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The Joy of Friendship

@thejoyoffriendship

Wholesome content about friendship, platonic love, community and more! Dismantling amatonormativity one meme at a time #AceAroPositivity ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿค

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23.06.2024
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Latest posts by The Joy of Friendship @thejoyoffriendship

8 book covers for Aromantic Awareness Week

8 book covers for Aromantic Awareness Week

7 Books I want to read

7 Books I want to read

Last week was ๐Ÿ’š Aromantic Awareness Week ๐Ÿ’š

Aromance is experiencing little to no romantic attraction towards others.
Aromantic love doesnโ€™t align with traditional romantic norms.
Aromance is a spectrum.

Some books I read & WTR.

[ ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ“š๐ŸŒถ๏ธ ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿ“š๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€โšง๏ธ #QueerBooks #Aromance #AromanceBooks ]

02.03.2026 10:21 ๐Ÿ‘ 12 ๐Ÿ” 3 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Painting of a ginger cat contorted in a shrimp shape and sleeping. The background is teal. The artist's signature and @joyousjoyfuljoyness watermark are at the bottom right.

Painting of a ginger cat contorted in a shrimp shape and sleeping. The background is teal. The artist's signature and @joyousjoyfuljoyness watermark are at the bottom right.

Cats are such contortionists! I wanted to play with complementary color contrast here to make the orange cat fur POP. Had a ton of fun painting this! It's called "Shrimp Cat."

#orangecat #gingercat #cat #art #painting #catart

02.03.2026 03:00 ๐Ÿ‘ 108 ๐Ÿ” 25 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 5 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
a painting of a man lifting a sylveon by the armpits

a painting of a man lifting a sylveon by the armpits

Long, firm, tubular body, DEEP blue eyes, really wonderful expression. he is so calm, confident, really in charge here. Big, bouncy ears, perfectly set, a slender, whippy tail, and of course, those smooth, vibrant ribbons. Best in show.

02.03.2026 06:13 ๐Ÿ‘ 7045 ๐Ÿ” 2363 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 35 ๐Ÿ“Œ 7
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Pumpkin Cat Carnival | Kawaii Artist on Instagram: "Thank you again for another month Kofi members! Was so fun drawing these beans and excited to work on the collage ๐Ÿ˜โ™ฅ๏ธโœจ #pumpkincatcarnival #illustra... 10 likes, 0 comments - pumpkincatcarnival on February 28, 2026: "Thank you again for another month Kofi members! Was so fun drawing these beans and excited to work on the collage ๐Ÿ˜โ™ฅ๏ธโœจ #pumpkincatcarni...

Moon Cat and Magic Cat Kofi Drawings ๐ŸŽจโœจ
www.instagram.com/reel/DVUOQc-...

02.03.2026 07:16 ๐Ÿ‘ 11 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Volunteers needed: The Ace Community Survey team is currently looking for new volunteers to analyze the most recent survey data. 

Apply now: https://forms.gle/qsPZehz2aUPc3P4BA

Volunteers needed: The Ace Community Survey team is currently looking for new volunteers to analyze the most recent survey data. Apply now: https://forms.gle/qsPZehz2aUPc3P4BA

We are looking for new volunteers to analyze the survey data!

We are interested in people with experience using Python. Experience with Jupyter notebooks, pandas and github is a plus.

Apply here (closes March, 23): forms.gle/qsPZehz2aUPc...

