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Asexuality and Asexual Characters in Books & Comics - a Collection


CosineTheCat

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1 hour ago, Woef said:

WHY DOESNT THAT COUNT?? :o:P

 

Because it's the obvious answer, and it gets boring to say favourite character? Hermione - favourite plot twist? Philosopher's stone - etc. 

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Carmilla DeWinter

Shameless self-promotion, only available in German:

My fantasy novel "Albenzauber" features two ace main characters with female pronouns, one of which is genderqueer. Also: one evil elven queen, a prince in exile, a lot of magic, very few swords, actual and mental prison cells.

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  • 1 month later...

YA* - Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1) - Seanan McGuire
Asexual MC

Quote

Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

 

NA*/short story - The Faerie Godmother's Apprentice Wore Green - Nicky Kyle

Asexual/Aromantic MC(s)

Quote

The village of Styesville has a dragon problem, and is in sore need of a knight in shining armor to solve it for them. Instead, they get a strange traveler in a ragged cloak they barely even notice at first. Worse still, it soon becomes clear the problem setting fire to their village isn't as simple as a dragon…

*NA =  New Adult

*YA = Young Adult

 

Romance - Ace of Hearts - Devyn Morgan

Asexual/Gay MCs

Quote

Sometimes your best match is the person you'd least expect

Brendan Cole’s quiet nature makes it hard to connect with people, but when he meets Lucas Amsden, everything changes. From the moment Lucas sweeps up to offer Brendan a plate of freshly baked cookies, his sunny disposition and generous nature give Brendan a new outlook on life. So when his new friend is pushed out onto the street by a bullying ex-boyfriend, Brendan is more than happy to offer Lucas a place to crash.

Lucas soon finds himself relying on Brendan’s steady practicality, even as he enjoys prodding Brendan to relax and have more fun. The only problem? Living with such a gorgeous yet untouchable guy just might drive him crazy. He understands why Brendan can't offer a traditional romantic relationship, but he also can’t imagine spending the rest of their lives as just-friends.

They may not be the typical couple, but Brendan cares too much to let Lucas drift out of his life. He's determined to find a way to make things work. Can the puzzle pieces of these two very different lives be made to fit together? With a little ingenuity, and a lot of luck, maybe they can create their own happily-ever-after.

Ace of Hearts is a standalone m/m romance with a HEA ending.

Gay romance

 

Romance - All the Wrong Places (Blue Water Bay #14) - Ann Gallagher

Homo/Biromantic Asexual MCs

Quote

Three cheating girlfriends in a row have given skateboarder Brennan Cross the same excuse: he wasn’t meeting their needs. Desperate and humiliated, he goes to the professionals at the local sex shop for advice.

Zafir Hamady, a sales clerk at Red Hot Bluewater, has an unusual theory: he doesn’t think Brennan is a bad lover. In fact, he doesn’t think Brennan is heterosexual. Or sexual at all, for that matter. He also can’t stop thinking about Brennan. But even if he’s right and Brennan really is asexual, that doesn’t mean Zafir has a chance. Brennan’s never dated a man, and Zafir’s never met anyone who’s game for a Muslim single father with a smart mouth and a GED.

Brennan’s always thought of himself as straight. But when sex is explicitly out of the mix, he finds himself drawn to Zafir for the qualities and interests they share. And Zafir can’t help enjoying Brennan’s company and the growing bond between Brennan and his son. They work well together, but with so many issues between them, doubts creep in, and Brennan’s struggle with his identity could push away the one person he didn’t know he could love.

Romance - For a Good Time, Call ... (Blue Water Bay #17) - Anne Tenino & E.J. Russell

Gay - greyromantic/Gay MCs

Quote

Thirty-seven-year-old Nate Albano’s second relationship ever ended three years ago, and since he’s grace—gray asexual—he doesn’t anticipate beating the odds to find a third. Still, he’s got his dog, his hobbies, and his job as a special effects technician on Wolf’s Landing, so he can’t complain—much.

