#finally accepted being aroace and finally accepted not always have been that

[aaronymous999]

Okay imma say it right now because some people do not get it!!

Being queer is not a choice, but you’re not necessarily “born this way”.

I was a gay man up until the age of 12. I loved boys and I was a boy. Now though? I don’t like people. I’m happier than ever. And it wasn’t a choice I made to just stop liking people. My body just decided not to be attracted to anyone anymore. And that’s okay. If in the future I like boys again, that’s okay too. I was born queer, but my queer identity will never be the same my whole life, and that’s okay :)

[lurkingshan]

Cherry Magic Episode 12

MY HEART IS FO FULL. This adaptation has exceeded my wildest expectations to become one of my favorite bls of all time. They really put their backs into it and gave us everything we could want for these characters, and I will always be grateful. This show managed to be a faithful manga adaptation, a loving homage to the jbl, and a fresh take on the story all at once. An amazing feat to pull off and this creative team deserves so much love and kudos.

The way Achi and Karan have grown together over the course of this show has been fantastic to witness. I love how seriously the show took their growth, and that we got to see them put in the work to improve their communication and become a great team. Meeting the parents was a big step for them, especially because they were uncertain how their respective families would react, but I loved that they were so open with each other throughout about how they were feeling. I loved, too, that we got a contrast, with Achi's mom being so warm and loving (but still managing to get a dig in on her son, lmao) and Karan's being more avoidant and passive aggressive and needing a talking to her from her eldest child to get her shit together. I love that the drama created space for things to not go perfectly with the parents, and to show us that people can be moved to acceptance.

We got a bit of a parallel with that message in Jinta and Min's story this week, with Min's fans initially attacking Jinta, but backing off once Min named him as his faen and asked them to respect his relationship. I like the choice to model positive fan behavior, and it felt a bit pointed from this production company. Both with Pai and now with this new group of fans, the show has said consistently that being a fan should be about love and support, not control. That you can admire your idols but you also need to give them privacy. That it's not your place to judge who they love. I just love that message.

Of course, I have to talk about the mutual proposal and the wedding. I am pretty sure Karan has been carrying that ring around in his pocket since the second day of dating, but it was such a welcome surprise to see that Achi had already made his own plans, too. The show really succeeded in taking this relationship from something that felt a little one-sided to a very mutual partnership I can believe in. I teared up when right along with Karan when Achi followed Karan's proposal with his own, and you could see how much it meant to him to know that Achi is really truly on the same page. Getting to see their wedding and the love surrounding them on their special day was the cherry (lol) on top of this fantastic love story. I also absolutely loved the wink to the jbl elevator non-kiss in the way they framed their final married couple kiss and then cut away from the bed.

Continuing the love fest, I also love the changes this version made to the side couple's story. Min getting to fulfill his dream, Jinta being an excellent supportive partner, their agreement that they will marry someday when they're ready--it was all just lovely. The nod to the jbl pen proposal was cute, and I love that they took it a step further by drawing rings on each other. The flip in the sexual relationships was also quite welcome, with that triumphant arc reserved for the main couple in this version. Jinta ended the show with his magical powers still intact, but it didn't seem like that would be the case for long.

As for Rock and Pai, I am happy with how the show handled their story. To the end, Pai stayed true to herself, and Rock came to know her better and understand what kind of romantic relationship he could reasonably expect from her. She will always have her head more on her ships than on her own love life, and he seems okay with it. I think you can still take an aroace read on this Pai if you choose, and I appreciate that the show made space for that. I like, too, that Pai helped Rock reconnect with his own passion for dancing and find a fun outlet for his creativity. They were another reinforcement of this show's overarching themes about the importance of kindness, support, and clear communication in relationships.

This show left me with such a warm feeling. I'm so glad they stuck the landing, that episode 8 never happened, and that we can rewatch and remember this Cherry Magic so fondly. I never expected Thailand to go so above and beyond the original live action drama, but they have undoubtedly delivered my favorite version of this story.

[cumulo-ghoulll]

Papa HCs!

(I think they're all autistic)

Primo

Primo likes to spend a lot of time by himself or with his ghouls. He doesn't care for social gatherings and likes to keep himself to himself. He's fairly good at small talk but he absolutely hates it. When he was younger, Primo masked a lot. He tried to be outgoing, which was expected of him, especially because he was very open about his desire to be the frontman of the project. He'd finish each day absolutely exhausted. He'd have no energy to do the things he enjoyed, instead he spent a lot of time stuck in bed or dissociating in front of a mirror. It was only until he met his ghouls that he learnt how to take care of himself. His ghouls taught him about preserving his social battery, how to avoid burn out, and most importantly, that they care about him and are always happy to help him. Now that he's older, he's got a lot better at taking care of his wellbeing and asking for help when he needs it. His favourite part of getting old is that people don't care what he does or how he behaves as much as they did when he was younger. Now, when he spends all day in his greenhouse, no one questions what he's doing, or when he stares at the flames in his fireplace, people assume he's just doing 'generic old man things', whereas those close to him know that he's stimming.

Secondo

Secondo has very little problem with big social gatherings and loves to be the life and soul of the party. He loves meeting new people at parties too. Secondo has a hard time holding down relationships with people, both romantically and platonically. He loves having hookups though as it gives him a chance to be close to someone while them going separate ways afterwards is expected. Secondo is aroace, which usually shocks most people he tells. He does try to explain that his lack of sexual attraction doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy sex, and he enjoys doing romantic things even though he doesn't feel romantic attraction either, but people very rarely understand. Secondo likes being a sugar daddy. The rules and boundaries are very clear and he gets what he wants out of relationships without genuine romantic interest being expected. He also has a platonic partner who visits him on a schedule. They both organise what they're going to do when they next meet up a week in advance to give him plenty of time to prepare.

Terzo

Terzo masked HARD when he was younger. Nihil constantly made remarks about how he behaved, especially about how flamboyant he was. He was told off for being rude a lot, but used to get really annoyed when no one would explain what he'd actually done wrong. He spent a lot of time learning the 'correct' and 'acceptable' way to interact with people. Because of how much he masked, he was constantly burnt out and later developed depression and self worth issues. Terzo began to isolate himself. Like they asked, he stopped being loud, he stopped being flamboyant, and he stopped being rude. He actually stopped speaking all together. After all this, Sister and Nihil still seemed to have a problem with him. He didn't know what he was doing wrong. His self worth issues stayed with him the whole way through his life. Being dragged off stage was the final piece of proof he needed that he wasn't and never would be good enough for his parents or anyone.

Copia

Copia has always been the 'weird kid'. His obsession with rats was usually enough to put most people off. Unlike Terzo, a lot of Copia's behaviour was excused, so he never felt the need to mask. Terzo didn't particularly like Copia in the brief time they knew each other because of this. Copia picks up sarcasm and jokes with ease and both come very easily to him. On the other hand, social cues, having to read between the lines, and oftentimes, other people's innuendos go right over his head. He spends a lot of time in his room, not necessarily to avoid people but moreso for the fact he keeps all his favourite things in his room on display. Copia has a lot of sensory aversions. His costume designer and tailor have a list of fabrics they cannot use. Copia also has a lot of food aversions as he's really picky with textures. He has few safe foods, the large majority of them being pasta, pizza, and any beige carb. Copia is closer to his ghouls than any of the other Papas were. When he's feeling overstimulated, he has Aether 'squash his soul back into his body' by lying on him like a compression blanket. Copia's very open about his autism with his ghouls and they're all very supportive and mindful of him.

[raccoon-eyed-rebel]

Part 26

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Part 25 🟣 Part 27

A reverse harem vampire AU ft. Mikey, Marshall, August and Sherlock

Series summary: Somehow, you've managed to live with your boyfriend and his roommates for months before finding out they're vampires, but the real shock first comes when they find out you have a special quality. A quality the guys would love to make use of...

Warnings: Fluff, ongoing vampire shenanigans, angst, Mike being an idiot, feral!Walter.

Word count: 2k

A/N: Soooo we're back with another instalment of the vampyboys! We're not hating on jellybeans today, no worries! (Ain't that a relief?) Enjoy!

@geralts-yenn @deandoesthingstome @ellethespaceunicorn @summersong69 @mis-lil-red

@sillyrabbit81 @livisss @itsrubberbisquit @ktficworld @proud-aroace-beastie

@plaidcat4815 @wa-ni @lovemusicpart2 @lizzystuffsthings @manysecrets2020

@sarcasmoverlordxo

“Hey, Mikey…” Your voice came out hesitant and small. Not for any particular reason, other than an especially useless fear of rejection. “Would you please feed?”

“Oh, yeah, sure!” He sounded surprised, especially when you stopped him from going for your neck. “Ohhhhh, like that!” He grinned up at you while simultaneously pulling the hem of your shirt up. You let him take it off, barely noticing when he took off your bra as well.

“There’s one more thing I’d like you to do,” you muttered. You were so certain you wanted this, and so afraid Mike wouldn’t be okay with it…

“Anything, Sweetcheeks,” he said with a big smile while he wriggled his way down until his face was where it needed to be.

“I want you to leave the bite,” you whispered, stroking his cheek.

Mike moved back up, leaning his forehead against yours. “Are you for real?”

“Yeah,” you sighed. “More than anything. Don’t get me wrong, I want the others like that as well, even if they don’t know it yet—”

“They know,” he interrupted. “We’ve been talking about it, kinda… August complained that he wanted to mark you, and Sherlock countered that he wouldn’t let that happen unless he got a black-on-white promise from you that he’d get his turn, too. He was kind of aggressive about it. I— ehh… I really think we should let them know about this.”

“Wise words,” you mumbled. “I'm impressed.”

