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ysabetwordsmithPreviously I posted a discussion about asexuality in fiction.
I've been writing asexual and aromantic characters all along. I have enjoyed seeing the rise of the asexual community over the last several years. That has encouraged me to write more about ace/aro characters. I can't fix society, but I can certainly produce a decent assortment of literature to fill a defined gap that people are bemoaning. So here's a little tour of some of my asexual and aromantic material ...
The Arc of Joan -- A steampunk retelling of Joan of Arc, the protagonist is asexual and genderqueer. Begins with "Listening to God."
An Army of One: The Autistic Secession in Space -- Science fiction with a large cast of characters, many of them some flavor of asexual, aromantic, and/or celibate. Deep space military tends to attract people who either like or don't mind staying outside the usual couple formation of society. Begins with "A Solitary Secession." There are also artificial intelligences known as AYES, who are neither sexual nor gendered, some of whom bond with a pilot and others not. They're introduced in "Jumpship."
"A Doe in Velvet" -- Single poem in a fantasy setting, but still memorable for its portrayal of Lian, who is transgender and solitary (so probably aromantic asexual).
Fledgling Grace -- Spiritual fantasy in which humans suddenly begin to sprout feathery wings and tails like angels. A few poems feature actual angels or demons, some of whom are not sexual and/or romantic beings. Some of the humans aren't focused on sex/romance either. Begins with "Wild Hearts Can't Be Spoken." "Infernal Passion" features an incubus meeting an asexual man whose passion is architecture. "Moulting" establishes a platonic relationship between a risen devil and a priest. "The Honeytrap" introduces a succubus and a romantic asexual woman whose passion is feminism.
Hart's Farm -- A rural community that's similar to a line marriage, tolerant of all sexual orientations and dynamics. Begins with "Welcome to Hart's Farm." Solvig is asexual and aromantic, introduced in "After Dark." Rowen is biromantic asexual genderqueer, introduced in "Rosehips and Honey."
Kung Fu Robots -- Asian fantasy about a troop of robots who have abandoned their military commission to pursue other interests, particularly Buddhism and martial arts. Many of them are neuter but some have chosen masculine or feminine gender. So far the featured characters seem to be aromantic and asexual, inclined to bond with friendly humans in nonsexual ways. Begins with "Dragon Tiger Wind Cloud."
Monster House -- Suburban fantasy about a large family including human and nonhuman members. Some of the nonhuman types seem to have a romantic/sexual family background, while others may not. The bogeyman and the lurking shadow both seem to be aromantic asexuals. Begins with "Eviction, Noticed."
The Odd Trio -- Fantasy about a polyfamily consisting of Druga the fighter, a dwarven woman; Elan the bard, an elven man; and Hope the cleric, a human man. Druga and Elan, both preferring love outside their own kind, get involved with each other. Hope is asexual and what I'd call aromantic tractive, as he's deeply attached to both of the others but not given to courtship behaviors. Begins with "Hope of the Future."
The Origami Mage -- Asian fantasy about two rival mages. Although sexual orientation is never explicitly addressed, neither of the heras display interest in sex or romance, and their rivalry seems to be the primary relationship in both of their lives. They are likely to be some flavor of asexual and/or aromantic, and if nothing else, the plotline is free of sex/romance. Begins with "Unfolding Wings."
Path of the Paladins -- Fantasy with a notably gritty flavor, about the followers of a deposed goddess and their efforts to make the world a better place. Both of the heras are aromantic asexual; their strongest relationships are with each other and with the goddess Gailah. Many, though not all, paladins are asexual and/or aromantic in this setting. Begins with "Shine On" and the explicit discussion of asexuality appears in "Bouquets of Bygone Days."
Poems About Phobic Starships -- Dark science fiction about two races, one technobiological and one biological, who have some serious misconceptions about each other and how the universe works. Begins with "The Transformations of Terror." Their sex/gender orientations are largely unexplored, but the early poems feature traumatic sexual imagery; the last one glides into something more akin to consensual kink and establishes a relationship in "Boundaries and Determinations." A good tour of relationships that defy human labels.
