#I also thought i was aromantic for a while

[honeypot-sapphic]

Me holding on to the last threads of my asexual identity so I don't lose the one constant part of how I've identified for as long as I've known I'm queer

[dreamsy990]

some of the less nice thoughts about being aroace

extras below the cut

sketch

closeups on my favorite panels

bonus: adios

[saturnniidae]

I love how like, ambiguous so many Studio Ghibli 'couples' are. They're primarily male/female duos, and it's clear how much they love and care for each other, but more often than not it's never explicitly stated to be romantic. And their bonds aren't treated any less for it.

Idk it's just something I've always held close to my heart as someone who grew up not feeling romantic attraction the way most do, it made the characters feel more relatable and human to me, and while I still didnt fully understand my identity (didn't know being aro was a thing), it helped me better reconcile with it. And I feel that's incredibly important.

(And not just from an aro perspective. portrayal of m/f friendships is rare and something we desperately need more of)

Yes, they love each other deeply, but they don't need to kiss or be a couple for that love to be agknowledged and treated with importance. It's not any less than it would be if they weren't platonic. Hell, it doesn't even need to strictly be platonic or romantic. It could just be somewhere in between and that's okay.

Studio Ghibli fr out here making the most alterous duos I've ever seen.

[many-gay-magpies]

seeing all these posts talking about payneland as if its some tragic unrequited love drives me insane ngl. or i guess not TRAGIC but the posts that are like "man edwin really got every boy except the one he wanted" HE ALREADY HAD HIM. HE ALREADY FUCKING HAD HIM ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?? MAYBE NOT ROMANTICALLY BUT GOD HE HAD HIM. AND HE STILL HAS HIM.

[onioneyez]

Everything’s a spectrum so I’m doing a chart to try and understand my aromanticism 😌

[thedemonsurfer]

-lays down-

I KNOW the thing is like. Ace people can fuck, aro people can date-- but also that's apparently not supposed to be applied to characters because it's an excuse--

But like, here's the thing. Look me in the eyes here.

Then fucking write them outside of traditional shipping.

Stop telling people what they can and can't write and write it YOURSELF

You can come up with a million "but what if" statements, and at the end of the day this is still a "You can't ship [x] because [y]" comment being made.

So get good! Write the stories you want to see!

[braidedhades]

just found out that non-aromantics actually have feelings towards the people they decide to have a crush on. Apparently it’s not like, “hmmm should I consider this person for dating? what are the pros and cons here?” Or like, “I want to be really close friends with that person” But it’s like an actual emotional response or something? An emotion that is different from the “I wanna be really close friends” emotion??

also I just figured out that I’m aromantic

[cpyclopse]

Happy Aro Spectrum Week!

Rarity is so aroace to me

[My art]

[rawliverandgoronspice]

I think we may have integrated a little too hard the idea that being aroace is the "easy mode" of queerness, and so contextualized all acephobic experiences as "not that bad" inherently rather than taking a hard look at them and what they can look like

[automaticnerdbread]

Haha!! Take that!

*Platonics your love song*

[ticklepinions]

Welcome to another episode of am I an asshole or just aroace.

Recently I've been in a situation where I've contemplated my sexuality a lot. My best friend has been telling me all about their dating escapades and honestly I'm a bit over it. Obviously as a friend I want to support someone I care about, but I just get into this mood I can't really explain??? I get so disinterested and even feel a bit hurt in a way. So ofc I do some reflecting and I think I found an answer.

A lot of my friendships with people ususlly looked different when they were romantically involved with someone. They would obviously need to prioritize their romantic partner, but sometimes I felt discarded. And i feel like we don't talk about that enough. I mentioned it a bit in my other post but to be pretty much replaced by someone you only know for a short amount of time feels some typa way. And I get it- I won't be priority #1 and I'm okay with that. But I feel like sometimes, men especially, have this toxic idea that their partners become their everything. And in turn, (in my case at least), pay less attention to their friends since their partner is now their sole support system.

So I think there's this small voice in my head telling me that when my friend(s) do find a partner, I'm just gonna be cast aside. I would be absolutely elated if my friend did find someone though, i just know for myself it would be an adjustment.

