#aro ace linh song

[crymeariveronceagain]

ok but Linh picking the most conventionally beautiful and attractive boy available(fitz) and being like "this is the object of my affections now ig" really screams aro-ace "ah yes a clearly aesthetically pleasing member of the species, now to have a crush on him because that is what you do and how it works, you pick a person, and you like them, im definitely doing this correctly" like nothing else, imho

[softmoonlightmelody]

the aroace urge to make everybody aroace but also to ship them together gayly to spite the creators

[craptastickotlc]

look if you can't take "no" for an answer, maybe don't hit on the most powerful hydrokinetic to ever exist, idk. just advice.

[dizzythegreat]

who’s your favorite gay character

canonically gay? oh man. this is the most obscure thing ever but i love kelsey jannings from bojack horseman. if you've seen the show you'll know that she's a super minor character (but i love her your honour!!) i just love her determination and no-bullshit way of life. i also love how her being a lesbian isn't over-sensationalized or even mentioned that much. it's simply a fact about her. i also liked that she had an ex-wife, it showed that not all queer relationships are perfect. i mean, i absolutely love seeing happy and fulfilling queer relationships on screen, but i do think it's important to show the other side of that too. by making all queer relationships in media perfect things with no flaws, i feel like they sort of become these mythical, unrealistic things. but it's important to show that queer relationships can be flawed and painful and overall, real. that's what i love about bojack horseman. it's a very real show.

that somehow turned into a bojack horseman rant. i just adore it's casual representation and especially the ACE REP!!!!! a show from the 2010's that not only shows happy ace relationships but explores the nuances of asexuality and explains the difference between ace and aro?!!??!

non-canonically gay: linh song. if marellinh doesn't happen we are fucking rioting.

thank you for the ask <3

[keefe-in-da-strawberry-dress]

Look, i’m not saying ace-aro keefe is superior keefe but that’s exactly what im saying

[enbies-and-felonies]

for the fandom alphabet asks:

E, F, L, N, O, Y

(you don’t have to do them all if you don’t want to!! feel free to just pick one/a few)

also, i love you!!?

OH :D i see what you did there :jjjjjj i love you!??!? so much <3 ‼️

E - Have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom? If so, what?

OH BOY. the kotlc fandom is really where i've added cracky things, otherwise i tend not to? not normally my cup of tea. for kotlc though: i was apart of the kotlc food wars, spicy gatorade etc. elves smell like banana laffy taffy, and also all elves have outie belly-buttons ig <3 AND THE FITZ VACKER EYE-POCALYPSE

F - What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom?

ough okay probably.... about... 6? years?

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves.

oohhhhh....... i don't really like erin strauss from criminal minds, but she did end up having an interesting arc

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

OH interesting and accurate and diverse ace/aro rep for sure. aro and ace people who actually in-depth and intriguing relationship with sex and romance, and who participate in sex or romance or who like. idk. just. i wish i saw it handled more and brought up! it can be so interesting but i rarely see any compelling hcs about aro/ace characters (probably especially spn for this one)

O - Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of?

last words of a shooting star by mitski — oughhh okay in a way probably cas(spn)? there's a lot going on there in terms of humanity and being an angel and *different* and sacrifice... but also linh from kotlc.... wough <3

Y - What are your secondhand fandoms (i.e., fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)?

probably httyd, 911, i can't really remember any more... most of the second-hand fandoms are ones i still enjoy and participate in a little bit

[kotlc-oneshots]

