Semantics & Sea Lemons

because when you do that shit, it fucking hurts aromantics. it feeds into the already pervasive narrative that we can’t ever care for anyone, that any love that we might feel isn’t nearly as meaningful even if we pour our heart and soul into it, that we can’t possibly be “just friends” with this person.

guess what? friendships matter! friendships exist, in a shit ton of different forms that’s far more different today than it was before, and us pointing this out is not the same thing as straight homophobes erasing gay people and relationships.

(also imagine how many “straight” relationships in history might actually have been close friendships but we don’t talk about that part of heteronormativity for some reason huh.)

I know this post is about historical figures, but I want to say that this is also a hugely pervasive thing in fandom.

There is nothing wrong with shipping fictional characters together romantically, but please try not to back it up by pointing out literally every positive interaction they have and insisting that "friends would never do this!"

Especially when it's stuff like openly saying how much they care for each other, or being there for each other during a crisis, or risking their lives for each other. Like, way to tell every aro person reading that "you will never have/be worthy of this."

I'm not saying you have to only have queerplatonic headcanons from now on. Or that you're not allowed to interpret certain interactions between characters who are canonically platonic friends as actually being romantic.