#aaw2019

[touchingmadness]

Ace Week Aesthetics 2022

October 23 to October 29 is Asexual Awareness Week! Happy Ace Week to any ace-spec authors, and happy Ace Week to any ace-spec characters!

From now until the end of October, I am accepting requests for character aesthetics for ace-spec OCs and personal aesthetics for ace-spec writers. I did this once before in 2019, but haven't had the chance to do it again since.

[Requests close at midnight on October 31st, eastern time. I will likely be filling these into November, so please be patient once you’ve submitted!]

To request an aesthetic:

1) Go to my askbox. 2) Submit the info listed below the cut depending on whether you're submitting an OC request or a personal request. 3) Let me know if you have any colors in mind. (If you have no color preference, you don't need to say anything.) 4) Let me know if you specifically do or do not want your or your OC's flag(s) used in the aesthetic. (If you have no preference either way, you don't need to say anything.)

Please limit requests to no more than 3 per person. If you are submitting multiple requests, please submit them in separate asks.

You do not need to be following me to request an aesthetic, however, I will be releasing some discussions on the ace-spec characters from my current WIP throughout the week, if you're interested.

Request info below the cut.

Find sample aesthetics in the #aaw2019 tag, but note that I don't tend to stick to exclusively to even 3x3s anymore so expect more variation there.

Signal boosts allowed and appreciated! <3

In character requests, include:

The OC's name and ace-spec identity

The OC's other LGBTQ+ identities (optional)

The WIP they're from (optional)

Summary of interests, personality, appearance, background, and/or ideas for aesthetic elements

Alternatively, a link to their character intro

In author requests, include:

Your ace-spec identity

Your other LGBTQ+ identities (optional)

Your everyday interests, preferred genres, and/or ideas for aesthetic elements

Happy Asexual Awareness Week!!!

Tagging anyone on any of my taglists: @chayscribbles, @cherrybombfangirlwrites, @lockejhaven, @magic-is-something-we-create, @marrowwife, @measlywritingblog, @memento-morri-writes, @pepsiwriteswords, @poetinprose, @antique-symbolism, @indigocastor

[bookcub]

Ace Books Rated Against Me*

*unlike previous lists, I will be comparing to how much I related to and felt connected to the ace experience of the ace characters in the books, and rather celebrating ace rep I’ve been lucky enough to read 

(inspired by @anassarhenisch​ who requested this about a year ago lol)

Quicksilver by RJ Anderson- This was the first book I read with an ace protagonist. I admired Tori’s conviction in that she was ace (and there are times where I have the same assurance in my orientation) and also how unfit she felt with her peers, like she had a mask. Her uncertainty in wanting a romantic relationship resonated with me more than other protags, as she and I exist in the same fuzzy area between romantic and aromantic. Her speech about friendship made me tear up, and I wish for a friendship as special as the one she has. 

9/10  

We Awaken by Calista Lynn- The best parts of this book were about Victoria’s asexuality. Her freak out about being ace was so on point, you have no idea. Only misstep was how short it was, but that has more to do with timing in a book than anything. Also, the fact that someone else brought up the term to her and she didn’t discover it herself was exactly how my experience went. And as much as I love that she gets a romantic love interest who is also ace (whoot whoot), they move awfully fast, which I could never do. 

8/10

Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann- This book is a bit more dicey with me. Alice is much more adventurous than I am or will be. She also doesn’t trust herself. Many ace people have had sex to either, get it out of the way and see if they like it, or to please their partner. I liked seeing that part of the community represented but as someone who is sex repulsed, my experience is very different than a sex neutral ace. I’m also so glad she was biromantic, I still haven’t figured out romantic attraction but I’m super into aesthetic attraction of all genders. Alice also has some of my favorite quotes about being ace and her analogy about jogging is the best. 

8/10

How to Be a Normal Person by TJ Klune- I waited on this book because I knew I would love it, and I did!!! This was the romcom of aces I needed. I was as grumpy and lost as Gus, but as confident and loud as Casey. They believed each other and trusted each other and it was just beautiful. I liked that Gus never used a label and I liked how important Casey’s label was to his sense of the world and how neither were invalidated. 

