#nods to aromanticism

[arthurtaylorlester]

aromantic arthur lester pass it on

#you agree #*nods head vigorously* #hahah what do you mean aromanticize all my blorbos on person nooo who does that not me #< /sarc #quoiromantic john bcs he's a fucking godsona do you think he even understands what a sexuality is #he's just here for the vibes #arthur lester #malevolent #malevolent arthur #malevolent podcast #arthur malevolent #john doe #john doe malevolent #malevolent john #john malevolent #aromantic arthur lester #make that into an active tag. now. #queerplatonic relationship #more like our-souls-and-fates-are-so-entangled-i-cannot-get-rid-of-you-and-i've-grown-not-to-want-toships #also strangling-you-with-our-red-string-of-fate-ships #well maybe not /red/ #jarthur is so insane that calling it love would make love confused #they are sooooo much more than ''in love'' #private eyes #but not really #unhinged aromantics

[penguinsfly]

I unfortunately saw something I didn't want to see and that was my last straw. I'm fucking doing this.

Let's establish this first. Alastor is stated in the show to be asexual that is not up to discussion. He is also very heavily implied in the same conversation to be aromatic. 'An Ace in the hole' being used in context of him being with Charlie is also implying his aromanticism.

VIDEO

If that's not enough then here is Viv speaking about his romantic orientation. It's pretty clear despite the fact that afterwards she said it's okay to headcanon whatever (it's not but I will get o that later) that he is written purely as an aro ace character.

On top of that going by Alastor's interaction with Angel from the pilot and the first episode it is clear that he is sex repulsed. Not only that but on the fandom website he is stated to be touch averse with two sources which you can check out on the website.

Hazbin hotel wiki, Alastor page

Now we established that Alastor is canonically Asexual, Aromantic, Sex Repulsed and Touch Averse

As I also am all of the above I'll try to explain everything to the best of my ability as simply as I can.

Aromanticism and Asexuality.

I'm probably targeting the audience that knows those terms but regardless I will explain it anyway.

Aromantic - people that experience little to no romantic attraction towards any gender

Asexual - people that experience little to no sexual attraction towards any gender.

Little to no

Asexuality and aromanticism are spectrums in which people can feel certain attractions towards people but those attractions are less occurring or are defined by personal connection.

Diagram from AVEN website

However some people are at the end of the spectrum, they never felt attraction and that's valid. Alastor was stated to be aroace he wasn't written as demi or as gray he was written as aroace as in the end of the spectrum. His repulsion and not giving shit about romance or sex speaks for itself.

Representation

I do understand that everyone wants to be represented but it's so important to understand that aroace people are one of the most underrepresented queer groups in the media.

And I'm not here to scream about how I want my fav character to be just like me I don't care for it I'm way too confident in my orientation to rely on that however I'm tired of explaining to people what asexuality and aromanticism is just to receive 'are you sure' or 'you'll change your mind' or 'its not real' or the community favourite 'you'll find the right person' no I won't I'm not looking thank you very much (I just smile and nod to be polite and I'm sick of it).

'Harmless' buts like: 'He might be on the spectrum', 'AroAce people can still feel attraction' hurt the final outcome for all the people on the spectrum not only strictly aroaces because it allows people to write one shots with 'Demi Alastor' that falls in love in 2000 words because he is 'demi' (spoiler alert: they don't understand what that label means). It's just a cover, an opening, sneaky way to disregard his orientation, feel good about themselves and move on. Newsflash there is no moving on for aroace people it's our life.

Shipping

Shipping is just harmless fun right? Usually yes but not in this case. In the same way its not okay to ship gay characters with genders they are not attracted to.

It's erasure and since there is much less people identifying on aro/ace spectrums then there is gay or bi people our voices are being silenced. Not to mention that gay people received support from entire LGBTQIA+ community over the years in contrast to aro/ace specs who to this day are told that we are 'not queer enough' or 'not oppressed enough' often by other queer people.

And finally... FINALLY we get cannon Aro/Ace character that is clearly not interested in romance and sex. Character that beats stereotypes of boring and timid aro/ace people and what's the first people do? They ship him. Alastor's storyline provides so many points to be explored like 'what is his backstory', ' what's about his deal', ' how does he fit in in the found family trope' , 'does he care about hotel guests' yet people choose to write about the only thing that he is not interested in. As a heavily repulsed person that used to be horrified about the fact that I'll have to fall in love with somebody at some point before I found out what aro/ace is I find it repulsive and trust me he would too.

But Viv said it's okay!

Its the same point once again. What if Viv said that it's okay to ship gay Angel with woman. She doesn't have authority to say shit like that.

Queerplatonic relationships

I can't tell you not to do it I don't think he would be necessary interested in it but for fuck sake do your research and try to understand what queerplatonic means before you use it as a cover to shamelessly ship him. Respect the fact that he is sex repulsed and touch averse and you're fine.

Why can't you just avoid it?

First of all I shouldn't have to. Alastor's orientation should be respected in the fandom like any other orientation is. Second of all I've tried. I tried to only look up AroAce Alastor tag I've blocked over 80 people on tumblr alone (I just counted) to avoid to see anything that could trigger me and I'm not talking about slightly shippy posts or fanarts I'm talking about full blown disregard towards his orientation. Guess what it didn't work!

Archive of our own where do I start. I've used this website for over a decade and I could probably count days I didn't go there on my fingers. I'm fluent in AO3 I know which tags I should block. I know how to skim thorough the summary and tags to see if I'm interested. I've seen shit I'm a shipper I've been on ao3 for ten years but never had to mentally prepare myself to face queerphobia as I click on the tab.

Just use aro/ace Alastor tag.

I do and let me tell you people can't tag for shit or they just pretend to be clueless at this point. Besides see this?

there is more ff with Alastor/reader (disgusting) than there is Alastor with his canon orientation and to play the devils advocate for arophobic people there is more Angel/Alastor then his stated in the show sexuality. I understand that fandom goes back before the show was aired but Viv confirmed his orientation back then too.

Summary

I could go on and on bout different issues and maybe I will in the future but I'm not wasting anymore of this weekend on it. I'm ready to answer any questions as long as they are respectful.

I'm aware that he is a fictional character, it doesn't affect him in any way whatsoever but it does affect aromantic and asexual people keep it in mind.

If there are any mistakes grammar related I'm not sorry I'm fluent in English (not my first language) but I took 3h nap in between and I'm sleep deprived.

Have a nice day.

#alastor #aroace alastor #hazbin hotel #aromantic #asexual #aromantic alastor #asexual alastor

[cemeterything]

I wasn't 100% sure you were aro and wanted to send you an ask awhile ago about how funny it would be if you were because your last name is Loveless and now I know you are so it's less weird and as an aro person I wish I'd thought of that because it's brilliant 🤌

i actually chose it because it originated from an old english word for "outlaw" but the fact that it was a convenient nod to my aromanticism definitely helped

[heartless-aro]

what's the story behind aardvarks and yellow roses?

Yellow Roses

Ok so yellow roses are a bit more straightforward to explain, so I’m gonna start there. Outside of the aromantic community, yellow roses traditionally symbolize friendship. Because of this symbolism, when the first aromantic flag (the four stripe flag with green, yellow, orange, and black, shown below) was published on the website for the National Coalition for Aromantic Visibility (NCAV), the flag included a yellow stripe which represented romantic friendship, friends with benefits, friendship dating, and queerplatonic relationships.

The redesigns of the flag also included a yellow stripe (to represent lithromantics) though I’m not sure whether this was at all inspired by the yellow stripe in the original flag (if anyone knows please lmk). Still, it’s an interesting piece of aro history for sure. We still see yellow being used to represent platonic attraction sometimes (notably, on the queerplatonic flag), so there could be some link there as well (though that’s a bit of speculation).

Before the “ace discourse” era on here, I also used to see yellow roses by themselves being used as a symbol of aromanticism by aromantics due to platonic love being intrinsic to how many people experience their aromanticism. It wasn’t as common of a symbol as, say, aardvarks or spades, but it was common enough to be recognizable as a symbol. It was especially used as a symbol of platonic love and attraction within the aro community, as one might expect. Here’s a screenshot of one instance of this that I found digging through old posts by @aromanticaardvark on Wayback Machine. The post is from 2015.

I’m not sure why, but I’ve always personally liked the yellow roses as an aro symbol even if I don’t entirely relate to the platonic love symbolism (in fact, I could be considered aplatonic, though I don’t often label myself as such).

I actually use the blue roses in my header as a nod to the old yellow rose symbol, in case anyone was curious about that. (I chose blue roses instead of yellow since, as I said, the platonic love symbolism isn’t particularly relatable to me. Plus blue roses are often used to symbolize unattainable or unrequited love, which I thought was fitting since I myself am unattainable, and any romantic feelings directed towards me will forever be unrequited).

Aardvarks

So, I’m about 90% sure that the aardvark symbol was started by @aromanticaardvark, who used to be one of the big name blogs in the aro community (though their blog has been inactive since 2016). Back when advice animal memes were a thing, the person behind the Aromantic Aardvark blog used to post aromantic-themed advice animal memes which featured an aardvark. (An example of one such meme originally posted on the Aromantic Aardvark blog in 2011 is shown below).

In 2015, Aromantic Aardvark received the anonymous ask “What does the aardvark have to do with it?” to which they replied “Nothing, really, it’s just alliterative. Aromantic Aardvark was founded when advice animals were a common meme here on tumblr, and my friend and I thought it’d be funny if there were an aromantic meme. That aspect of the blog eventually went away however, and it became more of a general resource/advice blog for aro spectrum people.” This would seem to imply that the use of aardvarks to symbolize aromantics originated on the Aromantic Aardvark tumblr blog.

This would make sense seeing as��� Aromantic Aardvark was one of the early aromantic blogs, and was even linked on the NCAV website back in 2014.

Aardvarks were used pretty commonly as an aromantic symbol for a while. Notably, the AroPlane forum, where a lot of early discussions about aromantic symbols and flag redesigns took place, used a drawing of an aardvark in its website banner (see below).

I’m honestly not quite sure when aardvarks started to decline in use as an aromantic symbol though.

#aro #aromantic #aro symbols #aro history #aardvarks #yellow roses #asks #long post

[antebunny]

So there's a subgenre of fics in the Harry Potter fandom wherein a person conceived while one of their parents is under the influence of a love potion will become aroace at birth. The origin, afaik, are two insidiously awful decisions of JKR combining: 1) she reinvented date rape drugs/roofies aka love potions, without realizing it I guess, and 2) she said that Voldemort was asexual, because she's never seen a marginalized identity she didn't spit on.

Since Merope Gaunt (Voldemort's mother) used a love potion on Tom Riddle Sr. (Voldemort's dad) I guess people got the idea that what if love potions caused asexuality? And asexuality + aromanticism, of course, meant evil. Here's an excerpt from one of those fics in which Bill Weasley explains being aro/ace to Hermione:

[Image ID]

"No. I just dated because that was what you did. I never really felt anything for them. A few kisses, plenty of hand-holding. I made out in a few broom closets, and had one very uncomfortable make-out session up the top of the Astronomy Tower that I eventually ended by pretending I heard Filch coming past on a patrol. I even tried making out with a guy once in case that was it–nothing. I never told mum about that, of course. Good wizards don't shame their families like that."

"There's nothing wrong with being gay, you know."

He shrugged. "It doesn't apply to me anyway. I'm not gay. I wasn't anything, and I was trying to accept that and be content with it. It was good enough. Until I met Fleur." His eyes lit up with joy as he spoke about her.

[Second Image ID]

"Look, the point is with her allure from being part-Veela, I love her. Like I can never love anyone else. I don't want to lose that. You don't understand what it's like to go through life feeling nothing for anyone else. I've dated people I said I cared for, but I wouldn't have died for them. Well, out of logical choice I might risk my life, but not from love. But I would die for Fleur. Do you understand? She makes me a better person. I would do anything to make her happy. I'm not alone in the world anymore."

She nodded slowly. "I see." It wasn't so much him manipulating Fleur, as him permitting her to manipulate him. Into feeling. "I didn't realise it could be that bad." She still thought he should confess, but it didn't sound like he was hurting Fleur–he really did love her.

[End Image ID]

I read this fic years ago, and at the time I genuinely had not thought about my sexuality at all. I would've never called myself aro or ace. Still, reading this felt like being repeatedly punched in the face. I kept on waiting for Hermione to say something similar to what she said after Bill made a homophobic comment. After all, she went out of her way the first time, didn't she. Instead, what I got was essentially:

Bill: I don't usually feel romantic or sexual attraction. So there's something wrong with me.

Hermione: Yeah lmao. But there's nothing wrong with being gay!

I've been (reading) on Ao3 since 2016, and in all that time I've seen plenty of subtle racism, sexism, etc. But I've never seen anything as plainly stated as this. To this day I have yet to hear any aro/ace people describe the experience of being aro/ace in any of the following ways: "How could I forgive myself if we brought a child into the world to suffer the emptiness I lived with my whole existence[?]" /"You should be unable to love." / "You don't understand what it's like to go through life feeling nothing for anyone else."

