AVENues Newsletter: Winter 2019

AVENUES

ALL CREATIVES EDITION JANUARY - MARCH 2019

WIN TER 2019

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Hi everyone!

Oh my gosh, how is it already 2019! Fun fact – this issue will mark 3 years since we restarted AVENues in 2016! If you ever wanted to look at our old issues, you can go here: https://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/20735-avenues-links-inside/ As for this issue, we have an all creative things special! That’s right, everything here will be art related! We’ve got some awesome writings, paintings, and more!

This isn’t the only time we want to see your art! AVENues is always looking for new art from the ace community. Send us your short stories, poems, paintings, whatever!

See you next time! ~ scarlet EiC

EDITING/CREATIVE TEAM

CONTRIBUTORS

Editor in Chief: scarletlatitude Layout: kelico Co-editors: Blue Ice-Tea, Snow Cone, kelico, addewyn, Biblioromantic Creative Team: SkyWorld, kelico, addewyn

Writers/Artists: Anon, Iris, Toads, CajunAce, Ret!, Duke

Special thanks: Rynn for the interview

FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE POETRY PODIUM pg 3-6 • “Pearls” by Toads (pg 3) • “The Little Elephant” by CajunAce (pg 3) • “Acing this whole Life Thing” by Anon (pg 4) • “Helix” by Iris (pg 5) • “Boxes” by Toads (pg 6)

PAINTING GALLERY pg 7 • “WHAM!” by Ret! (pg 7) • “Wolfie Pup” by kelico (pg 7)

SHORT STORY CORNER pg 8-10 • “Cat’s Day ” by Duke (pg 8) • “Of lace and frill” by CajunAce (pg 10)

pg 12 Question of the month pg 13-14 Asexy Puzzle: Number Blocks pg 15 Classifieds pg 16 Member Highlight: Rynn

Featured

in this issue

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POETRY PODIUM “PEARLS” by Toads Couple little pearls on the floor Each so precious and unique One gets lost, don’t know what to do Breaks your heart, miss it for sure Hundred little pearls on the floor All still dear, differences shine through One gets lost, again sad no doubt But there’s plenty left, you make do Thousand little pearls on the floor Personalities gone, each looks the same One gets lost, did you even notice?

Just pick the next in line, keep going Million little pearls on the floor Individual fades in mass, its value gone One gets lost, who cares at this point?

Each can be replaced, worth’s down the drain Pearls copyright Toads 2018

“THE LITTLE ELEPHANT” by CajunAce There’s a little elephant Sitting in the corner, Flashing black, grey, White, then purple.

Some say it’s black and white, My parents pretend it’s not there.

But I see you, little elephant, And I accept you.

The Little Elephant 2018

Poetry Podium

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“ACING THIS WHOLE LIFE THING” by Anon Once again you find yourself at as loss, As to why people put their lives on hold For no reason other than they cannot find happiness in themselves, Looking, looking, constantly searching for someone, Someone just as lost, just as happy To fill something that you have never felt to be empty.

You never felt a missing piece in your heart, Never yearned to be filled in any way you can imagine.

Living fully, completed solo, doesn’t seem all that bad.

You skipped that middle school craze, the high school drama, Why would you care? It’s not that important.

Not necessary to hold one above all others, exclusivity.

Can’t help but feel like you missed the memo, Something in your DNA? Hormones maybe?

But you aced the tests, all of them!

Maybe practice makes perfect? So you research, ‘How to tell if you’re in love’, ‘Hot or Not quiz’.

This must be how everyone ‘Just Knows’ who and what and when.

When you finish in the halls thick with tension you just don’t understand, When you leave behind the dorm with the noises you never appreciated, When you settle into your place, just yourself.

It is bliss, perfect and peaceful.

And you’re acing at life! Except, those concerned faces of your parents.

They think that at the rate you’re going, you may never have THEIR grand-babies.

But you never even thought about that, you’ve been too busy, it’s just not important.

You have your friends, you laugh and hang outside of work.

Out for drinks when some guy you don’t know comes and talks to you.

You fall back on your research, smile, giggle, Let them down easy ‘cause you’re just not interested.

They leave and your friends eye his arse as he leaves, you get another drink.

