It's pride month so.... have my gay Bad Batch thoughts I suppose (based on vibes and vibes alone.)

Hunter:

Popular opinion that I agree with? Dude is FTM trans, and has the worst time with it bcus all his T-Shots were externally bought so the Empire cut his ass OFF. also. hes a little gay. A mini bisexual, if you would. prefers women by a long shot. (He/him all the way- he wont correct, but Wrecker will.)

Crosshair:

gay. gay. dude is a MAN kisser. hes scared of women. never seen a boob in his life and he intends to stay that way. he's The Homo of the group. yes, they do make fun of him for being a boy kisser. yes, they also make fun of him for pulling NO BITCHES EVER. (He/him too and he CARES. he will correct you meanly.)

Wrecker:

pansexual icon who will love anyone. He's also pulled more than Hunter, so, take THAT. He's a hopeless romantic who falls in love with at least ONE natborn per mission. He confesses this each and every time and has maybe kissed two people. He's always encouraged. (He/him mostly but he won't mind he/they, he'll just gently correct sometimes)

Tech:

oh. He's a true bisexual. A real man and woman kisser. Perchance at once if he's drunk enough. Phee and him look at hot people and go "Oh, wow, woa". He's the bi-wife. However, his acknowledgement of attraction only works for him. He'll acknowledge you're attractive, but good look with convincing him YOU find him attractive. As far as he knows, no one looks twice at him. (Also, his gender isn't real. Sometimes he's a man, sometimes she's a woman. Sometimes they're neither. It's easier to just say that Tech is Tech. Because how come Tech gets boobs AND a dick? Unfair. They/he/her)

Echo:

originally it was assumed that he was the token straight. Until they discovered actually there's no romantic attraction there at all so, Echo's our resident aro. He's dabbled in 18+ acts of course, but the attraction never went beyond that, so he vibes. He's down for platonic and brotherly affections, but don't you dare make a romantic gesture, gross. (He/him but... he did enjoy when people thought he a she when he was undercover once, so she?)

Bonus!!!!

Rex:

We found our token straight, lads. He's never seen a boob either, though. He'll get there, eventually. Very dense, very silly. He's too tired and busy for such things. (He/him only because he doesn't know of any other option)

Cody:

Now. I know what you're gonna think. Gay. But might I throw out a suggestion? Dude is just a mean bisexual. Heavy preference for men, but he CAN pick up a woman or two. (He/him, regs are borning/j)

Wolffe:

This guy. This guy gets uncomfortable when anyone who isn't his brothers holds his hand. THIS MAN is the true aroace of the GAR. he watches his brothers and he shudders. (though he Wonders. sometimes) he'll huff and puff his way through a romcom for the Wolfpack on movie night, I guess. (He/they only because he likes being an extension of the Wolfpack)

Gregor:

Pan-romantic asexual. Dude is down to date anyone, but the armour Stays On. He finds himself much more fulfilled with simple park dates and cooking at 2am, you know?? (ALSO they/he as per his identity crisis. He's a CLONE??? HUH???? wild)

Bly:

Another "token straight" but he'll never escape the bisexual allegations 😔 (because its true and him and his wife have so had a third party member before) but he's also rather curious. So. Bi-curious. (He/him)

Fox:

Oh lord. This man. Gay. He's gay but no one knows because he passes well. Also, ace. He's done his fair share of people, he doesn't understand the appeal. Down to make out messy in a closet though, he understands THAT. but nothing more. (He/him called "it" by the Senate and he doesn't care. But his brothers do.)

That's all you get. Happy gay month. If I missed someone you can ask and I'll give you their Vibes. ✨️

coping badly to fantasy flirting is smth i'm very proficient at

aromantic alastor headcanons for aro-week (with some ace in there as well, because I think for alastor those things are so entwined, it's hard to separate them):

tried going out with girls a couple of times when he was alive, to make his mother happy, but always found a way to extricate himself from the attachment. this ties into his learning how to have complete control over any situation he's in

I wonder as well about whether or not he "passed" as white, or whether his community knew that he was creole, and how that affected his dating opportunities, and his paranoia, his need to be in control, basically his constant hyper-vigilance

got a lot of fanmail for his radio host work, women (and men, but more furtively) loooved his voice. this was acceptable, because (apart from some of the weirder ones) he could use this as a metric for how accepted he was in society, as well as how well he was passing -- both in terms of race and orientation, but also youknow, as someone who is definitely not clockable as a serial killer

although of course we know he also enjoyed company. he'd go out drinking and dancing a lot. was mimzy a bit in love with him? I just like the idea that people kept being incredibly taken with his charm and his politeness and his poise, because he does have all those traits. whether he notices...? (no). I mention this point not so much as headcanon, I just like that alastor as aroace and repulsed on both of those points, was never a shut-in about it. he's always been very lively (ha) and outgoing, and clearly likes being in the company of others... but maybe that last point has gotten to be a little difficult during his time in hell, due to having to be so careful about showing any kind of emotional "weakness." speaking of...

post-death became a more extreme version of himself -- that is, a man on a mission to be in control and create emotional distance between himself and others through the power of voice, rather than having to faff about pretending emotional connections where there were none. very suited for hell because of his precarious political lived reality whilst alive, and because hell is built on who has power and who doesn't. these are rituals he understands better than the strange romantic ones during life

the smile as mask and unhealthy coping mechanism -- wonder if when he was alive people swooned over his having a lovely smile (as well as its being useful to placate and to disorient people who had more violent intentions, and in both cases potentially to lure in victims). so the smile likewise became the most extreme version of itself. the smile in essence as the signifier of someone who doesn't fit into any boxes and needs to hide that fact, both by being mixed race and aroace, but then the smile itself becomes something that effectively owns him, because he literally cannot let it drop, ever (honestly if alastor ever stops smiling, it'll be the biggest gasp moment on this show)

all that being said, surprising connections do occur: rosie, I think, sees through him from the beginning, and she's so disarming (ha, disarming... cannibal joke) that she never feels like a threat + they're both cannibals, so there's a relaxed kinship there and maybe she reminds him of the parts of home he (secretly) misses a bit

I wonder how rosie figured out that alastor wasn't into dating. I think at first she might have thought he was gay, but then quite quickly seen that that's not it, he doesn't even like men much, and she feels like she's been around the block enough to piece together peoples' natures from one of a million other people she's known, so way before she knows the terminology, she knows, and crucially, she never judges or tries to force the point

I wonder how vox and alastor met -- whether vox was able to gain power on his own and this attracted alastor's attention, or if alastor saw something of himself (that turned out to be surface level) in vox, that is, they both wear smiles as masks, they're both presenters, their mediums may be different, but their aims feel similar. perhaps alastor was comfortable enough in hell at this point -- probably in a way he never was whilst alive -- that he was feeling magnanimous towards what must have felt a bit like an upstart. and most importantly, the constraints of alloromantic ideas are a comfortable 20 years in the past by now, alastor can barely remember that this was ever anything that was expected of him, or that others' could possibly feel about him

cue vox falling head over heels, the way people so often did while he was alive, and he... does not notice at all (barely a headcanon). I kind of feel like I don't have much to say on these two, because this blog is already a treasure trove of vox and alastor hcs!

I think rosie is the only one who knows alastor is aroace, although... maybe husk? not in so many words, but he knows alastor isn't interested in those things. nifty Does Not Notice Nor Care (in a good way). charlie i will forever think will at some point do a deep-dive on modern queer lingo and get everyone flags (this is practically word of god canon considering that older piece of art you shared). vox definitely doesn't know. val....... sort of kinda knows but in an evil way. vaggie does not care, but she'd be chill about it. mimzy... I don't think knows, mainly because she never cared to think about his behaviours, as someone who's quite self-centered on what alastor is to her. jeez, who am i missing... angel, does not know, head empty

speaking of angel, I think if he ever found out, especially with where he's at in his journey rn, would be very unhappy in some way about having stepped over his boundaries so often so casually at the beginning. dunno how he'd act about it, but i like the idea of vigilantly (and crudely, and bluntly) supportive angel if they ever manage to get alastor out on the town. more on the ace side of things but i can see him going: "do not try to fuck this guy! this guy is unfuckable!"