I could not understand why Bill described it as "emptiness" or "feeling nothing." I still cannot find a single aro/ace person who would describe themselves as empty. The most I have ever heard is: "I wish I was normal" (meaning I wish I fit in, I wish to be accepted by other people). Historically, many aro/ace people married and had kids, conforming to societal norms, and I am sure many believed there was something wrong with them or hoped to grow out of it. I was one of them. On a very personal note, I suspect that my father is too. I am certain that he's never heard the terms asexual or aromantic in his life. But if you think I'll ever discuss his sexuality with him, you're out of your damn mind.

Now, I know it's really easy to find this fic from these quotes. I chose to include them anyways because I think it's important to show how blatant it was. My Tumblr blog isn't exactly a platform, but for the five people reading this: please, please do not go after the author. I truly believe that they had no ill-intent. In the comments of this fic, a few people bring up variations of "it sounds like Bill is just aro/ace" and the author is consistently understanding. Here are some of the author's comment on that fic:

[Image ID]

I very much understand what you're saying. It's a tricky thing for me to address, however. For the core idea I'm playing with is basically the evilness of "love potions". And part of that is exploring JKR's idea that Voldemort, being unable to love due to his mother using a love potion on his father, was a *monster* because of that. Perhaps that doesn't come across very clearly (there's a little bit more of it in the prequel), that it's one of the assumptions I'm trying to undermine. ("Love potions are funny/romantic", "Voldemort is a monster because he could not love", "Harry's power was that he could love - he's not a monster like Voldemort", "There's nothing wrong with selling love potions to teens/adults because it's not 'real' love".)

I feel like I'm already poking at the inherent problem of framing "people who cannot love" as "monsters/psychopaths" by showing Bill and Harry's struggles with self acceptance, and Bill finding a way to love (though do note he'd been making peace with the idea he wasn't attracted to anyone, prior to meeting Fleur). I really don't like the canonical take on love-redeems/love-is-the-best-power/the-loveless-are-monsters, so I'm messing with it a bit. Exploring other people than Voldemort, ones we admire, who are also dealing with being unable to love. Does that make sense? Now, that doesn't mean I'm doing a perfect job at it, but I'm trying my best to explore that theme around the edges of my Dramione story.

[End Image ID]

The author's intention was to show how other characters, made aro/ace via love potion like Voldemort, were not evil or sociopaths. I don't know why all the characters were so aro/acephobic, but sometimes fics get away from you and you don't address everything you wanted to. I don't know why the aro/ace characters had so much internalized shame and hatred when the term bachelor has been in use for centuries, but we fanfic authors love writing self-esteem issues and I would be a hypocrite to say otherwise. I don't know why the author never tagged acephobia or internalized acephobia, but no one HAS to tag anything.

I don't know if the author ended up writing that fic where Harry comes to accept his aro/asexuality. It's totally understable if they didn't; I have failed to write many fics that I really did want to write. Sometimes it's just like that. I really, truly believe that the author had the best of intentions and is not aro/acephobic, just severely misled on what that experience is like.

My beef is not with this author. I used their words to highlight a reoccurring and popular sentiment that I hate. My real beef is that this fic is popular. This is an entire subgenre of Harry Potter fics. I actually decided to write this post because some random person on the internet said, a few days ago, something along the lines of: "Remember when JKR invented a date rape drug that turned people into sociopaths? Yeah…" (And also because I was up until 3 am last night writing a dumb trash angst one-shot about it).

I'd wager that the vast, vast majority of people who write or read those fics don't feel the same way. But the condescension is baked into the very premise of that trope. "Oh poor you, it must be so hard, so lonely going through life without ever loving another person. You must feel so empty inside."

It's actually people who say similar things that make me feel isolated. Most of the time I feel free, like I've cracked this secret code, like I'm able to see things clearly that people so hung up over sex and romance can't. Other times I feel so left out I wish I was "normal." Mostly, being aro/ace is lonely, annoying, exhausting, and liberating.

It wasn't until last year that a friend told me that some people actually do have trouble speaking to someone they've never met before, just because they find that someone attractive. I thought that only happened in stories. But I don't want to get nervous meeting new people based on their looks, I don't want to treat people differently based on how much I want to have sex with them. I wish my friends in high school had never pressured me to come out as bisexual. I wish all the other similarly liberal, queer communities I've found since didn't insist on associating sex and dating with emotional comfort. I wish I could magically stop my parents from expecting me to ever get married and have kids.

But I can't.

Anyways, that's it for today. I'm not sure what the point of writing this was. I really don't want anyone to get hurt or attacked because of it. This is not a callout, or a hate brigade, or any sort of call-to-action. I don't want people to get up-in-arms about this. I'm just tired. I suppose I just wanted to put my feelings out there, and well, this is my Tumblr.

#asexuality #aromantism #aroace #acearo #aphobia #acephobia #asexual #aromantic #harry potter #harry potter fandom #harry potter fanfiction

[mindelectricdemofour]

i'm not in love (ain't that fucked up)

March 11: Unconventional relationships / Trope subversion

Prompts: @mcyt-aro-week // ao3 Link: i'm not in love (ain't that fucked up) // Title: aromantic moodboard - Maxwell Anthony

“Pearl-!” BigB called, (-well, whispered. They were the NOSY neighbours, not the NOISY ones.) As he whispered, Pearl's head poked over the foliage. Brown curls wrapped themselves down the side of her face, framed with a cheeky smile

He tilted his head, a clear ‘get over here.’ Because Skizz and Tango were planning a trap, outloud, and seemed to have forgot who their neighbours were.

Pearl disappeared into the treeline, with BigB continuing to watch. He could see the redstone contraption Tango was building, some kind of remote detonator with TNT minecarts. But Skizz was standing too close, wasn't he?

He didn't even notice the small kiss on the cheek Pearl had given him. He didn't think it was meant to be noticed, not like the flashy ones they displayed to others. Tango was stepping closer, they'd actives the trap-

“Ahaha-!” Pearl's laughter rang out before either of them had noticed their mistake. There was just a fraction of a frame where BigB could see Tango’s wide-eyed face before he crumpled to dust.

“That was hilarious, how did they not notice?” Pearl turned to him. She was beautiful under the bright midday light. Especially when she was grinning at murder.

“I can't believe they didn't.” He nodded, looking back to where the contraption had once been before heading towards their base. Pearl leant towards him again, asking for a kiss. He happily obliged, rough beard meeting printise skin. 

Pearl and him had been in a rough spot for a while as basemates. They both, as it turned out, were really affectionate people, always having to hold hands, or smile at each other. 

But it had led to some people on the server thinking they were dating.

(“You know, good job-” Tango had caught up to both of them one night while he was mining away. “Impulse told me that you guys finally got together and I thought - Good for them and I figured I should come over and tell you congrats… Why are you both staring at me like that?”

Pearl and BigB glanced at each other. Tango was beginning to clue into what was happening. “Please tell me Impulse didn't lie to me.”

BigB was certain Impulse and Pearl were friends enough for her to tell him about her sexuality. He confirmed after that she had. “Uh, that was probably a miscommunication Tango.”

“You two aren't together, are you?”

It wasn't a question. BigB shook his head. “Quite the opposite actually,” Pearl piped up. “Uh, we are both… we don't do that?”

BigB nodded, taking the lead and proceeding to tell Tango what aromanticism was. Tango seemed to get it by the end though.

“Oh.” Was all he said. “Uh- well. Sorry for misjudging I guess. I must have heard Impy wrong.”

“You must have.” Pearl nodded, no real threat in her eyes. Tango proceeded to awkwardly shift back up the mineshaft and the nosy neighbours had a story to laugh to Scott and Martyn about. )

When the rumours had started, the two didn't immediately move to clear it up. It was always a hassle to explain how they didn't date and mostly just got them pity looks and confusion.

So they'd stopped holding hands out in public, stopping any form of real affection and mostly going back to what could only be interpreted as ‘friendly’ interactions.

Both of them hated it.

And it didn't stop the rumours.

(“You two,” Joel had pulled Pearl aside in the early morning, gazing at her with barely any emotion. He looked between her and BigB in the distance, who was trying to cook iron. “Are you a thing yet.”

Pearl laughed it off. Before realising he was serious. “Oh. Uhm, no. We are- I don't do that.”

Joel's face barely changed. “Okay. Let me know if that changes. I've got a bit of a bet going.”

Before she could correct him, (because she was never going to date anyone and he should probably know that,) he ran off. She briefly wondered who he'd made the bet with

Probably Cleo. She knew both Pearl's and BigB’s sexualities. It was just like her to capitalise on something like that.

‘Good for her,’ Pearl thought, before going back to wheat farming.)

Pearl led BigB back home, darting ahead every so often to keep him on his toes - almost like a cat darting in between his legs. “Wanna bully them more in chat?”

“Sure!” BigB stopped, pulling up in chat and typing a quick ‘lol.’ Pearl was typing up a storm however. He could see her fingers darting across the chat hovering in front of her. 

“Slow down Pearlio, we have all day.” When they'd realised that the server was going to mistake their relationship for love anyways, they'd had to sit down and talk.

BigB remembered it like it was yesterday. 

(“Hey.” A private DM from Pearl lit up his chat. BigB stopped mining to look at the time. 

Eleven pm? Oh. Pearl probably wanted him in bed by now. And plus, he couldn't afford to be tired tomorrow. Not with the clock family on their arse. 

He went to write back a quick, ‘I’ll be up soon,’ but was stopped by the next text.

“Meet at the top of the tower?” 

That wasn't good.

BigB left his pickaxe in the cave. Underneath the starlight he could barely make out Pearl's silhouette as he drew closer to home. But he knew she was up there.

“BigB.” His head emerged from the trapdoor. Pearl was resting against the roof, legs splayed out and arms holding her up. “Are we romantic?”

What? “No.” A cold spike of fear went through him. It was the same feeling of dread he'd get when he was asked if he and Pearl were dating. The feeling of doing something wrong, that they were doing this whole relationship wrong.

“Good.” She looked back up to the stars. BigB followed her gaze. “We shouldn't let them convince us that this is. I know that what we have isn't love, and you know it. That should be all that matters.”

She was right. Of course, she was always right and BigB would agree with anything she said but this time she was extra right. “Of course.” Where was she going with this?

Pearl turned to him. He could have sworn her eyes looked even larger under the moonlight. 

She held her hand out. BigB took it.

“We shouldn't care about what people think. I like hugging you, and holding your hand.” She glanced away, expression cold. “It shouldn't be romantic. Who cares if anyone thinks of it that way.”

BigB missed how warm her hands were compared to hers. The feeling of her hand in his… 

He gripped her hand tighter. “I don't think their feelings matter at all.”

Pearl laughed. It was a light thing. “I don't think so either.”)

“I am slowing down, I just-” Pearl sent a whopping three paragraphs of text before smiling up at him. “I just thought that death was unfair. Poor Skizz.”

Pearl's grievances were met with a few ‘lol’s and a single ‘damnnn go off’ by Martyn. 

BigB laughed. “Wow, you are mean.” 

Pearl winked. “Get it from the best.” 

“Me?”

“Of course, who else. You are so sassy and don't even realise it!” 

He opened his mouth to defend himself. Before closing it.

“Yeah, you know you are.”

“I might be. But you are too. That's why we work so good together!” 

Pearl laughed as he picked her off her feet and into a bridal carry. It was something the two did often, but not for long. They were that strong. 

He gave her the biggest kiss on the cheek before setting her down.

“All that so you can kiss me? You cheeky bastard.”

The kissing had come later in the relationship. Once they got over showing affection publicly and the rumours had mostly gone away. 

(Of course, after the first kiss, the rumours had come back up. But neither cared too much. Not like they had before.)

The first kiss was in the heat of the moment, with Jimmy and Grian falling face first into their trap. BigB had turned to Pearl.

He wanted to hug her, he wanted to squeeze her, he wanted to-

He landed the worst and wettest kiss on her cheek. Before stepping back. 

Because that was a boundary he'd definitely crossed. 

“I'm sorry-” he squeaked out. Why did he do that, what was wrong with him-!

Pearl wiped the saliva away. It was gross and off-putting even to him. “I was just about to do the same!”

…Huh?

They'd had another midnight talk about it, where their boundaries were and what was a serious line. BigB confessed he'd never felt the urge to kiss anyone until now. 

“Every time I look at you I feel the urge to kiss you,” Pearl confessed. “Never romantically. But… not just as a friend either. I never did. I never wanted you to take it as a romantic thing, as kissing often is.” She glanced up. “So I never kissed you.”

BigB stared at her. “And if I let you kiss me?”

There was still an air of uncertainty about the whole thing. Kissing was something inherently seen as romantic. But beneath the moonlight, as BigB and Pearl shared their second kiss on the cheek, it was anything but.)

“Let's bully them a bit more back home!” She was almost skipping back, BigB right on her toes. 

“Well, I think after that you've done enough.”

She laughed. “Oh I'm just getting started.”