“I hope the offer to let me feed my favorite way still stands, though?” he asked, smiling at you like he was looking at his favorite thing in the whole world — which probably wasn't even too far from the truth.

“Why do you like that so much,” you wondered out loud. There had to be more to it than a simple love for boobs, right? You looked down at Mike, who looked up at you, his deep frown telling you he didn't appreciate the disturbance just as he was about to sink his teeth into you.

“I think by now we've established that I have severe abandonment issues,” Mike said. It sounded like he was joking, but you knew he wasn't. It was a silly coping mechanism, and you weren't going to accept that this time.

“Yeah, I noticed,” you said softly, running a hand through his unruly curls. “But we can't always accommodate those, Mikey. That wouldn't be healthy, either.”

“Are you suggesting I go to therapy?” Mike said, faking shock and indignation. Then, he smiled. “Great idea, Sweetcheeks. Which is why I scheduled an appointment immediately after I came back from… being gone, I guess? But the waitlist is kinda long, so… It'll be a while.”

“I'm proud of you,” you hummed as Mike finally got to start his dinner — well, snack. You immediately sensed his desire for closeness, intimacy and, just like last time, you — ‘boobs' and ‘blood' were actually very low on the list. You locked your fingers in his hair and sighed, almost with relief. There was no need to pull him closer: he took care of that for you just fine, wrapping his arms and legs around you in the most adorable, comfort-seeking way.

Suddenly, you were overwhelmed with Mike's need to be taken care of, stronger than anything he'd desired up until this point, and when you unclenched your fist to move your hand…

“No! Don’t let go of me.”

“I'm not letting go, silly,” you whispered, stroking his hair and the back of his head. You were about halfway on your way to realizing what had happened when you felt Mike's teeth retreat and he looked up at you with big eyes full of shock.

“I didn't say that out loud,” he stammered. “I know I didn't say that out loud, because I very specifically remember thinking I didn't want to say that out loud.”

“That's…” But you were out of bed before you could speak, with Mike at your side who was furiously knocking on a door at the end of… some hallway — you weren't even sure it was the same hallway your room was on. Mike had managed to put a shirt on you, but it was both inside out and backwards.

“Sher-lock, open this door! Now!” What was this door made of? Reinforced concrete? Mike was definitely slamming it hard enough to…

“What the devil is going on, Mike?” A disgruntled Charles appeared behind you. “Unless you somehow managed to accidentally almost kill her, I hardly think this can't wait until morning.”

Marshall appeared next to Charles, with an equally unhappily surprised look on his face. “What did you do now?” His eyes dropped to your chest, where they rested for much longer than what you considered appropriate. He kept his gaze locked on you for so long, that you looked down yourself. Mike, in his infinite wisdom, had put you in a white shirt, that now showed two very obvious red dots at boob-height, and you watched Marshall as he clearly summoned every shred of restraint in his broad, imposing body to keep himself from dragging you back to his room — or maybe even just taking you right here, you weren't quite sure.

“I'm considering ‘right here’,” he growled at you.

“Am I stating the obvious when I say it would not be appreciated?” Sherlock said from the doorway as he dodged Mike's fist, which he’d still been slamming into the wooden door with nearly unperceivable speed and strength. “Might I inquire as to Mike, what the fuck?” For God knows what reason, hearing Sherlock swear was hot.

“She heard my thoughts,” Mike said breathlessly.

“Were you feeding?” Charles said, taking Mike's quick nod for an answer. “Well, there's your—”

“Mike doesn't hear thoughts, Charles,” Marshall reminded him quietly. “I do.”

“And you're sure it was a thought?” Sherlock asked carefully.

Mike nodded furiously. “Hell yeah. And not something I was even planning on saying out loud. So. That's Marshall's gift, right? She heard my thoughts using his gift while I was feeding. That's weird, right?”

“Uncommon? Yes,” Sherlock said with amusement to his voice. “Weird? Not particularly. Apparently, she has an aptitude for the gift.” He turned to you. “We might see if we could train it, if you're interested. Tomorrow. Now, please leave. I’d like to get back to bed.”

“I thought you didn't need to sleep,” you said with a smile.

“Oh, I don't think we interrupted his sleep, Sweetcheeks,” Mike said while his normal smile widened into a cheeky grin. Was he implying… The mental image of Sherlock, ehm… taking care of himself was almost too much.

“Mike…” you started, intending to tell him to stop joking, but as you watched Sherlock’s cheeks, which were suddenly flushed… Mike was right. That was… unexpected.

“Darling, I—” He stammered the words so softly you barely heard him.

“Goodnight, Sherlock,” you said with a smile. He wouldn't be apologizing for another damn thing. Not something as mundane as this. Not on your watch.

Sherlock was gone before you blinked, and Charles was nowhere in sight anymore, either. That left just you and Mike, and a once more very intense-looking Marshall in the otherwise empty hallway.

A heavy hand closed around your throat — not squeezing, just… holding you. The other, you saw from the corner of your eye — held Mike pinned to the wall.

“I don't care,” he said, his voice a deep, threatening growl, “that he gets laid three times for every single chance I get. I really don't.” Sure didn't sound like he didn't care… “But this is the second time he's paraded you around like this — bleeding and wet… Is that for him, love? Because he likes to spend his time sucking on your tits?” His hand moved from your throat to your chest, where he brutally squeezed the boob Mike had used as a juice box. You winced when he put his fingers directly over the bite. “Is it sore? I bet he didn't take care of that bite the way he knows he should before he rushed you out of his room, now did he?”

He pulled your shirt up with one hand, still pinning Mike to the wall with the other, and sealed his mouth over your nipple, covering the wounds Mike's teeth had left, and he ran his tongue over both marks with great care. Mike squirmed against the wall while he watched, powerless in Marshall's tight grasp. For the first time since the ambush, you took the time to take a good look at the way Marshall was holding him, and you noticed his feet didn't touch the floor.

“Mike,” he growled when he took his mouth off your breast again. “If you do this to me one more fucking time, I'm going to ask August for the keys to the" — he side-eyed you for a split second — “basement, where I'll chain you to the goddamn wall, and then I'll fuck her right in front of your eyes, understood?” Ehh, did you have a say in this? Not that what you'd be saying wouldn't be ‘yes, please', but still. It was nice to be consulted every now and again.

When Mike's feet hit the floor again, he grinned at Marshall. Bold choice, if you were perfectly honest. You probably would have gone with ‘cowering in fear of what he'd do to you', but alright. “Don’t threaten me with a good time,” he said casually before walking off, leaving you standing there with Marshall.

“Punk,” Marshall muttered under his breath before smiling at you and turning around.

“What's in the basement, Marshall?” you said as he started to walk away. “Marshall! What's. in. the. basement?”

He was already gone, of course — as was Mike — and you were standing in the unfamiliar-looking hallway all by yourself, telling yourself that it was physically impossible for the hallway to become longer the longer you looked at it. Mike hadn't picked one of the doors you saw, so you had to be in a different part of the house. A different floor, maybe.

“I'll take you back to Mike,” Sherlock's voice sounded softly behind you. “It's a bit of a maze, especially in the beginning.” He silently asked for permission to carry you, which you granted him, and within seconds you were at the right door.

Sherlock knocked before you could. “Girlfriend delivery,” he said, waiting for Mike to reply before he opened the door — probably a wise decision. You could never be certain what you'd find where Mike was concerned.

“Mike,” you said as you crawled into bed with him again and Sherlock left the room. “What's in the basement?”

“A wine cellar,” Mike said, eyes twinkling with mischief. “Some storage…”

“Mike!” you hissed.

“Now, if someone told you August had the keys to a special room in the basement of this house — as Marshall did — what would your very first guess be?” he teased.

“Sex dungeon,” you blurted out without thinking about it for so much as a second. On top of that being so completely on brand for August, it was also the only thing that would remotely make sense considering the conversation that had just taken place.

Mike grinned from ear to ear. “Duh. It's not technically his, by the way,” Mike told you. “And, before you ask, yes there are restraints that we — or… Me, specifically, apparently,” — he glared at you — “can't break. Why you wanna tie me up, babe?”

“Because I think it would be so fun to watch you squirm, especially since you’ll know exactly what I’ll so desperately want to do to you,” you said with an evil smile. Mike groaned — it was the sweetest sound on the planet, as far as you were concerned.

“You’re mean,” he muttered as he snuggled into your side, pulling the covers tight around him. “And Marshall is mean, too.”

“Why is he mean?” Your mouth morphed into a sweet smile involuntarily. “Because of the threats he made back there?”

“No, that sounded like a perfectly exciting night, actually.” Mike grinned up at you. “His stupid gift ruined my snack.”

[storm-angel989]

Greetings, if I may ask, may I have a one-shot where the reader, aka his daughter(teen), comes out to valentino as aroace. Mabye she is scared he will not like her because he is known for the exact opposite if that makes sense.

If you wish to not write this, please make me aware

-L.B Creations

Hi friend,

Thank you for working with me on this! I always appreciate when a not anonymous poster asks for something I have little personal experience with. It allows me to touch base with them personally in addition to my own research so that I can better understand a perspective. I do hope I've written this story accurately, and as always- feedback is appreciated!

<3 Mandy

Aroace. 

I stared at my computer, chewing up every tidbit of information I could find. Relief washed over me. Finally, a word for it. A word that describes me.  And the more I read, the more I saw myself. For the longest time, I wondered if something was wrong with me. Why all my friends were interested in relationships, in sex and in kissing- dating and going to dances,  I had no desire to do any of that. Actually, if I was being honest with myself, the idea of sex kind of repulsed me. 

