??

Hey. Was. Was the visual parallel between this scene and Mitsi's death intentional. Because I'm obsessed with it actually.

Like. Did Agent panic when he saw victim about to meet the same fate as Mitsi? Did he see her, just for a second, in that halo of fire? Did he think about how close he just came to losing the person he's meant to protect all over again?

He's CANONICALLY asexual in RUSSIAN MEDIA and also THE PROTAGONIST.

And it's not just "the creator said on twitter" situation, the "word of god" is supported by the canon. He is visibly and consistently sex-repulsed throughout the entire canon.

He's biromantic and a part of the main two ships, but most of the fandom doesn't ignore his asexuality in favor of the ship like in some fandoms (you know what I'm talking about). My Student Spirit fandom is overall very ace friendly, very noticeably so compared to other fandoms I've been in, and I think it played a big part in my own discovery and acceptance of my asexuality.

ANY representation that is not mockery in Russian media is something very rare and precious. And with a PROTAGONIST, no less?? With their own story, multiple plotlines, arcs and strong platonic relationships?

Elijah is very human, which is rare in canon ace portrayal. He cares about people, is kind, but can also be a sassy bitch and an ignorant fuck. His friendship with deuteragonist and his own family is a big focus. He's flawed. He grows as a person. He feels alive (well, as much as a ghost can).

He has both plotlines that have nothing to do with romance, and strong queer coded implied romantic relationship (it's basically canon, but it can only be shown through subtext and not outright confirmed because of the new Russian laws regarding "LGBT propaganda"). And it's rare to see alloace on screen! Much more an undeniably sex-repulsed alloace! His sexuality isn't portrayed as an issue, it's just a casual part of who he is. And he's allowed to have strong platonic relationships and a fucked up complicated probably undiscussed situationship with an allo man.

He also saved a random girl from SA in the first comic. Which is only tangentially related… okay, no, it IS related to our discussion. You see, when he became a ghost, he couldn't leave his dormitory room. Physically. Like a lamb tied to a poll with a length of rope. And when there's a perfectly fine, if a bit haunted, empty room in a dormitory, of course people are gonna fuck there.

You can see where this is going. And from another show you would expect there to be jokes. Or the protagonist perving on people. But not here. It's treated seriously, and he reacts not in the way you would expect from a typical male protagonist, but visibly and extremely uncomfortable, borderline traumatized. And him saving one of the girls that were going to this room with a guy is the culmination of this story bit. The guy is seen arrested on panel.

Like, where else you would expect to see this kind of thing treated with this understanding of severity? And it's very important to me that this is male protagonist.

In conclusion, I think Elijah is an iconic asexual, on his own and in consideration of the circumstances of his creation. As a teen in Russia, it was very important for me that I watched this show. When I was discovering my sexuality, I already had a reference point, an example. And in my native language! In my own culture! Like… I can live here. I can exist here. There are people like me here. And I've seen many aces and aroaces in the fandom who feel the same.

Jessica is iconic, no doubt. But Elijah had more impact on my life than any other ace or ace coded character ever had. That's why he has my vote.

The Animation of "My Student Spirit/Дух моей общаги"