#mcyt aro week #one shot

[our-aroace-experience]

Hi! 18-year old aroace here. Here's something I wrote about my own experiences with being aspec ~

I see alot of people talking about how their parents expect them to get a partner and kids and so on, because they want grandkids or whatever, but I never really had that myself. I remember my mom asking me when I was a kid whether I ever want to get married or have kids. I said no, absolutely not, and she told me that's ok - not everyone wants that. And that it's also fine if I ever change my mind about it. I think I was in like, 5th or 6th grade at the time? Still, she accepted my answer and never really pressed the issue again.

The first time I ever heard the grandkids talk was a few months ago, visiting a friend of my mom's. Her first grandchild had just been born and she was so excited, told us all about it and showed us pictures. She told me and my brother that we should get kids too, that it's our duty to give our parents grandchildren or some such. She also told us that one should have a partner by 30, and that you shouldn't be too picky about it. They can even be foreign, she said. We just smiled and nodded and laughed about it with our mom later.

It was strange. I see people talking about this online all the time, but I don't think it ever really occured to me that it's actually something parents tell their kids - it's just such a bizarre idea, isn't it?

Lgbt has never really been something we talk alot about in my family. I learned about that stuff online, somewhere around middle school I think.

When I first learned about asexuality and aromanticism, I debated whether I should talk about it with my parents, come out or whatever. In the end I decided that it's not really necessary, though. My sex life is hardly their business, and starting a family or even having a partner has never been something that was expected from me. Explaining the specific terms wouldn't really change anything or help them understand me better, because they already accept me just the way I am. They always have.

i’m so happy your parents never put that kind of pressure on you! i agree, as long as you’re content with your parents understanding of your identity, there is no need to show them terms they might not be familiar with, your parents sound lovely!

[headcanonsandmore]

'Glad All Over (Cake By The Ocean)', Chapter Seven

Summary: Pride has finally started in Tregonnereth! Nyssa and Tegan's relationship becomes deeper, owing to Nyssa's dad and step-mum arriving in town, and Mel may just find herself getting that kiss from a certain Ace McShane. In other news no-one is surprised by, Barbara is beloved by all and Benton has to deal with Mike Yates being interminably unreliable.

(Special thanks to my awesome friend @serenbex for helping me with the Welsh lingo in this chapter; much appreciated, mate!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read on AO3.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday was noticeably less stressful, especially for Nyssa. After having a leisurely breakfast with Tegan, the two had popped into the town and had seen Romana off, with the blonde woman giving them both a hug before climbing into the crew’s people-carrier.

‘Romana’s cool,’ Tegan said, as they headed over to Nyssa’s place.

‘Always has been,’ Nyssa agreed.

‘Kinda hot too-’

‘Tegan!’

‘Oh, so you ogling Peri is okay, but I can’t admire-’

‘I did not ogle Peri!’

‘So, you were ogling her sunglasses that were tucked on top of her-’

Nyssa cut Tegan off with a kiss, and promptly pulled her by the front of her top through the front door. There was a delighted squeal from the Australian as the door closed behind them.

*

‘Ace and aro spectrum lecture?’ Nyssa said, reading the pamphlet that Tegan had dropped down onto the table. It was later that morning, and two of them had been enjoying the rare morning of the week that they both had free. ‘You want to go to this?’

‘Sure,’ the Australian replied, reaching into the cupboard and pulling out plates. ‘It’s due to start in about an hour; we can have some lunch and then pop over. I think it’s being hosted in the town hall.’

‘As long as you’re sure.’

After lunch, the two women headed through Tregonnereth to the town hall. The lecture was being hosted by an activist from Cornwall Pride. Nyssa found the lecture very informative, but not as much as Tegan did. The Australian was nodding along throughout, clearly engrossed in what the activist was saying. She had even gone up afterwards and discretely asked a question. Nyssa had been looking at the books and leaflets at the time, so she hadn’t heard what Tegan had been enquiring about.

Apparently satisfied, Tegan had joined Nyssa by the books.

‘All sorted here?’

Nysa nodded.

‘Did you want to get anything? All the profits go back into Pride.’

‘Alright…’

Tegan bought two keyrings, one in the lesbian flag and the other (which she promptly gifted to Nyssa) in the ace flag.

‘You’re such a sweetie,’ Nyssa giggled, pressing a kiss to Tegan’s cheek. The Australian’s face blushed slightly as she smiled. ‘Did you enjoy the lecture?’

‘Yeah,’ Tegan replied, as the two women headed outside. ‘I didn’t know there was a whole spectrum of identities regarding asexuality and aromanticism, so it was interesting.’

‘And you’re not just saying that because I’m asexual?’

‘No!’ Tegan said, as Nyssa giggled. ‘It’s important to know this stuff! Although… I did want to make sure.’

‘Make sure of what?’

Tegan’s face burned.

‘Well… we’ve been going at it like rabbits lately, and I was a little concerned that you were just doing it for my sake.’

Nyssa stared at her, mouth hanging open.

‘I… I hope that you’re enjoying it too,’ Tegan said. ‘And, from what they were saying, ace people can engage with and enjoy that stuff, so that’s… awesome. I mean, I want you to be having as much of a good time as I am.’

There was a pause, before Nyssa chuckled.

‘How long were you fretting about this?’

‘Er… well, the night that you told me you were ace was also our first together so…’

Nyssa giggled, and wrapped an arm around Tegan’s shoulders, pecking the flustered Australian on the cheek.

‘Oh, Tegan; why didn’t you say anything?’

‘And how was I supposed to broach that subject? “Hey, Nys; do you enjoy me sitting on your face or what?”’

Nyssa spluttered with laughter.

‘Well, in answer to your question, yes. Very much so, yes.’

Tegan blushed further, grinning happily as Nyssa intertwined their fingers.

*

Nyssa and Tegan rose early on the Monday morning. Tegan had stayed over at Nyssa’s place, and -rather unusually- had brought an overnight bag this time.

‘I thought pyjamas might be a nice idea,’ the Australian said, as she brushed her hair. ‘Your room hasn’t got a lock; I don’t want Mel walking in and accidentally seeing me half-dressed.’

‘Good thing this place has two rooms,’ Nyssa said, who was stood next to her and brushing her own hair. ‘Otherwise we’d be staying over at yours all the time.’

‘You say that like it’s a bad idea.’

‘It isn’t. But I’d never get any wear out of my nightdresses.’

‘Good point,’ Tegan said, casting an eye up and down Nyssa’s eighteenth-century style nightie. ‘You really do suit those, love.’

Nyssa blushed, and pressed a kiss to the Australian’s cheek.

‘Thank you. Although I’m glad I don’t have to keep doing up the front around you now.’

Tegan grinned, raising an eyebrow.

‘We have the opposite problem now, don’t we?’

With a laugh, Nyssa nudged her shoulder against Tegan’s.

‘By the way,’ Tegan said, as a sudden thought occurred to her. ‘Has your dad sorted out when he’s coming down?’

‘Probably sometime mid-morning on the Saturday. Around eleven-ish, I think. Kassia arranged for them to take the late night train on the Friday.’

‘Kassia… your step-mum, right?’

Nyssa shrugged.

‘She only became my dad’s partner when I was in my late teens, so “step-mum” is a little… redundant. I was already mostly independent by that point.’

‘Is she alright?’

Nyssa smiled.

‘Yes. She makes him happy, so she’s fine by me.’

The two smiled at each other, and continued in silence for a few moments.

‘Hang on,’ Tegan said, a grin forming on her face. ‘You said… eleven-ish.’

Nyssa stared at her.

‘So?’

Tegan’s grin grew larger.

‘Someone’s going native.’

Nyssa giggled.

‘Oh, stop it; it’s only a word.’

‘We just need to get you a Cornish Pasty for lunch and you’d basically be a Cornishwoman!’

Nyssa chuckled, and pressed a kiss to Tegan’s cheek.

‘C’mon; let’s get breakfast. We both need to get to work.’

*

That evening, Tegan invited Nyssa over to her place, and the two women had first eaten dinner together, before watching an old film. “Brief Encounter” was something Nyssa had enjoyed watching as a child; something about the gentle heartbreak of lovers unable to be together had struck her.

Maybe she should have realised back then that she wasn’t heterosexual.

Once the film had finished, Tegan had turned to Nyssa.

‘So… “Professor Mysterious”?’

‘You want to watch it?’

‘Well, you like it so…’

Nyssa giggled, and pressed a kiss to the Australian’s cheek.

A couple of hours later, they were watching one of Nyssa’s favourite serials from the classic era of the programme. From the early eighties, to be specific. The Fifth Professor had always been one of her favourites. Unfortunately, this particular serial was also the final appearance of one of the characters.

Tegan promptly pointed at said-character.

‘Nys, why is she wearing lingerie?’

‘No idea,’ the dentist replied, with a shrug. ‘Pretty sure the actor still doesn’t know. Although, knowing the showrunner, it was probably one of those “for the dad” costumes.’

‘I dunno…’ Tegan said, offhandedly. ‘I think she looks rather lovely.’

‘Tegan!’

‘Oh, so you can fancy Felecity Kendal but I can’t admire this lady?’

‘Not when you’re got your hand on my thigh.’

Tegan didn’t reply, choosing instead to continue watching the episode in an attempt at dignified silence. However, as Tegan and Nyssa watched the two women on screen hug -both characters breaking down into tears- the Australian’s mouth fell open.

‘Wait,’ Tegan said, very softly. ‘So these two friends of the professor are gay for each other, right?’

‘The eighties were a different time,’ Nyssa replied. ‘But… yes. They definitely are.’

‘Knew it! Good grief, the subtext is off the bloody chart!’

‘Given that more recent showrunners have made them a canon couple, I don’t think we’re the only ones who noticed.’

‘Great!’ Tegan exclaimed. ‘Wow; I never realised how queer-friendly this show is.’

‘You’d be surprised,’ Nyssa chuckled. ‘The Thirteenth Professor even had a sapphic romance recently.’

‘Let me guess; did it have a tragic ending?’

‘Depends on your definition of tragic. Neither of them died, but it would have been nice to have seen an on-screen kiss.’

‘Probably the Beeb interfering,’ Tegan muttered. ‘Didn’t they bring back the Tenth Professor recently? Now, that guy got snogged by everyone...’

After finishing the serial, the two of them headed upstairs and got changed.

They had intended to share a bath. Unfortunately, Tegan’s free-standing model was not as big as they had hoped. Eventually, after a lot of water had been splashed onto the floor tiles (and both women had tried in vain to fit in comfortably together), they had ended up deciding to have separate baths.

Nyssa had gone first. While she would have preferred sharing, bathing whilst Tegan watched her appreciatively was rather wonderful. The Australian happily perched herself on the edge of the bath, wearing a robe and a positively glowing smile.

Tegan stroked a finger down Nyssa’s leg. The dentist gave a giggle.

‘Enjoying yourself?’

‘Very,’ Tegan replied. ‘Not sure why you needed to use so much bubble-bath, though.’

‘I have to leave something to your imagination,’ Nyssa said, with a giggle. ‘Besides, I like a pamper on occasion.’

Tegan smiled, softly.

‘You’re not getting cold?’

‘No, but now you mention it… could you pass me a towel?’

Tegan nodded. Nyssa stood up in her water, and took the proffered towel, drying herself off as best she could before climbing out of the bath.

‘I can feel you staring,’ she said, as she wrapped her head in the towel.

‘Stop the presses,’ Tegan cheeked, before walking over and giving Nyssa a squeeze around the middle. ‘I’ll just hop in now; you go and get comfy in the bedroom.’

Nyssa smiled as the Australian disrobed, and took the opportunity to give Tegan’s rear end a soft squeeze, causing the older woman to give a heady laugh. Nyssa watched her settle into the bubbles for a moment, before leaning over and pressing a kiss to Tegan’s forehead.

‘Would you like me to make us some cocoa?’

‘You’re an angel but no thanks,’ Tegan said, smiling. ‘Besides… I don’t want to ruin my appetite for-’

‘Tegan!’

‘Oh, do you not want to this evening?’

‘That’s not what I meant.’

Tegan grinned, leaning over to rest her arms on the side, placing her head on her upturned palms.

‘Course it isn’t.’

Nyssa bit her lip to stop herself giggling. She settled for a kiss to Tegan’s lips, and headed out of the bathroom.

In the bedroom, Nyssa dried her hair off as best she could, and slipped into her nightdress. She could hear the sound of Tegan humming in the bath in the next room. The dentist amused herself for a moment as she listened, before giggling.

She was going soppy.

With a roll of her eyes, she turned to survey herself in the mirror nearby.

Once again, she found herself unsure as to whether she looked… attractive? She could tell that she was probably (on-balance) rather cute in her nightie, especially with her hair loose. But as to anything else, she was utterly at sea. What did people do in these situations? Read a book? Check their social media?

Maybe she ought to focus on looking inviting to Tegan for when the Australian had finished her soak. Yes, that would be a nice idea.

Nyssa lay down on the bed, awkwardly perching her head up on her elbow. She gave a quick kick of her leg, so that her nightdress hung nicely off. She had remembered not to do up the front, meaning that the material drooped softly off her shoulder. And some other places too. She arranged it all just so, hoping that with a bit of luck, Tegan would get a nice eyeful.

