#asexual spectrum

[bloompawz]

Bambi-sexual flag

Definition of bambi-sexual

Bambi-sexual, also spelled bambisexual or simply shortened to bambi, is a term for people who prefer nonsexual touch over sexual touch. The term originated in the 1980s or earlier.

The term was featured in The Alyson Almanac, which was originally published in 1989, with its second edition published the following year. In The Alyson Almanac, the following definition was given:

BAMBI-SEXUALITY. Physical interaction centered more about touching, kissing, and caressing than around genital sexuality.

Bambi-sexuality is often associated with lesbians (i.e. bambi lesbians), but is not exclusive to them. The term can be used by straight people, gay men, nonbinary people, aromantic people, and people of any other orientation and gender, so long as there is a preference for nonsexual touch.

Bambi-sexual people may or may not be additionally interested in sex. Bambi-sexuality also may or may not be an asexual/ace-spec sexuality, depending on the individual.

Explanation behind the flag

I based the colors on Bambi, from the 1942 Disney film by the same name. Each stripe also has its own additional meaning.

Yellow represents light and/or nonsexual forms of touch

Orange represents energy, joy, and warmth

Red represents nonsexual passion and intimacy

Purple brown represents asexual and ace-spec bambis

Yellow is a light color, which feels fitting to represent touch which does not involve genital contact, as genital touch/sex is often associated with darkness (dim lights, nighttime, etc). The lightness of the yellow can also allude to touch which is, in and of itself, considered a "light" form of touch, such as gentle caressing.

Orange commonly represents energy, joy, and warmth. This stripe highlights some of the positive emotions that can come with physical intimacy, whether of a sexual nature or not.

Red is commonly depicted as a fiery, passionate color. It is often used to represent things like love, sex, and intimacy. In this case, this is nonsexual passion and intimacy.

Purple brown represents asexual and ace-spec bambis because purple is commonly used to represent asexuality, and there is a lot of overlap between asexuality and bambi-sexuality. Some consider bambi-sexuality to be somewhat of a precursor to asexuality; people who identify as asexual now may have identified as bambi-sexual a few decades ago. While I'm not asexual/ace-spec myself (I'm just a bambi), I felt that this was important to include.

On a similar note, I decided to use only four stripes, specifically so it would look good/blend well with the asexual flag, due to the overlap in communities and identities.

LPS flag and bambi pride backgrounds for fun!

[acexualien]

What is intellectual attraction? Read to find out more!

This is part 7 of a multiple parts series where we’re exploring a multitude of different types of attractions! I hope you’ll enjoy ☺️

You can support me by following me on my socials (link in bio) and engaging with my posts! Thank you 💛

[ralvezfanatic]

being queer + aroace is so fun !! like yayyy im questioning my sexuality everytime i have/don't have some type of attraction >_<

[athena-theunicorn]

Happy ace day y'all

[bisexualsafespace]

We don’t owe you simplicity.

Good.

[some---weirdo]

If this post gets:

100 notes I'll explain my gender to my friends and tell them my pronouns

500 notes I'll explain my romantic orientation to my friends (they think I'm aroace, I just identify as ace)

1000 notes I'll come out to my sibling (they're agender, I know they'll support me)

10 000 notes I'll come out to my sister (she has pronouns in her discord bio, it'll be fine)

100 000 notes I'll tell my best friend I love her

1 000 000 notes I'll come out to my homophobic, transphobic conservative Christan family that I live with (they still talk to my agender sibling, so it'll just be very awkward for the next few years...)

[bizarreaizen]

someone: hey can you give me some relationship advice?

me who's aroace: communicate.

someone: I tried but it didn't-

me: break up.

[glitchedcosmos]

Characters dynamic that’s like “ they’re not in a romantic relationship but they definitely love each other with all their heart and fucking soul”

[thefairfeline]

I know it's kinda selfish, but can I have more asexual charactes that aren't aromantic? One who stands up and says that you can love without sex, and that they deserve love without having to engaging in something they prefer not to?

Also a aromantic character that isn't asexual? One who doesn't feel guilt about needing and wanting people, but not seeking a romantic relationship with them? One that is open and proud, and in no way ashamed for their lack of love and need of sex?

Please?

Edit: I realize some aroace people got frustrated at this post due to having next to no representation already, and I admit it was blind of me to phrase it how I did.

I was (unfairly) annoyed when I made this post because I kept seeing people write ace characters I really like to be aro as well. (Which is more then fine to do btw!)

This tumblr dwelling feline was a salty bean who didn't think anyone would see this.

Thank you to everyone who gave recommendations in the comments!

And please don't start arguments.

[shitpostingkats]

An Asexual's love letter to Good Omens 2

There's an infamous quote by Neil Gaiman going around, regarding the general vibe of season 2, and many people (I believe humorously) yelling that it could not be further from the truth. Particularly in the last episode, where that happens.

I disagree.

The final episode of season 2 was deeply, deeply comforting to me. 

I am asexual. Have been my whole life. Even before I had the words to describe what that was, child-me had this feeling in their gut of being an outlier, that everyone was exaggerating, or in on some joke, that I wasn’t privy to. Because I was bombarded on all sides by shows and movies and books, telling the same story of love, again, and again, and AGAIN. It’s drilled into our brains with the same fervor as the days of the week, or the quadratic formula. Meet-cute -> misunderstanding ->declaration of feelings ->kiss. More or less steps can be added to account for runtime or complexity of narrative, but that’s the basic structure that a relationship follows. It MUST be, because that’s the formula every character who's ever been in a story goes through, often times when it even feels like an add-on, like it’s only there because this is a story, there HAS to be a romance. And it has to follow the steps.