Sure I liked hugs. And I liked the idea of being held.  I had lots of friends- friends I would text every day. I could appreciate peoples looks- pretty eyes, beautiful hair, a nice set of muscles. But that didn’t mean I wanted to sleep with them. Or do anything beyond enjoying and appreciating their presence in my life. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the Spring Fling?” My father asked over breakfast yesterday morning. “I can get you a date, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Shame rushed over me and I looked down, away from the gaze of the overlord of lust and depravity. My father was known for sleeping with anything and everything- for a price. In my own household, it was known but not spoken that he was in a relationship with my Uncle Vox and Aunt Velvette. Polysexual, the internet called it. Not that a label made a difference for him. Actually, I wasn’t sure there was an accurate label for what my father did. 

That conversation was the most recent of many, many conversations between my father and I. He would encourage me to date, brought me hotel rooms I never used, and even sent Aunt Velvette to talk to me about safe sex. Although he never said it, all of his insistence left me feeling like something was wrong with me. 

It was that feeling that led me here, to the internet, desperately trying to figure out if I was broken. But according to the blogs and information I found, I wasn’t broken. Not in the slightest. I was aroace. With a sigh, I pushed myself away from the computer, my stomach in knots. I had an answer to why I felt the way I did. I had a word for it. Now I needed to tell my father. Hopefully, it would go well and he would understand.

And not kick me out. Or tell me I was broken. Or any of the thousand things that he could say. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more my anxiety grew. The overlord of sex- having an aroace daughter? Would he even accept it? Would he still love me? I swallowed back the overwhelming fear and walked over to the elevator. Two o’clock. Dad would be in his office, filing paperwork. 

“Ah! Bebita princessa,” Valentino announced as I walked into his office. “Come, come mi amore. Sit, I have several prospects for you to…”

“Daddy? Can we talk?” I asked as I sat down in the chair in front of his desk. “It’s kind of important.”

“Of course princessa, what’s on your mind?” Valentino leaned back in his chair. “I’m all yours, mi amore.” 

I took a deep breath. “Dad, I’ve felt like this for a while and I’m…I know you’ve been trying to set me up on dates and I don’t mean to be rude, I just…please just promise you’ll always love me.” I could feel my lower lip start to quiver and tears burned at the corner of my eye. 

Alarm spread across his features. In a flash, he knelt in front of me. I felt the warmth of his hand as he cupped my chin. 

“Bebita, I will always love you. What is it? Did someone hurt you?” He demanded. “Princessa, talk to Daddy.”

I felt a hiccup in my chest, a painful burn and I took a deep breath. Now or never. 

“Daddy, I think I’m aroace. I, I don’t like anyone romantically, I just…” My words trailed off into a dissolve of tears. 

He wrapped his arms around me and I leaned into his shoulder and cried. 

“Settle yourself, ninita,” he said softly. “Shussh. Daddy loves you. Daddy isn’t mad. I would never be.”

“Please don’t force me to try it, the internet said…” I sobbed into his shoulder. “Daddy, I…”

“I would never, mi amore,” he reassured gently. “If aroace is what you identify as, then I won’t push to set you up on dates. I would have never done so if that’s how you feel. Hey, bebita, look at me.”

I raised my head up from his shoulder and rubbed my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt. I tried to catch my breath, but dissolved again into a sobbing mess of tears. He sighed and took me into his arms again. 

“Reader. Reader. It’s okay, I’m not upset with you- you are who you are, and I love you for that,” he said as he rubbed my back. “I would never not.”

“How is it gonna look, the overlord of lust’s daughter doesn’t want anything to do with sex?” I choked out. 

I felt him chuckle, a low rumble in his chest. 

“Who gives a fuck what the rest of the world thinks? You’re my daughter. You’re all that matters,” he said as he ran a hand down my hair. “Come on now, deep breath. I love you very much. And I always will.”

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for being physically close with a guy before breaking up with my ex? (🧋 To find easier)

Sorry for the long explanation!

Last year I( at the time 16, closeted Agender) was dating this guy (at the time 16, M) who we'll call T. Looking back on it I realise I mostly started dating him because he was the first genuine friend I'd made after moving to our country during COVID, and I've always struggled to differentiate romantic and platonic feelings. A few months in I could tell that this simply wasn't working for me and that the only reason I wasn't leaving was because he really really liked me (I was the first person he'd ever dated) and I'd feel guilty for breaking his heart. Eventually I realised I was somewhere on the Aromantic spectrum, so I came out to him expecting it to be an instant deal breaker. He took me being aro much better then I expected and didn't see it as a reason for us to break up ,and I ended up crying a bunch and was so caught up in the euphoria of him accepting me that I agreed to stay in the relationships.

A few weeks pass and things keep deteriorating, to the point where I thought I was ace (I was not. Turns out I just really was not attracted to him anymore) and because I was still too much of a coward to explain my reasons for breaking up directly, I tried to break up with him under the guise of being aroace because I thought SURELY this horny teenage boy would see this as a deal breaker! Again, he accepted me and again I was so full of guilt/euphoria that I let him talk me out of breaking up.

A bit after this, but BEFORE I finally cut off things for real, I a met a guy(at the time 17, m), K, through my friend's sister when I visited their house at the same time as him. We hit it off instantly, both bonding over being aro (though at the time I still thought I was ace) and within the first night of knowing each other we were cuddling, I sat on his lap (I also did this with my first friend but I'd known her for much longer then a few *hours*) and he was coming up and hugging me from behind. I made it very clear I was in a closed relationship, and both me and K agreed at the time that the touching was just platonic, esp since we are both just generally very touchy-feely people and despite T's many more incel-y traits he was never the jealous type.

Me and K met up a few more times, and we continued being touch-y. When he hugged good bye he'd put his hands on my waist, we'd frequently cuddle, he'd lay his head on my shoulder, I'd like down on his lap, etc etc. there was a boob touching incident once but that was an accident so I don't think it really counts? There also might have been an incident where he put his hand up my shirt a bit (like waist level, not bra level). He made sexual jokes about me and the only thing I did to rebuff him was saying that I was still in a closed relationship, not that I wasn't interested. After the third time we met up I finally accepted that I DID like him sexually, and that I was definitely not ace. I know thought crime isn't real but I feel like such as ass for being so touchy with K and using friendliness as an excuse. I AM touchy with my other friends, but even in the moment I knew my feelings for K were different then that.

I broke up with T about a week later (only reason it took that long is cause we live far away and I didn't want to break up over the phone, especially since that's what I did the previous two failed times). Me and K became friends with benefits a few days later. K knows he helped me realise I really needed to break up with T, but I haven't told him how big of a last straw he was.

I do not feel guilty about breaking up with T, he ended up being a huge asshole, however I am very against cheating. No matter how much I hate T for being a creepy bigoted asshole (would nag me about nudes every night, sent me massive paragraph long guilty trippy texts about how bad his mental health was even months after we broke up, is a little too into WW2 and his German great grandparents which makes my Jewish ass very uncomfortable, and he's said a lot of horrible things about me studying Sign Language) he still does not deserve to be cheated on. I feel like I tried my best to correct the situation once I came to terms with my own feelings, but I was still absolute pushing the boundaries even when I subconsciously knew the way I felt about K was different then my other friends.

This all happened a year ago now, My friends who met T and know about me and K are generally on my side because they dislike T, but Idk still feel guilty when I think back on how stuff unfolded. I know it might just be silly teen drama but I really hate the idea of being a hypocrite who preaches against cheating and then does basically the same thing

What are these acronyms?

[patchver-mel]

Saw aromantic trending so I wanna rant share about my experience being aroace :D

It never really occurred to me as a kid that I was different when it came to romance and stuff. Whenever my friends talk about crushes, I often think about an entirely different topic cause I could never relate. It never interested me since I never felt it. People would have crushes on others in school, celebrities, or something else. But it never occurred to me that having no attraction wasn’t the norm since I always thought I’ll find the “right person” someday. I was just like “everyone gets a romantic partner eventually, why should I rush it?” Which is why I didn’t feel out of place for my lack of attraction. I was never rushed by my peers, but I was taught that love eventually happens.

Figuring out and accepting I was aroace was definitely a slow burn for me. I knew what the label was and I think I kinda identified with it but it felt like a label I tacked on cause I was always thinking in the back of my mind that I’ll like someone someday. Overtime, I realized that the present is what matters when identifying as something, and right now, I can confidently say I’ll never feel sexual and romantic attraction. I’ve come to accept that I’m aroace and I’m very proud to be.

Upon this realization though, I’ve seen how much this world and a lot of people in it values romance. So. Much. Amatonormativity. There were multiple times where I would hang out with a friend of a different gender and friends of that person would be like “oh wow u finally got a partner” or something. Like, we were just talking, which is something that, literally, everyone does. Sometimes I feel like everyone expects me to marry when I don’t want to. One time my sister was talking about her celebrity crush and my mom said “everyone has a celebrity crush” and when I replied with “I don’t,” she said “aww” like it was sad or something. And I don’t understand why?? It’s not a bad thing to not have a crush on a popular person. Also, I’m glad the internet lets me see other people are also aroace cause a lot of the time, I feel lonely. Literally all the people in my life have either had a crush and/or been in a relationship. I’m not sad I don’t feel that same attraction, but I would like someone in my real life to talk to about this, someone who’s able to understand the lack of feelings I have, someone who has the same ideas about amatonormativity. Yeah I’m good with being alone, but it can get lonely when it feels like I’m the only one who doesn’t feel romantic and sexual attraction in a 100 mile radius. I don’t got a desire to partner up in any kind of relationship, so I have to accept that I’m most likely not the first priority for anyone due to me not being their lover.

