VitaLa113

She/her | AuDHD | artist | 20 y.o. | proud self shipper | rus/eng | Belarusian

[heyhoneyfox]

Maladaptive daydreaming as a child was like "what if I was in the digimon universe" and now it's like "what if someone genuinely loved me even though I'm flawed"

[aro-ace-chaos]

There's no such thing as "bad aspec rep"

Well, there is, but the bar to call a single character in isolation bad aspec representation is extremely high. They would have to explicitly look into the camera and say something like: "I am evil and a bad person because being aspec is inherently evil and bad" in full sincerity and with no trace of internalized aphobia and the narrative treat this as if it were correct. And that's something I've never seen.

Because otherwise, even if you don't personally relate to the way a character is portrayed in that media, someone does. And whoever does relate to that character deserves to feel seen and represented.

Obviously, metatextual conversations of how characters who are aspec are treated and discussed outside the media can and should be had. But one thing that should never be said is "The way the character is shown in the original media in isolation is inherently bad."

I don't care if you think they're a stereotype.

I don't care if you think they are a bad person.

I don't care if you think they are heartless.

I. Don't. Care.

The issue with aspec representation in media is not a burden to bear for any individual character. If you treat every character as needing to represent the entire spectrum, they will always, always fail. This is a much larger issue that can only be solved by there being more, varied aspec representation in general. And bashing creators for "bad representation" just because it doesn't reflect your personal experience only scares people away from trying to handle aspec identities. If you want a certain type of aspec representation, create it! And encourage others to do the same. Don't harass people for representing another part of the aspec just because it's not yours!

I'm going to use Alastor from Hazbin Hotel as an example, as well as Mammon from Helluva Boss, because this is a universe with three different canonically asexual characters, and the two whose identities we know anything about are treated very differently, both in the show and by the audience. (Via we don't know much about her identity, so I won't be discussing her as much).

Alastor is a coded as a touch-averse, romance-averse, and sex-averse, nonpartnering, bold-stripe aroace. Mammon is coded as a sex-favorable alloace or a sex-favorable and romance-favorable aroace. Those are two very different types of aspecs, which is great! We need more media that acknowledges different types of aspecs.

And yet, Alastor constantly falls under fire for being "bad rep." Why? Well, I've seen him called heartless, emotionless, robotic, and a stereotype. Specifically because he is coded as a touch-averse, romance-averse, and sex-averse nonpartnering, bold-stripe aroace. Um, guys, people who are actually like that exist. I'm one of them (I'm not touch-averse and sometimes I feel more like I'm rose-repulsed than averse, but I might be okay with a QPR someday with my best friend) but I feel incredibly seen and represented by Alastor.

It's fine if you don't, but instead of calling him bad rep and catching people in the crossfire, maybe critique how the meta and the fandom treat him, rather than how he is in the show itself? Maybe don't imply that bold-stripe aroaces are heartless or robotic? Maybe don't call nonpartnering aspecs emotionless or a "bad stereotype".

And if you want a sex-favorable ace character, there is already one in the same universe! Now, of course, you can play around in the sandbox of fanon a good bit, but I'm exhausted of people calling Alastor bad representation in the source material when I have never felt more represented by a character before. He's not just aroace-coded, there's a lot of things about him that are femme-coded or autistic-coded (like his smile), and that's really awesome! Also, he has a lot more emotional depth than people like to pretend. He's not some flat, evil caricature, and the fact that so many people call him that while critiquing his portrayal as an (aro)ace character rings some alarm bells for me.

Again, you can critique how a character is treated by creators and fandom without just blanketly calling the character bad representation. Whether or not it represents you, it represents someone, and that someone deserves representation as well. We need more and varied aspec representation, and the only way to get that is to celebrate aspec characters instead of constantly bashing them.

Edit: "rose" simply means "romance + sex". When i say I am "rose averse" it means that I am both romance averse and sex averse. "Bold stripe" refers to an aroace who experiences absolutely 0 romantic or sexual attraction.

[vitala113]

That is sooo true. For me Alastor is a great representation that makes me go "Yass, my boy! That's so me-coded!", especially since I'm autistic aroace. As for me, his character is just screaming "aroace" (positive way), so people in fandom calling him a "bad representation" (and lots of other problems with his orientation in fandom) is just weird and aphobic imho.

[vitala113]

I was getting emotional and depressed and 'cause of that also having flashbacks etc etc. So I turned on my playlist for suffering, let out all emotions through daydreaming and made few sketches

cw: a bit nude

Also, as every good normal author and owner of characters, I threw my emotions and problems onto my oc (and kinda exaggerated them, obviously, 'cause it's a fictional character through which I can experience what I wouldn't do in reality).

So

TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNING: blood, gore, description of self harm, knife cuts, breakdown, meltdown, description of violence, biting, emotional plot not logical

Long story short, she has been triggered while she was already having flashbacks and experiencing some sort of breakdown/meltdown, so she spilled out everything I wanted to her parent (or smth like that, it didn't really matter). The parent was threatening to cut themselves, so oc, fed up with this shit, snatched the knife from them, grasping the blade due to her emotional state. That is the cut on her right palm from. While shouting at them, she also squeezed the knife few times, deepening the wound, and accidentally cut the side of her face near her right eye 'cause of emotional gesticulating.

