#i feel like it would make a ton of sense if she was aromantic | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

acilykos · 2 years

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Senku Ishigami is Aromantic and Asexual and here is why:

Because I'm sick and tired of Senku ships (yes, the queer platonic ones too because he's a loveless AroAce, and the x reader. Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble) and because AroAces deserve good representation where we’re not labled as heartless or boring (because Senku has a heart and is kind, as much as he likes to give snide remarks at times, and is an AMAZING character), I have gathered every instance where Senku shows clear disinterest (and distaste) in romance and sexuality to prove once and for all that he has been 10 billion percent Aromantic and Asexual since day ONE.

I will talk about his responses to romance and physical touch as well as look at his "romantic relationships" throughout the manga (We’re talking about the entire work, so spoilers ahead!!)

I've cited the chapters, as well as have included the panels to which I'm referring in this post so you all can look at the proof yourselves and added the various links too.

Also Happy Pride Month everyone, it’s finally the Aces' Day of it, so it felt right to make the post today!

Now then, get excited!!

On his Sexuality:

Unlike Taiju, Senku seems to averse the idea of romance, already seen in Chapter 1, as he mocks Taiju's interest in, but refusal to act on five year long crush on, Yuzuriha, even having created a "love potion" that actually was petrol and offering it to Taiju. His expression when Yuzuriha was revived in the same dramatic sense as would be in a cliché romance, points to Senkū being very nonplussed by the show of romantic acts as well (Chapter 5).

Senku seemed equally unamused when Tsukasa stated his admiration towards him “Senku, you are… an incredible man.” (Chapter 4), replying to Tsukasa “A man who’d praise another man to his face… is either flirting or scheming. What’re you really trying to say?” (Chapter 4), clearly showing that both the flirting and the scheming are equally unwelcome.

He also mocks Hyoga‘s mannerism during their battle, saying he behaved as if this was some sort of „awkward“ love confession and that he is not interested even if he is „divorced“ (Chapter 80).

Senku claims romance and love to only cause problems due to its highly illogical nature, „A brain clouded by love is the most irrational kind. It leads to nothing but trouble.“, as he explains to Kohaku (Chapter 17) because he mistook her interest in him as romantic. Even saying „Annoying crap like that makes me wanna curl up and die.“.

He instantly dismissed the idea of getting Garnet, Sapphire and Ruby any boyfriends, saying “Not a chance we’ll make one of those with science!!” (Chapter 22) with a very shocked and appalled face.

When it comes to inquiring about his type, he doesn’t give any actual answers, like when Ruby, one of the prettiest girls in the Ishigami Village, asked what his type of girl is and Senku replied, without even paying any attention to her “Girls who can pump tons of oxygen into an iron forge.” (Chapter 23), a blunt answer as Kohaku calls him out on using Ruby’s ‘interest’ for his personal gain with no sincerity or care for Ruby herself.

He also responses to Nikki’s exclamation of possibly falling in love with him with clear repulsion, kindly asking her not to do that and to “nip that bud” (Chapter 66) as he does not want people to have romantic feelings towards himself. As seen with Kohaku and Nikki, he is not afraid of telling people openly that their romantic feelings are not welcomed when directed at himself, trying to kill any aroused feelings towards him as soon as possible.

He also stays unaffected by Amaryllis love confession as she tried to fool them, looking absolutely baffled and repulsed by this advance and act (Chapter 105). Senku cuts Amaryllis off, saying “I’m the one for you? Blah, blah, whatever. Where’s the treasure?” (Chapter 105), showing not even a millimetre of interest in her and being his practical self in search of the Soyuz capsule. Kohaku add to it, saying that Amaryllis has finally “Met her match” (Chapter 105), which shocks Amaryllis, making her exclaim “Resisting my irresistible charms? Is that even possible?” (Chapter 105) as everyone else, including Soyuz and Gen found her very appealing. Gen even claimed that “Dear Senku is immune to those acts” (Chapter 105) before proceeding to flirt with Amaryllis himself. As we later see as well, Amaryllis starts to understand that Senku is uninterested in romance, able to tell from Kohaku hugging him, which Senku does not reciprocate, that he has no romantic interest in others as she says that it’s “not that kind of hug” (Chapter 138).

Senku is apathetic and repulsed to any advances made towards him, as is also later seen with Luna. Every relationship he has had was only due to circumstantial needs and always with a face of pure confusion and / or a certain amount of distaste, like his accidental marriage to Ruri, after Chrome fell unconscious and couldn't fight and he in his stead won their staged battle for the village chief's position, and whom he divorced seconds later, only wanting to take the alcohol of the village to finish the sulfa drug for Ruri (Chapter 39 - 40).

Later on, after he was shot by Stanley, and as an effort to save his comrades as well as his own life, he agrees to Luna's proposal to become her boyfriend, claiming it to be "Sorta like a political marriage!" (Chapter 178), again showing no actual romantic interest in her, which is supported time and time again by characters claiming "that you people don't know Senku at all" if they think his interest in a person is of romantic nature (examples: Chapter 51, Chapter 178).

Chelsea even claims that "Doesn't sound like you're an item to me." (Chapter 178) with Kohaku agreeing that she assumed as much as Senku isn't romantically attracted to anyone. Another example for it is when he wanted to gather information on Homura, who was spying on them, and Ginro thought Senku meant it in a romantic or sexual way, to which Chrome and Kohaku both replied that "No, pretty sure that's not the case. You people don't know Senku at all." (Chapter 51).

When he was a young child and wondered why the moon was following him, Byakuya jokingly insistent on the moon loving him "Having a thing for him" (Chapter 42), to which Senku replied in disgust, claiming that he was "doing serious science" in the Anime and "Huh? Enough bedtime stories. Gimme cold, hard science facts." in the manga with a displeased expression (Chapter 42).

When Luna expressed doubts about her dating Senku, since later was gone working against Xeno, she said "I mean you're not about to tell me... That Senku ten billion percent doesn't give a crap about dating... and would say whatever I want to hear... Just to accomplish his goals, right...? Because obviously nobody'd ever be that outta line... Right?" to which every character present made clear that he does those things, with Kinro adding that "Actually, in order to further his goals, he even went as far as getting married." with Luna expressing shock that he is married, to which Kinro clarified that "Well, then he ended it..." to which she again expressed shock (Chapter 163).

He despises and is disgusted by physical contact, escaping any hugs (Chapter 74) and even threatening Taiju for hugging him buck-naked (Chapter 1). He also shows disgust at Amaryllis act to charm him as she hugs him tightly and expresses her “love” towards him (Chapter 105). Another show of absolute disgust from physical contact being when Kohaku kissed his cheek in an effort to fool Kirisame from discovering that they're intruders and enemies (Chapter 107).

Another strong instance is the amount of disgust he expressed at the thought of having had to cuddle with Magma to prevent hypothermia (Chapter 56), calling it the "Worst-case scenario" and even putting emphasis on it being the worst-case.

At best, Senku exhibits little to no reaction about naked bodies, being very neutral about the fact and rationalising that in an emergency like that, it doesn’t matter whether or not one is naked, making no comments about appearances or the like. The complete opposite of Taiju, who became very worried for Yuzuriha’s comfort, not wanting her to be naked at revival (Chapter 3). He’s equally unimpressed with Ryusui at his revival and the confidence he showed, being more bewildered at Ryusui’s sudden comment about his naked state being “tacky” in front of three beauties (Chapter 85).

There are only a few rare times where he actually allows physical contact, most of them being little touches or even hugs after hard-fought battles or difficult tasks (not counting in the high fives and handshakes since they're not as "intimate" and Senku clearly has no problem with them), such as allowing Kohaku to hug him after defeating Ibara on Treasure Island (Chapter 138), noticeably not hugging her back. Amaryllis in that instance explains how the hug they shared is not of romantic love, saying "No, it isn’t like that. It’s not that kind of hug.“ when Gen claimed that Kirisame still thinks they're a couple when they absolutely aren't.

Another time being that he allows Suika, after seven years of her trying to break the second world-wide petrification event, to hug him (Chapter 196, start of Chapter 197), as well as Taiju and Chrome, after they seized victory and regained control of the Miracle Cave (Chapter 75). Here Inagaki himself confirmed that Senku is not the type of person to be considerate of others feelings, so he doesn't hug back. Even in the special chapter Senkū doesn't hug Kohaku back while lost on sea and doesn't even blush, despite the circumstances, which Kohaku calls out (Chapter 232.5).

When during the Communications Arc they catch Homura, to avoid her informing the Tsukasa Empire of Senku's recreation of telephones, Senku pinned her to the ground, to which Homura told him to be careful where he touches with Senku replying "That won't work on me, so drop the act." (Chapter 62), having her show a defeated face that Senku exhibited no reaction in being in such a compromising position. He also implies that he is not one of the men Homura can flirt with even after civilisation is up again (but considering her own affections towards Hyoga, she also wouldn’t try) "After our scientific civilization is up and running, there'll be plenty of impressionable young boys for you to flirt with.".

Senku, unlike other characters, has never been stated to be or have been in any romantic entanglement before the petrification event either in the Q&As (Big example in Volume 22 or 23 as seen in this translation from Reddit, the link is at the end of the post), as well as the relationship chart from Chapter 179, where love interests are shown, but Senkū himself has none because he’s not attracted to anyone romantically.

Even with the fanbook, the types of people each character enjoy are general statements, not indicative of romantic/sexual attraction considering that most characters talk about and say "people" in general. Senkū's for example are "people who do what needs to be done", which is reflected by the people he's surrounded by, as he says he likes those who quickly catch onto the situation, for example Ryūsui and Stanley, who get a verbal shout-out (Chapter 85, Chapter 221) since Senkū values intelligence.

He has yet to refer to himself as being in a relationship with anyone too and by the end of the manga, Senku stays single with his sole focus still being science, confirmed by Luna still trying to win Senku over, showing she hasn’t had any success in the past years since they first met (Chapter 232).

Senku's sole interest has been in science and science alone. Rather he exploits the romantic entanglements of others for himself, like getting Chrome on his site to make his Kingdom of Science grow using Chrome's attraction to Ruri (Chapter 21). The only two instances of him being in a relationship have been purely accidental and / or of strategic nature to reach a goal.