Despite those struggles, I’m still very glad to be aroace. It feels so nice to know that I can live a life that’s not pictured for me already. I don’t want a partner, I don’t want kids, I don’t want to marry, and other stuff. Anyone can do that, but I love not feeling crushes. I don’t hate romance or sex, but I don’t really care about it when it comes to real life. I never felt like I had to conform when it came to romantic relationships and I’m gonna keep doing that. If someone had a button that could give me romantic and sexual feelings, I would take the batteries out and shatter it into a million pieces, cause I’m damn glad to be aroace.

This thing turned out way longer than I expected and I know I’m a little late for aromantic visibility day but I just wanted to pour all this out. Thanks for reading all the way if u did and happy pride month y’all :>

[aroaceconfessions]

cw: religion, specifically purity culture in evangelical Christianity and the miserably inadequate sex ed that comes along with it

Being an aroace teen with no libido in the midst of purity culture is WILD, because the youth pastor will be going off about saving yourself for marriage and only dating fellow Christians and not looking at porn and whatever, and meanwhile I'm just sitting in the back of the room drawing on notebook paper and wishing I had more snacks.

Like??? In hindsight it's GLARINGLY obvious that I am and always have been aroace. But back then I legitimately didn't understand how anyone could possibly feel romantic or sexual attraction. I never felt "broken" or anything -- I thought other people were the weird ones. I thought that having crushes or being sexually attracted to someone was largely made up for the sake of adding drama to books and movies, and that people couldn't possibly be that way in real life, because I wasn't that way and I was totally normal, right? I just kind of assumed that one day I (afab) would fall in love with a man and we'd get married and have kids and ride off into the sunset together, because that's the picture the church always painted for me.

I'm an adult now. I've deconverted from my parents' religion. I've accepted my identity as a childfree aroace person who may or may not be cis (still working on that part). I've actually EDUCATED myself about other peoples' sexualities and gender identities, as well as things like basic bodily hygiene and pregnancy, which nobody ever taught me about in any meaningful amount of detail. Fuck the system that kept me ignorant and made it easy for me to judge other people for having basic, perfectly natural desires. I feel like I've FINALLY woken up to the fact that I am an individual, who's allowed to have opinions and interests and wants and goddamn emotions. I can be an ally to my queer friends and use their correct names and pronouns and such without feeling like I'm sinning or betraying God or whatever bullshit that religion wanted me to believe. Literally just finding that one little label for myself led me down a path towards FEELING LIKE AN ACTUAL HUMAN BEING. And while I've definitely still got a ways to go, I am so incredibly grateful for all the progress that I've made so far.

Education on these topics is so fucking important. For EVERYBODY. And I desperately hope that someday it'll become the norm, so that no more kids are failed as badly as I was.

Submitted July 8, 2023

[autistichalsin]

This is a bit of a ramble and not really an ask but it was on the brain and i had to get it out, please forgive.

With everyone of your posts i read about Halsin i have come to realize why i like the man so much.

That motherf*****r is me!

Just instead of a 6'4" Polyam Pansexual druid bear, I am a 5'0" nonbinary aroace cryptid with DD's.

Evidence:

He was put in a leadership position he shouldnt have that ultimately isolated him. I was shoved into the "strong friend" role that ultimatrly did the same.

Went through a heavily traumatic life event then shoved into a ****ton of resposibility imedietly after. The dearh of my mom was thr same and shoved me into a caretaker role i wasnt prepared for.

Used unhealthy coping mechanisms until he figured out a healthier way to go about things. Used Cannibus, "Projects to be Prpductive and not lazy", and to be honest, became obsessed with playing video games to a point where when i started to work on myself, trying to play a video game, even one i had played before, gave me Anxiety.

Ultimately being able to finally listen to oneself and accept there are things he just wasnt suited for and made changes accordingly. Me, the last year and a half.

Add on to the fact that he is Autistic coded, which is something i only got recently diagnosed with and I am still figuring out, it is nuts how similar we are.

I have never had a character i have related to this much in media before and I never thought it would be this comforting to know that someone like Halsin exists, even if only in fiction.

Through him I have come to better understsnd how important representation is in media, even if that representation is seeing someone else who has gone through similar life events to you and came out the other side still warm and kind, unlike how media often portrays them as bitter and angry.

It helps me realize that despite what i have been through I can still choose to be kind and caring, even if I am a little more wary about who i give it too and for how long.

I want to give whoever wrote that man into existence a big hug and thank them for giving me someone to aspire to.

I hereby declare a Paladin's Oath of Devotion to Halsin Silverbough!

And hope that anybody who reads this, finds someone that represents them just as much as he did me.

HUGS!

I feel you- I have noticed some VERY common traits among other Halsin fans. One of those is that a lot of us tend to have traumas of various kinds, and have struggled a bit with cynicism and/or staying kind to others.

The thing about kindness is that it's a choice. You choose to be kind, and you don't always succeed. (Be really wary around anyone who claims to be unfailingly kind.) But you do try, even when a lot of others show no real interest in that. Just like Halsin, particularly in act 3. It's something a lot of us relate to, I think, that struggle of being kind in the face of trauma.

[luckyfailuregirl]

Okay I think it's time I finally do an intro post

Hello world!! My name's Lucky :]

Or Mila/Milamarie, but I prefer either of the shorter two.

Things I am:

-Genderfluid (I use any pronouns - my pronouns page!!)

-Aroace

-An artist, mostly draws my own ocs nowadays (I don't color often sadly, I'm not confident enough in it)

-A very slow poster,,,, But I'm trying to share my stuff more often!!

-A yapper, most of my posts are really long 💔💔

-The owner of @luckyisgirlfailing ^^

-Accepting doodle requests!! (If you want me to draw your own character, please know that I may take a while and as a human, I may mess up, but I'll try my best !!)

-A MINOR also, so don't be weird anywhere near any of my posts, please and thank you

Speaking of that...

‼️‼️DNI‼️‼️:

-Homophobic and transphobic people, proshippers, NSFW accounts, etc. along those lines, and generally rude and unsupportive people. If you're any of these, distance yourself from my blog.

Insert smooth transition into other topics here/j

My current interests/hyperfixations:

-Pressure (roblox), Phighting (also roblox), IdentityV, OFF, Honkai Star Rail, and My Hero Academia!! I have some other interests on the backburner rn, but these are the main ones I've been thinking about a lot ^^

A quick explanation of my sona/OC of the same name:

-All things considered though, I am currently working through burnout so I don't create much art of said interests unless I feel like it, but it will be posted here eventually once I feel like I have enough media for people to be satisfied with !!!

About the tags I'll be using from here on out:

A lot of my posts at the time of writing this just have general tags, nothing specific to my blog yet, because I've been waiting until I could actually make an intro post. But! From now on, I'll be using the tags listed here for my things :)

#[the luckygirl's delineation!] - art !!! that included anything related to my writing :3

#[the luckygirl's syndrome!] - ranting/random stuff!! (side note: my name did not come from the syndrome/TikTok thing at all actually 😭😭 I've been using this name since I was like 7, I'm just using that term now as a play on words in my tags)

#luckyfailuregirl - for anything including my OC/SONA, not me (others can use this tag too since it's a character tag!!)

#kai talking to me!! yay!!!! - tag meant specifically for my friend kai :]

#reblogs - self explanatory

If some of you have seen my oc Lucky (full title being LuckyFailureGirl), you might be a bit confused on why my main blog is titled that and my RP blog for her is a separate play on words ( @luckyisgirlfailing ). Your confusion completely understandable!! To elaborate though, "LuckyFailureGirl" has always been a username of mine across platforms, so I used that when I came to Tumblr. When I finally wanted to make a blog for Lucky themselves, I realized it was kind of too late,,, and I had to come up with a different title for her blog, but that doesn't change her official title or name. He is my sona/oc, and we share the same name and pronouns, but she also has a very different personality from me at times. She's not really a good person, but she's not meant to be super edgy either!!! You can find more information on her background on her blog, or you can ask me about them. I love talking about my ocs!!!

Anyways! I think that's all I have to say for now. Enjoy your stay, all :]

[sparkyskid]

Gale Dekarios The Wizard of Waterdeep ace-spec propaganda

Spoilers for Gale’s romance below the cut

I, an Aroace, have finished BG3 having romanced Gale and taken the route to “fix him” (I.e. encourage him that he is enough as he is and doesn’t need godly power, that his value does not depend on his power or talents or usefulness to others.)

Yes you make out a little in his romance scenes. Yes he says that he has been intimate with mortals before Mystra, and was Mystra’s lover.

BUT.

It is never stated that you have sex with him.

At most, it is implied that you are physically intimate in some way, primarily the post-game where he asks you to marry him, you wake up together and you can beckon him to come back to bed.

Even then, even when it is implied, Gale’s romance is entirely chaste. For a game so horny, a game so ready to let you fuck so many people, a game that gives you power to make your party hang out at camp in their underwear or even naked…

Astarion and Shadowheart definitely have topless/nude scenes. Karlach and La’zell express sexual attraction. Wyll is entirely unknown to me. But Gale, despite being very upfront about his feelings in some key moments, does not have a nude or partially nude cutscene. A game that loves showing or describing the sex you have with NPCs, and Gale has none of it.

Furthermore, the moment that stands out the most as possibly showing sexual attraction, in Act 2 when he comments about reading a book that links the rush of battle with desires for other “stimulation”. He is having such thoughts, but even as he says he wants Tav, it seems to be about pleasure and stimulation more than flat out sexual attraction.

As we all know, willingness to engage in sex and the experience of sexual attraction are different. Gale expresses a very ace or demi sort of relationship with sex- for him, it’s about pleasurable stimulation with a beloved person.

