Ideal Asexual Character (for Carnival of Aces: Ideals)
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My ideal for asexual characters is "and"s, not "or"s.
I want an ace characters figuring out they’re ace and an ace character who already know they’re ace. I want an ace looking for a romantic relationship and an ace in a romantic relationship and an ace who doesn't want a romantic relationship but still wants some sort of long-term relationship. I want aces who are polyamorous and aces who are strictly monoamorous. I want all the romantic orientations. I want grey-As and demis. I want someone cis and someone trans, someone male and someone female, someone non-binary and someone not-quite sure. I want someone religious, someone non-Caucasian, someone from a different culture and someone who figures out that they're not ace at all.
And I want at least half of these things in each story.
I'm sure there's a number of people who are reading this and thinking that I'm being incredibly demanding.
That it's hard enough to find mainstream media with any asexuals at all. That this is too much to ask of authors. That there aren't that many asexuals around.
But if there is only one asexual in the story, they have to represent all the many diverse asexuals that exist. Everything a sole ace character does or is is commentary on what asexuals do or are.
In much the same way that virtually no story with only one female character can avoid some stereotyping them in some unfortunate way, a story with a single ace character is fighting desperately just to break even.
And I am tired of reading stories about asexuals that I see nothing of myself in.
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My ideal for asexual characters is "and"s, not "or"s.
I want an ace characters figuring out they’re ace and an ace character who already know they’re ace. I want an ace looking for a romantic relationship and an ace in a romantic relationship and an ace who doesn't want a romantic relationship but still wants some sort of long-term relationship. I want aces who are polyamorous and aces who are strictly monoamorous. I want all the romantic orientations. I want grey-As and demis. I want someone cis and someone trans, someone male and someone female, someone non-binary and someone not-quite sure. I want someone religious, someone non-Caucasian, someone from a different culture and someone who figures out that they're not ace at all.
And I want at least half of these things in each story.
I'm sure there's a number of people who are reading this and thinking that I'm being incredibly demanding.
That it's hard enough to find mainstream media with any asexuals at all. That this is too much to ask of authors. That there aren't that many asexuals around.
But if there is only one asexual in the story, they have to represent all the many diverse asexuals that exist. Everything a sole ace character does or is is commentary on what asexuals do or are.
In much the same way that virtually no story with only one female character can avoid some stereotyping them in some unfortunate way, a story with a single ace character is fighting desperately just to break even.
And I am tired of reading stories about asexuals that I see nothing of myself in.
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