As seen in the Spin-off Chapters which notably take another few years after the series’ main storyline conclusion, Senku is still not in any sort of relationship. When Chelsea asks after Ruri and Chrome’s wedding whether Senku has any “romantic prospects” himself, to which he looks clearly confused and irritated going “Huh?” (Spin-off, Chapter 1, also see panel above). Moreover, he straight up says himself that “You oughta know I ain’t got the time for all that.” (Spin-off, Chapter 1) when Kohaku suggests she wouldn’t mind (which also doesn’t sound like she’s romantically interested either, and regards it more like another duty to fulfill). Afterwards any sort of romantic discussion for Senku is promptly shut down and never brought up again as the series reaches its final conclusion. Senku also agrees to Whyman’s statement that the “Heart and Emotions are just sophisticated programming to persevere social groups”, saying “Yep. No lies detected.” (Spin-off, Chapter 3), which mirrors exactly what he also told Kohaku when they first met in Chapter 17. It shows that to Senku STILL after over 10 years, these type of emotions are not something he regards with any positivity nor interest on his part.

On Ruri:

Never mind that Ruri herself isn’t interested in Senku, their accidental marriage due to Chrome fainting before he and Senku could finish their staged fight for the position of village chief and Ruri's husband was solely completed on Senku's part to get his hands on the resources necessary for the completion of the sulfa drug to save Ruri's life, claiming “Aaargh… This just got a whole lot more annoying“. He divorced her barely a few seconds in, as he wasn't allowed to leave the village due to his "marriage celebration" to which he instantly uttered "Then I demand a divorce" (Chapter 40) before taking off with Kaseki, Kohaku and the alcohol to complete the drug. Ever since their divorce has been referenced as pure comedic effect, even from Senku when he ridiculed Hyoga during their fight saying "What is this, an awkward confession of love at school? Hate to break it to you, but I'm married. Well, divorced... But still." (Chapter 80) as the other wanted to Senku to join forces with him. Kinro confirmed later on that the marriage was only "to reach his goals" (Chapter 163).

On Luna:

Their relationship is very one-sided on Luna's part, as Senku does not refer to Luna as his relationship partner, nor exhibits any interest in her that goes beyond her usefulness, as the only one with surgical and medical knowledge and skills, and as an ally. When Luna expressed her doubts about their arrangement saying "I mean you're not about to tell me... That Senku ten billion percent doesn't give a crap about dating... and would say whatever I want to hear... Just to accomplish his goals, right...? Because obviously nobody'd ever be that outta line... Right?" with everyone in her vicinity making clear that he did and that it's not his first time, as he got married to Ruri to "Further his goals'' as Kinro explains to Luna (Chapter 163). Senku calls their arrangement to be like a "political marriage" (Chapter 178), again clearly showing that there are no romantic or sexual feelings on his part towards her. Chelsea, as well as other characters, have noted that they aren't or don't seem like being in a relationship (Chapter 178) and Kohaku agreeing with her, claiming "This is Senku we're talking about, so I assumed as much" (Chapter 178), the only one claiming it to be one being Luna herself who is a very idealistic romantic herself, blind towards Senku's disinterest in romance and sexuality.

Senku has shown multiple times throughout the entire work his disinterest and open distaste towards both romantic and sexual advances, actively saying that love creates problems and is illogical next to stating that crushes and love is "Annoying crap" and makes him want to "curl up and die" (Chapter 17), next to openly telling Homura that her flirting and attempt to embarrass him on an intimate level "does not work on me" (Chapter 62) He has equally as often shown time and time again that he despises any kind of physical contact, referring to it twice as "worst-case scenario" (Chapter 56) even if it could save his life. Also evading every sort of attempted hug and showing displeasure at even a fake kiss on the cheek in a situation where he was forced to pretend being in a relationship (Chapter 107). Just like Ryusui has been only through the work itself confirmed as interested in both women and men, Senku has been confirmed to be aromantic and asexual through his open distaste towards romance and sexuality which is also called out in his own wikia.

Senku's "romantic" relationships have been purely for strategic purposes, mostly to literally save a or his own life.

Senku's sole interest lies in science and his self-proclaimed job and goal to save all of humanity, exhibiting zero interest in romance, sex or any sort of the like. He's a loveless AroAce. However, he can and does form strong friendships, caring for the people in his life in his own special kind of way.

Quotes:

"DON'T DARE HUG ME ALL NAKED LIKE THAT! I'LL KILL YOU!" - Senku to Taiju as later tries to hug him at their reunion after 3700 years, Chapter 1

“Wait! Senku!” “?!” “Yuzuriha… is naked!! We can’t revive her like this!” “Really, more irrational nonsense outta you? Who caaaares about crap like that? We live in a brutal stone world now!! Nobody’s gonna mind seeing a bare butt or someone’s junk swinging around!” - Senkū being completely unimpressed and neutral about naked bodies in the stone world emergency situation, Chapter 3

“Senku, you are… an incredible man.” […] “A man who’d praise another man to his face… is either flirting or scheming. What’re you really trying to say?” - Senku reacting negatively towards Tsukasa’s admiration towards him, Chapter 4

"Sheesh... Annoying crap like that makes me want to curl up and die. I mean really? You've got a crush on me now? In an Emergency like this...? [...] A brain clouded by love is the most irrational kind. It leads to nothing but trouble." - Senku to Kohaku, after she expresses that she likes him, Chapter 17

''Then I demand a divorce!'' - Senku, trying to escape with the liquor for the sulfa drug, Chapter 40

"Huh? Enough with the bedtime stories. Gimme cold, hard science." - Senku in response to Byakuya telling him that the moon must have a thing for him, Chapter 42

"No, pretty sure that's not the case. You people don't know Senku at all." - Chrome and Kohaku in response to Ginro thinking Senku is interested in Homura romantically or sexually, Chapter 51

"We avoided the ''worst-case scenario''! [...] Wrong! I would've kept freezing... And then the worst-case scenario would've been... Hugging Magma tight to conserve body heat..." - Senku explaining to Chrome and Magma his worst-case scenario, Chapter 56

''Heh, heh, heh... That won't work on me, so drop the act. After our scientific civilization is up and running, there'll be plenty of impressionable young boys for you to flirt with." - Senku in response to Homura trying to get him to let her go, Chapter 62

“Hee hee… I could see myself falling for you.” “Let’s nip that in the bud, ‘kay?” Senku’s response to Nikki’s declaration of possibly falling in love with him, Chapter 66

''I wanted… To speak with you, Senku. Just the two of us!'' ''What is this, an awkward confession of love at school? Hate to break it to you, but I’m married. Well, divorced… But still.“ - Senku mocking Hyoga as Hyoga wanted to get Senku on his side, Chapter 80

“I’m the one for you? Blah, blah, whatever. Where’s the treasure?” “She’s met her match” “Resisting my irresistible charms? Is that even possible?” “Until civilisation is back up and running, I’m afraid dear Senku is immune to those acts” - Senku, Kohaku, Amaryllis and Gen as Amaryllis was shocked to find out that Senku is immune against her charms, Chapter 105

"I mean you're not about to tell me... That Senku ten billion percent doesn't give a crap about dating... and would say whatever I want to hear... Just to accomplish his goals, right...? Because obviously nobody'd ever be that outta line... Right?" - Luna, as he expresses her doubts about her relationship with Senku, Chapter 163

"Actually, in order to further his goals, he even went as far as getting married." "HE'S ALREADY HITCHED?!" "Well, then he ended it..." "HE'S A DIVORCÉ?!" - Kinro confirming to Luna that Senku indeed tricked her, Chapter 163

''Sorta like a political marriage!" - Senku to Luna's proposal that she'll save him if he becomes her boyfriend, Chapter 178

"Doesn't sound like you're an item to me." - Chelsea, as Luna explains how she started "dating" Senku, Chapter 178

"This is Senku we're talking about, so I assumed as much." - Kohaku agreeing with Chelsea that Luna and Senku aren't dating, Chapter 178

“Heh heh heh… You oughta know I ain’t got the time for all that.” - Senku in response to Kohaku’s suggestion, Spin-off, Chapter 1

Citations:

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-1/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-3/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-4/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-5/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-17/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-21/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-22/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-23/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-39/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-40/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-42/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-51/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-56/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-62/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-66/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-74/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-75/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-80/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-85/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-105/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-107/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-138/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-163/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-178/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-179/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-196-scientist-all-alone/

https://dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-197-a-stony-eden-and-its-forbidden-fruit/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-221/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-manga-chapter-232/

https://w1.dr-stone-online.com/manga/dr-stone-manga-chapter-232-5/

https://dr-stone.fandom.com/wiki/Senku_Ishigami

https://www.reddit.com/r/DrStone/comments/qjnpe0/dr_stone_vol_22_23_extras_translated/

https://stone-dr.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-232f/

https://stone-dr.com/manga/dr-stone-chapter-232h/

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ocpdzim · 7 years

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i’ve still got plenty to complain about but it’s got to the point where a lot of it i cant get to sound right and a lot of it’s just Bad and thats it

#this probably hardly makes sense anyway. oh well #i rejected Romantic Advances a while ago because i Do Not Want A Relationship but i feel guilty about it #bc like. first of all. this person doesnt know im aromantic. im afraid they might think i just dislike them specifically instead of like.#not wanting a relationship at all.#second of all. man. my host's super upset over this bc she apparently Did want to date them #and she's here so rarely nowadays that i know *I* would end up having to deal w this relationship on her behalf were it to exist #which would be tantamount to setting my mental health on fire and throwing it off the top of a skyscraper.#so of course i do not want to do it #but she's been in such a foul mood ever since i rejected her apparent crush that she's been bringing my mood down something awful anyway #and on top of THAT i've got my own Holiday Issues (as in: the festivities are nice but i feel like i fundamentally DO NOT BELONG AT THEM and #end up dissociating a shit ton every time i go anywhere near one)#like tonight we went to some sorta christmas thing at a church w music and i felt like at any moment somebody there was gonna notice that i #Do Not Belong at that kinda thing and kick me out or berate me in front of everyone or something and nothing was real #and i felt empty and guilty and scared and everyone else was having a great time.#and i nearly walked into traffic afterwards bc i couldnt process anything and i didnt understand where i was or what i was doing #and ive been trying to distract myself but man. i still feel the Christmas Emptiness And Confusion #it'd be nice if i could experience and do and feel things like a real human being does #but i'm not one and i can't i guess.#i feel like i'm gonna be sick.#negative -#fire -#dissociation -#unreality ?#swearing -

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anxiouslyfred · 2 years

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Arguing with Characters

For @aro-sides-week Free Day

Summary: Roman is writing a story and struggling with a character who’s identity he doesn’t believe he can write properly. Perhaps through going with it he’ll learn something about himself on the way

Warnings: a few sex mentions

/\/\

Roman was writing but the characters weren't behaving. Well, really they were behaving too well and becoming too fully formed for where he thought his skill was at.

