#notes for crushing the patriarchy

[roses-red-and-pink]

Ok funniest historical inaccuracy from Anne with an E though?

“Oh no! A female teacher?!!? We’ve never had a female teacher! How will the patriarchy respond??”

Ma’am, this is the 1890s in rural Canada. Teacher is the top profession for young unmarried women in this country.

[naileadevoras]

greetings , loved ones ! recently , i've noticed some roleplay groups adding a most likely to... in their applications & decided to make a masterlist of superlatives in hopes to give you all some inspiration when filling in an app form . the under the cut , you'll find 50+ character superlatives that can help with the development of your muses . i hope you find this list helpful !

as always , a like + reblog would be greatly appreciated .

most likely to ...

accidentally join a cult .

always have a filled passport .

commit a petty crime .

betray her friends for money .

become a celebrity lawyer .

become a homewrecker .

become a motivational speaker .

become a twitch streamer .

become a voice actor for a cartoon show .

be inducted into the sports hall of fame .

be late to their own wedding .

become the first lady of the united states .

become the next president of the united states .

break a world record .

climb mt. everest .

die first at a zombie apocalypse .

discover a cure for a specific disease .

end up in a blockbuster .

end up in the emergency room after a fight .

flirt with their friends parent .

forget their own birthday .

get a botched plastic surgery .

get a divorce after 14 days of marriage .

get attacked by a wild animal on a camping trip .

get drunk & wake up with a face tattoo .

get married in vegas .

get married to a pro athlete .

give all their life savings to charity .

go on a solo - travelling trip .

have a failed youtube career .

have a one night stand with drake .

have a stalker .

have three divorces before 30 .

headline at coachella .

host their own baking show on tv .

hook up with a college professor .

insult you & immediately apologize after .

join an underground fight club .

leave everything behind & travel the world by themselves .

make a man cry .

make it on the fbi's most wanted list .

marry a celebrity for their fame & money .

meet their significant other at the gym .

overthrow the patriarchy .

star in a reality tv show .

star in their own reality show .

start their own pyramid scheme .

stalk their celebrity crush & follow them home .

take over the world .

win a grammy but forget their speech .

win a nobel peace prize .

win an argument .

write a notes app apology after getting cancelled online .

win the lottery but lose the ticket .

[yourbasicqueerie]

office hours (lilia calderu x reader)

• Summary: You've been distracted lately, and Professor Calderu noticed it. what will happen when she calls you into her office for a little "chat" about your....diversions?

• Notes: Wrote this based on the beautiful @jubshead 's experiences with having a crush on her teacher, go give her some love because she is one of my favorite people ever and a constant joy in my life, the cunnilingus bit is for my honorary grandma pia ( @chiefofmilfs). I don't have a playlist for 5is even tho I have had it sitting on my docs for a good 2 weeks now, but I did listen to a lot of "glory box" by Portishead while cranking at this. thank you to my angel in earth @angeliccss for helping me with the pictures!!!! hope you like it. ALSO PREACH ANKLE BRACELETS BECAUSE LILIA IS A FUKCIGN HIPPEY AND I CANJOT WITH ANYONE MAKING HER A FANCY COOL BROADWAY DIVA LET MY WEEDY CUNTY DUMPSTER DIVING GRANDMA RUN FREE INTO THE SUNSET WITH TWO DIFFERENT PAIRS OF STOLEN SUNGLASSES UNDER HER UNPADDED CROCHET BRALLETE • warnings: smut in this bitch and it’s fucking everywhere, like nasty nasty shit. probably the horse it’s most jerkable thing i’ve ever made so uhhh beware if you don’t want to read straight up filth coming from yours truly

——————————— ^ ————————————

The campus hums with late afternoon energy.

Someone’s blasting jazz from a dorm window three floors up, and the quad smells like cheap weed and cut grass. You dodge a flying frisbee, give a half-hearted wave to your anthropology partner, and keep walking—fast—toward the old humanities building. The one that looks like it’s about to either collapse or be declared a historic landmark.

Professor Calderu’s office is on the third floor. No elevator.

The stairs creak like they’re judging you.

You knock, knuckles tapping lightly on the frosted glass door that reads: Dr. Lilia Calderu, Department of History — Office Hours by Appointment Only

...which, for you, apparently means “4:30 on a Thursday because she said so and you didn’t dare argue.”

“Come in,” calls that unmistakable voice—smoky, precise, somehow both amused and exhausted.

You step in. And, as usual, her office looks like a wizard exploded in it. There are stacks of old books—some with titles in Latin, others just blank leather spines—everywhere. There’s incense curling from a holder shaped like a tiny gargoyle, a velvet throw draped dramatically over a chair she definitely doesn’t let students sit in, and a mug that says Hex the Patriarchy beside a bowl of hard candy you’ve never seen anyone take from.

Professor Lilia Calderu herself sits behind the desk, legs crossed, reading glasses perched low on her nose. She’s wearing a long, flowing blouse with swirling prints in crimson and indigo, sleeves that flutter when she turns a page. Her jewelry clinks softly as she moves—silver rings, chunky bangles, earrings that sparkle even in low light. Her lipstick’s a sharp berry-red, her gray hair is being worn so dramatically that you can't quite place whether it is a crown or a rebellion.

She doesn’t look up. Yet.

You hover awkwardly by the door, resisting the urge to shift your weight like a guilty middle schooler.

“You’re late,” she says.

“It’s 4:31.”

“Which is not 4:30.”

You could argue. You don’t. Finally, she looks up.

And her gaze pins you where you stand. There’s something vaguely feline about the way she watches you. Leisurely. Dissecting. As if she already knows every reason you’re here, but she wants to hear you say it. Badly.

“Well?” she says, folding her hands over your essay—the one she digitally returned last week with comments like “uninspired” and “beneath your abilities.” (Which hurt more than you’d like to admit, especially since she’s usually never so surgical with her praise.)

“I’m here to talk about my grade,” you say, forcing confidence into your voice.

She leans back. “Are you?”

“I—yes?”

Lilia lifts a brow.

“Interesting. Because your paper suggests you either didn’t read the material, or you were too distracted to care.”

That stings. “I read it,” you say defensively. “Twice.”

“Mmm. And yet, here you are.” She gestures lazily to the seat across from her. “Sit. Let’s get to the root of the problem.”

You sit. (Because of course you do.)

She watches you, silent for a beat too long. Then: “You’ve been distracted. In class. In your writing. Even now, you can barely keep still.”

You blink. “I’m just—tired. It’s midterms. Everyone’s tired.”

Lilia tuts. “Somehow, not everyone is turning in work that reads like a half-hearted blog post.”

You bristle. “It wasn’t that bad.” She smirks.

“Darling, if I wanted to be lied to, I’d go to a faculty meeting.”

(And there it is—that sharp, dry wit that makes your stomach flip in the worst/best way.)

Her eyes narrow slightly behind the glasses. “Tell me,” she says slowly, “what is it that’s keeping your mind so… preoccupied?”

She already knows. Of course she does. But she wants to hear you say it. Wants to drag it out of you like a confession.

You shift in your seat. The cushion creaks under you. “I don’t know.” Lilia hums, clearly not buying it. She rises from her chair in one fluid movement, shawl rippling behind her, and steps around the desk—slow, deliberate, dangerous. You don’t breathe.

“You don’t know?” she repeats, almost gently, coming to stand behind you. “That doesn’t sound like the clever little voice that won’t shut up in my class. The one who always has something to say—until now.”

You sit very still. She smells like smoke and sandalwood and something that doesn’t belong to this century.

Her fingers drift lightly over the back of your chair. Not touching you. Yet. “Is it stress?” she asks, low near your ear. “A bad grade? Boy troubles? Girl troubles? Hmm?” You start to speak, but her hand finally does touch—fingertips grazing the back of your neck, feather-light. You shiver. “Oh,” she purrs, and you can hear the smirk in her voice. “It’s me, isn’t it?”

You tense. A heartbeat of silence.

“Say it,” she murmurs. You open your mouth.

“No, wait,” she says, stepping in front of you now, leaning on the desk again, arms crossed so the sleeves of her blouse pull tight across her chest. She looks down at you like she’s grading your soul. “Let me guess. You don’t want to admit it. You’re embarrassed.”

You flush. “I’m not—”

“Please,” she interrupts smoothly. “You stare. You squirm. You bite your lip like you’re in a bad paperback novel. If I made a drinking game out of your distractions, I’d be in rehab.”

You don’t know what to do with your hands. Your voice comes out too quiet. “It’s not my fault.”

Her head tilts. “Oh?”

“You walk into the room and everyone notices. You talk like you already know what people are going to say. You look at me like you see right through me. And—” You stop. Too late.

“And?” she asks, with exquisite cruelty. You bite the inside of your cheek.

Lilia steps closer, between your legs now, and you realize suddenly that she’s barefoot—silver rings on her toes, ankle bracelets that jingle softly. Her hand lifts and gently tilts your chin up. Her voice is a whisper, but sharp enough to cut glass. “And that makes it hard for you to concentrate?”

You nod. Once. Slowly.

“I see.” Her thumb drags over your lower lip. “And here I thought I’d lost my touch.”

You exhale—more like a tremble than a breath.

She doesn’t move. “I should report you,” she says. Not a threat. Just a thought spoken aloud. “You’re a distraction. A danger to decorum. But you know what, darling?” Her voice softens, grows silkier. “I think I like watching you struggle.”

You should be offended. You’re not.

“You come into my class pretending to be clever. But all it takes is a little pressure,” she presses her thumb a bit firmer against your lip, “and look how quickly you fall apart.”

You stare at her. You want to say something scathing. Something flirty. Something to take back an ounce of control. All that comes out is a whisper: “Lilia.”

Her eyes glint like obsidian catching firelight. She leans in, lips barely brushing your ear now, voice a dagger wrapped in velvet. “Do you need me to help you focus, darling?”

READ MORE ON AO3

[starry-bi-sky]

More clone^2 snippets

Snippet 12: hands

Lancer: dear god, Mr. Fenton, what happened to your hands!?

Danny, had a run in with Damian’s katana and both of his hands have stitches: um… cooking… accident. I can’t use them that much currently

Lancer, pale: right, yes, of course. You may have one of your friends right you notes until they are properly healed

���———

Snippet 13: more hands (and dash is a dick)

Dash: I bet Fenturd’s just faking his hand injury to get out of doing class work. Getting out of classwork is my thing! I’ll show him.

Danny, minding his own business:

Dash, yanks on his fingers harshly: Freak! Did you think you could copy me and het away with it?

Danny, his stitches torn from the way Dash grabbed him: you’re the last person I’d want to copy Dash, let go.

Dash: we all know you’re faking the hand injury, there’s no way you’d— you’d—

(Danny’s hands are bleeding, and starting to smear on Dash’s hands.)

Danny, (fake) calmly: you were saying, Dash?

Dash: I - uh—

Danny: thanks for opening them up, jerk.

