#random polyam idea

[toribookworm22]

Aro Treat 💚 Excerpt 1:

From my aro lesbian coming of age feature film script (wow, that's a mouthful), here's one of the scenes I really love. Angie is my protagonist and Oscar her best friend. It's a screenplay, hence the odd format, but I hope you love it.

INT. ANGIE’S ROOM - EVENING

Oscar sits on Angie’s bed, working on her computer.

Angie puts her collage wall back up.

OSCAR: Then what did she say?

ANGIE: Is your transcript in?

Oscar groans and flips the screen. It’s loading.

OSCAR: I’m trying! Their application portal is being a pain in the-

A DING as the loading stops. He flips it back around.

OSCAR (CONT’D): Oh. Cool. (beat) Now what did Ruth tell you?

Angie tacks up another picture.

ANGIE: She said it was never going to be the same.

OSCAR: Oh, Ange.

Angie flops down on the bed beside Oscar.

ANGIE: I hate this.

Oscar closes the computer and pats her head.

OSCAR: I know, kid. I think you really liked her.

ANGIE: That’s not what I mean. I don’t care if she doesn’t like me. I don’t care if she didn’t want to kiss me. I just hate that I hurt her.

Oscar is perplexed, a little worried even.

ANGIE (CONT’D): Or, I don’t know. Maybe I just hate that I even thought of kissing her in the first place.

OSCAR: Angie?

ANGIE: Yeah?

OSCAR: Did you like her?

ANGIE: What do you mean?

OSCAR: Did you like her? Did you actually want to kiss her?

Angie stares up at the ceiling.

ANGIE: No. (beat) I just wanted to be there with her.

OSCAR: Shit.

Angie sits up.

ANGIE: Oscar, what’s going on? Look, we all agree I shouldn’t have kissed her.

OSCAR: Angie, sweetie. I don’t think you like her.

ANGIE: What? No. No, I-I do. That’s the problem.

Angie stands.

ANGIE (CONT’D): Oscar, she’s the prettiest person I’ve ever met and I love spending time with her and I think about her all the time.

Oscar stares at her, almost crying.

OSCAR: That’s not the same.

ANGIE: But it is! It has to be!

They both start to cry.

ANGIE (CONT’D): I don’t like guys, Oscar! Remember? This summer and the big awful date? I don’t like guys!

OSCAR: Angie...

ANGIE: I don’t like guys, so I have to like girls! (beat; softer) I have to like girls. I have to like her.

Angie sinks onto the bed.

ANGIE (CONT’D): Because if I don’t... that means there’s something wrong with me.

Oscar wraps his arms around her.

OSCAR: There’s nothing wrong with you. I promise. No matter what, there is nothing wrong with you.

[toribookworm22]

Aro Treat 💚 Excerpt 2:

Because I just couldn't pick, here's another one. Once again, Angie is the main character of my aro lesbian coming of age feature film. Ruth is her "love" interest. This is one of the last scenes and while it needs a little work, I still love it. Enjoy!

EXT. PIER - LATER

Angie walks up to the bench. There’s a person sitting on it. She texts Oscar: She’s here.

Angie puts her phone in her pocket and walks up to Ruth.

ANGIE: I thought I might find you here.

Ruth looks up. She’s irritated a little, but mostly sad.

RUTH: Angie, I really don’t want to talk.

Ruth gathers her bag and her notebook. She stands up.

ANGIE: Ruth, wait!

RUTH: No! I don’t... I can’t do this again. This slow push out. Just make up your mind, Angie!

ANGIE: I’m aromantic.

Ruth blinks, stunned.

RUTH: What?

ANGIE: I’m aromantic. Or kinda aromantic. Something aromantic. I don’t experience romantic attraction the same way other people do. I don’t know. It’s messy.

RUTH: You don’t...

ANGIE: It’s a spectrum, you know? And I’m not quite sure where I fall. But I’m on it.

RUTH: (hesitantly)Aromantic.

ANGIE: Yeah.

RUTH: That’s a word? That’s a...

Ruth sits back down.

RUTH (CONT’D): That’s a real thing? There’s a... a real word for it?

Angie sits down beside her.

ANGIE: Yeah. Yeah, Ruth, it’s real.

Ruth starts to cry, but it’s not sad.

RUTH: I’m aromantic?

ANGIE: I don’t know. Are you?

Ruth grabs her hand. Laughs.

RUTH: I’m aromantic. (beat) I don’t feel romantic attraction. So I’m aromantic. You’re aromantic. We’re...

ANGIE: You and me. We’re kinda the same.

They lean into each other and just sit together.

[toribookworm22]

Heads Up Seven Up (x2) (ish)

Thank you @pure-solomon & @akiwitch for the tags!

No pressure tagging: @minutiaewriter @jamieanovels @winterandwords @authorlaurawinter @inkskinned @mschvs @lockejhaven @pluttskutt @raiphend @tlbodine @rottenbury @writeintrees @firstofficerrose & my open tag!

From that random polyam idea I had that I accidentally went and turned into a short story. (That I may or may not have used for a class. 🤭)

As much as it pained me to admit-- and probably will for at least a little while longer-- we couldn’t be everything to each other. We were good. We are good. We are so good, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be better.

“How would you feel about coming over to mine for ice cream after this?” Wynn tips their head to the side, intrigued. “It was our back up plan if this went badly, but I happen to have a great selection of flavors in my freezer and plenty of bowls.”

I can feel the void shrink as Wynn smiles. “I’d love to. Thank you.”

Just barely, I glance at Ruth. Her eyes shimmer both with unshed tears and the strongest most unfiltered kind of love that is always always enough for me.

I serve her a slice with extra cheese. Before I can pull my hand away, she catches it and raises it to her lips, staining my knuckles with the faintest of green.