(i like hypersexual and deeply romantic angel + sex and romance repulsed alastor as unlikely friendship in my head. opposites finding common ground type stuff is always good)

at the end of the day, alastor living and dying in an amatonormative world and having to orient himself within that by building walls that persist/worsen after his death because of the culture of hell being predicated on who controls whom, veeeeery slowly discovering that he can be vulnerable on his own terms without people demanding things from him that he cannot give (smthinsmthin the hotel gang as the opposite of vox in that sense -- not only that sense, but also that)

also something about imagining his mother hoping he'd find a nice girl and settle down (in the way parents often do, because that's the metric of happiness right.....) and how he never could give her what she wanted, and maybe feels some very locked away guilt about that, which he thinks he'll never be able to deal with because his mother is in heaven, but perhaps in this story she'll get to see what he's built with the people at the hotel and that's really all she wanted for him in the end

OH MY GOD ANON THIS IS ALL SO GOOD?? THANK YOU SO MUCH HAHAHA. happy aro week everyone!! (x2)

Hargreeves sexuality and gender headcanons cuz I’m bored.

Luther-

I 100% believe he is CisHet but he is absolutely an ally. He probably didn’t understand everything at first but Viktor and Klaus helped explain and he got the gist of it. He also maybe uses He/They pronouns? He thinks They/Them just sounds nice.

Diego-

I know a lot of people think that Diego is a trans man and I think that would be cool (as a trans man myself) but I just don’t really see it. I kind of understand it but I don’t really agree. I definitely do think he’s Bi though, female leaning. Definitely He/Him.

Allison-

I also see lots of people thinking she’s a trans woman, and I think that’s a great headcanon imo but I again do not agree. I absolutely don’t see her as anything but Cisgender Heterosexual. And I honestly like it that way. I don’t think all of the Hargreeves siblings have to be LGBTQ+, I think some of them should be straight too. I think Allison might have messed around with girls but she just didn’t really feel a click like she does with males. She/Her.

Klaus-

I think most of us agree Klaus is not Cis or Straight. There is no way. I would probably say he is Non-Binary or Gender-fluid. He never heard those terms until they were a bit older, probably after Five disappeared, and the first time he heard it was someone shit-talking it, and they wanted to look more into it. So occasionally Viktor and Grace would be allowed to go to the library because Viktor usually didn’t have much else to do so Klaus asked him if next time he goes if he could look up those words for him and Viktor obviously said sure. He came back and told Klaus about it and Klaus was like, “yep, that’s me.” They were happy there was a word for it. I also think Klaus is Pansexual, but he also isn’t very fond of labels anyway. They honestly just think everyone’s hot (EXCEPT CHILDREN NOT CHILDREN). Any pronouns but mainly He/They.

Five-

I think Five’s above gender and stuff like that. When they were kids Viktor had a crush on Five and Five just found it disgusting. Partially because they’re like siblings but also because Five does not want a relationship or anyone to have a crush on him. Five also never liked gender roles and was confused why there were differences in the uniforms depending on gender. Five saw Viktor and Klaus wearing each others uniforms and was a little confused why Reggie wouldn’t just let Klaus wear what he wanted but also was kind of confused why Klaus even wanted to wear skirts. Five never really thought about gender much though because he thought it was incredibly stupid and useless. Five always thought that way. But especially whenever Five was in the apocalypse, he had absolutely no use for it. Five wishes that they didn’t live in a gendered society but he we are. If he has to use terms for himself, he’d say he’s Agender and AroAce (Yay AAA battery). Five doesn’t like using pronouns and prefers his name but if it’s mandatory Five uses He/Him pronouns but Klaus uses They/them for him cause he knows Five likes it.

Ben-

I don’t know enough about Ben to give a really detailed answer but I have a simple bit to say. I would like to think he’s Bisexual, but I don’t really think he is. I like the headcanon but again we don’t know enough about him. I think he’s Cis too but maybe DemiBoy? I’d probably say He/Him but maybe some neos?? I’m not experienced in them though so I don’t really know any he might use (I’m also talking more about Brellie Ben than Sparrow Ben).

Viktor-

I absolutely adore Viktor. I know lots of people thought he was a Lesbian before season three but no, that’s not the case. He actually liked Leonard/Harold. Before he found out about all the things Leonard did he actually liked him. And when he was younger it’s confirmed (I’m pretty sure??) that Viktor had a crush on Five. Viktor doesn’t only like females, he actually does like guys. I absolutely think Viktor is Bisexual, possibly Pan. I think he could also be on the Aspectrum maybe? But he definitely doesn’t only like women. I also thought he might have been Non-Binary before he transitioned but now I absolutely like him as just a trans man. He/Him maybe He/They and possibly neos?? Again I don’t know much about neos so.

mercenary au relationships

enemies, romantic, familial, etc ykyk key: big dogs ren heart foundation mounders roomies gem and the scotts lizzie and scar

romantic first ranchers enjoyers arent gonna be happy w this one bc uhhh jimmy and tango arent together! im a big fan of the canary and his miner so uhhh jimmy and mumbo <3 (do we have a name for them or is it just the canary and his miner?) tango and skizz are in a relationship and they both have a crush on bigb and want to ask him out but hes always coincidentally disappearing when they have enough courage to ask him lizzie and joel are dating, but marriage is a lot different for elves than it is for most other species, and since joel cannot for the life of him figure out what lizzie is, he hasnt proposed bc he knows nothing abt her marriage beliefs martyn has the biggest crush on ren and its obvious to everyone BUT ren. martyns super broke tho while ren seems wealthy enough so he thinks ren is out of his league jimmy and scott are exes. scott is still hung up on jimmy but convinces himself jimmy's the one hung up on him (based on scott referencing flower husbands in secret life while jimmy was just doin what joel told him to do) gem and pearl are ace lesbians. no more info needed impulse and scar have no romantic relationships, impulse bc he just isnt interested in anyone and scar bc hes aroace i havent fully figured out what i want for the roomies + bdubs in a romantic or familial sense. i know for sure bdubs and grian are fae brothers, and cleo and etho have no kids, but beyond that idk if i want cletho or ethubs or roomies polycule, or ffs etho/grian. idk yet man! its hard family like i said, grian and bdubs are fae brothers pearl and scar say theyre siblings but dont elaborate on how ones a vamp and ones an elf jimmy and martyn are biological siblings and lizzie found them one day when they were all younger and decided she was their sister. theyre probably the only ones who have an inkling of a clue as to what she is cleo and gem were siblings when cleo was fully alive, whether they still are depends who you ask. (they both still say they are) pearl acts like a mother to all the mounders none of the heart foundation have family in their little village and neither do either of the scotts enemies sorta the big dogs do not have a good relationship w the heart foundation bc martyn broke into it looking for a place to stay but refused to accept skizz offering them a temp place for free bc it made him feel like they hit a whole new low scar thinks most of the village doesnt like him but theyre just suspicious of him since no one can remember actually buying from him bigb acts like hes suspicious of everyone but hes just anxious and weird lizzie and joel both have a slight dislike of scott but for very different reasons on that note, lizzie also has a slight dislike of skizz for the same reason as scott (angels are more perceptive than most, but still not enough)

hi more me guessing hw songs.

i learned the lyrics to Snowman by halyosy (lyrics) and now can't stop thinking of it as a potential hw song- not as a song they would cover, but as a song their virtual singer would sing to them (kaito to tsukasa specifically). i don't think you've ever shared virtual singer lore so im making it up drawing influence from the feelings of both the nightcord and wxs virtual singers

""I told a lie to my mom", a boy began to cry. I am made to be all white so that I can take away the darkness in his heart". -> n25s miku's whole thing is to be there for mafuyu and help ease the pain in her heart. i'd guess the virtual singers of hw would have a similar motivation. (also, the lie in question was that the boy had friends and was talented at school and sports, so that his dying mother didn't worry about him. if this isn't tsukasa at its core.)

