Asexuality in Fiction

Highlighting and discussing ace-spectrum characters in fictional media

[asexual-representation]

Happy Ace Week! Here, have a review of a book about an asexual heist team! Seventeen-year-old Jack Shannon spends his days running a blackjack club in the basement of his school’s library and tryin…

[asexual-representation]

Demisexuality in The Love Hypothesis

Came upon these quotes from The Love Hypothesis, and just wanted to say... there are ways to write demisexual characters that don’t throw people who never experience sexual attraction under the bus. This isn’t one of them. :/ (Highlights not mine; read the full quotes to see what I mean.)

[aspeccharactersoftheday]

Kel from Structural Integrity is acespec!

[asexual-representation]

Carrie Pilby (film)

The protagonist of the 2003 novel Carrie Pilby refers to herself as asexual throughout the book--not as a recognized sexual orientation (given when it was written), but still as an identity label describing the way she feels different from the people around her. The book’s secondary characters include a bisexual woman and a gay man, presenting queerness as a possibility and extending Carrie’s sexuality-related conversations and thoughts beyond just heterosexuality. However, the film strips away every reference to queerness--Carrie’s identification as asexual, the non-straightness of the side characters--which leaves Carrie’s arc in the film a blandly straightforward, deeply heteronormative one. While she still initially expresses that she doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about sex, the film doesn’t allow for any possibility besides her being a repressed, heteroromantic allo girl recovering from a bad relationship. So unfortunately, if you’re looking for ace representation in film... this one isn’t it.

[agentaletha]

YA Ace Secondary Character - Dread Nation

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Published 2018 by Balzer + Bray

I recently read Dread Nation by Justina Ireland, an alternate history where the Civil War was put on hold when zombies started to rise. Slavery has been abolished, but due to a new law called the Negro Reeducation Act, our protagonist, Jane, is at a training school to become a companion/bodyguard for a white family. One of her classmates is Katherine, her rival. Jane saves the day, but gets blamed and she and Katherine get sent off to a mysterious settlement out west. 

Some light spoilers after the cut

Keep reading

[asexual-representation]

Happy Pride!

Hello lovely followers. I have not been reading as many ace books lately, which is one of the reasons this blog has gone relatively quiet. But I would love to hear about your favorite recent (past three years or so) ace books! Feel free to reply, reblog, submit, whatever and tell me some newer ace books you’ve enjoyed. :)

[asexual-representation]

This is my final review for Asexual Fiction from Riptide Publishing Month. What is this story about? Evie, at the beginning of her two-week visit to Toronto, ends up unintentionally auditioning to …

Evie is asexual. Tyler has to get some idea of what being asexual means to Evie, just as Evie has to get some idea of what being a trans man means to Tyler.

[ace-ocelot]

An ace’s review of “Aces” by Kathryn Burns

“Love and sex go hand in hand… until they don’t. This is an asexual love story.” (Amazon) 

I discovered this book, which is about a bi woman in a romantic relationship with an ace woman, through @readvitality’s LGBT sampler. I have a lot of thoughts about it and haven’t found any reviews discussing it from an ace perspective, so I decided to write my own. It got kind of long, so I’ve divided it up with headers to make it easier to just read what you’re interested in.

I want to say upfront that I’m sex-repulsed, which definitely influences my opinion. And I don’t intend to speak for all aces, but just to explain my own concerns. 

The title/cover: misrepresentation?

Overall, I was a bit disappointed with this book from an asexual standpoint. One major reason is that I feel like the book was titled and the cover designed specifically to appeal to ace readers—I mean, it’s called “Aces” and has a picture of an ace of hearts card on the front, along with the tagline “an asexual love story”; this marketing, combined with the excerpt in Vitality’s sampler, was the reason I bought the book. However, it ended up feeling a bit deceptive, because the book doesn’t live up to its promise of being a story about asexuality.

It is “an asexual love story” in that sex isn’t a big part of the main character (Astrid)’s relationship (and of course in that her girlfriend, Holly, is ace), but asexuality isn’t specifically highlighted or focused on any more than Astrid’s bisexuality, or any of the other characters’ queer identities. So the title doesn’t really make sense—the word “ace” isn’t even used in the book, and there’s only one ace character (who’s not even the main character). The story is primarily focused on Astrid and her life, and while her romantic relationship happens to be with an asexual woman, the story isn’t actually about asexuality in any way. 

Keep reading

[asexual-representation]

Last month, when I ordered a bunch of asexual fiction from Less Than Three Press for my series of reviews for Asexual Awareness Week, I also pre-ordered The Painted Crown by Megan Derr. Since it wa…

Ishtari is grey-asexual, and Teverem is demisexual. The word ‘demisexual’ is never used, but it’s clear that that is what the characters are describing.

[hiddenbyfaeries]

Pride Rec

16. Asexual Character

The Painted Crown by Megan Derr

Istari and Teverem are both on the asexual spectrum, so reading it was quite fun and exciting. As an asexual myself, it was really nice to read about two characters also on the spectrum where sex wasn’t even on the table or even expected of them. It was like a fresh breath of air really, cause I’ve read other stories with supposed asexual characters and ended up gritting my teeth and going, “no. no. no. that’s not how it works.” and Megan has never disappointed me when she writes a new story.

I love the ‘verses she creates where all identities (gender, sexual, romantic) are normal and thus no one’s getting shit for being trans* or being asexual or being biromatic. It just is and it’s so freeing.