Wynn hands her a napkin.

I don’t even know what we’re going to do with more love. Guess we’ll find out.

[toribookworm22]

Taking a minor (hopefully) pause from STS.

I'm working on turning my aro story into a viable film script idea for one of my classes.

Here's what I've got so far major-plot-wise:

Meet Cute

Angie meets Ruth and thinks she's gorgeous

Signed up for a project together

Angie and Ruth have to work together on a collab project from their clubs

Working together/Getting closer

They find out they mesh really well; Angie starts falling for Ruth

Homecoming (or Winter Dance)

Ruth asks Angie to come to Homecoming with her; as friends

The Kiss & The Fallout

At Homecoming, Angie kisses Ruth; Ruth runs to the bathroom to have a freak-out cry about it

Return to Normal?

They are not normal and things are awkward

Coming Out?

Angie finally tells her mom that she likes girls, she thinks, and she likes Ruth, she thinks

History

Angie comes out to Ruth and Ruth explains that she's aro (though she doesn't quite understand it or have the words)

The Project

They present their project: Shades of Green, a journalism and photography collab highlighting all the colors of life in their town

A Decision

Angie asks Ruth to stick with her, and they'll figure out everything else as it comes

Actually typing this all out, I'm becoming pretty confident in the idea that I'll be able to pitch this. However, if anyone would like to, please feel free to comment or tag your thoughts on any of my plot points. I have two days to get this in the best shape I can. Thanks guys!

[toribookworm22]

My Aro Characters💚

For the last hour of Aromantic Visibility Day, I thought I'd share some of my arospec characters:

Ruth Eymmons - Aromantic

Angie Farley - Aroflux

Maybelle Clark - Demiromantic

Gwenevieve Hampshire - Aromantic

Edward Sundune - Greyromantic

Jade - Arospec

Javon Midori - Platoniromantic

Cass Calvino - Greyromantic

Daniel Corsair - Demiromantic

Tomas - Demiromantic

Micah - Akoiromantic; desinoromantic

Kib Gree - Aromantic

Malkaline - Aromantic

Orchid - Aromantic

Charley Hanner - Arospec

Kathy Abago - Aromantic

[toribookworm22]

Happy Blorbo Blursday! Which of your OCs can handle spicy food?

--@oh-no-another-idea

Hey, love! Thanks for the ask!

So, in all honesty, I'm pretty sure that most of my characters CAN'T handle spicy foods. Whether due to where/the culture they're from or due to what the world looks like.

But Angie Farley from my aro polyam story definitely can. Not only does her mom cook spicy stuff a lot, it's just a part of her character not to back down.

[toribookworm22]

Hello hello, awhile back you offered up an ask for me to ramble on about anything I could. I want to extend the same to you now! Tell us about anything on your mind, any new progress in a WIP, a new hyperfixation, maybe you made something really tasty recently and want to share the experience. Let this be the canvas to word vomit!

Haha!

I finally have thoughts occurring in my mind!

No, but seriously. Thank you so much for this ask, darling. I really really appreciate it, even if it took me way to long to answer. 🙃

Onto the ramble!

I am currently in three writing classes for school, so most of my writing time is dedicated to assignments for those classes. I have been writing a bit of poetry-- mostly angry, if I'm being honest-- which has been nice as well. I'm about to start working on a TV drama pilot for a class and I'm SURE you'll get to hear all about my woes on that one. Should be fun though.

And continuing on, let me discuss the thing today that drove me to finally answer this ask. (Accidentally got long so...)

I recently got an idea for a polyam story and accidentally wrote a really cute section of the story that I subsequently decided to turn in as a short story for one of my classes.

Well, today I got in-class critiques. And I was starkly reminded how little people know about aromanticism and all it entails. The critiques went really well. Even the people who didn't quite understand really liked my writing and several people had well-deserved concerns that I will be taking into consideration when I decide to write more.

But my professor (probably 60 year old man) admitted aromantic was a term he had to look up. Then he proceeded to steer the class into a discussion of how I handled the characters' identities in the story.

That felt a little insensitive to me, but-- I wasn’t allowed to speak for one-- I wasn't going to jump to negative conclusions. People brought up that the story should incorporate clearer discussions sooner (correct) and that this was a new subject matter to them (also correct) and then the professor interjected that he didn't think it was good to label the characters. One step worse, he then added the word "diagnosis."

Even if I had been allowed to speak, I was speechless. I haven't discussed aromanticism with an adult since I came out to my parents. And I go to a very inclusive school, so most of the students are careful with their language on matters like these.

Several students in my class did argue his point. Turns out there's at least two other aro-spec people in my class and several other allies. But it was too late for my professor not to have lost a little bit of my respect.

I knew submitting this story was a risk. I knew there would be people who didn't understand.

Had I omitted their labels, suddenly my sweet and loving story is about a toxic relationship with no love and bad people. Right? Cause I guess that is what we look like to the outside world. That's not even bringing up the QPR or the polyam aspects.

A few years ago, I finally reached the point where I can take critique on my writing because I finally started believing in my own writing. I'm a good writer. I write good stories.

This piece is nothing different.

But I wasn't quite prepared for the reminder that not everyone is going to understand what I'm writing about. And it'll have nothing to do with whether they like it or not. They just won't understand.

Sorry, that ended up taking a very long and kinda dark turn. 🤣

Thank you again for the ask and giving me a platform to rant on (like I need another 🙃).

All my love,

~ toribookworm ❤️

[toribookworm22]

Last Line (×2)

Thank you @cljordan-imperium & @oh-no-another-idea for the tags!

No pressure tagging: @minutiaewriter @rottenbury @enchanted-lightning-aes @vsnotresponding & my open tag!

More lines from my aro poly story:

Maybe Ruth just wasn’t my type. Even if she was very pretty.