#Arowrimo

[entity9silvergen]

I wrote this for aromantic writing month a few years ago. Aro Remus and ace Roman fic!

[tobeaspected]

Hey All! 🖤💚♣️♠️♦️💚🖤

I was hoping to surprise you all with an update system for To Be Aspec-ted. Using polls, I was hoping to show the progress of each branch as well as offer up the choice of which branch should be focused on first to the followers of TBA. I mean, I'm still going to be working on need things for TBA, but thought this would be a fun experiment. Hope to see you guys voting!

[entityupdates]

New mcu fic for Aromantic Writing Month! I don’t think there’s an official arowrimo this year but doing it anyway. This one is titled I Want You In My Life (But Not Like That)

Summary: Clint and Nat take a look at their relationship over the years.

Rating: K+

Category: Gen, M/F

Fandom(s): Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel, Avengers

Characters: Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff, Slingshot

Relationships: Clint & Nat, Clint & Slingshot

Other Tags: Aromantic Characters, Queer Themes, Queerplatonic Relationships

Warnings: mention of blood, food, scarousing, the snap, grief associated with the snap, canon character death, perceived character death

Word Count: 3.6K

Chapter Count: 1 (oneshot)

Year(s) Written: 2023

Status: Complete

Where To Read: Ao3

[the-aesthetician-writes]

September Writing Review

(Also a short update.)

Hey all! I've been gone for a while, I know. I've been trying to keep active in the midst of finding work and life being well... life. So the short and quick version of this is, I'm back-ish!

I have decided to really buckle down and have a try at building up my writing habits. With a couple of months filled with some horrendous experiences I won't detail here, I have realized what I want to do more than anything is writing. I have been attempting the process for the passed couple of weeks and the results have been more than I had expected.

Last month's goal is more or less having a decent amount of work done on all WIPs. And while that can seem overwhelming. I think the way I had set this up this time could hold results. So prior to my recent experiment, I've been writing with the goal of finishing one thing with no deadline (probably not the best method now that I'm thinking about it.) So what I decided to do now is to have a deadline along with tentative goals by the end of the year(NaNoWriMo) and some taking place during the first half of the new year (AroWriMo).

Some of these goals range from solid word counts to more abstract concepts in writing but for transparency (and accountability, really) I'll share them below.

Poco-A-Poco (Webcomic)

Poco-A-Poco is a web comic I set out to make at the beginning of the pandemic. Hoping to create something while in lockdown. It has been abandoned for a couple of years but I have decided to work on it to help build my discipline.

The goal for the last two weeks was to create a total of around 30 "pages" for the web comic. Thinking pages for web comics are often subjective and since I have a passion for graphic design. I felt it would at least work as a warm up when working on it.

The goal after September would be to work on a "page" daily for Poco-A-Poco. Just to build a rhythm and if I manage the time, some day update the comic with what I have worked on.

By the end of 2023, the total should amount to around 122 "pages".

By April 2024, the total should amount to around 243 "pages".

@bybyebitheway

Bi The Way is my ocean punk baby. Also started in 2020 and has had the unfortunate ratio of one chapter released per year it's been alive. With my new motivation with these goals, I decided BTW needed a concrete goal to hit. This was not only to build discipline, but also to build stamina in my writing sprints. I will be trying the Pomodo Method when writing BTW chapters along with the modified Kitchen Timer Method.

The goal of these past few weeks was to write around 4 chapters. I really attempted to give my all these passed few weeks, but haven't managed to work on Bi The Way. However, knowing I had planned beyond these two weeks made me feel better about the initial failure.

This October, I plan on playing catch up on BTW and other WIPs I fell behind on. By the end of this month, I plan on having written 5 chapters along with the four chapters that carry over last month. I feel like the carry over factor will help in building that stamina in terms of writing. After all, the only reason I had set 30 pages in two weeks for Poco-A-Poco was to build in routine. I'll talk more about that later on, but for now my goal with BTW is to have written 4/5 chapters each month. Each chapter having a minimum word count of 1,500 words. BTW will have a hiatus in November for NaNoWriMo.