One character in particular was trying to turn every scene to making her have an identity that he really doubted being able to accurately portray. Asexual, probably Aromantic as well, and truthfully he barely knew anything about the identities. How could people tell when they didn't feel something other than in situations where they're being pressured to feel it? Do scenes like that have to be included?

Actually Roman's biggest argument with the character now insisting she was ace was that it contradicted scenes he remembered writing and without going back to read a few thousand words of his own writing and probably putting himself off the entire story he couldn't know how easily they could be changed. That wasn't reasoning that was working against the characters in his head and he'd known it wouldn't from the start.

“You're glaring at your laptop again. Is someone writing a fanfiction that offends you? Can I write a worse one?” Remus commented, wandering past and shoving Roman lightly, but enough he clung to his laptop to avoid dropping it.

“I'm arguing with a character. Do we know anyone Ace or Aro? Can I change Amanda to make her so without destroying the story I've written so far?” He grumbled, looking over to his brother who at the first question clicked and pointed to himself.

Remus just grinned, “I'm ace so that's a start and sure you can. The scenes that would contradict her being either make little sense with how she'd really be feeling anyway. If you swap it from getting embarrassed over a crush to upset over her identity being ignored the argument stays but doesn't cause issues with her family right after moving out.”

“Since when are you ace? Weren't you thirsting over, goodness, who was it last week? That emo kid?” Roman side-eyed him for a moment before looking back at the screen. “And are there videos or do you mind getting interrogated so I can know enough not to write Amanda completely cluelessly?”

Remus waved a hand, pulling things out of the cabinets behind Roman and licking random packaging. “Since ages. I just think sex is juicy to talk about, not actually doing anything, that's dull. Talking to me ain't gonna help you write a traumatised kid who is as likely aroace through trauma as she is to naturally be that way. Ecosia it so the great googlepire can't control the results.”

That day Roman nodded and returned to just writing what was in his head, minus a few arguments over if how Amanda should act. He could trust his character for now at least.

/\/\

“So you've started treating your characters as people. Will I get yelled at for saying I think Greg and Harrison used to have tons of kinky sex but broke up when Harry tried to make the role play full time?” Remus was lounging on Roman's bed when he got in one afternoon, flicking through the notebook that held his novel project.

Roman just rolled his eyes, going to snatch the book back. “No, they're meant to be exes and I don't care what you headcanon for their past.” He sighed, flicking to the next blank page to carry on writing something since the book was out.

“Well it's obvious Greg is going for exhibitionism with Luke so he's gotta be kinky already.” Remus coaxed, only to get a pillow thrown at him. “Just saying what I'm seeing.”

“You're seeing wrong and those guys aren't even getting together. Now hush. Amanda needs to actually get an apology already.” Roman focused up on what he'd been writing recently, scanning the last page.

Remus cackled, pushing the pillow under himself. “From hating to write the girl to constantly having her involved in everything is quite the turn around, Rospeare. You projecting over there?”

“Course not! She's just the most interesting person to describe.” he protested, but paused, glancing to the page. “Cause I am just writing about people, aren't I? Not some label or minority but people whomever the world sees them as.”

For some reason the words sent Remus into triumphant cackles. “He finally realises it! People are people are people, fictional, acted or real, people are people.”

He'd heard the word people so many times it had lost all meaning so decided to ignore his brother and just write for a while. Besides Amanda was re-framing his own memories and how he'd thought about crushes before now and it was becoming fascinating to write about, even just when she was spending time with her siblings, thankfully less unpredictable than his own.

/\/\

Editing was a surprise to Roman. He'd never finished writing a story that he was sure had a reasonable plot of such length and he'd been excited to start typing it up.

Now he was just disturbed, reading over the next scenes he had to write up and edit, just wishing he could tear the pages up and completely rewrite them. Loosing any of his writing was loathsome so he settled for just ignoring the pages.

How could he have ever believed that Amanda would have a crush, let alone one on someone barely mentioned at all? It boggled his mind before he remembered the time he'd had a mental battle before accepting that his character was aroace. Roman almost wondered if part of his fight against letting himself write that was to avoid the self-reflection Amanda had brought with her.

After all, now he saw himself in Amanda more than any other character that had turned up in the story, including the actors that were friends with a few of his main characters.

“Me and Amanda match.” He murmured to himself, deciding to just note that there would be an argument between the main group during this scene in the plot he'd been compiling. He could sketch for a while instead, and perhaps see what his characters might actually look like.

“Yeah, I love your little blue dress number. Pretty sure I was meant to be the one to make it though.” Remus agreed, suddenly leaning through his door. “Or wasn't that what you meant about matching?”

Roman rolled his eyes, “No, I meant we're both aro. The ace part is yet to be decided but I doubt I'm aroace.”

“Fun. You're stealing my colour and refusing to look even a little remorseful of it. Pick something with a red flag instead.” Remus teased, throwing some fabric up so it fell draped over him.

For a moment all Roman could see was green and grey as he floundered in confusion at the sudden covering, before reaching to tug it off. “Favourite colours are not the way we chose our identities Remus!” He protested before realising the fabric in his hands was an aro flag, put together by various fabrics he'd been saving for unknown projects. “You? How did you figure this out before me?” He blinked after a moment, only to realise his brother had vanished again.

Looking to the sketch of a face that clearly screamed itself to be Amanda, Roman smiled. “Yeah, we match and I think I love you for making me realise that.”

#arosidesweek2022 #aro Roman #ace Remus #creativitwins #roman sanders #remus sanders #writer Roman #supportive Remus #writer struggles #cw sex mentions

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the-shark-well · 2 years

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at this point, showing my face in these parts is a given seeing how much i like your hcs

-pulls up shades-

anyway, how 'bout lucas and mabel?

GRABS YOU ANON !! HI IM SO GLAD U LIKE M HEADCANONS <3 <3

---

Lucas !! the boy . the fella .

- non-binary boy (he/they)

- gay , grey-sexual

- 15 years old , 5'7

- He stims a lot !! he also has a tendency to infodump to whoever would listen .. unfortunately Mabel n Lucy would always shut him down one way or another when he got too rambly abt a topic , causing him to clam up more often than not .

- Jake listens to him , though !! Lucas is hyperfixated on bug loomians and has probably caught or at least observed every one of them in some form . his loomipedia is nearly complete in the bug category KSJAKS

- Lucas has a ton of trouble sleeping . He needs a daydream in order to fall asleep comfortably , so on the nights where his brain can't settle on anything he ends up on his phone until like 3 am .

- He loves giving hugs and highfives n just generally being a sorta cheerleader for his friends

---

Mabel . my unfortunate beloved /lh

- genderfluid egg(doesn't realize it til later after allowing herself to comfortably explore her identity and herself as a person) (she/they/loom*/it/he) [*loom/loomianself]

- aromantic asexual (also doesn't realize it until later)

- 15 years old (the youngest , though) , 5'2

- Has absolutely no filter in the worst way possible . used to claim that they're just "brutally honest" when in actuality they were just kind of a douchebag

- only knew how to express loomianself by lashing out and being strong because thats what looms mother taught loom to do . A lot of Mabel's behavior was shaped by her mother , either on purpose or accidentally . Even though she doesn't like her mom .

- Mabel has trouble seeing the bigger picture beyond herself sometimes , leading her to mistreat her friends unintentionally . Jake later knocks some sense into her about how upsetting it is , which gets her to step back and really analyze herself .

- despite everything , she did always see Lucas n Lucy as her best friends . Mabel makes amends with both of them for treating them like minions more than pals .

- Cannot separate aesthetic attraction from romantic . he "caught feelings for Jake" before realizing he was genderfluid(and aroace) , and upon later reflection , Mabel realizes he was just gender envious of him KSNKAD

- despite their sour attitude , Mabel is genuinely dependable and will defend their friends if the time calls for it .

- After making amends w Lucas n Lucy and moving on to be a better person w the group , Mabel allows herself to be verbally affectionate w her friends to make up for lost time . stuff like "I love you guys" said before they split up , stuff like that .

#loomian legacy #mabel loomian legacy #lucas loomian legacy #loomian legacy headcanons #rival lucas #rival mabel #shark asks #headcanons #Im making this just before school so if tberes any errors pls forgive m

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meangirlsx · 4 years

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I figured out that I was asexual before I figured out I was biromantic. It was really hard for me to address, to find the label that felt most accurate and authentic to me, and to adjust to a new perspective of myself.

I hadn’t truly changed in any way. I’d just finally found a word that made so many things in my life make sense, but I was nervous and scared as I processed what that might mean for me and how I could start to interact with the LGBTQIA+ community in a new way. I’ve never been very comfortable with change, but I was also excited to realize I was part of this community I’d always felt so attached and connected to.

Of course, the second I found the asexual community online, I also found tons of debates over whether or not asexual people are actually part of the LGBTQIA+ community. I knew immediately that asexuality is a part of the community, but it still hurt, and I internalized it just the same.

I spiraled, thinking I wasn’t good enough for this community that I thought was meant to bring comfort, peace, support, and love to its people. I sought out posts and people who were inclusive, but I still felt lost in this place I’d only just started to feel found in.

I didn’t feel like a genuine part of the community until I learned a friend of mine in real life was also asexual. We could share our experiences and be our own little community like I’d been wanting since I first realized I was ace.

That gave me the strength to talk to a few other friends who were also in the LGBTQIA+ community. My friend who was trans was especially welcoming and supportive. Then I mentioned it to a friend outside of the community, and he was so quick to say that not only was I not part of the community, I was also just confused and had no way of knowing I was asexual until I actually tried to have sex.

I turned to my trans friend again, and she was furious. She told me how absolutely untrue that was and how glad she was to be part of this community with me. I know my other friend was wrong, but his words have stayed with me for years and they always will. So will every post I read when I first learned I was asexual that tried to tell me how unwelcome, shameful, and wrong I was.

When I realized I was also biromantic, I was thrilled to connect with that part of the community, too. Now, as someone who has identified as biromantic and asexual for a few years, I can’t imagine ever feeling or believing that someone who is asexual and/or aromantic shouldn’t be part of the community. I especially can’t imagine forcing those views on someone just getting introduced to the community.

I wouldn’t say my experience figuring out who I am was even a particularly hard one in comparison to all the possibilities and realities of others. And I still wouldn’t wish any part of it on anyone.