[asexual-representation]

Books with confirmed demisexual characters

Here are all the books I know of with confirmed demisexual characters! (Meaning the word is used in the text, or else the author has said it.) With links to more info, including (in some cases) reviews discussing the portrayal of demisexuality. Also see Lynn E. O’Connacht’s Demisexuality in Fiction list and the “demisexual character” tag on AgentAletha’s Tagpacker list.

YA/NA

The Change (series) by Rachel Manija Brown and Sherwood Smith - Mia is word-of-god demi

The Iamos Trilogy by Lyssa Chiavari - Isaak is canon demi  

Mangoverse (series) by Shira Glassman - Rivka is word-of-god demi

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman - Aled is canon demi

All for the Game (series) by Nora Sakavic - Neil is word-of-god demi

Newton’s Laws (series) by Rebecca Schwartz - Rachel is word-of-god demi

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld - Darcy is word-of-god demi

M/M romance

Ace by Jack Byrne - Jake is word-of-god demi  

A Gentleman’s Position by K.J. Charles - Richard is word-of-god demi

The Trouble With Tony by Eli Easton - Tony is canon demi

Jack of Thorns by Amelia Faulkner – Quentin (because @demigray has recommended this as a book with a demi character, I’m including it even though I can’t find author confirmation that Quentin was specifically written as demi)

The Pardoner’s Tale by Morgan Ferdinand - Nick is word-of-god demi

Model Citizen by Lissa Kasey - Ollie is word-of-god demi

Taking the Long Way by Max MacGowan - Marcus is canon demi

High and Tight by Vanessa North - Adam is word-of-god demi  

Not Even Close by Lisa Oliver - Connor is canon demi

Kanaan and Tilney: The Case of the Arms Dealers by Jenna Rose and Katey Hawthorne - John Tilney is canon demi

Other fantasy

The Mystic Marriage by Heather Rose Jones - Antuniet is word-of-god demi

Night Calls (series) by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel - Allie is word-of-god demi (caveat on this one—the first book came out in 1996, before “demisexual” had been coined, so it’s being applied retroactively)

From Under the Mountain by Cait Spivey – Guerline is word-of-god demi

I’m also posting this list on a static page, and I’ll be updating it there as I find more books/more are written.

[ameliafaulkner]

As the author of Jack of Thorns, I confirm that Quentin was specifically written as demisexual <3

[thebeaconpodcast]

Anyway, if you’re wanting more ace representation in your media that isn’t erased or handwaved, consider checking out our podcast, The Beacon!

Our main character, Bee, is asexual, as well an anxious, monster-fighting college student and a magic fire-starter 🔥

So if you’re desperate for more canonically confirmed & complex ace characters, particularly ones that aren’t written as robotic or otherwise inhuman, give us a listen 💜🤍🖤

Plus, if you’re looking for any more ace shows, check out this handy list of other podcasts! https://t.co/bbpNLVhohz

Ace Rep!, a podcast list curated by Tal Minear on Podchaser

A podcast list curated by Tal Minear. Fiction podcasts with ace rep! Curated by the podaces discord. Also in spreadsheet form here: https:/

[thebrightsessions]

So are both Frank and Chloe asexual, or just Chloe? I was a little confused on that. Thank you for having ace representation on your podcast, it means so much to all of us!! <3

A few people have asked this, so I’ll copy-paste my previous answer below! 

Chloe is asexual. I realize the phrasing of that conversation was a little confusing, but it’s because both Dr. Bright and Frank already know what they’re talking about, even if the audience doesn’t. Frank was talking about how a lot of Chloe’s classmates assume that he’s Chloe’s boyfriend, which frustrates him because he knows she’s asexual and doesn’t get why the art kids don’t get that.

Frank’s sexuality is a little complicated at the moment. I think for most of his life he identified as heterosexual but since everything that happened in his military service, the sexual part of his identity has taken a back seat in a big way. For all intents and purposes, he’s celibate and not looking to change that. But with time and healing, anything could happen.

Edit (from second answer): reading this again, I’m not trying to suggest that someone who doesn’t have an active sex life needs to heal in some way. Obviously that’s not true. Chloe is asexual and that’s a totally rad thing. But Frank was involved romantically and sexually before and may want that again, but isn’t in the place for it right now. And he may never be and that is also fine.

[supplimental]

People who are ravenous for a-spec representation... listen to The Bright Sessions I beg of you

[cottonsocks]

My ace heart is bursting out of its chest 🖤🤍💜

This means so much to me I can’t even describe it

[doyoufearwhatifear]

ACE FITZROY!!!!

[sylvanwool]

It’s so important to me that of all the characters in Graduation, we got ace rep in Fitz. Fitzroy Maplecourt, who acts vain and pompous and oh god, he was trying so hard to fit in with all the kids at his old school that he adopted a whole persona to be like them, a persona that included “very sexy and sexual” along with all of the other things he truly isn’t. Viewing his flashbacks and the feeling of not belonging due to his roots through the lens of being ace just makes my heart ache for him, because that’s exactly what high school and college feels like when it seems that everyone else is in on the joke of wanting to have sex and you’re just sitting there alone, the only person who isn’t in on this big funny prank. I didn’t think I could get more emotionally invested in this character but I have been proved wrong once again!!!