Take this in contrast with Halsin. In my game, Halsin came onto my Tav in the last night before the final battle. He spoke of natural desires, of wanting skin on skin etc. similar to how La’zell expresses a desire for Tav’s body in Act 1 or Karlach “ride you till you see stars”. Halsin, La’zell, and Karlach, all clearly express sexual attraction. Astarion is, well, Astarion. I don’t know Wyll very well, but his first romance scene is a dance and he gets such puppy eyes when you reject him. There is none of these things in Gale’s route.

One last thing, the compliments Gale gives. Yes, this is a difficult thing to write because the appearance of Tav can vary wildly. But his compliments are centered around aesthetic attraction, not physical. “Beautiful” is one of his most common ones. Non-specific, wholistic, and aesthetic. It would be hard to write anything more specific with the Tav’s appearance being so variable. But the other NPCs still have doubtless sexual attraction.

So Gale is a romantic, so what? He could also be a “wait until marriage type”? False. He has not been married, but (at least implies that) he has had sex before.

But it could just be that his route is supposed to be the most romantic, and not all of the NPCs need to have equal levels of horny? Yes. Not all of the NPCs should be the same amount of horny. And the least horny, if they are this different, will always come across as ace-spec or aro-spec, if only by comparison (as it is in the real world).

Consider another detail as well: how the people closest to him are expected to react to him finding a relationship.

Both his BFF Tara and his mother apparently want him to get in a relationship. Tara is obvious, Gale speaks of Tara encouraging him to have more mortal friends after his relationship with Mystra ends. And Tara does at one point comment on Gale finding a mortal partner in-game. Later when Gale asks Tav to marry him, if you accept, he remarks how his mother will also be very pleased to hear the news.

This is a theme in his life. People pressuring him to find a relationship. This is also a very commonly shared experience for a-spec people of all kinds. Pressure from others to find someone. (The most toxic variation being “you haven’t met the right person yet”)

My own mother would be overjoyed if she heard I found someone to get married to, even though she knows I don’t want that. Sure, many parents are this way about their allo children as well, but that’s hardly talked about. Parents of a-spec people, whose children “finally get married” or “finally find someone” are specially invested in the outcome. Of course anyone’s supportive parent would be happy if their child got married to somebody they loved. But it’s noteworthy here, for some reason. As if his mother has, in the past, also given him some grief about it in a way that Tara does as well. If she hadn’t, why mention her at all?

Gale being pressured by those closest to him to get a relationship is thematically similar to the way ace-spec (and aro-spec) people get pressured by those closest to them. And the relationship he crafts is one based not on physical attraction, but on aesthetic attraction and romantic attraction. Gale shares physical forms of affection with his partners for the pleasurable stimulation of it. He does not exhibit the same lust or sexual attraction that the rest of the romanceable/fuckable NPCs do. All this to say that Gale is consistently sex-favorable, but does not experience sexual attraction in the same (allo) way that everyone else does. Therefore, he falls on the ace spectrum. Most likely ace or demi.

[random-iz-stuff]

An aroace that doesn’t ship anything ranks every Invader Zim ship they are aware of:

No offence to anyone. Also don’t expect many “I ship it” moments because I really don’t ship anything.

ZaDr (Zim and Dib romance):

The one and only Invader Zim ship that needs no introduction. If you’re been in the modern fandom for any amount of time, you know about ZaDr. It’s the most common ship in the entire fandom and I see why. The enemies to lovers dynamic, the parallels between the two of them in canon, ✨ The Gay✨, etc. This ship is THE Invader Zim ship and it’s easy to see why.

I personally don’t ship it for a few different reasons. I like my Zim and Dib with a more frenemies dynamic when they aren’t at each other’s throats for one, plus I just don’t ship things like 99% of the time. That just how I work.

This right here can be said for any ship on this list involving Zim; but I also headcanon Zim as being aroace, which conflicts with literally every ship involving Zim. My version of Zim just doesn’t mix with any ships. For me, Zim and romance is like oil and water.

That being said, I’m not against ZaDr and I don’t dislike it. I don’t actively seek it out, but I also don’t mind looking at it if it pops up on my dash. I just like ZaDf a bit more.

Do I ship it: No

How I pronounce it: Za-Dur

Rating: 8/10 (it’s a classic and even though I don’t ship it, giving it anything less would be a disservice to it)

ZaGr (Zim and Gaz romance):

ZaGr is a really interesting ship to me. Not in a character or canon way, but in a meta way. Because from what I understand, ZaGr used to be the most popular IZ ship back when Invader Zim was a newer show, before ships like ZaDr became acceptable and more mainstream.

Now it’s way less common when compared to ZaDr, but you can see it everywhere in older works. I just find it cool that you can tell how old parts of the fandom are based on how popular or common ZaDr and ZaGr are. ZaGr is still popular nowadays, but it used to be the go-to IZ Ship before ZaDr became mainstream and overtook it in popularity.

Kinda but not really moving on from a meta perspective, I can see why it originally became popular, but also why it fell from grace and was overtaken by ZaDr. Both Zim and Gaz show a hated for humanity, share an interest in video games, have the same dislike of Dib and Gaz seems to be one of the few characters that Zim shows any respect towards whatsoever. There was also the rumoured (and later disproven to exist) episode “Invader Dib”, which was rumoured to be the series finale before the show was canceled and would have supposedly implied that Zim and Gaz got together post-canon.

Plus in my uneducated opinion, ZaGr probably also became so popular because of the environment it came into existence in. ZaGr is one of the oldest ships in the entire fandom (I think), being a thing all the way back in the early 2000s when Invader Zim had first come out and recently been canceled. Back then, gay ships like ZaDr and TaGr were a lot less normalized than they are today and were considered to be either crackships, rarepairs or morally wrong because the early 2000s wasn’t exactly known for being accepting of LGBTQ stuff. So ZaGr simply had a lot less competition.

Then, when ships like ZaDr and TaGr became more normalized and popular, people started jumping to them because ZaDr simply has a lot more chemistry than ZaGr. Zim and Gaz only have a few minimal interactions after all.

ZaGr still exists and it’s definitely still prominent, but it’s often overshadowed by its gay relatives that are ZaDr and TaGr.

On another note, I really like the idea of Zim and Gaz becoming friends (much to Dib’s dismay and frustration).

Do I ship it: No, but I adore the more meta details of it.

How I pronounce it: Za-Gir

Rating: 6/10 (the meta stuff elevates it quite a bit, but as an actual ship, things like ZaDr simply have way more chemistry)

ZaSr (Zim and Skoodge romance):

I don’t know why, but the ship name always gives me vibes of strength and durability. I really can’t explain it in any other way. Just wanted to get that off my chest.

Moving on from that, I can see why this exists. Skoodge was supposed to live in Zim’s base after all. Plus, with how underwritten Skoodge actually is, he’s a character that can be molded to fit the story or ship, basically making Skoodge a fanfic writer’s dream and basically any and all details regarding ZaSr to be sadly fanmade.

Now, I HAVE actually actively sought out ZaSr content before. It was mostly to find ZaSf stuff because the ZaSf tag is next to empty, but I have gone through the tag once or twice. Even though I don’t ship them romantically, I like the idea of Zim and Skoodge being friends and the ZaSr tag, despite being a shipping tag, is the best place to find content like that.

Do I ship it: Not romantically, but definitely platonically, in a best friends sort of way, and the ZaSr tag is my best (and only) source of content for that kind of thing

How I pronounce it: Za-Sir

Rating: 8/10 (I don’t ship the two romantically, but the tag is a very good way to find content of Zim and Skoodge being friends)

ZaTr (Zim and Tak romance):

This one is in a very similar vein as ZaSr. I have gone through the tag, but mostly just because I ran out of content in the ZaTf tag.

Ship-wise, I don’t really get this one, but at the same time I get the impression that it was popular at SOME point because I’m pretty sure that it was a semi-common thing in older works. I just don’t get WHY though. Maybe as an alternative to ZaGr back before ZaDr became an acceptable option? I really don’t know. I just don’t see it.

Do I ship it: No, but I have used the tag to search for ZaTf content before

How I pronounce it: Za-Tur

Rating: 4/10 (I really don’t understand the appeal of it. I’m a fan of ZaTf with Zim and Tak becoming friends or at the very least frenemies, but shipping the two of them romantically seems like overkill)

ZaTr alternate version (Zim and Tenn romance):

No. Just no. I headcanon that Zim and Tenn are twin siblings, so that should sum up my thoughts on ZaTr [alternate] pretty damn well.

And I’m confident to say that no one is going to fight me here and argue that “it’s just your personal headcanon that they’re siblings so it’s fine” because literally no one ships this.

This ship is stupidly rare and I’ve only ever seen two, maybe three things with ZaTr [alternate] in it. I’m including it simply because of those two or three things and because I said I’d review every ship I’m aware of, even if the ship barely exists and is accidentally made into twincest because of a headcanon I have.

Do I ship it: Fuck no

How I pronounce it: Alternate Za-Tur (or Za-Tur 2)

Rating: 0/10 (it’ll be a cold day in hell when I ship twincest and a goddamn blizzard in hell when I let go of my “Zim and Tenn being siblings” headcanon)

TaGr (Tak and Gaz romance):

I actually used to ship TaGr way before I made this blog. Then I stopped without really knowing why. I left the fandom for a while and when I came back TaGr had just sort of fell off for me and didn’t hit the same. I don’t know what changed. Nowadays I don’t actively seek it out, but also won’t complain if it pops up in my dash. I’m neutral towards it.

Tak and Gaz have basically no interactions in canon, and yet based purely on their personalities you KNOW that they’d work well if you placed them in the same room together. They even have similar aesthetics. And as an added bonus, you have ✨The Gay✨.