At least, that’s what she thought might be good. She had never really done this sort of thing before. It wasn’t as if she could wear a corset to bed, after all. But she knew that Tegan liked her nightdresses. And, while Nyssa had been tipsy, Tegan had gotten flustered when she’d had to do up the front of the garment.

Did this position help the nightdress hug her curves? Maybe she should sit on the edge of the bed instead? That way her hair would dangle nicely over her shoulder. But she didn’t know if she could keep leaning in that position for very long. Oh, this was all so complicated. Who would have thought there would be so much preparation for a night in and hopefully a good-

‘Nyssa, what are you doing?’

The dentist froze.

Tegan was stood in the doorway, wearing a robe and a knowing look. How long had Nyssa been fretting over this? She could have sworn it had only been a few moments since she’d put her nightdress on.

‘N-nothing,’ Nyssa said, plastering on a smile. She awkwardly hoisted herself along the bed, so that she was lying (elevated on her elbow) near the pillows.

‘Really?’ Tegan replied, as she crossed the room and nestled herself down beside Nyssa on the bed. ‘Looked more like you were overthinking things again.’

Nyssa felt her face burn.

‘I… am I really that obvious?’

‘Yes, and it’s adorable,’ Tegan replied, pressing a kiss to Nyssa’s lips. ‘But, love, you really don’t need to. Just you being here is wonderful; you don’t need to worry about how you look when I enter a room.’

‘I… I want this to be special.’

‘It is,’ Tegan said, very softly. ‘Nyssa, it is. So please stop worrying that I’m gonna lose interest if you don’t look gorgeous at all possible times. Which is ridiculous, because -to me- you are gorgeous all the time anyway.’

‘You… you mean it?’

‘Nys, you could be wearing an old potato sack and I’d still be besotted with you.’

Nyssa giggled, and kissed the Australian on the lips.

‘Okay,’ she said. ‘Point taken. Did you have a nice bath?’

‘Would have nicer if you’d been sat near. I got to see you soak, after all.’

‘I would have ended up in the bath with you, knowing what we’re like,’ Nyssa said, placing a hand on Tegan’s side. ‘And we already had to clean enough water off the floor.’

‘True,’ Tegan giggled. ‘Still, the sight of you in my bath was pretty great, not gonna lie.’

‘Happy to help. Er… Tegan?’

‘Hm?’

‘Er…’ -Nyssa’s cheeks flushed- ‘Can… can you wear your wetsuit?’

Tegan stared at her. The dentist’s hand was now gently stroking up and down Tegan’s thigh.

‘What? Why? Did you want to go surfing? It’s half-nine at night-’

‘No, I-I mean,’ Nyssa said, with a giggle. ‘Can you wear it… for fun, as it were?’

Tegan grinned.

‘You got a thing about seeing me in a wetsuit, Nys?’

‘Well, it is what you were wearing when we first met. And… well, I suppose I’ve developed an appreciation for seeing you wear it.’

‘Oh, really?’

‘Tegan, the other day you were practically drooling over me in a corset; is a wetsuit really so shocking?’

Tegan grinned.

‘Fair point. Although my liking for the corset was helped by it giving me a lovely view of your gorgeous cleav-’

‘Tegan! Wetsuit, hurry!’

Laughing, the Australian bounded off the bed, and charged downstairs. She grabbed her wetsuit from the hobby room, dumped her robe on the floor and-

Realised she could hardly put on the bloody thing without any knickers. That would just be unhygienic.

Thinking fast, Tegan wrapped the robe around her torso and inbetween her legs. She then zipped up the wetsuit, and scrambled up the stairs. Grinning excitedly, she charged back to the bedroom.

Nyssa’s eyes sparkled as she sit up on the bed to stare at the Australian. She giggled, and patted the space on the bed next to her.

Barely a few second later, the two women had their arms wrapped around each other. Tegan’s fingers were cupping Nyssa’s thigh through her nightdress, and Nyssa’s hands were already working feverishly at the wetsuits back zipper.

‘Geez, Nys,’ Tegan chuckled, against the dentist’s lips. ‘You sure weren’t kidding about liking this, were you-’

‘Shut up and keep kissing me.’

So Tegan did. Amongst other things.

*

~Guess who I just met on the bus back from Plymouth?

~Who is it THIS time, Jo?

~Benton, you’re no fun; it was Nyssa’s father!

~Oh, has he come for a visit?

~Yes! Him and his wife are in the West-Country on holiday, and he’s coming to see Nyssa while they’re in the region!

~How are they both?

~Tired but otherwise in good spirits. Oh, I hope he likes Tegan; that would be awful if he didn’t approve.

~Jo…

~What?

~Did you tell him about them? You KNOW that’s up for Nyssa to say!

~I didn’t say they were together! I’ll leave that reveal to the couple themselves!

~The couple that we don’t actually know if they’re couple or not?

~Oh, they’re in love; we all know it! And now Mr Traken will know too. I mean, I HAD to tell him that, at the very least. Otherwise he’ll be all shocked like we were at first.

~JO!

~Jo, that wasn’t something you needed to tell him.

~Agreed. Jo, we don’t even know if they ARE in love.

~You lot are no fun :(

~I’m telling Barbara.

~BENTON, YOU MEANIE!

*

‘Nyssa!’

The dentist was pulled into a hug from her father. He still smelled of tea and old books. Kassia was stood a little back, smiling as she watched them hug.

It was the Saturday, and Nyssa had gone to meet her father and step-mother at the bus stop. The weather was still as lovely as ever, although it had been threatening rain the previous evening. Nyssa had chosen to wear a light blouse and one of her favourite hand-made long burgundy skirts. Tegan had chosen a blue button-down shirt and a pair of chino shorts.

‘Hello, Nyssa,’ Kassia said, as she gave the dentist a hug too. ‘Lovely to see you again.’

‘Lovely to see you too,’ Nyssa replied, smiling. ‘Did you have a pleasant journey down?’

‘More or less,’ Kassia chuckled. ‘But this old socialist kept going on about collective bargaining-’

‘The rail strikes are important, love,’ Tremas said, without a shred of embarrassment. ‘It’s great to see so many people standing up to the fat cats in charge...’

Of course, Nyssa and Tegan had begun speaking in fluent Welsh as they walked through Tregonnereth. Kassia brought up the rear, chuckling to herself as the father and daughter engaged in their normal conversation topics; trade unions, independent music, hand-crafted clothing (Tremas knitted most of his own jumpers and socks), and the family back in Wales.

Nyssa pushed open her front door.

‘Croeso, tad,’ she said, waving Tremas into the house. ‘Croeso, Kassia.’

‘Diolch cariad bach fi,’ Tremas replied, grinning as he placed his suitcase on the ground. ‘Ty pert, eh?’

Nyssa smiled.

‘Nyssa, is that you?’ Tegan’s voice called from the kitchen.

Nyssa felt her stomach squirm with nerves as footsteps approached the hallway.

‘Pwy yw hwnna?’ Tremas asked, eyebrow raised slightly. ‘Nyssa… dy gariad?’

‘Tad!’ Nyssa exclaimed, face burning. ‘Stopiwch! Er…ti'n gweld…’

Tegan finally arrived in the hallway. Her face was the picture of confusion, and she was staring between Nyssa and Tremas with apparent bewilderment.

‘Er… Nyssa?’

‘Oh, sorry,’ Nyssa said, quickly. ‘I forgot you don’t speak Welsh. Dad; this is Tegan.’

Tremas’s eyes widened in recognition.

‘Ah, yes,’ he said, slowly as he looked at Tegan. ‘Mel mentioned you a few times.’

‘You’ve been talking about me with Mel?’ Nyssa exclaimed. ‘Since when?’

‘Nyssa, you moved halfway across the UK and Mel was the only person that I knew who knew where you were,’ Tremas replied. ‘Forgive me for reaching out to make sure you were alright. Anyway… Tegan, eh?’

‘That’s me,’ Tegan said, with a nervy smile.

Tremas looked between the Australian and his daughter.

‘Your partner, yes?’

Tegan and Nyssa’s eyes met, as if in slow motion. Nyssa’s stomach suddenly exploded into nerves again. They hadn’t really discussed it. They had been… an item since that fateful evening two weeks prior, but they hadn’t really put a label on things yet. Nyssa suspected that Tegan was just as nervous about the whole thing as she was; worried that putting a term on this new aspect of their relationship would make things more complicated and even more fragile.

But… Tegan’s smile crinkled slightly at the edges, and Nyssa took that as a positive.

‘Yes,’ she said, softly. ‘She’s my partner.’

Tegan’s cheeks flushed as she smiled, and Nyssa felt herself unable to contain her own smile.

‘Nice to meet you,’ Tremas said, shaking Tegan’s hand. ‘I take it you’re going to make an honest woman out of my daughter-’

‘Dad!’ Nyssa exclaimed, feeling her face burn.

Tremas laughed.

‘I’m just messing,’ he chuckled, his beard quivering with mirth. ‘How about giving us a tour of the town, eh?’

Nyssa slipped her hand into that of her partner (her partner!) and the two women nodded.

*

Of course, Tremas had to start talking about collective bargaining during their meal in the cafe.

‘Er… United Voices Of The World,’ Tegan said, answering Tremas’s question to her.

Nyssa stared at her.

‘Tegan, you never mentioned this before. You’re a union member?’

‘Course,’ Tegan said, with a shrug. ‘Gotta be, nowadays.’

Tremas smiled in approval.

‘Union man, I take it?’ Tegan asked, cheerfully.

‘And proud,’ Tremas replied. ‘Always have been.’

Tegan grinned.

‘Now I see why Nyssa was so determined to help us out in Tregonnereth,’ the Australian said. ‘You’ve raised her well.’

Nyssa found herself blushing at the praise.

‘I like to think so,’ Tremas said.

‘You did a wonderful job,’ Kassia agreed, patting her husband gently on the arm. ‘He’s ever so proud of you, Nyssa; always mentioning you starting up your own practice so a community could keep their local surgery.’

Nyssa smiled at her dad.

‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘Tregonnereth is such a lovely place.’

‘It’s lovely cause Nyssa’s here,’ Tegan said, smiling at the dentist and putting her arm around her shoulders. ‘The sun didn’t turn up until she did.’

Nyssa laughed, feeling her cheeks flush. Tegan squeezed her gently.

Tremas smiled quietly to himself.

‘I know you two haven’t been a couple for very long,’ Tremas said, amicably. ‘But -the way you both look at each other- it’s difficult to tell.’

Tegan and Nyssa smiled.

‘As for Tregonnereth… yes, I thought I recognised it,’ Tremas said, softly as he stared out over the harbour and the beach. ‘We were on holiday here, weren’t we? Before your mother got sick.’

Nyssa sighed, suddenly looking less cheerful. Tegan’s eyes flicked between the dentist and the old Welshman. Without thinking, she intertwined her fingers with Nyssa’s, giving her hand a soft squeeze.

‘Yes,’ Nyssa said, quietly. ‘That’s… that’s how I ended up here, really. I needed space and I thought… well, it was the last time we were happy before mum got diagnosed.’

Tegan was startled to see tears beginning to form in the dentists eyes.

‘S-sorry,’ Nyssa said, letting go of Tegan’s hand and standing up. ‘I’ll be back in a moment. Please continue eating…’

She hurried away, letting herself of the front door of the cafe.

Without thinking, Tegan stood up and hurried after her. She could hear the sounds of Kassia slapping Tremas irritably on the arm as she left.

Nyssa was drying her eyes as she sat on a seat outside.

Tegan sat down beside her.

‘Er…Nys?’

‘I’m s-sorry, Tegan,’ Nyssa said, reaching over and squeezing her hand. Her eyes had gone a little red from crying. ‘I… I didn’t want to bring it up, considering how things are between you and your parents.’

‘Hey, it’s okay,’ the Australian replied, putting her other hand over Nyssa’s and squeezing gently. ‘I… I never realised that was your reason for coming here in the first place.’

Nyssa smiled, sadly.

‘Mum… got diagnosed with cancer that winter,’ she explained. ‘This was before survival rates got better. Hers was terminal, so we couldn’t go on holiday after that.’

Tegan blinked quickly, feeling tears springing to her eyes. She didn’t say anything. What could she say?

‘She… passed away about a year later,’ Nyssa said, quietly. ‘She was in hospice care for the last month of it.’

Tegan wiped her eyes.

‘God, Nys,’ she said, feeling a lump in her throat. ‘I’m… I’m sorry if I made you feel like you couldn’t tell me.’

Nyssa shrugged.

‘You didn’t make me,’ she said. ‘It’s just… well, I was a child at the time. I’ve had twenty-odd years since it all happened. But, here in Tregonnereth, it was where we all happy last. So… I suppose I was worried you’d think I was being morbid.’

‘M-morbid?’ Tegan exclaimed, reaching over and squeezing Nyssa’s arm softly. ‘Nyssa, that’s not morbid; you wanted to be reminded of that happy memory. Don’t… don’t ever think of it like that, ‘kay?’