—————

Snippet 14: Danny is Bruce’s Clone and Bruce Wayne has been hottest man alive for many consecutive years

The A-Lister Girls are at a sleepover

Star: Never have I ever had a crush on Danny Fenton

All girls (including Star): puts a finger down

A-List Girl: Paulina put your finger down

Paulina, begrudgingly putting a finger down: he shouldn’t count - he’s a loser!

A-List Girl: he’s still the cutest boy in our grade. Put your damn finger down.

—————

Snippet 15: unstoppable force vs immovable object

(In the Clone Danny Au, since Danny is not a ghost Valerie doesn’t see Phantom as the guy who ruined her life, but a very exhausted vigilante trying his best. They’re allies with conflicting ideologies on how to handle ghosts.)

Red Huntress: are you kidding me, Phantom? You dragged a kid in with you to fight ghosts? I thought you were better than that

Wraith, offended: *opening his mouth*

Phantom, tiredly putting a hand over Damian’s mouth: *in ASL + one hand* you don’t think I tried to stop him?

Red Huntress: he’s a child, Phantom, how hard could it be?

Phantom: looks down at Wraith

Wraith: looks up at Phantom with the eyes of a hundred enraged bulls

Phantom, kneeling down to Wraith and pulling his mask up to show his mouth: *whispering inaudibly*

Wraith: *takes off in the opposite direction*

Phantom, standing up to Red: *ASL* well? go get him

————

Snippet 16: identity

(Danny and Damian are sitting on a rooftop, in the middle of a break from patrol. Damian sits between Danny’s legs and Danny is slumped over Damian’s back.)

Damian, playing with Danny’s fingers:

Danny: who are you?

Damian: Damian.

Danny: who are you not?

Damian: Damian Wayne.

Danny: do you have to be?

Damian: no.

Danny: who do you have to be?

Damian: I just have to be me.

Danny: who are you?

Damian: I’m Damian.

Danny: good.

Damian:

Danny:

Damian: who are you?

Danny, smiling: Danny

—————

Snippet 17: long hair

(In the Clone Danny Au, Danny’s hair goes to his shoulders. I was in a GNC mood at the time the au was made and it passed on to Danny.)

Tucker: are you going to cut your hair, Danny? It’s getting long.

Danny, laying against the bed frame with Sam doing his hair: probably to get the dead ends cut off. I like it long.

Sam: I like it long too.

Tucker: you like it long because he lets you do whatever you want to it

Sam: it’s also a stand against the oppressive stereotype that men can’t have long hair and must always have it short in order to appear masculine! Danny’s showing individuality and sticking it to the patriarchy at the same time!

Danny: and because I let you do whatever you want to it.

Sam, making a punk hairdo for danny: yea that too

——————

Snippet 18: Danny is Bruce Wayne’s clone and Bruce——

Danny, getting stuff from his locker: my parents have a new ‘Fenton anti-ghost sticky bomb’ they’re working on and—

Student with a photography camera: Hey, Fenton!

Danny, looking over: what?

Student: *snaps a photo* thanks!

Student walks away

Danny:

Tucker:

Sam:

Danny: so… um…. Is that- is that another Wes? Should I be worried?

Sam: you should be angry! He just took your picture without your consent! That’s a violation of your bodily autonomy.

Danny: we can keep an eye on it, Sam, and if it becomes an issue then I’ll report it to a teacher.

Danny: and as I was saying, I can’t wait to have to make sure that that doesn’t hurt anyone.

Danny: i love having to stay up late sabotaging my parents’ inventions. Yay…

—————

Snippet 19: Danny is Bruce’s clone and—

Wes: ranting about how Phantom = Danny and how there’s proof and he has it and—

Random Student from his photography club: you wanna kiss him so bad it makes you look stupid.

Wes: I do nOT

Student: Its okay Wes, so does literally everyone else.

—————

Snippet 20: Lookalike

Danny: the only good thing about being Bruce Wayne’s clone is that my Brucie Wayne Impression is spot on

Damian: what??

Danny: my Brucie Wayne impression. It shouldn’t be as fun as it is doing it

[16woodsequ]

100 Asexual Books Rec List

For this list the goal is fiction books with a main character or significant secondary character that is on the Asexual spectrum, or non-fiction books about being Aspec.

Junior Novels

1. Rick by Alex Gino An eleven year old boy starting middle school begins discovering his asexuality admist the school's rainbow spectrum club. Also features transgender and crossdressing side characters, as well as a LGBTQIAP+ supporting cast.

2. Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Alberto Pablo Hernandez In order to heal after his mother's death, Sal learned how to meditate. But no one expected him to be able to take it further and 'relax' things into existence. Turns out he can reach into time and space to retrieve things from other universes. Asexual Sal.

3. Hazel's Theory of Evolution by Lisa Jenn Bigelow Hazel knows a lot about the world. But even Hazel doesn't have answers for the questions awaiting her as she enters eighth grade. What if no one at her new school gets her, and she doesn't make any friends? What's going to happen to one of her moms, who's pregnant again after having two miscarriages? Why does everything have to change when life was already perfectly fine? Hazel (main character) is asexual and aromantic (it isn't said in the book, but it is specified in the author's note at the back of the book).

4. The Trouble with Robots by Michelle Mohrweis Evelyn strives for excellence. Allie couldn't care less. Together, these polar opposites must work together if they have any hope of saving their school's robotics program. Allie is asexual and/or aromantic. Junior graphic novel.

5. This is Our Rainbow by Editors Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby Featuring contributions from Eric Bell, Katherine Locke and A.J. Sass, this first LGBTQA+ anthology for middle-grade readers presents stories of queer fantasy, historical and contemporary stories for every letter of the acronym.

6. Every Bird a Prince by Jenn Reese After she saves the life of a bird prince and becomes their champion, seventh grader Eren Evers must defend a forest kingdom, save her mom, and keep the friendships she holds dear--if she is brave enough to embrace her inner truths. Eren is aromantic (and I'm guessing asexual, though that isn't discussed).

YA Fiction

7. When Villains Rise by Rebecca Schaeffer With her best friend, Kovit's, life in danger, Nita is determined to take down the black market once and for all. Latina asexual and aromantic main character (Nita).

8. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee Henry "Monty" Montague was bred to be a gentleman. His passions for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men, have earned the disapproval of his father. His quest for pleasures and vices have led to one last hedonistic hurrah as Monty, his best friend and crush Percy, and Monty's sister Felicity begin a Grand Tour of Europe. When a reckless decision turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt, it calls into question everything Monty knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores. Aro/ace secondary character (prequel to a Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy).

9. The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee A year after an accidentally whirlwind grand tour with her brother Monty, Felicity Montague has returned to England with two goals in mind—avoid the marriage proposal of a lovestruck suitor from Edinburgh and enroll in medical school. A highly loved book in regards to asexual portrayal, Felicity’s journey does a fantastic job of exploring the struggle of navigating a world where marriage is expected of women in order to function in society. Even more refreshing is Felicity isn’t just avoiding getting married out of a sole rebellion against the patriarchy (though those themes are also present), but simply because she doesn’t have an interest in sexual or romantic relationships at all.

10. Silver in the Mist by Emily Victoria Asexual Devlin has grown up in the shadow of her mother’s impressive spy network—and the shadow of the kingdom, too. A magical mist is eating away at their borders, weakening their magic and making them vulnerable to attacks. Devlin is tasked with infiltrating the royal court of the wealthier neighboring kingdom, but when she befriends their most powerful magic wielder, she discovers an ancient mystery that may hold the key to defeating the mists for good. Victoria prioritizes strong friendships between queer characters and an examination of wealth disparity in this fantasy full of twists and turns.

11. Not Good for Maidens by Tori Bovalino Beneath the streets of York, the goblin market calls to the Wickett women-the family of witches that tends to its victims. For generations, they have defended the old cobblestone streets with their magic. Knowing the dangers, they never entered the market-until May Wickett fell for a goblin girl, accepted her invitation, and became inextricably tied to the world her family tried to protect her from. Told through dual narratives in different timelines, the book essentially has two protagonists: Lou and May. Between these two characters, we have some great queer representation for both asexuality and bisexuality.

12. A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger Themes of magic, family, asexuality, and traditional storytelling dominate in Lipan Apache author Darcie Little Badger's delightful and uplifting second YA novel. A Lipan girl named Nina collides with Oli who is from the land of spirits and monsters. But some people will do anything to keep them apart. This is a wholesome, elegantly written read guaranteed to warm your heart! 

13. Arden Grey by Ray Stoeve Arden Grey is a novel about different kinds of abusive relationships, as well as the strength of family and friendships. Following her parents' separation, Arden is depressed and coming to accept herself as being on the asexual spectrum.

14. It Sounds Like This by Anna Meriano Yasm Trevi didn't have much of a freshman year thanks to Hurricane Humphrey, but she's ready to take sophomore year by storm. That means mastering the marching side of marching band--fast!--so she can outshine her BFF Sofia as top of the flute section, earn first chair, and impress both her future college admission boards and her comfortably unattainable drum major crush Gilberto Reyes. But Yasm steps off on the wrong foot when she reports an anonymous gossip Instagram account harassing new band members and accidentally gets the entire low brass section suspended from extracurriculars. Rep: Biracial Latina fat asexual-questioning cis female MC, Jewish gray-aromantic gray-asexual male side character with ADHD and APD.

15. One for All by Lillie Lainoff In 1655 sixteen-year-old Tania is the daughter of a retired musketeer, but she is afflicted with extreme vertigo and subject to frequent falls; when her father is murdered she finds that he has arranged for her to attend Madame de Treville's newly formed Acadaemie des Mariées in Paris, which, it turns out, is less a school for would-be wives, than a fencing academy for girls--and so Tania begins her training to be a new kind of musketeer, and to get revenge for her father. Rep: disability, asexuality, sapphic side characters, POTS and PTSD.

16. The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson When Dean Arnault’s mother decided to run for president, it wasn’t a surprise to anyone, least of all her son. But still that doesn’t mean Dean wants to be part of the public spectacle that is the race for the White House—at least not until he meets Dre. The only problem is that Dre Rosario’s on the opposition; he’s the son of the Democratic nominee. In a moment of solidarity and high emotions, Dean tells Dre that he has been questioning his sexual orientation. He isn’t sure if he’s asexual or demisexual. Dre puts a messaging app on Dean’s phone so they can stay in touch.

17. Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide. Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. Desi, demisexual female protagonist. 

18. Camp by Lev AC Rosen It’s Randy’s fifth year at Camp Outland, a camp where queer teens get a chance to be themselves. Hoping to win over Hudson’s heart—who’s masc and straight passing and only seems to date other guys like himself—Randy has spent the past year reinventing himself: workout regimen, new haircut, new carefully curated wardrobe. His friends and camp counsellor all think it’s a terrible idea, but what can they do but support him anyways?