You can also pronounce the name by saying “tiger” in a super heavy southern accent and that makes it the best ship by default. You can do the same with the misspelling of the name (GaTr) by saying “gator” in a super heavy southern accent.

Do I ship it: Not anymore (but I used to)

How I pronounce it: Ta-Gir (like tiger with a super heavy southern accent)

Rating: 9/10 (the name and how you can pronounce it does some of the lifting there. It’s just fun for me to say. If you couldn’t pronounce it like tiger or gator in a super heavy southern accent it would be a 7/10)

DaTr (Dib and Tak romance):

This ship definitely exists and it is a ship.

To be honest though, DaTr gives off the vibes of a toxic byproduct of ZaDr and TaGr.

Despite that however, to my knowledge, DaTr is another one of the oldest ships in the fandom that’s as old as ZaGr, being a ship that was often seen alongside it. Zim gets with Gaz and Dib gets with Tak. Like ZaGr, it became a lot more rare with the rise of ZaDr and TaGr. It’s still around, but it’s a lot less common than it used to be.

However, I don’t think it really holds up nowadays. Dib and Tak simply don’t have much chemistry together besides an equal hated of Zim and ZaDr and TaGr seem like way better alternatives.

Plus, just by looking at them, I refuse to believe that Dib likes women and Tak likes men. ZaDr/TaGr shipper or not, there’s no way in hell that they’re both straight.

I do like the name though, I’ll give the ship that. DaTr. Reminds me of Data.

Do I ship it: no

How I pronounce it: Da-Tier or Da-Tur. I alternate between the two

Rating: 2/10

TaTr (Tak and Tenn romance):

I get why this ship exists. A part of it does have to do with Tenn having no canon personality and being able to be molded to fit the story or ship, just like Skoodge but even more malleable because Tenn has even less canon details, so you can really have any dynamic or story that you want with this ship. There’s also a few other details like Tenn being one of the only named, canon, female Irkens in the show besides Tak. ✨The Gay✨ is also a factor.

I’ve mentioned before that I find this ship a bit funny when you take into account how similar Zim and Tenn look, with Tak looking at Zim and thinking “worst enemy, kill on sight” and then looking at Zim with eyelashes and curled antenna and being head over heels, but I got to admit, TaTr has grown on me quite a bit.

It’s one of the only ships I’ve actively searched for (not counting the ships I’ve looked at when searching for platonic content like ZaSr and ZaTr) and I don’t even know why exactly. I just enjoy it.

Do I ship it: I don’t exactly know. I like the ship, but I’m not sure if I’d call myself a avid shipper of it. Probably? You know what? What the hell, my answer is Yes. TaTr is the only ship on this list that gets a yes from me

How I pronounce it: Tatter

Rating: 9/10 (I like this one)

RaPr (Red and Purple romance):

I can definitely see the chemistry between the two of them. They’re practically inseparable in canon, share the same interests and likes and also the line “he LIKES snacks Zim” exists. I’ve seen compilations of the Tallest just called “the Tallest being gay for each other compilation” and I completely understand where they’re coming from.

That being said, I have exactly one complaint. The name. If it was structured as “Purple and Red romance” instead of “Red and Purple romance”, it would spell “PaRr” which can easily be pronounced as “Parr”. RaPr had the opportunity to become one of, if not THE ONLY Invader Zim ship that’s actually pronounceable by a human tongue in one universally accepted way, but it actively refused to do so and now I can’t stop pronouncing it like “Wrapper”, which I think, in Tallest Purple’s own words, is a stupid name.

Do I ship it: no, but I have no reason not to. I honestly just refuse to ship it out of spite over the stupid sounding name. That’s the only thing stopping me from shipping it

How I pronounce it: Wrapper

Rating: 8/10 (would be 10/10 if it was spelled as Parr)

PRaZr (Purple, Red and Zim romance):

I don’t usually give this one much thought, but it’s kind of funny when you think about it alongside the actual events of the show. “Invader Zim gets kicked out of the polycule to work eternal food service after permanently ruining a major military operation”

Do I ship it: no. I got no real thoughts on it either

How I pronounce it: Praz-er

Rating: 4/10

PRaDr (Purple, Red and Dib romance):

Wait that’s a thing that actually exists? Really? Neat.

Do I ship it: I literally didn’t know it was a real thing until writing this (so no)

How I pronounce it: Prad-er

Rating: ???/10 (In my opinion, I simply don’t know enough about the ship to say anything. I’m just putting it on this list because I learned about it’s existence while making this post)

Anything with Keef in it (ZaKr, KaDr, etc):

Honestly, I keep forgetting that Keef exists, and the same can be said for any ship involving him.

For ZaKr (Zim and Keef), I can see it as an unrequited crush on Keef’s end, but just can’t see Zim returning any feelings.

For KaDr, I can’t see anything. Apart from the unmade episode The Return Of Keef where Dib teams up with Zim to get rid of Keef, I don’t think they have any real interactions. I could very easily be wrong because I just don’t have a very good memory when talking about Keef, but I can’t think of any times where the two of them interacted positively, or even interacted at all.

Plus, unlike ships like TaTr, where Tenn has no set canon personality and can be molded to fit the story or ship, Keef, despite his lack of appearances, does have a set personality, and both Zim and Dib are very annoyed by it. Keef is one of the only things that can get Zim and Dib to work together, and that’s only so they can get rid of him. KaDr simply has no foundation in my eyes.

However, I have nothing but compliments for the names. ZaKr and KaDr just sound nice to me. I think it’s the “K” adding something that isn’t seen in any other ships. It has an almost exotic sound to it.

ZaKr:

Do I ship it: No

How I pronounce it: Zak-er

Rating: 4/10 (Keef having an unrequited crush on Zim is an interesting idea that I might want to keep in mind and I like how the name sounds, but that’s doing all the heavy lifting. Without those two details, ZaKr would be even lower)

KaDr:

Do I ship it: No, but the name has a very nice ring to it. Even better than ZaKr.

How I pronounce it: Kad-er

Rating: 3/10 (purely because of the name)

Za2r/ZaZ2r (Zib and Zim Number 2 romance):

I don’t really get this one. I get the appeal of ZaDr, and I understand why Za2r exists (evil counterpart to ZaDr) but Za2r just doesn’t work in my eyes.

Ignoring my headcanons for Number 2, the whole point of Zib is that he’s a Dib that’s absolutely lost it and gone down the full xenophobic genocide route, becoming something worse than the very Irken Empire he seeks to exterminate. Putting him in a relationship with Number 2 sort of defeats that whole thing he’s got going on.

Bringing back my headcanons for Number 2, Number 2 is waiting to betray and overthrow Zib at the first possible opportunity, and never gets his chance because of Zib’s virus plan. No relationship between the two of them is going to work out for any amount of time in my eyes or perspective, especially when you factor in my Aroace Zim Headcanon.

This ship is also completely impossible to say out loud. Invader Zim ship names are already hard enough to pronounce on their own. YOU DIDN’T NEED TO ADD A NUMBER INTO IT. If you add a number into the middle of the ship name, my brain is going to bluescreen trying to pronounce it.

ZaZ2r looks like the password found on a wifi router and I’m going to remove a point just because of that.

Do I ship it: No. Not really a fan

How I pronounce it: I don’t because you can’t pronounce this abomination of a name IT HAS A NUMBER IN THE MIDDLE OF IT

Rating: 1/10 (I’d give it a 3/10 if the name wasn’t impossible to pronounce and difficult to read)

DaGr (Dib and Gaz romance):

Fuck no, fuck you, I’m not even going to give this one the time of day. THEY ARE CANON SIBLINGS. THEY ARE BROTHER AND SISTER. Thank GOD I’ve only ever heard of this ship and have never actually seen anything with DaGr in it. It’s so rare that it’s practically nonexistent.

One thing I hate about this ship (besides the obvious) is the name. It’s Dagger. DAGGER!! Why does this horrible ship get one of the best names?! WHY??!

Do I ship it: fuck no I would rather die

How I pronounce it: Dagger

Rating: -9/10 (at least ZaTr [alternate] was only twincest due to a headcanon I have and therefore isn’t universally twincest. It’s only twincest to me (and anyone else with the “Zim and Tenn are twins” headcanon). Dib and Gaz are fully canon siblings. That’s incest no matter how you look at it. Plus I’m super pissed off over the name. Why does the incest ship get the cool weapon name?)

[r3d-f0xs-blog]

3, 4, 8, 12 for all of your Cyberpunk characters! If that's too much just Voss is OK 💖

I'm going to answer Voss and Eldarion as this will take a while. Colour coding and emoji for each one per question to make it easier to follow.

3. How did your oc discover themself? Did something cause them to question, or did they always know?

🦊 Voss has had two steps to finding out to himself. The first was in his teens and he had an inkling he may be aspec but brushed it off because he thought that everybody had an emotional connection to feel attraction to somebody. He did find that it isn't limited to just one gender and he knows for certain it's more than one. But the aspec question never went away, he just left it as he was happy and had a few relationships so by that he couldn't be, could he? In a way, Voss was afraid to dig into it because who'd want to be in a relationship with somebody who is aspec, was his worry.

His second part came much later in his 30s where he had a significant life change and he began to question how attraction worked for him. He realised after a lot of questioning of himself and how he truly felt, that he's demisexual, demiromantic. Voss prefers to use aroace to describe himself generally but the sub-labels to better explain his experience as an aroace person.

🦄 Eldarion knew in their teens that things weren't the same for them as the others they grew up with in the Nomad clan they were born into. They couldn't relate to the meanings and things people associated with being a man or woman, it felt limiting to them and a bit silly to Eldarion that people seemed to have "rules" around gender. Eldarion knew from their reading that the singular use of they/them had been around for a long time and tried it out. It just fit and felt more like them and they knew they were non-binary.