02.03.2026 07:41 ๐Ÿ‘ 5 ๐Ÿ” 3 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

A common conclusion that aphobes come to about why people identify as aromantic or asexual is that we're unattractive, which operates under the assumption that our identities are performative but is often a projection of their own misconseptions surrounding our orientations

02.03.2026 13:07 ๐Ÿ‘ 4 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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01.03.2026 18:15 ๐Ÿ‘ 8063 ๐Ÿ” 1712 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 79 ๐Ÿ“Œ 63
Illustration of a small black cat with large white eyes sitting on a grassy field. The background is a textured sky blending bluish-gray tones with abstract warm orange shapes layered across it. The text above reads: โ€œItโ€™s almost never about being fully ready. Itโ€™s mostly about being brave enough to try and choose courage anyway.โ€

Illustration of a small black cat with large white eyes sitting on a grassy field. The background is a textured sky blending bluish-gray tones with abstract warm orange shapes layered across it. The text above reads: โ€œItโ€™s almost never about being fully ready. Itโ€™s mostly about being brave enough to try and choose courage anyway.โ€

02.03.2026 13:51 ๐Ÿ‘ 1274 ๐Ÿ” 343 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 6 ๐Ÿ“Œ 7
enbroidery of a cute strawberry character

enbroidery of a cute strawberry character

enbroidery of cute grapes

enbroidery of cute grapes

enbroidery of a cute dragonfruit character

enbroidery of a cute dragonfruit character

enbroidery of a cute mushroom character

enbroidery of a cute mushroom character

Embroidery I recently did on demand for people, on bags, pouches, pencil cases ๐ŸŒฑ Which one would you chose as a companion?

01.03.2026 17:05 ๐Ÿ‘ 52 ๐Ÿ” 12 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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01.03.2026 12:58 ๐Ÿ‘ 544 ๐Ÿ” 107 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3 ๐Ÿ“Œ 4
a digital drawing of a ginger man looking at the viewer. he has shoulder length hair, part of it braided, and blue grey eyes. he is wearing a chest harness. behind him is an array of forget-me-nots

a digital drawing of a ginger man looking at the viewer. he has shoulder length hair, part of it braided, and blue grey eyes. he is wearing a chest harness. behind him is an array of forget-me-nots

emergency commission for @punkforkos.bsky.social of their cain, beblorboed!!!

#vgemcomm #dndoc #ocart

02.03.2026 07:09 ๐Ÿ‘ 128 ๐Ÿ” 38 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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This week is Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week.

Aromantic people may experience little or no romantic attraction. Aromanticism is valid, diverse, and an important part of the LGBT+ spectrum.

#AromanticAwarenessWeek #AromanticVisibility

19.02.2026 10:03 ๐Ÿ‘ 7 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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WTF!? It's Aromantic week and I wasnt awere of that!? So, I really wanted to draw something for that :3

Featuring Lily who also just happends to be aroallo colored!

#art #artshare #digitalart #furryart #ocart #aromantic #aromanticawarenessweek #aroweek #pride #lgbtq #aroace #artsky #ocsky #oc

19.02.2026 10:40 ๐Ÿ‘ 26 ๐Ÿ” 5 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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happy ace spec week :)

#art #illustration #traditionalart #ocart #oc #acespecweek #aroace #aromantic #asexual #demiromantic #demisexual

19.02.2026 12:16 ๐Ÿ‘ 11 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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"Asexuality and aromanticism are very different experiences, but we ultimately share many of our political goals.โ€ Read ๐Ÿ‘‰ buff.ly/qEbg2cA #GCNnews #AromanticSpectrumAwarenessWeek

19.02.2026 18:00 ๐Ÿ‘ 19 ๐Ÿ” 7 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Congratulations to #SerendipityLit author Jenna Baner on her recent book deal with Page Street YA!

GIRLS WALKING WITH WOLVES is set to release in November 2026!

#SerendipityLiteraryAgency #BookDeals #AroAceBooks #BookSky #LGBTBooks

19.02.2026 19:03 ๐Ÿ‘ 9 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Happy Aromantic Awareness Week! โœจ Today, weโ€™re talking about the "wholeness" of aromantic identity. ๐Ÿ’š Discover how indie games are leading the charge for inclusive companionship. ๐ŸŽฎ๐Ÿซ‚ buff.ly/tURFKbE

#AroSpec #AromanticAwareness #Ace

19.02.2026 20:13 ๐Ÿ‘ 33 ๐Ÿ” 15 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
An illustration of Evelyn from Rune Factory 3 in the colors of the aromantic flag. She is standing with one hand on her hip and the other held casually out, smiling toward the viewer. The background is a gradient of the same flag.