Reading the words you didn’t know you needed for the first time.

It’s like, you’ve known all along but you never had the words, Like you’ve come home to a place you have always lived but in the dark, And now the lights are on.

Nothing changes, not really, you just have a new group of friends, One’s who don’t stare at the guy as he walks away.

You’ve been acing your whole life, and only now are you receiving the report card.

Detailing why, why your grades ended up how they did, all the comments make sense now.

You’ve really aced this whole “life” thing!

Poetry Podium

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“HELIX” by Iris

i need you to know that my mouth is more than just a graveyard. it’s not just the place where i kill all my good things, at least, not always. maybe sometimes, but not always, and never easy. hurting someone will never feel easy. even when i know i can do it. even when i know i have to. there were days when your eyes got lonely from trying to find mine. from wanting more than what i felt was safe. we circled each other, coming closer in slow spiral, and it was okay. or i thought it was. i started waking up from dreams that had you in them. i held my heart up against the light so you could see all my hollow parts. you made me smile. it was enough. and then it wasn’t. it was watching glass fall thinking i could catch it. i couldn’t. it was one night of you leaning in closer than you’ve tried before, closer than i thought you’d ever try, but there was no gravity. i didn’t fall into you. i didn’t feel like i wanted to. the songs, the books, the movies don’t talk about this. there aren’t any scenes where the princess doesn’t want the kiss. nothing about what she does if she still gets it. time became the single point where your face met mine. i should’ve wanted it. i didn’t. my eyes stayed open, waiting for the world to make sense again. waiting for you to finish. waiting for it to end. and my mouth wasn’t graveyard, not yet. just a closed door. curtains down. inside me, the lights flickered then went out. after, we were grains of sand in an hourglass, but i didn’t know that. i told you it was fine, and that was the truth, until it wasn’t. that was the truth, until months later and being alone with you became an exercise in holding my breath. until months later, i realised that when you touched me, i’d walk out of my skin and wait for you to move away before i crawled back in again. and i’m sorry for it. but i’m also not. i didn’t mean for all my walls to build themselves back up. i need you to know that it wasn’t your fault, even when it was, because it wasn’t. because you didn’t mean it. because all you wanted was to love me in a way that you could also feel it. and god, i wish you could take it back. i wish i didn’t want you to want that. we were a good thing, and i had to kill it. i had to. because i knew you weren’t going to. because i’ve learned the hard way that sometimes i have to bury what i love when even the little things stop being enough. “helix” copyright Iris M. 2018

Poetry Podium

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“BOXES” by Toads A room full of shelves from floor to ceiling Each shelf full of boxes from side to side In a room where one is searching for something Going from shelf to shelf, trying to find it In this room that contains all they have experienced Each box enclosing a part of their memories Good or bad, pleasant or not, it’s all here And now they are going through it all, looking for a specific one What might have compelled them to locate it?

Maybe something they heard, maybe a scent they smelled Whatever it was, they are sure the memory was a good one So they keep looking, passing many other boxes along the way Eventually the correct container is in front of them Looking just like the others, but what’s inside should be much better “I recall this to be great, I want to experience it again” goes through their mind As they open the box and look within, while anticipation burns in their eyes At first what’s uncovered is just like they had expected and hoped Its shape just like they had imagined, and all of it covered in gold And just as the delight from this discovery has started to fill their mind The cracks in it start to shine through, its imperfections hit home While the memory was flawless, reality cannot match that dream While the memory was full of easy joy, reality has problems too And while the memory was encased in gold, reality has spots of it at most In the end, perfect recollection is replaced with stale truth So the box is placed back on the shelf, with its contents stirred with facts Should it have been left unopened, with its compelling but false truth?

This one thinks over as they leave the room, leaving other boxes behind Boxes that shall not be opened today, their versions of reality left intact Boxes copyright Toads 2018

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Poetry Podium

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Painting Gallery “WHAM!” by Ret!

“WOLFIE PUP” by kelico

Painting G allery

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SHORT STORY CORNER “CAT’S DAY” by Duke The gray cat opened his eyes at the sound of the back door creaking. He knew what would happen in a few seconds, and his eyes zeroed in on the metal cans and spoon held by the woman who emerged. The woman was scooping out the cat food as fast as she could, for six cats ran up to her in pursuit of food.

