I keep thinking about this tweet, how meaningful and reassuring it was that when one pillar of my childhoods crumbled, the others stepped forward to show they would continue to shoulder the remaining weight all their own.
And this phrase in particular — “I do not think these things of you” — is such a quintessential Piercian refrain. It’s direct in a way that cuts to the core of the argument. It’s a little old fashioned, a bit clunky in its plainness. It acknowledges the distasteful power an argument may hold while simultaneously denying it room to breathe.
I keep hearing that thing Tammy said about Alanna and Kel—which itself is not particularly meaningful to me—playing in my head over and over like a mantra. Because it’s catchy.
“Alanna prefers “Sir” because she was making a point. Kel prefers “Lady Knight” because she’s making a different point.”
…The clarity! The concision! The oddly plain, repetitive twist, easily avoided, that nonetheless persists and makes you stumble.
The statement cuts straight to the point, but it leaves space for you to draw the conclusion yourself. It’s instructive but not pedagogical. It’s a bit awkward, but somehow that works in its favor.
It’s a way Tammy has of writing that I (an overwriter, an overthinker) have held up in my head as a model for years. As much as I am grateful for Tammy’s consistent stance on the right side of the fight for justice, I am also grateful for her specific way with words: simple, blunt, and unadorned, which has meant something to me for so long.
Anyone else remember that scene in Bloodhound where Bekah asks a trans woman how she can just get on stage and be a beautiful woman and she was all, “It’s cuz I *am* a beautiful woman, and we have Queer mythology btw.”
she retroactively made kel ace almost on a whim and then when ace fans damn near cried with joy over it, she went all in and doubled down on it to make sure we got that protagonist representation, while also validating aces who spent a while figuring out their orientation or have dated before - a thing you NEVER see in any medium EVER
tammy pierce knows damn well the power an author can wield for good, and has spent decades learning alongside her audience and trying to meet the needs of her fans in any way she can[Image Description: A tweet by Tamora Pierce @/TamoraPierce, dated June 10, 2020. It reads, “Regarding JKR’s statement: I do not think these things of you. I do not believe you are not who you are. I know you have fought a long, hard battle to become yourselves in the eyes of the world. In my eyes, you are heroic. #TransWomenAreWomen #TransMenAreMen” /End ID]
I want to just say that not only did she make Kel ace and aro she also gave it reasoning
“While I’ve been thinking, Kel has been living her life. While she’s been doing all the work, we’ve both discovered that she doesn’t really have the time for or interest in romance. Her inclination for it has faded as time goes on, and I have come to understand that she may in fact simply be uninterested in romance. She is now, anyway.Kel has come to a space in her life where she finds that she’s not interested in romantic or physical relationships with anybody. Friendships yes, she thrives on friendships, and family-type relationships, but romantic ones leave her feeling confused. And the older Kel gets, the messier it all seems. She may have enjoyed kissing well enough when she did it, but lately, whenever the thought occurs to her it’s outweighed by all of the other things she could be doing with her time, and the interest fades soon enough.In short, Kel is both aromantic and asexual.“
me, a baby: Kel is my favorite because her narrative is about not being Chosen and not having a Special Destiny, and her priorities are about protecting Her People and achieving her goals as a knight and upholding her ideals! and she cares so much about those things that she doesn’t want to take time away from them for romance! she’s so great! I am trying not to be salty about that stretch of the Alanna books where she was juggling 3 dudes but i am admittedly rolling my eyes a little at that!
me, an ace adult: ohhhhhhh. yeah, that makes sense now.
