Chapter 163).

On Luna:

Their relationship is very one-sided on Luna's part, as Senku does not refer to Luna as his relationship partner, nor exhibits any interest in her that goes beyond her usefulness, as the only one with surgical and medical knowledge and skills, and as an ally. When Luna expressed her doubts about their arrangement saying "I mean you're not about to tell me... That Senku ten billion percent doesn't give a crap about dating... and would say whatever I want to hear... Just to accomplish his goals, right...? Because obviously nobody'd ever be that outta line... Right?" with everyone in her vicinity making clear that he did and that it's not his first time, as he got married to Ruri to "Further his goals'' as Kinro explains to Luna (Chapter 163). Senku calls their arrangement to be like a "political marriage" (Chapter 178), again clearly showing that there are no romantic or sexual feelings on his part towards her. Chelsea, as well as other characters, have noted that they aren't or don't seem like being in a relationship (Chapter 178) and Kohaku agreeing with her, claiming "This is Senku we're talking about, so I assumed as much" (Chapter 178), the only one claiming it to be one being Luna herself who is a very idealistic romantic herself, blind towards Senku's disinterest in romance and sexuality.

Senku has shown multiple times throughout the entire work his disinterest and open distaste towards both romantic and sexual advances, actively saying that love creates problems and is illogical next to stating that crushes and love is "Annoying crap" and makes him want to "curl up and die" (Chapter 17), next to openly telling Homura that her flirting and attempt to embarrass him on an intimate level "does not work on me" (Chapter 62) He has equally as often shown time and time again that he despises any kind of physical contact, referring to it twice as "worst-case scenario" (Chapter 56) even if it could save his life. Also evading every sort of attempted hug and showing displeasure at even a fake kiss on the cheek in a situation where he was forced to pretend being in a relationship (Chapter 107). Just like Ryusui has been only through the work itself confirmed as interested in both women and men, Senku has been confirmed to be aromantic and asexual through his open distaste towards romance and sexuality which is also called out in his own wikia.

Senku's "romantic" relationships have been purely for strategic purposes, mostly to literally save a or his own life.

Senku's sole interest lies in science and his self-proclaimed job and goal to save all of humanity, exhibiting zero interest in romance, sex or any sort of the like. He's a loveless AroAce. However, he can and does form strong friendships, caring for the people in his life in his own special kind of way.

Quotes:

"DON'T DARE HUG ME ALL NAKED LIKE THAT! I'LL KILL YOU!" - Senku to Taiju as later tries to hug him at their reunion after 3700 years, Chapter 1

“Wait! Senku!” “?!” “Yuzuriha… is naked!! We can’t revive her like this!” “Really, more irrational nonsense outta you? Who caaaares about crap like that? We live in a brutal stone world now!! Nobody’s gonna mind seeing a bare butt or someone’s junk swinging around!” - Senkū being completely unimpressed and neutral about naked bodies in the stone world emergency situation, Chapter 3

“Senku, you are… an incredible man.” […] “A man who’d praise another man to his face… is either flirting or scheming. What’re you really trying to say?” - Senku reacting negatively towards Tsukasa’s admiration towards him, Chapter 4

"Sheesh... Annoying crap like that makes me want to curl up and die. I mean really? You've got a crush on me now? In an Emergency like this...? [...] A brain clouded by love is the most irrational kind. It leads to nothing but trouble." - Senku to Kohaku, after she expresses that she likes him, Chapter 17

''Then I demand a divorce!'' - Senku, trying to escape with the liquor for the sulfa drug, Chapter 40

"Huh? Enough with the bedtime stories. Gimme cold, hard science." - Senku in response to Byakuya telling him that the moon must have a thing for him, Chapter 42

"No, pretty sure that's not the case. You people don't know Senku at all." - Chrome and Kohaku in response to Ginro thinking Senku is interested in Homura romantically or sexually, Chapter 51

"We avoided the ''worst-case scenario''! [...] Wrong! I would've kept freezing... And then the worst-case scenario would've been... Hugging Magma tight to conserve body heat..." - Senku explaining to Chrome and Magma his worst-case scenario, Chapter 56

''Heh, heh, heh... That won't work on me, so drop the act. After our scientific civilization is up and running, there'll be plenty of impressionable young boys for you to flirt with." - Senku in response to Homura trying to get him to let her go, Chapter 62

“Hee hee… I could see myself falling for you.” “Let’s nip that in the bud, ‘kay?” Senku’s response to Nikki’s declaration of possibly falling in love with him, Chapter 66

''I wanted… To speak with you, Senku. Just the two of us!'' ''What is this, an awkward confession of love at school? Hate to break it to you, but I’m married. Well, divorced… But still.“ - Senku mocking Hyoga as Hyoga wanted to get Senku on his side, Chapter 80

“I’m the one for you? Blah, blah, whatever. Where’s the treasure?” “She’s met her match” “Resisting my irresistible charms? Is that even possible?” “Until civilisation is back up and running, I’m afraid dear Senku is immune to those acts” - Senku, Kohaku, Amaryllis and Gen as Amaryllis was shocked to find out that Senku is immune against her charms, Chapter 105

"I mean you're not about to tell me... That Senku ten billion percent doesn't give a crap about dating... and would say whatever I want to hear... Just to accomplish his goals, right...? Because obviously nobody'd ever be that outta line... Right?" - Luna, as he expresses her doubts about her relationship with Senku, Chapter 163

"Actually, in order to further his goals, he even went as far as getting married." "HE'S ALREADY HITCHED?!" "Well, then he ended it..." "HE'S A DIVORCÉ?!" - Kinro confirming to Luna that Senku indeed tricked her, Chapter 163

''Sorta like a political marriage!" - Senku to Luna's proposal that she'll save him if he becomes her boyfriend, Chapter 178

"Doesn't sound like you're an item to me." - Chelsea, as Luna explains how she started "dating" Senku, Chapter 178

"This is Senku we're talking about, so I assumed as much." - Kohaku agreeing with Chelsea that Luna and Senku aren't dating, Chapter 178

Citations:

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-1/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-3/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-4/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-5/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-17/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-21/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-22/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-23/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-39/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-40/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-42/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-51/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-56/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-62/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-66/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-74/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-75/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-80/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-85/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-105/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-107/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-138/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-163/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-178/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-179/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-196-scientist-all-alone/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-197-a-stony-eden-and-its-forbidden-fruit/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-221/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-manga-chapter-232/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-manga-chapter-232-5/

https://dr-stone.fandom.com/wiki/Senku_Ishigami

https://www.reddit.com/r/DrStone/comments/qjnpe0/dr_stone_vol_22_23_extras_translated/

