#ask panda

[klavierpanda]

Bro...aroaces are literally the most represented everywhere. And you're still complaining. Go ask aroallos and aceallos about being recognised lol

The post wasn't even about representation, it's about the fact that even in aspec spaces there is a tendency to leave out the aro part of aroace and just viewing those people as asexual where being aro is an afterthought. Do you not see how that is also harmful for both aroallos and alloaces?

In the case of aroallos it's the fact that they're forgotten about because they aren't asexual and therefore their identity isn't even at the forefront of most people's minds when discussing aspec stuff. Their aroness is erased because it is not accompanied by asexuality.

In the case of alloaces there is the underlying assumption that romantic attraction isn't felt because there is still the assumption that aroace and asexual are the same thing. The fact they do feel romantic attraction is erased by the fact they're asexual.

The underlying issue here is that there isn't a great understanding of how different attractions interact with each other and the different labels we have to describe different experiences, even within the aspec community.

I made the post because an irl aspec group that I'm in were talking about the aroace character in the new series of Heartstopper and almost all of them referred to him as asexual. I have not watched Heartstopper (romance stuff doesn't interest me) but I was informed that there's actually a stronger focus on romantic attraction, i.e. the aro part in his aroace identity. As well as a consistent feeling that my aroness was erased when I identified as aroace and is ultimately one of the reasons I dropped the ace part of the label.

[confusedpandabear]

Me too Cloud. Me too. twitter(.)com/TylorHepnerArt/status/1747310968063864875

Me every day until 29 Feb:

[rjhpandapaws]

Its my birthday week! Ask me anything you would like!!!

I will answer anything except when my birthday actually is, those who need to know, know

[cryptidtrashpan]

Hi hello. I would apologize for the huge spam of likes I just gave you, but I'm not sorry cause I think your art is very good and very cool and I just wanted to tell you that.

Also I think the daily sketches you do are awesome cause I know I could not keep up with that lmao

That's all. I just wanted to tell you that you're awesome, your art is awesome, your brain is awesome. I hope you have a really good day (:

Here's a picture of my cat sitting in the bathtub if you ever need cheering up

AAAAAHHHHHH you made my day with how sweet this is!!

i hope you are having a great day and i love your cat give smooch on head for me~

[tiredpandaportfolio]

DMC Questions Anon here!

Take every character you wish to and tell me what you think is the most emotionally devastating situation they could be put in and how they would react to it.

[crawls out of the ground] I have been busy.

===

Well, easy. I am in the process of writing something, about that. Dante gets to feel the sting of the consequences of his feud with Vergil.

The whole DMC5 thing killed a lot of people. There is nowhere to hide from that fact. Dante and Vergil and even Nero cannot hide from that fact forever. Vergil may not care, and Nero may try to cope, but I believe Dante will start to buckle. He has been weathering so much all these years and using shitty humour to cope with what he's seen and what he's done.

But what happens when he can't take anymore?

What if, he had some connection completely separate from his family nonsense, that he wanted to keep separate from the problems so they wouldn't taint it? A witch he's gotten very fond of. A witch, who lives in a quiet, near-constant state of being a cornered animal because demons want to literally eat her and unscrupulous humans wouldn't bat an eye at murder and dark rituals just to gain power off her life.

She gets to see exactly what the trees do, she gets to find out that the trees are particularly after witches because their blood runs thick with power. She sees a lot of people die horribly. She nearly dies. She hasn't seen Dante in months by the time they finally see each other again and she's a very different creature now. She's terrified of him. She has no patience for his jokes and his light-hearted attitude. She doesn't use jokes to cope and her trauma is too fresh and too deep.

She's angry. She blames him--she blames all of them. She doesn't want to fight, she doesn't want revenge, she just wants to never see them again because she's terrified one day Dante, or Nero or Vergil, will snap and give in to the demonic urge to acquire more power, and she will be a prime target.

Because they've had a taste of the power the trees distilled from blood and she's scared it's like an addiction they can't help. She does not want to be a rabbit in a den of wolves. So she angrily curses them and flees. Whatever she and Dante had is over.

And he blames himself, because that's what Dante does. He bottles it all up, blaming himself and trying to forget it, but he can't. It's not fair. He got his brother back, he has a family again... but it's not complete. He feels as though the cost of achieving all that was losing her. It's not fair. He's been living with guilt and grief for years.

