![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bedesRating: G
Fandom: Splatoon
Characters: Marie, Callie (mentioned)
Relationship: Callie & Marie
Words: 1,309
Tropes: Aromantic Character (Marie), Character Study, Coming Out, Unconventional Format, Seasonal, Worldbuilding
Summary: For our pride month special, I was honored with being the first to interview Marie since her coming out earlier this month made waves!
This was written as my contribution for Spectrum Obligato, an LGBT+ pride-themed Splatoon fanzine for pride month! The zine and its digital merch are all available for free, so consider checking it out! Read the zine for free here, and get the digital merch here.
I really love unique formats for fics, and I'd had the idea of writing an in-universe interview with a Splatoon idol for quite some time. I found this to be the perfect opportunity to finally write that idea out!
Marie Cuttlefish — best known as one half of the world-renowned idol duo, the Squid Sisters — has always been less openly emotional than her cousin, Callie, though her deadpan wit and sly smirk still remains infinitely iconic to Inkfish everywhere. But recently, the pair lit social media on fire when, during the closer of their much-anticipated June 1st liveshow, Marie held the aromantic flag proudly, using it as a prop for the final song's choreography.
As such, for this year's pride month special, I sat down with Marie for an exclusive interview on her journey and relationship with her identity.
So, how have you been since that liveshow? Fans have noticed that you've been quiet on your socials since you came out. Was this a conscious choice on your part?
Somewhat. I just felt like making a big, long post "addressing the situation" would be so stuffy and boring . A lot of folks were confused, but I'm an idol, not some expert on aromanticism. I just wanted to say, “I am this,” and have that be that. Though, even trying to account for how few would know about aromanticism, I still underestimated how many would not recognize the flag at all.
That's correct. So you can understand how I felt like I was expected to give an educational PSA or something.
In that case, what inspired you to take on this interview with us today?
I suppose I realized that I did have some things I wanted to share. I'm not someone who should be given the responsibility of defining what aromanticism is, but I do want to connect with my fans by sharing my experiences. Especially since, if I had known what aromanticism was when I was growing up, or heard someone talking about it, things would have been a lot simpler for me a lot sooner.
I see. So is this identity something you've come into more recently?
Relatively. I feel like, once I happened upon the term "aromantic" for the first time, and began to look into it, I realized I fell onto that spectrum pretty quickly. There wasn't much of a "denial stage", I'll say.
Had your lack of romantic attraction been something weighing heavy on your mind, then?
Oh, yeah, totally. If you're an idol, you can't not lean into some aspects of romance.
Callie usually handled the romantic songs during our first era as the Squid Sisters but, when we went on hiatus to pursue solo careers, I discovered that you are basically unable to exist as a cute girl in the music industry without being expected to release songs about romance. I found myself being pressured by my management to make songs about romantic love, and, all things considered, I'm pretty proud of myself for only caving once~... And even then, that was more story-focused, told through the point of view of a character other than myself.
No shade intended to fans of that song, obviously. I liked it in the end, or else I wouldn't have let it see the light of day.
So, you contribute your lack of interest in writing romance songs to your aromanticism, then.
Absolutely. It was difficult and boring to write about, because I had never felt the feelings that I was supposed to be expressing. Though it was not like I felt I could tell my management that.
Callie pointed out to me, after I came out, how funny our first solo releases are in retrospect. Callie's first release, "Bomb Rush Blush", was a song which used Turf War as a metaphor for being nervous around and teased by a crush. And, of course, "Tide Goes Out" is instead a song about the sea and the night, largely focusing on the senses. The contrast is plain to see.
Speaking of your cousin — Callie was, of course, enthusiastically supportive when you came out publicly. How was her initial reaction?
Okay, first of all, her throwing her arms around me and jumping all around like that after I showed the flag was not a part of the show's planned choreo. I've seen a few folks talking about it as if it was... But no, she really was just that excited. Which is why I stumbled over my own feet slightly when it happened. It's hard to get mad at her for breaking from the plan like that though, as I'm sure you can imagine, heh.
As for your question: Callie's always been open that she would support me if I was queer. When I first expressed to her that I found dating guys to be a chore, she said she could try setting me up with a girl. I even took her up on the offer, kind of hoping that I would end up being interest in women, but that ended up falling flat, too.