Okay I hope this isn't ? A weird thing to ask? But I'm genderfluid (I think) and I've been questioning if I'm just ftm, do you know of any ways I could know? Or stuff like that? (I know you're genderfluid and not ftm but idk my mind has labled you as a gender safe space for stuff like this)

hello nonnie !!

first off, thank you for seeing my blog as a gender safe space ! it absolutely is.

now; I may not be FTM now, but I did identify as transmasculine for a year !! I can offer my own experience ! I used exclusively he/they for the better part of 2021 ! I had been having doubts over my feminity for a while before that. I decided to give it a trial run and see how I felt !! I liked being perceived as masculine, and it felt really good (still does ! he/him my beloved <3), but over time, I felt it hard to keep the feminine aspects away (this isn't to say that being ftm AND feminine isn't possible, it very much is). coupled with some other factors - not wanting surgery, not really.. caring that much for gender tbf, I decided genderfluid was better fitted ! so ! I switched back to that & he/she.

I had known I wasn't cis (or at least didn't see myself as what is typically seen as a "woman") since I was young, I just didn't realise there was another option. if there is a voice in your head telling you that you're queer/trans, it's worth listening to and exploring the option.

now; if you want to give transmasculinity a trial run, go for it !! ask certain people you know you can (friends, mutuals, etc) to refer to yourself as a guy ! introduce yourself to new people AS A GUY (works best online) and see if it fits ! if it does, it does, if not - no harm is done, and you have your answer.

now, I am not in favour of strict labels (because I feel that gender and sexuality are very fluid and change overtime!) and in the end - the label should work for you, not the other way around. if it doesn't work, change it !! if it works for a while and then doesn't, that okay ! even rocks change over time.

ultimately, the only thing that will change is how you perceive yourself. in terms of transition ? you don't need to "transition" to be trans. if you don't want to get surgeries or take hormones, you don't have to ! the label of FTM is just that, a label. no one can decide if it's the right one for you, but yourself.

(there is also the added pressure of transphobia & fitting people's preconceptions of you. pay them no mind in how you approach your personal identity, but stay safe)

I hope this has helped clear some doubts for you - I am in no way a gender expert and only speaking from personal experience. there is only so much I can say while being vague and general. if you're comfortable - my DMs are open, or you can continue to use the ask box if you have anymore questions.

'Gwen & Art Are Not in Love' By: Lex Croucher

I received an ARC from Wednesday Books Through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Rating out of 5: 🌟🌟(2/5)

Release Date: November 28, 2023

Content Warnings: Violence, Death of parent, War, Homophobia, Blood, Alcoholism, Vomit, Child abuse

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SYNOPSIS:

Heartstopper meets A Knight’s Tale in this queer medieval rom-com YA debut about love, friendship, and being brave enough to change the course of history.

It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other.

They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run-up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy, and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen's childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom's only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.

Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, Gwen and Art make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight, and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen's royal brother. Lex Croucher's Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love.

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MY REVIEW:

As soon as I started the book, I was surprised that there was no formatting whatsoever for the chapter starting pages. If you are giving an ARC for review, the book needs to have some form of formatting. Readers, no matter who they are and at what point they are reading the book, should judge the book as a whole. They judge the art, the formatting, and the many POVs that are not labeled—literally everything. So it's not been a great start so far.

I have been reading ARCs for a while now, and my main pet peeve is unlabeled multi-points of view. I don’t care if it's two POVs or seven. If there are multiple points of view, YOU MUST LABLE THEM.

As I was reading this book, it constantly felt like I was waiting for it to pick up in tension, conflict, or something, but it didn’t. I like how every character had some flaws and pluses, but Gwendoline didn’t have anything to her; she was a very flat character. For example, Arthur is snarky, has a troubled family home or life, was trained in certain aspects of being an heir, and is very gay. Sidney is a Casanova who would literally waste his time to pursue a girl but is a great friend and good at his job. Gabriel is the unfortunate heir to the king who loves reading and studying and wants to be the best king he could be, but in his own way with no violence. But for Gwen, she is just very complain-y and is in love with a woman knight (I don't know what the proper term is), and she does embroidery; she is so painfully bossy. I would recommend this book to people who like lots of monologue-forward stories.

I started getting into the book around chapter 15, but then at chapter 35 it fell through, and I had trouble finishing it. I just think it's because the book keeps going back and forth between POVs and it's hard to keep track. I do like the ending I think it was wrapped up nicely. I will reread this and update my review accordingly.

Hi! I'm Maria, the woman you followed earlier. I'd like to say that while your blog isn't bad, this post concerns me.

While I'm no longer queer myself, and while I recognize that same-sex relationships are not accepted in Orthodox Christian teachings, I have to agree with Voltaire; paraphrasing, "I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

I may not agree with the idea of LGBTQ pride, but I also recognize that (1) that video is definitely staged and (2) if it were real, it is NOT appropriate to disrespect a teacher (or ANYONE) by taking down and throwing away something that they own. It is NOT okay to do what is shown in that video not because it's homophobic, but because it is disrespectful and a bad influence.

I apologize for getting emotional. I just think this is incredibly rude and inappropriate. I'd love to hear your take, though! I'm 100% open to discussion.

- Maria ( @the-hour-of-our-deaths )

(PS: again, sorry if this comes off as aggressive! Hoping you have a good day or night 🫂)

I share what I find interesting, not what I find right or what I outright agree with. This isn't a collection of things I actively wholeheartedly believe, but things I find interesting or want to see if one of my mutuals have something good to add.

Same goes with those I follow on here. It's because the blog was interesting.

Here's the thing, I genuinely don't care about a person's partner preference as long as it's an adult and human. I support the you do you mentality, again as long as it's consenting adults involved.

But we've gotten to this really weird point with some adults buying things to "show support" and then treat the object as if it's holy or somehow sacred. It's placing more importance on virtue signaling than anything else.

That video specifically, I think, is a good show of just how done the average person is with the activism. Having a small flag is one thing. It's another thing when it's covering the map that's placed directly behind her for lessons. To do something like that, it's clear activism is far more important to that teacher than actually teaching.

I had a teacher who spent the majority of my 11th grade English semester going over the holocaust because my teachers daughter was gay bashed to death. Most of the lessons had a bullying is bad tone to it all. Most of the projects felt like they had very little English to them. We read the mauz book as a class and that was it. It was infuriating to waste half a year on a history class I never wanted only to set my whole fucking class back a bit when we went to 12th grade English. I know from experience when a teacher chooses activism over teaching the students suffer and can barely complain least they be labled something stupid like homophbic because they wanted the class they signed up for.

