I read the most wonderful trilogy I’ve ever touched; best book in the world, perfect to my taste like it’s written just for me
Took a look at fandom for the books, maybe trying to find some good stuff about it. Yknow. Fandom stuff.
There’s like five people talking about the series. (Understandably, I’ve only found it by chance too. It’s not very known.)
But every single person ignores that one of the main characters is canonically aro and ships him with the other two main characters. Even though it’s very much in text stated that he’s not interested in relationships. Like, that was made very clear from multiple perspectives and everyone involved respects that.
…I’ll just never go into fandom spaces ever again. Poor Vargo. Fandom is destroying this man more than his childhood did tbh.
Anyway if you’re into fantasy with morally gray characters, some found family and a slow-starting but extremely escalating plot, with a non-partnering AroAllo main character (only one of three, the other two aren’t aspec but honestly as an aro person the romance was written so good too), consider reading the Rook and Rose Series by M.A. Carrick. I wanna talk about it so bad but my sister won’t read them and no one knows this book.
I love this trilogy. Favourite books rn fighting with Iron Widow in my head, though Iron Widow still has a chance to win with the sequel lol. (But Vargo will forever and always be my favourite character of all time.)
The covers are also fucking beautiful. (Alt text is not the best I’m very tired but I tried.)
let's play a game: try to find an example of lgbtq representation in the media... found one? great! now, try to find aspec representation within lgbtq media... a little more difficult right? now, within that aspec perameter, try to find an aroallo character. oh wait, it's nearly impossible (shoutout to Rock and Riot, The White Renegade, and Lies Within).
this isn't meant to shit on aroaces btw, you guys are my frens n i love you!!! im just noticing that there's plenty of room for diversity.
The answer to the question whether I will start writing now or spend more time drawing more characters is that I’ll draw another fanart for the Rook and Rose series. This time my boy Vargo, and his friend Iascat.
Vargo getting his long needed rest. He deserves it. And so does Iascat tbh.
I’m a very focused and hard working individual /j
And I am very normal about Vargo and Iascat and their relationship. You can see just how normal I am about them below the cut.
Spoilers ahead, obviously.
So, for those who wanna hear about what I have to say without knowing the context: Vargo, one of the main characters, is AroAllo and in a sexual relationship with Iascat. While their relationship starts of mutually using each other for getting what they want (sex and touch in Iascat’s case, and information for Vargo), they do become more like friends over the course of the books (especially the last one) while still keeping up the sexual side of their relationship.
And damn was it refreshing to see a sexual relationship that isn’t treated as a bad thing, or something that has to change to include romance later, or stop all together. No, it was treated as something completely neutral–just something that is there. At times even positive, dare I say!
And it is so awesome to see a relationship that’s based in sex, that only happened because of sex, represented as something good.
While Iascat’s sexuality is never confirmed, I like to think of him as AroAllo, too, for multiple reasons.
I think his wish to have a romantic relationship, while at the same time doing nothing to get one, is a very aromantic experience. And I assume a lot of this is coming from his aunt who has a very deep desire to have a romantic relationship, while her cursed medallion makes her basically unable to keep one up, while also making her desire for a relationship even stronger.
With how the medallions work, Iascat is probably also influenced it that same way, and his "desire for romance" is actually not really his own, but an extension of his aunt’s (because, well, Iascat is mostly treated as an extension of her by his aunt.)
The second reason is his actions. When his aunt is put under house arrest and he becomes head of his house, so is basically able to do what he want and seek out the romance he apparently wants, the first thing he does when he has time is fuck Vargo, of whom he knows that there’s no chance of romance.
That doesn’t shout alloromantic to me tbh.
And the only times he ever says or thinks anything about wanting a romantic relationship with Vargo, or anyone, is when he’s under the influence of his Tuat medallion.
Story-wise, he lets go of that desire and wish by destroying his medallion, yet keeps the sexual relationship with Vargo.
I like to think that after all the shit in the books goes down and there’s something like peace, Iascat takes the time to think about what he actually wants without being controlled by magic; because his actions show something much different from his words, and he could see that he’s actually a lot like Vargo and likes what they have, and doesn’t actually want a romantic relationship like his aunt always demonstrated.
So, to conclude, he’s AroAllo to me and I won’t take any second opinions on that. It’s fact now. I’m definitely not projecting onto the man. Leave me alone /j
But yeah, I really enjoy that a sexual relationship is portrayed in a positive manner, and that an aromantic character is allowed to exist without constantly having to explain or defend himself. Vargo isn’t ever questioned, the people who know him a bit closer just learn rather quickly that he isn’t up for romance. And I love that.
It’s probably also what makes alloros so unable to understand that he’s aromantic, because he doesn’t have to outright say it constantly, or even ever.
What might have helped with that would be the conversation that Vargo and Iascat have about their relationship being on page. Though that would fuck over the pacing, and seem quite out of place, since it’s in the third book and they kinda have other problems to solve. The conversation is once referred to, and it becomes quite clear (to me, at least, as an aro), that during that conversation Vargo has made it clear to Iascat that romance wasn’t on the table, and Iascat accepted that.
So. While It’d have been cool to read how Vargo directly describes his emotions, and how Iascat reacts to that, it wouldn’t have fit the plot and pacing of the third book. I get that.
I cannot imagine that I only read these books because I wrote a rant in some TikTok comments about the lack of AroAllo rep and someone told me about it. I am forever grateful for that person, but also hate them because this book is occupying my mind so much more than any other book I’ve ever read. Normally books aren’t in my mind like this months after I read them. I cannot read a different book even if I want to.
okay guys we got compound fracture, the novel, by andrew joseph white, and we got daybreak, the webcomic, on webtoon. if we ration our supplies the aroallo representation can last us a lifetime