"I tried to warm your cold smile, but I can't make a smile with my artificial eyes" -> but the vs aren't actually real (i dont want to think about the implications of sekai so i will leave it there), so what can they do other than provide support? provide a word here or there, a wish of healing? but also- the wishes of the virtual singers have to come from somewhere, right? is this not also the wish of hw- "i want you to be happy, even if i am not yet myself"?

"Neon tubes and monochrome snow" -> i actually don't really know what this line means in the actual song but here- the neon lights of the theater, the colorful world of the stage, and the cold, grey feelings freezing them in place?

"I'll tell you how to do it, I believe you can do it, Soft snow covers our tracks" -> this again as the wish of the virtual singers- i can't change for you, but i can offer advice and push you forward because i know you can (oh also spitball other point- kaito's line in his 1.5 anni card- "when faced with a wall, i don't want to push them up over from the bottom. I want to climb it myself and pull them up with me, so that we can see the other side together"). i had a connection to the soft snow covering our tracks part but i don't know how to say it in words. but in colors it's a soft orange. which i know doesn't make any sense.

"You ran with your friends" -> emu nene rui do i need to say more here. (yes because it never gets old. because of the pain, of the things that tore them down, of the steps they took back up, they found their dreams friends family).

"He will be alright now, 'cause there's no winter that isn't followed by spring" -> yes

also raising the point of snow imagery- it alrealy exists in normal n25- mafuyu did chose the name "yuki". and i think there was an event about it. i think that theme also works in hw. but instead of the damp, blue sort of snowfall that feels cold and hollow, it's the warmer, sparkly snow of dawn. it's the snow that was lonely in the night, but beings to feel less so when the light first begins to break.

AADHWJJDNWKDNWKDUSQJOSHISKWUQNDOBWNSNSJ acey are you in my fucking brain. aroace wxs fanatics really do share a brain cell because HELLO??????/silly

i haven’t said shit about the virtual singers yet but ohmygod your guess is so fucking on point. awawawa. this is so fucking hw core and like it fits so so fucking well into the current thoughts i have for both tsukasa and the main story guhhhh explodes explodes explodes

firstly, might as well do a tiny bit of explanation for hw virtual singers. they both have the same overall personalities as canon wxs, kaito being the responsible older brother figure (representing what tsukasa wants to be like yknow) and miku being very childish and all (i. forget her symbolism w tsukasa. whoops). also given that the sekai and they were created from tsukasa’s feelings, they are well aware that tsukasa isn’t quite okay. even if he isn’t entirely aware of it himself. yknow how he is. anyway. you’re very right about hw virtual singers. their goal is both to ease their pain but also to like. revive the bit of hope they all had, and help them not lose it again. given it’s an online theater group, they of course want to help them do shows and find joy in doing again, because despite it hurting them so badly they still hold so much love for shows and the vs want to help them with it, but more than anything they want them all to find joy in living again. like they’ve all been hurt and vs is there to ease that pain and help them find joy and hope despite being given so much shit and having been hurt. yknow. and i don’t have much to add aside from that cause like. you got them so well. my god

"You ran with your friends" throwing UP. i hate these clowns and their stupid loving friendship and love and care they have for each other because who else understood them like they did each other who else did they have aside from each other because who else will drag them back up and cling to hope with them like they do for each other. they’re so. sobs.

"He will be alright now, 'cause there's no winter that isn't followed by spring" YES. YES INDEED. they’re all gonna be okay. they’re gonna be okay. cries.

tsukasa side note:

""I told a lie to my mom", a boy began to cry. I am made to be all white so that I can take away the darkness in his heart" -> also like you said TBIS IS TSUKASA AT HIS CORE and he’s exactly the same in hw. he wants to be that big brother his siblings can look up to he wants to make them proud and he especially doesn’t want to worry anyone Ever and saki and toya know something might be wrong but he won’t tell her (but to be fair. he hasn’t exactly admitted it to himself either) bc he’s tsukasa tenma!! he’s okay!!! he has to be okay!! he’s going to be a star!! and what kind of star would let a lot a few setbacks get him down!! so there’s no need for anyone to worry!! cause he’s a-okay!! (<- lying. to himself as well.) honestly at this rate i’m not even gonna need to do the tsukasa ramble since i’m just rambling about him in asks when i can /lh

In "Kalim's Harem", if our Sunshine Boy was a Trans Boy, what do you think each of the boys would react to when they found out?

AWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!

So I have a lot of TWST trans headcanons so first off I'll name my personal ones (reminder everyone these are my headcanons if you don't agree or like then that's fine, you have your thoughts I have mine)

Riddle is FtM transgender who I sometimes swap in headcanon as nonbinary

Ace if FtM transgender who just got his top surgery before NRC

Cater's Cater and we all should be happy for it ^w^

Both Jade and Floyd are Intersex

Azul's nonbinary to me (I dunno octopi's anatomy is weird and I love it)

Jamil's Nonbinary but didn't come out until after Chapter 6

Vil is a genderqueen GOD

Epel's FtM transgender

Neige's in the closet of questioning (I have always been open with headcanons of him from him being trans, aroace, vegan, secretly a bitch, so that's why I wrote it like that. He's still learning things outside scripts and knowing himself)

Idia I always view as questioning but doesn't really care about pronouns, just doesn't want to deal with the whole thing of picking where he is and coming out

Same for Ortho but Ortho's just happy being Ortho

Lilia's a nonbinary bad-ass FIGHT ME

And sadly I'm not going to use my OCs Arie and Giles in this or @gay-salt-amber's OCs Esther and Amyir for this ask since the tags are glitchy for me but Esther's a beautiful wonderful enby vampy and Amyir is one hella fine and sweet Genderfluid demon

NOW ONTO THE HEADCANONS!

I think it's safe to assume Jamil knew for years

Unless you want to go the route Jamil started as Kalim's servant "friend" after he started going by he/him

In Night Raven, Kalim was very happy to be himself, but that didn't stop the slight fear of changing and someone comments on his body somehow or if someone finds his T-Shots or binder

Once he started attending classes and club activities, he started to learn he's not the only one who's different, which ease his heart and mind a bit

If Jamil knew, Jamil helped Kalim is so much of the transitioning and being carefully, even being the one who'd have to tell the teachers about it for Kalim after Kalim gave him permission, just so something comes up they can know how to handle it (periods, a malfunction with his binder or packer, someone said something, etc.)

If Jamil doesn't know, Kalim feels HORRIBLE hiding such a huge thing from his best friend

Once he started dating his lovers he became very aware he needs to come out to them properly

He does at his dorm

They all hug him and thank him for telling him

They all make sure Kalim's comfortable and not being harassed or feeling discomfort

The main protectors: Jamil, Riddle, Leona, Floyd, Rook, Sebek, and Lilia

Silver and Deuce are the worrying partners over every small thing

Ace, Riddle, and Epel are always prepared for any form of discomfort and dysphoria when it comes, also Trey and Cater but that's thanks to being here so long

Malleus once threw a dude who commented on Kalim's binder one hot day. He didn't know what it was and was confused why he was yeeted

Rollo's a bit confused by the term but he does lots of research and Kalim's open for any questions he has

One time Kalim got a few whiskers on his chin and he eagerly showed it off and was showered by so many compliments

Lowkey inspired by a real thing with my friend, Kalim had to use the foam version of his T-Shots and luckily hasn't ran out yet

When Jamil came out Kalim went shopping with him to help ease him and show he has an ally

Kind of saucy but Chenya once felt bolt and ask Kalim what sexual things are okay with and that unlocked like 10 to 20 minutes of a deep conversation of the subject cause turns out Kalim never thought of that before

The explore it safely and done very scary yet strong search results on the internet, communication is key in the end my friends

The A-Team

(asexaul and aromantic Ted Lasso fic recs)

Let's be honest, half the reason for this post is the title. But also to shine some light on a couple beautiful fics I've found with aro and ace characters in this fandom. The purple heart indicates ace, green indicates aro content.

A is for Ally by starryeyedknight 3.8k💜

When Richard suggests a novel way for the Richmond boys to show their allyship, Colin ends up coming out to the team...just not in the way they were expecting.

