Alone. That's a scary word. Luckily, it's not something Rainbow Dash has to be afraid of. Element of Harmony, Wonderbolt to be, idol to colts and fillies, and all around radical. No, Dash isn't alone. She's completely awesome. There really isn't anything she can't do. Which is why this whole mess is just so dumb. Twilight doesn't know what she's talking about. Dash is perfectly fine, better than fine when you think about it. She really just can't be something as... as uncool as an asexual.
... Can she?
(Rated Teen for somewhat frank discussions of sexuality)
(Pre-Read and Edited by the dream team of SoloBrony, Pwnego, Ghost of Heraclitus, and the Wizard of Words. Thanks guys.)
Chapters (2)
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4838359
I'm pretty sure I am, I've just never felt any interest in anyone else or their bodies.
Which is strange since my hobbies consist of reading shipping and browsing derpibooru lol.
4838488 Such an odd one you are, would you like a cookie?
Alternate title: How to break Scootaloo's little heart.
technically you can be assexual without being aromantic (that is, not feeling love for anyone in a romantic manner), there are plenty of people out there who just aren't into "boning". It might be a defective biological or genetic code, I don't know. Not to offend anyone who's assexual, but since the biological purpose of life is to continue the race....well, I dunno.
With that said, I will now read the story
4838488
Maybe you only like members of your own species.
Odd, I know, but it happens in the human population.
4838500
what asexual
4838426 :^)
The story felt a bit rushed, to me, but I'm glad to see the topic being discussed. With all of the fics out there about the angst of acceptance surrounding sexuality, it seems asexuality has generally been largely ignored, at least from what I've seen.
I do think Dash was one of the best choices for it, too.
4838716 The lack of sexual attraction to anyone or anything, or low or absent interest in sexual activity.
Hmm, I don't know. You're making Rainbow sound more cupiosexual (wanting a sexual relationship without experiencing sexual attraction) than asexual. I could be wrong though, it's just that I'm ace and I don't really want it at all.
4840272
Some aces want it, some don't. Some aces masturbate, some don't. If you read up on stuff on AVEN or Asexuality.org, they make that clear. All asexuality means according to those resources is a lack of reflexive sexual attraction. Its something I wanted to acknowledge, because its something I deal with. I find sex to be fascinating for a lot of reasons, and when I realized I was asexual I to experienced the fears Dash did, that I would be alienated, that I might secretly hate sex and that would leave me alone. I also left it open whether Dash might or might not ultimately desire sex, because that wasn't entirely important. The focus was on her, and her acknowledging and accepting who she was.
Also, part of the point is that all of these labels are only so important. Who we are, what we do, the individuals we love, not the genders or acts we find permissible, those define us much better. These are, after all, just words. Big, tall, fat, gay, asexual. Just... descriptions.
For some reason that reminded me of the line from skyrim were a guard would say "Stop right there criminal scum!",
I like the way you portrait her so well, her doubt and fears, also the words of princess Luna were so well... she said the right things
this goes to favs!
4840823
Thanks!
Favorite pony.
Favorite princess.
Smart observation.
A wonderful solution.
This all adds to favorites, in my books.
4840304
Matches up from my time there a while back. I'm more grey-A myself. This is the second asexual Dash story I have seen. I rather like your take.
4840272
>microlabels
You're part of the problem.
Why does Rainbow have such a horrendous stigma against the asexual label, exactly? I don't see why she freaked out, or why this became some big crisis.
4846202
Because being an asexual is scary. There is this thing, that you've never experienced, but which everyone makes a big deal of. My friend compared it to going up to someone else and saying "So, there is this thing called a fairy, and it looks like this," and them replying "Oh, those? See 'em all the time. They're everywhere." It's an alienating experience. To have tangible evidence that everyone sees the world different from you in a very big, fundamental way. There is also the stigma that there is something "wrong" with asexuals. To Dash, it was an accusation, that she was somehow broken, that there was something missing from her. There is also some level of social stigma against it. I know my asexual friends get a lot of flak for it, and I only discovered and came out recently and I already had a friend get confused because I was knowledgeable and had sex in the past, and then tell me I probably just need to meet the "right" person, and a second friend got somewhat hostile after reading this story because he rejects the very concept of sexual identification, even moreso than Luna
. Then there is the slightly more personal fear I had, that this confirmed my suspicions that there was something sexually wrong with me, and that I could never enjoy sex/have a meaningful relationship because either I would be missing out or my partners would get angry with me for not putting out. Dash is afraid because I was afraid. I'm trying to present the emotions and concerns I had when I figured this out so people can understand this all better.
That clear things up?
4846485
Okay. The presentations of everyone's emotions are kind of strange, though.
Well, you get what you asked for, I guess.
