the ace network™

a blog for ace/aro spectrum people who also love dan and phil! just as the name suggests, we are very, very, very ace. (this is a dnp blog that supports the ace community, and any support is appreciated, no matter your orientation.) links for mobile users

[acephandomnetwork]

is it too late to join the ace chat? I can message off anon if you'd like but im demihet ace and i love phan so if you are i'd really like to join

i’ll be honest w u, this group is kinda dead, sorry D:

- peej

[exomoon]

*wakes up in the morning* gosh i just love being Asexual *opens my blinds to let the sun in* Another Great Day to be Ace *waters my plants* It’s so wonderful to be comfortable in my Asexuality

[xzvdfxgjftgykj]

the a in lgbtqa stands for allstar by smash mouth

[belovedfi]

🌌 [ beth, 17, ace and loves space ] 🌌

so I didn’t have any space-themed pictures, but I like these ones from when I just visited maui, so pls enjoy 😊✌

[acephandomnetwork]

hey kids

there’s a new blog on the block 😎 sfwphanfic is a blog similar to phanfic/phanfictioncatalogue, which provides phanfic that wont be related to like,,,, sex n stuff find them here - morgan

[penicillium-pusher]

Neurodiversity is the diversity found in the human brain and mind. A neurodiverse person, then, may have autism, PTSD, anxiety, etc. These are LGBTQ identities specific to neurodiverse folks. 

[ciscordian-deactivated20170628]

its so nice to see aro/acevague and gendervague on here… orientations that i coined! i hope knowing this helps people

[otpmusings]

ace/aro spectrum prompts

Person A and B are best friends who are demiromantic, and rarely get crushes on anyone, but develop romantic feelings for one another after years of platonic bonding.

Person A and B are colleagues, both aro, and extremely sexually attracted to one another; there’s a lot of tangible tension between them, but they’re both very clear on not wanting romance with the other. One day they happen to be at work with only each other for company.

Person A is grey-ace or fully ace and doesn’t feel very attracted to B but still enjoys sex with them because B knows their kinks and exactly how to make them scream.

Person A and B are both ace, madly in love and dating for years but completely happy with not having sex, which their peers are both weirded out and strangely impressed by. (Possible bonus: A is sex-repulsed and B is indifferent to sex - does this change anything? Do they try it occasionally just for the pleasure, or not at all?)

Person A is demi- or grey-aromantic (and allosexual) whereas Person B is grey-aromantic demisexual. A, at first, only liked the idea of sleeping with B, but B hadn’t considered sex, solely wanting romance. This makes their time together slightly awkward, perhaps a little comical. After realising that they each want one another in different ways they talk it over, and spend a long time carefully exploring boundaries of intimacy, finding a balance and learning to fulfill each others needs without anyone being uncomfortable. After spending so much time together, Person A develops romantic feelings for B, and B finds it progressively easier to get turned on by A.

[acephandomnetwork]

Hey can you please not say "the opposite sex" that's kinda transphobic (maybe try saying "other genders than their own")

where does it say that i’ll go change it !! sorry abt that i try and avoid saying that u it may have been another admin but yes i shall go and change that if u can point me in the right direction!!

- pj

[bands-and-random-stuff-inactive]

SO, YOU’RE 13 YEARS OLD AND YOU READ THE WORD “ASEXUAL” ON TUMBLR AND NOW YOU THINK YOU ARE ASEXUAL?? That’s amazing, i’m happy for you, it’s wonderful that you found the word so early, there are so many people who spent years feeling broken and wish they learned about asexuality earlier, also keep in mind that your feelings are valid, no matter if they might change on day, you are important and precious and i got your back, little friend. 

[jeffreymarsh]

If you are asexual or aromantic, OF COURSE you are valid💛✨💛💛

[acephandomnetwork]

how do u guys feel bout the aro/ace discourse? I recently realised I was ace & I'm also pan but even tho i'm not heteromantic I can't help feeling confused & upset w/ the negativity from it & I'm starting to question whether aros/aces belong in the lgbt+ community &you have ppl saying we're valid but ppl saying that unless we're also trans or sga we don't belong & "invading" the lgbt space & it feels terrible seeing those things & I can't understand that ppl rlly believe the a stands for allies

i think. well idk how i feel about all of it. but whilst i get that certain individuals do not need the safety/support, i would hope they know that/do not seek support because they don’t need it (just as u wouldn’t seek food if u don’t need it?) but i also think that as soon as u start defining what is “lgbt+ enough” it’s really dumb bc like. i could say “well white gay men are represented a lot now so they don’t need this community anymore”. but they are persecuted! u may say. well, so are ace/aros, regardless of other orientations. honestly the fact that it’s ace discourse is showing how it’s all just out to get us, and i don’t like this feeling. it’s all very hypocritical; bierasure and such are shunned, and rightly so, but the argument that aces are “still attracted to the opposite sex” could be applied to the “bi erasure” argument, too. of course, slightly different, but what i’m trying to say is things can’t be “queer enough”, we are queer, we’re not straight, we don’t fit into hetero culture and we don’t get support, so we do belong automatically. there’s some talk about “allo” being homophobic, and while i see the arguments, the way i use it is to discuss ppl with attraction, just as “cis” is an umbrella term for everyone (gays and straights), allo is an umbrella term for everyone. i view attraction and who you are attracted to as different arguments in this context, as ace/aro is about attraction itself, and i think that by ignoring that, debaters are ignoring the whole point of this “ace discourse”. again, i hate that it’s this whole topic related to discourse, as if we exist only to create drama. ugh. anyway, we are valid, and i believe you can treat your asexuality how u wish!! if u think u personally belong in the lgbt+ community (some don’t, which is also fine) then you do, because there’s an A and it’s there for a reason. 