Ace/aro kotlc

Linh sets down her brush and pulls her hair back into a ponytail, rushing her way through her actions. She grabs her purse and leaps to the small cafe Dex had asked her to meet him at. "Darn it I'm so late!" She thinks, nodding at the waitress while she speedwalks to the table Dex was sitting at. A blush rests on his cheeks, and he smiles at the girl. "Linh! Hi." He looks nervous, but excited and hopeful as well. Linh cocks her head at him, wondering what he was up to. "Hi, Dex. Um... so why'd you ask me here?" The boy in front of her bites his lower lip and looks at the floor. "I uh,,, just kinda wanted to ask... you out? Like dating and relation ship stuff." The boy stutters out. Linh can feel her heart sink. "Oh, Dex. I'm sorry, but I'm really not interested." She can see Dex swallow, and nod. "I-I get it, I'm sorry, I really- Sophie said- I dunno what I'm doing..." he looks flustered and won't meet Linh's eyes. "Dex, it's not that I'm not interested in you. Well I'm not, but the thing is... I'm not interested in anyone. I'm aromantic, and asexual. I'm sorry Dex, but I'm not interested in a relationship." Linh takes a deep breath. She had openly told Tam, but there'd never been a reason to tell anyone else, and it felt good for someone to know the information. "Oh! I'm sorry. That... actually makes sense. I um- actually am asexual as well." Linh's head snaps up. "Really?" Dex nods and Linh beams at him. "Wow! So... I'm sure you understand." "Of course I do. I'm not going to make you do anything, and I can always just be your friend. I would never be offended by that." The feeling Linh had had earlier leaves, and she beams. "Thank goodness! Not everyone is understanding like that." Dex nods, grinning right back at Linh. "Of course, I understand. So... friends?" "Friends."

[crispyninjadonut]

So for ace aro day for @kotlcpridemonth i​ edited an older linh doodle to the colors of the ace flag!

[ao3feed-kotlc]

Unbroken

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3kqmUA3

by anD_nOw_tHe_wEaThEr (CryMeARiver3465)

"She’d manifested her hydrokinetic talent a year and a half before Tam had, at a horribly young age of eight, and ever since that moment, water had called to her. Not like fire called to Marella, like a hissing, angry voice that could be brushed off, but like a soft, sweet, lullaby, that begged to be leapt into, held onto, pulled around.

It wasn’t something you could just ignore. And Linh had to ignore it."

~~ AKA: Aro/Ace Linh Song Fight me.

Now with an updated ending!

Words: 7301, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: Gen

Characters: Linh Song, Tam Song, Marella Redek, Biana Vacker, Quan Song, Mai Song, Sophie Foster (Keeper of the Lost Cities), Fitz Vacker, Maruca Chebota, Stina Heks, The Neverseen Members (Keeper of the Lost Cities)

Relationships: Linh Song & Quan Song, Linh Song & Tam Song, Marella Redek & Linh Song, Linh Song & Biana Vacker, Sophie Foster & Linh Song, Linh Song & Mai Song

Additional Tags: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, no ships, Hurt/Comfort, minor ships, Asexual Character, Aromantic, Linh Song Is Aro/Ace, fight me, water sings, water is really violent, Shannon Hale’s thoughts on water in Shannon Messenger’s world, hydrokinetics is huge, Tam Song Is a Good Bro, Sensory Overload, why isnt that a tag?, Linh gets Sensory Overloaded REALLY EASILY, Hurt, Torture, Aftermath of Torture, Mai Song’s A+ Parenting, Quan Song’s A+ Parenting, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Figuring Yourself Out, ANGST did I mention ANGST, Marella Redek is a good bro, the author is projecting, Im projecting onto Linh, I'm Not Ashamed, Asexuality, Linh Song Centric, Dialogue Heavy

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3kqmUA3

[intheoryowl]

Diversity in KOTLC

[While commenting on this post please don't post spoilers for Unlocked just yet. Thanks. This post may contain legacy spoilers. This post is a repost of my Wattpad post that I made in Sunflower Crown called Diversity in KOTLC, so if you’ve seen this already please feel free to skip it. This post lines up with MLK day, but it was originally posted in reaction to Shannon Messenger announcing the live action movies.]

[Edit: Okay, after typing this post up I realize that there are a few more characters that are POC, but they’re not prominent at all, so the representation is still miniscule. They were mentioned, like, twice throughout the entire series. So, my point still stands.]

What's one thing you notice about the photo above?

Oh, yeah. All the characters are white, expect for the last three in the photo, which are all conveniently tacked onto the end.

Let's address the elephant in the room for everyone in the Keeper of the Lost Cities fandom. Recently, I've been thinking a lot about how little diversity there is within the cast, especially within the main group. I've been meaning to make a post about this since the #BLM movement started up, but I never got around to it.