An illustration of Evelyn from Rune Factory 3 in the colors of the aromantic flag. She is standing with one hand on her hip and the other held casually out, smiling toward the viewer. The background is a gradient of the same flag.

for #AromanticSpectrumAwarenessWeek, i'm drawing a few of my arospec headcanons! day 5: aro evelyn, no specific sexuality for her either #RuneFactory3 #RF3

19.02.2026 21:34 ๐Ÿ‘ 6 ๐Ÿ” 4 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
A comic depicting a character wearing an outfit with the colors of the aromantic flag, looking absent-mindedly into the distance. A narration box states: "I don't know if it's because I'm cynical, because I'm anxious about most things, or because I'm aromantic, but..."
The character is revealed to be looking at two people getting married, together with her own spouse and an assembly. The narration continues: "I never understood how people can so confidently talk about their relationships like they're eternal." The bride getting married states: "We'll be happy together forever!" as the crowd, including the spouse of the aromantic character, exclaim: "Aaaaw!!" The aromantic character, still looking absent-minded, thinks to herself: "Huh... That's very extreme. I couldn't say that at our wedding..."
The aromantic character is then seen in a different outfit, still with the aromantic flag colors, thinking to herself. The narration comments: "Incidentally, once in a while I have to remind myself that at the end of the day, romantic relationships are in about as much risk of ending someday as friendships are, so us aromantics aren't necessarily any less safe from loneliness than others. Romance is just put on such a pedestal of life investment and "foreverness" that sometimes I forget."

A comic depicting a character wearing an outfit with the colors of the aromantic flag, looking absent-mindedly into the distance. A narration box states: "I don't know if it's because I'm cynical, because I'm anxious about most things, or because I'm aromantic, but..." The character is revealed to be looking at two people getting married, together with her own spouse and an assembly. The narration continues: "I never understood how people can so confidently talk about their relationships like they're eternal." The bride getting married states: "We'll be happy together forever!" as the crowd, including the spouse of the aromantic character, exclaim: "Aaaaw!!" The aromantic character, still looking absent-minded, thinks to herself: "Huh... That's very extreme. I couldn't say that at our wedding..." The aromantic character is then seen in a different outfit, still with the aromantic flag colors, thinking to herself. The narration comments: "Incidentally, once in a while I have to remind myself that at the end of the day, romantic relationships are in about as much risk of ending someday as friendships are, so us aromantics aren't necessarily any less safe from loneliness than others. Romance is just put on such a pedestal of life investment and "foreverness" that sometimes I forget."

I guess "Till death do us part" still does a lot of heavy lifting today, huh.

I dunno. Random shower thoughts that kinda make me wonder where I stand in life sometimes. Don't know if any other aros can relate at all.

#aromantic #aromanticspectrumawarenessweek #aro

20.02.2026 06:58 ๐Ÿ‘ 27 ๐Ÿ” 8 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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#Aroace, #genderqueer, #asexual, and #nonbinary Representation #Enamelpins!
Were super close to unlocking some of our add on rewards! Step up to the counter and lets get you rung up!
love-is-sweet-pride-ribbon-candy-enamel-pin-collection.backerkit.com/hosted_preor...

20.02.2026 13:57 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Image is of an aromantic flag against a blue sky. It has a blue and purple gradient with the GCN logo and the article's title that reads: "Exploring the different labels within the aromantic spectrum". At the bottom of the image, a message says: "Read more on www.gcn.ie at the link in bio".

Image is of an aromantic flag against a blue sky. It has a blue and purple gradient with the GCN logo and the article's title that reads: "Exploring the different labels within the aromantic spectrum". At the bottom of the image, a message says: "Read more on www.gcn.ie at the link in bio".