19. Little Thieves by Margaret Owen Once upon a time, the daughter of death and fortune was a teenage girl and she was the worst. Little Thieves is, as the dedication says, for the gremlin girls, never has there been a more gremlin girl than Vanja Schmidt. A brilliant and brazen swindler, Vanja could give Kaz Brekker a run for his money. But Vanja has bigger fish to fry. As her body rapidly turns into the gemstones she craves, Vanja must put things right and face her greed head on all while juggling her engagement to a terrible margrave, an investigator with his own magic, and the princess whose face she stole. Vanja’s relationship with junior prefect Emeric could not be more demisexual if it tried, with both sides of the romance experiencing asexual spectrum existence in different and complimentary ways. One part Germanic fairytale, one part ensemble heist, Little Thieves is an unhinged romp of a book.

20. Everyone Hates Kelsie Miller by Meredith Ireland Rom-coms and the asexuality spectrum...two great things that go great together. Kelsie and Eric have been competing against each other their whole lives. But desperation forces them to work together. Kelsie’s best friend stopped talking to her and Eric wants to rekindle his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, and since both will be at UPenn at the same time, Eric and Kelsie decide to go on a road trip together. Sparks fly.

21. You Don't Have a Shot by Racquel Marie Valentina "Vale" Castillo-Green's life revolves around soccer. Her friends, her future, and her father's intense expectations are all wrapped up in the beautiful game. But after she incites a fight during playoffs with her long-time rival, Leticia Ortiz, everything she's been working toward seems to disappear. Queer asexual biracial (Colombian, Irish) protagonist.

22. Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong In 1931 Shanghai, two Nationalist spies pose as a married couple to investigate a series of brutal murders causing unrest in the city. Rep: demisexual Chinese protagonist, bisexual Chinese protagonist, bisexual Chinese main character, Chinese trans woman main character, aromantic asexual side character; (Chinese-Kiwi author).

23. The Spy with the Red Ballon by Katherine Locke Siblings Ilse and Wolf hide a deep secret in their blood: with it, they can work magic. And the government just found out. Blackmailed into service during World War II, Ilse lends her magic to America’s newest weapon, the atom bomb, while Wolf goes behind enemy lines to sabotage Germany’s nuclear program. It’s a dangerous mission, but if Hitler were to create the bomb first, the results would be catastrophic. Gay demisexual Jewish protagonist.

24. Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria Cassa, the orphaned daughter of rebels, and friends Alys, Evander, and Newt, fight back against the high council of Eldra, which has ruled for centuries based solely on ancient prophesies. Alys, an apothecary-in-training and the level-headed one of the crew. She identifies as asexual.

25. Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia Eighteen-year-old Eliza Mirk is the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea, but when a new boy at school tempts her to live a life offline, everything she's worked for begins to crumble. Asexual main character, not explicitly stated in the book.

26. Technically, You Started It by Lana Wood Johnson When a guy named Martin Nathaniel Munroe II texts you, it should be obvious who you're talking to. Except there's two of them (it's a long story), and Haley thinks she's talking to the one she doesn't hate. Demisexual main character.

27. Now Entering Addamsville by Francesca Zappia Zora Novak is framed for a crime she didn't commit--in a town obsessed with ghosts, will she be able to find the culprit and clear her name before it's too late? It's a brief mention, but Zora is ace.

28. Fully Disclosure by Camryn Garrett In a community that isn’t always understanding, an HIV-positive teen must navigate fear, disclosure, and radical self-acceptance when she falls in love–and lust–for the first time. One of Simone’s best friends in the book, Claudia, is an asexual lesbian. The unwavering support she gives to Simone is heartwarming, and she is also openly sex-positive—which flips the script on its head regarding what most people would assume of asexual people.

30. The Art of Saving the World by Corinne Duyvis When Hazel Stanczak was born, an interdimensional rift tore open near her family’s home, which prompted immediate government attention. They soon learned that if Hazel strayed too far, the rift would become volatile and fling things from other dimensions onto their front lawn—or it could swallow up their whole town. Hazel Stanczak identifies as asexual, though she spends time in the book questioning it. The book presents a unique way to show that there is not one single way to be asexual—that it exists on a spectrum and can look different for each person.

31. Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann Alice had her whole summer planned. Non-stop all-you-can-eat buffets while marathoning her favorite TV shows (best friends totally included) with the smallest dash of adulting–working at the library to pay her share of the rent. The only thing missing from her perfect plan? Her girlfriend (who ended things when Alice confessed she’s asexual). Alice is done with dating–no thank you, do not pass go, stick a fork in her, done. Alice is a biromantic and asexual black woman who starts off very confident in her identity as asexual, yet has experiences that have her questioning her orientation and how to talk about it.

32. In the Ravenous Dark by AdriAnne Strickland A pansexual blood mage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead. This book features Japha, an asexual nonbinary character who serves as the best friend to the MC.

33. Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate Life at Paloma High School is much like any other high school, with petty drama, judgmental assholes, and mind-numbing schoolwork. Until it isn’t. A scandal emerges: a student and teacher had an illicit affair. At the center of the scandal are seven teenagers, each with their own secrets, whose lives are transformed as a result of this scandal. One of the characters can be read as asexual (and possibly neurodiverse). He never explicitly labels himself as such, but the way he describes his experiences of [non-]attraction strongly point to him being on the ace spectrum.

34. Quicksilver by R. J. Anderson Tori thought she had left her past behind when she and her family started a new life in a new city. But then Sebastian Faraday reappears in her life to tell her that she’s not quite as safe as she thinks: the relay is still operating and a genetics lab is trying to track her down to figure out the secret behind her unusual biology. Tori is going to have to use all of her considerable technical expertise to escape her past and live the normal human life she’s always wanted to have. Asexual main character.

35. Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie Aisha Un-Haad, seventeen, and Key Tanaka, eighteen, have risked everything for new lives as mechanically enhanced soldiers, and when an insurrection forces dark secrets to surface, the fate of humanity is in their hands. In Hullmetal Girls, Aisha is not only ace/aro but she is also happy with her identity. Crucially, so is everyone else.

36. Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer Nita's mother hunts monsters and, after Nita dissects and packages them, sells them online, but when Nita follows her conscience to help a live monster escape, she is sold on the black market in his place. Aro/Ace main character

37. Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp When Corey moves away from Lost Creek, Alaska, she makes her friend Kyra promise to stay strong during the long, dark winter, and wait for her return. Just days before Corey is to return home to visit, Kyra dies. The entire Lost community speaks in hushed tones, saying her death was meant to be. And they push Corey away like she's a stranger. With every hour, Corey's suspicion grows. Lost is keeping secrets-- but piecing together the truth about what happened to her best friend may prove as difficult as lighting the sky in an Alaskan winter. Aro/Ace main character.

38. If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann Winnie is living her best fat girl life and is on her way to the best place on earth. No, not Disneyland–her Granny’s diner, Goldeen’s, in the small town of Misty Haven. While there, she works in her fabulous 50’s inspired uniform, twirling around the diner floor and earning an obscene amount of tips. With her family and ungirlfriend at her side, she has everything she needs for one last perfect summer before starting college in the fall. …until she becomes Misty Haven’s Summer Queen in a highly anticipated matchmaking tradition that she wants absolutely nothing to do with. Aro/ace secondary character.

39. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland An alternate history where the Civil War was put on hold when zombies started to rise. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston's School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn't pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose.But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems. The word asexual is not used, but that fits with the setting, and the explanation goes into a fair amount of detail, also ruling out that she likes women instead.

40. Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia defends the Gray Sisters by awakening the revenant bound to a saint's relic, even though she runs the risk of being possessed permanently by the powerful ancient spirit. Non-explicit romantic asexual main character. Fantasy.

41. Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace A postapocalyptic ghosthunter escapes her dire fate by joining the ghost of a supersoldier on his quest to the underworld Aromantic asexual main character. Dark fantasy/dystopian.

42. Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno While anyone would love to have a bit of magic, what happens when magic turns dark? Georgina Fernweh will come into her magic someday soon. Before she does, Georgina faces a tragedy that tests the islanders' trust. In this book, Georgina’s best friend Vira is aroace, and it’s addressed somewhat in the story at different points. There is a sweet strength between Georgina and Vira, full of loyalty and support that is lovely to see.

43. The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson In this moving and complex narrative, Lou learns to draw boundaries, stand up for herself, all while coming to terms with her demisexuality.

44. The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow One-third of the human population has died and now the world is about to end. Ellie, a fat, Black, disabled, demisexual girl with access to an illegal library teams up with a music-loving alien to risk their lives to save the world.

45. The Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl Pohl serves up a veritable smorgasbord of queer fairytale goodies in Grimrose Girls. This tale as old as time follows four students at the prestigious boarding school Grimrose Academy—Ella, Yuki, Rory, and newcomer Nani. When the former three’s best friend dies, all four girls are swept up in a dark and twisted mystery full of old fairytale magic. They must work together to unravel the secrets between them and break an ancient curse that dooms them to a fairytale ending (and not the fun kind). Yuki’s aromantic asexual identity is explored in her relationship to expectations, beauty, and friendship throughout the novel.

46. Radio Silence by Alice Oseman Frances has been a study machine with one goal. Nothing will stand in her way; not friends, not a guilty secret – not even the person she is on the inside. Then Frances meets Aled, and for the first time, she’s unafraid to be herself. So when the fragile trust between them is broken, Frances is caught between who she was and who she longs to be. In this book, Aled identifies as demisexual while Frances identifies as bisexual. The story really pays homage to the importance of friendship, and romantic storylines move to the background in a way we don’t often get in YA literature.

47. This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria Forced to serve her country’s ruling group, Karis wants nothing more than to find her brother. But family bonds don’t matter to the sole focus of unlocking the magic of an ancient automaton army. Karis is ace and other LGBTQ+ characters are introduced throughout.

48. Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand A horror novel centered around three girls facing off against an unseen monster that preys upon the young women of the island of Sawkill Rock. Features a black asexual girl fresh out of a romantic relationship, as well as a f/f relationship.

49. Love Letters for Joy by Melissa See Less than a year away from graduation, seventeen-year-old Joy is too busy overachieving to be worried about relationships. She’s determined to be Caldwell Prep’s first disabled valedictorian. And she only has one person to beat, her academic rival Nathaniel. But it’s senior year and everyone seems to be obsessed with pairing up. One of her best friends may be developing feelings for her and the other uses Caldwell’s anonymous love-letter writer to snag the girl of her dreams. Joy starts to wonder if she has missed out on a quintessential high school experience. She is asexual, but that’s no reason she can’t experience first love, right?

50. Not Your Backup by C. B. Lee Part 3 in the Sidekick Squad series by C.B. Lee. Follows a questioning aromantic asexual latinx superhero sidekick fighting to prove her worth on the team despite her lack of superpowers, all admist the team's battle against the corrupt League of Heroes.