Discovering me

I didn’t figure out I was as I was until this past year.  I’m 47.  My journey has been an evolution as the words catch up, as the world catches up.  And it is catching up, sadly though change always throws rocks as well as flowers.  Who I am and who I love hasn’t changed it just has a new vocabulary.  Once upon a time I was bi.  I was the kid labled a “tomboy”.  But it didn’t fit, it hung on me awkwardly.  I fought the ideas that seemed to be wrapped up on my assigned gender, but I was “that” person, “Oh I’m not like other girls”  Which was true, but I thought feminsism was just angry men haters and was happy to go on at length about how useless it was.  I chose to laugh at women and try to make myself out as somehow superior.  I let the patriarchal narrative drive me to be less, by bringing down others.  As I got older I swung back hard and tried very hard to be a good feminist, to be a good woman.  I wanted my eldest to have a good example of just what women could do, that they were not less for being a woman.  And then we came to that moment when I knew they weren’t a woman.  They were a person, a glorious, flawed and fantastic person.  I was in awe of this.  They were a person and gender be damned.  It took me far too long to realize, while I didn’t suffer from gender dysphoria like they did, I still didn’t feel like I belonged to either gender, I moved between them.  Most people still look at me and see a woman.  I’m ok with this only in that I know who I am, I politely correct the pronouns they apply to me, and sometimes it goes well and sometimes it doesn’t.  My sexualtiy didn’t really change it just got renamed and finally I settled on queer.  Queer worked for my gender, it worked for my sexuality.  The word held not only my gender and sexuality, it held me, all of me, my mental health, my aesthetic, my politics, and most importantly my soul.  I am still evolving but I will always be queer.

WR!Isaac Lahey Facts + HC's

A/N: Please keep in mind Wilted Roses is set in a modern setting!

Im gonna try and split this up best I can!

☆ Disabilities ☆

Isaac has autism. I've had this head canon for so long its UNREAL. He gets over stimmed by loud noises and gunshots.

He has walking aids. (Forearm crutches to be specific) He's not open about what they're for, he also doesn't need them all the time.

Isaac has PTSD. (Im led to believe this is canon but I'd figure I'd include it as is) His father obviously was an asshole. Due to this he'll have panic episodes.

★ Personal Life ★

Isaac skateboards. He has a few boards and is pretty good at it. He doesn't compete like Scott and Stiles have suggested, he just rides for fun.

He loves Taylor Swift and Katy Perry. 'I kissed a girl' is his personal favorite.

Isaac is a math brain, all the way. The definition of a human calculator. Give him any problem and he's got it. Except fractions, he'd rather die then mess with those.

Isaac would prefer not to put a lable on himself so he just calls himself queer. He's aceflux.

He uses He/They/She and masc terms!

Self care is his favorite thing ever. He has a whole routine (if a bit excessive) that he does every night.

Isaac is invested in romance shows. (Brett hates this so much) He gets invested so fast and won't drop it until it ends. Lydia and Isaac have movie nights watching their favorite romance shows.

He hates gore. At all costs. Blood makes him want to throw up or pass out.

☆ Clothing style ☆

Isaac hates getting all dresses up. He's that kinda guy who throws something on, not caring if it matches.

His closet is just very loose clothes that hide his body.

Jeans are the love of his life, ripped, baggy, ANYTHING. His favorite.

He's nor huge a hoodies, he'd prefer a zip up if he's has one on hand. Its much more freeing for him.

The most formal thing he owns is a flannel.

Converse are the only shoes he owns.

For summer he'll wear a T-shirt with a band on it and some ripped jeans with tights.

As for winter he wears jeans (of course) one of Brett's jackets if he can get his hands on them (if he can't Scott is his next option) and beanies. Rarely will he wear boots.

----------------

A/N: WHOOOO- I've had this planned for so long its unreal.

I don't really understand the concept of "queerplatonic relationships". My understanding is like... we are bot Not Straight and very close but don't fuck?!

Like... me and one of my dear friends with which i talk basically everyday are both bisexual, does that count as a queerplatonic relationship?! Because i saw the mogai kids insisting that it's TOTALLY different from being just very close friends. i know that it's probably a stupid concept anyway but usually i'm pretty good at understanding what the idea behind stupid lables and concepts are but queerplatonic really is beyond me.

Isn't kind of homophobic to imply that in order for two gay/not straight people to be close need to specify that they Do Not Fuck?? Idk i'm sorry for the rant but usually you are pretty insightfull and i was curios to know if you had an opinion.

Yeah the whole queerplatonic thing is... Bizarre to say the least. From what I've gathered, it's a way of saying "yes we are just friends but because I say so, it's special and queer". Which is just unnecessary and somewhat disrespectful.

It's a display of how people straight up have no idea how relationships and friendships function irl, so they come up with a botched version to make themselves feel unique.

It's not really worth thinking about or trying to make sense of, tbh

Genuine question from a confused lesbian trying to learn, not trying to start/continue an argument

If lesbian attraction includes men, what are those of us who aren't attracted to men in any capacity supposed to call themselves? I'll admit I'm not very educated on multigender people, but personally if someone considered themselves a man in any capacity (or masc-aligned gender-wise to a certain point, the line is blurry but it's there) I wouldn't see them as someone I'd be attracted to, and I don't mean that in an exclusionary way to multigender people, I'm just not interested in men.

I think it's important for people to be able to have specific lables to accurately describe their experiences (if they so desire, people w more vague lables/who just call themselves queer are entirely valid!), but from what I've heard labels used to be a lot more blurry anyway so maybe that just comes from me being younger? But that still does seem like an important thing to me.

again, not trying to start anything or be argumentative, I'm asking this in good faith and all, just confused and trying to learn more.

You can still use the term lesbian! Just like there's a lot of different experiences for bisexuals, lesbian includes a variety of experiences. Theres nothing wrong with you being a lesbian and not being attracted to multigender people that include men/masc-aligned genders

A Breakdown Of Why QTIPAL+ Is Total Horseshit 

For context, the QTIPAL+ (pronounced “cutie-pal” 🤢) image was posted by @UnicornMarch on twitter 15 hours ago as off the time this post was made, August 6th 2020. 