His time with her was a reprieve; a welcome break from his life of quiet suffering, hidden under his humour and weary pretending that all is well. She really made him feel happy. And now, she's gone. He scared her away. Her words have hurt. Her presence has hurt, because he spoiled her. She went from friend, ally and love to a victim of his idiotic feud with Vergil. But he can't blame Vergil-- he had as much of a hand in this as Vergil. And he can't bear to start another round of fighting over that.

So he bottles it up until it starts to crack him. He can't fight against the dread any longer. Any joy he got from Vergil being back has been marred. He can't ignore the blame anymore. He blames himself for everything and it will destroy him.

[grizzly-bear-official]

Got any fat & lazy bears chilling, not ripping someone apart?

Show plz...

here are some straight up vibing bears

[confusedpandabear]

Not to be left out, have an annoyed protective Cloud too😒: twitter(.)com/hermitage777/status/1627284332909068288

I loooooove the way he holds her 🥺

[confusedpandabear]

I'm not going to forget cloti! twitter(.)com/SPYKEEE1945/status/1398330262879043587

Oh anon, I'm eating good today.

Me IRL:

[confusedpandabear]

Soft and tender🥺: twitter(.)com/Salmone_blue/status/1718198353211937226

Oh they are everything ❤️

[confusedpandabear]

when he laughs twitter(.)com/kankeri_t2/status/1706677711123734821

HE DESERVES HAPPINESS.

[klavierpanda]

hey so in your pinned post It says you're a non-SAM aromantic??? do you mind explaining what that means? I've tried looking it up but I'm not really getting any helpful answers

Yeah of course I can explain!

Firstly, SAM stands for Split Attraction Model which is a way of describing how one experiences attraction. Primarily, it says that romantic and sexual attraction can be separate and different from each other. For example, it's possible to be bisexual but homoromantic.

Like any model, SAM doesn't always describe every situation perfectly and this is where non-SAM aro comes in. Non-SAM aros feel that in some way, the split attraction model isn't an accurate reflection of there experiences of being aro in a way that is important to their identity (a similar thing for being ace and non-SAM ace). Naturally, this arises in a variety of ways. Some examples include the following:

Someone who feels that their sexual attraction is inherently affected by their aroness. For example, I know a few aroallo people who are also non-sam aros

Someone who is aroace for whom the aro part is much more important

Someone who doesn't label their sexual attraction at all and feels "aro" is enough description for it

For me personally it's that I'm neither allosexual nor acespec and my sexuality is completely tied to being aro

They have a lot of overlap and there are most likely other ways to be non-SAM aro (I think there's a much longer list somewhere on here, I'll see if I can find it) but I hope this has helped you understand it more :))

[confusedpandabear]

Torgal still thinks he's a lap dog😆. twitter(.)com/nini_tw99/status/1721747521595424953

HELP that's too cute! 🥺

[confusedpandabear]

I want the 2 for 1 Cloti/Zerith combo special please: twitter(.)com/pudelmudel/status/1733112646893806056

Probably controversial right now but:

CANON.

[confusedpandabear]

Rivetra. Another favorite rarepair of mine. So much potential cut short too quickly. I'm positive they would've eventually gotten together if things turned out different. Such a cute dynamic between the two and Levi definitely needs to get laid lol.

I remember really liking them together when the series first came out and being gutted when she and the rest of his squad were killed off too soon.

I liked their dynamic, Petra respected him and wanted to dedicate her life to him and his cause, and I like to think Levi felt that way too, even if not romantically. Either way, he seemed more upset about her death than he did the others, pausing when he found her body, saving her badge and looking remorseful when they had to leave her body behind. And then her dad thinking they were going to get married? My heart. It’s SO messed up but that was when I thought: WOW they were a ship 😭

Now that I’m obsessed with them again, I’ve come across a lot more official art and info about them which is making me fall in love with them even more! I want to write for them but I don’t have the time or ideas right now, so I’ll keep posting silly unfinished sketches and maybe get around to colouring one of them someday too 😅

[confusedpandabear]

I found a retweet of glasses Zerith that's still up: twitter(.)com/MKH13Omasters/status/1739231053423038509

WOW I never knew I needed glasses/ponytail Zack until now 🥵

[confusedpandabear]

I think the cloti first time under the Highwind would be gentle and sweet with inexperienced lovers. My headcanon is zerith have been intimate before as a couple so it's not a new thing to them. But they're all over each after 5 years of waiting would feel like the first time all over again and they go multiple rounds to make up for lost time.

Oh, I love this idea - and if I were Aerith, multiple rounds with Zack would not even be enough after five years apart 😆