In which the team gets distracted (multiple times), Isaac is overprotective, Jamie suspects Colin might actually be a Jedi knight, and Bumbercatch reveals way more about his sexual preferences than anyone was expecting. (And poor Will is inadvertently scarred for life.)

A cute little fic that I found perusing the asexual tag. I really enjoyed this au, and Colin's coming out/the guy's reactions to him as well as him not having it all figured out himself.

Love Stuck by @altschmerzes 6k 💚

When Keeley opens the door, Jamie bypasses any kind of perhaps typically-expected greeting. While this isn’t exactly unusual for him, what he says is.

“I’ve got great news,” he tells her, smiling like he really does have great news, which helps to somewhat offset the sense of foreboding she’d been starting to feel. “I am not in love with you. Can I come in?"

OR: Jamie Tartt is aromantic. This changes everything. This also changes nothing. A study in identity, defining your own relationships, and different kinds of love.

I am completely in love with this fic. Jamie having a bi panic before he realizes actually, neither is good/ref. It's very true to my own experiences and made me relate to him so much.

Such a Skeptic: or, Keeley Jones is Bad at Communication by ellarree 800💚

Keeley Jones is definitely not bitter about Shandy. Barbara is definitely interested in double dates and the institution of romance as a whole. Jamie Tartt definitely knows why he’s here. And Jack Danvers? Well, she knows that none of those three statements are true.

A short sequel to the above fic, with aromantic bonding and Barbara who quite honestly deserves so much more screen time in cannon. It has it's own sequel which you can find here.

A Simple Matter of (Mis)Communication by starryeyedknight 3k💜

For the past few weeks Moe Bumbercatch and Jan Maas have been spending an awful lot of time together, and everyone knows what that means. Everyone, apparently, except for Moe Bumbercatch himself...

Apparently I just need to binge read this author's whole collection of works because I didn't realize they also write A is for Ally until making this. Asexual Jan Mass which again I found myself relating to a lot. Technically part of a series and his asexuality was mentioned in the first work, but it's central to the plot of this one. It's also super cute.

Self rec: it's a rather touching notion by providing_leverage 5.7k 💜💚

“I won’t beat around the bush. We think you might be bisexual. You familiar with it?” A friendly team game of spin the bottle ends in a few revelations, some quicker than others. (AKA Moe Bumbercatch going through the unofficial aroace right of passage: adding no real attraction to men with no real attraction to women and coming up with bisexual, with a little help from his friends)

I really enjoyed writing this, even if the last 2k was just a fight against myself. It went through so many different versions and ended longer than I meant for it to be. I really neat part of the Ted Lasso fandom is how platonic so much of the content is.

If you've got any aspec recommendations of your own, please drop them here or tag me. Self recs are absolutely invited. Happy pride!

Aro week

I'm going to talk a lot about loneliness here because it's my experience as an aromantic having, amazingly, my own life and psychological and social problems to deal with.

Before discovering myself aroace, I always thought about how good this sexuality should be, because someone who doesn't feel romantic or sexual attraction is someone who was born completely armored. Someone who had no chance of getting a broken heart must have been born very lucky. God really does have his favorites.

I already knew it wasn't quite like that, but I found (and still do) that illusion amusing.

However, as I got to know this sexuality more, I identified myself and became even more familiar with it, but I denied it because it was impossible for me to have been "born armored", after all I am afraid of spending the rest of my life alone, despite since then this is an idea that I've made peace with.

But I'm not the only aroace who feels that way, right? Someone who has emotions and is lonely (in the romantic sense or who feels that they are not the priority in someone's life) feels the loneliness solidifying as time goes by.

And I'm certainly not the only one who has "forced" himself to like someone or just stuck with a certain person because he didn't know and didn't want to deal with his own frustrations alone.

Although the idea of ​​being lonely is something I've come to terms with, when I find myself thinking about the future I imagine two situations: one where someone is interested in me romantically, it's not reciprocated and we move away. It's an imagination of my desire to be desired mixed with the only realistic end I can think of. And in the other I imagine myself living in a place close to the beach, with children and having the same closeness that I have today with my family and friends, and in this imagined future I realize that I am genuinely happy, even in the only way I know how to live: more distant and lonely.

So that's how I realized that I still want to have a family, living close to my favorite place. And there's no one like my life partner in this dream simply because I don't imagine that person could exist. Even if it makes me a little sad to think that I'll never be someone's priority, it's still a comfortable dream, it's still something I wish I had just because, put it that way, it feels like there's something missing.

But if something or someone comes along, it's welcome.

However, despite all this loneliness that I feel is something very real, it's not the only thing.

Imagine that you are assembling a puzzle little by little, but the last piece is lost somewhere and when you finally find it, you think you were in the most obvious place in the world and rush to fit it in its rightful place.

This is exactly how I feel every time I find something about myself. The path to discovering yourself aro(ace) is certainly a journey and, depending on the person, the fear of loneliness will be something that will haunt you for a long time, but still the feeling of "fuck it all makes sense" is there, mainly because with that understanding comes the realization that there's nothing wrong with you just because you didn't have any interest in a romantic relationship in high school, or curiosity (enough) to want to try dating and casual sex even though you're already 19 years old.

And sometimes I can feel attracted to someone to the point of imagining a lifetime with that person, but that (at least so far) doesn't mean that I have real interest in living all those things with that person. Sometimes I just want to imagine how I imagine any other story anyway. Because it's cool, because that person aroused this interest in me and it's something comfortable. Or sometimes because I really had a crush on the person.

But the saddest (and most revolting) thing (because everything I've said so far is my own thing) is when I feel the questions and judgments coming out of people's pores who think I'm weird because I don't have anyone I like.

"Ah but surely you already liked someone", already, nothing happened and nothing changed.

"But is there anyone who likes you?" If there is, I don't know, but it's probably going to be someone I don't want.

You know, asking me if someone likes me or if I'm interested in someone or if I'm seeing someone just makes me unhappy, because it reminds me that, in this world, I'm basically alone and even rejected, which makes me feel feel weird, pissed off and depressed.

Weird because "what do you mean I don't have anyone?"

Pissed because "fuck I have no peace in this shit".

Depressed because "nobody wants me (if someone shows up wanting me I don't. Let me wallow in my drama in peace)".

#Agender!TsukiYama x Agender!Reader

🎐Cw : none

Pronouns : none

Summary : dating hcs with agender tsukishima & agender yamaguchi !!

. It would probably take a lot of trust in you for Tsukishima to date you.

. (This is childhood friends to lovers because I love it) you guys probably met in elementary school. Becoming friends with Tadashi before Tsukishima. Doing everything together, going to the same schools and eventually joining the volleyball team together / supporting them and the team. 

. Like some friendships there is someone who falls in love. That person was yamaguchi. He fell in love with both you and Tsuki and sooner or later, you and Tsuki also fell in love with each other.

. (My hcs)I think  it was kinda awkward when you all confessed your feelings because both Tsuki and Yams (and possibly you) are aroace-spec! So it came as very awkward but you all still showed that you all loved and cared for each other. 

. (My hcs again)I think that Yams likes to play otome games in his freetime and plays them with you. I also think that Tsuki writes cheesy love poems about you and Yamaguchi & makes playlists with songs that remind him of you two. 

. (About coming out)I think Tadashi and Tsukishima would trust you enough to come out as trans. Probably finding it on the internet along with yamaguchi finding neopronouns. 

. congratulations they are now agender and Tsuki uses they/he pronouns and Yams uses he/xe pronouns. 

. They probably came out when you guys were studying at Tsuki’s house. They had discussed it a week before and decided they would tell you (because y'all are dating.) 

. they were nervous about telling you not knowing how you would react but surprise surprise you came out to them as agender too!

. now you guys are AAA batteries :D

You and Yamaguchi were at Tsukishima's house studying for an upcoming test. Tsuki had left to get some drinks, leaving both of you together in silence when Yams asked you something. 

“Hey y/n, could I ask you something?”

“Yeah sure! Whats up?”

“Well I was wondering. . . or me and Tsuki were wondering, if we were trans would you still date us?”

“Well yeah of course. Where is this coming from?”