By the end of the year, I would like to have around 14 chapters.

By the end of April 2024, I would like to have around 30 chapters.

@tobeaspected

To Be Aspectec is another product of the pandemic and also my first dive into AroWriMo. Having failed to achieve what I originally wanted for AroWriMo multiple years in a row, I plan to finish at least one character interaction just in time for next year's AroWriMo.

The goal for the last two weeks was to have two "scenes" written for TBA. With the goal being more subjective and similar to my goal with Poco-A-Poco pages, I opted to have a definition set for what counted as a scene (for my overthinking sanity's sake). A scene would mean any amount of writing needed before the player makes a choice. (Oh I forgot to mention TBA is an interactive fiction piece, didn't I?) Besides the quantity, anything else was up to me.

By the end of the year, I would like to have 6 "scenes" written for TBA.

By the end of February 2024, I would like to finish one "volume" of TBA. A volume would be a total of two characters and all their interactions, including endings.

By the end of April 2024, I would like to have 10 "scenes" written.

@thehuntersacethetic

The Hunter's Ace-Thetic is another interactive fiction project that started during the pandemic. It has been through many different mediums as a way to experiment and learn about different media, but I will focus on ChoiceScript for now.

My goal during the past two weeks was to write out one "episode". Again, with the goal being to build stamina, I added THAT work load into the two weeks as well. More so, the focus these past two weeks was to organize the "episode" structure, with the real priority being on an outline for it.

By the end of the year, I would like to have 4 episodes of THAT.

By the end of April 2024, I would like to have 8 Episodes of THAT.

NaNoWriMo 2023 Project (OMS)

For the month of November, I plan to take on NaNoWriMo and work on one of my abandoned attempts. I hope to write to full 60,000 words by the end of Novemember. If anything, I hope I learn how to be a better writer. The name of the book will be: "Oh My, Starsigns!"

"Oh My Starsigns!" is planned to be a sci-fi/ crime drama(?) taking place in the future where the space police have technology that can take over a suspect's body. Along with the police themselves, suspects also posses different abilities. The story will begin when a prison ship crash lands on a distant planet. Really trying hard to not give anything away just yet.

By the end of 2023, I would like to have Oh My, Starsigns! finished.

By the end of April 2024, I have no further plans for OMS other than maybe self publishing on Amazon or somewhere else if I'm able to find a better alternative.

What I've Written So Far (End of September, 2023):

Poco-A-Poco: 20/30 Pages

Bi The Way: 0/4 Chapters, 0/6k Words

To Be Aspected: 0/2 Scenes

The Hunter's Ace-thetic: 0/1 Episodes

What I Plan to Write (October 2023):

Poco-A-Poco: 40/30 Pages

Bi The Way: 8/4 Chapters, 12k/6k Words

To Be Aspected: 4/2 Scenes

The Hunter's Ace-thetic: 2/1 Episodes

Reflection:

I think these past two months have been a great experiment in knowing what to do different for the next couple of weeks. Hope to update you a month from now with good results.

[eadrey-the-iptscray]

If fanfiction counts, I wrote something back in the day for AroWriMo: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1619677

And it's not explicitly stated but I accidentally wrote Raleigh & Mako (from Pacific Rim) as queerplatonic before I came out as aromantic. Mako especially is aroace coded in this story: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1171514

Anyone know any stories with aroace protags that are centred around a relationship? In the same way that romance genre stories are driven by the evolving relationship between two characters, but the characters are aroace and the relationship is platonic or queerplatonic. Would be interested to read something like that

[117-opossum-teeth]

The Aromantic Maiden

Sat at an open lattice window,

A maiden lets out a desperate cry

In hopes a savior will appear

From the starry night sky.

This is a forlorn last hope

On the night before her wedding day

Of a forced marriage she cannot cope,

She dreads her world turning to gray.

There’s movement in the inky sky,

It just barely catches her eye.

A figure in the darkness

Grows with every passing moment.