After the parent left (I just threw them out of the story 'cause I didn't need them at the moment anymore, it's not like plot was my main priority in that daydream) oc was having her mental breakdown and also her meltdown as well. She was pulling her hair, gripping and scratching herself (she threw away the knife before that) (obviously screaming, crying, swaying jaggedly and etc, it's that I'm just focusing on explaining her appearance mostly rn), that's why blood from her palm got on her hair, on her clothes, all over her face and on her other shoulder (from hugging herself). Also she bit her right forearm due to meltdown and being overwhelmed, that's why she has a bite mark and some blood over her mouth.

After a while of silently laying on the floor staring at the ceiling with blank empty eyes she stood up and headed to her best friend's house to treat the wounds and to get comfort and help.

On the art she in on her friend's doorstep.

Actually all of this was sorta happening into my au with Mr Puzzles, though. He treated her wounds and comforted her ('cause her friend wasn't home at the moment), so there was some hurt/comfort afterwards. I didn't draw it, my ig I'll sketch something later + maybe also write how he was comforting her. But now it's already 4:33 a.m. and I kinda wanna sleep

[vitala113]

Another oc + Mr Puzzles sketch, yay!

I was lacking the ideas, so I went through my Pinterest board with pose references and found this ref

[vitala113]

Y'all can congratulate me 'cause I remembered how to draw a hooked nose from the front properly using the cheat combination of Mirror™ + My Own Nose™

don't mind the hair, I used one of my photos (the one where I notice in the mirror that my hair lays kinda drawable) as a ref

[vitala113]

Continue abusing (lovingly) my drawing abilities 'cause that's the reason I started drawing in the first place

Today's sketch is Mr Puzzles and my oc chilling together on the sofa in the evening, eating popcorn, watching Some Film™ and being kinda clingy 'cause I'm touch starved (platonically)

[vitala113]

The thing about the "Mr Puzzles gives me sketch ideas and helps getting me out of artblock and depression"™ continues, yeah.. :^

So today it's my oc (*cough cough* definitely not a self insert *cough cough*) not having it good 'cause she has all my traumas and disorders, and Mr Puzzles bonding with her over their childhood spent in front of the TV

[vitala113]

Honestly I'm not really even that much into this fandom, but Mr Puzzles somehow still was able to give me few ideas for sketches (cause I was literally having NONE, that sucks, especially when I actually wanted to sketch), so here we are.

Yeah, my oc looks different here, the design is still ongoing PLUS due to my memory problems I keep forgetting how I was drawing her and how I was drawing anything at all. So yeah, here is some more sketches of Mr Puzzles and my oc 'cause I have pen, sketchbook and free will

More sketches of my oc under the cut↓↓↓

[vitala113]

There's a slight redesign of one of my quite an old character (I created them 6 or smth years ago 🤔). So I changed a bit his hairstyle for them to have a better and more recognizable silhouette.

Their name is Молодой Дед/Molodoy Ded (translate by yourself, it doesn't have much sense anyway), they're a demon, they're genderfluid (actually they are above such thing as "gender" so they mostly chose appearance for their mood or benefit for deal making), and they are pansexual

And there's smth kinda his chibi demonic form with the old hairstyle

And there's some of the old arts of them

[vitala113]

Two quick pen sketches of my sona :^

cause why not

[vitala113]

Guess who has JUST watched the playthrough of ninah? Nooo, it's never too late, believe me

[merely-a-caricature]

I’m aromantic! Ofc i listen to angsty love songs and interpret it to be about my family and friends!!

[jaasminttea-archive]

I am actually so serious I think it really messes with a childs creativity and joy to tell them to never make a mary sue OC. Like that unbridaled form of joy where you make a self insert OC who super cool and everyone loves them and they have every superpower in the world SHOULD be something a kid makes, it nourishes their ability to create things for fun and not be stifled by "oh but what if my character is too overpowered and cringey...". whatever

[novas-grimoire]

You know what?

I'm gonna add to this.

It stifles adult's creativity too.

Don't put restrictions on people's creativity.

That Mary-Sue OC you made as a child? That's a template for a well rounded character. Develop that shit. Flesh them out. Make them even better. Figure out what superpowers they really need and what ones are just extra. Let the character grow with you.

But you won't have that template to work off of if you were told not to make it.

Also, let people have power fantasies. Let that bullied isolated kid have an OC who's super powerful and surrounded by friends.

Let people tell stories, for fuck's sake.

[napkineater]

Every love song can be made platonic if you try hard enough

[the-haiku-bot]

Every love song

can be made platonic if

you try hard enough

Beep boop! I look for accidental haiku posts. Sometimes I mess up.

[aromanticofficial]

official aromantic haiku

[vitala113]

My sweet boy😭

Episode 8 killed me. It was both the best and the most painful episode of TADC, which took me both to the heavens and to hell at the same time

!SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!

They killed my baby... 🥺 It was a great move and I do like the whole episode and the every second of it

...but still my cutie patootie is deleted... 🥹🥲 Ouch..

Coping like an artist 🫡🥲

[mourambles]

as a self shipper I am SICK AND TIRED of the anti-y/n propaganda !!!

“y/n is cringe and unrealistic” NOPE! Y/n is ME and EVERY CHARACTER IS IN LOVE WITH ME because I am CUTE AND SHY AND PRETTY.

all it takes is a bit of bravery.. and then you too can be y/n….

[hazbinwithquantum]

Alastor says amatonormativity is always the enemy

(He is correct, btw)