I've found that a lot of the people in the fandom have been incredibly shy about having this conversation, but I think it's really time we have it. The cast contains very little diversity.

Disclaimer: Before anyone comes at me for this post, I'd like to first say that I've  been a huge KOTLC fan and a big fan of Shannon Messenger's work for a  long time. This isn't meant to be any sort of hate post, but instead a conversation I think we all need to have.

Let's start with the format of the art up above^.

First of all, out of eight characters 3 of them are POCs (or not white). Wylie isn't even in the main group/doesn't really enter the story until much later in the series. The same goes for Linh and Tam. They're all tacked onto the end of the photo, like they're just add-ons.

These three characters are the only characters I know the race of that are POC characters. Out of the entire series. Yes, the entire series. [And I would say that's the case for most people that aren't superfans or recently phased out of the series before art was starting to be released.] I wouldn't say I'm the biggest fan out there, but there aren't that many prominent characters in KOTLC, and just about every single one of them is white.

It feels like a last-ditch throw in when Shannon Messenger went *oops I forgot about diversity entirely!!*. I mean, think about it. Tam, Linh, and Wylie entered the series later on than everyone else.

The lack of diversity, quite frankly, I find ridiculous. And not even just because there are three characters out of eight in that photo (one of which that is POC isn't even in the main group, nevermind the original main group) are POC, and prominent characters. Not only is there a lack of diversity when it comes to race/features that aren't white, but Shannon Messenger also includes exactly zero LGBTQ+ representation throughout the entire series. There is nothing hinted, nothing said. Gender norms are never addressed in the story, and that's fine. But for there to be no gay/pan/aro/ace/freaking anything on the spectrum representation?? No trans representation? Non-binary? Hello??? I get that when she started the series LGBTQ+ characters might not have been something you saw in every single book, but even as new characters are added in we see absolutely no LGBTQ+ representation still. There's not even anyone questioning their sexuality or their gender identity. Nowadays, that's not only a huge part of being a teenager (I would know, I'm one), but also just something you would think is key in the identity of a character.

As a writer, when I start writing a book, one of the first things I do is make sure I know who I want my characters to be. Gender identity, race, sexuality, all of this - these are such fundamental parts to a character. Truthfully, i don't understand how you could just overlook them whatsoever. It's a choice you have to make, not a default setting that's already been turned on for you. I think - even to someone incredibly racist - that as an author writing a book, one would be aware of the outward appearance of their characters? Or the fact that all of the characters had one very certain thing in common? It's hard to miss, frankly, and it looks really bad.

There's really no excuse for it at the end of the day. You can't explain away the facts, and the facts are that the lack of diversity within KOTLC is concerning.

With KOTLC as well, the book doesn't even center around identity for the most part. It's fantasy, and that's what runs the plot, not someone's struggles with race. It really would've been just that easy for Shannon Messenger to throw in a few POC characters or people that weren't straight, maybe mention it in passing, and be done with it and we wouldn't even be having this conversation.

Another thing I'd like to bring up is the microaggressive character arcs of Linh and Tam song, the only two out of the entire central friend group that are diverse characters. (they appear to have some sort of asian heritage, in case you never caught that. But I bet you did with their very distinctly Chinese last names.) When Tam and Linh first appear in the book, they're suspected delinquents and exiled for crimes to a school of people that have been outcasted from society. They're seen as outsiders. During the story, we see the both of them climbing their way up in the ranks through hard work & connections. unlike everyone else who is going to Foxfire from the start, and we don't see them as nobility at first at all. Not only do the twins come into the story late, but they start out being pinned as supposed criminals (for going to their school which they were wrongly exiled to) and being the underdogs.

Twins are also scorned and families in the Lost Cities with twins are highly stigmatized. Same thing, the only two Asian characters in the entire series and they're the ones who have to be scorned instead of the white ones.

I'm sorry, but that rubs me the wrong way. it seems incredibly microaggressive to me. You're telling me that the only two characters of color [in the main group] are portrayed this way by accident? You couldn't have chosen any one of your fourteen white characters to play the role? Please.