- peej

[theslashpile]

From superheroes to regular people just sharing their experiences, the following webcomics all feature asexual main characters. Feel free to reblog with your own favourites, and check out our masterlist for more LGBTQ webcomics.

Heroes of Thantopolis: (everyone) A living boy fights to save the City of the Dead.

Supernormal Step: (teen) The story of a girl named Fiona who is trapped in a world full of superheroes, magic, monsters, and robots, and she’s just trying to punch her way out.

Heartless: (teen) An action/adventure comic set in early Victorian London. It’s about vampires, self-discovery, more vampires, the struggle against oppression, and very pretty dresses.

14 Nights: (mature) A story about a guy who is afraid of sex.

Ignition Zero: (teen) Robbie met Orson online four years ago, and has now moved to the same town for college. Being BFFs in RL is complicated by Orson’s involvement in the city’s Fey side, and their gradually developing ace romance.

Oh, THAT’S Why I’m Aro-Ace!: (everyone) A comic about how the author realised she’s always been aro-ace and other stories about it.

The Hues: (everyone) The Hues is about a group of teenage magical girls who discover their powers just a little too late– the Big Bad is already here and they have only a rudimentary grasp of their abilities and what they’re supposed to be doing.

Asexual: (teen) An autobiographical comic depicting stereotypes and whatnot that the author encounters due to being asexual.

Shades of A: (mature) A webcomic that follows the life of 23 year old blogger, Anwar, and his experiences as an asexual person in the kink scene.

[inkvellir]

So the ace tag needs some love and happiness right now so have some ace buns. :)

[arcresources]

loveandscience:

ok but, pick something that grosses you out. Playing with cow intestines, for example.

Then imagine you’re living in a society that glorifies playing with cow intestines. Literally almost every movie and every song on the radio talks about how great playing with cow intestines is, and how people who don’t acknowledge it are wrong and heartless and broken.

Growing up, the overwhelming message you get from everyone around you is that one day, you will get your very own cow intestines and have a ton of fun for the rest of your life once you do. You don’t think about it much at first, but as you get older, people start expecting you to show interest in playing with cow intestines. They expect you to have an uncontrollable urge for it, and they start giving you the cow-intestine talk on how not to develop e coli or other diseases from engaging in it.

To not like playing with cow intestines is unfathomable. Maybe you have strong self-awareness, and you can say the unthinkable to your friends and family. Maybe you want so badly to be normal, and you convince yourself “this must be what it feels like to want to play with cow intestines. I’m enjoying it, I really am.” But you don’t, and you wake up one day and realize what you’ve been making yourself do and it hurts.

That’s how I feel being sex-repulsed and romance-repulsed.

well that was informative

[aromanticismspectrum]

Platonic vs. Romantic Attraction

One of the trickiest things I have found as an aromantic, and a problem I have heard from alloromantic friends too, is distinguishing between romantic and platonic attraction. Learning the difference is a factor that contributes to many people realizing their aromanticism. Learning about platonic attraction, I have heard, also makes life in general loads easier and more enjoyable.

 Romantic attraction is very loosly defined. Generally, most people include these in descriptions:

 -“butterflies in stomach”

-always wishing to be with crush 

-wanting to be physically close with person 

-wanting to go on dates 

-wishes of kissing, holding hands, embracing, etc

But this is not all it can be. Attraction is different for lots of people. The only question that really defines it is: “Do I want to be in a romantic relationship with them.”

Platonic attraction is something that most people feel, but many are unaware of its existence. Platonic attraction often is:

-hoping for conversations with person

-wanting to be emotionally/mentally close to person

-wanting to be physically close to person

-high excitement during/after conversation with person

-person brings joy during conversation

-general appreciation of existence

Like romantic attraction, this is very loosely defined. The general counterpart to “Do I want to date them” is “Do I want to be friends with them.”

Romantic and platonic attraction often overlap. Wanting to be physically close is something people experience through both types of attraction. Some people enjoy platonic kissing, and some people just appreciate their romantic crush’s general existence. Many people have trouble differentiating between the two. (These people often identify as quoiromantic.) There is no set way to determine what you are feeling. The label can only be put on by you.

[acephandomnetwork]

me: ive still got an ace up my sleeve

my very small asexual friend: please let me out

[soleuna]

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