Soon the maiden realized its course,

Coming straight for her lattice window,

Flying fast and full force.

The monster was thrice the size of a horse.

The maiden stumbled from her seat,

Her heart thumped and breath caught in her throat.

The monster was snake-like and sleek,

It was no other than a dragon.

The beast landed on the building’s wall,

Sending a tremble through the room.

It stretched its neck through the window

And from its nostrils came a smoky plume.

The maiden cowered in the corner

Yet dared a glance at the foreigner,

And in its eyes she saw

No malice or disdain.

Instead there was compassion,

Understanding, and maybe even

An escape. The dragon

She suddenly believed in.

The beast had heard her prayer

And beckoned her out of her lair.

This was the savior she sought after,

Freedom was right in front of her.

She climbed onto the dragon’s back

And held on for dear life.

As the dragon expanded its wings,

She kissed goodbye her role as wife.

They sprang into the ebony night

And flew to a great height.

With the full moon to guide them,

The maiden was without any fright.

[brilliantsnafu]

Aromantic Writing Month/AroWriMo 2021

Click for better quality! Blackout poetry created using both week one prompts of romo/loveless and future. Materials: Sharpie, gel pen, and a page torn from a Charles Dickens novel. Caption below the cut. @arowrimo​

[Image ID: A page torn out of a book and used for blackout poetry. The words of the poem are surrounded in short, green lines resembling fringe trim. Looping, gray lines connect the words. The poem reads:

I am not unhappy Not at all I am rapture I, my love

You see a disappointment A wreck You talked dreadful nonsense with that doubt But I am not to blame

I should be enough for me!

The poem ends with a green heart drawn beside the last line.

End ID]

[arowrimo]

Day 5's prompt is:

Discord

1 : lack of agreement between people, ideas, etc.

2 : an unpleasant combination of musical notes

3 : a web app that provides voice and text chat during PC gaming

And remember! Prompts are suggestions, not requirements. Whatever you choose to write will be worth your time and ours!

[sophieakatz]

Thursday Thoughts: AroWriMo Week 4: Non-Romantic Relationships & Self-Reliance

The way we talk about relationships and independence makes it clear how we view these concepts as mutually exclusive. I’m thinking about how a romantic partner is supposed to “complete” us, about how many stories focus on the Happily Ever After of finding the one person in the world who could truly understand you, and be all that you need, and I’m also thinking about the “strong independent woman who don’t need no man.” I’m thinking of Barry Manilow singing about how he “can’t smile without you,” along with a thousand other singers who can’t live without their lover, contrasted with Hailee Steinfeld singing, “Gonna love myself, no, I don’t need anybody else.”

I find the idea of someone who can’t live without me viscerally unappealing. I hate the idea that a person could be incomplete without someone else. I’m not incomplete! I could live without anyone.

At the same time, I don’t like the idea of being strong and loving myself meaning that I don’t “need” other people. Of course I need other people. I could live without anyone, but I don’t want to.

Total autonomy does not exist. We just can’t go through life without affecting other people, even if we wanted to. I believe we have a responsibility to do what we can to have a positive effect on other people. At the same time, I dislike the idea of total codependence. We are all individuals, with individual bodies, individual emotions, and individual minds. I am a complete picture all on my own, and I am also a puzzle piece that can and should fit with other pieces.

This is not a contradiction. Not for me, at least. I’m not very good at seeing things as black and white anymore. There are just too many beautiful shades of gray.

When we emphasize romantic relationships as the most important thing in the world, to the point of believing that we are not complete without a romantic partner, we do much more harm than good. Recognizing the importance of non-romantic relationships – as just as important, or even more important, than a romantic relationship – is a revolutionary act.

My last romantic relationship ended suddenly and unexpectedly. We’d been together for almost two years, the longest of any romantic relationship I’ve ever had, and from one day to the next, we went from laughing and “I love you” texts to him calmly stating that our lives were moving in different directions and asking me to give back the key to his place.