9/10

Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee- Felicity is so apathetic, it’s hysterical. She’s like, this is me, deal with it. Her aceness is tied to her aroness, which is the case for many people, but the distance of the time period and class made it hard to relate to her. I actually would have liked her ace identity to play a larger part in the book, and not be so easily dismissed by Sim.

7/10 

Every Heart a Doorway by Seannn McGuire- Nancy literally not fitting into the world and also being ace was a wonderful metaphor. While there wasn’t much content on her being ace, I enjoyed how sure of herself she was and how she interacted with other people from the queer community, although not so much as queer allies, just generally supportive. 

8/10 

Immortal Code by Lilllian Clark- I picked up this book with no idea there was an ace character, but there was Reese!!! She referred to herself as acearo, which was new to me, but hey, language constantly changes, right? Her love story of her friends is lovely and meaningful. 

7/10

Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee- I hope everyone gets a Tash book. Tash just fit with me. I adored her, and all her flaws lined up so well with mine. Her flawed mindset, her doubt, her emotions.. . .her experiences very much mirror my own. She deals with aphobia more, she has wants for a romantic relationship, but also completely lost on how to have one. She found the ace community online and connected to them there, as well as vocalizing how aces are part of the queer community. While she used words like “sexual” instead of “allosexual” and didn’t have other ace friends, found out in high school instead of college, her story all but felt like mine. 

10/10

I highly recommend these books and have linked my in depth reviews for most of them for more details on my thoughts on the novels. 

Vampires • Werewolves • Dragons • Aliens • Faerie • Portal Fantasies •  Dysopias • Angels/Demons  • Animal Companions  • Mermaids • Fictional Relationships  • Fictional Twins • Magic Schools

[wish-ful-thinking513]

A very happy Asexual Awareness Week for everyone in the asexual spectrum, not just the ones who get the most attention.

[toni-d-b]

Asexual Awareness Week! (20th-26th oct 2019)

It’s asexual awareness week and I decided to put on some nail polish. And I hope it stays on all week and that anyone even notices and asks about it cuz then I can spread awareness. I normally don’t do nail polish but I like it! I happened to have the right colours so it was basically meant to be...

[aroworlds]

[image description: a photoset of seven images showing a Sylvanian Families village on a shelf, comprised of a bakery, a toy shop, a florist and a two-story house with a blue roof. The village is crowded with small animal figurines set up to be either marching in a parade or waving the parade on from the sidelines, with many figures carrying handdrawn aro, akoi/lith, greyro, demiro, fray, cupio and quoi pride flags. Coloured pompoms in dark green, light green and white decorate railings and doorways, coloured bows in aro-pride colours decorate roofs and railings, and a banner comprised of pompoms and bows stretches from the corner of the house to the corner of the bakery, across the small village square. Animal figures include hedgehogs, rabbits, koalas, deer, cats, squirrels, mice, dogs, beavers, bears and a frog.]

All of Sylvania has turned out for the village’s first-ever aro-spec pride march! Aurora showed off her favourite dress for the camera, everybody made handmade flags and the village tried their hardest to decorate ... except nobody had black and grey wool for pompoms. The first-ever aro-spec pride march was always going to be a little bit shaky, but no mind: next year will be even better. The important thing is that all the aro-specs in the village feel supported, celebrated and loved, and Aurora and her friends think they did that pretty well!

(Or: I had a spur-of-the-moment idea to combine miniatures and aromanticism, and I didn’t have half the things I needed to make decorations, but next year.)

I’m not sure how a village comprised of a house, a bakery, a toy shop and a florist survives, but they’ll do their best to throw a real aro-spec party anyway.

There’s a shelf in my wardrobe that displays this village in a slightly-different arrangement (usually sans decorations, fewer figurines). To give you a sense of how difficult this is to photograph due to lack of maneuvering space (not to mention my horrible camera which cannot function without flash) here’s a photo showing part of the shelf above it:

(The original wall paint of my bedroom is green. I was born to be aro.)

Happy Aro-Spec Awareness Week, my lovely followers! Here’s hoping that all our efforts this week in creating art and conversation mean that, one day, we all get to revel in real-life scenes like the above--where our identities and our pride are so unquestionable and so supported the only result is glorious celebration.

