#aromantic protagonist

[littledemonlorne]

When We Thought I Loved You

Ok, weird title. But I want to write this about an aromantic person who's reuniting with someone they had dated as a teenager. They both had a messy break up and both of them had gone different ways after. Like terrible places for a long while and neither did great as they grew up.

They're both trying hard to fix themselves and come to terms with what had happened to them at that time.

The aromantic person is the one who got sort of better but not really. They're trying to be a decent human being. And they go back to reconcile with someone they harmed. Or at least felt like they used in the past. Thinking the feelings for them was more than what they really were.

Neat or nah?

[mikodrawnnarratives]

CUPIOROMANTIC LORELAI MY BELOVEDDD

she is in my heart

[aroandawkward]

I can't stop thinking about Isaac Henderson in Heartstopper, and the inherent isolation of being an aroace person in a romance story. Because, at the end of the day, that's what Heartstopper is - it's about the romance between Nick and Charlie. Even when the narrative has expanded outwards to focus on other characters, their plotlines are primarily about romance: Elle and Tao, Darcy and Tara… It's true that Isaac has a loving friend group and the show doesn't devalue platonic love in the way that many romance stories do. But nevertheless, as an aroace person, Isaac is at odds with the genre of the story in which he lives. The tropes that shows like this are built around don't work for him.

Something that really hammers this home is how the scene when Isaac and James kiss mirrors Charlie and Nick's first kiss. In both scenes, two boys are sitting on the floor away from the main action of a party, one admits to having a crush, the other nervously wants to know whether it's them, and then they kiss. In his version of that scene with James, Isaac is experiencing a moment that - for another character - could be a beautiful moment in a romantic storyline.

For viewers who weren't aware of Alice Oseman's promise of an aroace storyline for Isaac, his interactions with James in the early episodes of Season 2 could easily have been interpreted as the beginning of a romantic love story. The rest of the main Heartstopper group have certainly been viewing his friendship with James through that lens, as shown by the way they tease him about it. But those plot beats of a romantic story don't work for Isaac. Trying to fit into the romance genre pushes Isaac in a direction that feels wrong for him. He is the one person in his primary friend group who can't make himself at home in a romance story.

I don't mean this as a criticism of the show. There is a lot of value to love stories like Heartstopper and there is a lot of value to having aspec representation in a show like Heartstopper. But I think this is the reason why Isaac's plotline felt particularly heartwrenching for me. Sometimes being aroace does feel like being out of step with the genre of story everyone else around you is living. Sometimes it feels like trying to find a place for yourself in a narrative that wasn't built for you. Sometimes it feels like trying to prove to yourself (and the world) that you can still have moments that feel like swirling leaves.

[charlieswebb]

plz i need more positive aroallo representation im losing it

[arthurtaylorlester]

happy birthday to arthur lester and arthur lester ALONE

[ladykyriaa]

Without context this actually looks like the cover to a shoujo love triangle manga

[civilgravescomic]

Another comic page concept - this one for when Jamie has an Aroace Moment while in the underworld.

He has a lot of inner conflict about maintaining his friendships and finding the self worth to believe he deserves it.

I've almost reached this scene in the editing process. so I gave him some story-acurite scars/injuries.

[sunbloomdew]

i have a theory that every shonen manga/anime protagonist is aroace unless proven otherwise

[scatterbrain-makoto]

persona fans how are we feeling about aromantic protags

(tatsuya/jun is still a thing i ship that. also do not tag as asexual k thank you :3)

[aspec-manga-snom]

Aspec Manga Rec: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

This post will contain mild spoilers for the plot and character dynamics of the Manga. Sorry about the long post, but its a lot.

Contains a romantic subplot not involving the main character. Some evidence for an Aspec Protagonist. Reference to Sexual themes but no explicit imagery or sexualization of characters.

Remember, panels are right to left.

Written by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukasa Abe, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End follows the journey of Frieren, the elf mage of the hero's party after their victory over the demon king. She travels to speak to the now dead hero Himmel in Aureole, where all souls rest. Currently being released as an anime by Studio Madhouse, now seemed like an apt time to talk about it.

The manga explores themes of loss, grief, found family, coming to terms with your emotions and the importance of non-romantic relationships. Especially with our protagonist, Frieren, bound to live a life of near immortality from a human perspective.

Immortality and Relationships:

As we follow Frieren on her journey north we are told directly that she herself doesn't understand the nature of relationships. Her perception of the world is stuck in how she will long outlast the people that she cares for. Below this appearance is someone who truly care for others.

She learns to cherish the time she spends with others and we can see that with how she treats Fern, her apprentice. The adopted daughter of one of her former companions, who she begins her journey solely with.