This is infantalising, unncessary, sterotypical and overall fucking stupid. Analysis of the problems with each letter (except for T) and the pronunciation will be under the cut. I am a nonbinary bisexual, so if people of other sexualities and genders want to comment on the issue then go for it

Q, QUEER/QUESTIONING: I want to make one thing absolutely clear which is that I honest to god do not care if you call yourself queer, all the more power to you. However, many LGBT individuals have been called that as a slur and do NOT feel comfortable being called queer, calling themselves queer, or being classified as queer in any capacity. Therefor, classifying those LGBT people as Queer in this new acronym is BEYOND insulting, insensitive and rude.

I, INTERSEX: Time and time again intersex people have asked not to be included in LGBT acronyms because being intersex does not make somebody inherently LGBT, as it is a medican condition. For the sake of clarity because this site’s reading comprehension could use some work overall: This is not to say intersex people CANT be LGBT, just that being intersex does not make them LGBT. As I am dyadic, it is not my place to speak further on this. if any intersex people would like to comment, please feel free. 

P, POLYAMOROUS/BI/PAN: Lumping polyamory and multi-gender attraction together is NOT a good look, its stereotyping bisexuals and pansexuals. There’s a very well known stereotype that bisexuals are slutty, will fuck anything that moves, and are always down for a threesome. This is like common knowledge. By putting polyamory and bi/pan together under the same letter, UnicornMarch has implied that all bisexuals are polyamorous which is, you know, a biphobic stereotype.

A, ACE/ARO/AGENDER/ALLY: Why the hell are the ‘allies’ considered LGBT now? They’re not! If they’re allies to LGBT people, they are not LGBT. Thats like the whole point of being an LGBT-ally. You support being LGBT while not being LGBT. Like this one is just common sense but im wrting it down anyway (Also, not as big a problem as EVERYTHING ELSE, but “agender” is a nonbinary label, and therefor falls under transgender.)

L, LESBIAN/GAY: Gay people and Lesbians need separate labels because their experiences are unique to them. While there is overlap because each lable is just same-gender attraction, women loving women and men loving men are two entirely different things. Having them both under the same letter, L, makes absolutely no sense in the slightest. It’s reductive to the experience of both gay men and lesbians. Additionally the L stands for Lesbian, why the hell are gay men being put under ‘lesbian’ like theyre not. theyre men. 

+ ALL OTHERS WHO NEED IT who the hell else is there? youve already included people that should in no way be included in the LGBT community. this is a rhetorical question for the love of god do NOT start shit with me about this.

The Acronym QTIPAL+ and Pronunciation To me it is very VERY clear that UnicornMarch wanted to make a cutesy UwU acronym and pronunciation more than they wanted to make an inclusive, functioning acronym (because LGBT is already inclusive and functioning. what a fucking surprise! /s). UnicornMarch most likely thought up the cute name and added letters to fit what they wanted, which led to frankly nonsensical and insensitive ‘groupings’ of sexualities into letters. This was done to be trendy and fun without fully thinking about the ramifications of their actions, and the effect it would have on LGBT people. 

Furthermore, the actual pronunciation of “cutie-pal” is infantalising and infuriating. It’s ridiculous. Calling LGBT people “cutie-pals” would make us look immature and silly- there is NO other way I can explain this like I’m mad about this. What the fuck? Like if you would willingly call yourself a cutie-pal then sure I guess! Good for you, like genuinely. But it should under no circumstances be used to categorise an extremely diverse group of people just because it ‘sounds cute’

In Conclusion

Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask, but do you have any links/sources about how BL and Yuri actually have a huge base in queer creators? I'm trying to put together a list of reliable sources on BL's relation to queer culture to look into Asian LGBTQ+ history.

I'm not japanese, but I'm an asian queer fudanshi from the U.S. and from what I've looked into it seems like there definitely *is* a large portion of lgbtq+ creators and fans, but we could never know exactly bc alot of mangakas use the fujoshi/fudanshi/fujin (and it's counterparts himejoshi/himedanshi for yuri) lable as opposed to coming out in asian countries.

I remember seeing an entire twitter thread about how fujoshi almost used to be synonymous with being queer because it was "safer" and BL/GL are largely made by queer people, but I think the author deleted it and replaced it with "It's impossible to find a true estimate, but a good number of fujin/mangaka are queer". Which is entirely fair. I'm glad they decided not to spread misinfo. Either way it's very interesting to look into LGBTQ+ history of other nations and how Japanese queer communities aren't as exclusionist as western counterparts. I'm Vietnamese on my mother's side and Vietnam/Thailand are generally very open to queer people as opposed to other countries in Asia or even some western countries. So, I'll be researching that as well. Possibly creating a carrd so others can access it.

followers?

Okay first and foremost: if this flag is wrong lemme know! I have been googling but obviously, it can only go so far in trustablity since pages can be boosted.Anyway, heres my crew of lesbian OCs,

realise I have very few gay men ocs bc I've been in a real drawing fems mood lately, but theres a few there