What’s interesting is that I felt better about the end of this relationship than any previous breakup. I have enough perspective now to see this man, this relationship, as just one part of my life. It was a good and important part of my life, for a while, but it was just one part. There is so much more to my life, so much more to me, than him. I have so many more people and places and actions and memories that matter to me. And the moment he made it clear that he didn’t want me to be a part of his life anymore, I knew that I shouldn’t be.

I want to have people in my life who could live without me but would rather live with me. I want to put effort towards other people and for other people to put effort towards me. I don’t want a life partner who sees me as an end goal, or as an item to check off their list on the way to becoming their best self. I want someone to choose me, day after day, and for me to choose them, day after day, as we build a future together. I don’t care if it’s romantic or not. We will be two complete people, self-reliant but able to rely on each other, important to each other but also having other important relationships in our lives, taking care of each other and building a future together, day by day.

[clad-in-sunshine]

A song I wrote both for AroWriMo and my folk club’s ‘Love, Romance and Friendship’ theme (ignoring the ‘romance’ part).

For the prompt of ‘Self-reliance’ and ‘Non-romantic Relationships’ as they both relate to my thoughts on love. (I also made up a word because it needed to fit the tune)

Lyrics under the cut.

In the light of the day, the cool light of morning There's a chill in the air, and birds in the sky And though the fog may roll in and wrap up my senses I know I’ll be home when the evening arrives

The sight of a good friend, a sweet summer breeze Contagious enthusement, words branching with ease Love is in the small things, the embers that glow What’s left of the campfire when our friends have to go Love is in the ashes, that keep out the chill And those who, when gone, remain with us still

I offer my hand to those who would take it Come together in sadness, or wonder or joy And though people don't last, this life's what you make it And happiness shared, well it grows twice as high

The sight of a good friend, a sweet summer breeze Contagious enthusement, words branching with ease Love is in the small things, the embers that glow What’s left of the campfire when our friends have to go Love is in the ashes, that keep out the chill And those who, when gone, remain with us still

In a building that's warm, we all come together We raise up our voices and fill it with song And though the night has to end, we take it for ourselves We light up this moment, for we know it's not long

The sight of a good friend, a sweet summer breeze Contagious enthusement, words branching with ease Love is in the small things, the embers that glow What’s left of the campfire when our friends have to go Love is in the ashes, that keep out the chill And those who, when gone, remain with us still

Your beauty it shines, through the cracks in your laughter The tangle of words that spill into the air And I hope that you find whatever you're after For to witness you happy, no joy can compare

The sight of a good friend, a sweet summer breeze Contagious enthusement, words branching with ease Love is in the small things, the embers that glow What’s left of the campfire when our friends have to go Love is in the ashes, that keep out the chill And those who, when gone, remain with us still

Alone in my work, I'm alone but not lonely What once were just thoughts, I bring them to life I add to the world , it's an act of creation And love for the labor allows me to thrive

The sight of a good friend, a sweet summer breeze Contagious enthusement, words branching with ease Love is in the small things, the embers that glow What’s left of the campfire when our friends have to go Love is in the ashes, that keep out the chill And those who, when gone, remain with us still

[ganq1ng]

icarus’ stone

i feel like a stone — cold, stable, unshaken i try to open myself but it just cuts my own flesh i do not need another anchor as i am my own ocean is it so wrong to not let anyone dock at my pier?

i have been told i am a stone — harsh, heartless, unkind i try to counter arguement but i don't have the words i am not freezing as they say indeed, my soul is catching fire as i speak but for something other than someone else

i am a love of my own — i am everything i need freedom is something to live for why do i have to give you another reason? i am alone, not lonely i'm a poet and i have my verses to keep me company

i am a free spirit — born to be what icarus couldn't i am the wings bringing him down and i am the sun burning them i crave freedom in every aspect, including the one where in a world of dull lives distressed by their broken hearts i am able to choose myself and be the one that teache me how to fly

[entity9silvergen]

It’s ASAW so I’m going to shamelessly self-promote the fics I wrote for Aromantic Writing Month the last year we had prompts. Quick overview of the oneshots included here:

Thought That Cupid Shot Me With Love But It Was Only An Aro (Naruto) is a soulmate au with an aromantic Sai and an alloromantic Ino

Mosaic (Disenchantment) looks into Bean’s thoughts as she ponders the way she loves.

