actually being aro is a tragedy. not for me but for the allos. I'm a catch.

i like seeing aros who have totally different experiences with attraction and relationships <3 rejoice in a diversity of perspectives and a collaborative and respectful community

im sorry i had to do it that line is just so damn *chef's kiss* ARO

Anteaters carry their babes on their backs so they look like part of the parent if a predator attacks. They are also very fun to draw

🐜 🐜 🐜

aro girls fuckin rock

My siblings, it is time once again to fight for non-partnering Artemis.

this year my challenge for everyone is to unlearn the association between love and morality. love is not something that is inherently morally good, and the absence of love is not something that is inherently bad. sex without love isn't morally bankrupt, it's just an action. people without love aren't less kind or less good, they're just people. when we can get past this false (and often unnoticed) dichotomy of good love/evil lovelessness then i think we are going to be able to take leaps and bounds in sex positivity, aro advocacy, certain discussions of mental health...

AROACE SNAIL AROACE SNAIL AROACE SNAIL

Thanks Jaiden.

I feel like I don't do the thing where all my characters end up aspec, but I think aspecness pervades my writing regardless. Beyond just, oftentimes not being the focus of the story, when I end up writing characters in relationships I always like to start in the domestic phase. No more grand gestures of love and pining just an unstated comfort in the existence of the relationship. The point where problems and tensions begin to bubble to the surface. Sometimes the endgoal of the narrative is characters realizing that they're better not in that relationship ya know? Not that they need to break it off but just, like, shift it to something other than romantic.

Things people told me when I came out:

"You don't know what you're doing."

"You're just confused, let me help you."

"There's still time to fix this."

"Sacrificing their lives won't bring anyone back."

"High Demon Elgrin will destroy the whole world, you included."

"You've become too powerful, no man was meant to wield this."

"I don't want to do this. But if you won't stop I'll have to stop you myself."

"En guarde!"

aroace trans rika pride icons

requested by anon

like/rb if using + credit

Arospec Bingo Card requested by anon

I finished the card! Have a go, and feel free to tag any aro friends :)

People who wanted to be tagged:

@feelingthedisaster

The struggle

A six word short story, sadder than that baby shoes bullshit:

TERFs found this post. Locking reblogs.

On my main account I've been mildly obsessed recently with A.B.A, her characterization in Strive, and her relationship to Paracelsus. And actually thinking about it, what I like about some parts of shipping and dislike about others, I think it's just kinda fun to play with a relationship, the dynamics and the way they impact each other for better or worse, but one where PDA is physically impossible.

Like I can scroll shippy fanart forever and never come across kissing, cuddling, spooning, nose rubs, anything like that because, like, he's just a big fucking key. (Though actually, there are a few artists who do draw Paracelsus humanized, yet this has still never come up). It's fun, and it's interesting to see where your own personal boundaries on oohs and icks land.

I think the reason I'm willing to give so much leeway to shows describing asexual as "a lack of attraction" without specifically saying sexual attraction is because

1. Most of society doesn't follow the split attraction model so when used in a non-sam way that definition can work

2. That's how I used to identify and how many others used to and still do identify. Hearing asexual described like that made it easier to find resources which lead to me finding I'm aromantic.

Yes, I know a non-sam allo audience and writers aren't looking at the asexual identity from the complex lense of there being non-sam aces and sam aces. I'm not saying that they are or can't be criticized.

What I am saying is that saying "asexual never means no romantic attraction" as an answer to the lack of aro rep is... Not always the case and is ignoring the wider issue of the split attraction model not being a widely used model outside of the aspec community.

I think it's important to realize that for some people, asexual does mean lack of sexual and romantic attraction. Similar to how for some people aro means lack of both as well. It depends on if the person sees their romantic and sexual attraction as the same thing or not. It depends on what label they are most comfortable with.

Yes we need more aro characters in media! Yes we need more ace characters who use definitions of asexual as "lack of sexual attraction" because we need more rep and we need writers who understand the identities they are writing for. But I don't hold it against anyone for describing ace as a lack of both attractions, because for some people that is how it is for them. I don't think we should get rid of that rep fully, but we should work on getting more informed representation in media to really show the spectrum of aro and ace identities.

I still think the representation we have right now is fine, even if you think the definition is "wrong". I think we can still do better and demand better representation without possibly hurting people who do identify with this "wrong" definition.