Just as he was about to answer, Tsukishima came through the door with the drinks and set them down.

“So. . . y/n, Yamaguchi and I have something to tell you,” Tsukishima said. He turned away from you and looked at Tadashi.

“Well, what is it?”

Uh. . . w-well recently both me and Tsuki had found out that we both identify as agender,” he said looking at you.

“And well, we’ve been meaning to tell you, b-but we didn't know how you would react”

Tsuki, Tadashi. . .” you said looking at the both of them.

“I identify as agender too!”

. Both of them we’re surprised to know you’re also agender.

. You and Tadashi told the team you guys were agender and they quickly accepted you, as Tsuki decided to keep to himself. He may or may not come out to the team later.

. The team calls you ‘AAA batteries’ and is very happy you trusted them enough to come out.

+random gender & sexuality hcs:

. Tsukishima is agender (they/he/moon), bisexual and demiaroace

. Yamaguchi is agender (he/xe), omnisexual, cupioromantic 

inazuma hc's (favourite charas as always)

**SPOILERS FOR LEAKS ON PLAYABLE SCARAMOUCHE**

raiden ei: she/they, agender, quoirom/greysexual

yae miko: she/her, trans, sapphic

kazuha: he/him, trans, aroace

kujou sara: she/her, trans, enby, birom/ace

thoma: he/him (doesn't mind they), oriented aroace

favourite ships: eimiko, ittosara

romantic relations hc's

eimiko: miko is really hurt and still doesn't fully trust ei bc of the whole leaving for half a millenium thing; ei feels really guilty bc she was gone for half of miko's lifespan (kitsune typically stay on earth for 1k years, and she was gone for 500). they're working to rebuild their relationship w/each other, and also to fix the destruction the shogun caused for the country

eisara: they're not actually together (nor would they ever be) but kujou sara can't tell if what she feels for ei/shogun is romantic or not. obviously she would never confess (she'd perish on the spot if the archon ever found out), but she does wonder sometimes how it would feel to be closer to the person she admires so much. another reason kujou sara never pursued the relationship was because she is aware of the severe power imbalance between them (and also knows ei's heart belongs with miko). she knows her feelings are unrequited, but it doesn't hurt as much as she thought it would because she is happy just being able to talk to ei as both an advisor and a casual friend. ei is endeared by kujou sara's loyalty to her, and wonders why miko keeps teasing the poor girl about her "obvious crush" on ei (she's dense as hell). ei regrets the fact that kujou sara was loyal to what is essentially a robot, and is determined to be a better ruler to show her (and miko) that she can change for the better.

qpr relations hc's

ittosara: I think we all know the classic trope here, but here's a little twist: kujou sara came to terms with her feelings first and confessed. itto helps kujou sara from underground by getting on the inside of legitimately dangerous organisations in inazuma. kujou sara would never show it, but she's always worried (and grateful) for his help

ittorou: itto found gorou's tenacity (and stature) very cute, and when they became friends thanks to the resistance itto's feelings became more intense. gorou always looked up to itto's confidence and charisma, and he also found him very charming and easy to be around. itto and gorou actually became partners before itto and kujou sara did; they all sat down and discussed their qpr polycule after itto told gorou he liked kujou sara. when kujou sara confessed to itto, he and gorou had already agreed on the terms of their polycule, so itto told kujou sara to come with him. then, they all managed to come to an agreement. itto also helps gorou gather intel; gorou and kujou sara both worry for him together (they make sure to bring him plenty of good snacks when he returns).

friendships hc's

tomo and kazuha: very close friends; kazuha looked up to tomo like a role model. tomo was very endeared by kaz's loyalty and devotion to him, and right before he died he silently apologised to kazuha for being "so reckless and foolish" and leaving him behind. kazuha blamed himself for his death for a very long time, until barbatos couldn't take it anymore ("the wind knows me") and sent a breeze to inform kazuha of tomo's last regret. obviously this didn't fix everything right away, but knowing that tomo didn'f blame him relieved a lot of guilt from kazuha

kujou sara and gorou: mainly became friends bc they're both partners w/itto; at first they were very mistrustful of each other, but itto helped both realise that they could trust each other

shinobu and itto: besties. almost as close as siblings; itto remarks that he sees shinobu like the responsible sibling-type friend. shinobu sees itto as a chaotic sibling figure, but relies on him for support as she needs (they trust each other a lot). despite their frequent jabs at each other, they respect each other a lot. shinobu is the one who makes sure itto doesn't get himself killed on espionage missions (though she'd never tell his partners, for everyone's sake)

rivalries hc's

kazuha and scaramouche: their idealogies clash. hard. scaramouche is the only person who genuinely annoys and angers kazuha thanks to his sheer lack of regard for human life. scaramouche actually respects kazuha's fortitude as a wanderer, and (very, *very* deep down) secretly looks up to him in that regard. kazuha feels nothing but contempt for "that man"

heizou and kazuha: heizou hates that he can never seem to one-up kazuha, but at the same time he loves the challenge. kazuha is just praying that heizou never catches up to him. if they ever became friends, it's not apparent to the outside observer; they're a bit like genshin version of tom and jerry, always playing cat and mouse

scaramouche and xiao: xiao doesn't understand why venti gave scaramouche a vision. he hates scaramouche for not only hurting aether, but also collaborating with the organisation that stole venti's gnosis. "nothing about that man can be trusted," as xiao puts it. scaramouche doesn't know xiao exists (yet)

scaramouche and aether: aether resents scaramouche for being part of the fatui (not only bc they took venti's gnosis, but just in general for all their crimes). he disagrees w/venti's decision to give him a gnosis, but venti says he has a bit of a "plan" with regards to that... scaramouche thinks aether is pathetic

I already know this is going to be such a wild ask and I sincerely apologize but omg I’ve been a huge enjoyer of your blog and writing for awhile now (Thank you so much for posting all of your hard work!!🥺) and I just wanted to let you know that you are hands down the reason why I enjoy Suguru as much as I do! I never disliked him, I always thought he was interesting as a character and villain, not to mention v v pretty😳 but no matter what I could never find myself fully invested in him as a character by himself! In the past any interest I had was if it were an interaction between himself and Gojo but now????? After reading your writing??? I find myself getting mush brain anytime I think about Sugu, and it’s all because of how you write for him!!🥺

I’m no expert in writing or describing why certain things meld so well by any stretch of imagination, and I can’t even begin to coherently try to explain why your version of him works so well, I can just say that he feels so genuine and real! Even in his most twisted, wild, and angsty moments he is Suguru Geto, and I am experiencing this character as he was meant to be seen, read, and loved!

And ofc your writing lends itself wonderfully for everyone you write for! I found you first through your Gojo writing (All of which is still yummy and tasty and I always come back when I’m in need of comfort!🥺), but I will never forget reading your best friend! and Childhood friend! Sugu for the first time I was??? Floored from start to finish! To me at the very least, your writing is very tender but oh so unapologetic. The way you handle fluff and angst separately is impeccable, and when you bring them both together? Divine! I will rant and rave over all of your Gojo writing but there’s just SOMETHING in how the angst and quiet sweetness works so well for your Suguru that leaves me just?? So happy that I came to truly love and appreciate this character through your writing! I can feel how much you adore Sugu in everything you do and I am just??? So happy to love him as much as I do now!🥺

SPEAKING OF SUGU😳 I’ve read talk of a merman! AU and can I just say I am!!!! Fully on board😳 I cannot speak for everyone but when May/Summer comes around a button in my gnoggin gets pressed and suddenly all I can think about is Mermay and merfolk! There’s so much potential for the trope and the diverse ways in which characters can meet and learn about each other and themselves and so much else it’s just?? SO GOOD😳 It is curiosity and kindness at its core and I just!!! Go bonkers for that shit oml if you do decide to go through with writing for this Merman! idea please know it will slay so hard I fear we will never recover😌

(I wanted to talk about stsg with an aroace! reader as well but this ask is too long as is so all I will say is! That entire idea really hits close to home and it truly means a lot, it’s a very nice thought to think about and I enjoy seeing yours and others takes and ideas on the topic! <:))

I just want to apologize for letting this ask become such a behemoth, i knew i had a lot to say but I didn’t think it would be this much, i hope it doesn’t clog up your inbox or overwhelm you! ^^; but I hope it can at least meet you at a good time! I hope you have an amazing rest of your day/night, and please don’t feel pressured to respond if you’d rather not! <:)

anon………………………….