With their sexuality, Eldarion knew around the same time about they discovered their gender and in a way the two are linked.

4. Is your oc's environment supportive about their identity? How does this impact them?

🦊 Voss; not really. His Mum hated it when he came out but kept the peace for the sake of her husband who always accepted Voss. She hated it especially when he got into a relationship with another male student at university and threw him out. Voss ended up being taken in Jackie and his mother. Later as being aroace, his friends still love and support him, what matters is that he's happy and comfortable with who he is.

🦄 Eldarion was the opposite in many regards. Their family were very supportive and even had a small celebration for them when they came out as non-binary. The most aggro they get is in their work, usually from patrons who quickly get thrown out! Some people still have hate for non-binary and trans people and while that's not very common, when Eldarion comes across them it's usually when they're drunk, angry or want to fight them.

8. Have they had struggles with their identity, be it due to internal or external reasons?

🦊 Voss definitely had over his aroaceness. When he was younger he didn't really understand why he felt differently from the others he went to school with. In his adult years he thought maybe if he had sex then he'd finally understand and for years he thought he did. Voss realised years later that it hadn't changed anything and that he experienced attraction differently and truly feels it when he has an emotional connection and bond with a person.

🦄 Eldarion sometimes does but usually because of other people who still think non-binary means you have to be androgynous looking. Eldarion certainly doesn't dress or style themselves in a masculine way all the time, but they don't always hide that they have body hair, stubble when it has grown a little, and don't change their voice to not be as deep as it is. Eldarion also didn't change their name as they love it. So to some people they're not a "real" non-binary person. Sometimes Eldarion did let this get to them but remembered that non-binary is who they are. They feel comfortable and happy.

12. Does/did your oc ever wish they could change the way they are? Why? If it's in the past, how did they get over the feeling? (this can be about internalized homo/transphobia)

🦊 Voss wished he hadn't felt pressure to fit in and came to realise he is aroace much sooner but he feels that the past wasn't bad, it was just a part of his self-discovery and feeling more secure in himself.

🦄 Eldarion doesn't feel there's anything they would want to change. They're happy to have found theirself when they were younger and had such support from their family. Without that they think they'd have probably been less secure in theirself and may even have felt really strong pressure to change.

[beauzos]

If you’re still doing the character ask game maybe Apollo or Athena???

Send me a character and I’ll list:

I will always accept more of these, I love talking KRKJF So thank you! I'll do both of them.

Apollo:

Favorite thing about them: I know it kind of applies to all the MCs, but he is sooo... cringefail. And I love that about him. Like idk he's just so sweaty and vaguely unwell all the time and I think it's charming that he's constantly convincing himself he's Totally Cool Totally Fine Just Absolutely Fine. I also like that he can't help but be kinda mean. Not that he is a mean character, just that he has the most shit-tier filter when it comes to talking to people. I love how often he says shit he shouldn't to people, it's funny as hell to me. I love him Least favorite thing about them: He's really boring until Spirit of Justice. At least to me personally. He's like cardboard in AJ, and I don't... care about his arc at all in DD lol. Spirit of Justice may have slapped another backstory onto this bitch, and while it's silly, I think it works the best because now at least we have SOME understanding of his background. And I like his dynamics with the Khura'in crew a lot. Favorite line: idk... I don't really pay mind to people's lines. But the bit in Turnabout for Tomorrow where he says he finally trusts Athena is fun. I also like that bit in 6-5: "If you committed a crime, you'd better be ready to do the time. Be you a priest, a saint, a queen or a god." That goes pretty hard. Like bro he fucking rules during Turnabout Revolution it's crazy, he's the star of that trial for sure. The star he should've been in this trilogy all along. brOTP: Him and Athena are iconic together. I like him and Trucy for sure, but Athena really brings out some great stuff in his personality. They are so damn funny together, and you really get the impression they care about each other a lot despite the constant teasing and the rivalry. OTP: I generally don't ship Apollo with anyone because I headcanon him as aroace, but if I was going to pick a ship, I like Justicykes, I admit. I think it could be a cute ship and they already have a terrific dynamic together. But yeah. nOTP: Since I already said Nahyuta/Apollo when I did Yuty's, I guess barring ships like him and Trucy which are a given for me, I don't really care for Klavier/Apollo because I feel they have no chemistry. Like. At all. Like for anything KRKJFN The writing between them in AA4 is so Nothing to me, so idk, I just don't see it. It's not a bad ship and I understand why people like it, but it didn't click with me-- but it probably also didn't click because I don't particularly like Klavier to begin with. I don't think he's very interesting. Random headcanon: Uhhh idk! Let's see... I do headcanon Apollo as a trans man, and since I also headcanon Yuty as trans, I guess like... I like the idea of them playing games as boys when they were kids because they don't have the language or knowledge to understand why neither of them are particularly happy with being viewed as girls, so it was a little secret thing that they encouraged for each other because it made them happy. They understood when no one else did. And then they reunite 15 years later, see the other has transitioned, and thinks, "That explains a lot" lol. Unpopular opinion: His SOJ backstory is stupid as fuck but I actually also think it's great and the best thing they've done with his backstory so far, especially since they have continued to not tell Apollo and Trucy that they're siblings (though yes, I know, the ending of SOJ implies Thalassa and Phoenix are finally going to tell them). It's the first time I had a good grasp on his background, and I think his dynamic with Dhurke, Nahyuta, and Datz is legit great. Song I associate with them: I don't think I've ever thought about it. Everything is Fine by Qbomb could be good for him, but it's also very intense, probably too much even for him. But I'll go with that. Favorite picture of them: I love his grin, it's adorable

Athena:

Favorite thing about them: Her personality!!! I love how bombastic she is, I love how much emotion they put into her animations and everything. I love how much she cares about people, she's so ride or die and hardworking even when people underestimate her or look down on her. It makes her a really endearing character. I worried if I'd like her when I first started DD, but she's honestly awesome. She's my favorite protag from the new trilogy, though Apollo is not very far behind. Least favorite thing about them: I wish she wasn't so young sometimes. Like I find it weird that the newer games veer so much towards people becoming lawyers fresh out of high school, and even for someone as smart as her, I'm just like... you can't make her 20 at least or something? And I feel like the only reason she's even 18 in DD is because the assistant characters have to be a teen girl. Like. Yknow lol.

I also thought it was kind of annoying how 6-4 kept pushing her being a kid when basically nobody ever talked to her like that before. It felt like they just needed more conflict so threw in suddenly everyone being like "she's just a little BABY GIRL who doesn't KNOW NOTHIN" and I thought it was a touch lame. But not too intrusive, really. At least someone started recognizing she's young as hell, lol. Favorite line: Everything she says is iconic. How am I supposed to pick. Yeah I honestly don't know lol brOTP: Her and Simon are legendary together. Their dynamic is so fuckin funny and endearing to me. It's one of the highlights of DD and the highlight of Turnabout Storyteller. I never knew her and Blackquill were connected before I played DD, albeit I basically never saw anything new trilogy content so it surprised me, but I love them. The siblings of all time OTP: Justicykes, I guess? idk. I don't really ship for her. I'm not even certain what my headcanons for her sexuality are to begin with. I could see her as a lesbian, but I could see her as pan, but I could see her as aro, so on. Her and Juniper is cute too, I just feel like their dynamic isn't fleshed out enough, but that's kinda par for the course in DD. But I can vibe with it. nOTP: Her and Blackquill romantically. Like sorry, but you have fundamentally misunderstood their dynamic. I feel strongly about that. I can't explain it, but it really feels like it misses the point of their dynamic and what makes the dynamic great, but idk. Also it's just Weird for a lot of reasons. Random headcanon: (guy who makes every character he likes trans voice) I Think She's Trans. Also love her being taller than Apollo, I'll go with that hc like the rest of us. Unpopular opinion: I dunno. I think she's a mixed bag to a lot of people because of how DD pivoted so aggressviely away from AA4's vision and direction, which makes it tough for me to determine what an unpopular opinion with her would be, beyond that, like, she really needs her own game. I'd say DD is her game, but we need one where she's in the driver's seat and leading the story on her own. I don't want to see Phoenix or Apollo helping her anymore I'm sick of it KRKF

No clue if that's unpopular though, lol. Song I associate with them: I got nothin', sorry. Favorite picture of them: I like her angy sprite, it's cute.

[stupidphototricks]

I've noticed that my headcanon for Good Omens seems to be more, I guess aroace* than most people's? I'm not at all against other interpretations, which of course are much more entertaining fanfiction-wise, but imo the canonical story makes more sense if Aziraphale and Crowley don't actually realize they're in love until the end of Season 2. Like if very early on both of them filed "love" (and physical expressions thereof) under Human Stuff That Doesn't Apply to Us, and didn't consider it again.

*Or, not even that. They just don't have any idea. Yet. There's the obvious parallel of how Aziraphale had no interest in food at all until he tried that first ox rib...

Here's how it goes in my head:

In 1941 when Aziraphale says "That's what... friends? are for," he's not debating between saying "friends" and something more than friends. He's not quite sure yet that they're friends at all, that it's okay to use that word.

In 1967, Aziraphale's "You go too fast for me, Crowley," isn't meant as a declaration of love. He means that he isn't comfortable with this level of, let's call it casual intimacy, with a demon. He can't justify spending time with Crowley without an agenda or reason. (He gets there, of course.)

In 2019, does Aziraphale stay at Crowley's apartment after the bookshop burned down? I think that he does but Crowley doesn't! I think they do the body swap on the bus, and then Crowley!Aziraphale (did I do that right? Aziraphale disguised as Crowley) stays at the apartment and Aziraphale!Crowley hangs out somewhere else so that Aziraphale will be more comfortable. It seems like, when they meet in the park the next day, that's the first time they're seeing each other that day.