Polychrome Heroics -- Superhero genre with a diversity of characters and vice versa. Damask first appears in "Damask Speaks," a plural person whose headmates include Keane (black man, heterosexual), Mira (white woman, lesbian), Clarity (mixed race neuter, sapiosexual), Ham (Mediterranean man, homosexual), Clement (white man, homoromantic asexual), and Maze (mixed race woman, hetero demisexual). Alicia Martins / Dr. Infanta is permanently locked at prepubescent development, so effectively aromantic asexual, introduced in "Lifeyears."
Schrodinger's Heroes -- Science fiction about quantum mechanics and saving the world(s). This tightly knit teamfamily is sexually and ethnically diverse. Alex's orientation is canonically vague, but often suggested as asexual. Ash is canonically asexual; her romantic orientation is unspecified but often implied as aromantic. Bailey's is unspecified; bisexual is plausible. Kay's is unspecified but strongly hinted as kinky. Morgan is vanilla and monosexual (but not specified as homo or hetero). Pat is canonically pansexual and poly. Quinn is genderqueer but dislikes all labels, especially binaries; he is sexually adventurous but seems disinclined to settle with a permanent partner. Tim the Tentacle Monster is canonically unclear. Chris is canonically heterosexual. Dusty is canonically lesbian. Jayden is canonically heterosexual. Alex's cat Schrodinger is canonically a neutered male, thus effectively asexual. I ship Good!Schrodinger/Evil!Schrodinger as a homoromantic couple. This project is large and complicated: "Start Here."
Torn World -- Science fantasy about a world ravaged by temporal disruptions, past and present. Numerous orientations are represented. Omorth is asexual, in a committed relationship with two dance partners. Dorlai is romantic asexual (although occasionally she attempts procreative sex for dutiful reasons), introduced in "A Light in the Darkness." Yoilosh was a gender revolutionary, probably aromantic sexual. "Forbidden Love" is especially noteworthy as a cross-species asexual romance. The Glifai people have unusual characteristics including a significant number of intersex or neuter individuals; that leads to more asexual and/or aromantic folks. Glifai Romance is known for no-gender protagonists and/or platonic love. This is another huge complicated project; "Start Here."
Want to see more of these and/or other asexual and/or aromantic characters? Watch for my monthly Poetry Fishbowl and the![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
crowdfunding creative jam. You can ask for what you want in any open prompt call.
I've been writing asexual and aromantic characters all along. I have enjoyed seeing the rise of the asexual community over the last several years. That has encouraged me to write more about ace/aro characters. I can't fix society, but I can certainly produce a decent assortment of literature to fill a defined gap that people are bemoaning. So here's a little tour of some of my asexual and aromantic material ...
The Arc of Joan -- A steampunk retelling of Joan of Arc, the protagonist is asexual and genderqueer. Begins with "Listening to God."
An Army of One: The Autistic Secession in Space -- Science fiction with a large cast of characters, many of them some flavor of asexual, aromantic, and/or celibate. Deep space military tends to attract people who either like or don't mind staying outside the usual couple formation of society. Begins with "A Solitary Secession." There are also artificial intelligences known as AYES, who are neither sexual nor gendered, some of whom bond with a pilot and others not. They're introduced in "Jumpship."
"A Doe in Velvet" -- Single poem in a fantasy setting, but still memorable for its portrayal of Lian, who is transgender and solitary (so probably aromantic asexual).
Fledgling Grace -- Spiritual fantasy in which humans suddenly begin to sprout feathery wings and tails like angels. A few poems feature actual angels or demons, some of whom are not sexual and/or romantic beings. Some of the humans aren't focused on sex/romance either. Begins with "Wild Hearts Can't Be Spoken." "Infernal Passion" features an incubus meeting an asexual man whose passion is architecture. "Moulting" establishes a platonic relationship between a risen devil and a priest. "The Honeytrap" introduces a succubus and a romantic asexual woman whose passion is feminism.
Hart's Farm -- A rural community that's similar to a line marriage, tolerant of all sexual orientations and dynamics. Begins with "Welcome to Hart's Farm." Solvig is asexual and aromantic, introduced in "After Dark." Rowen is biromantic asexual genderqueer, introduced in "Rosehips and Honey."
Kung Fu Robots -- Asian fantasy about a troop of robots who have abandoned their military commission to pursue other interests, particularly Buddhism and martial arts. Many of them are neuter but some have chosen masculine or feminine gender. So far the featured characters seem to be aromantic and asexual, inclined to bond with friendly humans in nonsexual ways. Begins with "Dragon Tiger Wind Cloud."