[rainyinjanuary]

happy ace week y’all!!! i don’t often talk ab my ace identity (hello i am asexual) but the aro/ace community was a huge comfort to me while i was questioning and continues to be such a wholesome place. much love to all my aro, ace and a-spec pals this week and always :o)

also hi to all my fellow ace lesbians out there y’all are amazing and i luv u all

(the lil bit of art above is drawn by me!! so uhh credit to me ig lol)

[acewithsleeves]

I kinda wanna do an ace week thing for my personal insta but at the same time i'm scared bc i never came out online with my real name and there are a lot of people who follow me but don't know i'm ace. Like, i wanna be out and proud so other ace people have a positive example and allo people get a reference for future encounters but at the same time i recognise there's always a risk involved

[silver-stargazing]

Happy Arospec Awareness Week, folks!

My lithromantic identity and how I interact with romance, both positively and negatively, is very important to me. I saw that @aroworlds was looking for arospec content so I put together a playlist to celebrate the occasion.

Listen here:

romantic | hooverphonic || put your records on | corinne bailey rae || l’amour | carla bruni || god help the girl | god help the girl || holy | jamila woods || i can’t go for that | the bird and the bee || cool girl | tove lo || i told you i was mean | elle king || do my thing | estelle feat. janelle monáe || wherever i live | alessia cara

[memequeen1127]

What do you wish people would understand about Asexuality?

Thanks for the ask!! I wish people would understand that it doesn’t have anything to do with sex drive or desire level. I often get asked “oh so you just have low desire! Me too” and I’m like mmmmm it’s not that lol. Asexuality is the complete lack of sexual attraction to others! :)

[toronto-aces-and-aros]

AceTV Screening: Sun. Nov 3rd, 2019 (Free; everyone welcome!)

Sunday, November 3rd, 2019 1-2:45pm 519 Church St., room 301 Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/965085260538821/

In recognition of Asexual Awareness Week 2019, come join us for a screening of 3 short Ace TV episodes and a discussion. Appreciate some fun media written and directed by ace youth, featuring a variety of characters, some of whom were interviewed by "problematic fog". [Ace TV was a video project with ace youth in co-operation with Planned Parenthood Toronto and Regent Park Focus. The videos were created in 2016 but we have not screened them until now.] Accessibility at The 519 Community Centre (519 Church St.): • large ramp to enter building; elevators inside (left of the front desk) • all gender washrooms available • please avoid scented products (we will have unscented soap) • closest TTC station is Wellesley which is *not* an accessible station. The next closest TTC station is Bloor-Yonge, which is accessible (with escalators and elevators) • we regret that we are unable to offer ASL interpretation

[castratedcat]

Notice me, senpai

but wait, not in this way

[touchingmadness]

Ace Week Aesthetics

Happy Ace Awareness Week to all my fellow ace-spec writers! And shoutout to all you writers out there with ace OCs, whether you yourself are ace or not. Visibility is so very important for us, and I wanted to do something for those of you working to provide it.

All week long, I’m offering character aesthetics for ace OCs and personal aesthetics for ace writers.

To request a character aesthetic: Go to my inbox. Let me know the OC’s name and specific identity. (You can include other elements, too, if they have other LGBTQ identities.) Give me a brief summary of their interests, personality, appearance, and background or link me to the information. If you’d like, let me know what WIP they’re from.

To request a personal aesthetic: Go to my inbox. Let me know your specific identity. (You can include other elements, too, if you have other LGBTQ identities.) Tell me about your interests.

Got a question? Q&A and aesthetic examples beneath the cut. If it doesn’t answer it, feel free to contact me.

Also tagging some mutuals. Signal boosts appreciated! 💜

Q: Can I request a character aesthetic for an ace-spec character even if I’m not ace-spec?

A: Yes! This week is all about promoting ace visibility. I want to thank you for the effort you’ve made and get giddy about your characters.

Q: Can I submit a character from a fandom based on canon or my headcanon?

A: I’d prefer if you didn’t. This is for original characters. That being said, if you write OC fic for a fandom and have an ace OC in that, feel free to request an aesthetic for them.

Q: Are flags included in the aesthetic?

A: Unless you specify otherwise, yes, I’m including one or more ID flag in each aesthetic. Just tell me if you’d prefer for me not to - I just like them because they give me a direction to go with the color scheme.

Q: When will I receive my aesthetic?

