It’s so important to me that of all the characters in Graduation, we got ace rep in Fitz. Fitzroy Maplecourt, who acts vain and pompous and oh god, he was trying so hard to fit in with all the kids at his old school that he adopted a whole persona to be like them, a persona that included “very sexy and sexual” along with all of the other things he truly isn’t. Viewing his flashbacks and the feeling of not belonging due to his roots through the lens of being ace just makes my heart ache for him, because that’s exactly what high school and college feels like when it seems that everyone else is in on the joke of wanting to have sex and you’re just sitting there alone, the only person who isn’t in on this big funny prank. I didn’t think I could get more emotionally invested in this character but I have been proved wrong once again!!!
Fitzroy was just confirmed to be ace by the man himself, Griffin McElroy with grace, sincerity, and diligence.
I’m so incredibly happy!!! As an ace person who is still trying to be confident with my sexuality, the fact that this character I love is similar to me in a way I don’t think I’ve seen except for two times in my media is so special!
I had to scroll through the TAZ tag before I wrote this so I could collect my thoughts, and first of all, the art work I’m seeing is INCREDIBLE and making me even more emotional and gratified. But, I agree with people loving that Griffin has left it a bit open as to where Fitz is on the ace spectrum.
As someone who still couldn’t pin point where I am on that spectrum, and who kind of hates having to think about my label being an exact and constricting one, the fact that a wide and diverse group of asexuals can all look at Fitz and see themselves in him is beautiful and really unifying. He doesn’t have to be one kind of ace for us to connect with him on that level.
For me, it’s the fact that he can still feel “sexy” in what he wears without being any less ace. He can make sexual jokes without being any less ace. Fitz can kiss someone square on the lips and not be any less ace.
I do hope that, as Travis said, this will be brought up in future character interactions, because it needs to be addressed by Fitz himself to actually make an impact, and for us to hopefully see how being ace shapes Fitz. I think that will tie in with, as Griffin said, Fitz’s otherness at Knight School, but it’s also nice that his asexuality isn’t the only/main reason he has these feelings. Like it should be, it’s just a facet of the full person we’re seeing grow and who we’re learning more and more about.
I’m so excited for what this will entail in the future, and I know the McElroy Boys will handle this with respect and give us the representation we deserve!
I generally hesitate to talk much about my sexuality on this blog because I lived through the Ace Discourse™️ era of tumblr and occasionally I still see ace/aro hate that makes me want to shrivel up and die, but like guys? I’m so glad Griffin told us that Fitz is ace. And specifically I really enjoy that he mentioned it in relation to Fitzroy’s ambition. I am glad that he went to lengths in the episode today to make it clear that he doesn’t think that Fitzroy’s ambition is like the reason he’s ace, because he understands pinning sexuality down to a reason is pretty problematic, and just to be clear, I don’t want to say that’s my reading of the character either. But I think it’s clear that Griffin considers those two aspects of Fitzroy to be linked in a way, even though he seemed to not be able to articulate exactly whatthat connection is.
But as a person who is feeling more on the ace/aro spectrum by the day, I think I understand what he was getting at. Because personal ambition was a really early clue-in for me into some of my feelings in general about romantic and sexual attraction. A feeling of “I could seek out romantic and/or sexual intimacy… but I have other things I want to do more”is not the basis of everyone’s asexuality, I’m sure, but for me it was an early indicator that perhaps I didn’t click with that sexual and romantic desire the way other people do. And upon ruminating on those things more, largely because of that original impulse, I’ve learned a lot about the way I operate that makes me identify with the ace/aro spectrum. So Griffin kind of mentally connecting those things and mentioning it in the episode today was cool and for me, personally, and made me feel a bit seen.
I know that’s not how things work for all ace and/or aro people. I was just pleased by the surprise that Griffin kind of hit my feelings right on the head.
ok but nobody’s talking about the fact that griffin’s inspiration/new world view on asexuality comes from how parvati was portrayed in the outer worlds and i think it’s important to remember that good rep opens the door for other content creators
Now that I’ve calmed down enough to do more than just scream incoherently, one of the reasons I’m so fuckin psyched about Fitzroy being asexual is because I got the vibes off him before it was confirmed. Like I am an ace person who actively listens to a lot of queer media, but literally every other time I’ve started to suspect the creators were ace-coding a character, it was a case of “oh fuck they made this character Weird and Incomplete, I have the sinking suspicion that they’re gonna be asexual.” But like Fitzroy is the most real ace rep I haven’t had to Actively seek out. FUCK I’m excited
[A fullcolor digital illustration of the thundermen and Rainer from the adventure zone: graduation. The group is at a breakfast table in a dining hall enjoying crepes, citrus fruits, and nuts and berries. Rainer is a pale human woman with blonde hair wearing a purple dress. Argo is a blue genasi man with a curled mustache and white shirt. Firbolg is a large gray firbolg wearing a green tunic. Fitzroy is a tan half-elf man wearing a red vest and poofy-sleeved white shirt. They are all engaged in lively conversation as two Garys look on from the background. End ID.]
A piece I did last year for the @boycloakfanzine! This was the first project of the kind that I’ve worked on, and I’m still quite pleased with how it turned out!
the curtain rises! here it is…. my big piece for the @boycloakfanzine !!
i’ve been so excited to share this bad boy- i worked really hard on it and am super proud of the way it turned out!! working on the zine with everyone was a great experience, and i’m so happy i got to participate :)
This is the image my brain keeps creating whenever the TAZ-boys talk about and play the Commodore. I’m sure he’s supposed to be portrayed as human, but giving him a Davy Jones spin seems like the only real thing to do. I couldn’t decide on the colour, honestly, but I think the salmon/pink speaks to me more. The green gets kinda washed out.
Anyhoo, more will come, I’ve just been crazy busy with work. I really hope to have more than 2 hours to myself in the future so I can create more TAZ.
I still haven’t decided what Rainer looks like in my head, so I’ve just begun sketching out a few attempts. Not sure I’m there. I’m pretty sure I’ll be making multiple designs before I’m happy, but either way here she is, sans chair but with a dead raccoon.
Fancy boys being fancy. Older Argo Keene is everything I want in a sexual, sexy, very handsome, very sexual privateer. I haven’t started designing Rainer yet, I just wanted to draw some fancy clothes that looks dapper on a girl sitting down. And Fitz just being Fitz, with his sexual, sexy, very handsome, very sexuak cloak.
Well would you look at these strapping young lads.
I just think Fabian and Fitzroy would get on like a house on fire and I’m forcing everyone to look at it while I work myself up to draw Fabian and Argo having a sword fight ✌️
I drew these a while ago and of course OF COURSE IT WASNT TILL AFTER I DREW THIS THAT FITZ WAS REVEALED AS 6′4 LIKW GRIFFIN TURN ON UR LOCATION I JUST WANNA TALK I-