No one deserves to be treated as unwelcome and unsupported, especially by the very people who have been through their own similar struggles and are supposed to be there to welcome you into this new home. No one deserves to feel cast out of and hated by the place that is supposed to be a safe haven.

The LGBTQIA+ community was built by people who were willing to fight for their rights, their lives, and each other while the world was against them. It was built by people with identities that are most often forgotten, ignored, neglected, and excluded by parts of the community today.

These people are our history. This is the legacy that we should be honoring. It’s their strength, bravery, love, and inclusive beliefs that got us here, and we owe it to them and to ourselves to keep that spirit alive. To keep this community welcoming and full of the love, comfort, support, and peace that they always hoped it would be.

I’m so proud of the people who honor that legacy and work to keep that spirit alive. I’m honored to share this community with them.

@thesevenumbrellas @lukesorangebeanie I love you so much. You are kind and caring and protective. You fight for what you know is right. You fight to spread love, comfort, support, peace, and inclusivity. You are exactly what this community has always been intended to be about, and you are exactly what it needs. I’m so honored to be your friend and to be part of this community alongside you. Thank you for sharing your light.

#tw aphobia

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amberstarthecat · 2 years

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since it's Pride Month, I've decided to share my list of queer Genshin headcanons (autism isn't a queer thing but eh, I'm listing it with Paimon anyways)

explanations below

Gorou: definitely aroace based on his hangout dialogue, but is possibly demiromantic because I could see him getting a crush on somebody he knows well

Beidou: panromantic because she seems like whether or not she's attracted to somebody would be based on them as a person, regardless of their gender

Ningguang: lesbian because have you even seen her flirting with Beidou during the last Lantern Rite??? she's gay as hell /pos

Aether: aromantic based on some of the dialogue options during Lisa's quest and the part of the Liyue Archon quest with Ying'er, ace because I said so, and trans FtM partially bc I said so and partially because he gives me a shit ton of gender envy

Lumine: aro for the same reasons as Aether

Ei: aroace because she just seems aroace (wouldn't be against her being in a QPR with Yae)

Albedo: aroace because his About Albedo: Socializing voice line makes it seem like he finds relationships exhausting, which logically could include romantic relationships (which I've heard are much more involved than friendships)

Chongyun: gay as hell, we all know that, but also demiromantic because he just gives off demiro vibes. so demiromantic and when he does feel romantic attraction it's gonna be towards a guy

Xingqiu: once again, gay as hell, common knowledge lmao

Paimon: autistic and nonbinary partially because her VA is autistic and nonbinary iirc, and partially because she seems nonbinary to me. also as an autistic person myself I can just sense autistic vibes coming from her based on how she acts lmaooo

Venti: trans FtM because I say so, and I have no clue what flavor of gay he is he just has The Vibes™

Scaramouche: Trans FtM partially because he was created as a prototype of the female Shogun, and trust me if you've seen a picture of him with long hair you know what I'm talking about when I say he pulls it off suspiciously well

#genshin impact #queer headcanons #pride #pride month

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cryptticrow · 3 years

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I'm not really into dsmp lore anymore so as a sort of parting gift I'm dropping all the headcanons I wrote down in my notes app from January to May

-Tommy has wings but he never learned to properly fly so he tied them off so they won't be an annoyance.

-ENBY BIG Q

-Also enby lesbian Puffy

-Enby Phil perhaps....?

-Quackity is hyperactive, always has to move.

-All the members of the sbi fam get frequet nosebleeds.

-Hybrid Techno supremecy.

-Both Tubbo and Ranboo get anxiety tics

-Wilbur knows many languages

Most of them were taught to him by Phil.

-Tommy's hair was long in season 1 and 2 but by season 3 he kept it short.

-Schlatt had a sweet tooth, he always keeps some sort of hard candy near him at all times.

-SAPNAP IS FUCKIN' BUILT! FUCK THE FANARTISTS!/j

-skeppy has tiny crystals on his hair and skin that look like glitter.

-Bad wears contact lenses.

-After the technoblade fight Quackity started wearing bandages around his head, when he realised the scars wouldn't fade he started wearing an eyepatch.

-Philza has tons of tattoos and body mods (because what else would you do if you were confined to one body for like a thousand years).

-another immortal Philza hc because yes, he gets people's names confused all the time living or dead including his own kids.

-Quackity used to have long hair before he joined pogtopia and he's really good at braiding hair.

-Over the course of the story Tubbo started wearing more and more heavy clothing to hide his scars.

-Techno is aromantic

-Techno likes collecting random things, he has tons of litte nicknacks from various trips and adventures over the years that he just keeps around. So does Phil but to a lesser degree than Techno since he isn't really a fan of sentimentality especially to inanimate objects.

-Tubbo and Ranboo like to dance together, they're both absolutely horrible at it but they have a good time and make each other laugh.

-Quackity has mechanical wings, built for him by sam.

-Puffy loves sea shanties, she often hums or whistles them on her day to day

-Michael is non verbal

-When someone is in the In-between they feel an unnatural sense of warmth, when someone is in the other side they feel an unnatural sense of cool.

-Quackity is a sex positive gray-ace

-Bad can't cook to save his life

-When someone gets fully corrupted by the crimson egg their blood turns grey

-Tubbo lost several teeth and has fake teeth in their place

-Tommy and Quackity used to get into trouble together prior to the events of the smp

-not really a headcanon more just a fun idea but sam/Quackity fater/son dynamic

-Schaltt taught Tubbo everything he knows about horn grooming/grooming in general and even though he doesn't like the guy Tubbo still practices everything Schlatt taught him

-Jack has a chronic migraine and his glasses are light blocking to help him with his headaches

#long post #the Michael one is about the pig this is from before Michaelmcchill joined lol #dsmp #dream smp #dream smp headcannon #dsmp lore

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kyanitedragon · 4 years

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Hey can you say some songs you relate to as an aromantic person?

(If you’re looking for relatable aromantic music, I definitely reccomend checking out @/aggressivelyarospec’s Aro Tunes Thursday! It’s where I found the majority of these songs, plus tons more than I enjoy even if I don’t personally relate to the stories.)

Music has become a real comfort for my identity, so this ended up being really long and personal.

#1 Never Been In Love - Will Jay

Every single line in this song is my aroace experience. But some highlights are:

“I’m not missing someone that I’ve never met / Maybe a little scared / still, I don’t care.”

It can be daunting and scary to not fall in love in this amatonormative world, but my fear comes from not conforming to society and isn’t about being lonely or single.

“You can have your romance / go on the perfect date / but for me, there just ain’t enough hours in the day.”

All my allo friends and family members like romance, and that’s fine - it’s just not for me. I don’t understand romance nor romantic attraction, and I would much rather spend my days doing my own things I enjoy instead of spending time dating just for the sake of doing what society says you should do.

#2 Supercuts - Jeremy Zucker

As a young unknowing aro, I never understood what the point of being in a relationship was. Dating in middle school and even high school, the chances were so low that you would still be dating as adults. Plus, everyone always talked about bad breakups and hating their exes. I didn’t understand why you would risk a friendship to be in a romantic relationship since chances were, it would end badly. I still don’t understand it now, to be honest.

And this song, basically covers all of my thoughts about it:

“Cause I don't wanna be someone who makes you happy / Then lets you down, we'll both feel crappy / I'll hate your friends when this shit ends / Well, alright. / And I don't wanna make your mama cry at dinner / And see her at the mall next winter / At Supercuts, she hates my guts / Well, alright.”

#3 Not The Villain - S.J. Tucker

I’m a big fantasy geek so I like that whole vibe of this song and all the fantasy illusions.

“No, I am not the villain in this tale!”

Like a lot of aros, I often feel villainized and guilty for being unable to reciprocate romantic feelings. And declaring yourself as not being the villain is the the focus of this song.

“Let’s be done with fairytales and how they’re meant to end / the truth is that I lost my way and found it here again.”

I grew up assuming that I would end up hetero and get married and have kids, despite not being straight or cis in the slightest. And once it all finally dawned on me, I found community in the aro, nonbinary, and ace communities.

“I never meant to hide behind a clock no longer chiming.”

It took a long time for me to realize I was aromantic, when there were so many obvious hints. It was such a relief when I finally realized it, and made so much sense, and I felt so authentically myself. I wished I had known so much sooner.

#4 Turning Out - AJR

This song hits a lot of my sore spots about my aromanticism.

“Am I ready for love? / Or maybe just a best friend? / Should there be a difference? / Do you have instructions?”

I grew up not knowing I was aromantic and being so confused about romance, yet expecting that one day I would start to feel attraction and then everything would make sense.

“You say I turned out fine / I think I'm still turning out / I hope you stick around / We're gonna figure it out / Who can I turn to now? / When I'm still turning out.”

Questioning was something I wasn’t open about, and it took me a long time to come out to my loved ones. But this line still hits me hard. There’s so many uncertainties in being aromantic: fearing that your friends will leave you behind, that you’ll disappoint your parents, and you just hope that they will accept you and support you and still stick around.

“I'm a little kid, and so are you / Don't you go and grow up before I do.”

In society, romantic attraction is framed as something mature that everyone experiences. So when you don’t experience it, sometimes it feels like you’re stuck as a kid and always thought of as childish. You see all your allo friends and family members date and get married and have kids - all milestones of growing up - and you not achieving any of them. It hurts even more when you see your younger family members hit those milestones.

#5 Sorry - Halsey

This is a pretty negative one, sorry. I have never dated anyone, but if I had, I know that this song is how it would have gone.

If I had dated someone, I know I only would have dated them to appease their romantic feelings and to platonically hang out with them more often.

“Cause I can change my mind each day / I didn't mean to try you on / But I still know your birthday / And your mother's favorite song”

I wouldn’t prioritize them as much as they would likely expect from a romantic partner, and I know I would feel overwhelmed and burdened by it. Would my non-romantic care and love for them be enough?

“I run away when things are good / And never really understood / The way you laid your eyes on me / In ways that no one ever could / And so it seems I broke your heart / My ignorance has struck again.”

And with how oblivious I am to romance and romantic feelings, I’m sure I would have hurt them many times out of my ignorance and disconnect.

“Sorry to my unknown lover.”

Even to my hypothetical “unknown lover”, I say sorry, that I’m not capable of romantic love and that I would only hurt them despite not meaning to.

“Someone will love you / But someone isn't me.”