Seth Larson, umpteenth generation Bluewater Bay, is the quintessential good-time guy, content with tending bar and being his grandmother’s handyman. The night they meet, Seth’s looking for some recreational sex to escape family drama. But for Nate, romantic attraction comes before sexual attraction, so while Seth thinks they’re hooking up, Nate just wants to talk . . . genealogy?

Dude. Seriously?

So they declare a “just friends” truce. Then Seth asks for Nate’s help investigating a sinister Larson family secret, and their feelings start edging way beyond platonic. But Nate may want more than Seth can give him, and Seth may not be able to leave his good-time image behind. Unless they can find a way to merge carefree with commitment, they could miss out on true love—the best time of all.

Romance - Blank Spaces (Toronto Connections #1) - Cass Lennox

Asexual/Gay MCs

Quote

Absence is as crucial as presence.

The decision to stop dating has made Vaughn Hargrave’s life infinitely simpler: he has friends, an excellent wardrobe, and a job in the industry he loves. That’s all he really needs, especially since sex isn’t his forte anyway and no one else seems interested in a purely romantic connection. But when a piece is stolen from his art gallery and insurance investigator Jonah Sondern shows up, Vaughn finds himself struggling with that decision.

Jonah wants his men like his coffee: hot, intense, and daily. But Vaughn seems to be the one gay guy in Toronto who doesn’t do hookups, which is all Jonah can offer. No way can Jonah give Vaughn what he really wants, not when Jonah barely understands what love is.

When another painting goes missing, tension ramps up both on and off the clock. Vaughn and Jonah find themselves grappling not just with stolen art, but with their own differences. Because a guy who wants nothing but romance and a guy who wants nothing but sex will never work—right? Not unless they find a way to fill in the spaces between them.

Romance - Finding Your Feet (Toronto Connections #2) - Cass Lennox

Transgender Male / Female Asexual

Quote

While on holiday in Toronto, Evie Whitmore planned to sightsee and meet other asexuals, not audition for a dance competition. Now she’s representing Toronto’s newest queer dance studio, despite never having danced before. Not only does she have to spend hours learning her routine, she has to do it with one of the grumpiest men she’s ever met. Tyler turns out to be more than a dedicated dancer, though—he might be the kind of man who can sweep her off her feet, literally and figuratively.

Tyler Davis has spent the last year recovering from an emotionally abusive relationship. So he doesn’t need to be pushed into a rushed routine for a dumb competition. Ticking major representation boxes for being trans and biracial isn’t why he went into dance. But Evie turns out to be a dream student. In fact, she helps him remember just how good partnering can be, in all senses of the word. Teaching her the routine, however, raises ghosts for him, ones he’s not sure he can handle.

Plans change, and people change with them. Learning a few steps is one thing; learning to trust again is another entirely.

***M/F tropes up the Wazoo warning***

 

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  • 1 month later...

The Webtoons comic The Mann and Lucky Channel is about an asexual and a bisexual couples relationship, its good for someone who wants a quick read 

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knittinghistorian

I would argue that Agatha Christy's detective Hercule Poirot is asexual, and mostly aromantic.

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Madelyn Faith

The Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin is a good read about a genderfluid teen. It's not specifically about asexuality, but I really like it since it's so rare to read a good YA book with LGBTQ+ characters.

 

Here's the synopsis for anyone who's interested:

The first thing you’re going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?

Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is…Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life.

On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it’s REALLY like to be a gender fluid teenager. But just as Riley’s starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening exposure. Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk everything.

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AcornCarvings

Neither of these directly relate to asexuality, but I recommend reading them anyways:

 

Ancillary Justice (sci-fi):

By Ann Leckie, "The novel follows Breq, the sole survivor of a starship destroyed by treachery and the vessel of that ship's artificial consciousness, as she seeks revenge against the ruler of her civilization." (Wikipedia)

This series features many close relationships without the need to label them. Although some involve sex, it is never a central feature, nor focused on or with any scenes. 

The main character's civilization does not 'do' gender, so everyone in the book is written using she/her pronouns. This acts as a great way to recognize the assumptions we make about people based off gender, and gives a lot of strong non-male characters!