Also, this might be a reach, but is there colorism also present in the KOTLC cast? The type of Asian that Linh and Tam seem to be (Eastern - Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc) have a very light skin tone. Throughout all of KOTLC, the only skin tone darker than white is Wylie's character, who is obviously African-American. There is no one that looks Latina [okay, there is, it's Jensi who was mentioned twice in the first two books and never again], a different kind of Asian,  Romanian, Indian, Middle Eastern, nothing. Actually, you know what, it's not a reach. You're telling me that objectively based on facts, there is only one character out of the entire KOTLC universe that's skin tone is darker than paper? That's the standard?

To that I say: get outta here.

I'm not convinced that Shannon Messenger - as much as I love and adore her writing and her book series - ever truly cared about diversity and inclusivity among her characters. There's no representation other than straight, white, male, female, two Asians, and a single African American character (out of anyone who actually matters). That's it. Statistically speaking.

That's ridiculous.

[This is a later edit: someone in the comments also pointed out that the Lost Cities are located all over the world, meaning that having a mainly white cast also is whitewashing? This only gets worse the more you think about it, ugh.]

I understand that the majority of the KOTLC fanbase is very young. Believe me, I do. I'm probably one of the older fans that has been here for a while/still is here. Most people my age have moved on to fangirling over the Umbrella Academy or something. I get it. But I do believe that even twelve year olds can understand what I'm saying, stay informed, spread awareness, and think critically.  

One of the reasons I think Shannon hasn't been called out nearly as much for the lack of diversity and representation in her stories is because she has such a young readerbase. That's fine. I don't expect people that are ten and twelve to be thinking about any of this. It never occurred to me at the age, so why would it occur to you unless someone else brought it up first?

That said, now that I have brought it up, I think that the least you can do is have conversations with your friends, tag a few people, and think critically about the casts of your favorite books/people you stan. If you're not speaking up, it makes you look like you don't care that there's absolutely zero representation and diversity in the KOTLC series. And you should care.

Keeper of the Lost Cities is a very white, straight series. What does this mean? It means that it's inherently racist, likely colorist, and not currently supportive of any LGBTQ+ people on any LGBTQ+ spectrum. People out there just like you (if you're white) aren't seeing themselves in stories or media. Instead, they're being told that only if you have European heritage or a lighter skin tone can you be a hero. It's harmful. And we need to speak out against it.

[Not to mention that there are no different body types. This post was just on core character identity, and nothing else. As my friend StickyCarpet put in a conversation, what about religions? Do all elves believe the same things? There's very little identity variation between characters beyond their personalities.]

The reason I want to speak out so strongly now, is because as you may know, KOTLC is being made into a live-action series of movies. On screen, it's going to be even more visible and in-your-face that there's no representation. You know what that says to everyone who wasn't represented at least a little bit (or well)? It says we don't see you because we don't approve of who you are, which is just such an awful message to send. In the movies, it's going to be super important for especially younger readers to see themselves on screen. I don't want these movies to just be another movie chock-full of straight white people. It's time for change. This was never something that should've been the standard, so we need to try extremely hard to change it.

By no means will that magically fix or amend the fact that Shannon Messenger chose to put just about zero diversity into the story in the first place, but it will at least show that she's trying beyond throwing a few new characters with different skin tones in after people start calling her out for it.

Keeper of the Lost Cities is my favorite or second favorite series, and it was (and always will be) a huge part of my childhood. I'm a huge fan of the series myself, but I want to make my opinion on this subject very clear and encourage you to form your own opinion on it. I don't have instagram or socials, but I do have a large platform on Wattpad to spread awareness with. Please spread the message.

Please, if you can, tag people from the fandom in the comments. Share this post. Reblog it on tumblr or post it on instagram. We need to get the conversation started. It's not enough to just sit here and pretend like we're all okay with the fact that the series we all love is grossly unrepresentative/not diverse.

In the external link, you will find a carrd leading to Ways to Help & be a part of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, including ways that don't involve money. In my bio, there's a link that goes to all crisis resources around the globe with links to causes. Please feel free to share and utilize both links.