A: That depends on when I have time and how many requests I receive. I’m going to try to post them all within this week, but I don’t want to make any promises.

Q: Can I request more than one aesthetic?

A: Feel free, but you probably won’t get them all at once, so submit them in the order you want them posted.

Q: Do I have to be following you to make a request?

A: Absolutely not! This is a busy community; I don’t expect you to follow any blogs that don’t appeal to you 100%, even if it is mine.

Examples:

Dimensions will closely resemble dimensions of the biro-ace aesthetic. 

Tagging: @nattletak​, @ren-c-leyn​, @katherinescribbles​, @allieice​, @mercutioswriting​, @notanalien51​, @kajsawritingandrpg​, @bookenders​, @neirawrites​, @adayforducks​, @knmartinshouldbewriting​, @dentseymour​, @jynecca​, @tabbykatwrites​, @to-be-a-rose​, @lyssthewriter​, @annalise-inks​, @trapped-inadystopianovel​, @ditzysworld​, @writeblrbraindump​, @bluewritesbadly​, @katabasiss​, @bonafidealchemy​, @nepeinthe​, @adamswrites​, @albatris​, @incandescent-creativity​, @maxbeewriting​, @lend-your-lungs-to-me​, @writerinafury​, @paracomas​, @sandydragon1​, @inkwellprincess​, @siarven​, @corishadowfang​

(Sorry if I accidentally tagged your writing blog and your personal.)

[bookcub]

So many people are like, but you might want to have sex one day in the future, right? And like, yeah, I suppose, I have friends who changed their minds but anytime someone says that or says I need to be open to changing my mind and having sex, I just . . . Fold into myself, just a little bit, and become just a little more certain that I'm never having sex.

[wish-ful-thinking513]

Crows should be ace culture because

I’m asexual

I love crows

[diabeticgirl4]

October 20-26 2019 is Asexual Awareness Week~! Imo it’s sometimes hard to feel proud when your identity is often known as “the invisible orientation”- but that is why this week exists. Those of us who identify as asexual don’t experience attraction to others. That’s it! But it’s Not a bad thing, and being ace doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. We’re not weird, or sad and lonely- we’re awesome the way we are! Learn about us! Celebrate us! But most of all, respect us! ♡♡ #aceweek #asexualawarenessweek #aaw2019 #thisiswhatasexuallookslike https://www.instagram.com/p/B34wpyVlUxY/?igshid=8a9ng9dn1ci2

[aroworlds]

[image description: two photos taken on a green blanket background of a cardboard spiral-bound journal decorated with stripes of plain and glittery washi tapes in aro pride flag colours. The first photo shows the cover with some journal card and scrapbook design pieces by Kaisercraft depicting arrows, cacti and typography; the second photo shows the back of the cover with the different tapes used sitting beside it. There’s aro pride colours in a matte paper tape, silver and two greens in holographic tape, and two narrow tapes in glittery silver and matte light green. The striped cover alternates between the matte tapes and the glittery tapes.]

This is my “subtle” aro pride journal cover, in that while anyone who is aro or knows aros will recognise it as a statement of aro pride, folks who aren’t will likely read this as Someone Who Really Likes Green And Has A Mystifying Need To Stick Arrows On Things. The glittery stripes break up the flag design a bit, although I like the extra glitter for pretty.

I’m posting this to show that there are so many ways to get your pride on. I can’t draw anything, but I can cut things out of scrapbook paper and arrange stripes of washi tape over the cover of a book. Now I’ve got my pride right at my desk, along with a reminder that I am on this earth to be aro and I’m allowed to embrace and even celebrate that.

I have to admit that the “white” washi tape is actually a very pale greyish-pink. I couldn’t find a true white matte paper tape until after I finished the book, so I used a very pale grey-pink instead. It doesn’t look quite so greyish in real life; the camera flash makes the grey and the pink look closer together than they are. The black is also more of a dark grey, but I just couldn’t find an unpatterned black washi tape!

(I have a real theme with not finding all the pride colours for any given project. Next year I swear I’m going to have proper coloured fabric and tape! You hear me, universe?)

The notebook and most of the washi tape comes from K-Mart; the three holographic tapes come from Daiso; and the scrapbook elements come from Kaisercraft.