You know what I love? Canon bi ace icon Jonathan Sims.
I’m bi ace myself, and the mere fact of his character existing makes me so happy.
I love how much the fandom has embraced him being ace, and I love that so many fans use his character to explore the ace experience in so many different ways.
I love Jon when he’s sex repulsed. When he’s never had to try it out to know he doesn’t like it. When he has tried it and knows it’s definitely not for him. When he loves kisses and snuggles, or when he’s not too keen on intimate touch at all, and shows his affection in so many other ways.
I love Jon when he’s sex neutral. When he gets why people are so into it, but also really doesn’t get why people are so into it. When it’s maybe a fun or intimate thing to do once in a while, but he’ll never bring it up unless his partner does. When his response to the idea of sex is a shrug and a “sure”.
I love Jon when he’s sex interested. When he’s curious or kinky or just vibes with the good feelings sex can produce. When he enjoys sex but isn’t driven by it. When he’s gray- or demi- and finds himself unexpectedly getting the hots for someone.
I love every fan creator who takes him being ace into account in their work. Every time I see the “Canon Asexual Character” tag on AO3 it adds a month to my life. Whether you write Jon as sex repulsed or neutral or interested, you’re valid in my books. Whether you’re allo or ace, if you want to write about his character and how he might relate to sex, I support you. If you want to write straight up smut, that’s cool too; we all need to blow off a little steam sometimes.
Side note: for allo writers, it’s always a great idea to have an ace person do a sensitivity read on your sexy Jon fic. I’m ace and I sometimes have another ace friend read my fic over, if I’m writing Jon a flavor of asexual that falls outside my direct experience.
I’m aware that the single line in canon we get about Jon’s asexuality most closely aligns with a sex repulsed (or at least disinterested) reading. And it’s great that sex repulsed aces can relate to him so well. But the fact is that many fans—ace and allo—love Jon’s character and relate to him for all sorts of reasons. I support all these fans in exploring all kinds of human experiences through Jon’s character, including sex and sexuality, as long as everything is labeled with appropriate tags and warnings so that people who don’t want to read it can avoid it.
Yes, even things I don’t want to read.
Yes, even things I personally find repellent or distressing.
Fanfiction is not canon, and does not pretend to be. As long as it’s tagged correctly, it’s not my place to tell people what they should and shouldn’t write.
There are people who will say that nobody should write about Jon having sex. And there are people who will say that only ace fans can write about Jon having sex. Well, I have as much Asexual Authority ™ as anyone else in this fandom, so I hereby give everyone blanket permission in perpetuity to write as much (or as little!) fic about Jon having sex as you like.
Jonathan Sims is an amazing character, and better ace representation than my heart could ever have hoped for. I’m thrilled that so many fans find joy in exploring and engaging with his character in all kinds of ways, and I encourage you all to continue doing so!
Image ID: Marge Simpson holding a potato. Caption reads: I just think he’s neat.
