In my own little world...

"because of The Curse?"

The Golden Orchid association (1644-1949) - a group of women in China that included lesbians, bisexuals, and “women who wanted to avoid both marriage options, and any romantic or sexual partnership” that today we would call asexual or aromantic. 

Another Golden Orchid association link (which, interestingly, describes what appears to be a poly relationship). 

Personal experience of a queer-identifying person noting that aces were part of the bi community in the 80s and 90s.

A book published in 1999 supports the previous link of someone’s personal experience, and notes that asexuals could be considered part of Kinsey’s “Group 3″ (the bisexuals) because they were “about equally homosexual and heterosexual” and “have no strong preferences for one or the other” just like bisexuals. 

Another book that supports the personal experience source by noting that asexuals were considered part of the bisexual “Group 3″, which was published in 1999.

Another post of someone’s personal experiences of asexuals being part of the LGBT+ community in the 90s. 

A source from 1999 noting that, while some female-female relationships in the early to mid-twentieth century were obviously lesbian relationships, not all of them were, but that it would be a mistake to label them all “friendships”. It specifically notes that asexual partnered relationships also existed. 

This book describes a series of interviews done in 1990 by Catherine Whitney who interviewed heterosexual women married to gay men, and found that they were often asexual. It also describes how, in 1990, Ann Landers (a very popular advice columnist) asked her readers if married couples could enjoy a full life without sex and was flooded with 35,000 responses from people of all ages who had little or no sex and didn’t miss it. It also describes how “Boston marriage” was originally coined with a not-necessarily-always-accurate implication that such a relationship between women was nonsexual, but that later on the assumption was reversed to imply women in a sexual lesbian relationship, and how that caused some women involved in such relationships to hide the asexual nature of their relationships for fear of being called frauds by the larger lesbian community.

This 1997 book that states “To be a Kinsey 3 (bisexual) is to be equally attracted to men and women, i.e. completely bisexual…it is also to be equally unattracted to men and women, i.e. completely asexual. Bisexuality is never about two, only about one – asexual, or self-fulfilling – or three – continuously and equally attracted to both men and women”.

Proof of asexuality being considered as a concrete, distinct orientation before 2000:

One of the first online posts about asexuality in its current use, was made in 1997. 

A study on anorexia and bulemia in gay and bisexual men done in 1999 found that 58% of anorexia patients were asexual. 

The 1997 Australasian Gay & Lesbian Law Journal mentions asexual as a “relevant sexual identity”.

A 1983 issue of the Journal of Sex Research studied the Mental Health Implications of Sexual Orientation among heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, and asexual people. 

The article “Asexuality as Orientation: Some Historical Perspectives” describes different historical studies on asexuality, including a study from Johnson in 1977 where the word asexual was used to describe women “regardless of physical or emotional condition, actual sexual history, and marital status or ideological orientation, [who] seem to prefer not to engage in sexual activity”. It also describes a 1980 study by Storms who included asexual as one of four orientation categories when mapping out sexual orientation. It also describes a 1983 study by Nurius that found out of 685 participants, 5% of males and 10% of females were asexual. It also describes a 1990 study by Berkley et al. that included questions “related to homosexuality, heterosexuality, and asexuality” and included four items (out of 45) that were specific to asexuality. 

This book published in 1922 contains a lot of what I personally would describe as narcissism and pseudo-science, but acknowledges asexuality nonetheless: “In addition to the ordinary distinctive males and females, we have asexuals, homosexuals, bisexuals, and old women of both sexes.”

This book from 1996 that notes “A transsexual may have a heterosexual orientation, a homosexual orientation, a bisexual orientation – or an asexual orientation” and clarifies that “a very small number – are asexual or bisexual.”

This book mentions a study by Malyon in 1981 that noted the options available to gay and lesbian teenagers choosing whether, or how, to come out by “[describing] three possible modes of adaptation in adolescence: repression of sexual desire, suppression of homosexual impulses in favor of heterosexual or asexual orientation, or a homosexual disclosure.”

Kinds of oppression that asexuals face:

Eunjung Kim wrote a chapter titled “How Much Sex Is Healthy? The Pleasures of Asexuality” that describes how “the absence of sexual desires, feelings, and activities is seen as abnormal and reflective of poor health” in Western contemporary culture “because of the explicit connection between sexual activeness and healthiness” and argues that “medical explanations of asexuality as an abnormality that has to be corrected constitute a large part of the stigmatization and marginalization experienced by asexual people.” It also discusses the ways in which some groups, specifically Asian American males, that are desexualized can erase the space for asexual Asian American men to simply exist.

Asexuals also face sexual harassment, rape threats, corrective sexual assault, and corrective rape (which, no, is not a lesbian-only term according to actual South Africans) specifically because they are asexual. 

There was a recent study by the AAU to identify sexual assault on college campuses, and broke down the responders to their survey by sexual orientation, including asexual. The results clearly show that asexuals are not immune to unwanted sexual contact, stalking, intimate partner violence, or sexual harassment.

