#arospec17

Renée Grace Fashingbauer

There’s nothing wrong with it of course, but it did get me thinking...

This is one of the reasons why it’s always been so confusing for me, as a sex-repulsed arospec ace, to tell the difference between romantic and platonic feelings, because for me the idea of making out with anyone is pretty repulsive... (This is partially because an ex of mine repeatedly tried to do that to me, even after I made it very clear it wasn’t my thing, but I wasn’t really into it to begin with, but I digress.)

I’m not sure where most aces and aros stand on the is kissing-romantic-or-sexual thing, and I’d really like to start a dialogue about it... Feel free to chime in however you ID though, since I wonder if there’s a divide anywhere.

For me personally, when it’s a kiss on the lips that lasts a second or more is when it gets too sexual and I want nothing more than to nope out of there, even though a kiss is a far cry from sex. I also get squicked out when couples on TV or IRL start kissing in front of me. The whole ordeal makes me incredibly uncomfortable! (tag your PDA, folks. Please.)

I’ve since decided to separate out my feelings by time, so for me, squishes tend to come and go, while crushes last longer than like... 6 months (which narrows it down to 2 people ever in my life).

Hey everyone :)

As you might (or might not) know, Aro-spec Awareness Week will be from 19th till 25th February this year - less than a week from now!

I really wanted to do something for Aro-spec week this year, but sadly it’s still exam season here, so I barely have any time for tumblr. Since Aro-spec Week is only once a year I didn’t want to miss it completely, though - and this is where you come in.

If you want to celebrate Aro-spec Week 2017 on this blog, share your ideas/thoughts/art/puns/… with me!

I’ve drawn up a quick plan for posts (though this isn’t written in stone, so if you have any suggestions for other themes or have a post that doesn’t fit the theme of the day, please submit anyway):

Sunday, 19th February: Aro-spec headcanons! You know that one character who is totally aro-spec? The one you could relate to immediately or read that one fanfic of and headcanoned them as aro-spec ever since? Whether you have drawings, stories or just write the character’s name (and series/movie/book) in my submission box, it will be highly appreciated!

Monday, 20th February: Aro-spec Art Day Quick aro doodles and art of your favourite character or the aro flag or whatever you can think of! Or do you have a favourite piece of aro-spec art on tumblr? Tag me and I’ll reblog it!

Tuesday, 21st February: How did you find out you were aro-spec? Whether there was one specific event you can recall perfectly or many small moments that still sometimes make you realize that you’re way too aro-spec for this sh*t - share them here!

Wednesday, 22nd February: What I like about the a-spec community What is says in the title - what do you like about the aro-spec community? The chatrooms, the puns, this very blog? ;) (Okay, I was just kidding with that last one, but really - submit away:D)

Thursday, 23rd February: Intersectionality Aro-spec and asexual, bisexual, heterosexual, homosexual, pansexual…? Tell me about your struggles or experiences, share art, jokes, whatever!

Friday: 24th February: Aro-spec recommendations A book/tv show/movie with an aro-spec character? Your favourite aro fanfic? A cool playlist? Share your recommendations here!

Saturday, 25th February: Aro Jokes and Puns Everyone knows we have the best jokes - of course this had to be part of aro-spec week!

I’ll try to fill my queue with posts related to these topics, but it would be super awesome if you could share your own ideas etc. - either by submitting something to this blog (whether it’s a page-long rant or two words - I’ll happily take it) or tagging me in your posts so I can reblog them!

…when you don’t even know that you’re aro yet and you tell someone how your ideal future would be living with your best friend and working together on something that you both love. And the other person gives you a slightly confused look - which you later realize might have been because you said “best friend” instead of “significant other/partner/…”

This is an important memo, please read!

Due to aro-spec awareness week starting today, February 19, you will lose your invisibility for one week. While this is nothing to be afraid of, there are certain things you need to bear in mind:

please do not try to sneak into any cinemas (or other buildings) - people will see you and you’ll have to pay some sort of fee

the same goes for buses and trains - visibility means you have to pay to avoid higher fees

no smuggling dragons put of Hogwarts without an invisibility cloak!

people might stare at you if you are outside while becoming visible. While this might be uncomfortable, the best is to simply smile and walk away - or educate them on aro-spec awareness week!

you might not want to wear your pyjamas outside until next Sunday, when aro-spec awareness week is over and only other aro-spec people will see you

Okay, so this might not be the most common headcanon, but hear me out. Okay, no, that makes it sound like I’ve prepared a list of arguments - which I don’t. But aro-spec Tony Stark simply makes sense. He’s probably not romantically attracted the girls (and guys) he sleeps with, but they’re hot and the sex is good and many flings are easier than long-term friends with benefits if you’re afraid of someone developing romantic feelings for you.

Then there’s Pepper - someone who is amazing and intelligent and manages to deal with the bullsh*t he sometimes (regularly) causes (and yup, she’s pretty good-looking as well). And he likes her a lot - maybe in a romantic way (demiromantic? greyromantic?) or as something that isn’t quite romantic, but isn’t quite platonic either. Feelings are hard to decipher anyway, even if you’re a billionair-playboy-philanthropist.

(I also have a soft spot for ace!Tony ever since that one amazing fanfic that I can’t find right now:D)