: Re: Writing an ace/aro character? In a fantasy series that I’ve been working on for some time now, there is a character that I’ve always kind of seen as not having sexual or romantic attraction.

@Carla500

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The obvious way is to simply not have the character enter any relationship (or harboring any feelings for anyone, if your POV gives insight into the character's mind). However, the default assumption will probably be "straight, but not dating right now".

If you want to highlight the aro/ace aspect of your character, you could explicitly raise the topic via a very close friend or a trusted family member.

For example, a well-meaning friend might suggest they try dating another friend, which could be an opportunity for your aro character to "come out" and say that as much as they value the other person's friendship they're not interested in a relationship at all.

Alternatively, a close friend might at some point outright ask or drop a hint, and your character's reaction could be very telling. (For example, my mother once slipped me a newspaper article about people in the aro/ace spectrum, which was her way of telling me "it's okay if you are", which I thought was very sweet, no matter whether that's actually how I see myself or not.)

You could even combine the two options and have the well-meaning friend assume the aro/ace character to be gay and show their support in some way. The character could then gently point out that, actually, they're not interested in either gender.

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