Cryptic_Brat @crypticbrat - Bluesky Profile

Ace 101 by sparklemaia, published November 12, 2023 on https://www.ohjoysextoy.com/ace-101-sparklemaia Page 1 Two figures sit in a lavender living room that's very comfy and has lots of cats around. They are drinking tea. Maia: -and that's why I can't go back like, ever again. Friend: Completely fair. Speaking of fair: how was the maker faire? Maia: Rad! That's where I got this sweet hat! IMAGE: Close-up on Maia's black baseball hat, which has the black, gray, white, and purple-striped Asexuality flag on it. IMAGE: Friend holding tea mug and talking. Friend: It's... a pride flag... it's on the tip of my brain- Oh! The asexual flag! Friend: You posted about being ace in April! Full disclosure: I googled it, but I'm still pretty vague on what asexuality is... I think it's the "A" in LGBTQIA? But I still have, like, so many questions. Maia: I'd love to be your ace wiki for the day, if you're down? Friend: Ohh, yes please! Maia: Great, this is my jam. Let's spill the tea on asexuali-TEA!

Maia: So, what would you say attraction feels like? Friend: Hmm... I guess it's like a strong pull towards someone? IMAGE: The friend leans forward to stroke a gray-striped cat that hopped on their table and is walking towards them. Maia: Totally! But it took some super personal chats with my all- (non-ace) -friends to realize we meant different things when we talked about being into someone. It turns out that attraction- that pull- is made up of different parts. IMAGE: Another table houses multiple bowls of looseleaf teas, with a sign proclaiming, "Build your own!". Each bowl is labeled differently: Sensual, Romantic, Sexual, Aesthetic Maia: I've got romantic attraction in spades. It's just that for me, that romantic attraction isn't linked to sexual attraction. Friend: So, when you feel drawn toward someone, you just don't... have the desire to bone them? Maia: Pretty much! And that's what asexual means: little to no sexual attraction.

Friend: Hold up... a 'little' bit of sexual attraction still counts as ace? Maia: Yeah, it's not always an all-or-nothing thing. Some people experience sexual attraction rarely, or only under certain circumstances, or just at very low levels. It's kind of a spectrum. Friend: I guess that tracks, very few things in life are totally black and white! Maia (gesturing at the black, gray, white, purple-striped Asexual flag): Exactly. That's what the grey is for. Anyone who feels like they don't totally vibe with a 'typical' allo experience is welcome, even if they're in that grey zone between allo and 'absolute zero' sexual attraction. Friend: Sounds like there's lots of SPACE- in ACE! IMAGE: Maia plants the Ace flag on the moon, waving at a rocket (also emblazoned with the ace flag) as it cruises by. Maia: Haha, yep! My ace experience might not be the same as someone else's, but the label gives us a starting place for finding common ground.

IMAGE: Back in the tea house, the friend observes two cats curled up on a shelf on the wall. Friend: Something I still don't get: you've talked about crushes and dates and stuff before. Are your dates just Netflix and actual chill? Maia: Haha, sometimes! But other times I do take it to the bone zone. For me, sex is often about emotional intimacy with my partner. Heck, sometimes I just need to scratch a biological itch, even if my body isn't pointing me towards a specific person to get it done. Plus, for me, it feels good! Friend: Whoa, you actually... like sex? Maia: Yeah, there's even a word for it in ace space: sex-favorable. And whether sex favorable, sex-indifferent, or sex-repulsed, all aces are still ace. IMAGE: Three cats illustrate the different states of asexual sexual interest. Sex-Favorable cat smiles and approaches a hand to be pet. Sex-Indifferent cat sits by itself, licking its paw. Sex-Repulsed cat is all puffed up and hissing.

What better way to celebrate Asexual Awareness Week than by spillin' the asexualiTEA with @sparklemaia.bsky.social! 1/2
www.ohjoysextoy.com/ace-101-spar...

17.10.2025 20:52 — 👍 124 🔁 56 💬 3 📌 4

Painting of Aspen tree with gold yellow leaves against blue sky

I can't find a title for this glorious painting of autumn Aspen, but it's by Oregon based (Ukrainian born) artist, Anton Pavlenko, and I love it 💛

#trees #art #TreeArt #Aspen #Autumn

15.10.2025 15:20 — 👍 710 🔁 157 💬 11 📌 5

*no kings except this guy

15.10.2025 00:44 — 👍 1122 🔁 172 💬 7 📌 1

got sent this flow chart (thanks jade)

this is the most correct flow chart out there, 100% correct

14.10.2025 15:34 — 👍 155 🔁 53 💬 3 📌 3

This is brilliant. I wonder how many frogs are going to show up on October 18th.

14.10.2025 03:32 — 👍 919 🔁 286 💬 47 📌 9

Day 11 of #bonktober69

Leash&Collar

12.10.2025 02:18 — 👍 4115 🔁 726 💬 18 📌 6

I was today-years-old when I learned that there's tomato paste that comes in tubes.

13.10.2025 21:02 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

you deserve to be in environments that bring out the softness in you, not the survival in you

12.10.2025 20:19 — 👍 272 🔁 91 💬 6 📌 8

October 18th - nokings.org

12.10.2025 17:51 — 👍 559 🔁 154 💬 13 📌 5

Drawing of a puppy holding a mug with the caption; "Like the seasons, I took am capable of change"

Change

12.10.2025 12:05 — 👍 1223 🔁 354 💬 3 📌 0

Dominion Voting Systems sold to company run by former Republican election official Dominion Voting Systems, which sued Fox over its reporting on the 2020 election, has been sold to a seemingly new election company run by a former GOP election official.

Hey so the majority of voting machines are now owned and operated by a former Trump campaign head. If you are to vote in the future only use paper ballots.

12.10.2025 11:17 — 👍 268 🔁 178 💬 9 📌 3

Health Experts Recommend Standing Up At Desk, Leaving Office, Never Coming Back

Health Experts Recommend Standing Up At Desk, Leaving Office, Never Coming Back https://theonion.com/health-experts-recommend-standing-up-at-desk-leaving-o-1819577456/

07.10.2025 20:15 — 👍 11108 🔁 2878 💬 87 📌 127

Watercolor illustration of a bunch of colorful pumpkins, with a beige striped cat sleeping on top of them curled up into a ball, slightly resembling the round pumpkins itself.

That’s such a fluffy, sleepy pumpkin 🧡

#art #cozyart #caturday

11.10.2025 17:36 — 👍 4062 🔁 1417 💬 25 📌 6

10.10.2025 23:28 — 👍 3212 🔁 723 💬 41 📌 17

Skye is so right..

09.10.2025 17:39 — 👍 9644 🔁 2021 💬 108 📌 31

Autistic meltdowns aren’t tantrums.

They’re the bodymind saying “I can’t hold this anymore".

They’re not moral failures.

They’re overload.

Pressure leaving the system.

You don’t need punishment.

You need safety.

08.10.2025 16:13 — 👍 622 🔁 186 💬 10 📌 6