51. Belle Révolte by Linsey Miller Noble-born Emilie des Marais, 16, wants to become a physician, a role usually forbidden women of her class because of the corruptive toll the magical "noonday arts" exact. Common-born Annette Boucher wants to escape her domineering parents and master the less physically costly "midnight arts" of illusions, divination, and scrying, normally reserved for those who can afford the expensive education. At Emilie's urging, each girl takes the other's place. Miller (Ruin of Stars) writes in lush, dense prose that can require a careful read, but her protagonists' awareness of privilege and desire to challenge the status quo shines through. LGBTQ representation--including gay, trans, and nonbinary characters (Annette identifies as asexual biromantic)--further widens this tale's appeal.

52. Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor A secret beats inside Anna Thatcher's chest: an illegal clockwork heart. Anna works cog by cog -- donning the moniker Technician -- to supply black market medical technology to the sick and injured, against the Commissioner's tyrannical laws. Determined to earn his father's respect, Nathaniel sets out to capture the Technician. But the more he learns about the outlaw, the more he questions whether his father's elusive affection is worth chasing at all. This YA novel features an aroace character gradually coming to accept his orientation in the midst of everything else that is happening in his life. Perfect for older teens who also enjoy WLW representation and dark themes.

53. Aces Wild: A Heist by Amanda DeWitt An all-asexual online friend group attempts to break into a high-stakes gambling club and commit a heist together. Includes a male asexual character navigating what love looks like for him, an aromantic asexual Latinx gender-nonconforming boy, a Vietnamese American and German asexual nonbinary teen, and a black asexual girl.

54. Planning Perfect by Haley Neil Summer vacation quickly becomes complicated for Felicity Becker as she tries to plan a perfect wedding for her mom, figure out her feelings for her friend Nancy, and wonder what dating will look like for her as an asexual person.

55. Ace of Hearts by Myriad Augustine Everyone around Alvin seems to be obsessed with one thing-- sex. Alvin finds it uncomfortable to think and talk about it and he knows he isn't ready and may never be. His friends, however, think that all Alvin needs is to hook up with the right guy. But the closer Alvin gets to being physical with someone, the more he's uncertain that this is for him and he begins to wonder if he's asexual. Can Alvin find the love that's right for him?

56. Beyond the Black Door by AdriAnne Strickland Everyone has a soul. Some are beautiful gardens, others are frightening dungeons. Kamia comes to know more about her identity as she decides to battle the forces of evil, no matter the cost... Asexual and demi-romantic main characters. Dark fantasy. Kamai is asexual, but isn’t aromantic—she has an interest in relationships that isn’t always depicted for those who are ace.

57. Loveless by Alice Oseman A queer coming of age story featuring a romance obsessed aromantic asexual main character discovering her sexuality and coming to terms with what that means, and a variety of other queer characters that support her on her journey.

58. Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman Rumi Seto spends a lot of time worrying she doesn’t have the answers to everything. What to eat, where to go, whom to love. But there is one thing she is absolutely sure of—she wants to spend the rest of her life writing music with her younger sister, Lea. Then Lea dies in a car accident, and her mother sends her away to live with her aunt in Hawaii while she deals with her own grief. While not the main focal point of the book, Rumi does grapple throughout the story about where exactly she lands on the ace and aro spectrum—and whether she has to label herself at all.

59. Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee In this queer rom-com, a transgender teen must decide if he's dedicated to romantic formulas or open to unpredictable love after an internet troll attack on his blog compels him and a fan to start fake-dating. Through an unlikely friendship with sweet, grounded Devin, who is Cuban American, asexual, and experimenting with pronouns, Noah--initially self-centered and standoffish--learns to value communication and empathy.

60. The Reckless Kind by Carly Heath In 1904 Norway, Asta runs away from her horrible fiancé to live with her two best friends. The three misfits set out to win the annual Christmas sleigh race to prove that they belong together. Queer asexual hard of hearing protagonist with heterochromia of Norwegian descent.

61. Forward March by Skye Quinlan How can band geek Harper have the chance of becoming the First Daughter with a fake dating profile? However, Harper does know that the drumline leader swiped right. Come along with Harper as she explores her truth during her last year of high school. Asexual-questioning cis female MC with anxiety and asthma.

62. Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger What if America had monsters, magic, and interdimensional beings? For Elatsoe, this is real, and she has to uncover her cousin's murder! She can do this with the help of her ghost dog, Kirby, but has to remember not to wake human ghosts. Aromantic ace main character. Paranormal mystery. Casual representation which extends to Ellie’s identity as Lipan Apache. This identity is asserted more often and firmly than her asexuality, and Little Badger drops in nuggets of education for us settlers about what Indigenous people, and the Lipan Apache in particular, suffered at the hands of settlers.

63. All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages by Editor Robin Talley A collection of short fantasy stories, featuring a variety of queer characters across multiple sexualities and genders. Features an asexual roller-skating girl from the 70s struggling to explain her identity to her crush.

64. Black Wings Beating by Alex London Twins Brysen and Kylee live in a world that revers the power of the falconers, but in a world where war approaches, they aren’t safe. Hunted for their power, they work together to trap the Ghost Eagle. Kylee is an ace character, focused on protecting her brother.

Graphic Novels

65. A-okay by Jarad Greene Eight grade can be tough, especially if you have acne and bullies, and lose friends. But our relatable asexual and aromantic protagonist, Jay, pulls through. This is a relatable memoir with colorful artwork.

66. How to Be Ace: A Memoir of Growing up Asexual by Rebecca Burgess A comic memoir detailing the author Rebecca Burgess's experience with growing up asexual in a world obsessed with sex. Also talks about her experiences with her own mental health and OCD.

67. Jughead, Volume 1 by Chip Zdarsky A comic book reboot of the Archie comics centered around Jughead Jones. Follows an aromantic asexual main character in typical Archie-style shenanigans. Part 1 of a 3 part series.

68. A Quick & Easy Guide to Asexuality by Molly Muldoon A charming introduction to asexuality, created to shed light on the misconceptions surrounding sex and being asexual. Told by writer Molly Muldoon and cartoonist Will Hernandez, both on the asexual spectrum.

69. Is Love the Answer? by Isaki Uta A poignant coming-of-age story about a young woman coming into her own as she discovers her identity as aromantic asexual. A complete story in a single volume, from the creator of "Mine-kun is Asexual."

Domestic Fiction

70. Have You Seen Luis Velez by Catherine Ryan Hyde Raymond Jaffe feels like he doesn't belong. Not with his mother's new family. Not as a weekend guest with his father and his father's wife. Not at school, where he's an outcast. After his best friend moves away, Raymond has only two real connections: to the feral cat he's tamed and to a blind ninety-two-year-old woman in his building who's introduced herself with a curious question: Have you seen Luis Velez? Mildred Gutermann, a German Jew who narrowly escaped the Holocaust, has been alone since her caretaker disappeared. She turns to Raymond for help, and as he tries to track Luis down, a deep and unexpected friendship blossoms between the two. Raymond is asexual (to be precise, he is aroace) And he is depicted as kind, loving, sensitive and realistic.

Fantasy

71. In the Lives of the Puppets by TJ Klune In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots--fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They're a family, hidden and safe. Protagonist: Vic, A curious, loving, & asexual human.

72. The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon In the mid-21st century major world cities are controlled by a formidable security force and clairvoyant underworld cell member Paige commits acts of psychic treason before being captured by an otherworldly race that would make her a part of their supernatural army. Demisexual main character.

73. The Perfect Assassin by K.A. Doore Divine justice is written in blood. Or so Amastan has been taught. As a new assassin in the Basbowen family, he's already having second thoughts about taking a life. A scarcity of contracts ends up being just what he needs. Until, unexpectedly, Amastan finds the body of a very important drum chief. Until, inevitably, Amastan is ordered to solve these murders, before the family gets blamed. Amastan is asexual and, as it turns out, homoromantic.

74. The Bruising of Quilwa by Naseem Jamnia Firuz-e Jafari was able to escape the slaughter of traditional blood magic practitioners by immigrating to the city-state of Qilwa. But now a terrible disease is spreading through the city, and Firuz believes it comes from ineptly performed blood magic. Now they must find a way to break a cycle of prejudice in order to survive. From the author: it's about an aroace nonbinary refugee healer who is trying to cure a magical plague in their new home while hiding their blood magic.

75. The Midnight Bargain by C. L. Polk The Midnight Bargain is a story "set in a world reminiscent of Regency England, where women's magic is taken from them when they marry. A sorceress must balance her desire to become the first great female magician against her duty to her family. Ysbeta has a clear goal for her life: to discover and share magic. Besides loving learning for its own sake, Ysbeta is asexual, and wealthy in her own right, so the bargaining season offers her literally nothing.

76. Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire Set in a world where a group of children have the ability to find and enter doorways into magical worlds, and now must find who's targetting them for this ability. Lead by an female asexual main character, with a trans love interest. First book in a series of novellas.

Science Fiction

77. The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis She's a priestess of the Sisterhood, traveling the stars alongside the soldiers of Earth who own the rights to her body and soul. When her former captain abandons her, First Sister's hopes for freedom are dashed and she is forced to stay on her ship with no friends, no status, and a new captain she knows nothing about. When the Mother, leader of her order, asks her to spy on Captain Saito Ren, First Sister discovers that sacrificing for the war effort is so much harder to do when your loyalties are split. He climbed his way out of the slums to become an elite soldier of Venus, but now he's haunted by his failures and the loss of his partner Hiro. But when Lito learns that Hiro is alive, but a traitor, and he's assigned to hunt Hiro down, and kill them, Lito must decide what he is actually fighting for - the society that raised him, or himself. As the battle to control Ceres reaches a head, Lito and First Sister must decide what - and whom - they are willing to sacrifice in the name of duty, or for love. Hispanic panromantic asexual protagonist (Lito).

78. Firebreak by Nicole Kornher-Stace Mal is one of many war survivors in the old town working multiple jobs to scrimp by, one of which is her team's streaming video game play. The team lives with several other roommates in a converted hotel room run by Stellaxis, the company that owns half of town, and is the only legal provider of drinkable water. When Mal catches sight of an elusive SecOps character, special non-player characters (NPCs) modeled after Stellaxis' twelve bioengineered operatives, the team pursues her inside the game to catch her on video for two seconds before their power curfew kicks in. By the time Mal heads down for her daily ration of water, they've secured a lucrative contract, involving an in-person meeting and a conspiracy theory, paying them to capture images of the three living SecOps characters. When Mal returns to find out why the next payment failed, she becomes involved in a fracas that will endanger everyone she knows. Aroace main character.

79. To be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers Four astronauts set out to explore the galaxy. This journey spans centuries and many worlds. A thought provoking read that explores the themes of loneliness and sense of purpose. Excellent cast of diverse characters and vivid world building. Chikondi is asexual and the text is careful to note that his relationship to the protagonist is no less emotional or vital than those she shares with people she is sexually involved with.

80. The Circus Infinite by Khan Wong What better person to take down a crime boss than a mixed-species fugitive! Join Jes on this exciting tale of espionage, torture, demolition. Sex-averse panromantic asexual lead character

Historical Fiction

81. Kaikeyi by Vasihnavi Patel The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, she is raised on grand stories about the might and benevolence of the gods. Yet she watches as her father unceremoniously banishes her mother, her own worth measured by how great a marriage alliance she can secure. And when she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear. Desperate for some measure of independence, she turns to the ancient texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. Kaikeyi is asexual and aromantic. Although the words "asexual" and "aromantic" aren't used in the book.