info below on the ocs

other than Lith none of these women were born on earth, or even lived on it, so they don't have the exact same gender and physical sex rules we do, so this is more the closest term that fits all of my ladies who love ladies&enbees.up in the top left we have Lottie, she's not really into sex that much, but shes all about the romance, shes a very loving person, but deeply scared from several events leaving her with intense PTSD. She's a Frenrar native would was recruited as a demon, she was much more anthro as a human, but lost some of it on the transition to demon. She starts her story being rescued, while greatful, within a few months of world trecking she realised that this isn't what she wants to do anymore, she decides to hang out at Valentino, Skye, and Pipers traveling bar, called The Turkeys Tail. There she studies endlessly to solve a few magic issues on Franrar with the help of Valentino, it takes time but she ends up being the demon to be able to break the Elders curse, in the form of cuffs binding all lower (Hokey) demons, which prevents them running of flying away. She's a pacifist & would really like if there were no wars going on, but since she can't stop them herself, she tries to do so with her experiments. She's growing a lot as i write her and get to know her which is cool, I love when you can just almost hear a character coming together in your mind. all the inspo! Sorry for the ramble! it's good to get this stuff down when I'm in brain storming mind! Across from Lottie, top right, is lith! If you've followed me for years you know lith a bit, she was once a middle aged woman from earth, she made the transition over to demon at the end of a long fight with respiritory illness. Shes very busy lady being one of the two first primary protagonists, while she has some time to adjust to demon life, it didn't come with its own issues, and she ws soon through into a resistance for a place she arrived in not that long ago, she works it out over time. She also works out her sexuality, as a human, she pretty much burried her sexuality but the freedom of a while new world, one filled with many more queer people like her, haha.below her the giant elder Galo stands, due to her bullish attitude and hard headed focus, she struggles with this and the power battles in the Demon realm, often failing to see the wider issue as rilo refocuses her everytime she get close to figuring them out. Shes a bit new so a little under developed but shes going to be apearing quite a lot at the start of the story, then return later, so I'll have some time to get to know her. that tiny lil green triclops like thing, is Shihosu, my most precious and special baby, I wanna protect her even thou i'm the one writting the conflict in her world. She actually dies before she even apears, but shes brough back by octo ( the gold and purple octomaid lady.) and this essentially makes her speicies see her as some blessed chosen one, she has a big repuatation and after seeing and hearing other members of her speices die, she goes on the hunt for octo to find out why she was chosen...she has plenty of fun nights out during  this, so she has a good life work balance.   Shihosu is checking out Elviras butt. Elvira is basically an effigy brought to life by her father Emesh, She's a romantic at heart and can't help but coo and awe at any acts of love. Her father is very over protective and it takes a long time for her to be given true free reign of her life, shes thousands of years old by that point, so she gets out and finds the area outside her home is a semi-apocolyptic waste land filled with strange speicies and creatures, she quick decides she has left because she's to help. Her father is actually aware that he was to let her go off on her own as soon as she'd ask. He was inspired to create her while tripping hard, and the voice told him how to make her, and why he should....*mystery music.*Lastly we have the aforementioned Octo, and her wife, Beefy. By the time we meet them, they've been married a few years and they are obnoxiously in love. Beefy was earth child some how snatched onto Frenrar, she doesn'y know who did it, why, or even how, even though she meets others like her over time, none of them seem to know who did this, and no one on frenrar seems to know who could even do that. She was found in a box in the woods, no older than a year, and the Fleetfoots, a rabbit like spieces with multiple varients across frenrar, the spieces are known for strength, mentally and phsyically, hardiness, and determination, which ended up feeling perfect for Beefy, until Octovar arrived, Not immediately though. Octo was there over a summer at her father request, as she had gained a reputation for making scenes at big public royal family events, so as it is so oftem the rebelious princess is sent off out of daddys way, while he does his old boring bussiness. Beefy spent a lot of her time building and training physically, and Octovar would often be around. She's very curious as someone who lives mostly in the sea, being so far from the ocean, the lifestyles felt completely alien to one another. Over time awkward stares and little comments evolved in to longing looks and full on flirting. Always very opinionated, Octovar opened up to beefy about why she was here, why she was fighting them, and why she needed to leave before her father came back to collect her, Beefy agreed and talked about a Fleetfoot called Piper who had been here, but left after a visit from a powerful mage, beefy had kept contact via letters, so was now aware, Piper was an active member of the resistance. Beefy said her goodbyes, their culture never saw one set of parents, everyone raised everyone basically, so it was scary, but the elders reccomended beefy go try it out, reminding her, her burrow will always be there for her when or if she ever comes back.While we meet them at wives I'm 100% planning a prequel comic on them from meeting each other, to when they meet lith landon and the crew.OOf woops sorry these are meant to be silly cute lil pieces but I get all focused on lore! I'm still planningon doing more even though pride is over, I'm planning on doing one with gay men, then aro/ace. I may also do one with other mspec idnetities, but I do not have many ocs in those categories, YET! I will defo have more as more characters are created, I gotta make a whole planet of people. so theres gonna be variety.I may try and put all my trans characters together for a trans flag, but i may use the art I already made of them! Happy pride Lesbains*! (*and all the groups simailir or under that lable)        

Long post warning lol

Just saw a post that made some good points about bi/pan discourse but also included some absolute bs takes that I wanted to talk about because I see them a lot:

[Image description: a screenshot of a tumblr post reading And to see celebrities like Miley Cyrus straight up saying “I hate the word bisexual because it’s putting me in a box.” Kehlani saying “I’m not bi, I” it cuts off the rest of this quote]

Hmmm okay. That’s not a take I love but i can see it being irritating to have someone feel that way about a label you feel connected to but let’s see what else they had to say

[image description: a screenshot of a tumblr post saying seeing all these pride merchandise for unnecessary “mga” ids like polysexual/omnisexual. Inaccurately redefining]

Hmmmmmm....interesting take. Maybe we should take a look at the bisexual maifesto y’all always tell us to read.

[image descriptions: two screenshots from the bisexual manifesto

The first image is a full page with the title Anything That Moves printed on the top left of the page.

The second image is a close up of part of the page from the previous image. It shows one paragraph that has been highlighted in light blue and purple. The part highlighted in light blue reads “Do not expect a clear cut definition of bisexuality to jump out from the pages. We bisexuals tend to define bisexuality in ways that are unique to our own individuality”.

The part highlighted in purple reads “There are as many definitions of bisexuality as there are bisexuals. Many of us choose not to label ourselves as anything at all, and find the word bisexual to be inadequate and too limiting.”]

This is not to say I agree with the idea that it’s acceptable to say that people who don’t identify with a term or find that term “inadequate” are still that thing, cause that’s incredibly disrespectful of their experiences and not how identity works. But it’s likely phrased like that because bisexual was the only term at the time that people knew to describe attraction to multiple/all genders, but it’s not anymore. And I just find it really interesting when bi people who have an issue with the pan lable, or the way pan people talk about ourselves, try to say “you don’t read the history! You’re ignoring the manifesto” while ignoring the manifesto themselves. The manifesto states that people who are attracted to multiple/all genders may find the term bisexual too limiting and choose not to use it. But apparently that is actually just internalized biphobia nowadays /s.

Similarly, I find the “we define bisexuality uniquely” part of the manifesto very interesting considering how hard so many people are going to say that all people who prefer other terms are “redefining bisexuality” as if the manifesto doesn’t say there is no clear cut definition. If labels can change and language can evolve overtime why are so many arguments against identities other than bisexual “you’re ignoring the history/definition/defining it wrong/we don’t need other labels”? Maybe you don’t need other labels.

I get that there are a lot of shitty definitions of bi and pan floating around but that isn’t the fault of pan people exclusively. How many bisexuals over the decades have defined their sexuality as “attraction to men and women”? Approximately a metric fuckton. Even if that’s not the only definition of bisexuality, you cannot blame only people outside of your community for that definition being spread.