We Dance To Fast Music (ATLA) shows the strength of the queerplatonic bonds between Sokka, Zuko, Suki, Mai, and Ty Lee.

In Oblique (Sanders Sides), an aromantic Remus and an asexual Roman learn they are not broken or incomplete.

He Is Mild And He Is Meek (ATLA) shows an aro Suki trying to fulfill her life goals: play in a women’s soccer league, have a fuckton of succulents, and get a cat

The ones listed are just the ones from 2020! There are some new ones for 2023.

[tobeaspected]

IT FEBRUARY! ♠️💚♣️♦️♠️

Hey, all! New Year, New Opportunity for TBA.

I know I dropped the ball on this one, but I'd figured I should retry at least this year. I think I've grew in terms of my writing and can now focus enough on finishing To Be Aspec-ted. Also, with the use of the polls, I think I can figure out a way to make updates to TBA a bit more interactive. We'll see how it goes, but I'm very excited to work on this again.

A little update on what I have done in terms of work and writing for TBA tomorrow and the real fun with polls can begin :)

Thank you all for your support and still being around. Means a lot.

-TA

[ demo ] ♠️ [ neocities cite ]

[aroarolibrary]

My AroWriMo turned into a children’s book/art project I guess so here is a book cover.

I have no idea what I’m actually going to call these book over all but it contains three short stories: Ms. Sheep finds a home, Ms. Sheep plants her garden, and Ms. Sheep gets a hair cut.

The whole thing is mostly just very subtly aromantic (specifically aplaro) so a lot of the aro-rep has to come from the art. Hence the cover....

[the-aesthetician-writes]

Current WIPs & Where To Read Them:

@bybyebitheway

Themes/Tropes:

ocean punk, LGBTQ main characters, POC main characters, BIPOC main characters, bisexual leads, women leads, Lovecraftian inspiration (minus the vile vile racism), monstrous betrayals, supportive family, found family, redeeming the monster, soft magic system, gore, violence, dark academia, rogues gallery, escape the lair, monster of the week.

Synopsis:

BI THE WAY is a text based adventure taking place in the distant future where humankind has colonized the moon and brought metropolis to its ocean floors. We follow our protagonists, the family crew of Bison's & Daughters, as they discover the abandoned underwater sea colony of CAPRICORNUS-25.10. Will they discover the secret of the colony before it manages to find them first? Read the tale to find out.

[ AO3 ] || [ NEOCITIES ]

@tobeaspected

[TO BE ASPEC-TED] [WIP INTERACTIVE FICTION] [REVAMPING DEMO] [FRIENDSHIP SIM] [LUNAR PUNK]

To Be ASPECted is a text-based adventure taking place in the distant future where humankind has colonized the moon and brought metropolis to its oceans floors.

We follow our protagonist, YOU - THE READER, as you stay in the lunar city of LA LALANDE. Stay in the QUEEN ANNE'S ACE tavern, own and operated by a squad of lovely Aros and Aces. Come talk to the many of the tavern's guests and patrons. You'll never know when you'll meet a new friend this side of the moon!

Inspired by Tumblr’s annual arowrimo, To Be ASPEC-Ted sought to be a friendship simulator similar to Homestuck’s FriendSim and PesterQuest with an obvious focus on Aro and Ace characters, lunar punk iconography, and more.

[ outdated demo ] || [ NEOCITIES ]

@thehuntersacethetic

[THE HUNTER"S ACE-THETIC] [WIP INTERACTIVE FICTION] [DEMO TBA] [MYSTERY] [ESCAPE] [CASSETTE FUTURISM]

A trio of strangers wake up in an abandoned underground bunker without any recollection of how they arrived there. While finding a way to escape, they come to find that maybe the three of them aren't the only ones inhabiting it. Could they be the only three humans to reside there?