Western

82. The Complete Lady Ruth Constance Chapelstone Chronicles by L. C. Mawson If you’re looking for steampunk magic, the Lady Ruth Constance Chapelstone novellas are the place for you. Read them individually or all together in this compendium. Chapelstone is interested in her inventions, not love and romance.

Paranormal

83. The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Homes by Joseph Fink Told in a series of eerie flashbacks, the story of The Faceless Old Woman goes back centuries to reveal an initially blissful and then tragic childhood on a Mediterranean Estate in the early nineteenth century, her rise in the criminal underworld of Europe, a nautical adventure with a mysterious organization of smugglers, her plot for revenge on the ones who betrayed her, and ultimately her death and its aftermath, as her spirit travels the world for decades until settling in modern-day Night Vale. Asexual secondary character.

Romance  

84. All the Wrong Places by Ann Gallagher After his three ex-girlfriends in a row leave Brennan because he's not fulfilling their sexual needs, he seeks out advice from Zafir, the owner of a sex shop. Zafir introduces Brennan to the concept of asexuality and slowly something more blossoms between them.

85. That Kind of Guy by Talia Hibbert Rae needs a fake date to take to her ex's wedding and convinces Zach, a close friend who has recently discovered that he is demisexual, to play along.

86. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood In an attempt to convince her best friend that she really is over her ex-boyfriend, grad-student Olive panic kisses stern associate professor Adam in the hallway. (Olive is coded as demisexual/graysexual, but that label is never used in the book).

87. Far From Home by Lorelie Brown The oddest of odd couples finds unexpected joy in Brown’s warm, sweet contemporary romance. American citizen Rachel, a not-quite-asexual assistant film producer struggling to make a living in L.A., is drowning in student debt; Indian immigrant Pari Sadashiv, a lesbian logistics manager, needs a U.S. green card to advance her career. When Rachel offers to marry Pari in exchange for funds, it’s just party banter at first—but what’s to stop them from crafting a friendship with legal and financial benefits? Their platonic plans quickly go awry as Pari’s mother moves in to help plan the wedding, forcing them to live their lie. As Rachel feels herself awakening to an attraction she didn’t even know was possible, Pari has to decide whether she can live with the possible fallout of Rachel’s tentative first foray into same-sex love.

88. Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun Last Christmas, Ellie met Jack in Powell’s when they both went for a copy of Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, and over a cute argument over “shared custody”, and Jack poking gentle fun at Ellie (who had been crying alone and talking to a footstool as if it were her friend) they start to bond. Jack asks Ellie for coffee, and then they end up spending the whole day together. This is a big deal for Ellie, who is demisexual, and rarely develops attractions to anyone. And then Jack breaks her heart. Fast-forward to this Christmas when Andrew, the landlord who owns the building she works in, asks her to fake-marry him so he can access his inheritance, and shenanigans lead to her agreeing to this and to going home with him for Christmas, and surprise! Jack is Andrew’s sister.

89. The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun Tech wunderkind Charlie has never really been interested in dating, but agrees to join the cast of reality show 'Ever After.' While there he finds himself charmed by his producer, Dev, and questioning his sexuality. The Charm Offensive includes a conversation discussing asexuality and its spectrum.

90. Never Been Kissed by Timothy Janovsky Wren Roland has never been kissed, but he wants that movie-perfect ending more than anything. Thanks to Mateo’s boyfriend, he learns about demisexuality and realizes that when he came out as gay, he had not finished realizing truths about himself and intimate relationships.

91. How to be a Normal Person by TJ Klune Before The House on the Cerulean Sea blew up, Klune wrote this quirky and delightful story of two asexual people finding each other and their happily ever after.

92. Soft on Soft by Mina Waheed This super sweet, low-angst romance centers on two fat, queer women of colour (one Black and one Persian-Arab) who fall in love and find their happy ending with hardly any drama. There’s also anxiety representation. It’s just pure fluffy romance goodness. Demisexual protagonist.

Non-Fiction

93. Ace and Aro Journeys: A Guide to Embracing your Asexual or Aromantic Identity by The Ace and Aro Advocacy Project What does it mean to be ace or aro? How should I approach the challenges that come with being ace or aro? How can I best support the ace and aro people in my life? Join the The Ace and Aro Advocacy Project (TAAAP) for a deep dive into the process of discovering and embracing your ace and aro identities. Empower yourself to explore the nuances of your identity, find and develop support networks, explore different kinds of partnership, come out to your communities and find real joy within. Combining a rigorous exploration of identity and sexuality models with hundreds of candid and poignant testimonials -- this companion vouches for your personal truth, wherever you lie on the aspec spectrum. You are not invisible! You are among friends.

94. Being Ace: An Anthology of Queer, Trans, Femme, and Disabled Stories of Asexual Love and Connection by Editor Madeline Dyer Discover the infinite realms of asexual love across sci-fi, fantasy, and contemporary stories From a wheelchair user racing to save her kidnapped girlfriend and a little mermaid who loves her sisters more than suitors, to a slayer whose virgin blood keeps attracting monsters, the stories of this anthology are anything but conventional. Whether adventuring through space, outsmarting a vengeful water spirit, or surviving haunted cemeteries, no two aces are the same in these 14 unique works that highlight asexual romance, aromantic love, and identities across the asexual spectrum

95. Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen A non-fiction research book about the asexual perspective on society's facinations with love and sex, and the misconceptions about what being asexual really is and what it means to a person.

96. The Invisible Orientation: an Introduction to Asexuality by Julia Sondra Decker An introduction to what asexuality is, both for people who don't know what that means and for people that may be questioning their own sexuality. It aims to puts asexual people's experiences in context, as they move through a very sexualized world.

97. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe A graphic memoir about author Kobabe's growing from adolescence to adulthood, as e explores eir gender identity and sexuality. Features a gender queer and asexual main character that uses e/eir pronouns.

98. Ace Voices What it Means to Be Asexual, Aromantic, Demi or Grey-Ace by Eris Young This is the ace community in their own words. Drawing upon interviews with a wide range of people across the asexual spectrum, Eris Young is here to take you on an empowering, enriching journey through the rich multitudes of asexual life.

99. I Am Ace: Adice on Living Your Best Asexual Life by Cody Daigle-Orians Tackling everything from what asexuality is, the asexual spectrum and tips on coming out, to intimacy, relationships, acephobia and finding joy, this guide will help you better understand your asexual identity alongside deeply relatable anecdotes drawn from Cody's personal experience.

100. Sounds Fake But Okay: An Asexual and Aromantic Perspective on Love, Relationships, Sex, and Pretty Much Anything Else by Sarah Costello and Kayla Kaszyca Drawing on their personal stories, and those of aspec friends all over the world, prepare to explore your microlabels, investigate different models of partnership, delve into the intersection of gender norms and compulsory sexuality and reconsider the meaning of sex - when allosexual attraction is out of the equation.

I haven't read all of these books, so I can't guarantee all of them. But I did my best researching all of them. I was making this list on my own and I was amazed that I could find over 100 books with asexual characters and I wanted to share it!

The Aromantic Book List is now out!

Tagging some people who were excited about this list: @sweetspiderstew @majorgenerally @shayberri789 @53rdcenturyhero @knightoflodis @neonghost39 @rosaazulina

[thevampiremarie]

So I watched The Ugly Stepsister in theaters and did not find it to be the “body horror feminist masterpiece” people are hailing it as. I wrote a very long review on Letterboxd to that effect - this is white feminism at its peak, not liberatory or revolutionary for anyone other than the skinny, cishet, able bodied, traditionally feminine white women who created it and that it was intended for.

Note - feminism is a political ideology. An inherently leftist, revolutionary ideology. You can’t just have something made by a woman featuring women and call it feminist. You need to be talking about liberation from the cishet patriarchy. You need to be advocating for all people impacted by it, not just some women that you care about more than others.

One of the things that bothered me most is that the movie asserts that beauty standards under the cishet patriarchy are completely arbitrary, as the protagonist is already a conventionally attractive able bodied cishet white woman who is complying with societal standards of femininity. It’s soooo unfair that Elvira is being called ugly and fat when she isn’t, especially when the camera cuts to actual uglies and fatties she is being lumped in with!

So portraying Elvira’s treatment as unfair when she is put next to girls that ARE actually fat and ugly compared to her is STILL legitimizing these racist and misogynistic standards of beauty, because the director isn’t saying they shouldn’t exist at all. She’s complaining that skinny cishet able bodied traditionally feminine white women don’t deserve to be treated that, when others do.

Furthermore, this movie takes place in an anachronistic but clearly Victorian inspired setting. These misogynistic beauty standards didn’t just appear from thin air. They did not fall out of a coconut tree. They exist in the context of everything that came before them.

It’s 2025, not 1975. I think feminism as an ideology has LONG since developed past “being mean to women is bad :(“. We’re in the era of intersectional feminism, because you can’t be feminist if the only women deserving of liberation are skinny cishet able bodied traditionally feminine women.

WHY is it bad? HOW did misogyny and sexism develop? HOW do we deconstruct patriarchy and tear it down?

I’m going to use fatphobia as an example. Modern day Western fatphobia is the result of chattel slavery and white supremacy. That is not up for debate. This is a historical fact. European women were happy to be fat until they realized they looked like the African women they were enslaving and then the culture completely shifted to idolize thinness.

The point I am trying to make is that the misogynistic beauty standards that The Ugly Stepsister says shouldn’t apply to the main character because they’re totally arbitrary, AREN’T ARBITRARY.

They actually aren’t just made up. They were very specifically constructed to serve white supremacy. Fatphobia is the result of antiBlackness. The obsession with having a small nose as shown in the movie is the result of antiBlackness and antisemitism. The fixation on blonde hair is the result of antiBlackness.

To dismiss these beauty standards as nonsensical and arbitrary is not only erasing their real origins, it’s erasing the women and people being actively crushed by the structures that constructed them. While European women were crash dieting in the mid 1800s to stay slender, African women were being enslaved, brutalized, raped, experimented upon, and murdered en masse and their lands destroyed to give European women the money and free time to worry about not looking like their slaves.

Women who do meet the criteria for being “undesirable” by white supremacy are being killed for it. Women who aren’t “undesirable” but still feeling pressure to distance themselves from that caste will not be able to ever liberate themselves from it until they also fight for the liberation of women who’s oppression they benefit from.

Otherwise, that’s not feminism. That’s being upset that you’re not getting the exemption from patriarchy you were promised for being a compliant skinny cishet able bodied white women. That’s being mad that white privilege doesn’t exempt you from experiencing sexism.

