#asawfc

It’s almost that time of year again! Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week is February 16th-22nd 2020!

I’ve been posting the Aro (and Ace for that matter) Awareness Week Fandom Challenges the past couple of years because it is a tradition that I don’t want to see die out. You are welcome to post your own prompt lists too if you have other ideas!

You can respond with any type of fanworks; fanfic, fanart, meta, edits, playlists, etc. You can make content for any characters who are canonically, or you headcanon as anywhere on the aromantic spectrum. Use the tags #AroAWFC, or #ASAWFC, and the more general tag for the overall event, #ASAW

Prompts

Sun 2/16: Post about canon AroSpec characters

Mon 2/17: Recommend a fic featuring an Aro character (headcanoned or otherwise)

Tues 2/18: Post about Aromantic Headcanons

Wed 2/19: Post about Grey-Aromantic Headcanons

Thurs 2/20: Post about Demiromantic Headcanons

Fri 2/21: Post about AroSpec OCs

It's funny, or more like, really sad, that I hardly know any. The only one to really come to my mind so far is Jerome Jackson Trent from the webcomic Otherworldly.

Aromantic General Olivier Mira Armstrong icons

Let me tell you all about demiromantic Wedge Antilles!! This started out as “the only ‘major’ aspec identity I haven’t headcanoned someone with is demiromantic” and casting about for a target and finding Wedge, but it’s gained so much traction in my mind! In Legends canon, we only ever see Wedge involved in three serious relationships - Mala, Qwi, and Iella - and showing interest in a few others that don’t go very far. I like the idea that this is because Wedge has to make a solid emotional connection with someone before he starts feeling romantically attracted to them, and with the way he lives and how long that takes for him, this is hard to do. For a very long time, Mala was the only relationship he’d ever had, and he was fairly young. The Star Wars 2013 comic mentions him having feelings for a lady pilot who died at Yavin, and I can see this being devastating for him because he managed to develop those feelings only to lose her before he could even tell her. Then there’s Qwi. By the time he meets her, Wedge is aware it takes him a long time to fall for someone, even if he doesn’t quite understand why or have the word. But he likes her as a person, and he hopes those feelings will come with time. But they never do. He can’t force them. I’m very fond of the idea of their amicable breakup involving her gently calling him on this and asking about his experiences, asking if he’s ever heard of demiromanticism, and this being how he finds the explanation for how he’s always felt. And then of course, there’s Iella - his demiromanticism perfectly explaining why it took so very long for his feelings for her to come to fruition and the relationship to get off the ground.

You also get this passage from The Krytos Trap with some very validating factoids: ~Since the death of his parents when he was young, Wedge has given “little thought” to romance and relationships ~He’s found companionship with various women but never an actual partner ~He can’t explain why not

Rating: Gen

Fandom(s): His Dark Materials (Books and TV)  

Warning for spoilers for TV fans and/or those who haven’t read The Amber Spyglass

Summary:  Sometimes, it's good to look at things from another perspective. One might just learn something new about themselves, if they do - even people as in tune with themselves as Lee. Basically, a canon-divergence story after the events of His Dark Materials where Lee survives, adopts Lyra, and finds out he’s aromantic.

The main series (Tales of Tomorrow) focuses on Lee surviving the events of the trilogy (as in At the Edge of the Abyss) and short scenes into his life as follows where he adopts Lyra (Just North of Oxford). Most chapters in Just North of Oxford are simply one-shots, though some follow small narratives (such as Chapter 6, which is the premise of this particular story). 

Jughead Jones

Orientation: Aromantic Asexual

Where: In the Archie comics

(credit: Cover Art JUGHEAD #9)

“I don’t go on dates. [...] I just don’t like people that way, you know?”

―         JUGHEAD #10

“I don’t get crushes. I just found her interesting, if anything.” 

―         JUGHEAD #9

Sources [1], comics: [2], [3].

Raphael Santiago

Orientation: Aromantic Asexual

Where: In the book series, The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

(credit: Cassandra Jean flower cards)

“Why do you Shadowhunters always want to talk about feelings? Why can nobody ever be a professional? For your information, I do not have any interest in romance of any kind and never will. Now can you drop this revolting subject?”

―      Cassandra Clare, Son of the Dawn 

  “I’m not gay,” said Raphael. “I’m not straight. I’m not interested.” “Your sexuality is ‘not interested’?” Alec asked curiously. Raphael said, “That’s right.”

―     Cassandra Clare, The Red Scrolls of Magic    

Sources [1] “Raphael was bisexual, like Magnus? Raphael was Asexual.” [2] “I should have also said aromantic.” There are references in Born to Endless Night, Son of the Dawn, and The Red Scrolls of Magic.

further reading: books with canon aromantic characters, database for aro characters