The gray cat had a wife and three kittens. The wife was small and brown, and so was their daughter. The two sons looked like their father. One of the sons was the timid runt, the other son was a suspicious alpha, and the daughter was charismatically posh.

The sixth cat who ran up was an old calico. She was old and ugly and sweet. The gray cat befriended her after she migrated from next door. She didn’t quite like the brown cat or the kittens, and the brown cat and suspicious alpha weren’t too fond of the old calico. The gray cat knew this and did what he could to make sure they didn’t fight.

After breakfast, the gray cat was cleaning his kittens. They always made a mess whenever they ate, so he took care of the splotches of food that found their way on top of the kittens’ noggins.

After the gray cat cleaned his kittens, the kittens went back to their normal routines. The suspicious alpha squatted watchfully underneath the shed, the timid runt let the woman rub his belly, and the charismatically posh daughter amicably walked around with her tail waving happily through the air.

The kittens grew restless and decided to play with each other, so the gray cat stood up and started to take a walk around town. He walked down the driveway to the road, then turned in the direction of the highway. He stopped to watch the multitude of vehicles go by before crossing the highway during a clear point. He continued his walk on the other side, going wherever the roads led, occasionally stopping and resting.

The gray cat judged that it was around midday, so he briskly trotted back to the house, mindful of the highway. He meowed with excitement and love as he saw the young man and the girl. They were walking their large dog, who wanted to be cat’s best friend. The big dog kept sniffing the gray cat, and the gray cat didn’t mind, for he simply walked to the girl.

Meowing again, the gray cat reached up and put his paws on the girl’s leg, wanting to be held and cuddled. The girl granted his wish and carried him around the yard, saying kind words he couldn’t

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interpret. The gray cat purred contentedly, satisfied with the attention. Soon, he hopped down and ran to the young man. He put his paws on the young man’s leg and meowed before getting the same treatment.

Unfortunately for the gray cat, the young man, the girl, and the big dog had to go back inside. He followed them to the back door, where he was greeted by the indoor cat. The indoor cat was a good friend of the gray cat, and they meowed to each other for a long while. They ’d known each other since the gray cat was just a kitten, but they ’d only been completely face-to-face a few times.

Later, the indoor cat retreated into the cool house, so the gray cat went walking again.

He went the other way this time and spotted a squirrel. He chased the squirrel down and wrestled it for a few minutes, providing himself a snack. After finishing his food and licking himself clean, the gray cat made his way along the roads to the edge of town, where he flopped down, rubbed his back on the ground, then rubbed his face on anything else he could find. He visited some of the houses and humans in that part of town before returning home. He was getting tired.

The gray cat found one of his favorite resting places- a pile of chopped firewood- and hopped up to the top of it, where he took a catnap. He know how to be comfortable on any surface, but the pile of wood was his castle.

There was a familiar sound of tires turning on gravel, and the gray cat woke up to see the woman’s husband drive up yo the house. The woman let the big dog out to greet the husband, and the young man and the girl gave him a hug before the woman kissed him. The gray cat, being the perky extrovert he was, hopped off of his pile of firewood and greeted the husband in the same manner he greeted the young man and the girl. The husband was excited to see the gray cat and put the feline atop his shoulders, where the gray cat drooped like a scarf and purred.

All of the humans besides the woman went inside, taking the big dog with them. The woman put her hands to her mouth and called for the kittens. A few minutes later, the kittens bounded their way to the house from a few blocks over, followed by the brown cat. Even the old calico stirred and moved towards The woman. The young man reemerged with more cans of cat food and a spoon and handed them to the woman, who fed the mass of furballs at her feet. After everyone was full, clean, and played out of all their energy, the gray cat and the old calico hopped onto the hood of the car. They loafed peacefully before falling asleep.

That night, the gray cat felt like taking a moonlit stroll through the cool air. He made it down the driveway and along the road before hearing whistling. It wasn’t food whistling; it was a friend whistling. The gray cat ran through the dew-covered grass before reaching the young man, who was walking the big dog. They all ran and played together as the young man continued to whistle. When the human was tired of running, he lifted the gray cat and held him closely. The gray cat purred, and the young man kissed the gray cat on the back of the head.