 

The short instructional manifesto for relationship anarchy (I don't know which category this would fall under):

https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/andie-nordgren-the-short-instructional-manifesto-for-relationship-anarchy

This is a short read that explains relationship anarchy. From my experience, it resonates pretty well with asexual people. 

    "Your feelings for a person or your history together does not make you entitled to command and control a partner to comply with what is considered normal to do in a relationship. Explore how you can engage without stepping over boundaries and personal beliefs."

    "Love is not more “real” when people compromise for each other because it’s part of what’s expected."

    "Relationship anarchy is not about never committing to anything — it’s about designing your own commitments with the people around you, and freeing them from norms dictating that certain types of commitments are a requirement for love to be real, or that some commitments like raising children or moving in together have to be driven by certain kinds of feelings."

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  • 2 months later...

So Tumblr’s just introduced me to a book that apparently came out in January called Let’s Talk About Love, written by Claire Kann. Dunno what it’s like, but I’m a little interested in seeing what it’s about! 

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  • 2 weeks later...

This is awesome! So many books! :D

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Blaiddmelyn

Perfect Rhythm by Jae is surprisingly good. It's a lesbian romance novel with one of the protaganists being ace (and features a side ace/aro character in a queerplatonic relationship) . A bit cliched in terms of the plotline but you can tell the author did her research into asexuality and, aside from one or two moments, I thought treated it quite well. Worth a read if you want something light.

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In the Manga/Graphic Novels section, you can add the DC Comic, The Movement. It has a fantastic female character named Roshanna Chatterji who speaks up about her asexuality in issue 10! :D

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sorry to disrupt the peace by Patty Yumi Cottrell.

 

This superb  novel (opinion of iff) is about a young woman who returns to her adoptive home after the death of her brother to find the truth between it.

 

On page 81 of my edition, she reasons that her brother was probably asexual. Later, she declares herself that she doesn't have sex though not in those words. She also describes later that neither her or her brother are sexual people. There is a scene about her experiencing "something close to sexual desire" though.

 

TW for novel: suicide and mental illness

 

Sfgate review also picks up on this in their review

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whimsical_dragon

I write a light, humorous fantasy series where the entire world is basically asexual (they're fairies, gnomes, pixies, etc). I also have some free content (an ongoing blog and some shorts) on my blog. Links to all of it are here: https://ccnaughtonblog.wordpress.com/chronology-of-the-tales-of-twinkle-dingle/

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  • 3 weeks later...

the maid's version by Daniel woodrell

 

One of the secondary character. On page 40 of my copy,  the wife of a main character is described as "preferring to have her mind tickled intimately and to keep her clothes on". After the birth of their second child, woodrell uses a metaphor to describe how she was satisfied with two children and wouldn't have sex again.

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LadyWallflower

Under Fiction you have the Pavilion of Women by Pearl S. Buck. I agree with this, because Madame Wu reads like an asexual character to me. However, your summary you have for the story makes absolutely no sense? I think you have the wrong summary?

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Hayis4horses

I spent so long researching these Young Adult Books (they all have 1 or more asexual or asexual spectrum character):

 

How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee

Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Fourth World by Lyssa Chiavari 

Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann

We Awaken by Calista Lynne

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate

City of Strife by Claudie Arseneault

 

I have not read any (except for City of Strife, which was one of the best books I have ever read), I am just going off of reviews and other research.

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MorganRouth

Hi! My name is Morgan, and I write romance novels specifically in the asexual and demisexual spectrums.  

 

My newest novel is Sarah: An Introverted Demisexual Romance

It's a part of a new anthology I'm doing. Sarah ranked #48 in the Amazon Top 100 Bestsellers Category for LGBT Anthologies and Collections! 

 

Description:

Demisexual Sarah explores her new electrifying feelings and pushes her introverted limits when she meets vibrant Toni.