[branwinged]

very curious what your hotd unpopular opinions are  🔥

well i fell for the delusion of 'and I Will Finish fire & blood for real this time before i'm done watching' for a second time and. then i didn't do that. because fire & blood is bad. and as a result i also didn't continue past episode 4 (beginning of 5?). i can probably give you something from the first half, not sure i'm familiar enough with hotd discourse to judge what counts as unpopular. MHM. the white hart scene, right. like genuinely feels like a wilful misreading of the entire episode to interpret it as the narrative bestowing rhaenyra with the divine right of kings. that's not what's happening. the episode opens with a shot of the roasted boar at aegon's name day feast. after that in the carriage rhaenyra tells viserys she doesn't care to join him on the hunt because "the boars squeal like children when they're being slaughtered" and then it cuts to a shot of viserys and aegon. aegon is obviously being associated with the boar she will slaughter later, and it attacked her first, so it's also saying that she Will go to war to defend her life and her rights. she will answer violence with violence.

and then immediately after that she's presented with the white hart. the thing to note here is that the hart isn't a literal portent from the gods, it’s a magical creature to whom the people have assigned meaning and symbolism. so above all this is personal character moment for both viserys and rhaenyra. viserys struggling to kill the red deer is symbolic of his internal struggle/realisation that he's doing the wrong thing by casting aside rhaenyra in favour of aegon. and for rhaenyra seeing the white hart is a moment of self-affirmation because she's just spent the entire day feeling disposable ("nobody's here for me."). now, that she lets it go is also important. i don't care to speculate why exactly she does that beyond a general "it didn't attack her first", but it's very revealing of her character that she doesn't drag it back to camp (agot sansa quote -in the stories the knights never hurt the hart- or something like that). she's presented with a divine portent that would validate her claim to the throne and she does not wield violence against it. i think it's saying that she could've been the good and right choice of ruler (not because she's 'chosen' by the gods, but because of her personal character), but that possibility is only presented as a distant dream, because the reality is that when the time of succession arrives she will have to wield violence and go to war and in time be corrupted by it as she gradually turns into a tyrant.

and i think you can make a good case for a trans reading of daemon's character in conjunction with a trans reading of rhaenyra's. if rhaenyra's quest for absolute authority as westeros's monarch is a transgression of gender norms then daemon pledging service to her and perpetually being her political subordinate also goes against his ordained role of man and husband and patriarch (people already accept a similar reading of rhaegar and lyanna so this isn't exactly a novel interpretation). idk personally i found him to be a sympathetic character shaped by the crushing expectations of westeros's patriarchy, like, almost made in a lab for the feastdance enjoyers. but afaik they don't like him....

oh and the show literally opens with rhaenyra and viserys discussing dragons as a material symbol of and access to regal power, that without them they're just like everybody else. they transparently do not believe in the inherent superiority of their valyrian blood beyond a general degree of self-mythologisation (shared by ALL noble houses). so where exactly is the 'they're all valyrian supremacists' take coming from. it directly contradicts what's there in the text!

[tehcherrya]

LOTR community, important question for you:

[froxyfroggo]

ok so you know how in ii and iii pretty much every character got like growth and/or a development or revelation thing? even characters like nickel, yinyang or goo? a lil part of me has been sad that trophy and salt never really got a satisfying character arc. and like i want trife and saltpepper to be a thing but i feel bad shipping them cos idk there’s missing parts those relationships never got. and i watched the barbie movie the other day and it gave me an idea.

(i’m not going to do anything much with this, just gonna leave it here.)

so like what if:

a month or so after the events of ii18, trophy and salt are both still repressing their gayness. at hotel OJ, all the residents watch a movie for movie night, and the movie that ends up being picked is barbie. while everyone else seems quite happy, once the barbies fight back and ken abandons the patriarchy, trophy leaves, annoyed at the movie’s “wasted potential” and “girl power crap”. nobody notices him leaving and he sits in his room alone eating cacao nibs. a part of him wishes he wasn’t alone in his room eating cacao nibs. 

salt leaves the movie too, annoyed that ken never got barbie even though “he loved her so much” and “obviously deserves her”. (she’s not projecting, pepper, why would you say that! ugh!) she goes up into her room. she, too, feels lonely that night.

seeing almost everyone else in romantic relationships and strong friendships and feeling lonely, combined with the need to reinforce that they’re not gay, means that salt ends up asking trophy out. when she does this, trophy thinks ‘what the hell’ and also ‘why is a girl asking me out isn’t it the guys who do that’ but he accepts, thinking this is what he wants. for the next few months they do typical couple stuff, like picnics, stargazing, dinners and movies. (side note they also played doom and trophy gave salt a quick tutorial and gave her a go in a “heh it’s alright if you don’t get it i’ve been playing this for ages” way. salt proceeds to absolutely thrash trophy and his ego takes a hit that afternoon.) they bond, and become really good friends, but both are repressing the feeling that there’s something missing (they don’t actually have a crush on each other.) 

sometime later, they’re having a movie night in salt’s bedroom, but they can’t decide what to watch. they go to a couple date movie picker and barbie shows up. they’re both thinking aw hell nah i hate this movie but neither says it because social norms and awkwardness idk. point is they watch barbie again. 

except this time, they kinda pay attention to the movie. they both realise they’re gay. trophy has a ‘wait… i’m kind of an asshole’ moment. and once the movie’s done there’s about 40 seconds of silence before one says what’s been on their mind. (hey um this is super awkward and i’m sorry to say this to you, you’re a great friend, and i want to keep that, but i’ve realised that uh i don’t have a crush on you. i think i like pepper/knife.) and the other goes omg same. and they have a lil chuckle. and so in the end trophy becomes a decent human being and apologises to the cast and says i was mean and i’m sorry. salt says sorry to OJ for all the stuff and explains that she was just jealous of the good relationship he had with paper. 

salt and trophy remain strong friends and still hang out every so often, trife and saltpepper end up together after valentine’s day and everything is rainbows and sunshine.

emphasis on rainbows.

[always-scared]

it's not often that I find myself... becoming one(1) with a /minor/ character in a show, a non recurring one. but something about amy bartlett (or isabella york)(or the unnameable woman she was forced to become) is making me want to scream and cry and rip my heart out, in a way not many things always do

i had been watching violet evergarden for the past two weeks or so, and the show, by itself, had already become an irreplaceable, integral memory for me. it became so so important to me, in such a short time, with every single thing it stood for,,,, human connections, war, empathy, memories, peace, violence, remembrance, burning, words, language, thoughts, feelings, desires, love, so, so so much grief, but such devastatingly greater love..... something about the innate humanness of the show got me in a way nothing else has, and it became one of the .. safest pieces of media ever for me. at the centre of my overwhelming intensity of emotions, of fondness and love stood violet evergarden herself, who was forced to grow up so quickly yet... actually I'll talk about her later, because as much space as violet has in my heart and will for evermore, this post is not (just) about her

and then I finish the series and I'm filled with this deep sense of grief, but a deep sense of love. and so I start this little movie and here comes isabella york, the deuterogonist who at first glance seemed to me like the normal rebellious girl, born in a high class family in a high functioning society with the crushing expectations of patriarchy typical of the Victorian era that the show is supposedly set in, placed on her shoulders- a harrowing narrative for sure, but nothing new, nothing we haven't seen before, something we could primarily sympathise with, rather than empathise. you expect her to be like the typical, common place rebel, who finds herself strangled with these. you're convinced that there's no way violet would be able to "tame" her, and she'd give violet a world altering speech about the confines of the nobility being too constricting for her, and she'd give her a small kiss and fly away into the setting sun, with violet watching her go with a half smile on her face

except

except none of this actually happens.

you watch, and you're instead hit with the ..... heartwrenching tragedy, that isabella york is. you watch her be tamed, you watch her become increasingly lady like, you watch as the resigned set of her shoulders becomes wearier. you watch her fall so desperately, so hopelessly in love.

you watch, and you start getting restless, because there's no way right? you convince yourself, there's no way. there's no way they'd keep throwing in the scenes of her before in her ragamuffin clothes except to highlight that the person in present is far at home in them, that past image could never be comfortable, be One with the silks and satins and ribbons and bows right? there's no way they showcase the love, the heartbreaking love she had for her little sister unless they planned to reunite them immediately after, with a little help and push from violet right? there's no way they show her falling so much in love, just for it to go... nowhere right? they wouldn't show her in a prison, just for her to never escape... right?

right?

and then you watch, keep watching with a pounding heart, and you see violet and her bidding adieu, and you see four years passing without a word from her, and you see her sister growing up, and you see her sister yearning for her, and you see her at end and you see her .confined. imprisoned . still. and even though the movie ends on a happy note, you go and look her up, you look up the light novels, and you search frantically, looking for some news, any news of her.

and that's when it hits you. the absolute tragedy that amy bartlett is, the absolute tragedy she's been turned into. that's when it hits you that some people aren't like violet, who've been saved so thoroughly and wholely (as joyful as I'm about that). that's when it hits you that some people are just dealt a ... rough, miserable hand by God. and they end up hating him for it.

like,, idk I don't even know i genuinely don't know what about her got me so bad, that I'm sitting here with my head pounding and loads of work to complete, but instead im just . sitting here with my heart feeling like it's carved out of stone.

i think it's mostly the never ending grief of womanhood, the heartwrenching pain of a denied queerness.

like, i read the two extra stories dedicated to her and both of them just. stuck a chord in me, a chord that made my very soul flinch, shudder in agony. it was the absolute hopelessness i think. it was this i think

ORESTES: This was always going to happen. She's been dead since the beginning.