I CRIEDDDDDD I CRIED REAL TEARS YOU ARE SUCH A SWEETHEART???????? this ask made me SO happy pls never apologize for making it long….. i love long asks more than anything and this was just so heartfelt n kind ??? T—T have been feeling slightly burnt out lately so it rlly cheered me up!! tysm……… BUT AAAA we have sm to talk abt ….

FIRST OF ALLLLL ANON MY ANGEL??? i genuinely can’t express how overjoyed i am that i could convert u into a sugu stan LMAO like that’s??? the highest form of praise to me???? knowing my silly lil sugu fics could make u appreciate him as a character???? :’3 I’M SO HAPPY sugu nation could always use more followers….. we’re kind of a cult i think HE’S LOVELY ISN’T HE??? likeeee i love gojo just as much don’t get me wrong but i do also think sugu is the best jjk character. like. objectively. nothing beats him.

no but i really am so giddy that u enjoy my sugu fics!!! :’3 and the gojo fics too!!!! they’re my special little guys and i feel so lucky that i’m able to share my love for them w everyone else <33 and aaaaa …. anon i feel very overwhelmed rn BUT ONLY IN A GOOD WAY i’m just so touched by ur kind words!!! T—T knowing my sugu feels genuine and real to u means the world to me, i try my best to stay true to my own perception of his character while writing (whether it’s fluff or angst)… so i feel so relieved knowing it resonates w u :’3

To me at the very least, your writing is very tender but oh so unapologetic.

also…. anon……. you’re far too kind 😭😭😭 THIS IS SUCH A HEARTFELT COMPLIMENT IT MADE ME SWOON tysm …….. i think that i want my writing to feel tender above all else !!! so this is also so affirming to hear phdjdvz…….. ily. T_T

AND AND ANDDDD MER!SUGU!!!!! ohhh anon i’m so glad you’ve been enjoying my discussions abt him, i adore them sm !! 😭😭 it really feels like me and my anons have been building him up together and i’m so excited to write the fic and bring him to life!!! I HOPE IT WON’T DISAPPOINT i also love mermaids a whole bunch and i agree sm when u say the trope is just kindness at its core, the idea of a human and a mermaid loving each other when their worlds are so far apart… just. appreciating each other as individuals yk?? i’m planning to make that a very central theme of the fic, i’m not gonna spoil u but !! i have a lot of thoughts abt mer!sugu and people he might have met.. how they shaped the way he views humans and himself….. how much one little act of kindness can mean to a person. yeahhh that concept always makes me emotional i’m kinda tearing up…… u get it anon…………. T—T

ANDDDDDD AROACE!READER TOO………… i hope this isn’t too personal to ask but anon are u on the spectrum 👀👀👀 i’m assuming u are hehe, it’s always so heartwarming to talk to other aroace jjk fans!!!!! i think that especially in a fandom w so much smut it’s nice to be able to create a lil corner w/o it…… no hate towards smut obviously phsjdhd it’s just usually not to my taste so i’m very content to be running a sfw blog :33 and obv aroace!reader means a whole bunch to me, i’m so happy the concept is comforting to others too!! i firmly believe stsg would be great w an aroace!reader <333 (and i hc them both as being on the spectrum too)…. if u ever wanna talk abt them then feel free to send an ask in, i’d be more than happy to!!!!

but!!!! with all that being said!!!!! thank you so, so much for all your kind words 🥺🥺😥 this ask rlly did find me at the perfect time, you’re a sweetheart and i’m honoured that my fics can mean something to you <333 i’m hugging u tightly anon !! i hope you have a lovely day or night 🫂🫂 always remember that suguru geto loves u

The Great s2 spoilers (?)

Okay, I just wanna share my thoughts on something, and that something being: ace Orlo.

So, throughout s1 there was the ongoing joke (if you can call it that ig) of Orlo being "a virgin" and some teasing about him not being into women, etc. Since then, I was very 🕵🏻 about all that, making me think that he was either asexual, gay or both.

On the first episodes of s2, Orlo's uninterest in sex was made clearer. And that's when we get to ep 3: Orlo lets Velementov know he got laid the previous night, clarifies it was with a woman and it was his third time having sex.

Later, we see him passionately making out with a guy, which ends up in them having sex, and we know it was his first time with a man bc he was "experimenting", as he put it. Then is where something particularly interesting comes up: he says it felt more or less the same way than when he had sex with a woman, which, to summarize in a word, basically says it was "meh". Plus, he added he'd rather be reading a book.

Having sex with that man didn't make him have the feelings he was supposed to have regarding sex, it didn't get him there and it's obvious he was trying to (hence the "experiment", which, given his other times with women, he was also experimenting, hoping to feel what was expected of him to feel). That scene, at least for me, was the confirmation that he is asexual.

In episodes 4 and 5, we see Orlo clumsily flirt with Katya, the teacher. And in the following ones, it is clear they started a relationship, which is, to an extent, also sexual. I was kinda expecting the writers to do something like that, because hoping that they would truly look into Orlo's asexuality was, sadly and all things considered, unrealistic.

(not that being ace = not having sex, but in a "he found someone, so he'll now have sex and that's how far exploring this will go" way)

However, I must admit the sex scene Orlo and Katya share in ep 6 kinda reinforces that he's asexual/in the ace spectrum. While he does seem to be enjoying it, it doesn't necessarily mean that he was sexually attracted to Katya (or maybe he was? I feel like that was unclear and it made me doubt a little, but only as to say "maybe he's demisexual"), and it was more of a combination of having her read a book to him, listening to the author's words and an obvious sexual stimuation.

Now, before his relationship with Katya began, I considered him either gayace or aroace, giving s1 and early s2 stuff. When he was kissing that guy in 2x03, he seemed to be way more at ease than in pretty much any other scene where a woman looked suggestively at him, where he'd look away or was visibly uncomfortable. I now think he is biace solely because he did seem to like Katya, but I'd be happy to be proven otherwise, bc I feel there's much more material to back up gayace or aroace Orlo, despite being biace myself.

In ep 9, where he calls things off between them after Catherine finds out about the money, their goodbye isn't sexual. Granted, it wouldn't have to be, but given the rest of the characters and the show itself, you might guess why I point this out lmao.

In conclusion: Orlo is definitely aspec. There's canon material, which includes dialogues, as evidence. While I'm not angry or upset about how things were handled regarding this part of Orlo, I am disappointed because, imo, it had so much potential. I would have loved to see this explored, to have some scene with Katya luring him into her room and him being hesitant or not thrilled about where that was heading. I would have loved to see a scene like the one he had with the man, but with Katya, where he'd actually talk afterwards about how he feels about sex (i.e. neutral/uninterested/nothing). It had potential to be played with, and come up with something funny like, idk, Velementov walks into them and hears them giggle and they're under the sheets or smth but they're just reading and Velementov is confused and leaves but Orlo covers himself either way even tho they were fully clothed. The show already has a lot of sex, so I do feel that not going deeper into Orlo's asexuality was a wasted opportunity.

Jughead (2015), Issues 9-11: Discussion and Commentary

This brings us to the first arc written by Ryan North, who saw that the aroace Jughead train had left the station and simply could not resist tagging along for the ride. If you’ve followed anything about Jughead as a character at all, then you’ve probably seen many screenshots from these three issues before. It’s the Sabrina arc (that’s right, as in the teenage witch)!

I have a lot of analysis at the end of this one, so buckle up!

The gang ends up at Pop’s, as usual, where Jughead meets the shop’s new mascot, a talking burger lady. Jughead is, unsurprisingly, thrown off his game by this. After all, burgers are his one true love, but girls? He doesn’t really have an interest in them. It’s a confusing moment for him, and when his friends witness this, well… they assume he’s got a crush on her.