Her eyes sprinkling with tears, Nyssa leaned over and pressed a kiss to Tegan’s cheek.

‘Thank you, Tegan,’ she said, softly. ‘Truly.’

*

‘Sorry, love,’ Tremas said, a few minutes later. He had sat down on Nyssa’s other side. ‘I didn’t mean to-’

‘It’s fine, dad,’ Nyssa said. ‘I think I’ll check with Kassia about your train times; you don’t want to miss the bus to the nearest station.’

With a small smile, Nyssa got up and walked back inside the café.

Tremas sighed.

‘I buggered that up,’ he said, mostly to himself. ‘Couldn’t keep my mouth shut.’

Tegan didn’t say anything; she didn’t even know if she should head back inside.

Tremas turned to her.

‘You care about my daughter a lot,’ Tremas said. It was a statement of fact, and Tegan nodded.

‘Nyssa’s got a good heart,’ Tegan said, softly. ‘She opened up her practice here because she found out we didn’t have one. She’s… she’s the loveliest person I’ve ever met. Too good for this world.’

Tremas smiled.

‘I was always worried,’ he said, quietly. ‘When she was growing up. She didn’t make friends very easily, and she was always the kid without a mum. Back then, she used to have more of a Welsh accent, so she stuck out even more in the south of England.

But… here, she seems happy. Like she’s found her place in the world, with people who care about her. Thank you.’

‘I-it wasn’t just me,’ Tegan said, feeling very awkward. ‘There’s Barbara, and Mel, and Jo, and Benton, and Liz, and-’

‘But you were the one who convinced her to stay,’ Tremas finished, and patting Tegan gently on the arm. ‘You have my thanks.’

Tegan blinked quickly, not sure quite how to respond to that. Tremas stood up and headed back inside, and Tegan followed a few moments later.

*

Nyssa and Tegan collected Tremas and Kassia’s suitcases from Nyssa’s house, and then met them at the bus stop. They had chatted some more about where the older couple were planning on visiting around Penzance, and then the bus had arrived.

‘You sure you don’t want to stay for the rest of the Pride events? Apparently, Mike Yates is doing a drag show.’

‘Normally, I’d love to,’ Tremas said. ‘But we already booked our train tickets down to Penzance.’

Nyssa gave her parents a hug.

‘Thank you both for stopping by,’ she said, grinning. ‘If you want to pop in on your way back up-country, just let me know.’

‘We may just take you up on that offer.’ Kassia chuckled.

‘Yes,’ Tremas said, smiling at his daughter. ‘You’ve built a good home here.’

Tegan squeezed Nyssa’s hand, and the two watched as Tremas and Kassia climbed onto the bus with their cases. Barely a minute later, there was a few final waves and the bus was gone.

‘Your parents seem cool.’

‘Yes,’ Nyssa said, softly. ‘I suppose they are.’

*

‘Oh, your dad mentioned you used to have a thicker Welsh accent.’

Tegan and Nyssa had decided to wander back into the centre of Tregonnereth, over to where the main Pride parade would be starting from. En-route, they had stopped at Nyssa’s place, to grab their respective flags, get changed, and apply some rainbow-themed glittery make-up.

‘Did he?’ Nyssa replied, putting long streaks of rainbow colours on her cheeks, careful not to let any drop down onto her blouse. ‘Yes, it used to be more pronounced when I was a child. I think living for so long in London dampened it a little; I was surrounded by English people for a long time. You probably noticed that my accent sometimes comes out when I’m feeling strong emotions.’

Tegan grinned, wrapping an arm around her partner. Nyssa enjoyed the feeling of Tegan’s denim shorts against her own cargo pair.

‘Is that why you gasp “Ie!” when you’re almost at the point of-’

‘Tegan!’

Tegan chuckled again, before yawning, stretching her arms up above her head, muscles straining as she did so. Her purple crop-top rose up, showing off her stomach and giving a hint of the tan-lines that were already developing from the summer sun. Nyssa could even see the line from where her sports bra normally sat.

Nyssa felt her face burn and looked away, her brain suddenly full of various choice Welsh words.

*

The Pride events (including the parade itself, the various drag shows, and a ton of different local comedians and guest singers) had gone along pretty swimmingly. With one notable exception.

Mike Yates had somehow managed to knock himself unconscious. As a result, Benton -ever the practical sort of person- had quickly stepped in as the main master-of-ceremonies for the Pride events, although he had insisted that Mel deputise for Ace for the security duties.

Nyssa had to admit, the image of Benton dressed in full drag (complete with enormous high heels, huge eyelashes, and a bouffant wig) wasn’t something she had been expecting. But the man seemed to be enjoying himself nonetheless, especially with his ace and aro pins attached to the front of the green dress he was wearing.

‘How’s Mike doing?’ Tegan asked, as Barbara came to stand beside her and Nyssa.

‘He’s coming around a little,’ the teacher replied. ‘Jo’s sitting with him, along with the professor from her teaching course.’

‘The one with the frilly shirt and curly white hair?’

‘The very same.’

‘And the results of our poll have arrived!’ Benton declared, as Liz handed him an envelope.

‘Poll?’ Barbara said, turning to Nyssa in confusion. ‘What poll was this?’

‘The winners,’ Benton declared. ‘Of “Tregonnereth resident heart-throb” are… Ian and Barbara!’

Barbara’s mouth dropped open, and her face turned red.

‘What?’ she exclaimed, as her and Ian were gently pushed towards the stage. ‘When…’

‘By a large majority,’ Benton continued, reading from the results. ‘At least 94% of those polled confirmed that they had fancied Barbara and/or Ian at least once!’

Barbara, still blushing scarlet, was duly handed a large bouquet of flowers, and a sash was dropped over her shoulder (Ian, grinning adoringly at his flustered wife, was given a matching sash). Nyssa smiled as she clapped along with everyone else. Ryan’s friend Yaz was stood nearby, arm linked around a blonde woman that was presumably her partner.

‘You didn’t fancy Barbara, did you?’ Tegan said in an aside to Nyssa, as the still-flustered Barbara began to stammer a thank-you speech into the microphone that Benton had just handed her.

‘No,’ Nyssa said. ‘She’s almost like… well, she’s very motherly, isn’t she.’

‘For some people, that’s not a turn-off.’

Nyssa slapped Tegan playfully on the arm, as the two women laughed.

*

Midway through the afternoon, Benton had called for Tegan and Nyssa’s help with something backstage, and the two women had entered the area behind the main stage. A young girl -wearing a leg brace- was sat dejectedly on a chair.

‘Hey,’ Tegan said, bending down next to the girl. ‘Susan, what’s wrong?’

The girl couldn’t have been more than thirteen years old, and had a distinctly miserable expression on her face.

‘I broke my leg yesterday,’ she said. ‘And now I can’t do my performance. I promised grandfather I would.’

‘Your grandfather is the man I drove up to London the other week, isn’t he?’ Nyssa said, recognising the facial similarity. ‘You’re Susan Foreman, aren’t you.’

‘Yes, Ms Traken,’ said Susan. ‘He really appreciated that, but he’s not the best with… people, generally.’

Nyssa nodded.

‘How about this?’ she said, kneeling down on Susan’s other side. ‘I can do some dancing while you sing your song?’

‘Me too,’ Tegan said, with a grin. ‘C’mon, Susan; what do you say?’

The girl smiled.

‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘That would be wonderful.

About half an hour later, Nyssa had placed a foldable chair onto the stage while Tegan helped Susan limp over. The two women helped the girl into the chair, and Benton handed her the microphone with a friendly smile.

Nyssa smiled, as she got into position a few feet away from Susan, with Tegan a few feet away on the girl’s other side. She had done a bit of dancing in her time. Knowing what teenagers listened to nowadays, she imagined it would be a sweet love song with some nice piano in the background.

The speakers began to play a beat. It was surprisingly fast, Nyssa noticed. Maybe Susan had chosen a quicker tempo song-

“Oppa Gangnam Style…”

There was a large laugh from several of the audience members. Nyssa and Tegan slowly turned their heads towards each other. Surely…. surely this wasn’t what Susan wanted them to dance to, was it?

It was.

As Susan began the first verse, Tegan was already chuckling to herself. Nyssa plastered a smile on her face, feeling her cheeks burn as she started the horse jockey dancing.

*

‘What is she doing?’ Mel asked, squinting her eyes in confusion.

‘No idea,’ Ace chuckled. ‘Tegan seems to be enjoying the performance, though.’

Nyssa was now miming the shooting of a gun, and Tegan was moving her head back and forwards in time with the music.

‘Oh, such a silly pair,’ Mel giggled. It was rather adorable, seeing the two women like this together.

‘Agreed,’ Ace said, before resting her head on Mel’s shoulder.

The redhead felt her cheeks flush, and (unsuccessfully) tried to bite back the goofy smile that threatened to spread across her lips.

*

‘Urgh,’ Nyssa said, putting her head in her hands. The two of them had just helped Susan off the stage, where her grandfather had arrived to give her a big hug. Tegan had then quickly pulled her partner away and into the backstage area. ‘There goes my good reputation.’

‘Nys, you were amazing,’ Tegan said, wrapping an arm around the dentist and pressing a kiss to her cheek. ‘I thought you danced like a pro.’

‘You’re biased, that’s why.’

Tegan chuckled, and gave her another kiss. From the stage, they could hear Benton beginning to sing an eighties pop song.

Looking from a window above, it's like a story of love… can you hear me…

‘Well, we’re partners, aren’t we,’ Tegan said, cheeks flushing a little. ‘Ride or die, right?’

All I needed was the love you gave… all I needed for another day… and all I ever knew… only you…

Nyssa smiled, unable to contain the flush that spread over her own face.

‘Exactly, my darling.’

*

‘One mint choc chip,’ Ace said, handing the cone over.

‘Ta,’ Mel replied, smiling. The two of them were sat on the top of a hill overlooking the town. Ace had suggested that the redhead accompany her to help set off the fireworks, and Mel had readily agreed. ‘I still can’t believe you got permission to release fireworks.’

‘I thought it best to ask permission,’ Ace said. ‘Er… last time, people with pets weren’t very impressed.’

‘Definitely not,’ Mel giggled.

The two sat in silence for a while, eating.

‘I am glad I moved here,’ Mel said, softly, after she had finished her ice cream. ‘It’s… oh, it’s like another world here.’

‘Yeah; badly paid jobs and almost no local services.’

‘Er… well, yes,’ Mel said. ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t’ve-’

‘Nah, I should have just kept my mouth shut,’ Ace said. ‘Sorry, Mel; I… I ruined that, didn’t I.’

‘No!’ Mel said. She leaned forward and wrapped her hand around Ace’s. ‘Ace, you couldn’t ruin anything. You’re… you’re wonderful!’

Ace’s face burned, and she gave a shy smile.

‘You… you really think so?’

‘Definitely,’ Mel said, looking towards the sea and gesturing with her arm. ‘I mean, you chose this location to set off the fireworks from, and… well, it’s a beautiful view!’

‘Yeah, it is.’

Mel turned. Ace was staring directly at her.

The redhead blushed.

‘Ace, if you keep saying things like that, I’m going to-’

Ace leaned forward, and pressed her lips to Mel’s. The redhead gave a happy moan, and returned the kiss in kind, gently cupping Ace’s face as she did so. It was… indescribably sweet, and not just because of the lingering taste of ice cream.

‘That…’ Mel said, as she eventually pulled away. ‘…was definitely worth the wait.’

‘Hopefully, there won’t be too much waiting from now on?’

‘Well…’ Mel said, feigning uncertainty. ‘I suppose we could… maybe go back to yours? For… a coffee?’

Ace smiled, and intertwined their fingers.

‘That sounds absolutely wicked, Mel.’

*

Eventually, the Pride celebrations finished. Mike Yates (still looking pale) had been awkwardly helped onto the stage to give the final thank-you speech, and everyone had cheered. At some point, Tegan and Nyssa had lost track of where Mel and Ace were, but they had been reliably informed by Barbara that Mel had gone with Ace to help get the evening fireworks spectacular set up.

‘Oh, that’ll be fun,’ Tegan said, as the two women sat down on the beach. ‘Ace loves her fireworks.’

‘And Mel loves Ace.’

‘That’s a given, not to mention vice versa.’

Nyssa giggled, resting her head on Tegan’s shoulder. The Australian gave a sniff.

‘Is that… the smell of steak and onion? Nys, did you have a Cornish Pasty finally?’

‘Yes, alright!’ Nyssa said, with a roll of her eyes. ‘I know I should have had one weeks ago, but I never got around to it. A certain dashing Australian has been distracting me.’

Tegan grinned, and squeezed Nyssa around the middle.

‘I should bloody hope so, love.’

Nyssa chuckled happily.

‘How about that cake?’

Tegan nodded, and reached into her bag, pulling out two slices of rainbow cake wrapped in kitchen roll.

‘Bit sugary, isn’t it?’

‘Nys, it’s cake; what did you expect?’