Aeschylus, The Oresteia

like,,,, idk idk man I wanna cry so bad, i think it genuinely was this, a large part of it was this; she'd never been meant to be the rebel girl, who'd find love and acceptance and freedom whilst getting to love her sister and the girl she adored and herself. it was never about fighting, breaking free.

her fate had been set in stone since the moment her "father" had appeared out of nowhere to restake his claim on an abandoned child and asked her to partake in a monstrous deal, a deal where she'd been dealt the losing hand even before it had been stuck.

her three months with violet weren't supposed to be the grand, life altering point paving the path to her freedom, you realised. it was just supposed to be her reprieve, her... noon. that she'd forever clasp, unseen, hidden, and that would have to be pried from her cold, dead hands.

i don't know, even after writing this much, i feel like I haven't gotten to the essence of it, of why amy bartlett makes me want to sob my heart out, why i relate to her more than I have to anyone ever. i can't, i Cant get over the unfairness of it all, about why She alone was dealt a miserable hand, why she couldn't have been saved like the Postal company saved violet and like she (and then violet) saved taylor and how she again saved the couple who had been thrown out of her husband's room and ...

god, something,,,,.just something about the two chapters about her is still shattering me, devouring my very heart where i sit. like,,,, this girl, this brave, tragic girl, who should've been able to fall in love with a girl, her... her violet blossom, should've been able to tell her, should've been able to live with her, and her sister whom she adored and who adored her so, so heartbreakingly much, and lived comfortably with them, lived in their small house where nobody would have been lonely and nobody would have needed saving and the sun would shine and the world wouldn't be a terrible place and if she were to be asked if it should end, she wouldn't have had to say it should, and god would have dealt her a much softer hand for which she would never seek revenge and she would live forever in her noon, basking in the loud laughter and quiet smile of the two women, one whose red unruly hair she'd dry and brush for all of time to come, and the other for whom she'd tirelessly pick out thousands of violets and place countless flower crowns in her velvet hair, the two women who were her whole world.

she was instead fated to live as a Woman, a woman through and through, representation of the absolute,,,, misery that womanhood can be (even more so as a queer individual), a woman cut out for suffering the moment she was born, a woman with a terrible childhood, and- just as she started feeling like a child, like she belonged, to have it wrenched from her grasp, to watch, unseeing as her sister begged her not to go, to trade her very life in exchange for her sister's, to donne on dresses and gowns and be commodified, to meet a girl whom she'd probably love more than she would ever anyone else in this lifetime, to play with her hair and hold hands and swing and swing around and fall in love just because she was walking alongside her, and then to have it once again wrenched from her grasp because again, this wasn't something meant to last was it? and then continue and be married and forever, for ever carry the atlantean weight that every, every woman is forced to carry, especially in those times to have been gifted a forever cursed existence, to be so lonely, to want to be saved, so so much but knowing that no one was coming ever, to have precisely this be your tragedy, to forever seek revenge by saving others because she would never be saved, to live with an abusive man, to spend her whole entire life stretched ahead of her, vast and so tragically unending, struggling to make do with the handfuls of love she'd had, to force it to be enough, for it to not nearly be enough, to, be so full of love so as to make her sister and her visits her entire noon as she grew up and older, to forever live as someone she wasn't because she'd given up her life long ago, to love someone she couldn't, she shouldn't have had to.

a woman meant to love only for a short while before having it yanked from her, from her chest from her heart, a love that still raged in her, but she'd forever, ever after, continue to live with the memory of that love, the sheer force of it. to remember violet longer than she knew her. to be so in love, but to be okay even if the other never finds out, for all eternity.

claudia tells violet "you haven't realised that everything you've ever done has sparked a flame that is now burning you up. one day you'll stop burning and understand, and for the first time, you'll notice the burn marks." and I think amy bartlett's tragedy is that she never. stops burning.

[seraphbliss]

feb 1st.

my first real blog here! neat :3

as of right now, this account is sterile and lacking all of the fun context needed for silly future shitposts. fixing that by explaining my week.

sunday was my most recent work shift. it's slow szn and i barely get hours. it's not really okay because wages are low too, but at the very least, i like my coworkers. most of them. i work today in about 4.5 hrs, but it would've been abt 2 if i hadn't swapped w/ someone. i only did it because i feel the need to prove myself reliable, since i turned down the same girl 2x already. at work, i carry around a pumpkin kitty plushie.

monday, i watched the stepford wives (2004). me and my friend meant to watch (1975) but it was a treat in and of itself. very on the nose feminist theory mostly and pretty progressive for a mid 2000s film. did not like the monologues, but claire's said a Lot about patriarchy. without reading into the gender essentialism littered throughout, she just wanted to stand at the top of her career with her husband and not have to compartmentalize all the time. to "be the man" is to lead a lonely, emotionally absent life and she didn't want that. she wanted to feel, and to run her world. people of all genders should be able to do that! claire just went about it so terribly wrong bless her heart. also adored nicole kidman with that short cut—an absolutely stunning woman. i also started teaching myself trad art again. i'll eventually take more pictures of my life with my digicam (that aren't obnoxious aurafarming self portraits). expect personal pics soon.

tuesday began my last semester of high school. i have no complaints. my teachers are fine, i get along with my classmates, the courses don't seem hard (little worried about math. never my strong suit.), and i get to leave early. the guy i used to fawn over in august was really excited to tell me about his crush. laughing at disappointment is great but you've still got to deal with your feelings.

wednesday, i listened to marry me by kanii. the temptations haunt me. you want me; girl, don't i know?

i opened my playlist in a bottle from 2024 on thursday. the song for my favorite person was from deathconsciousness and the song i planned to kiss someone to was strawberry cream by oeil. it's actually ridiculous how much changed within a year, often within the span of a week. the note i left read: i <3 u hope ur good. that night i had rice, tempura shrimp, and kimchi while i worked on finishing designing a magazine.

yesterday, i set up this blog and mentally prepared to be at home alone for another 2-3 months. i called up a friend to watch the substance (2024) together. i didn't have any expectations for this movie bcs i never saw any trailers, and i watched it terribly late. this was just evil freaky friday or any other bodyswap trope. it didn't explore the concept in any new way and was sooooo long for it not to, which was really disappointing. i found myself questioning why sue and elizabeth were at odds w/ each other so intensely from the start if "they are one." like shouldn't their motivations align, and they, like, find it in their best interest to keep each other alive and well? i understand satire and whatnot and i get the message (beauty standards bad. Okay.) but i just don't think this film really had anything important to say. the body horror was amazing and then progressively got worse and tacky and excessive and it made me sad bcs some of the scenes were especially uncomfortable. i dunno, this movie just wasn't doing it for me.

today, all is not lost. i'll play animal crossing with my friends, clean my room a bit, and close at work even though i hate closing on saturdays.

[ladylaviniya]

I am loving the beginning of this fic!! Lemme drop some theories/requests/ideas whatev you want to call them.

first thing’s first: I need her to BREAK OUT of this Saint Selene’s situation. Like, full prison break energy. Running down the hallways, dramatic alarms blaring, hospital gown flapping, her barefoot on cold tile, I’m talking full chaos. Bonus points if she steals a lab coat on her way out like, “No one will recognize me if I’m ✨official✨.”

Doctor Castillo? Aka Papa Pedro Pascal is secretly in on it. I’m manifesting that he doesn’t just work for the man, he is the man helping Omegas escape and find freedom. I want him handing her a burner phone and being like, “There’s a car waiting outside. Don’t look back.” (Side note: If there’s a secret Omega village hidden in the mountains where they grow organic veggies and overthrow society in peace?? YES PLEASE.)

She’s lost her blood family (BOO, HISS) but what if she finds a ragtag bunch of other runaway Omegas and Alphas who don’t suck?? Like a big sister figure Omega who’s tough but loving, a Beta who acts like her chaotic sidekick, and maybe... maybe an Alpha love interest who respects boundaries and calls her “boss” even though she’s still learning to stand on her own? (Doctor Castillo can chill, but I wouldn’t mind a cute rebel Alpha around her age, just saying.)

I need her to go from crying in the hospital to ✨crushing the alpha patriarchy✨. Give me scenes of her learning how to control her scent, understanding her Omega instincts without shame, finding out she’s actually powerful AF. Slow-mo training montage, please.

Oh you thought she was fragile?? Plot twist: she’s a menace now. She shows up to a formal event later (in a stunning, jaw-dropping outfit, obviously) and all those judgmental Alphas and Betas are SHOOK. Emily who? Her family who? EXACTLY. Revenge is a dish best served while looking flawless. Petty? Yes. Necessary? Also yes. I need her to see her parents again — but THIS time, she’s thriving, she’s glowing, she’s holding her head high. Maybe she politely ignores them. Maybe she doesn’t even see them because she’s too busy being a boss. Either way, closure is served, cold and classy.

And bonus = Doctor Castillo sitting at some Omega safe house bonfire at night, sipping coffee, proud dad vibes, watching her laugh with her new friends. Maybe he even says something cryptic and Alpha-like, “Told you you weren’t broken.”

AND SHE JUST SMILES LIKE THE BADASS SHE IS.

Okay LISTEN — 🫨 this entire comment?? Straight-up ✨chef’s kiss✨. You basically outlined the manifesto for the exact revolution she deserves.

Full chaotic Saint Selene’s prison break with the alarms and flapping hospital gown??? YES PLEASE. (And the stolen lab coat disguise?? You get it. You get the vision.)

Papa Pedro Pascal, aka Doctor Castillo, running the secret underground railroad for Omegas?? ICONIC BEHAVIOR. Burner phone, getaway car, secret village growing organic veggies?? Honestly at this point I feel like you read my brain before I even wrote the fic.

And the found family squad — chaotic Beta sidekick?? Tough Omega mentor?? Respectful, age-appropriate rebel Alpha love interest who calls her boss??? WHY ARE YOU WRITING THE FANFIC INSIDE THE FANFIC 😭

The “fragile who?” glow-up?? Crushing the Alpha patriarchy?? Walks into the formal event serving flawless vengeance and doesn’t even see her parents?? Petty and powerful — exactly the emotional meal she deserves 🍴✨

And the Doctor Castillo proud dad moment at the bonfire??? Crying real tears. Told you you weren’t broken?? GIVE THAT MAN A MIC.

You don’t even know how hyped I am that you’re this invested. Keep manifesting because some of these dreams?? Might be closer than you think 👀🖤

[ailous-arts]

I strongly believe that Courtney is not a comphet lesbian, or even a lesbian at all.

It’s something that I have thought about for a long time. A lot of people claim her to be one, but by her actions, it is so obvious that she is not (this post isn’t to bash anyone who believes this, of course).

Firstly, using the original source of the term “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence” by Adrienne Rich, compulsory heterosexuality in short (to my understanding) is something that the patriarchy and capitalism forces upon women. That from birth, society pushes heterosexual as the normal to benefit men and their needs.

“Women have married because it was necessary, in order to survive economically, in order to have children who would not suffer economic deprivation or social ostracism, in order to remain respectable, in order to do what was expected of women because coming out of "abnormal" childhoods they wanted to feel "normal," and because heterosexual romance has been represented as the great female adventure, duty, and fulfillment. We may faithfully or ambivalently have obeyed the institution, but our feelings - and our sensuality - have not been tamed or contained within it.”

“But whatever its origins, when we look hard and clearly at the extent and elaboration of measures designed to keep women within a male sexual purlieu, it becomes an inescapable question whether the issue we have to address as feminists is not simple "gender inequality," nor the domination of culture by males, nor mere "taboos against homosexuality," but the enforcement of heterosexuality for women as a means of assuring male right of physical, economical, and emotional access.”

Whether you agree with Adrienne Rich or not, this is the definition we must base Courtney’s sexuality on.

So why isn’t Courtney a comphet lesbian? As what I stated earlier, her actions to me do not seem like something a person would do to make themselves like/love someone. Try putting yourself in Courtney’s shoes. If you were a lesbian or gay, and by the pressure of society, you were forcing yourself to love someone of the opposite sex, would you really take the time to collect multiple photos of the one you’re forcing yourself to love and collage them onto your desktop screensaver? Would you really sit there alone and stare at the screen and mutter their name for god knows how long? (Take note, that those photos are ones of Maxie “through the decades”, meaning that they might not be recent ones/ones that she took. Would you really take the time to hunt down baby pictures of someone you had no real and natural attraction to??)

(Original video link here)

“Courtney is a former scientist. She is known to have a brilliant mind, and she adores Maxie.”