That said, Callie's always been of the mind that it was "sad" that I was never dating anyone. That I could find no one I felt that "spark" with. She'd pout when I broke off my latest fling, telling me I hardly even tried to make it work. Nothing serious, just our usual jabs at each other — but still, those comments stuck in my mind for a reason I just couldn't quite put my finger on at the time.
She didn't know what aromanticism was when I first told her, which I expected. But once I explained it to her, her eyes went all wide, going, "O-M-G..." she spelled it out, out loud... "- that is SO you!!"
Within the week, she had bought me an armful's worth of aromantic pride stuff, and had taken me out for milk tea to apologize for how she might have made me feel pressured on her dime. Nobody tell her that I would have forgiven her without the free treats.
Wow! So it seems Callie has gone on a journey of her own, then. Was it tough to grow up so close with a particularly romantic inkfish?
This is where I see a lot of folks say that they felt broken, because they did not experience what their peers did. But personally, I could not relate less. I just thought that I was perpetually stuck being the only rational one in the room on the subject of romance. Everyone else I knew got so crazy over it, losing themselves in these huge waves of emotions I never felt — I kind of felt like I was... well, I don't want to say "better than them", but if the shoe fits.
Haha! Did you being "the rational one" go over well with your peers?
It had mixed reviews. Some of my friends would huff that I "just didn't get it". But a lot of my friends also came to me first for advice regarding their love life, since I was able to be so objective.
Alright. So, as we close out pride month this year, do you have anything you'd like to say to your fans on the subject of aromanticism?
The biggest thing that I'd like to tell everyone — especially young girls, but also, yes, everyone — is that you don't need a romantic relationship to be happy. There are all different shades and hues of love, and none is more important than the other. I have found fulfillment in my career and my hobbies. And not wanting a romantic relationship does not mean that you have to live a solitary life. I am very close with my family; I still live with Callie, and she is my life's partner, in a sense of the word. Whether or not you're on the aromantic spectrum, a life without romance is still a life perfectly complete.
Fandom: Splatoon
Characters: Marie, Callie (mentioned)
Relationship: Callie & Marie
Words: 1,309
Tropes: Aromantic Character (Marie), Character Study, Coming Out, Unconventional Format, Seasonal, Worldbuilding
Summary: For our pride month special, I was honored with being the first to interview Marie since her coming out earlier this month made waves!
This was written as my contribution for Spectrum Obligato, an LGBT+ pride-themed Splatoon fanzine for pride month! The zine and its digital merch are all available for free, so consider checking it out! Read the zine for free here, and get the digital merch here.
I really love unique formats for fics, and I'd had the idea of writing an in-universe interview with a Splatoon idol for quite some time. I found this to be the perfect opportunity to finally write that idea out!
Marie Cuttlefish — best known as one half of the world-renowned idol duo, the Squid Sisters — has always been less openly emotional than her cousin, Callie, though her deadpan wit and sly smirk still remains infinitely iconic to Inkfish everywhere. But recently, the pair lit social media on fire when, during the closer of their much-anticipated June 1st liveshow, Marie held the aromantic flag proudly, using it as a prop for the final song's choreography.
As such, for this year's pride month special, I sat down with Marie for an exclusive interview on her journey and relationship with her identity.
So, how have you been since that liveshow? Fans have noticed that you've been quiet on your socials since you came out. Was this a conscious choice on your part?
Somewhat. I just felt like making a big, long post "addressing the situation" would be so stuffy and boring . A lot of folks were confused, but I'm an idol, not some expert on aromanticism. I just wanted to say, “I am this,” and have that be that. Though, even trying to account for how few would know about aromanticism, I still underestimated how many would not recognize the flag at all.
Ah, that's right. If my memory serves, after your performance where you came out, usage of the phrase "what flag" began trending in Plaza Posts.
That's correct. So you can understand how I felt like I was expected to give an educational PSA or something.
In that case, what inspired you to take on this interview with us today?
I suppose I realized that I did have some things I wanted to share. I'm not someone who should be given the responsibility of defining what aromanticism is, but I do want to connect with my fans by sharing my experiences. Especially since, if I had known what aromanticism was when I was growing up, or heard someone talking about it, things would have been a lot simpler for me a lot sooner.