This is an iconic page in the “aro Jughead” canon. Here we have Betty trying really hard to be a good friend and doing what in her mind is the best for him, trying to help him through what she and the others perceive as his first crush. Jughead, meanwhile, is diving headfirst into a spiral of confusion (and later, discomfort) at the idea of having any sort of interest in another person.

I want to give my utmost respect to Ryan North for explicitly having Jughead say that he doesn’t get crushes. It’s not the only time that North does this during this arc, and I think it makes all the difference between making this awkward and relatable rather than making it seem like Jughead is being stripped of or “cured” of being aro.

Betty pushes Jughead to talk to Sabrina (the burger lady—it’s Sabrina), and after a while of running into each other day in and day out as Jughead frequents Pop’s on a regular basis, they strike up a friendship. Jughead has gotten what he wanted—to be friends with the cool burger lady—and he seems genuinely satisfied.

…But unfortunately, things do not go as planned for Jughead. The next time they see each other, Sabrina asks Jughead out. And Jughead, in true stereotypical oblivious aro fashion, agrees, without realizing until it is much, much too late that what he has just agreed to is a date. Like, a real date.

If you think about it, Jughead has probably never been asked on a real date before. And this is something I ABSOLUTELY would have done (and may still do today, if I’m completely honest with myself) as a teenager. Jughead’s immediate regret is so palpable here, and so relatable to me as an aromantic.

In his panic, Jughead turns to his friends for help. They are… not helpful. They’re trying to be helpful, sure, but whereas Jughead doesn’t really seem to want to go through with this at all, his friends are more set on giving him romantic advice (with varying degrees of usefulness). Jughead really has to go out of his way to defend himself and insists on multiple occasions that he thinks the girl in the burger costume is cool and interesting, but that he doesn’t like-like her, he doesn’t even really know her!

Unfortunately for Jughead, he ends up going on the date. And who does he call for help? His only other openly queer friend (I say openly because let’s be real with ourselves, none of those kids are cishet), Kevin Keller.

And okay, this scene with Kevin is genuinely kind of funny. You get the impression that Kevin has had a lot of practice dealing with straight bullshit, and that he’s more than a little disappointed that Jughead’s “big emergency” turned out to be something this totally mundane and not worth his time.

Ultimately, Kevin is also super not helpful, even after Jughead steals his phone in an attempt to get him to come to the table and diffuse the awkward situation Jughead has found himself in. So Jughead resorts to what I can only assume is plan Z, which is to call Archie for backup.

Only semi-related, I really love the way Ryan North writes conversations between these two. It just feels really genuine and believable. And anyway, I don’t know what Jughead was expecting, but resident himbo Archie Andrews is of no help to him, and only ends up making things a hell of a lot worse.

This leads to Sabrina rushing off to the bathroom and casting multiple spells to try to get Jughead to at least play along, if not outright fall in love with her, all of which fail spectacularly and only end up making her far angrier with him. I don’t blame her for being upset—the date was a total disaster, and right at the moment Jughead was about to be honest with her, Archie showed up and made things worse. Sabrina storms out, and vows that she’ll get revenge on Jughead for this, somehow.

All of Sabrina’s subsequent spells on Jughead also backfire. She tries to make him fail his classes, and he passes with flying colors; she tries to make him spend the whole day with resident asshole Reggie, but he ends up befriending him against all odds. She even ends up unleashing a giant eldritch horror by accident, and—well, that’s not important.

In the end, Jughead decides to make things right. He never meant to hurt Sabrina, and she seems to be in a tough spot, having just moved to town, so he brings her some food as a peace offering and explains what really happened. And Sabrina is… surprisingly receptive, in fact more receptive than Jughead’s friends were when he came to them for help, despite the fact that this is something they should already understand about him. Being upset with Jughead wasn’t doing her any favors, so Sabrina already seems to be at peace with what happened and is more than willing to forgive him and be his friend despite all that transpired between them.

This is a really great scene. There’s a nuance to it—the way Jughead acted on their date was unfair, both to Sabrina and to himself. He needed to be honest from the beginning, but instead, he just kept trying to escape. At the same time, Sabrina gets it, and it wasn’t very cool of her to try to use magic to get what she wanted, either (not that Jughead knows she did that).

Jughead helps Sabrina re-enroll in her old school and quit her job at Pop’s to move back in with her aunts, so that she can live out the rest of her teenage years the way she’s supposed to. Afterwards, Sabrina and Jughead both seem really happy, and thus volume two ends on a positive, quiet note.

I really like this arc, for the reasons I’ve already stated and more. It’s funny and awkward and endearing (I say that a lot about this series, don’t I?), and it portrays a realistic and relatable aromantic problem without it being aboutaromanticism. It’s more about Jughead being honest about his feelings and making a new friend than about Jughead being aro, even though that contextualizes the situation. A great deal of the series is about that—Jughead being honest with himself and others. In the first arc, it’s Jughead shaking off a persona of apathy. In the second, it’s Jughead being honest with Archie about their friendship and the way Archie’s behavior has been making him feel. Here, it’s about Jughead being honest about who he is at his core, and accepting it about himself—and Sabrina accepts it, too, no questions asked. Even if he never says “I’m aromantic,” the sentiment is there plain as day, and it’s a refreshing beat for the story to land on.

That said, I do have a bone to pick with this arc. There’s a line in the sand here between Zdarsky and North. In the last arc, we saw Zdarsky portray that really subtle but meaningful interaction between Archie and Jughead, in which Archie seems not only keenly aware of Jughead being aromantic—even without the word—but also tacitly supportive of him, such that he knows immediately when he’s crossed a line. Here, we see Ryan North take a bit of a step back from that, such that Archie may be aware of Jughead’s orientation but seems way too quick to assume all that’s changed the moment there’s even a sliver of possibility that Jughead has a crush. That’s the reality of having different writers stepping in to interpret the same characters in loosely connected stories like this, but it still bothers me. I prefer Zdarsky’s style of storytelling in general, but in particular I also prefer his portrayal of Archie, as much as Ryan North’s on-the-nose aro moments and undying love for Reggie make me very happy. As a whole, nobody ever stops to ask Jughead what he wants, they only tell him what they think Sabrina wants. Jughead says so himself:

I suppose one could make the argument that Jughead’s friends, or even Jughead himself, are only really aware of the asexual bit (if at all—for all we know Veronica and Reggie have no idea, for example) and that’s why they don’t only never mention aromanticism but also sometimes seem ignorant of it. It’s possible that the aro side of Jughead’s orientation is still something he doesn’t have the words for, despite it being a truth he knows about himself, and in fact I think that would have been an interesting angle to take, had this series continued beyond 15 issues. But what I have an issue with isn’t so much the fact that Jughead’s friends are unhelpful (because let’s be real, sadly a lot of us have been there), but the fact that never are they asked to apologize for pushing him to do something he so clearly didn’t want to do. Whether he or they know he’s aromantic or not, he was clearly uncomfortable with the idea of going on this date—and not just due to a lack of experience. I would have liked it had Archie, or Betty, or Kevin apologized, or even once asked him what he really wanted. Betty comes the closest, by talking it out with him in the first place, but even she still earnestly pushes him to go through with the date anyway.

Anyway, there are two arcs left for me to discuss, and frankly I’m not as enthused by either of them as I was for these past three, for a variety of reasons. The Ryan North train continues for one more arc, and then it’s on to Mark Waid and Ian Flynn’s big finish. Those two updates might come a little slower. Until then, I was going to include a compilation of Jughead looking uncomfortable, but I've only got one image slot left thanks to tumblr, so instead I leave you with this:

Same, Jughead. Huge same.

Queer Watcher 2020

I am looking back on this weird, not-so-wonderful year - and on the ways @wearewatcher made my 2020 so much more wonderful. Originally, I wanted to list all the highlights I could think of, but one of the things I am most grateful for is Watcher’s inclusion and support of LGBTQ+ folks. I am just one queer person but I know there are many more in this fandom.

So, this ended up being a list of things I, as a queer person, appreciate and enjoy, and I am so so happy that I can write this. Buckle up, I have Things to say, and it is going to be emotional.