The young man only put the gray cat down when the big dog had to be taken back in. The gray cat followed them to the front door, but he wasn’t allowed inside. He waited there patiently and meowed a few times before finally giving up again and slinking underneath the porch as he did many nights.

He couldn’t wait for tomorrow.

“Cat’s Day ” copyright Duke Memphis 2018

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“OF LACE AND FRILL” by CajunAce

There was once an unusual woman who lived in the small village; a young, but widowed lady who always wore a large dress. Those who saw her would whisper about her abnormal laced bodice and frills that would sweep the ground. The woman did not care for their looks and continued to wear exuberant colors of lace and frill. Some, the very few, who dared to prolong a glance at her gaudy frills would see a peculiar sight. Deep within the cloth of the skirt a pair of blue eyes could be seen, staring listlessly through the frills. The more these eyes grew higher, ever higher in the woman’s frills, the more people would whisper over their origin -- the more they skirted around her as if she was diseased, rabid. The brave who attempted to reach the blue eyes saw then their intensity. Eyes like that of a raging sea would greet any who had the courage to come close to the bright lace and frill.

The woman was eventually driven away by the disgusted glances of all and the fearful eyes of those who were brave. She moved into a small shed in the nearby woods and lived the rest of her days sewing and wearing grand dresses of colorful lace and frill.

The rumors of the woman then became a legend in the village. Parents would tell their children of a strange woman who grew mad after the loss of her husband. She then started to make horrific dresses that caused any right person to faint from the sheer garishness of it. The crazy woman also had a child, the parents would tell their reverential children, who was as strange and different as she. Only the child’s bright blue eyes were ever seen by the rest of the village, and any who ventured close would be glared upon by these eyes as if to attack. While hearing this, the children would envision two eyes of a monster staring through ugly cloth waiting to attack any innocent person who comes near.

And long into the years, when these children became men and women themselves, an odd visitor came to their village from the woods. It was a man well into his years, wearing bright colors of many hues. Bundled in his arms seemed to be even more cloth of shocking colors; however, as the astonished bystanders looked closer, they could see that the unusual man was holding a frail body of an elderly woman. The man stared forward with his cerulean eyes to the graveyard at the end of the village. Not even the birds seemed to dare twitter as the human more vibrant than they walked to the gate of graveyard. He was nevertheless stopped by a brave, brave man – the mayor of the village, in fact.

“What are you doing?” the mayor demanded with trepidation; he had too heard the legends and remembered the strange woman himself. He recognized the man’s eyes as those he had seen in the frills. The brightly dressed man in question merely stared at the mayor. The

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mayor stepped back. The visitor continued into the graveyard and picked up a shovel that was resting against a nearby gravestone. He carried the body and shovel to an empty lot of land that was next to an old, weathered gravestone with the mayor trailing slowly behind him. The man meticulously lays the woman against the gravestone and starts to dig. Half of the village was now watching from the gates of the graveyard, completely perplexed by the man in such an ostentatious suit.

“Isn’t that the person from the story, mommy?” one curious child asks as he tugs at his mother’s dress. Said woman in return tells him to quiet down. Several other parents are doing the same, some even tell their children to stay away from such a man as the one finishing his dig in the graveyard.

When the man was finished, his clothes were covered in dirt, yet still atrocious to the on looking crowd. He carefully laid the woman down into the hole as one would set a crown of precious stones on a queen’s head. Tears began to pour out of those blue eyes as he poured down the dirt over the once vibrant lace and frill. The sun began to set and the villagers returned to their homes to eat and retire from the exciting day. Eventually only the mayor and the man were left in the darkening graveyard.

The mayor looked around; his people were now all in their homes. He glanced at the man patting down the dirt. Though his clothes seemed to glow in the dusk, the mayor lost all prejudgment against the man. The man was not all that different than he, and the mayor could see that the man was in deep sorrow – much like he was when he had to bury family in this exact graveyard. The mayor goes to a shed in the corner of the graveyard and opens it with the ring of keys he has the privilege of owning. Inside there are several slabs of stone, made for the future deceased of the village. He grabs one, and with great strain, brings it to the man now staring at his finished work. Vibrant blue eyes meet his, but not a word is spoken – the mayor understands. Together, mayor and visitor, they chisel into the stone until the sun prepares to make its rise again. Not a word is said until they both stand to view their work, both now the same color of dirt and sweat.

