Hello! I haven't been on your blog long but I poked around and saw you answered some questions, so if you could please make this public so others can see that would be appreciated, I am fine without anonymity :)
I'm a writer and I'm trying to improve my skills, and I was wondering what are some annoying tropes portrayed in fiction with asexual characters? Mostly so I can avoid them, but also so when I write ace characters, I write then accurately. And also, what variance would you like to see within characters of any sexuality/gender?
Thank you for hosting a safe space and sharing your stories!
Hi there! So sorry I didn't get around to this sooner. I wanted to make sure that I had a few good ideas before I sent them off to you.
One big issue with asexual characters in the media is that they can be shown as heartless or unaffectionate towards others, especially in regards to romance. Asexual individuals can be very affectionate depending on the individual, and many still seek out romantic relationships. Aromantic individuals may also desire affection and closeness without a romantic relationship.
A lot of asexual representation will also state that the reasoning behind the ace's identity is due to previous trauma, especially sexual trauma. However, while this can be true on occasion, it is most often not the case. If you do go the route of their identity being trauma-driven, make sure you take personal experiences of those who have experienced trauma into account. And please don't make the fix to trauma being to have sex in spite of their orientation. I doubt that you would, of course, but just thought I'd mention it.
Another big one is that asexuals tend to be played as underdeveloped or undeveloped side characters with little influence to the plot. This isn't to say that the asexual has to be a main character or protagonist, just that you should flesh out the character so that they are more than just asexual. It shouldn't be their only trait or their driving force in the storyline.
As far as gender/sexuality variance, having a few characters that have shifting genders or sexualities throughout the story would be great to see! Gender and sexuality are a spectrum, so showing how those identities can fluctuate and change given the character's experiences would be a great way to show character development.
Those are a few of the big ones that I could think of! There are more, of course, but I thought I'd keep this as short as I could. I hope that these help! If you have further questions in the future, feel free to reach out through the ask box or through DM's, and I'll be happy to help as much as I can. Also, if any followers think of anything they'd like to add, reblog with your own additions! Thanks for the awesome question!