The women giggled, and began eating. Nyssa had to admit, a bit of sugar was nice on occasion. She would have to brush her teeth more firmly later on, but she found it difficult to care much. Lately, she found it difficult to worry about a lot. Something about Tregonnereth made her heart-rate slow to a calmer rhythm.

Or maybe it was just the wonderful woman sat next to her. As Nyssa stared at her, she found herself unable to comprehend just how much happiness she currently felt. Happiness, peace of mind, and a deep sense of calm. Yes, that was how Tegan made her feel. Like she would happily spend the rest of her life with this woman, and would know that -despite anything the world could throw at them both- they’d be happy. Oh, so happy.

Without thinking, Nyssa leaned in and pressed a kiss to Tegan’s cheek.

‘Oh, I do love you, Tegan.’

There was a very long pause. The two women stared at each other, as the effect of Nyssa’s words sunk in. A chunk of cake fell out of Tegan’s mouth into the kitchen roll.

‘You… you do?’

Tegan’s mouth had now stretched into a wide smile, as if she could scarcely believe it.

‘Yes,’ Nyssa said, softy. ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have sprung that on you like this. You don’t have to say it back; I know it’s early-’

‘I love you too, Nyssa,’ said Tegan, eyes sparkling. ‘God, I bloody do.’

Nyssa smiled, and rubbed her fingers softly along Tegan’s cheek.

‘Happy Pride, Nyssa.’

‘Happy Pride, Tegan.’

Their lips met.

BANG!

Nyssa and Tegan sprung apart, Nyssa’s arms reaching round her partner protectively as they both startled where they were sat. Above, in the night sky, was the opening salvo of the evening’s fireworks display.

*

Giggling, Mel kissed Ace on the lips again, and Ace quickly unlocked her front door. Mel’s red hair was already decidedly unruly, and Ace’s neckline bore several marks of lipstick. Of course, neither of them minded especially much at that given moment.

Suddenly, from down at the beach, there was a loud cry that echoed up the high-street.

‘ACE MCSHANE! YOU AND YOUR BLOODY FIREWORKS!’

Still giggling, Mel grabbed Ace by the hand and pulled her through the door, which swung closed behind them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading, everyone! Hope you enjoyed the penultimate chapter of the fic! We will return to Tregonnereth one last time for a soft epilogue with Nyssa and Tegan. 😊😊

#'glad all over (cake by the ocean)' #doctor who fanfiction #nyssa #nyssa of traken #tegan jovanka #nyssa/tegan #tegan/nyssa #nyssa x tegan #tegan x nyssa #indestructible #heathrow scientific #tyssa #mel/ace #ace/mel

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

Throwback Fic Week: tell my father (this is my life)

Next up: tell my father (this is my life).

Is it cheating if I post the combined fic for an entire series? Maybe. But this is my account and I do what I want. 

Welcome to my Season 1, Episode 9 Umbrella Academy AU in which Ben convinced Klaus to fight to let Vanya out of the cell in the basement. The AU is entirely focused on exploring these kids’ trauma and their healing processes, while also casually exploring their queer indentities. Each fic/chapter was focused on a different character, exploring their backstories and also their lives living together, sorting through old hurts while learning how to heal together. Also, almost every character is queer, and it was fun to explore not just Vanya and Klaus being bisexual, but Diego’s transgender identity, Five and Alison’s asexual identity, and Luther’s aromanticism through the lens of their trauma and how that intersects with both their experiences growing up under Hargreeves and them trying to make an identity for themselves. I also took the first season’s establishment of Klaus’ powers and brought back Patch, Ben, and Dave because I could. Also, it somehow developed a tiny plot in which I sort of predicted that Season 2 would open up the possibility of an eighth sibling- though, in my case, it was an evil sibling who happens to be Jack the Ripper and who joined the Agency.

Excerpt:

"Five's so small," Allison says quietly, "He's so old, but he's so small," and Diego nods. He understands. Dear god, he understands.

"He's our brother," Diego says, "And he's gone through as much shit as we have, and then some."

Allison nods. "And we weren't there for most of it."

Diego thinks about all the shit that they've all gone through that none of them supported each other through. Vanya being excluded and verbally abused, Klaus' drug addiction, Allison's divorce, Luther's years on the moon, Diego's time on the force and his transition process, Ben's death. Five's gone through a lot more shit, but they've all been alone and driven apart in their own ways. "I think most of us have gone through some shit that the others weren't there for. But now- now, we can help him heal."

Allison fixes him with a steady gaze, and Diego doesn't flinch.

She looks so old and yet so young at the same time. The scar on her neck is still rather dark and there are crows' feet around the edges of her eyes that weren't there the last time he saw her before Dad's funeral, six years ago at Ben's funeral. She's so mature, now, in a way she never was before. He wonders if it has to do with Claire or has to do with the fact that she's stopped using her powers, or if it's something of a mix of the two.

Diego wonders what she sees when she looks at him, if she sees the little boy straining to make the world see him for who he really was, bullying and scraping and pleading to get his way, or if she sees a half-broken man who's spent his whole adulthood clinging to the lies of superheroes he was told as a child.

"The three of us should really go grab dinner sometime soon," she eventually says, and Diego grins.

#umbrella academy #canon divergence #five hargreeves #diego hargreeves #klaus hargreaves #alison hargreeves #allison hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #luther hargreeves #ben hargreeves #dave x klaus #diego x eudora patch #dave katz #eudora patch #trans diego hargreeves #bisexual vanya hargreeves #asexual five hargreeves #asexual allison hargreeves #fix-it #fanfic #aletterinthenameofsanity #my fics #ao3 #throwback week 2024

[plush-rabbit]

Coming Out as Aro

Request: hi, hope you're doing well today! i saw your fic of asmo and mammon's reactions to reader coming out as ace, and was wondering if you could do coming out as aro for mammon, asmodeus, leviathan and solomon?

A/N: I did a bit of research on this so like let me know if it needs any changing or something!! Like the ace post, i did my research based on different experiences so let me know if it’s any good or not! Happy pride!!

-

Mammon:

People often forget that Mammon is very emotionally aware of others. Of course, he could tell that there was something on your mind- that you’ve been acting a bit differently than you have before. Usually, he isn’t one to pester you when you look so serious, but he has to know, and he asks and lays his head on your lap, trying to get your attention. You can talk to him about anything- he promises to understand. He’s a demon- even if you’ve done something bad, he wouldn’t blame you, and would probably take the fall for it if it meant you’d relax for a minute. 

Coming out to him is easy- sort of. The words come out in a rush and without even thinking, words exclaimed loudly that has him just nodding. Okay- you’re aromantic. It’s a big deal, but it isn't. He knows how important it is when people come out to others- he is very versed on human interactions and even so, sexuality isn’t confined to just the Human Realm- he’s met his fair share of demons and angels who share your sexuality. He knows what being aromantic is- and of course, he accepts you. 

You may have a new label to you, but you are still you. He likes to be around you. And now without the risk of romance in the air, he’s much more relaxed. He doesn’t stutter over his words- at least not as often as he did before. Words of care and praise are still difficult for him to share, but it isn’t like before. 

With words being difficult for the second-born, he expresses himself through touch, but only if you're comfortable with it. He likes to rest his head on your shoulder or sit by your side, a pen in his hand as he scribbles over your knuckles. You’re still a  close friend and you coming out has changed nothing about it.

In good nature, he is overeager about giving you things that represent your identity. He’ll buy you items in green, and buy small flags in forms of stickers or pins or anything, for you. Mammon cares deeply for you and if you did show hesitation in your coming out to him, he will go overboard in trying to make up for the fact that you thought he was going to react in anything less than positive. Whatever it is that you want- he’ll get it for you. Whether through spending his money or not, is an entirely different story, but he wants you to know that he cares for you. 

Leviathan:

Leviathan’s sin gets to him the most when he notices that you want to tell him something but never do. He thinks to himself that he must have upset you in some type of way, or done something to make you not want to spend time with him. He avoids eye contact with you when he asks if something is up- choosing to focus on a game he’s completed long ago. Of course, there’s a reason that you’re acting like this. He’s already degrading himself in his mind; biting his inner cheek in order to avoid having the words spill out and taint whatever relationship you both have at the moment. 

When you come out to him, he’s silent for a moment before nodding. It had nothing to do with him- he can finally breathe. He knows what aromanticism is. He’s consumed enough media and been on enough forums and blogs to know about all types of identities and sexualities. It isn't surprising that he would know what that is. He’s been around and while he may not be socially active, he does still talk to people from the human and demon realm, and knows the varying sexualities.

You coming out to him is a breath of fresh air. He doesn’t have to think about being romantic with you, nor does he have to worry that anything more would happen. You wanting to be friends with him is already a major win for him. He can just be with you and nothing has to change. You two are still friends. Nothing has to change that- and it won’t with your recent coming out, if anything, it only cements things further which the Avatar of Envy is proud of. 

No matter what, you're still his Henry. The pack that you share with him bonds the two of you, and he’s glad that your friendship will always be set, that nothing really has to change between the two of you. He still brings you to his room to read manga and play videogames. Your friendship hasn’t changed with him, other than him being much more relaxed around you. 

Knowing how important representation is, he will often call out canon aromantic characters to you. Leviathan wants to share his own hobbies with you in some type of way, and by expressing characters that can be like you, is something that he sees can bring the both of you closer. He’s excited for you, wanting to show you that you are being represented. 

Asmodeus:

There’s something that you’ve been meaning to tell him and Asmodeus isn’t sure what it is, but he knows that it must be important enough to cause you to be much more reserved around him. He’s sure that he’s made himself to be someone that you can come to when you have any type of issues. You must know that he’s been around for a very long time, enough to know that whatever it is that you’re facing, it’s something that will be no match for him. He can handle whatever it is that you want to throw his way. He holds your hand, and you come out to him with a nervous smile and he takes it well.

He knows what aromanticism is- understands that there are varying levels to it much like other sexualities and genders. You’re beside him, fiddling with your hands, twisting your fingers into one another, as you explain where you fall onto the spectrum. He listens and nods at all the right times. He wants to know where you lie- what your definition of your sexuality is. 

He’s romantic by nature, and he never wants to make you uncomfortable- to push you to feel something that you shouldn’t. Of course, he can’t sully change himself due to his own sin, but any advances that are made towards you are empty, there’s no real flirtatious vibe that they once held, just something that’s rather sickly sweet that has you rolling your eyes and scoffing at his mannerisms. If you were to set any boundaries with him, he’d be entirely respectful. There may be moments where he’d cross that line, but he apologizes immediately, wanting to avoid making you uncomfortable. 

You don’t have to be romantic with him, and he knows you don’t feel much towards romantic advances and it takes a bit for him to get used to, like how hand holding isn’t much for you but it means a lot to him in a sense where he can still be close to you. 

Whatever you choose to be with him, he’s happy with it. You’re happy with yourself, and he isn’t going to be one to push you. He understands what his sin is, but even so, he doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable. Asmodeus has people and demons throw themselves at him, even as an angel, he was ethereal. And perhaps that has placed his ego on a pedestal, and to have you not attracted to him in any manner, makes him feel loved in a different type of way. He cares greatly for you, and he is always going to be your close friend.

Solomon:

Solomon can tell that there is something that you want to talk about with him, but he isn’t quite sure what it is that you want to talk about. Or if there even is something that you want to talk about- you could possibly just be anxious about something all together. He lets you know that he is there for anything that you want to talk about- whether it be for something miniscule as messing up a potion or something as grand as dealing with mental issues. You coming out to him- if that’s something that you want to call it or not- is not what he had expected that you wanted to talk about.

It came to a surprise to you a long time ago that he had been around for a very long time, so aromanticism is something that he knows about. But, while he may know about it, it isn’t something that he wants to take from you. He tells you that there’s nothing to worry about- if you had any worries about your relationship with him- and wants to know more. You explain to him what aromanticism is to you- how you seem to define it.

There’s a stop in your words, and even some repeat. You’re stuttering and twisting the fabric of your shirt, and even though he's accepting and validating your identity, there's still a part of you that is anxious to talk about it so openly with him after spending so much time contemplating. You know him- he’s a good friend, and you know that he’s been around for a long time, longer than you’d ever be able to comprehend. But it still doesn’t stop the anxiety that bubbles in you.

Of course, he’s happy that you told him. You have no reason to feel anxious, but he isn’t one to tell you how to feel- especially when it’s something that deals with this. He doesn’t want you to feel weird around him, so he asks what your boundaries are, because your feelings come first. 

If there was a shift in the relationship, it isn’t noticeable. Solomon likes to spend time with you and that won’t change. You both still hang out, and he still teaches you bits of magic that you aren’t familiar with. There’s a certain playfulness that has come from you coming out to him. At the end of the day, you mean a lot to the sorcerer and he is going to treasure the type of friendship that you have given to him.

#obey me #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me levi #obey me asmodeus #obey me asmo #obey me solomon #i hope you like these!! #sometimes these types of asks #or rather requests #i come up with a blank #because like i dont think they'd treat you any differently #ofc this all of for comfort and stuff #which im like fine with doing!!! #but like writing it all feels so #blank #like i don't like repeating things so i hope these are different between their charaters #i tried to research #and i watch jaiden animations ot get a btter understanding #so let me know how it came out??