Anyway, neither of them thinks that they love the other one, not in the sense that humans would use the word. They're friends. They just... like being around each other. They trust each other. They make excuses to be near each other. They can't imagine existing without each other. That's all. It can't be love, love is a human thing.

But then the exchange with Nina that ends with "Other people's love lives always seem so much simpler than our own" makes Crowley rethink things, take out everything that he feels about Aziraphale and examine it in this new light. And he's a bit stunned to find that it does pretty much look like what humans call love. (And then he goes and drinks a lot and yells at Jimbriel. Processing.)

So that's where Crowley is, in the Final Fifteen. He's been sitting with this new "love" concept for a day or so, not a lot of time but more than Aziraphale gets.

And their (yes, first) kiss results from Crowley desperately reasoning that if this human thing called love applies to them, then maybe kissing would work too? One fabulous kiss and we're good?

No surprise, honestly, that Aziraphale doesn't understand or accept it right away, he'll need more time to adjust to this new idea. Crowley definitely went too fast for him there, not that Crowley had a choice.

Am I hopelessly naive? Well I mean yes, but.

[truly-morgan]

[Platonic, raising a kid together, feat. aroace JC]

ChengYao | Mo Dao Zu Shi Modern AU 02-06-2021

[platonic #chengyao modern, family]

where aroace!JC decide to take care of jl when the couple and his parents die tragically in an accident. jgs seem rather satisfied in a way, he's getting too old to take care of an infant (a nanny would probably have done it), while mdm jin seems a bit unsure. "Will you be able to support jl?", "Are you eventually going to get married?", "You know, it would be good for jl (and you) not to bring him up alone", "You cannot stay alone forever, I can help you if you need it".

But eventually, she does accept to let jc keep jl with him. Conditions are rather simple: being able to see their grandchild at least once a month and making sure jl isn't missing anything important to his growth.

jc is also given money each month, but he feels a bit awkward using it for himself, so he uses it for everything related to jl needs (and puts some on the side so he can enter a good school without him needing to ask for the money).

but raising jl alone /is/ hard, especially with college, the still rather recent death of his family and while also missing wwx who had disappeared months ago without leaving many traces behind other than an apology for leaving. He's still worried his brother got into some serious problems.

jc is seriously weighing the pros and cons of leaving college to work full time when he receives the visit of someone. The red dot between his brows gives him a good idea of which family he is from (it's the same one he makes sure jl is also wearing) but his memory fails him to really remember who he is (his near-constant anxiety has been messing with his memory too). "Jin Guangyao" smiles the man, waiting patiently as jc's eyes roam his face, clearly searching in his memory.

Then it finally lands. jzx half-brother! He also vaguely remembers jgy being at the nie brother's house at the same time as he was to meet with nhs (he wonders slightly how nhs is doing, they haven't talked in a while). he quickly let the man in, offering him something to drink ("Hope the tea is to your taste" he says, knowing the jin's often prefer expensive teas rather than the cheap ones he can afford).

He's a bit anxious, sitting on his side of the table with jl in his arm, drinking his milk. Why did jgy suddenly want to meet at /his/ cheap apartment (most not be the greatest look on him, he /could/ afford better with the money the jin send him).

jgy is quick to somewhat reassure him, he simply wanted to meet his nephew too (jc wondered why he couldn't have done so when he was visiting jgs and mdm jin, but don't ask) they chat a bit, jgy trying to learn a bit about how jl is doing and how jc is managing everything. they talk until close to dinner, jc asking if he wants to stay for dinner (more out of courtesy than because he can afford to feed another grown man). With a smile, jgy (thankfully) declined, saying he doesn't want to bother him.

This visit leaves jc anxious. sure he had managed to convince jgs and mdm jin to let him take care of jl, but what if jgy now wanted to take jl in. sure, according to jgy own words, he was not as close to jzx and jc was with jyl, but he still had a good relationship with him and wanted to also be part of his brother's son life.

the thought fills jc with fear. jl is his /one and only/ family left, he doesn't know if he would be able to continue without this little ray of sunshine around. jc is not stupid, he's pretty sure jgy has more than enough money to take care of himself and a growing child. jc needs to rely on the money given to him to pay for what jl needs without starving himself to do so.

after that, jgy always messages him before coming, wanting to make sure he doesn't bother them. the man is always nice and patient with him, even though his nearly constant smiling face makes jc uncomfortable and anxious at times (sometimes it just looks a bit... off).

but everything seems alright, nothing shows him that jgy actually wants to take jl away from him. He never comments on the fact that jl always has the rather nice and good stuff, while jc is still wearing clothes he already had for years and eating cheap food.

though, he does show care for more than jl. "You look tired today, did you study all night? I can look over jl while you sleep a bit" (he did study all night and then worked all day), "Did you eat properly? You seem a bit thinner" (his hours were cut and he had to reduce grocery for himself), "Finals are coming right? Do you need some help to study? I know how hard it can get" (finals are coming too quickly).

It takes time, but eventually, jc gets used to jgy being over and helping around a bit. He gets to learn a bit more about jgy (He was raised poor, hence why he seems to know so well what jc is going through and doesn't judge and help around instead).

two years go by rather quickly like this, leading to jc graduating and looking for a stable job (maybe he'll finally be able to have a stable salary and a better place, he already move to somewhere more decent, but it's still not the best).

by that time, jgy is already part of the routine he has, but also the top person on the list of people to contact if he ever needs help. He's also the only jin he actually feels comfortable being more himself around, since he already understood jgy wasn't there to find fault.

"mdm jin wonders if you have had someone in your heart recently" points out jgy one time as they have dinner at his place, jl sleeping near them.

The question immediately makes jc tense, which makes jgy smile fall a bit (jc pointed out he doesn't always need to force a smile on his face when he's with him).

jgy quickly wonder if he asked something too personal, as he tried asking simply because the rare times he does meet with mdm jin, she would ask about it ("You seem close to jc, aren't you? Did he finally started dating?")

He had wondered a bit too, since he had never seen jc with anyone else before. But there was also never a trace of anyone else at the young man's house, apart from his own frequent visit. With how much jc was working and studying, it felt like he never would have had the time for dating.

"You don't need to-"

"Will she take away a-ling if I don't find someone?" asked jc, sounding a weird mix of tired, scared and anxious. The man looked as though needing to date someone would be an annoying task, rather than something pleasant.

"No?" he says, more as a question since he wonders where jc took this, "I think she just worries that you cut yourself from meeting people so you can take care of a-ling" he replies.

jc doesn't seem convinced. mdm jin had many times brought back the subject, and it had also included how it would probably be better if jl had two parents.

"And what if I don't want to date? What if I /never/ wanted to date?" jc asks, sounding a bit angrier at that, because it was not the first time someone was trying to force something on him. Was it really /that/ weird that he had never wanted to date anyone? That he had never fallen in love before? Many were raised with only one parent without a problem, was it so bad for him to do it like this too?

jgy seemed a bit taken aback, as he had not expected this reaction from jc. the younger man quickly realised he had vented his anger on the wrong person, he could see jgy wasn't meaning anything bad.+

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to vent on you, I am just... tired of being asked all the time" he quickly apologised, looking at his tea instead of jgy.

jgy soft smile quickly came back, trying to sound reassuring "It is alright not to want to date, I personally just wanted to make sure you weren't privating yourself if you wanted one".

He was rather happy when he saw tension leaving his shoulders, his face a bit more relaxed too. a more comfortable silence settled down, the both of them slowly sipping the tea. yet, jgy couldn't stop thinking about the way he had said it.

"You never wanted to date?" he asked. he didn't push when jc didn't immediately answer, before shaking his head. "No... is it that weird? I just... never felt like that for anyone" he finally confessed.

jgy was the second person he ever told. He sure hoped he would be as understanding as wwx (though maybe not as confused as the teen had been, it had been quite the night, trying to explain his lack of attraction, but in the end, wwx understood and accepted it).

"Not weird, I think one of my friends is similar to you" admitted jgy, clearly thinking about it. "he did try dating, but he said he doesn't feel anything for his partner so he broke up and never did it again".

jc was a bit curious about who it was, wondering if talking to him would make him encounter someone who /understands/ him really. "Do you want to date?" jc ended up asking after a while. He had also noticed the lack of anyone else living here (other than the occasional visit from his best friends he seemed to have).

"I think I've had enough the last time, I'll probably wait a bit before doing it again, didn't end very well, to be honest".

The rest of the night went with jc talking about how he feels about all this, while jgy ended up telling some story of his rather not-so-good dating life. They came out of this night a bit closer, knowing that the other wouldn't judge on anything, even this.

As time went by they only grew closer. Even if jc didn't have a wife, jl ended up growing up with two parental figures around him, as jgy was often around.

at some point, jc ended up simply moving in with jgy, as it was easier than always doing the travelling between their houses. It was also easier to take care of jl, as they wouldn't need to drop him all the time. Everything and everyone was in the same house now, much easier.

mdm jin did seem a bit curious, but seeing how both men were seriously taking care of jl without a problem she never commented on it (she still believed maybe one day they would marry someone). at some point (when jl was entering his late childhood), jc did wonder if jgy wanted to date "I wouldn't want to be in the way".

but jgy had admitted this was enough for him. He had something he could call a family (even if a bit unusual) and didn't feel the need for romance. (though he did promise to tell him if he ever felt the want to).

jc was indeed happy himself like this. It was really nice to have someone else he could call family in a way.

===

(I had a sudden want for platonic chengyao taking care of jl, but also aroace!JC finding someone who accepts and understands him)

Original