A chapter of “Asexualities: Feminist and Queer Perspectives” that notes the specific way that asexual people are talked to/about: “Because asexual difference cannot be iterated in the linguistic field where sex and a sexed position dominate the discourse of sexuality and desire, the asexual subject is linguistically and visually dismantled and reconstructed in the position of a fetish object. This fetishistic conversion happens because the asexual person is made into an image, or spectacle, for consumption.” and “The difference between the unassailable asexual (someone who lacks all of the traits commonly blamed for asexuality such as past history of abuse, disability, etc.) and the spectacular asexual is that while the unassailable asexual allegedly makes asexuality digestible for a skeptical public and presents an accessible image, the spectacular asexual is always consumed as a fetish object, regardless of mental health, ability, and gender.”

The study “Intergroup bias toward “Group X”: Evidence of prejudice, dehumanization, avoidance, and discrimination of asexuals” is exactly what it sounds like. The article’s abstract states: “In two studies (university student and community samples) we examined the extent to which those not desiring sexual activity are viewed negatively by heterosexuals. We provide the first empirical evidence of intergroup bias against asexuals (the so-called “Group X”), a social target evaluated more negatively, viewed as less human, and less valued as contact partners, relative to heterosexuals and other sexual minorities. Heterosexuals were also willing to discriminate against asexuals (matching discrimination against homosexuals). Potential confounds (e.g., bias against singles or unfamiliar groups) were ruled out as explanations.”

The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality describes many issues that asexuals face, including: how asexuality is seen as “invisible” and lends to people thinking it does not exist, how asexuality is actively erased as “unimportant” or not its own identity, the explicitly and implicitly negative messages associated with a lack of sexual attraction, the fear asexuals face when they believe there is something physically or psychologically wrong with them for being asexual, the belief asexuals face about how they must be deeply flawed since they do not conform to other sexual identities, how asexuals face cultural ideologies that sexuality is biologically based and ubiquitous (that all humans possess sexual desire) and that don’t acknowledge asexuality, that to describe oneself as asexual is a statement of moral superiority or purity or failure to find a suitable partner, that asexuality is an immature state they will “grow out of”, that asexuality is a description of action or a preference, that asexuality is unnatural or unhealthy or has to be a symptom of something else, etc.

Asexuality has been shown in the media in a negative light for decades, reflecting the idea that (for various reasons steeped in classism and racism) any woman who wasn’t willing to marry and procreate was a threat to the status quo, as seen in this 1955 book that notes: “Women who did not marry incurred political and social scorn for another reason. The influx of eastern and southern European immigrants in the United States pushed the question into eugenic terms–the wrong people were reproducing. Educated women came primarily from white middle- and upper-class stock, the most desired element by dominant social norms. When these women refused to marry and reproduce, they forced a new concern into the public discourse. it is not a coincidence that the stereotypical asexual unmarried older woman emerged at this time as a source of popular humor.”

Some people in some religions are very explicit about hating asexuals specifically because they are asexual, seeing asexuality as “a perversion akin to homosexuality and bestiality”. 

Other religions see asexuals as actually sinful if they choose not to have sex with their spouse.

While not every member of every religion looks down on asexuals, many people in portions of various religions choose to view asexuals negatively. 

Some people even recommend asexuals avoid being in a relationship with non-asexuals and assert that “promoting and trying to spread” asexuality, or behaving in an asexual manner, is wrong or unhealthy. 

Because of these religious beliefs about asexuality, that also opens up asexuals to discrimination in various legal ways, including (but not limited to) things like the new adoption bill in Texas. 

Asexuality was implicitly pathologized until very recently, and even now, the DSM-V states that a diagnosis of HSDD may not be given only if the patient has a preexisting knowledge of asexuality and chooses to ID that way.

TL;DR: 

Asexuals have long been considered part of the bisexual community. When people used to talk about bisexuals, it included asexuals because asexuals were the bisexuals too. Bisexual history is asexual history.

Asexuals have also long been considered as a stand-alone orientation that was part of larger non-straight communities and could be studied in comparison to other sexual orientations. 

Asexuals face many of the same issues that other marginalized orientations face as well as issues specific to their orientation. These include erasure, medicalization, misidentification, harassment, rape specifically targeted at them for being asexual, and religious intolerance, to name just a few.  

What’s that?

Both of them have signs showing lists of orientations with “Asexual” included?

I WILL NEVER STOP ADVOCATING FOR MORE BATTRA APPEARANCES!!! MONSTERVERSE, PLEASE RETURN MY CALLS!!

I’m sorry but that’s thinking way too small, hear me out:

We need to have Miss Piggy as Odysseus, and Kermit as Penelope.

Think about it… who’s the more fickle, prideful, warlike one in that relationship? Who is absolutely ready to go ham, at a moment’s notice?

Like, do you try to make the process as comfortable as possible for the hound-to-be, even though you’re forcibly dismantling their psyche? Do you just not view them as a person to begin with?