“You still have to leave,” the mayor says sadly. He had enjoyed the man’s company without the stress of his duty overcoming him. The mayor also understood the thoughts of the village and remembered the fate of the woman they had just buried. The man looked at him with his stormy eyes – he understood. The mayor watched him walk back into the woods, back into a small shed filled with bright cloths. This man was never seen again, but any unkind story of him was disapproved by the mayor.

Of Lace and Frill 2018

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MEMBER HIGHLIGHT: RYNN -Interview by scarletlatitude

SCARLET: What is your most visited part of AVEN? RYNN: Off-A. I love connecting with other people about just everyday things -- like pets, movies, and food!

S: If you celebrate Christmas, what do you really want to get for a present?

R: Winter stuff! Scarves, cozy socks, hot cocoa. I just moved to a colder climate, and I wasn’t prepared!

S: What are you looking forward to in 2019?

R: Becoming an aunt. And going on new adventures.

S: If you could have any pet, what would you pick?

R: I’ve got all the companions I need -- two adorable, sarcastic kitties.

M ember H ighlight

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QUESTION OF THE MONTH

In our questions for this issue, we asked what kinds of arts you do.

HERE WERE THE RESULTS OF OUR FORM!

Applied arts Decorative arts Performing arts Visual arts Written arts

Q uestion

of the

M onth

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ASEXY PUZZLE: NUMBER BLOCKS

Try to fill in the missing numbers.

The missing numbers are integers between 0 and 9.

The numbers in each row add up to totals to the right.

The numbers in each column add up to the totals along the bottom.

The diagonal lines also add up the totals to the right.

A sexy Puzzle

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CLASSIFIEDS PIECES OF ACE

MERCHANDACE

Pieces of Ace is a podcast broadcast live via YouTube every Sunday 7.30 GMT, and available to watch or listen to via iTunes, Reddit and Stitcher. AVEN users littledib (Robin), TheRealMrGray (Thom) and DreamwalkerSteve (Steve) started the show in July 2015 and have since featured interviews with swankivy, Maaple frontman Stephen Broughton and are one day hoping to have David Jay involved too!

Looking for ace-themed clothing, accessories, flags, bags, home decor, or pretty much anything else? Check out Merchandace - the biggest catalogue of asexual merchandise on the web! Or if you’re a creator and would like to find out more about how to get your ace merch out there, why not get in touch?

The show also includes live phone-ins, a YouTube chatroom, information about meets and live cake-testing, just to conform to the stereotype! There’s also plenty of random stuff too, so if you fancy getting involved then visit piecesoface.com or search on YouTube.

Find all your Pride essentials and much, much more at http://merchandace.com

Do you have an advertisement you would like to add to future issues of AVENues?

Send us the info at newsletter@asexuality.org!

WANT TO HELP WITH FUNDING TOWARDS AVEN’S SERVERS? CHECK OUT THE DONATION PAGE HERE! https://www.gofundme.com/aaw2017

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In 2018 we did an issue about mental health. Our next issue will be about physical health! How do you stay healthy? What sports or exercises do you enjoy? How do you navigate health with your orientations in mind?

FILL OUT OUR QUESTION OF THE MONTH FORM HERE: https://goo.gl/forms/c2ExBOsxsP0Ie9gI2

Remember, we are always looking for articles and artwork to add to AVENues!

• To submit creative works, please go here: https://goo.gl/forms/QQqfdfOR69niJFoP2 • Send us your asexy jokes and puns here: https://goo.gl/forms/Rg4vlY6XZ7c17bNJ3 • For larger submissions, please email us at newsletter@asexuality.org or avenues.submissions@gmail.com • You may also send a private message to any of the AVENues staff on AVEN

REMEMBER THAT WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR MORE PEOPLE TO JOIN OUR TEAM! SEND ONE OF US A MESSAGE ON AVEN FOR MORE INFO!