We are shown in a flashback to the end of her previous journey that she would never consider an apprentice because their life would never amount to much of her own existence:

Frieren often conflicts with the ideas of relationships and it is the main conflict of her returning journey north. Fern very quickly becomes incredibly important to her, taking care of her needs and very swiftly looking after her apprentice's condition instead of continuing her own journey northward. Frieren defies her own beliefs and worldview because she has learned that the people that she does care about will eventually disappear; as it is the nature of her lifespan for them to be nothing but fleeting moments. She chooses to spend time with her companions because she wants to carry their story and memory for the rest of her life, something that she never felt with the hero's party.

How is this Aspec Representation?

Clearly more depictions of unfeeling characters as aspec isn't progressive in making aspec people seem more "human" but I think how Frieren subverts this trope demonstrates a great aspec character.

At this point, this representation is, and will probably continue to be a headcannon more than it will be actually confirmed, but it has some pretty good foundation.

Early on, Frieren directly tells us this about elves:

This is a pretty overt statement of her romantic and sexual orientation as early as Chapter 13 of the manga as the journey was just beginning. There are some questionable parts of this claim that "all elves" lack romantic and sexual attraction, but the author directly displays elves later on that hold or are implied to have romantic feelings for other characters. It reminds me of how some aspec people believe that everyone is like them, having an understanding without knowing fully that they have different experiences.

*Note, they kept the panel above in the anime.

So where does this leave Frieren as she is perceived by others?

No one questions this about her. It never comes into question if she had found the right person or if she was interested in the relationships herself, it is just accepted. In a later chapter exploring the romantic subplot between her two companions, she is asked for dating advice to which she responds:

The interaction is treated very naturally which mirrors realistic assumptions of these feelings and experience with them that might come with age.

The only claim to her holding romantic feelings towards another person was towards the hero Himmel. Which is suspect to say the least. Most of these assumptions are based on their close emotional bond, how much Frieren grieves his death and how Himmel treated her.

Throughout flashbacks, we can see that Himmel almost constantly was flirting with and then subsequently denied by Frieren along their journey. It isn't played as hurtful or annoying, just as a form of endearment that wasn't reciprocated; something that neither character seems to grieve in any fashion. They had a close emotional bond, but the manga doesn't display it as anything but platonic and I believe that to be true.

TLDR:

Frieren exhibits multiple aspec traits in how she perceives others and her relationships to the people in her life. While her traits may be seen as "inhuman" on the surface, she deeply cares for others without needing to be in a romantic or sexual relationship. The manga puts very little focus on romance and merely on the nature of relationships of all kinds and meanings.

This is my first large-scale post like this, so I would appreciate any feedback people are willing to give me. It is a very long post so I hope I didn't ramble too much

[infiniteorangethethird]

ok but consider: one of those "soulmate AU" stories except it's a dystopia written from the perspective of a loveless aro

[yellowmeshsneakers]

GLOVRAICHI ⁉️⁉️‼️‼️💥💥🗣️🗣️🔥🔥 I LOVE THAT SHIP THE DUMBASS POLYCULE RAHHHHH

I personally add goggles to the polycule too and call it goraiglochi but you don’t have to lmao

FINALLY MY PEOPLE…… Me personally I can’t see Goggles with any love interests he’s too spoingle bingle for that, but regardless GLOVRAICHI🗣️🗣️🔥🔥‼️

[chaos-husband]

Pride Icons of Makoto Yuki, Yukari Takeba and Junpei Iori from Persona 3

○ Part 2 of ??? ● 1000×1000 px each ○ Free to use, no credit required ● Please like / reblog if using or saving.

[qbdatabase]

Check out these five titles to try next, featuring black teens who learn how to break the universe, save the universe, and do a little--or a whole lot!--of magic along the way 🪄🔮👋🏾

[sarahsupastar]

*Gasp!* A romance novel acknowledged the existence of aro people!

In classic cliché fashion, the protagonist begins by saying he doesn't ever really get feelings for anybody - essentially describing an aro experience, though he's presumably allo. BUT! Instead of following the cliché by then having him meet "the right person" and finally fall in love, this author had someone immediately clock the aro vibes of that statement and directly ask the protagonist if he's aromantic! And then, instead of just perfunctorily checking the box for acknowledging aro people exist and having him say no and move on, the author has him explain that what he means by "I don't get feelings" is: "I had my heart broken and have since actively avoided developing romantic feelings at all costs" - Not: "I've never experienced romantic attraction before this one special person"

[livvyofthelake]

it’s crazy how we’re on chapter one billion and we are STILL doing the overly sensitive therapy speak coming out bullshit. i’m sorry but. ok i am going to say something that will sound sooo republican and i know that but you have to understand it’s just coming from a place of such utter annoyance i can’t be nice anymore. we need to stop Woke Writing… you can’t do anything these days because of Woke 🙄 it’s fucking sick we need to bring back characters who commit homophobic microaggressions against each other because they’re bored. i’m sorry…