And most people who panphobes are mad at for using terms like pan/omni would probably just call ourselves queer or say we don’t want labels otherwise. Like this shit always reeks of “all afab nonbinary people are actually just gnc women who don’t understand women’s history and have internalized misogyny” style logic and I’m so fucking sick of this conversation getting bogged down by it. It’s possible to talk about the parts of these terms history that have contributed to biphobia without being a hypocrite in order to shit talk pan/mspec people for not identifying the way you want us to.

(Manifesto screenshots and highlighting credit to @a-place-to-be-panace)

@mangosandchili, Asher, the 4th

🌲 What is the kindest thing your OC has ever done for someone? What is the kindest thing someone has ever done for them? On the flip side, what is the worst thing your OC has done to another person?

People probably don’t immediately consider Asher to be kind, especially not since Adam disappeared. But that’s just because Asher tends to hide it. He is full of kindness, but most of it is silent, secret. Being kind for him is easy, cause he has the means to be kind easily, he does not want the attention because he does not want the praise for something that is so effortless with his privilege. He’s the person to pay for a meal when nobody is looking and when they go to pay the waiter tells them it’s already taken care of. He makes donations, but never in his name. He protects every single person close to him every single day. That’s probably the kindest thing he does, taking the weight of the world on his own shoulders so nobody else has to help carry it. As long as his father is focused on him, he’ll leave his brothers be, as long as he plays along with his father’s wishes for as much as he can bare, his father won’t punish him by harming people close to him. As long as he does not tell people about the things that are happening they are not implicated, they can just live their lives without worry. The kindest thing.. oof, I mean ppl are kind to him all the time cause they want in on the money and connections, so he does not trust a lot of it, or take it very seriously. Devin sticking around even after learning about his father and everything that is happening would be the one. Asher might not want it, but he’s definitely thankful for it, and it does save him. The worst thing is another wonderful painful thing to think about for Asher cause he sees so many terrible things he could list, but one is and will always be on top: Getting Adam killed. You could argue that it was his father, not Asher’s fault at all, but Asher would just counter with if Adam hadn’t known him, hadn’t been his boyfriend, he would not have died, so how could he not blame himself.

🌳 What does your OC do when they see others upset or in pain? An upset friend? A stranger?

That is extremely dependent on the situation. A lot of time he has to keep in mind who is there, what they will see, what his father might hear about it. If he can tell the problem is periodical, it will go away without his help, he will more often than not just ignore it. It’s not worth it, putting people on his father’s radar by associating with them. Most things people are going through are nothing compared to the things his father would do to them if Asher gave him any reason to believe they could be a useful tool to hurt or motivate him. People close to him, Devin or May, he would stay away from them in public, make it seem like he could not care less, and check in on them as soon as he has the opportunity to do so without witnesses. No wonder people think he is self-absorbed and cruel.

🌿 What is something true about your OC that they refuse to admit about themselves? Is there any reason to this besides embarrassment?

Anything positive probably. He is so deep down the rabbit-hole of hating himself for everything that has happened that he can’t accept the good things that are still there. That’s why he can’t understand Devin’s interest for the longest time, it makes him so angry to think he could see something worthwhile in him, he imagines it might just all be about the money. But Devin does eventually list a list of things that made him fall for him, one sounding more outlandish than the next to Asher’s ears. Most of all that Devin watches so carefully, he can see the stuff Asher tries to bury by being deliberately assholeish. He tells him how he can see his kindness, even when he tries to hide it, in the little things he does and hopes nobody notices, he sees how much he cares, that he tries to push for justice in the discussions he has with their teachers, he sees how big his heart is when he puts on an entirely different persona in front of his siblings.. and Asher cries out of relief of somebody seeing anything worthwhile in his character, but he still refuses to accept these things as true. Or more accurately, he argues them away, these things don’t count, most things, most accomplishments, don’t count for him, cause he either sees them as an act he puts on, or a direct result of the money and support he grew up with. That’s why he can’t stand the ‘gifted’ lable either, any talent he has he only has because he had all the resources of the world on his hands and a father at the back of his neck that did not allow him to be mediocre at anything. He does not quite see that only because you are expected to be extraordinary at something most people can’t just simply comply to that and actually succeed. But to him it’s all worth nothing.

🍃 Describe a regular day for your OC. What is their schedule (if they have one).          

His day has always been packed with activities and schoolwork, he’s very used to little free time, he is not exactly good at relaxing, or maybe he relaxes better by doing stuff than by doing nothing at this point. Being with Adam he had wrangled a bit more free time to be with him but he’s still very much overscheduled. So he has the art school classes, working on projects, learning, he has tutors for different languages, mainly mandarin at the moment, he goes to the shooting range, he has teachers for self-defense, he does not go to classes for instruments anymore but he still makes time to play, he goes to night school economics classes on the side, has to do the work and learning for that, he makes time for his siblings, time for the dance classes for the elderly he attends as a volunteering partner, he has clover, though she is well taken care of by the family’s staff, and any time in-between he probably fills with reading, or travelling to see exhibitions or concerts in other cities. There’s the social obligations of upper class people, socializing, fraternizing. Church on Sundays. And then there’s the times his father calls him in, demands him to be there, that can be as simple as business meetings, or dinner with some powerful allies, or turf war discussions with other crime families, or his father dealing out his punishment to the people that wronged him. And then recuperating from seeing people tortured and dying and suffering… Therapy. his plate is FULL. Which is not a bad thing, it keeps him occupied. He would simply not be able to do nothing, it would ruin him.

🍁 What is your OC’s most traumatic experience? (If they don’t have just one traumatic experience either pick one or describe them all!)

:) hooo boy, Asher has a whole portfolio of traumatic events, there are so many they start to become normal to him. He is surrounded by a lot of violence and psychological warfare. Of his father wanting to break him into becoming something he does not want to be. And when Asher refused his father’s orders too much he came up with a new way of disciplining him. Top of the list is of course seeing his boyfriend, love of his life, who he’s been with since they were practically children, tied to a chair, get shot and die, right next to him. By Asher’s father. As an direct answer to Asher’s behavior and educational measure, showing what happens when Asher disobeys. There’s not topping that, really. Maybe there is, but I refuse to.

🍄 How would your OC react to the death of a friend/family member/loved one? Is there anyone they can confide in?