Ryan’s Pride shoes. I sometimes wonder how many sales Converse owes him. I love my own pair btw.

“Look, all I’m sayin’ is, y’know, hey, uh, love everybody.” - Shane Madej, Gangly Puppet Freak. A PSA from the Weird/Wonderful Shakespeare Theatre vid, regarding bisexuality - he is so awkward with it lmao. Whole video has really great vibes too.

Steve/Stephanos.

Various tweets, including wishing us a happy Non-Binary People’s Day and a happy Trans Awareness week.

Ryan and Shane including their pronouns in their twitter bio. (Little things like this don’t go unnoticed, and they are very appreciated.)

Gay Oars! Ugh, my heart. Their first appearance totally caught me off guard, and I haven’t recovered since. (I also causes me no small amount of joy that the most romantic and tragic song of all time is called “Gore on the Shore”.) I could yell about my love for these guys all day. It is a beautiful thing that these characters exist.

Gay Oars, again - I knew they would show up and I still was not prepared. The song made me cry. I haven’t recovered from that one either. I love the progression from the first, tragic song to the second, joyful and loving song. I have so many emotions about these oars, I probably could make an entire list just for them. (Little fun fact: Even though the song made me cry, my first reaction to that episode was to go on tumblr and yell about it excitedly. Like, I was emotional but in an enthusiastic kind of way. The more difficult emotions hit me about four days later, for some reason. And then I sat in my room and cried my eyes out. Like, as much as I like being queer, sometimes it is just damn hard and the pain seems too much and you have been hurt over and over and don’t know if you can ever recover from it. And it is just really good to know that someone cares about your wellbeing as a queer person. Even if you have never spoken to that someone and he does not even know of your existence. And to be honest, I don’t always know how to deal with that. The kindness? The genuine allyship? I have no idea how to handle that, and it simultaneously heals and breaks my heart.)

Every time the words “his boyfriend” were uttered; I am especially thinking of Are You Scared here.

All the fan art Watcher inspired and continues to encourage and to support. There are many great artists in the fandom! And Watcher’s content inspires me to draw and create more myself! How wonderful!

Toxic masculinity who? It is nowhere to be found.

This... special kind of gentle and kind weirdness? It honestly had such a positive impact on me and the way I interact with other people and let them interact with me.

All of the wonderful people Watcher brought in. I am sure they will work with more amazing folks and I am really looking forward to that. Personally, I am hoping to see Eugene Lee Yang at some point. (Would be really happy to see Thomas Sanders too.)

Here’s What You Do. Just the whole podcast. It was such a delight.

I was hesitant to include this because I believe many of us have negative memories attached to it, and it was not a fun time for anyone (including the lovely people at Watcher themselves). But, yes, I am mentioning it: That one HWYD episode and the follow-up. I can only speak for myself, but the follow-up has an incredibly special place in my heart. To me, it is one of the most important videos Watcher has created. I watched it several times, I journaled about it extensively and it made me a better ally. Hell, I even showed it to my mother and one of my siblings (like, the entire video). I know it was a difficult thing to talk about but at this point: A HUGE thank you to Steven, Ryan, Katie and Shane for handling this in an absolutely fantastic way. I feel welcome and seen and appreciated, and in the end all I want is this: For people to genuinely give a shit about me as a queer person.

On a more lighthearted note, I enjoy it way too much that Ryan is able to say “LGBTQ” without stumbling over the letters. It seems like such a tiny thing but it brings me an unholy amount of joy.

The Professor. I don’t want to call him LGBTQ+ because that has not been confirmed as canon but he IS comfortable wearing clothes that are typically seen as “women’s clothing”, and as a trans/non-binary person I am kind of obligated to mention it.

I think I had an out of body experience when Ryan said “Oh thank you baby” to Steven in Too Many Spirits. Then I had to pause the episode to finish laughing. And then they brought it back in the next episode. Bless them.

Every time they/them pronouns were said.

The entire Hatshepsut PH episode. What can I say, I like it when gender norms/expectations/roles are broken. And even if we can’t call Hatshepsut trans by today’s standards, declaring yourself another gender has such power.

Without giving too many details: I had my struggles and problems in the past with Christianity and ~certain~ Christian people, and it is really good (and I mean REALLY good) to see someone whose faith and integrity are so interwoven and who is inspired by his faith to do good things and to do right by people. I obviously only know the things about his belief that Steven decides to put on the internet but what I’ve seen is almost healing to me, in a way. I am very grateful and happy that he is willing to educate others and to keep working on himself. Warms my heart.

The certainty with which these beautiful people call themselves allies.

Just... the general kindness and compassion, and the willingness to listen and to grow. I promise you, we notice and we love you for it.

I could have expanded on all of these points but I tried to keep this short.

And look. I don’t want to put anyone on a pedestal; that would not be fair. I am just immensely grateful for kind people who genuinely care and who genuinely try to do right by others and to bring joy to others.

And I know we like to have fun here but Watcher’s content is just a lot more than entertaining, meme-able fun (although it is that too, of course).

I had a blast with it this year and I am very much looking forward to the next year. I feel like I can’t adequately put into words the myriad of little (and not so little) ways these people have made my life better this year. Thank you from the bottom of my aroace, non-binary heart.

I been thinking... about the Tsaritsa... specifically like, if the Tsaritsa was aroace. Because I am aroace and so are all characters by default

But like, both Archons so far have had strong and interesting opinions about their respective domains, that shape major parts of them as characters. Venti, god of freedom, came right after a tyrant, and willingly allowed himself to become a very weak god by refusing to rule because ‘what is freedom when demanded of you by a god?’ 

Zhongli, god of contracts, in the past seemed to set his whole sense of morality to revolve around contracts, and even now that he’s grown himself more after meeting Guizhong, he still holds his contracts, and the very concept of fairness in high regard. 

So now I’m thinking about love. It’s something I have a bit of a weird relationship with. Most media seems to hold it in unreasonably high regard, setting romantic and sexual love combined on a pedestal, the secret to all life’s problems. Genshin is a little different. We don’t have many examples of romantic pairings in major characters, a lot of NPCs who are kinda creepy about love are, I think, portrayed as just that. There’s Albert who pretty much stalks Barbara. There’s that one guy in Liyue who’s obsessed with getting his fortune read for love in his future, and that guy in Liyue who thought he’d get together with his childhood sweetheart but instead she married someone else and now he’s jealous. They’re those two shopkeepers just outside Liyue Harbor, the woman having waited for the man to confess until they were both very old, and he still hasn’t. 

Of course, there are several NPCs in romantic relationships who are very happy. Ver Goldet and Huai’an come to mind, also Glory and Godwin, I’m sure there are others, but the biggest focus on relationships in Genshin... seems to be estranged siblings and found family. The Traveler and their twin, of course. Barbara and Jean, Kaeya and Diluc. Klee and all the knights but especially Razor and Albedo, and of course Razor’s Lupical and Childe with his younger siblings. Very few of them have perfect relationships, many of them struggle to regain a sense of closeness from the past. But they still care for and love these people. 

So now I’m thinking about like... a goddess of love who doesn’t focus on romantic relationships, who focuses on other sorts of love. Or who doesn’t feel love at all, and perhaps that gives her a unique perspective on it. One of the things I wish were explored more in fiction, is that love isn’t a pure good force, it can become toxic, so a goddess of love who recognizes that, or who is kind, of course she’s kind, but doesn’t love like other people do, who knows she can’t return the feelings her people have for her but still cares for them and wishes the best, and continues doing things in her own abnormal way, knowing her element is powerful, and dangerous... I think it’d be interesting. 

I doubt the Tsaritsa would be really confirmed as aroace, it’s not something many companies tend to explicitly identify their characters as, which makes me sad. But an Archon of Ice, an element that is ‘frigid’ and ‘cold’, also being a god of love, a goddess of love who cannot ‘love’ in the ‘normal’ way, but still being someone Childe described as being ‘kind’, who can’t love but can still burn... I dunno, it’s a really fascinating idea to me, ripe for exploration. This kinda just became my rambles but I guess I hope you enjoyed it?