#arowrimo

[entity9silvergen]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

I wrote this for aromantic writing month a few years ago. Aro Remus and ace Roman fic!

[117-opossum-teeth]

The Aromantic Maiden

Sat at an open lattice window,

A maiden lets out a desperate cry

In hopes a savior will appear

From the starry night sky.

This is a forlorn last hope

On the night before her wedding day

Of a forced marriage she cannot cope,

She dreads her world turning to gray.

There’s movement in the inky sky,

It just barely catches her eye.

A figure in the darkness

Grows with every passing moment.

Soon the maiden realized its course,

Coming straight for her lattice window,

Flying fast and full force.

The monster was thrice the size of a horse.

The maiden stumbled from her seat,

Her heart thumped and breath caught in her throat.

The monster was snake-like and sleek,

It was no other than a dragon.

The beast landed on the building’s wall,

Sending a tremble through the room.

It stretched its neck through the window

And from its nostrils came a smoky plume.

The maiden cowered in the corner

Yet dared a glance at the foreigner,

And in its eyes she saw

No malice or disdain.

Instead there was compassion,

Understanding, and maybe even

An escape. The dragon

She suddenly believed in.

The beast had heard her prayer

And beckoned her out of her lair.

This was the savior she sought after,

Freedom was right in front of her.

She climbed onto the dragon’s back

And held on for dear life.

As the dragon expanded its wings,

She kissed goodbye her role as wife.

They sprang into the ebony night

And flew to a great height.

With the full moon to guide them,

The maiden was without any fright.

[tobeaspected]

Hey All! 🖤💚♣️♠️♦️💚🖤

I was hoping to surprise you all with an update system for To Be Aspec-ted. Using polls, I was hoping to show the progress of each branch as well as offer up the choice of which branch should be focused on first to the followers of TBA. I mean, I'm still going to be working on need things for TBA, but thought this would be a fun experiment. Hope to see you guys voting!

[brilliantsnafu]

Aromantic Writing Month/AroWriMo 2021

Click for better quality! Blackout poetry created using both week one prompts of romo/loveless and future. Materials: Sharpie, gel pen, and a page torn from a Charles Dickens novel. Caption below the cut. @arowrimo​

[Image ID: A page torn out of a book and used for blackout poetry. The words of the poem are surrounded in short, green lines resembling fringe trim. Looping, gray lines connect the words. The poem reads:

I am not unhappy Not at all I am rapture I, my love

You see a disappointment A wreck You talked dreadful nonsense with that doubt But I am not to blame

I should be enough for me!

The poem ends with a green heart drawn beside the last line.

End ID]

[arowrimo]

Day 5's prompt is:

Discord

1 : lack of agreement between people, ideas, etc.

2 : an unpleasant combination of musical notes

3 : a web app that provides voice and text chat during PC gaming

And remember! Prompts are suggestions, not requirements. Whatever you choose to write will be worth your time and ours!

[sophieakatz]

Thursday Thoughts: AroWriMo Week 4: Non-Romantic Relationships & Self-Reliance

The way we talk about relationships and independence makes it clear how we view these concepts as mutually exclusive. I’m thinking about how a romantic partner is supposed to “complete” us, about how many stories focus on the Happily Ever After of finding the one person in the world who could truly understand you, and be all that you need, and I’m also thinking about the “strong independent woman who don’t need no man.” I’m thinking of Barry Manilow singing about how he “can’t smile without you,” along with a thousand other singers who can’t live without their lover, contrasted with Hailee Steinfeld singing, “Gonna love myself, no, I don’t need anybody else.”

I find the idea of someone who can’t live without me viscerally unappealing. I hate the idea that a person could be incomplete without someone else. I’m not incomplete! I could live without anyone.

At the same time, I don’t like the idea of being strong and loving myself meaning that I don’t “need” other people. Of course I need other people. I could live without anyone, but I don’t want to.

Total autonomy does not exist. We just can’t go through life without affecting other people, even if we wanted to. I believe we have a responsibility to do what we can to have a positive effect on other people. At the same time, I dislike the idea of total codependence. We are all individuals, with individual bodies, individual emotions, and individual minds. I am a complete picture all on my own, and I am also a puzzle piece that can and should fit with other pieces.

This is not a contradiction. Not for me, at least. I’m not very good at seeing things as black and white anymore. There are just too many beautiful shades of gray.