A few issues:
1) I felt like the conversation in the first chapter was very unnatural and forced; it just felt like you were trying to get somewhere you wanted to go, but the conversation didn't naturally flow that direction at all.
2) As Luna noted in the second chapter, a lot of the modern made up terms for sexuality are... well, exactly that. Homosexual, heterosexual, and bisexual all have clear meanings. While there are clearly asexuals, the term gets abused massively to the point where it is meaningless - a lot of people incorrectly apply it, or apply it in a very inconsistent manner. It is a very faddish thing, like people identifying as pansexual, "queer", and similar nonsense terms.
That's not to say that they don't exist - they do - but there are a lot of people who say they're asexuals who, well, aren't. And the presentation here was very sloppy - basically, Twilight pressing her in that manner not only was out of character, but also isn't a good way to determine if someone is asexual to begin with. The real question is if someone has ever been sexually attracted to anyone, ever - and Rainbow Dash's own response to that, that she thought about having sex with stallions and mares all the time, doesn't really indicate asexuality at all.
Really, the whole story felt like it had these issues, and it felt like a SJW push rather than some sort of naturally occurring story.
I deleted my earlier comment because I decided it wasn't useful.
Anyway---this story gave me a new perspective on asexuality, which was great; however, the chapter endings---both of them---seemed quite abrupt. Still, a good piece of writing.
5018044
Thank you.
This concept has always annoyed me. It's basically saying that if there's a conflict in the relationship you shouldn't be the one that has to change, they should be the ones to change. If they don't change to suit your whim then they don't deserve you. There's never any concept of compromise, which is what you do in a relationship. You should get it your way and they damn well better like it.
If I, as an asexual, don't like sex but know that my partner not only likes it but considers it as an integral part of how they bond emotionally with a partner, I don't deserve their love if I'm not willing to accept that about them and try to find a compromise. And of course, sometimes people can be perfectly 'deserving' of each other's love but then just find a complete incompatibility that can't be worked out.
But I know this ego soothing is typically used for people that need it, even if I view it as the wrong lesson to teach someone. So it's probably still a good thing. Alas.
It's funny because I'm asexual. xD
4848884
Well that seems a bit too totally dismissive, I think.
I thought so too at first, but Twilight explained herself. You know when you see or read about a potentially interesting subject, and then you get really curious and spend far more time than you usually would to go learn all about it? It's kind of like that. Now imagine that your friend might be connected to said subject. You'd want to ask them about it and learn as much as you can from someone who has a firsthand connection.
You know, Rainbow could be bluffing. She doesn't want to look or feel like a freak. "Asexual" sort of has a hazy definition, and there's that sexuality is a spectrum, not cleanly divided.
I'd say that I don't think so, but it seems you and I define that term a bit differently. What I do know is that I'm tired of people getting all panicky at things that, whether in their mind or in reality, are characteristic of "SJW's".
I liked it, even if I think the story should have been more stretched out more, preferably in the first chapter.
People actually do this? This probably a stupid question, but it's kind of struck me as something that just happens in stories or gets drastically overplayed.
4846485
It gets sort of hard imagining why people would give someone trouble just for non-participation in an act that doesn't really do much of anything (at least from your perspective). And not just that, it's quite strange having it pop up anywhere and everywhere constantly, despite it being something people hardly ever do.
I don't get it, the obsession or the stigma. It's like having people harass you for not being interested in sports or something.
Love you, Rainbow.
There really wasn't any way to describe Twilight's actions other than attacking Rainbow. It's understandable that she may come to believe Rainbow is asexual, and it's good to talk about it if Rainbow is comfortable with her doing so, but when Rainbow says "no", you don't accuse the person of lying to themselves. Doing so makes you an asshole. I still feel like an asshole because I did that to someone once. Yes, people can and often do lie to themselves, but unless someone clearly seems to be harming themselves by conforming to a sexuality that doesn't actually suit them, it is not okay to act like you know their mind better than they do. The story itself was rather well-written, and what you were going for was nice, but I desperately hope no one interprets this as a good way to respond in that situation.
So... Dashcord, then?
The conversation with Twilight felt kinda forced in this chapter, but overall, I liked it. I also like how Twilight kept affirming that wanting to have sex is different from experiencing attraction.
Overall, I liked this. But just wanna point out that some of the dialogue, especially the lengthier bits, felt forced. Otherwise, good-job
5137279
I suspect it's probably the "and they reject you" part that incites the idea of unworthiness.
It's one thing to have issues and try to work them out. It's another to drop someone like a hot rock.
I'd really love to read a story sometime where Twilight actually isn't right about everything for once. But great story. I really enjoyed it.
Great story. I really loved seeing Twilight and Luna comfort Rainbow.