#6 Love Stuck - Mother Mother

I’m endcase aromantic, on the aplatonic spectrum, and fluctuate often between romance-favorable and romance-repulsed, so at times it feels like my potenial for “love” is stuck somewhere.

“Cause I've got my love stuck in my head / I've got my love stuck in my thoughts / I've got to keep my love / in my heart”

#7 Version of Love - Will Jay

I relate to this song a lot as an aego-romantic — an aromantic person who enjoys romance but doesn’t wish to be a participant in it. I like romance in theory and shipping and well-written romances, but when it comes to myself being involved then I’m quite romance-repulsed.

“Yet I'm in love with how in love they sound / when all they are is acting”

#8 Kalmia Kid - Chloe Moriondo

This song has a very cottagecore and non-human vibe to it which I enjoy, and I too love bugs much more than I do human beings.

“So if the only love I'll feel is for bumblebees / That's fine with me”

#9 We Don’t Have To Dance - Andy Black

This song is about anxiety, and as an aromantic who probably has an anxiety disorder, I relate to it a lot. Sometimes its just nice to have it all put into words. Socializing is stressful, especially when there’s so many expectations on it.

“We don't have to talk / We don't have to dance / We don't have to smile / We don't have to make friends / It's so nice to meet you / Let's never meet again”

#10 Machine - Mister Wives

It’s a song about knowing yourself best, sticking up for yourself, and refusing to conform to society. Allowing myself to not only freely be aromantic, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming, but also let go of the guilt I had over all of those, is something I’m so proud of myself for, and I’m so much happier because of it.

“Oh I am tired of abiding by your rules / Causing me to second guess my every single move / You don't know who I am / Or what I have been through, no / So don't dare tell me what I should and shouldn't do”

#asks #aromantic #aro music #long post #fave asks

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arse-crack-thistle · 4 years

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rwrb winterfest - day 18 - music

@rwrb-fests

in which my dear princess bea needs a little comfort at christmastime (ace rep)

Bea always has a hard time around Christmas.

Part of it has to do with her father. She seems to find new pieces of him to miss every day. Today, it’s his laugh—the deep chuckle he lets out when David jumps on his lap and licks his face or when he’s had a little too much brandy and Bea says something sarcastic and rude about her grandmother.

She misses how the family used to gather around a table in one of the sitting rooms in Kensington and play gin rummy at Christmastime. The tree would stand tall in the corner. Their father insisted they decorate it themselves, despite Philip’s disapproval. It looked sloppy covered in tinsel and an assortment of colorful lights and ornaments. The star at the top tilted towards the left, but at least the tree filled the room with a delicate pine scent. The fire burned at a soft glow, and everyone around the table laughed and wore paper crowns from their Christmas crackers. It didn’t matter who they were, they were just a normal family.

Now, the room feels cold, even though the fire cracks across from her. In the corner, the bare tree sags. She hasn’t had the energy to decorate it herself since Henry’s been in New York, and while she and Philip have reconciled their differences, he’s never really liked this part of their family’s traditions. Her mother works a ton since stepping up as the heir apparent, so Bea didn’t want to bother her either. Her cat meows next to her on the couch.

Christ, she wants a hit. She wants something to wipe her memory and just let her be. She just might reach for the brandy on the liquor cart. Why did she convince Henry she could handle it being here? Or that she could handle him leaving?

No, he needs to live his life without her, even if she misses him. The hardest part about being ace is watching her people find their person.

She’s happy for Henry and she loves Alex, but she’s lonely when they’re gone. And with loneliness comes dark thoughts. And the chance she will relapse multiplies.

Bea should call her sponsor. Or Henry. Or literally anyone. She knows they’ll answer. She knows she’s loved. But the only person she wants to hold her and make Christmas special again can’t.

She really misses her father.

Bea leaves the room. She puts as much space between her and the brandy as she can. When her fingers itch for something, she must fill them, and the best remedy is music.

Her favorite room in this place looks exactly how she left it the day before. The piano sits, awaiting Henry. The mismatch of rugs were her idea—benders with musicians in Galway inspired her, or what she remembered of them did. The cat finds her way to her spot on the brown settee.

Before picking up a guitar, Bea passes tchotchkes from their travels on an antique side table. Nesting dolls from Russia. A Statue of Liberty figurine from their first trip to the U.S. A toorstag from Henry’s month in Mongolia. A coconut bra from Bea’s drunk cruise in the Caribbean. She’s since become a more sensitive and culturally-minded traveler.

She sits with the instrument on the floor, her back against the settee. This particular guitar was a gift from her father on her fourteenth birthday. It was handmade for her, and her initials sit just below the artisan’s label under the sound hole. The koa wood has a rich, dark finish; Bea likes to drag her finger across the wood grain when she’s deciding what to play next or when she’s lost in her thoughts in between songs. When her father first gave it to her, the sound was bright and lively, but in the time since, it’s become mellow and warm. Perfect for fingerpicking.

She plays a few chords as she tunes it. Her cat purrs behind her ear. Crystal from the chandelier above her twinkles. She settles in the quiet moment and plays.

But there’s no heart in it.

Bea thought if she changed her scenery, if she gave herself something to do, she’d get out of this riptide. But every song, every passing minute, pulls her further and further out.

If no one’s around to hear her play, is it really music?

Is this her safe space if no one’s here to create its harmony with her?

She’s so lonely.

And the tune is as frozen as she feels.

It’s times like these she wishes she wanted her grandmother’s happily ever after—marry a man, pop out a couple of kids, and be a dutiful royal. But she can’t. The thought of marrying someone, of making and raising children, of being a mindless princess puppet actually nauseates her.

If only she had her own community of people like her, she might be able to rely on Henry less. Her other married friends wouldn’t feel so bad for her. She could just go on ignoring her grandmother and Philip, when he gets to be too much. Her mother wouldn’t worry as much.

And not that she wouldn’t miss her father less, but maybe she wouldn’t feel so empty without him here.

Maybe the soul could find its way back into her music.

So Bea snaps herself out of it just enough to text Pez and ask for his Instagram login. She has a plan that her handler—and her grandmother, for that matter—would definitely disapprove of.

But fuck the crown.

Bea needs to take her life in her own hands and demand more for herself. She needs help to feel better, but she has to be the one to initiate. If Henry could do it, so could she.

Part of the AA mantra is to have the courage to change the things she can.

She’s got it, and she can do it.

Pez responds quickly and without question, of course. She sets her guitar to the side and downloads the app. After she logs in, she leans forward and rests the phone against the floor pouf in front of her.

Bea takes a deep breath and starts a livestream, and the viewer count immediately skyrockets. Her grandmother is really going to hate this.

“Um, hello,” she says. “I’m sure you all weren’t expecting to see me, but our friend, Percy, was kind enough to lend me his account for a short while. I hope that’s all right.”

She shifts a little uncomfortably. She never minded the spotlight as long as she could control it, but even now, she feels more venerable than ever. Last year’s Christmas pajamas hang loosely on her. Surely, her reindeer bottoms will go viral, as she sits with her legs crisscrossed in full view of the camera. Her cat mews.

“Yes, thank you for that, darling,” She says to her and then looks to the camera.

“I just wanted to come on here to talk to you all. See, as we’re in the holiday season, it’s all a bit overwhelming, isn’t it? And in all of this hustle and bustle, one finds they get a bit lost along the way.

“I’ve noticed this in myself every year, but this time it’s more frustrating. I’ve just been feeling rather lonely lately, as one can during this chilly time, so I thought maybe you lot have experienced that as well. I wanted to connect with people like me. I don’t mean, like, I want to wallow in my problems—or that I have especially difficult problems—I mean I know I’m very fortunate—I just—um. Let me—let me straighten this out.”

She sighs. This could be a disaster. She could come off entitled and whiny if she doesn’t focus more on her words.

“It seems the people in my life all have a partner, and I am so happy for them, truly. But I don’t want a partner or a relationship of any nature other than friendship. And so during this time of year—and, I suppose, other times as well—I find myself the odd woman out.

“For example, here I am, alone in this place, with only my cat, with whom you’ve already become acquainted. Now, I know I’m very lucky to have this, but it’s empty houses that can lead people down a dark path, isn’t it?”

Bea needs to say the words. She needs to make it very clear. She watches the screen flood with comments and hearts. Hundreds of thousands of people are watching, and tomorrow she’s going to be on every media outlet.

“I’m aromantic and asexual, if that wasn’t clear. I can’t and don’t want to fall in love, and not that it’s anyone’s business, I’m not even faintly interested in sex. And that may be confusing for some of you, but for me, it makes my life, my mind, make sense.”

She’s slowly but surely finding her way back to shore now.

“For years, I thought there was something wrong with me, but there’s not. I thought the only way I could be happy was to be in a relationship, but it’s not. And if you yourself are ace as well, I want you to know you’re not alone.

“This is the real reason why I did all of this. I was lonely and sad tonight, and I wanted you all to know that if you feel that too, it’s okay. I hope I can learn about and grow in the ace community—not to replace my happily coupled friends, but to explore new friendships with people who can understand what I and some of you are going though.

“We’ve been taught that there’s one way to be happy, and I just don’t think that’s true. And I’m willing to prove it if you’ll help me. Starting now.”

Bea reaches for her guitar and places it in her lap. She finds the first chord of “Horchata” by Vampire Weekend. A text notification from Henry pops down.

HOLY SHIT I LOVE YOU!!!!!!

A smile creeps up her cheeks.

“Something I love to do when I’m down is to pick out a little tune. If it’s all right with you, I thought I’d play a round for us. Maybe answer a few questions if you’ve got any.”

Bea picks the first note, and the tone is perfect.

She feels warmth grow in her chest and travel around her arms and down her back.

Like her father hugging her from behind, arms crossed over her shoulders.

Just like he used to do many Christmases ago.

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entity9silvergen · 4 years

Text

He Is Mild And He Is Meek (ATLA Fanfiction)

Summary:

He is mild and he is meek, he is Momo and he is what I seek.

Suki always wanted three things in life. One was to become a professional soccer player. The second was to live in a cute apartment filled with succulents. The third was to get a cat.

Momo probably wasn’t anyone’s first pick as a pet but Suki was determined to get this cat to love her as much as she loved him. If only he’d accept he had a home now.

