[ SECRET POST #4824 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #4824 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 48 secrets from Secret Submission Post #691.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Because of my less than positive feelings about my own asexuality, I would honestly probably enjoy a fic where a character was ace, but found one person who was an exception for them who they were wildly attracted to. That would probably be some major wish fulfillment for me.

However, even as an ace person who would probably enjoy that...I still find it pretty darn questionable, and I can completely see why many ace people wouldn't feel too good about it. IMO, if a person wants to write that story, it's better if they refrain from labeling their character as ace, and just make it clear that they've never been interested in anyone before.

That's what the majority of Sherlock fanfic did. Was John the first person Sherlock had ever really wanted? Yes. But did Sherlock - prior to meeting John - think of himself as ace? No. And did the narrative label him as ace? No.

[(Anonymous)]

Why is it questionable? For all you know, the writers identify as asexual, and writing the fic is wish fulfillment for them just as reading it would be for you.

[(Anonymous)]

Because there is a strong societal narrative that ace people are just 1. picky, and 2. broken, and all they need is The Right Person to come along and fix them.

And while there is a small percentage of ace people who are like me, and very much wish we could be allo, the majority of ace people (from everything I've seen) are good with being ace - they just wish people would stop treating their asexuality like a temporary glitch, a damage that needs fixing.

So any narrative that furthers the pervasive attitude that an ace person might become allo by meeting the right person is, yeah, questionable. I don't think it's completely invalid, because sexuality is complicated and sometimes fluid, and it's certainly possible that an ace person might find someone they have those feelings about. But it's a tricky story to tell sensitively, in a somewhat similar way to if you wanted to tell the story of a gay person who found their "one exception" in someone of the opposite sex. Is that a totally invalid story? Not inherently? But is it pretty darn dicey? IMO, yes.

[(Anonymous)]

So for the sake of social responsibility, people shouldn't write their wish fulfillment fic? Fic that is possibly providing them and readers with emotional solace?

[(Anonymous)]

I don't think there's a hard and fast rule about "should" or "shouldn't" when it comes to writing this stuff. But if you do write it, you may get criticism, especially if you're writing inaccurately about any group that faces discrimination.

Like I said, if someone wrote a fic in which a gay character ended up falling for someone of the opposite sex, some people might criticize their choice to do that. I wouldn't personally be in the comments piling on, but I can understand where that criticism would be coming from.

[(Anonymous)]

That's not wish fulfilment, that's just demisexuality.

[(Anonymous)]

And if the fic addressed that ("I always figured I was ace, but maybe I'm demi and just never formed a close enough bond with someone who was right for me before") I would be inclined to respect the author's depiction.

But if the narrative is, "Ace character is horny for amazing sex with partner who they totally want to bone," and that's it, and the incongruity of an ace character being horny to fuck their partner is never addressed, or is actively used to make things "hotter," then it's a pretty fetishy depiction of asexuality. (Something being fetishy is honestly not the end of the world, imo. I personally don't care about fetishy depictions of asexuality. But I support the ace people who do find it uncomfortable, because I think that's a totally reasonable way to feel.)