I feel like loneliness for an aroace person hits a bit different. Especially as I'm getting older, and seeing all of the people I know get into relationships, get married, and/or having kids. My family always asks when I'm going to get a partner (I haven't and probably couldn't come out to them safely). So many times I've been told I haven't found the "right person" or my aroace identity is "just a phase". And it's just gotten so old and bothersome at this point.

I can't even discern what thoughts are my own or the internalized aro/acephobia thats been deeply entrenched in my mind. I feel like I'm trapped in a state of just not knowing. And i get it, I have time, I can discover a different identity that makes more sense for me. But I don't want it!? I feel the most myself being asexual and aromantic (i think!). It's just that having to explain why or justify my existence is getting so exhausting. The way platonic love is just automatically pegged to be the least of all the other loves is just so sad to me.

I know about qprs and honestly they sound pretty dope but idk I might just end up with this loneliness eating away at me. The relationship I'd want with a person just seems so niche and unrealistic. I'm just real tired of living up to others expectations in every sense possible. Tired of not being enough. Tired of being stuck in this in-between of caring so much but not at all.

and I shouldn't have to feel like I have to be in a relationship of any kind to be whole 😩. But I think for myself I'd want it? But not the way society has envisioned it y'know?

[rewrittenwrongs]

In a universe where the bats are present on social media, I like to think they announce out of the blue that for pride month they’ll be changing the inside of their capes (or other pieces of their outfits if they don’t have one) to match their respective flags. This of course causes several identity crisis’s among them.

[feyriejane]

yall don't know platonic yearning like I do 😤

[hellishgayliath]

Hellii Hellooo

Ignore my previous message, my keyboard was being STUPID and submitted it-

Anyway- 1) Does Pico know or understand the concept of a 'date'? 2) If yes, do Pico & Bao go on dates? 3) & if yes again, are they rare or common occasions?

I witness ALL MOON👀👀👀

lmao hoi anyways

I'd think so yes! I'd consider Pico being the one to ask out Bao, cuz where he grew up the animals he'd see when it came to courting each other they make their point very upfront, so if he takes interest in someone he's just gonna go for it. Plus he sees his uncles Warren and Hypno all the time and can already tell how smitten they are with other, he's no stranger to that.

Also yesssss!! I haven't drawn anything yet for them cuz I wanna draw their first meeting with each other first and foremost before I do sweetsy stuff (whenever that comes to pass)

Okay Date stuff or more like outings tho. I think Bao would enjoy taking Pico out around the Hidden City, showing him all of his favourite spots, catching in the sights etc. Pico would love it, but he still is basically a farmboy, so I think he could only handle being in large crowds and the overwhelming bustling city for so long and stick by Bao's side so they don't get separated once the wonder wears off. Bao would take this into account and try to think of areas where it's less noisy and crazy. On Pico's end of setting up dates, he'd invite him out to the forest, maybe spend some time with the dogs, go on picnics or hikes/walks. It's a good break for Bao too since he's busy running the tea shop all the time and could go for some peace and relaxation once in a while.

3. Hmmmmmmm I'd say they'd happened pretty frequently :3

[powerfulkicks]

tried my hand at creating a flag for the aspec community as a fun exercise.

the pink is color picked from the original rainbow flag, mixed with white. this is meant to represent our connection to the LGBT+ community, but also our unique relationship to sex and sexuality. the white is also meant to represent those of us who do not experience sexual attraction or are otherwise uninterested in sex.

the reddish color is meant to represent romance and romantic attraction, mixed with white to represent those of us who do not experience or are uninterested in romantic attraction. it also represents self-love and self acceptance about our identity, as many of us struggle with feeling broken or wrong.

the yellow is meant to represent platonic attraction and queerplatonic relationships, mixed with white to represent those of us who don't desire queerplatonic relationships. it also represents the friendship we share with each other and the community at large.

the white is meant to tie the flag together by representing the lack of attraction all of us feel. while it is present in all other stripes of the flag, this makes our lack of attraction explicit and shows how we are all connected in our shared identity. it also represents those who do not want any kind of relationship.

this was a fun thing to do! feel free to use if you want :)

[annecriedpower]

they should invent someone who will linger near the door uncomfortably instead of just leaving, who will forget their scarf in my life and come back later for it