Fandom: Avatar The Last Airbender

Characters: Suki, Momo, Sokka, Aang

Relationships: Suki & Momo, Suki & Sokka, Momo & Aang, Mentioned Aang/ Katara, Past Suki/ Toph

Other Tags: AroWriMo, Oneshot, Modern Setting, Modern AU, Transgender Character, Aromantic Character, Trans Suki, Aromantic Suki, Lesbian Suki, Aro Trans Lesbian Suki, Trans Aang, Bi Sokka, Queer Toph, Cat Momo, Dog Appa, Pet Adoption

Warnings: Brief Mentions of Sex, Minor Swearing

Word Count: 6.7K

Chapter Count: 1 (Oneshot)

Author’s Note: I was working on my third AroWriMo story and was about to take a break when this idea hit me. I know it’s kind of out there but I like trying different stuff so here we are.

This is very out of my comfort zone. It’s a Modern/ Real World AU story with a sapphic aromantic transfem Suki adopting a cat. I am an achillean aroace trans man with a dog. I also don’t play soccer or work in tech and I’m writing about that a lot here. I am writing about so many things I don’t know about so feel free to call me out if things aren’t quite accurate. The main focus is on Suki and Momo becoming friends so hopefully it won’t be an issue.

The title comes from the poem The Lamb by William Blake.

This fits with the prompt for Week 4, non-romantic relationships. Because pets count, guys. Originally I was going to write a fic about Lin figuring out she’s aro and coming out but I like this better.

Also read it here on Ao3.

======

As long as Suki could remember, she’d always had three goals in life.

Goal number one had always been to play professionally for a women’s soccer team.

Unfortunately, biology was not in her favor and she couldn’t even play on her college soccer team. For either sex. What kind of bull was that? If they were going to misgender her, they could at least do it by letting her play for the men’s team. Not that she would if she was offered. There were some things she wouldn’t compromise on.

It was upsetting but she tried not to let it get her down. She’d come this far and she wasn’t going to let this stop her. She ended up on her school’s girl’s ice hockey team for all four years. It was just because they were short on players and they needed six to compete. Apparently not a lot of girls were interested in ice hockey? Suki actually really enjoyed it, even if the other teams always called her a man when they lost.

Maybe it was for the better because once she’d graduated, one of her teammates introduced her to the Kyoshi Warriors. They weren’t professionals but they competed in organized tournaments. All women's organized tournaments. It wasn’t what Suki had dreamed of but soccer was still a part of her life. Maybe one day the sports industry would be more accepting but for now, this was enough.

Goal number two had always been to live in a cozy apartment with a crapton of succulents.

She was a cottagecore lesbian who couldn’t keep a plant alive for the life of her, okay? And succulents were cute. Don’t judge. This one was a much easier goal to accomplish. She and her buddy Sokka had scored a job in webdev for this big gaming company right after they graduated from college. They were stuck coding for a smaller, newer game but popularity had surged and she and Sokka were making decent coin now. Enough that they no longer had to crash at Toph’s place. Well, Suki didn’t have to. Sokka stuck around for a bit. Suki was pretty sure they tried dating and it didn’t work out. That was probably a good thing because Suki really didn’t want to tell Sokka she’d been hooking up with Toph when they’d moved it. How awkward would that conversation be? Like, hey Sokka. You know you’re dating my ex-fuck buddy? Well now you do. Bleh.

But the point was that Suki had it good now. She wasn’t rolling in dough or anything- she’d painted most of the artwork around the apartment and all her succulents she’d grown herself from cuttings because she still couldn’t really afford to do anything else- but she was doing well. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to stay here forever but she might.

The third and final goal was to get a cat.

Because who needed a girlfriend? Or boyfriend? Or enbyfriend? Wives, husbands, any kind of spouse wasn’t the life for her. No, she wanted to live with a cat in a house filled with plants, damn it. Would the cat try to eat her succulents? Probably. Would that stop her? No. No, it would not.

So that led to right now. With her ideal home secured and a place on a soccer team, Suki decided it was time to get a cat.

She’d spent awhile looking online. Like, years. Years of research. She didn’t have much experience with cats. She had a pair of cats as a kid, sisters actually, but they’d died when she was pretty young. Not because her family was filled with terrible pet owners or anything. No, the cats had just gotten old. Her parents just decided to get a lot of pets as “practice” or whatever before having kids. She’d found out later in life that it’d taken a long time for her mother to get pregnant with her big sister Ty Lee so maybe they’d thought they just weren’t going to have kids or something.

Ty Lee’s friend Mai had a cat growing up, a kitten, so most of Suki’s cat experiences came from that. The cat’s name was Azula and she was a mean thing. Suki had gotten countless scratches on her arms from her but they were worth it to have those brief moments of sheer, unfiltered acceptance only an animal could have before the little jerk unleashed hell on her hands. Azula somewhat grew out of it when she reached adulthood but she never stopped being a terror.

Mai moved away at some point when Suki was around nine or ten and she took Azula with her. Which made sense, Azula was a cat, but Suki still missed having her around. Since then, the only cat she’d interacted with was this tortoiseshell she’d seen on a walk in high school. She’d been having a pretty day- er, week- and she thought a walk to the elementary school down the block would clear her head. She’d spotted the cat across the street and hurriedly crossed in hope she could get a better look. It’d been a pleasant surprise that the cat seemed equally delighted to see her and approached her as well, demanding pets for a good half hour before Suki realized she had to be getting home. She came back the next week, hoping to see the cat again, but she never did. It was too bad, she’d never met a cat who did anything like that.

So the years of research were necessary. She was only experienced with, what, four cats? Wait actually, her extended family members had some cats but they didn’t count. They were assholes. But four to seven, give or take? Not a lot.

Constantly googling stuff about cat care made stuff about cat adoption show up on her brower a lot which was kind of annoying in college since she couldn’t have a cat in her dorm but she let herself indulge once in a while. She had to know what kind of cat she wanted, right? Well, she thought so. Turns out she was a bit off center. Cats weren’t really bred like dogs. With dogs, you had a ton of options. There were labs, german shepherds, huskies, dobermans, dalmatians, sheep dogs, collies, and countless other breeds. With cats, you had orange, white, black, brown and grey. You also had stripes, patches, and plain but that was pretty much it. It was more important where the cat came from than what kind.

It took Suki awhile to realize most of the advertisements she saw were from cat mills. Turns out there are a lot of weirdos out there who bred their cats to pump out kittens to sell. On one hand, gross and she knew she shouldn’t further support those kinds of businesses but on the other, they needed good homes. These people had no morals, who knew where those little kittens were going to go? Not the sellers, that’s for sure.

It was hard to tear herself away from those sites but she was glad she did.

There were a lot of family cats who’d gotten pregnant by accident and the owners needed someone to take the kittens off them. They sold cheap but the cats were usually well taken care of and the sellers made sure the new owners weren’t, like, animal abusers are anything. The bar was kind of low but it was a lot better than kitten mills.

Then there were shelters.

Suki’s family, as much as they loved animals, never got pets from shelters. They had too many issues, they said. It’s easier to train a younger animal, they said. You have no idea where they’re from, they said. Ty Lee always pointed out the animals needed homes. Suki always asked if the animals who were there for too long got euthanized. Neither sister could really remember what their parents’ responses were but neither of them ever tried to buy pets from shelters, even as adults.

Until now.

Looking on the shelters’ websites swayed Suki a bit. A lot of shelters didn’t euthanize but usually pets would go to different shelters if they were at one for too long and sometimes those new shelters did. There was a wide variety in the policies at the different shelters. Some of them really prioritized the animals’ wellbeing but some… really… didn’t.

She decided on visiting a small volunteer-run animal shelter. They were having a… a sale? What’s it called when places with animals just stuck a bunch of animals outside and let people wander around and look at them? A farmer’s market? No, wait, that was food. An open house? Gosh, she should know this. She didn’t though and she was going anyway.

It was a Sunday the day she decided to go. It was the only day on the shelter’s calendar that lined up with her schedule for the next month or so. After throwing on her lucky green blouse, applying some light makeup, and firing off a quick text to Sokka letting her know she wouldn’t be around today, she headed out.

“Hey there!” a bright boy in a blinding orange t-shirt greeted as she approached the shop the kennels were set up. “I love your necklace! Where’d you get it?”

Suki tried her best not to finger the necklace she had on but quickly relaxed when she noticed the dog tags around the boy’s neck. The pronoun dog tags. This guy was trans too. Or an ally at least. He probably recognized her programmer socks from a distance and her white ring up close. It was a massive relief. She hated getting questions about her name when she signed paperwork. And knowing her, there was a pretty good chance she’d be signing some adoption papers today.

“Oh, um, I made it,” Suki said, feeling a bit proud at the way the boy’s eyes bugged out of his head.

“Really? That’s so cool! I’ve looked for pronoun necklaces online but they’re just so chunky. That’s why I like my dog tags! My dog Appa has some too!” the boy rambled excitedly. “Anyway, anything I can help you with? You are here to look at animals, right? If you’re not, I’d totally apologize for just yelling at you out of nowhere but it’s kind of my job.”

Suki laughed and decided she liked the guy. “No, don’t worry. I’m here to look at cats, actually.”

“Oh that’s great! I love cats but I’m allergic,” the boy- Aang, according to his name tag- said. He jangled something in his pocket, presumably allergy pills, and began leading her to the tables where lighter animals’ kennels were placed on. “We’ve got some good ones here today! Who should we visit first? You looking for a boy cat or a girl cat?”

“Gender is a social construct,” Suki responded, amused by Aang’s delight at her response. “Surprise me.”

“Okay, um, let’s see. Oh here’s Haru! He’s a good boy,” Aang said, leading him over to a wire exercise pen with three cats inside. “See, Haru’s the brown one. Teo and Duke are the other brown ones.”

One of the cats meowed loudly at the sound of his name, startling the other two awake. One of them lifted his head with a dazed look in his eye and a long piece of lint stuck to his face. Suki couldn’t help but snort at the sight of it.

“Classic Haru,” Aang chuckled. Suki still wasn’t quite sure which cat he was talking about but he was already moving along. “Um, okay, so over here we’ve got three more. This is Lu Ten and- Jet! Stop trying to eat Kuei’s ear! Wait, no. I’m sorry. Don’t look at me like that! You brought this upon yourself!”

Suki’s attention drifted down the table as Aang bickered with the cats. They were funny but she was too distracted by the lone crate at the end of the table for her to notice. She lifted a finger, drawing Aang’s attention to it. “Is there anyone in there?”

Aang looked up, Jet in one hand and Kuei in the other. “Oh that? Oh yeah, that’s Momo.”

“Can I see him?”