[w0rped-moss]

Hello! Happy June! It's Pride and I have another question (5/30)

In the very first ask, I talked about the original Rainbow Pride Flag (designed by Gilbert Baker), but today let's talk about some other ones (sexuality/romantic orientation today, gender tomorrow):

Aromantic: The Aromantic Pride flag consists of 5 horizontal stripes. [Top->Bottom: Green, Light Green (aromanticism/aro-spec), White (non-romantic forms of love), Grey, and Black (the sexuality spectrum)] The flag was designed in 2014 by Cameron Whimsy (cameronwhimsy on tumblr).

Asexuality: The Asexual Pride flag consists of 4 horizontal stripes. [Black (Asexuality), Grey (Grey-Ace + Demisexual), White (Allies<- this has been debated/ talked about being changed), and Purple (Community)] The flag was created by an Asexual Visibility and Education Network user standup in 2010, as part of a community drive to created on.

Bisexuality: The Bisexual Pride flag consists of 1 broad stripe, 1 thin stripe and another broad stripe. [Pink (Sexual attraction to the same sex), Purple (the overlap colour representing sexual attraction to both sexes), and Blue (Sexual attraction to the opposite sex)] The flag was designed by Michael Page and introduced on December 5 1998. There is also a symbol of a blue and pink overlapping triangle that can be used to represent bisexual pride.

Lesbian: There is no one accepted Lesbian Pide flag, however the currently most used one is a 5 striped variation of the 7 striped Orange-Pink lesbian flag. (The 7 striped flag was created by tumblrina Emily Gwen in 2018. [Dark Orange (Gender non-conformity), Orange (independence), Light Orange (Community), White (Unique relationships to womanhood), Pink (Serenity and Peace), Dusty Pink (Love and Sex), and Dark Rose (Femininity)]

Pansexuality: The Pansexual pride flag consists of 3 horizontal stripes. [Pink (Attraction to women), Yellow (Attraction to non-binary genders/other genders), and Blue (Attraction to men)]. This flag was introduced in October 2010, again by another tumblr blig ("Pansexual Pride Flag").

Polyamory: Originally this flag was desing by Jim Evans in 1995, and it consisted of 3 horizontal stripes of Blue, Red, and Black with a gold Pi sign in the middle. However, this ended up being more confusing than anything else, and so a committee came together to vote on a new flag. The new flag was designed by Red Howell in 2022, and it consists of 3 horizonal stripes of Blue, Pink and Purple, with an off-centre White chevron on the left and a Gold Heart in the chevron.

Progress Pride Flag: The Progress Pride Flage evolved from the Philadelphia Pride Flag, and was created by Daniel Quasar (xe/xyr) in 2018. It consists of the traditional pride flag as the background, with a triangluar stripes of white/pink/blue (for thr trans community) and brown (people of colour and their contribution to the movement) and black (previous and a nod to the thousands of individuals were lost to the AIDs crisis. [There is also a variation of this flag which includes a triangle with the Intersex Pride flag addition and this was created by Valentino Vecchietti in 2021] [There was/is a little controversy with the Progress flag as Daniel Quasar did decide to copyright it]

Queer: The Queer Pride flag consists of 9 horizontal stripes. [Black, Light Blue, Blue, Green, White, Yellow, Pink, Dusty Pink, Black](The pink and blue shades represent same-gender attraction, orang and green stand for non-binary and gender non-conforming individuals and the balck and white stripes symbolise the asexual/aroamntic/agender community. It was created in 2015.

And so my question today (and yes it is late, I moved and vastly underestimated how many clothes I own, whoops), if you could design a flag to describe everything that makes you feel proud, what colours do you think would work best? (you can give as much or as little detail as you want, give an actual design or just list colours, or whatever, this is completely open ended and up to you)( i know it would probably take thought for people, so like don't feel pressure to answer instantly or whatever, take however long you need to be satisfied)

Happy Pride 🌈 🎉

the zigzag pattern represents my non-binary and asexual identity which are the most important to me, and the flag in the background is the muted version of the Omnisexual flag, which is my romantic orientation

[cinnamontoastcrunch-15]

It’s a Real Thing?

This is very much outside of my normal kind of oneshot, but I love it sm so here you go!

Mary was sat flicking through a magazine next to the black lake, when a Slytherin boy walked up to her. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, and she looked up, confused. She almost did a double take as her eyes scanned over the boy. He was almost identical to Sirius, just with shorter hair and a Slytherin tie. After a moment of disbelief, she realised that he must be Regulus Black.

“Um… hi?” She said, confused.

“Hi, are you, er, are you Mary MacDonald?” His accent was much more refined than Sirius’, and Mary narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“Could I- could I talk to you?”

“Why? Is this about your little dickhead friends shouting stuff at me?”

“No, no!” He turned red, slightly uncomfortable. “Sirius said- Sirius said that you might understand something I-“ he swallowed, struggling to say it out loud. “I need help with.”

“Right…” she couldn’t help but be slightly suspicious, but her natural kindness gave in pretty quickly as she stared at the panicked boy in front of her. “What’s going on?” The boy sat down awkwardly in front of her, before fixing his eyes on the grass, pulling it up from its roots.

“I’m not sure where to start.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve never… liked anyone. In that way.” Ah. So he actually did talk to Sirius. “And I always thought I was just too young. That it would come at some point, but it hasn’t, and I’m starting to think it never will, and I just don’t really understand.” He seemed to say it all in one breath, uncomfortable.

“Okay, I know why Sirius told you to come to me.” Regulus looked up hopefully. “Have you ever heard of the sexuality aroace?” He shook his head, confused. “It’s short for aromantic and asexual. Essentially, aromanticism means not feeling romantic attraction towards anyone, and asexuality is not feeling sexual attraction towards anyone.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “So, not liking anyone. I’m aroace.”

“It’s a real thing?” He asked, stunned, his voice breaking slightly.

“It’s a real thing.” She assured. “A normal thing. I used to think that when I really wanted to be close to someone, that I liked them, but many aroace people can develop strong platonic feelings for people, and want to be in really close friendships with them, without wanting to date them.”

“I-“ he was really struggling with opening up. “I thought I was broken or something.”

“You’re not broken. There are so many aroace people. Do you think the label fits you?” He nodded, eyes shining.

“Thank you.”

“Of course.” She glanced at him, a gentle expression on her face. “Are you okay?” He nodded, swiping at his face quickly.

“Thank you.” He got up quickly, going to leave.

“Wait, Regulus?” He turned back around, facing her. “I’m here if you want to talk about it.” He gave her a small smile, before walking away, and Mary turned back to her magazine, happy that she could make someone else feel less alone.

(Bonus: Mary becoming a professor at Hogwarts and educating young students about different identities and helping even more students feel less alone in their LGBTQIA+ identities)

I’m aroace, so aroace Regulus and Mary hold very special places in my heart, and I wanted to take this as an opportunity to spread some info on being aroace!!

#marauders #young marauders #atyd marauders #marauders oneshot #marauders era #the marauders #sirius black #regulus black #aroace regulus #aroace #regulus arcturus black #hp marauders #aromantic #aromantism #arospec #aspec #asexual #asexuality #aro #acespec #regulus and Mary

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Knew What He Was (short story)

Stonefern sat, waiting for his father to finish playing–or perhaps fighting–with Doverose. The two toms were pulling on opposite sides of a stick, tails waving like dogs. He would wonder who would win if he weren’t so anxious, instead shifted his paws until they created dents in the ground beneath them.

It wasn’t too long before the twig snapped, sending both toms flying backward. Stonefern was thankful that they weren’t play-fighting where the ground was messy. He didn’t feel like cleaning the sprayed bits of mud from his white fur. 

From his place on the ground, Grousemane could see Stonefern. He grinned at his son before standing up and padding toward him. “Seems that we’ll have to break the tie another time,” Grousemane called to Doverose. 

“Not to worry, little Grouse, I love beating you,” Doverose responded, before picking up his half and padding away.

“You saw I almost won,” Grousemane nudged Stonefern.

“Yeah,” Stonefern replied absently. 

“Did you stop just to watch, or do you want to play too?”

Stonefern shrugged, but it was tense. “Just wanted to get away for a bit.”

“Ah, that I understand.” Grousemane wrapped his tail around Stonefern and gave his ear a swift lick. “Searching for old pops to rescue you, then?”

“‘Pops’?”

“Yeah, pops! Pops, papa. That’s who I am.”

“I prefer ‘dad.’ It’s normal.”

“Do you call all three of us ‘dad’?”

“I use different tones.”

“Right, the happy tone for me and annoyed ones for them.”

“Sure.” Stonefern cracked a smile. The distraction was making him feel better, less constrained. He knew this dad would do that. 

“What did you want to get away from, anyway? If you ask me, that Birchhawk would make far better company. Aren’t you too friends? Or were you friends?”

The smile dissipated, and Stonefern’s paws began working into the ground again. 

“Hey, hey, slow down!” Grousemane moved to still Stonefern’s paws with his own. “Talk to me. Did Birchhawk say something?”

Stonefern wanted to growl in frustration, or perhaps just run, but he couldn’t do that with his dad. It would stir more questions than answers. He wanted to get away from thinking about Birchhawk. He didn’t want to have to talk about it, not so soon, but at the same time he knew that he had to face the fact now, and really, sooner was better than later. “Birchhawk….told me he liked me,” he admitted through gritted teeth.

Grousemane tilted his head. “But you have to let him down?”

“Not just him!” Stonefern’s tail whipped. “Everyone who might confess. But I don’t want to hurt them….and what if Birchhawk doesn’t want to be friends anymore?”

“Not be friends with you?” Grousemane sounded shocked. “Of course he would, no matter what you say!” Then, pausing, he asked, “why everyone?”

“Because it’s….” Stonefern searched for the right words to say. “It just…It doesn’t feel right for me.”

Grousemane gave him a questioning look.

“Being mates,” he clarified.

“Ah!” Grousemane nodded in understanding. “That’s not uncommon. I think it’s called aromanticism.”

Stonefern pricked his ears. “It has a name?” He had thought he was just weird.

“Yep, cats who aren’t interested in relationships. And then there’s ‘asexual,’ cats who’re not into the physical stuff–”

“Okay, gross!” Stonefern stuck out his tongue. Grousemane chuckled at him, and Stonefern was surprised to realize that his smile had returned. But again, it faltered. “What if Birchhawk doesn’t understand? Or he doesn’t want to be around someone he can’t be with and leaves?”

Grousemane nuzzled Stonefern’s cheek. “If you tell him who you are, and he leaves, he wasn’t worth being with in the first place.”

“But he’s fun,” Stonefern sighed. “I don’t want to hurt him, and….I don’t want him to think I’m weird.”

Grousemane licked his ear again, then the space between them. “What did you say before you came running for me?”

“That I needed to think about it. He looked sad.”

Grousemane’s muzzle twisted, as though the words he wanted to say were somewhere in his mouth and he had to find them. He let out a heavy breath. “You’re ‘decapitated-head dad’ is better at this whole talking deal, strangely enough.”

Stonefern was going to point out that he hadn’t wanted to talk but to get away from having to, but he didn’t want his father to feel like he didn’t want him. “You flirt with everyone, I figured you would know a thing or two about rejection,” he joked.

“I’m a flirt,” Grousemane replied, “it’s fun. But it’s only fun, Myrtlewing’s the only one I need.”

Stonefern looked down. “What if Birchhawk feels that way about me? And I let him down, and he has no one?”

Grousemane placed his paw beneath Stonefern’s chin and raised it so that he looked into the younger cat’s eyes. “Stop spiraling. You don’t even know what he will say. If it’s bad, he has an eternity to get over it.”

Stonerfern thought about that, then thought about an eternity without his close friend. 

“Stop thinking,” Grousemane told him, standing up and pushing Stonefern to do the same. “No point wondering what will happen. You have to tell him at some point. Want me to come with you?”

Stonefern shook his head. He was still nervous–incredibly nervous–about having to let Birchhawk down. At the same time, he knew now what he was, who he was, and that he wasn’t weird at all for it. “I’ll tell him tomorrow,” he decided before his nerves got the better of him. “I haven’t seen my younger brothers and sisters in a while.”

Grousemane grinned. “Well, let’s go see them!” He led the way to the Eye-out thorns. Stonefern followed. Even as the ground shifted to mud that sucked at his fur and weighed him down, he felt light.

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

--Doverose is tall and chunky, so I imagine he calls lots of cats ‘little.’ 

--Birchhawk is a random name I came up with, do with him what you want!

--Fun fact! I myself am also aroace! Stonefern’s experience isn’t based on my own, though.