Do you kill them with kindness? The Imperial Ace is the product of a totalitarian regime. They were raised by propaganda, taught that any sign of weakness, disloyalty, or empathy were sins to be punished, told that the rebels were subhuman degenerates of pure evil. They were trained to expect and resist drugs and torture, but not compassion. Slowly their indoctrination gives way, and they embrace the truths the Empire forced them to hide even from themselves. An Imperial icon must be a paragon of heterosexual masculinity, strong and independent and dominant. For someone to reach that ideal, only to deliberately reject it in favor of a "degenerate" queer identity? To submit through trust and choice instead of force and fear? Wouldn't that be the ultimate rebellion?

And then there's the darker path. The fascists had their chance and made their choice. Now they get what they deserve. The Empire tortures and brainwashes pilots? Time for the boot to go on the other foot. Grind their finest into the mud, as far as they can go. What's that? Sorry, I couldn't hear you over the sound of your hyper masculine ubermensch whimpering like a bitch in heat while she licks my boot. They'd do worse to us. She deserves this. She's earned this. This is revenge...no, not revenge. Justice. And it feels good.

Mechsploitation is about abuse, and both of these explore abuse from different directions. Do you want to tell an optimistic story about the healing power of acceptance and love? Or a dark story about punching down on someone when you are totally convinced they deserve it?

Foolishly spent like half a year making this 300 page ttrpg.

Anyways it's a pulp supernatural game where you're an ancient stone creature that walks by night and has a complicated relationship with mortals.

Try to protect the people around you without ending the world.

Other features:

Simple d6 pool

36 types of immortal stone creature powers

100 page bestiary

Two scenarios and one campaign

Optional tactical and solo rules

Masks, aspects of your personality that fracture

I *do* think it's a fun system, though.

Respecting the 'rule of cool' - apart from jump infantry riding in, maybe hanging on to improvised grab handles (inner sphere pre-clan invasion) I suspect that the experience would be one of squishy meat pulp being quick fried on the mechs armour plate...

(Plus weapon heat, engine heat, missile exhaust plumes, jump jet heat.... seriously infantry lighting in helmet, flak jacket, helmet and underwear.... while on the swaying mech)

Anything armoured (vehicles or mechs) would draw anti armour weapons fire.... the pink squishy infantry would act as low grade sandbag armour...

Using fast light mechs would allow jump infantry a fast infantry drop off with way better mobility than ankle speed....

The pirate states, outer sphere and those backwaters planets that have an ICE powered mech would benefit from Mad Max infantry platforms welded on where needed....

It'd be a great dispossessed story, where the dispossessed pilot is now 'Riding Infantry'.....

It is an issue, most of what might hit a 'mech would be absolutely lethal to an infantry type perched atop it. The feasible scenario, I feel, is less one of tank desant and more like a ball-turret gunner- some specially engineered gunner's cockpit atop the 'mech, independent of the main control systems but allowing for moderate armor (enough for glancing shots, at the very least) for the person in there operating an extra laser or AC or rocket pod. More firepower than just a PBI sitting up there, such that the risk at least has some reward.

Everything you put on a Mech takes weight, slots, or both. Welding an armored machine gun nest to the top of a Mech wouldn't cost slots, but it would increase the Mech's weight. The weight of the armor, weapon, and ammo would certainly have to be taken into account, plus extra for the gunner and some safety equipment so they don't get rattled to death the first time the Mech hits a bump. If you want Mech-scale lasers that's even more weight: they have to pull power from somewhere and can't plug into the Mech's reactor like weapons normally do. They also can't use the Mech's heat sinks. If you keep to infantry-scale weapons it's more reasonable, but these would have to have some kind of weight cost to maintain game balance. Deployable OmniPods would likely require actual slots in addition to weight, since they'd have to be self-deploying. A Mech can't exactly pick the pod up and gently place it where it needs to go if it doesn't have hands.

In short, this is going to cost as much or more weight and C-Bills as adding an additional weapon, and the weapon and its volatile ammo will be extremely vulnerable to incoming fire. Being able to shoot in any arc is nice, but in most cases this is a great way to waste expensive equipment you'd be better off storing or selling. Combined arms is a thing, just bring an APC if you need an escort!

Where it becomes useful is as an emergency bypass for crit slots. If you have a Mech with spare tonnage but no slots for additional weapons, go ahead and bolt them to the exterior if you want! They're probably going to get wrecked the first time you take a hit, but if you're desperate enough to risk the equipment why not try anyway?

It's exactly the sort of last-ditch solution someone might try if all they have is a Zombie Mech, some spare guns, and no time or parts for an actual repair. This makes it fantastic for games featuring Periphery groups, pirates, terrorists, and other unconventional forces.

All the owlbears at once! You can find them on fabric at Spoonflower, or a bunch of other stuff at Redbubble!

*nibbles cutely on your neck*

Thank you 😊

You wanna see some other things I've made out of lego? How about my halo builds?