Aang put Jet and Kuei down, looking kind of hesitant. “There’s a reason Momo’s all alone.”

“Is he aggressive?”

“What? No. No, he’s like the total opposite of aggressive. Really shy actually. He’s a rescue. My girlfriend found him on the streets a couple weeks after this hoarder got evicted. The guy had, like, sixty cats who all got sent to shelters around the state but some of them got loose. We think Momo was one of them. He gets kind of scared around other cats,” Aang said, scratching the back of his head with one hand. “I don’t think he’s scared of humans, exactly, but I don’t think he’s going to get adopted anytime soon. I’d take him but, you know, allergies. I thought it might do him some good to get used to being out here though. Took me forever to convince my boss.”

“Can I see him?”

“O-okay. I don’t see why not. Just try to stay quiet. I don’t want to scare him too much.”

Suki nodded and Aang led her down the table. The crate was facing away from the rest of the animals and Aang made sure to move slowly when he moved into sight. “Hey, buddy. It’s me. Aang. You remember me? Yeah, you do. I brought Suki! She’s just going to say hi, alright?”

Aang nodded to Suki and she shifted so she was within view of the wire mesh that was the crate’s door. She crouched down a bit, trying to get into view, and was immediately met with two wide, green eyes.

“Hey, Momo,” she cooed. “Is this alright?”

She slowly put her hand near the door. Momo stared at it for a few moments from his place curled up at the back of his crate before stretching his neck a bit to sniff. She glanced at Aang, trying to see if what she was doing was alright. He looked absolutely mystified. Taking that as a good sign, she put her hand against the door. To her surprise, Momo got up and nuzzled her hand through the wire.

“Wow, he never does that,” Aang commented. “Hopefully that means he’s getting better. Or that you have cat magic!”

“Can I adopt him?” Suki asked before she knew what she was saying.

“I don’t literally mean you have cat magic.”

“Wha- Yes. I know I don’t have cat magic, Aang,” Suki sighed and ducked her head a bit to look into Momo’s cage. He was a cute little guy. Maybe a year old. If he was from a hoarding house like Aang thought he was, he’d probably been born there. Poor boy probably didn’t know what it felt like to have a real home. “I think… I’d like to give him a shot. Give him a home. I know I’d probably have to put more work into it than I would for another cat but I’m willing to do that extra work for him. He deserves it.”

Aang smiled and it wasn’t one of the beaming ones like before. This one was a lot softer. “You have no idea how happy that makes me. You really sound like you’ll be a good pet-owner. We have to do background checks and stuff, obviously, and you can’t, like, take him home right now but if you think you’re ready, I’ll put your name down and we can start the adoption process.”

Suki shot Momo one last glance and nodded. “Nothing would make me happier.”

===========================

She ended up driving to get him at seven am the next Friday.

She’d been planning on getting him in three weeks but on Thursday Aang had called her to tell her Jet was stirring up trouble again and Momo had freaked out and he really wanted to get him out of there. They’d planned on Saturday but Momo freaking out was agitating the other cats and Aang thought it would be best if Suki came sooner so she got herself and Sokka out of work and now they were driving to the Southern Air Animal Shelter.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you’re getting a cat,” Sokka whined as they pulled into the parking lot. “At least tell me he’s black. Then you’d be, like, a sexy lesbian witch with a sexy black cat... famialir… thing.”

“Momo’s white.”

“Aw. That’s too b- Oh wait, that actually fits your aesthetic way better. Blue eyes?”

“Green.”

“Even better! I like him already!”

Suki snorted and flicked him in the side of the head when they pulled into their parking spot and came to a stop. “Just wait here, alright?”

“Sure thing. Try not to take forever. Unlike some people, I need to get back to work this afternoon.”

Suki flipped him off and headed inside.

The woman at the desk was kind enough and Suki didn’t have to wait long before she was redirected to Aang. The man looked a bit frazzled but still looked bright as ever. “Hey Suki! Boy am I glad you’re here. I’m sorry we had to hurry things like this but I really think this is what’s best for Momo.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Suki assured him. “Is he alright?”

“I think so. I’m just glad he had a home lined up and all ready to go,” Aang admitted as he led her to the part of the building reserved for cats. “I mean, he’s well treated here and I’ll miss him but I think he needs his peace.”

The cat corner wasn’t nearly as loud as the dog department must be but there were a few more vocal cats meowing here and there. Suki kind of wanted to stop to play with them but she wasn’t here for them. She was here for Momo.

Once again, Momo was at the farthest end of the wing and as far away as the other cats as possible. She felt a stab of pity for him when she saw him. He was curled up at the back of his kennel, face buried in his tail. When he heard them approach, he looked up with the most terrified look in his eyes and mewed softly.

“I know, buddy,” Aang told him, looking sad, “but Suki’s here. Do you remember her? She’s going to take you to your forever home.”

Aang unlatched the door and Momo tipped his head, looking confused. With Aang’s approval, Suki reached in and pulled him out, holding Momo carefully. “There we go. It’s going to be alright now, Momo.”

“Let’s get him out of this wing,” Aang said. Suki nodded in agreement, feeling Momo quivering in her arms, and the two hurried away from the other cats. Back in the lobby, Momo already seemed a lot calmer. Still nervous but better.

“Normally, all the paperwork would be done by now but due to the circumstances, just sign here,” the woman at the desk said, sliding a form across the table. “We can mail you the rest of the paperwork or you can come by later.”

Suki nodded and jotted down her initials on the form with her free hand. She tried at least skimming the rest of the form like any responsible person should but she was too worried about the cat in her arms to really care. The receptionist glanced it over once before giving Suki the okay.

“Do you have someone to drive you home or do you have a crate in your car?” Aang asked when she was done.

“Both. I came here with my friend and I already bought everything,” Suki told him. She flashed him a smile. “Thanks for everything, Aang.”

“No problem. Just doing my job,” Aang answered, matching her smile. He passed her a slip of paper. “Here’s just some extra info about Momo I had jotted down. I have one for every cat. I dunno, it may help.”

Suki thanked him one more time before saying goodbye and returning to her car where Sokka was waiting. Honestly she’d kind of forgotten he was there, despite mentioning it to Aang, until she saw his face light up at the sight of the cat.

“Is that him? Oh, what a beautiful boy,” Sokka cooed when Suki took shotgun with Momo in her lap.

Momo glanced up at Suki before shooting Sokka a confused look. Suki scratched him behind the ears. “That’s right, Momo. Sokka’s weird.”

“Hey! I’m the weird one?”

“Yup,” Suki said, popping the p. Sokka made a face at her. She laughed. “Just drive, knucklehead.”

“As my queen commands,” Sokka responded extravagantly and hit the gas. Suki held onto Momo securely and soon, they were heading to Momo’s new forever home.

The drive was overall pretty good. It was a nice drive through some countryside. Suki and Sokka had been too tired that morning to really appreciate it but now that they were more awake and in less of a hurry, they could just soak it in. Suki lifted Momo up a bit so he could look outside, smiling at the way his green eyes widened in wonder at the endless stretches of grass around them.

Momo was fairly calm for most of it but he was a cat in an unfamiliar situation so he cried a bit once in a while. Sokka pulled over to let Momo use the bathroom about halfway through. Sokka told Suki that when his family got their puppy when he was a teenager, his dad had been holding the dog in the back seat and the dog peed on him within twenty minutes of getting in the car. Suki laughed but privately she was grateful Sokka remembered. She wasn’t wearing nice clothes or anything but she really didn’t want Momo peeing on her or in Sokka’s car.

They got back to Suki’s apartment within the hour. Sokka punched in the codes for the gate and elevator, Suki’s hands too full to do it herself, and they headed inside.

“We’re home now, Momo,” Suki told the cat softly, putting him down once the door was closed. She didn’t think he’d run but better safe than sorry. Momo was definitely going to be an indoor cat. “Go explore.”

Momo seemed frozen for a moment before disappearing in a flash, scurrying behind the couch to where most of the cat stuff was. Suki would’ve taken that as a good sign if he’d run to the cat tower but no, Momo had ducked under the little table beside the couch and was watching everything warily.

“At least he’s not hiding under the couch or under the bed,” Sokka pointed out when their efforts to coax him out failed.

“I guess,” Suki sighed, sitting down on the rug a few feet away from the cat. “You want to stay?”

“I need to get back to work,” Sokka told her regretfully. “I’ll text you if anything important happens. And I might be by later. Hopefully this little guy comes out by then.”

Suki nodded and bid him farewell before glancing at Momo. He’d stubbornly tucked in his paws and planted himself firmly under that little table. She shook her head. “What am I going to do with you?”

=====================

Suki didn’t have to go back to work that day but she did have a soccer match. She could skip if she wanted- they were just playing the Ba Sing Bears and honestly they weren’t that good- but she figured she’d give Momo the chance to explore his home alone. According to the note Aang had given her, Momo was fine being alone for good stretches of time.

(It also said he was litter trained, good on a leash, practically melted into neck scritches, didn’t like his ears being poked, loved polka music but hated any kind of rap except for French, and his favorite show was the Aquaman cartoon from the 60s but Suki didn’t really know what to think of that.)

The Kyoshi Warriors unsurprisingly won their game but the Ba Sing Bears had put up a good fight. The score came closer than it usually did and Suki got more of a workout than she had in awhile. She got home late, having stopped to grab a bite to eat with her teammates. When she opened the door, Momo looked up and froze mid step from where he was standing on the back of the couch.

They made eye contact for a moment and Suki wanted nothing more than to rush over and cheer that he finally ventured out of his hiding place but, not wanting to scare him, she withheld. Tearing her gaze away, she headed to the bathroom and turned on the shower. She needed it after that game.

She was sweaty and grimy and the hot water was relaxing but she tried to keep the shower quick. As nice as it was to close her eyes, let the heat wash over her, and lose herself in her thoughts, now wasn’t really the time for that. She washed and dried herself quickly before throwing on some lounge clothes and tying her wet hair up in a towel to dry.

When she left the bathroom, Momo was back under the table, eyeing her warily. Suki tried her best to give him his space for a little while, giving the apartment a once over to see if he’d tried to eat any of her beloved plants- he did not- before heading to the kitchen to prepare some cat food.

“I hope you’re hungry, Momo,” Suki said aloud as she plopped down on the rug, cat bowl in her lap. She shook it a bit before plucking a piece out and holding it up like an offering. “You want some?”

Momo just stared at her and didn’t move a muscle. Suki put the piece of kibble down halfway between them and waited. When Momo just looked at it, she went on her phone and tried not to look at him too much.