Monster House -- Suburban fantasy about a large family including human and nonhuman members. Some of the nonhuman types seem to have a romantic/sexual family background, while others may not. The bogeyman and the lurking shadow both seem to be aromantic asexuals. Begins with "Eviction, Noticed."
The Odd Trio -- Fantasy about a polyfamily consisting of Druga the fighter, a dwarven woman; Elan the bard, an elven man; and Hope the cleric, a human man. Druga and Elan, both preferring love outside their own kind, get involved with each other. Hope is asexual and what I'd call aromantic tractive, as he's deeply attached to both of the others but not given to courtship behaviors. Begins with "Hope of the Future."
The Origami Mage -- Asian fantasy about two rival mages. Although sexual orientation is never explicitly addressed, neither of the heras display interest in sex or romance, and their rivalry seems to be the primary relationship in both of their lives. They are likely to be some flavor of asexual and/or aromantic, and if nothing else, the plotline is free of sex/romance. Begins with "Unfolding Wings."
Path of the Paladins -- Fantasy with a notably gritty flavor, about the followers of a deposed goddess and their efforts to make the world a better place. Both of the heras are aromantic asexual; their strongest relationships are with each other and with the goddess Gailah. Many, though not all, paladins are asexual and/or aromantic in this setting. Begins with "Shine On" and the explicit discussion of asexuality appears in "Bouquets of Bygone Days."
Poems About Phobic Starships -- Dark science fiction about two races, one technobiological and one biological, who have some serious misconceptions about each other and how the universe works. Begins with "The Transformations of Terror." Their sex/gender orientations are largely unexplored, but the early poems feature traumatic sexual imagery; the last one glides into something more akin to consensual kink and establishes a relationship in "Boundaries and Determinations." A good tour of relationships that defy human labels.
Polychrome Heroics -- Superhero genre with a diversity of characters and vice versa. Damask first appears in "Damask Speaks," a plural person whose headmates include Keane (black man, heterosexual), Mira (white woman, lesbian), Clarity (mixed race neuter, sapiosexual), Ham (Mediterranean man, homosexual), Clement (white man, homoromantic asexual), and Maze (mixed race woman, hetero demisexual). Alicia Martins / Dr. Infanta is permanently locked at prepubescent development, so effectively aromantic asexual, introduced in "Lifeyears."
Schrodinger's Heroes -- Science fiction about quantum mechanics and saving the world(s). This tightly knit teamfamily is sexually and ethnically diverse. Alex's orientation is canonically vague, but often suggested as asexual. Ash is canonically asexual; her romantic orientation is unspecified but often implied as aromantic. Bailey's is unspecified; bisexual is plausible. Kay's is unspecified but strongly hinted as kinky. Morgan is vanilla and monosexual (but not specified as homo or hetero). Pat is canonically pansexual and poly. Quinn is genderqueer but dislikes all labels, especially binaries; he is sexually adventurous but seems disinclined to settle with a permanent partner. Tim the Tentacle Monster is canonically unclear. Chris is canonically heterosexual. Dusty is canonically lesbian. Jayden is canonically heterosexual. Alex's cat Schrodinger is canonically a neutered male, thus effectively asexual. I ship Good!Schrodinger/Evil!Schrodinger as a homoromantic couple. This project is large and complicated: "Start Here."
Torn World -- Science fantasy about a world ravaged by temporal disruptions, past and present. Numerous orientations are represented. Omorth is asexual, in a committed relationship with two dance partners. Dorlai is romantic asexual (although occasionally she attempts procreative sex for dutiful reasons), introduced in "A Light in the Darkness." Yoilosh was a gender revolutionary, probably aromantic sexual. "Forbidden Love" is especially noteworthy as a cross-species asexual romance. The Glifai people have unusual characteristics including a significant number of intersex or neuter individuals; that leads to more asexual and/or aromantic folks. Glifai Romance is known for no-gender protagonists and/or platonic love. This is another huge complicated project; "Start Here."
Want to see more of these and/or other asexual and/or aromantic characters? Watch for my monthly Poetry Fishbowl and the
crowdfunding creative jam. You can ask for what you want in any open prompt call.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-09-09 07:20 pm (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2013-09-09 07:54 pm (UTC)