It's Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week (ASAW), and as such, I am going to try to send you one aro-related headcanon I have about Kanut each day (until I run out of ideas because I am not creative or start to feel annoying). I'll send the first one in a bit (not because I committed to this before actually having an idea, of course not). 🌊🐍
I know I said I didn't have any ideas, but then I thought for like, .5 seconds, and this came to me, so enjoy. So one day the Ullaakut stops near an Earth Kingdom town, and everyone splits up to go visit the market there. Kanut goes into this little tea shop, and the owner helps him select a few special blends of tea. While the owner is bagging everything up for him, he notices that they have something that is a symbol for being aromantic. (1/?) 🌊🐍
In real life, a white ring on the left middle finger is an aro thing, so it would be something small like that. He tries to bring it up subtly by complimenting it, and the owner responds in a way that would seem normal to most people, but to people who know about aromanticism, the owner's response clearly indicates that they're aromantic. Kanut and the shop owner have a really nice conversation surrounding aromanticism before he has to head back to the ship. (2/?) 🌊🐍
When he gets back, everyone can tell that he's acting a little different. Not necessarily happier, but just like, a different kind of happy. There's something so comforting, at least for me, about running into other people who are aro. It can sometimes be kind of isolating (again, this is just how I feel), so I think it would be nice for him to be able to have a few random interactions with people who have experiences similar to his in terms of being aromantic. (3/3, ASAW Day 1) 🌊🐍
ASAW Day 2, and I'm back with more aro Kanut. I've decided that the aro symbol from yesterday's ask is either a copper bracelet or a copper ring on the index finger (both would be worn on the left). I'd like to say I have reasoning for this, but I don't besides that fact that both would be visible but wouldn't be immediate identifiers of being aro unless someone knew the meaning. I also think these symbols could vary by region, but I just wanted something concrete I could talk about. (1/?) 🌊🐍
To recap the last ask, I'm not at all sold on this copper idea, but that's what I'm going to use for this just so I can be more specific. So, after Kanut runs into the owner of that tea shop, he starts to think that he should get a ring or a bracelet for himself (I'm just now realizing this was a bad idea because it might not be practical for him to wear hand jewelry since he's a healer, but I know nothing about world building or medicine, so let's just go with it for now). (2/?) 🌊🐍
After he decides to get a bracelet, he waits until he finds an aromantic artisan. He finally meets an older man with a copper ring who also happens to make jewelry. Once Kanut points his ring out, the man sort of catches on to what he's really trying to say, and they start talking. Kanut picks out a bracelet, and the man carves the Water Tribe symbol, as well as "Ullaakut" on the bracelet for him so it's a little more personal. (3/3 - This might be 4/4, I lost track, ASAW Day 2) 🌊🐍
Hello! ASAW Day 3. So far, I've sent aro Kanut headcannons that are related, and this one is sort of the final bit of this "storyline" that I've envisioned, so tomorrow there will be something different. Anyways, after Kanut gets his bracelet, the Ullakut stops in another Earth Kingdom town. While they're there, Kanut starts shopping for something new to read. He goes into a bookstore to look around, but after awhile, he notices a person, maybe around Nanook's age, looking at him. (1/?) 🌊🐍
When the person realizes he saw them, they turn away quickly, so he just sort of shrugs it off and keeps looking at books. A few minutes later, he senses someone standing near him, so he looks up, and it's that person again. He just kind of looks at them expectantly, like "Well?" The person points to his wrist and awkwardly compliments his bracelet, so he's like, "Okay. This person probably doesn't feel super comfortable bringing this up with a stranger but seems to need to talk." (2/?) 🌊🐍
He asks if they know what the bracelet means, and they give a little nod. The floodgates open, and they just start opening up to him about how they worry about how their aromanticism is going to affect their relationships with their friends and family, especially as they get older, and he just kind of responds and talks about how his friends reacted and accepted him. They talk for a long time, and the person mentions that they want to get a ring and asks for his help picking it out. (3/?) 🌊🐍
So they go, and the person gets their ring, but then they have to leave, so they thank Kanut for listening and being there for them because they didn't feel like anyone they knew would understand, and they really needed to talk to someone who did. And Kanut had friends who supported him, but he maybe never had someone else who was aro to look up to, so he's just glad that he got to be that person for someone else. (4/4, ASAW Day 3) 🌊🐍
omg anon tysm for these! sorry it took me a hot minute to post them but i’m honestly just loving these kanut hcs. and kanut helping a kid come to terms with his orientation??? i’m obsessed x