@ambitiousauthor

#stonefern #asexual #aromantic #acearo #grousemane #stonefern story #grousemane story #dark tales #wc dark tales #dark forest tales #doverose #birchhawk #wcoc #wc oc #wc story

[dreamhot]

Hello! Happy June! It's Pride and I have another question (5/30)

In the very first ask, I talked about the original Rainbow Pride Flag (designed by Gilbert Baker), but today let's talk about some other ones (sexuality/romantic orientation today, gender tomorrow):

Aromantic: The Aromantic Pride flag consists of 5 horizontal stripes. [Top->Bottom: Green, Light Green (aromanticism/aro-spec), White (non-romantic forms of love), Grey, and Black (the sexuality spectrum)] The flag was designed in 2014 by Cameron Whimsy (cameronwhimsy on tumblr).

Asexuality: The Asexual Pride flag consists of 4 horizontal stripes. [Black (Asexuality), Grey (Grey-Ace + Demisexual), White (Allies<- this has been debated/ talked about being changed), and Purple (Community)] The flag was created by an Asexual Visibility and Education Network user standup in 2010, as part of a community drive to created on.

Bisexuality: The Bisexual Pride flag consists of 1 broad stripe, 1 thin stripe and another broad stripe. [Pink (Sexual attraction to the same sex), Purple (the overlap colour representing sexual attraction to both sexes), and Blue (Sexual attraction to the opposite sex)] The flag was designed by Michael Page and introduced on December 5 1998. There is also a symbol of a blue and pink overlapping triangle that can be used to represent bisexual pride.

Lesbian: There is no one accepted Lesbian Pide flag, however the currently most used one is a 5 striped variation of the 7 striped Orange-Pink lesbian flag. (The 7 striped flag was created by tumblrina Emily Gwen in 2018. [Dark Orange (Gender non-conformity), Orange (independence), Light Orange (Community), White (Unique relationships to womanhood), Pink (Serenity and Peace), Dusty Pink (Love and Sex), and Dark Rose (Femininity)]

Pansexuality: The Pansexual pride flag consists of 3 horizontal stripes. [Pink (Attraction to women), Yellow (Attraction to non-binary genders/other genders), and Blue (Attraction to men)]. This flag was introduced in October 2010, again by another tumblr blig ("Pansexual Pride Flag").

Polyamory: Originally this flag was desing by Jim Evans in 1995, and it consisted of 3 horizontal stripes of Blue, Red, and Black with a gold Pi sign in the middle. However, this ended up being more confusing than anything else, and so a committee came together to vote on a new flag. The new flag was designed by Red Howell in 2022, and it consists of 3 horizonal stripes of Blue, Pink and Purple, with an off-centre White chevron on the left and a Gold Heart in the chevron.

Progress Pride Flag: The Progress Pride Flage evolved from the Philadelphia Pride Flag, and was created by Daniel Quasar (xe/xyr) in 2018. It consists of the traditional pride flag as the background, with a triangluar stripes of white/pink/blue (for thr trans community) and brown (people of colour and their contribution to the movement) and black (previous and a nod to the thousands of individuals were lost to the AIDs crisis. [There is also a variation of this flag which includes a triangle with the Intersex Pride flag addition and this was created by Valentino Vecchietti in 2021] [There was/is a little controversy with the Progress flag as Daniel Quasar did decide to copyright it]

Queer: The Queer Pride flag consists of 9 horizontal stripes. [Black, Light Blue, Blue, Green, White, Yellow, Pink, Dusty Pink, Black](The pink and blue shades represent same-gender attraction, orang and green stand for non-binary and gender non-conforming individuals and the balck and white stripes symbolise the asexual/aroamntic/agender community. It was created in 2015.

And so my question today (and yes it is late, I moved and vastly underestimated how many clothes I own, whoops), if you could design a flag to describe everything that makes you feel proud, what colours do you think would work best? (you can give as much or as little detail as you want, give an actual design or just list colours, or whatever, this is completely open ended and up to you)( i know it would probably take thought for people, so like don't feel pressure to answer instantly or whatever, take however long you need to be satisfied)

Happy Pride 🌈 🎉

i can't help but feel as though a flag top represent /me/ would comprise what my roommate calls the 'indi palette' (<- in reference to my middle name, which is what i go by irl). those colours are a bright green, bright purple, and bright blue. hard to say if they'd really be representative of anything, but . i love that combination so much that i feel as tho it'd be the best way to capture /me/ ... tho i think the design might be more circular stripes than horizontal or vertical ones. like a radiating pattern ? just for funsies

#smile.ask #anon

[barbiegirldream]

Hello! Happy June! It's Pride and I have another question (5/30)

In the very first ask, I talked about the original Rainbow Pride Flag (designed by Gilbert Baker), but today let's talk about some other ones (sexuality/romantic orientation today, gender tomorrow):

Aromantic: The Aromantic Pride flag consists of 5 horizontal stripes. [Top->Bottom: Green, Light Green (aromanticism/aro-spec), White (non-romantic forms of love), Grey, and Black (the sexuality spectrum)] The flag was designed in 2014 by Cameron Whimsy (cameronwhimsy on tumblr).

Asexuality: The Asexual Pride flag consists of 4 horizontal stripes. [Black (Asexuality), Grey (Grey-Ace + Demisexual), White (Allies<- this has been debated/ talked about being changed), and Purple (Community)] The flag was created by an Asexual Visibility and Education Network user standup in 2010, as part of a community drive to created on.

Bisexuality: The Bisexual Pride flag consists of 1 broad stripe, 1 thin stripe and another broad stripe. [Pink (Sexual attraction to the same sex), Purple (the overlap colour representing sexual attraction to both sexes), and Blue (Sexual attraction to the opposite sex)] The flag was designed by Michael Page and introduced on December 5 1998. There is also a symbol of a blue and pink overlapping triangle that can be used to represent bisexual pride.

Lesbian: There is no one accepted Lesbian Pide flag, however the currently most used one is a 5 striped variation of the 7 striped Orange-Pink lesbian flag. (The 7 striped flag was created by tumblrina Emily Gwen in 2018. [Dark Orange (Gender non-conformity), Orange (independence), Light Orange (Community), White (Unique relationships to womanhood), Pink (Serenity and Peace), Dusty Pink (Love and Sex), and Dark Rose (Femininity)]

Pansexuality: The Pansexual pride flag consists of 3 horizontal stripes. [Pink (Attraction to women), Yellow (Attraction to non-binary genders/other genders), and Blue (Attraction to men)]. This flag was introduced in October 2010, again by another tumblr blig ("Pansexual Pride Flag").

Polyamory: Originally this flag was desing by Jim Evans in 1995, and it consisted of 3 horizontal stripes of Blue, Red, and Black with a gold Pi sign in the middle. However, this ended up being more confusing than anything else, and so a committee came together to vote on a new flag. The new flag was designed by Red Howell in 2022, and it consists of 3 horizonal stripes of Blue, Pink and Purple, with an off-centre White chevron on the left and a Gold Heart in the chevron.

Progress Pride Flag: The Progress Pride Flage evolved from the Philadelphia Pride Flag, and was created by Daniel Quasar (xe/xyr) in 2018. It consists of the traditional pride flag as the background, with a triangluar stripes of white/pink/blue (for thr trans community) and brown (people of colour and their contribution to the movement) and black (previous and a nod to the thousands of individuals were lost to the AIDs crisis. [There is also a variation of this flag which includes a triangle with the Intersex Pride flag addition and this was created by Valentino Vecchietti in 2021] [There was/is a little controversy with the Progress flag as Daniel Quasar did decide to copyright it]

Queer: The Queer Pride flag consists of 9 horizontal stripes. [Black, Light Blue, Blue, Green, White, Yellow, Pink, Dusty Pink, Black](The pink and blue shades represent same-gender attraction, orang and green stand for non-binary and gender non-conforming individuals and the balck and white stripes symbolise the asexual/aroamntic/agender community. It was created in 2015.

And so my question today (and yes it is late, I moved and vastly underestimated how many clothes I own, whoops), if you could design a flag to describe everything that makes you feel proud, what colours do you think would work best? (you can give as much or as little detail as you want, give an actual design or just list colours, or whatever, this is completely open ended and up to you)( i know it would probably take thought for people, so like don't feel pressure to answer instantly or whatever, take however long you need to be satisfied)

Happy Pride 🌈 🎉

I would have a flag that is of a ombre style where one color bleeds into the next. I'd start with a teal color dunno what that represents I just like it maybe my boygirl swag and then I would move to the pink of the original triangle anti nazi sort of my thing as a jew and rom and then maybe into a deep purple cause I like all genders !

[tinamybeloved]

Hello! Happy June! It's Pride and I have another question (5/30)

In the very first ask, I talked about the original Rainbow Pride Flag (designed by Gilbert Baker), but today let's talk about some other ones (sexuality/romantic orientation today, gender tomorrow):

Aromantic: The Aromantic Pride flag consists of 5 horizontal stripes. [Top->Bottom: Green, Light Green (aromanticism/aro-spec), White (non-romantic forms of love), Grey, and Black (the sexuality spectrum)] The flag was designed in 2014 by Cameron Whimsy (cameronwhimsy on tumblr).

Asexuality: The Asexual Pride flag consists of 4 horizontal stripes. [Black (Asexuality), Grey (Grey-Ace + Demisexual), White (Allies<- this has been debated/ talked about being changed), and Purple (Community)] The flag was created by an Asexual Visibility and Education Network user standup in 2010, as part of a community drive to created on.

Bisexuality: The Bisexual Pride flag consists of 1 broad stripe, 1 thin stripe and another broad stripe. [Pink (Sexual attraction to the same sex), Purple (the overlap colour representing sexual attraction to both sexes), and Blue (Sexual attraction to the opposite sex)] The flag was designed by Michael Page and introduced on December 5 1998. There is also a symbol of a blue and pink overlapping triangle that can be used to represent bisexual pride.

Lesbian: There is no one accepted Lesbian Pide flag, however the currently most used one is a 5 striped variation of the 7 striped Orange-Pink lesbian flag. (The 7 striped flag was created by tumblrina Emily Gwen in 2018. [Dark Orange (Gender non-conformity), Orange (independence), Light Orange (Community), White (Unique relationships to womanhood), Pink (Serenity and Peace), Dusty Pink (Love and Sex), and Dark Rose (Femininity)]

Pansexuality: The Pansexual pride flag consists of 3 horizontal stripes. [Pink (Attraction to women), Yellow (Attraction to non-binary genders/other genders), and Blue (Attraction to men)]. This flag was introduced in October 2010, again by another tumblr blig ("Pansexual Pride Flag").

Polyamory: Originally this flag was desing by Jim Evans in 1995, and it consisted of 3 horizontal stripes of Blue, Red, and Black with a gold Pi sign in the middle. However, this ended up being more confusing than anything else, and so a committee came together to vote on a new flag. The new flag was designed by Red Howell in 2022, and it consists of 3 horizonal stripes of Blue, Pink and Purple, with an off-centre White chevron on the left and a Gold Heart in the chevron.

Progress Pride Flag: The Progress Pride Flage evolved from the Philadelphia Pride Flag, and was created by Daniel Quasar (xe/xyr) in 2018. It consists of the traditional pride flag as the background, with a triangluar stripes of white/pink/blue (for thr trans community) and brown (people of colour and their contribution to the movement) and black (previous and a nod to the thousands of individuals were lost to the AIDs crisis. [There is also a variation of this flag which includes a triangle with the Intersex Pride flag addition and this was created by Valentino Vecchietti in 2021] [There was/is a little controversy with the Progress flag as Daniel Quasar did decide to copyright it]

Queer: The Queer Pride flag consists of 9 horizontal stripes. [Black, Light Blue, Blue, Green, White, Yellow, Pink, Dusty Pink, Black](The pink and blue shades represent same-gender attraction, orang and green stand for non-binary and gender non-conforming individuals and the balck and white stripes symbolise the asexual/aroamntic/agender community. It was created in 2015.

And so my question today (and yes it is late, I moved and vastly underestimated how many clothes I own, whoops), if you could design a flag to describe everything that makes you feel proud, what colours do you think would work best? (you can give as much or as little detail as you want, give an actual design or just list colours, or whatever, this is completely open ended and up to you)( i know it would probably take thought for people, so like don't feel pressure to answer instantly or whatever, take however long you need to be satisfied)

Happy Pride 🌈 🎉

This is going to be long omg hi hi 🌈

I think my flag for myself would have triangles to make up a rectangle ▶️🔽🔼◀️ like this if that makes sense so that all the tips meet in the middle with the colors being purple green yellow and blue with each of the colors matching up with the triangles above and there would be infinity symbols of the other colors over the quadrants to kind of symbolize balance or kind of invoking ying Yang okay I gave up on describing and drew a really crude sketch on my phone look ⬇️ imagine this was filled in and neat. I like that it kind of looks like a kite and the infinity is a symbol that I really treasure besides it kind of being seen as basic. The infinity symbols also are kind of like clips holding the triangles together and I like the idea of the flag being a mismatch of different unique parts that are just barely held together. Just like I’m shaped by distinct areas of interest and parts of my life. I think triangles are strong shapes which I like better than rectangles that most flags are made of and I should probably talk about the symbolism of the colors a little bit but I’ve gone on long enough so here thanks for this question 🌈

#asks #if this is like infringing on other symbols or flags my bad #this green or one very similar to it is my fave color