When we emphasize romantic relationships as the most important thing in the world, to the point of believing that we are not complete without a romantic partner, we do much more harm than good. Recognizing the importance of non-romantic relationships – as just as important, or even more important, than a romantic relationship – is a revolutionary act.

My last romantic relationship ended suddenly and unexpectedly. We’d been together for almost two years, the longest of any romantic relationship I’ve ever had, and from one day to the next, we went from laughing and “I love you” texts to him calmly stating that our lives were moving in different directions and asking me to give back the key to his place.

What’s interesting is that I felt better about the end of this relationship than any previous breakup. I have enough perspective now to see this man, this relationship, as just one part of my life. It was a good and important part of my life, for a while, but it was just one part. There is so much more to my life, so much more to me, than him. I have so many more people and places and actions and memories that matter to me. And the moment he made it clear that he didn’t want me to be a part of his life anymore, I knew that I shouldn’t be.

I want to have people in my life who could live without me but would rather live with me. I want to put effort towards other people and for other people to put effort towards me. I don’t want a life partner who sees me as an end goal, or as an item to check off their list on the way to becoming their best self. I want someone to choose me, day after day, and for me to choose them, day after day, as we build a future together. I don’t care if it’s romantic or not. We will be two complete people, self-reliant but able to rely on each other, important to each other but also having other important relationships in our lives, taking care of each other and building a future together, day by day.

[clad-in-sunshine]

A song I wrote both for AroWriMo and my folk club’s ‘Love, Romance and Friendship’ theme (ignoring the ‘romance’ part).

For the prompt of ‘Self-reliance’ and ‘Non-romantic Relationships’ as they both relate to my thoughts on love. (I also made up a word because it needed to fit the tune)

Lyrics under the cut.

In the light of the day, the cool light of morning There's a chill in the air, and birds in the sky And though the fog may roll in and wrap up my senses I know I’ll be home when the evening arrives

The sight of a good friend, a sweet summer breeze Contagious enthusement, words branching with ease Love is in the small things, the embers that glow What’s left of the campfire when our friends have to go Love is in the ashes, that keep out the chill And those who, when gone, remain with us still

I offer my hand to those who would take it Come together in sadness, or wonder or joy And though people don't last, this life's what you make it And happiness shared, well it grows twice as high

The sight of a good friend, a sweet summer breeze Contagious enthusement, words branching with ease Love is in the small things, the embers that glow What’s left of the campfire when our friends have to go Love is in the ashes, that keep out the chill And those who, when gone, remain with us still

In a building that's warm, we all come together We raise up our voices and fill it with song And though the night has to end, we take it for ourselves We light up this moment, for we know it's not long

The sight of a good friend, a sweet summer breeze Contagious enthusement, words branching with ease Love is in the small things, the embers that glow What’s left of the campfire when our friends have to go Love is in the ashes, that keep out the chill And those who, when gone, remain with us still

Your beauty it shines, through the cracks in your laughter The tangle of words that spill into the air And I hope that you find whatever you're after For to witness you happy, no joy can compare

The sight of a good friend, a sweet summer breeze Contagious enthusement, words branching with ease Love is in the small things, the embers that glow What’s left of the campfire when our friends have to go Love is in the ashes, that keep out the chill And those who, when gone, remain with us still

Alone in my work, I'm alone but not lonely What once were just thoughts, I bring them to life I add to the world , it's an act of creation And love for the labor allows me to thrive

The sight of a good friend, a sweet summer breeze Contagious enthusement, words branching with ease Love is in the small things, the embers that glow What’s left of the campfire when our friends have to go Love is in the ashes, that keep out the chill And those who, when gone, remain with us still

[ganq1ng]

icarus’ stone

i feel like a stone — cold, stable, unshaken i try to open myself but it just cuts my own flesh i do not need another anchor as i am my own ocean is it so wrong to not let anyone dock at my pier?

i have been told i am a stone — harsh, heartless, unkind i try to counter arguement but i don't have the words i am not freezing as they say indeed, my soul is catching fire as i speak but for something other than someone else

i am a love of my own — i am everything i need freedom is something to live for why do i have to give you another reason? i am alone, not lonely i'm a poet and i have my verses to keep me company

i am a free spirit — born to be what icarus couldn't i am the wings bringing him down and i am the sun burning them i crave freedom in every aspect, including the one where in a world of dull lives distressed by their broken hearts i am able to choose myself and be the one that teache me how to fly