In a beautiful city, a sweet girl named Sarah works part-time at the zoo. Everything is exactly the way she likes it, simple. She lives in routine, steady happiness. That is, until an alluring woman named Toni crashes into her life. Suddenly Sarah is swept into a fashionable and chaotic world, tormented by the pressure of her old fashioned family and the temptation of passionate new experiences. The depths of these new, primal feelings yank her around. Pain and ecstasy she’s never felt before. 
Should she turn her back on the safety and emotional security of what she knows? Charge recklessly into the arms of this high stakes love? 
Sarah is alone in her choices.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Sarah-Introverted-Demisexual-Intimacy-Anthology-ebook/dp/B07CSGGK81/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1533148799&sr=8-1&keywords=sarah+morgan+routh&dpID=51-oSt22ZHL&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

 

 

Please check out the book and add Sarah to your Romance list. She's taking the Amazon LGBT categories by storm and I have high hopes for the sequels!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hey so I'm reading a book called "Portrait Of A Murderer" by Anne Meredith (pseudonym of Lucy Beatrice Malleson) which is a classic crime novel and there's a character here called Teresa Field, she's a really small character and we only even know her name well into the book, when she has a conversation with another character about a detail of the night of the crime, but there's a part there that jumped at my eye and here's the transcription:


 

Quote

 

Miles supposed she meant she had a regular follower, but she negativated that, saying, "No, sir, it's just that I don't care about that kind of thing. It doens't lead anywhere."

Miles observerd reasonably that it led to a home and family.

"I meant, sir, it doesn't lead anywhere that I want to go. I've got two married sisters, and I've stayed with them both. Well, it's all right for them, because they like it, but it's shown me that isn't what I want."

 

 

 

She then talks about her ambitions, but i think this part was pretty clear about her lack of interest in the world of sex and love, so she might very well be aro-ace :D

She's very far from the spotlight, this conversation was her only big appearence and it lasts roughly a chapter, but hey it was a nice surprise for me :D

 

I then searched the author's name and although I didn't investigate into detail, she never married, so it's speculating, but maybe she was in a similar position to Teresa. What are your thoughts?

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14 hours ago, Nancy Esther said:

I'm not really into fiction right now so I'm gonna peep the non fiction really hard. Buuuut, I'm so glad I found this!!!😊

Right!? @CosineTheCat is amazing for starting this thread!

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On 5/20/2017 at 4:30 PM, Deus Ex Infinity said:

I'd be grateful for any sci-fi ace recommendations :D

The best of all possible worlds by Karen Lord has an agender ace in it, though they are not the main character. There's a sequel that has a second ace in it.

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Guest Deus Ex Infinity
22 hours ago, lapat67 said:

The best of all possible worlds by Karen Lord has an agender ace in it, though they are not the main character. There's a sequel that has a second ace in it.

Cool! Thanks! What's the name of the book?

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1 hour ago, Deus Ex Infinity said:

Cool! Thanks! What's the name of the book?

"The best of all possible worlds"

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  • 1 month later...

Vicious and its sequel, Vengeful by V.E. Schwab has an ace protagonist (well. More of an anti-hero protagonist). It's hinted at in Vicious but confirmed in Vengeful.

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On 9/1/2018 at 6:37 PM, Nancy Esther said:

I'm not really into fiction right now so I'm gonna peep the non fiction really hard. Buuuut, I'm so glad I found this!!!😊

Hi Nancy, not sure if you have read my non-fiction Asexual Perspectives book already? 

ASEXUAL PERSPECTIVES 47 ASEXUAL STORIES: LOVE, LIFE and SEX, ACElebration of ASEXUAL DIVERSITY  

This is my own non-fiction book in which I interviewed 46 asexuals around the globe and across the asexual spectrum, many of who were from this site. What is good about this book is it does not just give text book definitions of what asexuality it and the various subcategories within the asexual spectrum, but rather it shows you through the real life stories of the interviewees. 

 

Get it from Amazon UK https://amzn.to/2OsL0N7

Get it from Amazon .com https://amzn.to/2ROeZxf

Or from my own site www.quirkybooks.net 

 

The blurb is in the post above if you wanted to check it out xx

 

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