For a long time, I felt love wasn’t for me, because if there’s only one way to be in love, I sure as hell wasn’t feeling it. 

Instead, the relationship I ended up in looked a lot like what Beezlebub and Gabriel go through. Meeting someone routinely until it starts to feel comfortable. Getting to know them and slowly growing more attached. Eating chips and listening to music.

We like to joke whenever someone asks us how long we’ve been together, because the answer is we just sort of slowly fell into it, and we honestly don’t know when the line got blurred between ‘friends’ and ‘partners’. And, at least for me, a good deal of that confusion, that hesitancy to label, came from the fact that what I was feeling, what we were, couldn’t be love. It couldn’t be romantic. 

We were just quiet and gentle.

And that wasn’t love.

Because it was slow, because it wasn’t physical, because there was no structure aside from consistency and companionship. Because it didn’t follow the Rules.

Then I found myself in stories, and it felt like a revelation.

Beelzebub and Gabriel aren’t the first time I’ve seen a love like I feel represented in a narrative, but it never stops feeling special. And I don’t know if I’ll ever stop celebrating it.

Throughout the sequence in the pub, I kept expecting them to “confirm” Gabriel and Beelzebub. A dramatic line, a kiss, a whatever. That’s what I’ve been taught to expect, after all, that’s the only way a relationship is “real”. Of course, this doesn't mean Crowley and Aziraphale sharing a dramatic kiss is wrong, or that I can’t see why it resonated with so many people, but for me. Those moments in the pub are worth so much more.The last scene might have been literally showstopping, but those handful of moments between the duke of hell and an archangel were the beating heart of the season for me. A simple love story in four scenes. No kisses. No ‘I love you’s. Not even any definition of what. The love Gabriel and Beelzebub have is strong enough for them to both want to shatter their worlds and flee their lives and it's just. 

It's just that. 

Two people in a pub, playing the other's favorite song, giving a little gift, buying a packet of crisps. 

That sequence means far more to me than any kiss ever could.

Love isn’t only real when it's hot and sudden and ephemeral, it can also be

Quiet.

And gentle.

And still romantic.

Still real.

[agendercryptidlev]

People treat characters being AroAce like they're being forced to eat vegetables despite the fact that a character being aspec instantly makes them 300% more cool and interesting.

[merely-a-caricature]

I just want to take a moment to appreciate the beauty that is the acespec flag

It so aesthetically pleasing!!! The color palette is just gorgeous, and I’m weak for pinks and purples.

Also the arospec flag?!!

The greens and greenish-blues are just so calming and peaceful. It makes my heart so happy!

Edit: Apparently there’s an aroace spec flag?! And it’s gorgeous too, of course ♡

I literally can’t even-

[genderqueerdykes]

asexuality is not an inconvenience. it isn't a burden to change your conversation topics to avoid making a sex repulsed asexual feel uncomfortable or unsafe. it isn't about you if an asexual romantic or life partner does not want to have sex. it's none of your business if an asexual person has frequent sex, or makes money off of their body or sexuality. it's not an attempt to manipulate you when an asexual/aceflux person has fluctuating levels of sex favorability, neutrality and/or repulsion.

someone else's asexuality isn't about you, it is not inherently overstepping your boundaries. forcing the asexual person to cope or deal with things that make them uncomfortable or go against the way they want to live their lives is overstepping their boundaries, and people need to accept this.

[make-space-for-as]

What No One Talks About

You know what no one ever talks about? How meeting "the one" doesn't make you any less aspec.

Like, you know when aphobes are all like, "You just haven't met the *right person* yet"? It doesn't follow logically.

A few days ago, my queerplatonic partner and I decided that there is a romantic element to our relationship, and that "demiromantic" describes our romantic orientations better. So yes, I "met the right person" and developed romantic feelings. But does that make me any less aro? Absolutely not. I wasn't alloromantic all along and just needed to realize it. You don't NOT develop romantic feelings your whole life and nullify your entire aromantic experience just because you find out you're arospec more than vanilla aro.

So yes, aspecs *might* meet "the one" and develop romantic and/or sexual feelings (not me, though, I'm ace as heck 😂). They might find out they're gray or demi. But that doesn't make them ANY less aspec.

Fight me on this.

[sunny-rants]

Queerness is not just about sex and romance. Since the concept of queer has been around, so have asexual and aromantic people. Lavender marriages, voluntary spinsters, vows of chastity used to cover a disinterest in sex. “Monosexuals”, “anesthesia sexual”, “anaphrodites”, category "X". Queer-platonic relationships, asexuality and aromanticism are an undeniable part of lgbtq+ history. Before there were any terms, any flags or acronyms, choosing to not conform to society’s romantic and sexual guidelines has been the very essence of queerness. The inherent queer experience of feeling alienated because you don’t love the “right” way or feel the right feelings for the right people, of trying to meet the expectations set for you while trying to build a life that doesn’t feel like a lie. These are all part of the aspec experience. We aren’t “invading” a space we don’t belong because it’s a trend, or an internet identity. We’re not “spicy straight”. We’re making ourselves known in a community we have always been a part of.