I think it’s interesting that the word “adores” was used on the website for her character summary, too. Adore being defined as to love and respect (someone) deeply. I acknowledge that Courtney’s crush on Maxie is not actually confirmed and is slightly in the air, but this quote, along with her actions and the quote from the grunt in the demo “I totally know how she feels...” imply that her love for him is more romantic than platonic.

If one believed that Courtney’s love for him was platonic and not romantic, and that they truly think she’s a comphet lesbian, they would be just as right as I, but in the end, I do think Courtney’s adoration for him is out of romantic love. It’s just sad that she fell in love with the biggest homo on Earth.

[wellofdean]

Just breaking up this post before it just gets out of hand, but want to reply to these notes from @ironworked :

#I was reading the transcript of a panel Kripke did in 2008#he gets asked about Jo and at the end says they 'don't have any plans to bring her back'#and then: ''(audience cheers)''#then they cheer *for* Ellen#The impression I get is that a large portion of the fandom only ever cared about female characters that weren't 'a threat' to a ship#but who still were there for Dean and Sam#This show had its fumbles and mistakes and iffy stuff with female characters but I'm with Ilarual here - fandom has been significantly wors#the reactions to Mary and Amara are particularly interesting because they're pretty much exactly#the kind of nuanced female character fans *say* they want#and yet they get trashed and misrepresented regularly#funny that#Tv: Supernatural

Ugh. So gross. And to be clear, I am also with @ilarual : there is plenty of misogyny in Supernatural that's there just because it's the air we all breathe, but a lot of it is in the way if someone wants to belittle Dean in some way, they ALWAYS impugn his masculinity, and the way he is supposed to be ashamed of being the one who just wants to keep his family together, and the way he is unable to experience a tender emotion without embarrassment, or the way he can't say "I love you" so he says "I did not leave you!" and "Don't do anything stupid!" angrily instead. Or, the way Sam (soulless) and grandpa Samuel make fun of his nice house with Lisa, and he feels the need to defend himself by saying "Go ahead, call me a soccer mom!" as if the worst possible thing he could be is a feminized, domesticated man who's been tamed by a woman who reads girl magazines. THAT'S misogyny, but fellas, I think the show is attempting to point a thing out with that? All of those things are depictions of misogyny in a show that's about the way terrible patriarchal relationships fuck men up.

Dean's so-called misogyny is cartoonish and ridiculous and clearly a triggered performative response to stereotypical representations of performative femininity, because when Dean is called upon to respond to a woman as a human being, he is well able to do that, even in season 1.

Women who threaten the big ship are always hated in fandom after fandom. Personally, I loved Jo. I loved her crush on Dean, and his big brother act hiding a crush on her. I loved Amara because GOD'S SISTER? Dean's dark female soul image? The way their weird, skeevy connection resolved in mutual empathy, one caged thing to another, and also in giving each other what they most needed? Mary coming back to show Dean that his fantasy of a lost ideal family was just that? A fantasy?

Like, that is just rich storytelling and I am here for it.

I get why people didn't like Amara -- she is an antagonist and I cringed every time she touched Dean's face. She was a threat to Dean, but also? I fucking LOVED that she was there, making me super uncomfortable and fucking EATING, and against Chuck? I wanted her to win. Fuck that guy! I love the idea that a controlling author/father/god who locked his sister and feminine equal up so he could play with his boytoys and make them kill each other. I love that Amara is symbolic of nothingness as opposed to Chuck's being because I think there is a fundamental way in which we struggle to imagine ourselves, AS A CULTURE, without patriarchy.

I also get why people are mad at Mary. We love Dean! We want him to have what he wants! We want him to have fluffy mom-time to make up for all his years of pain. But, can we all just ask ourselves the important question of whether or not a grown-ass man should get what he wants at his mother's expense? Like, are mothers actual human beings with desires, needs and exigencies of their own, or are they slaves to their men and their offspring?*

*Side note: I feel like there are a lot of young people who are mad at their moms on tumblr, and yeah, not all parents live up to their responsibilities and that sucks, but yo: moms are people they make mistakes and have needs.

And, as story devices, which is what they ultimately are, Dean's weird feelings about Amara in a season that is all about Dean thinking about what his heart wants, really only supports the ship we all want to see sail. As for Mary, her death was the inciting incident and her return (and John's) was about healing by letting painful things be painful, and seeing that what you have is pretty fucking good, actually ("I have a family"), and then her second death tests Dean's commitment to holding his family together. Like, our heroes have to be put in situations so we can see their mettle! That's what stories do!

I dunno man. The other day someone I know in meatspace was like: "Oooh! I love Supernatural! Let's talk!" And I was like: "Oh! Cool! Yeah!" and then she says: "Sometimes it sucked though, especially in the later seasons, like when they brought Mary back," and I was like........."Actually, let's not talk."

[looosey]

Film Review: Summer Movie Rec Masterlist

Getting this out early for @notesoncrocs, sorry I'll add more descriptors later!

There has not been a more apt time to post a list of recommendations, as a lot of us actual ihouse are apart from each other, away from home. I watched these in the past month, so best believe these are certified fresh.

Movies.

Asteroid City: artsy Wes Anderson film about science fairs and plays, and alien visitations with a star-studded cast.

Past Lives: a slow-burn angsty A24 film about 인연 (in-youn), a Korean American girl and her childhood crush reignite sparks as they live their separate lives throughout the years and reminisce on what could've been. I thought some parts were funny, but movie overall just made me think that ordinary love is unspectacular but still moving/spectacular.

Pride and Prejudice: the classic enemies-to-lover story. I don't know if Mr. Darcy wooed me as a watcher, but I will say the movie captures the feeling of "yearning" really really well, much better than Past Lives.

The Roundup: No Way Out: stellar action movie from Korea. I am a sucker for these.

Barbie: Hilarious and fun for my eyes. Some scenes really hit for me, a deep fear of the world as it is today. Made me think of Virginia Woolf's writing:

"The most transient visitor to this planet, I thought, who picked up this paper could not fail to be aware, even from this scattered testimony, that England is under the rule of a patriarchy. Nobody in their senses could fail to detect the dominance..." - Virginia Woolf's, A Room of One's Own

Nothing Serious: a nerdy columnist is tasked with writing a sex column, so he dives into hook up apps and meets a girl, a low-key sex addict. I liked the blend of fun in the movie, casual sex, and the more moral questions, ethics of surveillance.

Argo: Action movie about the CIA operation in the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis that put together a whole fake Hollywood alien movie script/company in order to extract 6 Americans who escaped the embassy and were hiding in Tehran for months.

TV Shows.

Atlanta: College dropout (Donald Glover) sees his cousins rise as a rapper as a way to change their lives. The humor, the colors in the shots, the range of the fundamental human experiences covered, and the crazy crazy episodes that leap out of the story line, make this show like no other I've ever seen.

My Mister: Written by my favorite kdrama TV-writer, a girl in her early 20s lives a miserable, lonely, guilt-ridden life, chased by loansharks, burdened her ailing grandmother, and with no hope for any better. She enters a 9-5 company as a temp, and meets an older married guy who is as miserable as she is. She likes him a lot and the drama teeters around her morals and their ill-adjustment to society.

My Liberation Notes: Same writer, this time a depiction of what it's like to be in the outskirts of Seoul life, but quite literally/geographically. A girl in her late 20s finds little meaning in what every one in her Seoul office find meaningful, nor her family in the country side. This ones as equally about familial love as it is about romance, about hatred.

Beef: Y'all have all already watched it already. I'm watching it again with Hanu and Diego.

[noiselessbuck]

asking about the good version of the sequel trilogy that lives in your brain

HI YES

ok so my favorite sw movie is the force awakens because it caused me to have such a great idea for the rest of the series which never happened but shhhh it did

the main idea is that you can, by letting finnpoe exist, parallel a bunch of stuff to the original series but also more fun than that so we have:

- first off more time on reys home planet (i read the whole lil companion book about her chilling there) i'm not immune to Nausacaä coded characters

- poe has his tv canon backstory as a pilot instead of changing it to be racist

rey and finn things:

- finn and rey are like hinted at as oo are they gonna be together

- finn does actually get to say and fully use his force sensitive powers

- he and rey have like force-spidie sense on each other

- around the time when they are saving the hurt and angry sandworm thing is where finn's force sensitivity powers and shown and shows a lot of their force connection

- at a time after saving said sandworm thing finn and rey like either are egged on by someone or do think the other has a crush (possibly a weird singular kiss) and then! they both go um no thanks not romantic. but also- you're my force soulmate and my best friend. and then they're in a force-QPR thereafter

- after this poe is all like very quickly relieved and happy for them

rose things:

- listen listen rose and finn are thee ultimate "attempt at being straight before we both realize we are not" thing

- still have the most awkward kiss ever

- rose gets a cool gf (i dont know side characters names)

- both rose and finn are concerned about telling the other it's not gonna work out and then are relieved

- then they're chilling friends and she gets to be in the third movie doing cool stuff

finnpoe things:

- finn poe co-captains jacket scene is more romantic

- after a big scary fight they kiss

- i really want there to be parallels specifically to "a kiss for good luck" to hint reyfinn and then also smth similar to leia and han's endor scene with finnpoe of like what i thought you liked her? no dude im her soulmate, you're who im in love with

aro rey vs kylo stuff:

- more rey roasting kylo for having his shirt off and shit

- kylo being all like there's something special between us please join my facism 🥺 and rey going nope i have a force soulmate you're a force pain in the ass

- zero reylo kissing

- they can team up for the last part with the force sharing lightsabers thing but it would only show that rey has turned him (ps the final fight sucks ass and would be different but not solid ideas what it would be)

other things:

- rey would only ever be related to random trader civilians none of this granddaughter bullshit because power via lineages is the patriarchy fuck that we need Just some guy who is a girl representation

- the scene where rey fights evil!rey would one, semi mirror luke fighting spectral darth vader and two

- SHE WOULD MAKE THE FOLDING DOUBLE SABER

- like im sorry but you can reject the evil version of yourself and still take notes on saber construction

- leia would only almost die she's actually gonna die and also only have the death scene be whatever CGI stuff

- kylo would still kill han bc that shit was funny

- the cool girl who led a stormtrooper rebellion and rides space horses will NOT be related to lando because what the fuck. rey being lukes granddaughter is one thing but- 2/3 of the black character in this fucking Galaxy are related? fuck no. she would still be cool and get more scenes and maybe she can be rose's girlfriend

- leia has the force uses lightsabers more and her lightsaber should be pink specifically because when carrie fisher was asked what color it would be that's what she said

- kylo needs to be more stupid and more just anything that would stop people from thinking he's cool hot and edgy. ofc this is nigh impossible but just more things similar to the "kylo ren the middle schooler" twitter account

- more animals!! and more animal interactions like the ice foxes

- name the porgs something else🤦

- make all the bad guy ships more interesting looking instead of just- the same thing but larger, unLess that element is played up for comedic effect more

- the kid at the casino stables who gets a shot showing they can use the force is the black kid

that's everything i can think of right now yee ill rb with more if i think of it