CharCharChar

The March 2021 Carnival of Aces is dreams .  I love daydreaming even more than I love talking about writing. And you're right, this set up is not conducive to completing stories. But for now I'm enjoying the ride.  How characters connect with eachother in my daydreams varies. I've tapped into a dozen attraction types (yes there are a dozen or more), woven in boundary and expectation discussions, visualized hug positions and slow escalation of intimacy and breaking away and coming back together.  The bit that trips me up is - what do I want for myself? Do I want a person to sleep next to in bed? To lean against on the couch? To confide my emotional pain in? To split the chores with? To ask "how was your day"? To inform for the hundredth time how adorable my cat is? To take with me to family gatherings? I don't know.  Enjoying a daydream is a very shaky error-ridden blueprint for what would be enjoyed in reality.  In these quarantine times, I can't go out ...

The March Carnival of Aros is intersectionality and inclusivity .  I'm starting up a local Ace and Aro group . I've been meaning to do it for a while, and I'm getting the ball rolling again. Now is a great time to think about inclusivity. This post focuses on race, but the concepts can be applied to general inclusion of marginalized groups.  The Situation I'm white I'm starting a local ace and aro group I live in a city highly ranked for segregation. *cue the sad confetti* There is an assumption that asexuality/aromanticism/queerness is a "white thing"** Online spaces, queer spaces, and online queer spaces are often white-centric** **I don't recall specifically where I learned the last two points, or what evidence they had, but I believe these points to be true I'm not inventing the Wheel I'm not in this alone. I don't have to figure out how to be inclusive by sitting around with my thoughts.  The  White Supremacy Culture Characteristics ...

For AroWriMo 2021. The theme is "choosing to be yourself".  Also published with the 2021 ASAW edition of AAA Literary Journal here . Content Notes: a ghost, pressure.   Word Count: 1885 Lights, Camera, Aro! "Stop," says the man holding the threads of my future in my hands. "Look darling, come here for a second would you?" I approach the dimly lit desk, his co-chairs in too dim of lighting to make out after being in the stage lights. "We all know you can act, you wouldn't have made it this far if you couldn't act. What I'm asking for from you, is to emote, to bare your soul through improv. Can you do that?" I stand frozen, fighting back tears that don't belong. This is where good little girls say "Yes, I can do that." But it's too much of a lie. I don't know what's there to emote, and if I'm willing to look at it, let alone let others see. "We picked this scene specially for you darling," he adds...

 For Aro Jam 2021 and AroWriMo 2021. You can play the game here:  https://charcharchara.itch.io/superhero-inc As of 2/28/2021 it is only a demo.  How did I work in aromanticism? The main character is aromantic.  No matter your early choices, you will come to the choice "keep quiet" or "set her straight" in response to a coworker "heavily implying aros don't count as LGBT+".  If you choose "keep quiet," your decision is validated as you are not required to be an educator. If you choose "set her straight" you give a spiel about aromanticism.  I use clickable text so that readers who already know the meaning or don't want more information can just keep reading, or the reader can click to read more. The intent is to not bog down those who are familiar with aro concepts, to let those who do not wish to be exposed to aro-negativity skip the specifics, and to keep the story accessible to those who are not familiar with aro concepts.  I...

For AroWriMo 2021. A novella with the theme fantasy & ancient world.  I am looking for sensitivity readers to help me with my portrayal of inter-LGBT+ invalidation and conflict in later chapters. Comment or email me at CharCharCharAce@gmail.com if you are interested. The Syrinxian Diamond Summary: After a heist gone wrong, our hero is caught up in an interdimensional prophecy that just may bring them answers to the questions they don't know how to put into words, a feeling of difference, of not feeling right acting how they're supposed to act - but what other way is there to be? Follow our hero through desert ruins, the Wild West, a royal ball, and of course, a midnight trip to the library.  Word Count: 2539 Content Note: Unsupportive sibling, chapter one features the absence of knowledge of aromanticism, and doesn't feature aromanticism directly.  Chapter One: A Heist "I'm going to poke around a bit once I'm down there." Sand dances around my sh...

For AroWriMo 2021. The theme for script/play was humanity.  Content Notes: Depression, manipulation, unhealthy romantic relationship, processing self-blame Title: Leaving A fractured personal narrative on entering and leaving an unhealthy relationship and the pain of being aromantic without that knowledge. Cast of Characters BUG :                              Teen. Female. Two braids. Dressed to go out and be active. LILY :                              Early-mid 20's. Female. Long messy hair, unstyled. Loose clothes. No shoes. NARRATOR :              Late 20's. Female. Dressed in layers. Short hair (or hidden under a hat).  HIM :                               Male. Early-mid 20's. ...

For AroWriMo 2021. The theme was humanity.  Human = ( X - Y ) / Z What is human? to have homo sapien DNA a bipedal primate to pass the turing test to seek purpose and meaning in our lives the ability to communicate new and unique thoughts through language the desire to create and express to care, to strive to love -                    romantically. What am I then,              if for a time                         I am silenced?                        I am hollowed out, coccooned, waiting to breathe again?              if                    forever and always                         I do not love in the way ...