I've been having far too much fun drawing my various aro OCs like this, so here's a two for one - Ewan and Will, the main characters of a graphic novel I'm working on called The Woodsman And The Wolf!
Ewan Dair (he/him) and William Scarrow (he/him)
Genre: fantasy/fairytale
Identities: both are aromantic asexual
I like to describe TWaTW as 'a queerplatonic fairytale about monsters and what it means to be one', and as the title might suggest it's a bit (very very) loosely inspired by Little Red Riding Hood. Ewan, a woodsman who lives in a village that's currently being terrorised by a monstrous Wolf, finds an injured man (Will) in the woods one day, seemingly savaged by that Wolf, and in the process of offering him help he eventually finds not just a friend but also the truth about what's really out there in the woods...
In the interests of avoiding spoilers I won't go into the plot beyond that, but here's a little bit more about my guys:
Ewan is the sort of man who likes to be useful, to help people, but he also tends to keep to himself and not speak much unless spoken to. He can be surprisingly eloquent when he does speak, though, and he's an enthusiastic craftsman, turning his hands to anything that takes his fancy. He's well thought of in the village, if considered a little harmlessly peculiar, but keeping his own company means no one really notices the nightmares, the old injuries, and the times when even his waking mind shows him old blood on his hands.
Will spends his life travelling from place to place, never able to put down roots and scared of getting close to people lest they notice certain things about him. One of the few pleasures in his life is books and learning, although a life on the road can make those hard to access. When he does speak to people, he's surprisingly kind and good-humoured, but he's also wary and closed off, always keeping one eye on an exit route. He might be alone by choice, but it's a choice that has always seemed more like necessity, and in truth he's desperate for the connections that he thinks someone like him can't have.
They don't live in a world that has our current concept of queerplatonic relationships, but a committed platonic relationship is where they're headed (despite various narrative bumps in the road along the way). As well as being a story about monsters, theirs is a story about two very lonely people who find each other and slowly become dear friends, a friendship that both come to consider the most important relationship in their life. There should be more entirely platonic love stories in the world, and I'm very fond of this one.
Mini playlist, for extra vibes:
Haven't Been Doing So Well - Frank Turner - 'Cause I've been hemmed in, penned down, struggling to find myself / Caved in, cut down, scared of everybody else / Dragged in, dragged down, searching for a reason to live (Will)
I'll Be Good - Jaymes Young - I'll be good, I'll be good / And I'll love the world like I should yeah / I'll be good, I'll be good / For all of the times I never could (Ewan)
Some Kind Of Home - Thriving Ivory - I wanna know where you go / When you're dreaming / I wanna see what you see / When your eyes close / And when it all goes down / Will you have a place to run?