Thank you very much for reading & (hopefully) spreading the message/awareness with me! Your favorite series and author(?) possibly being racist is something that's harder to come to terms with, even for me at my age, so please don't blame yourself for everything and just try to help as much as you can ♡

[Please feel free to reblog and repost on any platform anywhere as necessary. Spreading the message regardless is much appreciated!]

[bottled-elementine]

Aro-ace Linh Song is next! God, this is one of my favorite koltc head-canons.

[crymeariveronceagain]

Fitz: I just . . . really like you, you know?

Aroace Lihn:

Aroace Lihn: That's rough, buddy

[arsonistblue]

Who I (personally) ship the Keeper gang with

(AKA more proof that I am a multi shipping heathen)

Sophie: Linh, Biana, Marella, Keefe

Keefe: Sophie, Tam, Fitz

Biana: Sophie, Linh, Marella, Tam

Fitz: Dex, Keefe

Tam: Keefe, Biana 

Linh: Sophie, Biana, Marella

Marella: Sophie, Biana, Linh

Dex: Fitz, Keefe

Wylie: Nobody, he’s the ace/aro big brother of the group ❤️

[craptastickotlc]

linh is the violence in the pouring rain(she's a hurricane)

[crymeariveronceagain]

actually, Linh Song is aro ace in a simple way. She doesn't call herself by the words because there's a distance, between the words and her, and she doesn't like it, because she's a romantic sort of person. she likes the beauty of the world, the warmth in the sky and in her friends' arms. she doesn't call herself something because she likes herself as a whole and complete entity and she doesn't feel like she needs it to be public knowledge when she can just say no and walk away. she can be herself and never give away all the pieces of her deepest soul, her inclinations and desires, and she loves that. there's a freedom to it.

There's not much to it, except that she's never wanted to date anyone, never been one for romance. It's all just simple, quiet, kind. She's aro-ace because she's beautiful and a boy told her he liked her and she shook her head and walked away and a girl said she looked like a goddess and she thanked her and didn't make conversation and it's not because she doesn't want friends its because she knows the look in their eyes like the back of her hand and it's the one she doesn't want to return, the one that doesn't fit her heart, the one she sets down and walks away from. Linh Song is normal, she's reserved, she's a darling and a dear, and she's never going to date anyone. she's never gonna marry anyone. And dear stars, do I love her for that.

[crymeariveronceagain]

Aro-Ace Linh Song Aesthetic(that's not necessarily pride-flag themed, because aces and aros are not pride flags personified)

I don't have to sacrifice my happiness for anybody And I don't have to try and make sure I make everybody happy

Try to run from the pain, but it does me in Try to drink it away, but I learned to swim Try to hide from the hurt, but it found me out Guess I'll stare it down

Don't belong to no city Don't belong to no man I'm the violence in the pouring rain I'm a hurricane

"But don't you think I'm hot?" I don't know if I'm qualified to answer that or not I just wanna know what comic books you read I wanna know if you play D&D

Ooh, in your eyes I can see the disguise. Has anyone seen lightning? Has anyone looked lovely? And the daffodils look lovely today, And the daffodils look lovely today, Look lovely today...

I'm a motherf-cking woman, baby, alright I don't need a man to be holding me too tight I'm a motherf-cking woman, baby, that's right I'm just having fun with my ladies here tonight

“She was stronger alone; and her own good sense so well supported her, that her firmness was as unshaken, her appearance of cheerfulness as invariable, as, with regrets so poignant and so fresh, it was possible for them to be."

Yeah there's nothing left to ruin, yeah we finally got free How's that for manifesting our destiny

Black hole in my heart Black hole in my favorite sweater Stitch it up Though I'll try I'm just stitching a scarlet letter

Sticks and stones may break my bones But soon the sting will pass But names can dig so many graves You won't know where to stand And I don't feel secure no more Unless I'm being followed And the only way to hide myself Is to give 'em one hell of a show!

Anxiety Song, by Human Petting Zoo // Under, by Transviolet // Hurricane, by Halsey // D&D and Asexuality, by The Skull Puppies // Daffodil Lament, by The Cranberries // Woman, by Ke$ha // Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen // PARAD(w/m)E, by Silvan Esso // I Don't Know Who I Am, by Rebecca Roubion // Ludens, by Bring Me The Horizon //