Happy Pride Month specifically to aromantic icon Alan Shore. Well, maybe not icon. More the writers made him as aro and presented it along side a number of his other neuroses, and personal traumas, but at the end of the day multiple things can be happening at the same time without them being related. Alan's aversion to romantic connection, and the way he approaches his emotional relationships is informed by many things (his misogyny [increasing as the seasons progress], the death of his wife and how he handles that grief, his childhood trauma), but none of this things preclude aromanticism, nor is this part of his identity traumagenic.
Both of his marriages are deeply significant relationships, and foundational to him as a person. However, they are not romantic (shipping goggles aside)* and this does not diminish their importance.
As far as I can tell, Alan's aromanticism is entirely accidental, but every episode that included "Alan doesn't/can't/won't "love" in the traditional sense" as a plot line, he is never "cured". While characters consider the potential source, or chalk it up to his nature (lawyers are heartless, after all) or posit that maybe the right person might come along**, he still ends the story the same way he started it, perhaps a little more satisfied with the way he lives his life, or just prepared the go to bat for whatever centrist-liberal looking left talking point he's championing this week.
Happy Pride to all aromantics, including Alan Shore.
*I do consider Alan canonically aro, he describes his relationship with "love" and romance in a way that just....checks many, many boxes when it comes to this identity. Yes I also ship Alan and Denny. Obv. I consider them "canonically" in a QPR, although I know if I said that to them Denny would sock me and Alan would get a funny look on his face about young people and their new words for things. In fanfic? I'll read anything have fun lol everyone has their own interpretation
**okay this is mildly speculative, I haven't rewatched any of these specific eps recently, I'm trying to generally cover my bases
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