:)) Godddd. Well, the one close death he’s been subjected to he has not really been allowed to deal with, no time for healing and grief. He did go to a clinic for a while after suffering a psychotic break down after what had happened. Asher tried for a while to tell the police what his father had done, even wrote to more distant police departments or investigators, only to always be redirected to his father till he had enough of Asher trying to rat him out and threatened sending Asher himself to prison for Adam’s murder, the staff at the clinic would gladly testify about Asher telling them about it, or threatened other people getting hurt if he kept trying to spread information. Officially, Adam ‘went missing’, the police covered it up, deduced he just ran away, queer kid from a somewhat small town, probably wanted to get away to the city. Asher and Adam’s family very much advocated against those findings, to no avail. He does not really have anybody to confide in. His therapist works for his father so he’s not very inclined to talk to him too truthfully. Other than that he has nobody he would share something like that with, cause he is too paranoid of his father finding out and tying up loose ends. Till now he’s pretty much just relied on numbing medication to get through the day, sleeping pills to get through the night. He has panic attacks and break downs and is irrational and aggressive, he is a mess, but he has no choice but to keep going. He has successfully pushed anybody away enough for them to either not care or leave him alone. I feel like, and Asher would hate that thought, anybody else dying, would almost feel like relief to him. One less person to be constantly scared for. One less reason to stay alive.

🌾 What would your OC be like if they were evil. Or if they’re already evil what would they be like as the good guy?

Evil Asher would be happy??? That’s really the ideal solution to all his problems. If he complied to his father, happily, to step into his footsteps and become his successor, he would not have a single problem. All of his trouble comes simply from him not being able to live with hurting other people. If he’d just be able to do that, no problem, he could just life his regular life at the side. So evil Asher would be soon-to-be crime boss, and good at it.

💐 How would your OC react to somebody telling them that they love them? (+ bonus give another characters/OC name!)

Nausea, doubt, refusal, panic. He does not want it, there is nothing good that comes from loving him, other than putting people in danger, when his father considers them as effective ways to threaten him. He hardly let’s other people say positive things about him, I love yous are definitely too much, he would probably be extra dickish the next couple of days, trying to scare you away more effectively. Devin definitely has been through that a couple of times, any time Asher lets him get a bit closer the next day he pushes him away twice as hard. Good thing Devin is persistent, as long as he knows Asher is just putting on an act because he is scared and hurt, he has no problem seeing past his behaviour.

🌷 What does your OC hate about themself? What lies about themself do they believe? On the flip side, What does your OC love about themself?

:))) It’s all shame and guilt and hatred. Even if he has good sides, they are either an act, or they are just useless? They do nothing for him, or for others. He’d rather be a bigger asshole, feel less, care less, and other people would be much safer.. well the regular civilians at least. He tries sometimes to convince himself, the people his father deals with, the ones he kills or punishes, they are in that situation for a reason, they dealt with the wrong people, they have made that deal knowing what could happen. Better to hurt them, than to hurt unsuspecting folks. But he just can’t justify hurting people, no matter who. So maybe what he hates the most about himself is his code of morality. He also hates thinking about his childhood, about admiring his father, before he knew about any of the crime. The lies he believes about himself are the ones he tells himself, about how terrible and unlovable he is, just a snobby rich kid with no redeeming qualities. He’d really have to dig deep to find anything he would actually consider lovable, I can’t quite come up with anything honestly. Jeez. Poor boy.

🥀 What is something your OC blames themselves for and is it really their fault? Does it keep them up at night and is there any lingering trauma?

Adam’s death, of course. Not that he has any control over his father’s actions, but he could have told Adam more about what was happening with his dad, so he could have made the informed decision of getting the hell out of there. He thinks about it all the time. His guilt, what he could have done differently, how he’s not allowed anything good anymore, cause Adam is somewhere rotting in a ditch and he is living, enjoying things? Impossible, not allowed.

🌺 In what situation would your OC be pushed to commit an act of violence? Would they go as far to kill someone if they had to? How would this affect them and their relationships with others?

:)))) He is constantly being pushed to commit acts of violence and he constantly refuses even though the consequences are hard. He does, however, finally, eventually, get pushed over the edge, when he’s once more facing the same situation, of the boy he loves sitting tied up in front of his father. He laughs about it sometimes, afterwards, the absurdity, the god-complex of his father, who really thought putting them in a room, giving Asher a weapon and telling him to kill his boyfriend would somehow not lead to his own death. So yeah, Asher does decide to kill his father. Thought the deciding part is not exactly an active choice, he blinks and is suddenly kneeling over his father’s perforated body. Which is probably the only way you could get Asher to kill someone, not by making him choose to consciously, but by giving him no other choice, for him to lose control and let his desperation take over. Devin tiptoes around Asher for a while, cause he’s just scared of what that did to him. He’s very attentive, looking for shock and trauma and anything he can help with.

🌸 What would your OC do if they were given god-like powers or the ability to change anything about the world for a whole day?

He would want to meet dead people, mostly artists, he admires. Have a chat with Van Gogh, meet Kurt Cobain, pick Hieronymus Bosch’s brain.. Just talk about creation and inspiration and their world views.

🌼 Describe one of your OC’s worst nightmares.

One of his loved ones dying because he was stupid enough to agree to be close to them, as secretly as they could, cause he should know better, his father has eyes and ears everywhere, how could he be so stupid and selfish. Alternatively his father finally giving up on converting Asher and trying to do the same to Gabriel, or Leo when he is older.

🌻 What advice would your OC give to their younger self? What advice does your OC need now?

Kill him NOW??? You will kill him eventually, just do it now. Safe Adam.  Right now, hm, probably something about sharing the burden. Talking to people, his family specifically, since they are involved some way or another anyways and might just be able to help, if only by having an open ear. But he’s a burned child, he is way way too scared of consequences to his actions now that he would want to take risks, even if they seem unlikely. Better safe than sorry.

New post because sometimes my tag essays get way longer than what tags should be used for. CW nazi/genocide/pogrom references, cw brief reference to terf beliefs/transmisogyny, cw abuse/bullying mentions, no actual references to pedophilia but kind of adjacent to it (edit: actually there is a direct mention to csa) cw death

Unfollowing people who make you uncomfortable or who you just don’t vibe with: fine, good, take control over your online experience.

Blocking people who are harassing you: absolutely reasonable and appropriate.

Avoiding someone because you think they’re bigoted or an abuser or otherwise cause harm: sure

Suggesting to other people that they avoid someone because ditto: not something you should do over minor disagreements, but sometimes this is a reasonable and appropriate thing to do about someone genuinely being an awful person. (Although, if people don’t know you well they may not take your word for it, and sometimes people can have legitimate disagreements over what behavior is bad enough to deserve shunning.)