From the archive for #AromanticAwarenessWeek, we have a look at the different ways people experience (or don't) romantic attraction. Read ๐Ÿ‘‰ buff.ly/U9Ud4ld #GCNnews

20.02.2026 14:00 ๐Ÿ‘ 5 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Twilight Sparkle holding an aromantic pride flag with her magic

Twilight Sparkle holding an aromantic pride flag with her magic

The Pony Princess of Platonic Relationships (2026 ver)

#mlp #twilightsparkle #aro #aromantic #aroweek #aromanticspectrumawarenessweek #art

20.02.2026 18:11 ๐Ÿ‘ 41 ๐Ÿ” 14 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Illustration of my sona, a half-orc/goblin pirate, in a boat's crow's nest with a large aromantic flag floating behind it
Birds fly in the background and what looks like a large serpentine creature makes up the boarders of the frame

Illustration of my sona, a half-orc/goblin pirate, in a boat's crow's nest with a large aromantic flag floating behind it Birds fly in the background and what looks like a large serpentine creature makes up the boarders of the frame

Happy #AromanticAwarenessWeek to all my fellow aros out there!! ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿค๐Ÿ–ค

#art #aroweek #oc #artsky

20.02.2026 19:14 ๐Ÿ‘ 120 ๐Ÿ” 44 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 4 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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Five Writers on Putting the โ€œAโ€ in A-Spec Literature In anticipation of the Being Aro anthology (May 26, 2026), we sat down to chat with 5 of the contributing writers to talk all things AroAce Rep in literature.

Love seeing this awesome roundtable with Being Aro contributors for #aromanticawarenessweek! @rukman.bsky.social @kalynjosephson.bsky.social @annzhao.bsky.social @kashinggiwa.bsky.social

bookstr.com/article/five...

20.02.2026 20:39 ๐Ÿ‘ 22 ๐Ÿ” 11 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
An illustration of Reigen Arataka in the colors of the green and yellow aromantic spectrum flag. He is grinning slyly toward the viewer with one hand in his pocket and pointing at himself with the other. The background is a gradient of the same flag.

An illustration of Reigen Arataka in the colors of the green and yellow aromantic spectrum flag. He is grinning slyly toward the viewer with one hand in his pocket and pointing at himself with the other. The background is a gradient of the same flag.

for #AromanticSpectrumAwarenessWeek, i'm drawing a few of my arospec headcanons! day 6: arospec gay reigen #MobPsycho100 #MP100

20.02.2026 21:19 ๐Ÿ‘ 9 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
A marker, ink, and paint pen drawing of the tarot card the Ace of Wands, done in Aromantic colours (dark green, light green, white, grey, and black), in the style of my Octopus Tarot.
The wand is fluorescent yellow, as all magic items are in my tarot, and is the stem of a green and white flower, with a leaf and bud growing off to the right, indicating the flowering of new creativity. The wand is held up from an ocean by a black octopus arm, and a ribbon off kelp is wound around the wand, the end of which is blowing to the right.
In the background is the shore, the beach, and the sand dunes beyond, all in grey tones, with the dawn just starting behind the dunes (just before the sun comes up), which shades from yellow to blue, with the last of the stars still visible at the top of the card.
The flower has 12 petals, six pale green/white, six darker green, and the cardinal points of the compass are marked by letters (clockwise from top) E, S, W, and N. E is at the top, as the sun is about to rise directly behind the flower. The compass directions speak of choices to be made.
Underneath the image is a band of of the Aromantic colours, then the card title Ace of Wands in grey letters on white, bordered by silver top and bottom. 
The entire card is bordered in metallic green.
The Ace of wands signifies the start of new things; friendships or creative projects, maybe a new phase of life. Good things are on the horizon. The wand is blooming in anticipation of new opportunities to explore.
References: Rider-Waite Tarot deck, โ€œThe Acesโ€, by Justin on Medium.com.

