I've been thinking alot about the AceAro Alastor and the fandom like discose. I think my main think is I wish we had better tags in genreal for Alastor specifically. I wish we across platforms used more platonic and QPR tags. I wish that if people did non shiping content they would tag it as acearo Alastor more. I wish people people who made explict Alastor conext taged it better so people not into that can avoid it easier. Especially on twitter. Especially on twitter Jesus christ Twitter. I've seen people start to uses non ace Alastor or Alastor isn't ace tags for fics which is a improvement. Bring that energy into art spaces.
Like tags are supost to make it so we can coexist in peace.
So heres my pitch for tags
#acearo Alastor
#non ace Alastor
#non aro Alastor
#Alastor platonic shipping
#Alastor QPR shipping
#Alastor romantic shiping
#Alastor explict content
Alastor is in a really unique situation and, I dont think all that content is going anywhere so, could we all just play nice with our shared deer boy.
Please.
I'm actually very interested about that discussion. And I'm conflicted as fuck. Maybe I'm too old and my fandom culture clashes with modern etiquette?
I want to agree. I have this problem too. All the content I find on Alastor never treats him as Ace by default, and sometimes, I find it annoying. And then I remember to have fun and not sacralize canon, because... Well, it's fandom culture? At least mine?
I've been writting anarchist couples and sorta QPR fucked up content for both Hazbin Fandom and Lol/Arcane and I'm just... yep? Please tag? I'm at lost myself, so I try and probably fail, but, yeah?
For LoL-Jinx, it was always a headcanon of mine to have her AroAce, and the Arcane made me ask 'what about Aromantic and Allosexual/Demisexual ?' and... I mean it was my own thoughts and not the default so I tagged it and tried to make it nuanced, and ultimately it was okay because no one is that attached to that peculiar headcanon.
But now I'm genuinely writting for Alastor, and because I'm no fun I try to stay close to canon, and BOY OH BOY, why are we treating him like allosexual and alloromantic is the default? Because I tag my stuff 'Alastor is on the aromantic spectrum', and I'm not even sure if I can because it could DEFINITIVELY make people looking for a real strictly sex repulsed aroace Alastor land on my fic and that's not what I'm writting? And I can't tag WHERE on the spectrum I'm placing him, and I'm now kind of AFRAID to use this tag because I'm begining to ask 'is this ace enough, or is it too nuanced?' where BOY OH BOY, I shouldn't be the one questionning if I'm writting a canonically Ace character ACE ENOUGH just because the default is NOT to tag him when we're making a sexual version of him, thus possibly making me enter a space I should not be allowed in by accident?
I get it, no one tags a draco fanfic 'by the way, obviously everyone is gay', but what do you want me to do? put the tag and a warning to say 'psych! I said on the spectrum! this is still still lewd!'?
I don't knoooooow, I just don't know. Granted Ao3 is awesome for this, people can opt-out of the things without even showing the tag to be spoiled about it. Twitter is it's own can of worm, I suppose we could make a bit of an effort in here, youtube and on bluesky and such.
Because I WANT to talk and write and draw about QPR stuff, I want to go beyond the binaries of what label you put on a relationship, but damn I don't want people to assume I'm writting for them and their taste if they use the tags to protect themselves, and I'm not interested into traumatizing people for no reason.
And in parrallel, I just don't like to put up fences between fans and discussions, I don't like the fact that people will read the tags rather than the story, I don't like that we only consume stuff we're comfortable with only. I don't think it's a good thing to think 'welp, fandom space and culture, the default is gay and slightly misogynistic'. I don't like people demonizing sex, I don't like censorship, I don't like everyone just staying in their lanes like stale micro gardens?
I'd love the default to be 'Alastor is ace, I might play with the concept, but he is' and people just wanting to enjoy the usual fandom current state of things would be the one taking charge of this and adding allosexual Al tags, but... What's next, asking people to tag gay shipping for anything that is not canonically gay? Crackship if it's not canon? 'Oh and by the way, I will draw kisses that were not in the original show!'
Am I too old for this? I don't know, I feel like I both lack whimsy AND consideration for my fellow fandom enjoyers...
