Follow Lawrence, Vincent, and Abel in their struggle to break out of the mysterious bunker, survive against a supernatural bunkmate, and defy societal expectations!

[ no demo yet ]

@pocowebcomic

Poco A Poco is a webcomic based on Ryan Murphy's "Glee" & "The Glee Project" in the style of Andrew Hussie's "Homestuck". It follows the students of Valley Adjacent High as they navigate the high stakes of high school popularity, student body social politics, and inappropriate teen sarcasm.

Read the first few pages with the link below:

[ NEOCITIES ]

[violetstarr24]

Aro Visions and Hopes: AroWriMo Week 3

I meant to do AroWriMo these past few weeks, I just kinda... forgot to. But now is better late than never, right? I guess I’ll start with talking about hope. Hope is one of those things that’s abstract and concrete, complicated and simple, and most importantly, easier to write about than mirrors. I might find a way to weave it in somehow, we’ll just have to see. I hope that in the future, my heart won’t sink the moment somebody mentions a boyfriend or a girlfriend. I hope I won’t have to scroll pass flowery romantic poems that mean nothing to me and everything to everyone else. I hope that I won’t have to lie awake at night, wondering what happens to me when the people I care about find their “other half.” I hope I won’t have to worry about others dating and getting engaged and getting married and starting a family together, leaving me behind. I hope I’ll look in the mirror and see a bright and happy me, surrounded by people who love and cherish me in the same way they do their romantic partners. I hope I won’t live the opposite— a dreary and depressed life, lived alone, walked alone, scrolled through the Instagram feeds of friends with people who mean more to them then I could ever be alone. For some reason, the latter is more tangible, more concrete than the former will ever be. Being aro is kinda like looking through a glass wall. On the other side, you can see people talking and laughing and walking about like people do. Sometimes you forget about the wall entirely. Sometimes you can trick yourself into pretending it doesn’t exist. Sometimes it’s almost like there’s no wall at all. Sometimes you can talk and laugh and walk with the people on the other side like you’re one of them. Sometimes you act like one of them, become like of them, but then...

It doesn’t take much for the wall to appear. All it needs is one offhand comment, one tiny snippet of a conversation that most would ignore to send you flying back, back behind the glass wall, forever drawing a line between you and the whole world. You can slam your fists against it all you want, screaming and crying and begging, but the wall still stands, unchanging.

You look into the mirror. You’re sad, angry, and most devastatingly, alone.  I wish I could say those fears don’t have any power over me, but that would be a lie. I don’t like to lie. Saying “but I still love!!111!1!” would be smooshing myself against the glass barrier pretending it doesn’t exist. Saying “love doesn’t have to be romantic!11!1!!!” would be throwing myself over the top. Both are true, but both only please the figures of judgement beyond the glass wall. They do nothing to dismantle it.  Speaking of figures of judgement, there are few kind ones beyond the glass wall. Few understand more than the basics. A few recognize us, trapped beyond the glass wall, others offer shallow gifts. I’ve never met one who understands the wall itself in the same way we do. Worse, there are the unkind ones, the cruel ones. The ones who tell us we haven’t found the right person, that the wall will disappear one day, that the wall is a construction of our minds and not them. They say we’re faking it, that we’ve snuck behind their defenses only to stab them in the back. They mock us, taunt us, hate us and there’s nothing we can do. Nothing but stare into the mirror at our empty eyes and empty faces, and sigh. It’s easy to feel alone. It’s easy to be isolated, especially when there are so few of us, but they’re out there. There are other people who look through the same glass wall every day. I should know, I’ve met them. I don’t know their real names or their real faces, but I can talk to them. I can laugh at the jokes they send. Maybe one day, I can sit and talk and laugh and walk with them the way I do with others beyond the wall. Maybe, one day, I’ll look at myself in the mirror and it’ll resemble the first vision. But for now, I can only hope.