I see. So is this identity something you've come into more recently?
Relatively. I feel like, once I happened upon the term "aromantic" for the first time, and began to look into it, I realized I fell onto that spectrum pretty quickly. There wasn't much of a "denial stage", I'll say.
Had your lack of romantic attraction been something weighing heavy on your mind, then?
Oh, yeah, totally. If you're an idol, you can't not lean into some aspects of romance.
Callie usually handled the romantic songs during our first era as the Squid Sisters but, when we went on hiatus to pursue solo careers, I discovered that you are basically unable to exist as a cute girl in the music industry without being expected to release songs about romance. I found myself being pressured by my management to make songs about romantic love, and, all things considered, I'm pretty proud of myself for only caving once~... And even then, that was more story-focused, told through the point of view of a character other than myself.
No shade intended to fans of that song, obviously. I liked it in the end, or else I wouldn't have let it see the light of day.
So, you contribute your lack of interest in writing romance songs to your aromanticism, then.
Absolutely. It was difficult and boring to write about, because I had never felt the feelings that I was supposed to be expressing. Though it was not like I felt I could tell my management that.
Callie pointed out to me, after I came out, how funny our first solo releases are in retrospect. Callie's first release, "Bomb Rush Blush", was a song which used Turf War as a metaphor for being nervous around and teased by a crush. And, of course, "Tide Goes Out" is instead a song about the sea and the night, largely focusing on the senses. The contrast is plain to see.
Speaking of your cousin — Callie was, of course, enthusiastically supportive when you came out publicly. How was her initial reaction?
Okay, first of all, her throwing her arms around me and jumping all around like that after I showed the flag was not a part of the show's planned choreo. I've seen a few folks talking about it as if it was... But no, she really was just that excited. Which is why I stumbled over my own feet slightly when it happened. It's hard to get mad at her for breaking from the plan like that though, as I'm sure you can imagine, heh.
As for your question: Callie's always been open that she would support me if I was queer. When I first expressed to her that I found dating guys to be a chore, she said she could try setting me up with a girl. I even took her up on the offer, kind of hoping that I would end up being interest in women, but that ended up falling flat, too.
That said, Callie's always been of the mind that it was "sad" that I was never dating anyone. That I could find no one I felt that "spark" with. She'd pout when I broke off my latest fling, telling me I hardly even tried to make it work. Nothing serious, just our usual jabs at each other — but still, those comments stuck in my mind for a reason I just couldn't quite put my finger on at the time.
She didn't know what aromanticism was when I first told her, which I expected. But once I explained it to her, her eyes went all wide, going, "O-M-G..." she spelled it out, out loud... "- that is SO you!!"
Within the week, she had bought me an armful's worth of aromantic pride stuff, and had taken me out for milk tea to apologize for how she might have made me feel pressured on her dime. Nobody tell her that I would have forgiven her without the free treats.
Wow! So it seems Callie has gone on a journey of her own, then. Was it tough to grow up so close with a particularly romantic inkfish?
This is where I see a lot of folks say that they felt broken, because they did not experience what their peers did. But personally, I could not relate less. I just thought that I was perpetually stuck being the only rational one in the room on the subject of romance. Everyone else I knew got so crazy over it, losing themselves in these huge waves of emotions I never felt — I kind of felt like I was... well, I don't want to say "better than them", but if the shoe fits.
Haha! Did you being "the rational one" go over well with your peers?
It had mixed reviews. Some of my friends would huff that I "just didn't get it". But a lot of my friends also came to me first for advice regarding their love life, since I was able to be so objective.
Alright. So, as we close out pride month this year, do you have anything you'd like to say to your fans on the subject of aromanticism?
The biggest thing that I'd like to tell everyone — especially young girls, but also, yes, everyone — is that you don't need a romantic relationship to be happy. There are all different shades and hues of love, and none is more important than the other. I have found fulfillment in my career and my hobbies. And not wanting a romantic relationship does not mean that you have to live a solitary life. I am very close with my family; I still live with Callie, and she is my life's partner, in a sense of the word. Whether or not you're on the aromantic spectrum, a life without romance is still a life perfectly complete.
