Forgotten and tossed

"At the edge of the galaxy

So far away

Black was the spire

That called me to stay.

A beacon for drifters

Forgotten and lost

The spires summoned those

Broken and tossed.

Come stay here forever

Or just pass on through.

The spirit of Black Spire

Will forever change you."

I know.

I already quoted this.

But it's so beautiful, that every time I read it again, I tear up.

[Alright, I cry at Cheerios commercials, but this really sees right inside my soul, ok?]

"Drifters forgotten and lost", "broken and tossed."

The sad, brittle looks of my queer community.

Yet not free. Without the right to even exist.

Hidden. Invisible.

So many moments spent having to explain ourselves, over and over.

What we like, what we do not.

And why.

Like it was simple, right?

"Look, just know that I'm your friend, and I'm here for you. Not romantically or physically, but for pretty much anything else. You can count on me. Okay?"

["Black Spire" by Delilah S. Dawson]

Vernestra sighed. She felt like she was really bad at this. Why couldn’t they just duel or meditate? This was a difficult conversation for her because she’d never once had any of those feelings, regardless of the people she met. She could tell when someone was attractive, and there were people she liked more than others, but she had never felt the push/pull of attraction so many other Padawans did when they came of age.

["Out of the Shadows" by Justina Ireland]

Feeling like in need to pass an endless test.

Others lurking, ready for our missteps. Ready to push us to conform.

Constantly hammering us into their shiny mental boxes.

Until we fit, you know?

[From my privileged pedestal, I am part of the lucky ones. I hate labels with a passion, but, if you read my other posts on the matter, I am actually the very opposite of an aroace. So, why do I care so much about this post, and Vi or Vernestra? Probably because, among all the possible shades of our community, often —and mistakenly so— defined by sex or attraction, the aroace group is the least represented of all. The true "forgotten and tossed", even from our community itself. And I am truly, deeply, sorry about this]

[Photo: Vi Moradi tooka by @amandaanime99_cosplay]