She was just about to send Sokka a funny meme she found when Momo stepped out, took the piece of kibble, and wandered up to her.

“Hey, buddy,” she cooed. She lifted her hand slowly, waiting for his reaction, before sinking her hand into his soft, white fur. “That’s right. Not so scary, huh? It’s just me. You want some food?”

Momo let out a pathetic mewl and clambered onto her knee to dip his muzzle into the bowl. He took a few neat bites at first before throwing himself into the meal and scarfing it down.

“You were hungry, huh?” Suki said, laughing a bit when Momo slipped and nearly fell in. “I probably should’ve fed you sooner. Don’t worry, tomorrow we’ll get on a schedule.”

Momo swallowed his last bite and mewed again, as if agreeing. Suki set aside the bowl and Momo wandered off but she felt like she’d made some progress. Momo would settle in well.

===================

“He’s not much of a hunter, huh?” Sokka stated as he bounced a feather on a string in front of Momo’s face. Momo just blinked at it and yawned.

It’d been about a week since Momo had moved in with Suki. She thought things were going pretty well. Momo didn’t hide under the table anymore. He seemed to like it down there but he never ran down there in fright and it didn’t take much coaxing to get him to come out. He seemed to prefer the cat tower anyway, though he never climbed very high.

Cats weren’t terribly exciting pets. Momo wasn’t a kitten, she didn’t need to teach him to use a litter box, and he wasn’t much of a scratcher. Still, as timid as he was, he’d proven himself to have some personality.

“He can be spunky when he wants to be,” Suki told him. “Try a ball, he likes batting those around.”

Sokka looked around for a ball and was just about to toss it to Momo when there was a knock at the door.

Momo’s tail shot up but he didn’t run. Suki considered that a good sign. “I can get it.”

Sokka didn’t respond and leaned down to roll Momo the ball. “Go get it. Fetch, boy.”

“He’s not a dog,” Suki called as she opened the door to reveal a familiar face. “Aang?”

“Hey Suki,” Aang greeted with a wild wave. “I just came by to drop off the rest of Momo’s paperwork.”

“I almost forgot about that,” Suki admitted. She accepted the stack of papers from him- ugh, she was really not looking forward to reading through all of those- and stepped aside from the doorway. “Come in. I’m sure Momo would like to see you. I’ve got a friend over but I’m sure he won’t mind.”

“I don’t!” Sokka yelled from the other side of the apartment.

“Sokka?” Aang called as he entered. “Sokka, is that you?”

“Aang?” Sokka looked up from Momo, face flashing with recognition at the sight of the bald figure by the door, and grinned. “Oh hey! I didn’t know you and Suki knew each other!”

“I didn’t know you two knew each other either!” Aang said, slapping hands with Sokka when he approached. “This is way cool!”

“Wait, how do you know each other? Exes?” Suki guessed, glancing between them.

Sokka made a face. “Ew, no. Aang’s Katara’s boyfriend. We all went to high school together.”

Aang laughed a bit and scratched the back of his head nervously. “So how do you two know each other? Exes?”

“Ew, no,” Suki said, mimicking Sokka’s reaction. He stuck his tongue out at her.

“We went to university together,” Sokka explained. “And we were roommates for a bit, during and after college. And we work together. Just best friends in general. Wow, I’m really surprised I haven’t introduced you two yet.”

“Too much trans power in one room,” Aang joked. He and Suki high fived.

“Too much power for any room,” Suki agreed. “Have you met Toph? The three of us would be unstoppable.”

“Oh my god,” Sokka said, rubbing his face with his hands. “Just go look at the damn cat, Aang.”

“Don’t talk about Momo that way,” Aang complained but was already hurrying over to the cat tower. “Momo! You miss me, buddy?”

Suki heard a mew from Momo and a sneeze from Aang and she figured everything was okay.

“You look over this and make sure I’m not signing away my soul or some shit,” Suki said, sliding the paperwork into Sokka’s hands, and joined Aang by the couch with Momo against Sokka’s protests.

“No swearing in front of the baby!” Aang piped up as Momo poked his head out of the cat tower and slunk down to the floor. Aang patted his lap and Momo slowly padded over to him. He didn’t climb into his lap like Aang seemed to want but he was nosing his knees curiously and that seemed to equally excite Aang. “What a good boy!”

With Sokka muttering behind her, Suki sat down and scooted over. Momo largely ignored her in a very catlike manner in favor of getting chin scritches from Aang. “I think he’s been settling in well. He doesn’t really hide anymore and he doesn’t really care when someone’s in the room with him.”

“That’s good,” Aang said, moving to scratch Momo’s ears. “Has he been eating?”

“Yeah. Kind of fast actually. He threw up once. It was pretty early on though so it might’ve been stress.”

Aang nodded thoughtfully. “Poop?”

“In the litterbox. Normal looking.” As far as she could tell at least.

“What about wandering the apartment? Does he go in the other rooms yet?”

“A bit. I’ve found him around once in a while but he seems to like it here the most. Is that something I should be worried about?”

Aang shook his head. “If he’s wandering around, that should be a sign he’s getting comfortable. I think it’s normal if he just hangs around in here most of the time though.”

Suki nodded, a bit relieved. It sounded like she was doing a good job. Suki, responsible cat owner. Then came Aang’s next question.

“Have you been playing Aquaman for him? I have some DVDs if you need them.”

======================

It was about a month and a half since Suki got Momo when she had the chance to get another day off from work.

She loved her job, she really did. Working at Avatar Gaming was truly a dream come true and the project she was working on, The Last Airbender, was actually a lot of fun to work on. Granted, she wasn’t really part of the design or story building parts of the team but it was still satisfying work and could be entertaining. She still got to play around with different characters and attacks regularly. Plus, the work environment was great. She loved going into work. That didn’t mean she didn’t like a day off once in awhile.

Though today, she’d really regret taking the day off.

Momo was a bit antisocial today so Suki was alone in her bed painting her nails. Not the best place to do it, she knew, but she was careful. She missed a phone call, not wanting to pick up her phone with the polish still wet, but it was just Sokka so she didn’t think much of it. He could wait.

It was a good hour later before Suki remembered to call him back. And once she did, she really wished she’d called him sooner. Or not at all.

“Hey,” Sokka said quietly as Suki turned up the volume. His voice cracked, worrying Suki.

“Is everything okay?” Suki asked hurriedly. “Did something happen at work?”

“You could say that.” Sokka laughed but it sounded hollow. “We’re getting laid off.”

“What?” The world seemed to stop around her.

“We’re getting laid off, Suki. The whole team.”

“I heard you,” she croaked in disbelief sitting up a bit straighter. “I- What happened? Why?”

“The Last Airbender is getting popular,” Sokka told her. “They want to- They want another team to work on it. They said they wanted to make it cleaner. More up to standard with their other big games. Make it fancier or whatever. There’s a chance they might hire some of us back but…”

“That’s bullshit,” Suki said almost automatically but it felt like someone else was speaking through her mouth. “No way in hell am I working for them again if they think they can just lay me off.”

Sokka chuckled again. This time there was a bit more life in it but it still sounded as empty as Suki felt. “That’s what I said.”

“Do we have any details yet? How long do we keep working? Are we getting severance pay? Do you have money saved? Are we going to have to-”

“I don’t know yet,” Sokka admitted. “They just announced it, nothing more. They said they’d write everything up soon. I’m… I’m on a walk right now. Just soaking everything in. Trying not to kick over any trash cans. Can I call you back? I just wanted to make sure you knew.”

“I- Yeah. Yeah, Sokka. Take however much time you need.”

“Bye.” Then, almost as an afterthought, he softly added, “Love you, no romo.”

That got a chuckle out of Suki, despite the water beginning to well up in her eyes. “Love you too, Sokka. No romo.”

Suki’s phone beeped as Sokka hung up and the dam broke.

Suki didn’t know why she was crying. Geez, she was a grown woman. Getting laid off wasn’t really a big deal, people got laid off all the time, but it was a big deal for her. She’d been working on that game practically since it’s making. Right out of college. It was the longest job she’d ever held down and she’d grown really attached to it. It was hard to think that she wouldn’t be working on it anymore. That her employers just saw her and her team as… worthless.

And there was the whole financial aspect. She needed that job. She needed income. She needed to pay for her apartment and for food and water and medical expenses and for Momo’s everything and insurance and everything. It was all so much. She was fine now but what if the money she had saved ran out before she found another job? Or if she couldn’t find a good job and she got stuck in some minimum wage shithole?

She wasn’t in college anymore, there were no counselors to help out or career fairs to go to. She’d need to, like, job hunt. With a lay off on her resume. Did layoffs affect things? She knew it wasn’t as bad as getting fired but still. Like a dishonorable discharge. Wait, no, that was probably really disrespectful to say. But it couldn’t look good. Gosh, working for Avatar really was a dream job. She doubted any other big gaming companies were hiring. Any gaming company would be amazing but it was unlikely she’d get another opportunity. Unless they were producing more new games. But then she could just get laid off again when it started getting popular…

She was spiraling. Fuck, where was her phone? If it got tangled in the bed sheets, she’d never find it. She needed to hold something. Something to ground her, something to distract her.

She heard a mew and saw Momo poke his little head through the door.

“Go away, Momo,” she choked out, burying her face in her hands. “It smells like nail polish in here. You’ll hate it. You have such a cute nose and it will hate it.”

Momo ignored her and the smell. He hesitantly padded in before trotting up to the bed and neatly leaping up to where Suki was. Suki momentarily drew her hands away from her face to look at him. He mewled again and butted her knee with his head.

And then Suki couldn’t hold back the waterworks anymore.

Until now, her tears had been silent but now they were gushing out and she couldn’t hold back the sobs. She pulled Momo into her lap and held him close, too caught up in her own whirlwind of emotions to be surprised that he wasn’t struggling. She ran her long fingers through his short, white fur and let herself cry unabashedly.

Momo didn’t judge her. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t make her feel any worse. Momo didn’t even look at her. He just sat with her, lending any comfort he could with his presence until the tears and sobs began dying down.

“Thanks, Momo,” Suki sniffed, playing with Momo’s ears absently. “You’re a good friend, you know that buddy?”

Momo didn’t give any sign he’d heard her and just snuggled down further into her lap and purred softly. And Suki smiled. She didn’t think she could but she did. She didn’t know what was going to happen and she was terrified for her future but at least she had her cat. With Momo here with her, things would be alright.

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