A marker, ink, and paint pen drawing of the tarot card the Ace of Wands, done in Aromantic colours (dark green, light green, white, grey, and black), in the style of my Octopus Tarot. The wand is fluorescent yellow, as all magic items are in my tarot, and is the stem of a green and white flower, with a leaf and bud growing off to the right, indicating the flowering of new creativity. The wand is held up from an ocean by a black octopus arm, and a ribbon off kelp is wound around the wand, the end of which is blowing to the right. In the background is the shore, the beach, and the sand dunes beyond, all in grey tones, with the dawn just starting behind the dunes (just before the sun comes up), which shades from yellow to blue, with the last of the stars still visible at the top of the card. The flower has 12 petals, six pale green/white, six darker green, and the cardinal points of the compass are marked by letters (clockwise from top) E, S, W, and N. E is at the top, as the sun is about to rise directly behind the flower. The compass directions speak of choices to be made. Underneath the image is a band of of the Aromantic colours, then the card title Ace of Wands in grey letters on white, bordered by silver top and bottom. The entire card is bordered in metallic green. The Ace of wands signifies the start of new things; friendships or creative projects, maybe a new phase of life. Good things are on the horizon. The wand is blooming in anticipation of new opportunities to explore. References: Rider-Waite Tarot deck, โ€œThe Acesโ€, by Justin on Medium.com.

#postaday2025 #artsky #blueskyart #bskyart #art #Aromantic #Aro #LGBTQIA+ #Pride โ€ฆI fixed the colour values on my Octopus Tarot Ace of Wands! I want to work on it some more, but I need to ponder. ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿค๐Ÿฉถ๐Ÿ–ค

The wand is glowing, b/c each magical item in the tarot glows. The background is sunrise.

20.02.2026 23:37 ๐Ÿ‘ 20 ๐Ÿ” 3 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Jiracu my green gryphon oc. His wings are seen spread out and brushing off closely to the viewer. She has her sharp beak opened and forest green crown feathers riled up almost like she is pouncing. He feathers are adorned by various jaguar rosette patterns. Behind him is a part of his wing with subtle aro flag colors fading out into the background.

Jiracu my green gryphon oc. His wings are seen spread out and brushing off closely to the viewer. She has her sharp beak opened and forest green crown feathers riled up almost like she is pouncing. He feathers are adorned by various jaguar rosette patterns. Behind him is a part of his wing with subtle aro flag colors fading out into the background.

๐ŸƒHappy Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week!! #ASAW ๐Ÿƒ
Can't do something more for arospec week this year but I offer my gryphon Jiracu who was designed based on the aro colors

1hr speedpaint
#aromantic #arospec #aroweek #griffon #illustration #fantasy #ocs #lgbtqia+ #vzlart

21.02.2026 13:57 ๐Ÿ‘ 42 ๐Ÿ” 17 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 4 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

donโ€™t forget to grab this bundle while you still can!

#Aro #AroWeek #Aromantic #QueerSFF

21.02.2026 15:31 ๐Ÿ‘ 6 ๐Ÿ” 5 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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โœถ It is the Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week โœถ

Feeling very fulfilled being aro this year.
Mainly thanks to my little zine project and managing to find a small community with other aroallo folks.
[ #aro #aromantic #aromanticawarenessweek #aroweek ]

21.02.2026 18:05 ๐Ÿ‘ 44 ๐Ÿ” 23 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Aro/Ace Books I recommend These are some (not all) of the aromantic and asexual spectrum books I love!

I almost forgot to share this for #aromanticawarenessweek but I have a list of over 50 aro/ace spectrum books that I have read/recommend over on bookshop! Iโ€™m always adding to it, so go forth and peruse to discover some new aro/ace spec faves!

bookshop.org/lists/aro-ac...

21.02.2026 18:20 ๐Ÿ‘ 31 ๐Ÿ” 24 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0