This last one is particularly complicated because ostracizing someone can be a bullying/abuse tactic, and some people (abusers/bullies) really will make up lies about a specific person to wreck their lives. It can be hard for bystanders to tell what’s going on when one person accuses another person of horrible things. This is not a denial of the existence of abuse, and it also doesn’t mean it’s OK for bystanders to just throw up their hands and go “it’s hard to be sure what’s going on, so we’re staying out of it.” It’s...situational, and often there’s no such thing as neutrality.

Having DNI type things: I’m not sure I fully get this (block buttons exist) but I can see where if someone’s persistently with one type of response to their blog, they might try to head it off at the pass rather than blocking on a case by case basis. And I can see it for avoiding triggers or just avoiding things you don’t wanna see (especially minors wanting to not be followed by adults and adults wanting to not be followed by minors when they have inappropriate-for-minors content on their blogs, or anyone not wanting to see graphic sexual images or images of graphic violence.)

What I tentatively don’t really approve of, and there could be context I’m missing, is using DNI type stuff as a way of enforcing social norms? I mean, I guess I’m good with it in regards to Nazis and terfs, and anyone else where the bigotry runs strong and is closely connected to lethal violence.* I want to keep those people out of as many social spaces as possible.

I guess people who do the DNI list as social pressure on other groups probably figure it’s basically the same thing? Especially when they see it as connected to childhood sexual abuse. So. I guess it’s not really a disagreement on how extreme it is to attempt to ostracize/shun certain groups of people. It’s a disagreement on which groups or ideologies are genuinely harmful.

It’s just absolutely beyond me how anyone can genuinely believe that supporting queer people’s right to self lable can be seen as being basically in the same category as “final solution” bullshit.

*(I don’t think associating terfs with Nazis is that big a stretch. Trying to prevent trans women from living their lives as women, and especially perpetuating the “trans women are dangerous predators” myth, kills people. (Mostly trans women and non-binary amab people.) It’s not that different than for instance the link between passion plays and pogroms : sometimes speech very closely and predictably leads to violence.)

(I have other issues with radical feminism, but my understanding is “terf” was coined by radical feminists who aren’t hostile to trans women, to differentiate non-terf radfems from terfs.)

The fact that you think it is a good thing that LARRIES has been badgering harry, who was barely 16 about his sexuality for years is a good thing, step back and reevaluate everything. Respecting people and letting them come to terms with how they identify is the RIGHT thing, not harassing them to come out for a fucking 9 years. That is WRONG. Also, please stop with the biphobia. Harry said he has dated woman, that does not mean he is not queer. I hope you educate yourself & do better. cheers

being gay =/= larry being real. Also, you gotta let people self identify. It doesnt matter if you think Louis is gay gay gay , he says he is straight, then he is straight. If in the future he says he is gay, then he is gay. It is as simple as this. As we speak, Harry doesnt put a lable so he doesnt put a label. that is what it means respecting a person sexuality. You got to respect people to self discover and self identify and you should not step and cross the line and pretend to know more

I'm going to need you to take several seats. I have never once, nor will I ever "badger" Harry about his sexuality or anything about Larry. I would also never label Harry. I believe he was/is in a homosexual relationship but I have no idea how he identifies and I don't care. I don't care if he's been with women or is attracted to women or whatever. Do I believe he's been with any of the women he's publicly linked to? No. But not because I wouldn't like it it's because I can spot a publicity stunt from a mile away and knowing Harry I highly doubt he would allow his actual relationships to be used as gossip fodder for the masses to sell his album. All celebrities use PR stunts, most public relationships are fake as hell. That is something that I have mountains of evidence for completely outside of Larry.

Talking about Harry/Larry on social media is not the same as "badgering" him. No one is forcing anyone to come out. If Harry does see anything I say to him on social media, he'll see a long list of i love yous and compliments. If he looks at my acc he'll mostly see me tweeting cute pics and gifs and venting about being annoyed with his ugly merch, which would probably be more offensive to him than me talking about Larry bc believing two men love eachother isn't wrong or gross or offensive. In any case he has not expressed complaints about shipping culture and I believe he stays out of discussions about him on social media altogether. It's not meant for him and as a fan I'm perfectly within my rights to ship Harry with whoever I want and interpret his songs however I want. He has actively encouraged the ship over the years many times so at the very least he gets a kick out of it.

As far as Louis goes, there is really an astounding amount of evidence, some coming from his own mouth, that he did not have control over his social media. There's also so much precedence for boyband closeting that it's actually ridiculous some of yall are sooo ready to write it off because it's been denied. Of course they denied it. They were selling a marketed version of One Direction, not the actual boys themselves. That's not even touching on the fact that since hiatus,Zayn Liam and Louis have all talked about how tightly controlled they were in the band. Zayn said there was always someone off camera telling them what to say. we see evidence of this in videos. And if you can't recognize the enormous shift from Harry in 1D to Solo Harry, you aren't paying attention because if you had showed me a picture of him now in 2013 I would have said you had lost your mind.

So no, I could never believe that Louis identified himself as straight while lashing out at a reporter on twitter for writing an article about how he made a gesture of support for a gay man who just came out. Louis has never once in real life expressed any kind of discomfort with homosexuality or queerness in general and has even shown a great amount of acceptance and encouragement towards LGBT fans and has always encouraged harry to be himself long before we knew who Harry really was.

That being said, I am not a Larrie bc of the ship, or because I wish Harry or Louis were gay or whatever else antis tell themselves to sleep at night. I'm a Larrie bc a few years ago I decided to really look at it and separate facts from fiction, trying to debunk it once and for all, but the only thing that fell apart under scrutiny was the public narrative. On top of that, Harry and Louis have complementary tattoos, they both write songs about a love that started when they lived with someone at a young age, and the only person Harry has ever lived with is Louis. Louis' relationship with his girlfriend has fallen apart under the shittiest of microscopes since day one and is clearly a joke even to him.

This rumor has been 9 years running even after all the times it's been denied. For every one argument against it there's about 100 for it. At the end of the day if a rumor doesn't go away, it's not a rumor. And it's a massive stretch to think that the gay rumors that plagued ultra hetero womanizing Harry Styles during One Direction we're never true despite the fact that we're learning he's not ultra hetero after all and in fact very much attracted to men. Larries called it from day one when "gay" was an insult and they were bullied relentlessly for merely suggesting harry might not be straight. they called it simply because they could see he was in love with a boy. and now that he's confirming he isn't straight, and now that the 1D boys are confirming that they were heavily controlled during 1D, yall have got some nerve claiming Larries are still full of shit when they've been right all along about this.