Fictosexuality, Asexuality, and the Fluidity of Desire in Cosplay Spaces

• In Event: 30412 - Retheorizing Sex, Desire, and Consent

Abstract

Abstract
This study explores the intersections of fictosexuality and asexuality, examining how individuals on the asexual spectrum experience and negotiate desire in cosplay and fandom spaces. While asexuality is often defined by an absence of sexual attraction, the phenomenon of fictosexuality—romantic and/or sexual attraction toward fictional characters—complicates traditional understandings of intimacy. Through autoethnography and qualitative interviews with seven Chinese fictosexual and asexual participants, this research investigates how fantasy, performance, and role-play shape the lived experiences of those who exist outside of heteronormative and allosexual frameworks.
The findings reveal that fictosexuality provides an alternative mode of intimacy and attraction that exists beyond physical relationships. Many asexual individuals describe deep emotional or romantic connections with fictional characters, which offer a form of self-exploration and identity affirmation without the constraints of traditional romantic or sexual partnerships. The study also highlights the ways in which asexual individuals engage with sexualized cosplay spaces, often performing attraction in ways that challenge dominant understandings of desire. Additionally, the research examines the role of fantasy relationships, cosplay commissions, and BDSM role-play in shaping fictosexual and asexual subjectivities.
By framing fictosexuality and asexuality as queer phenomena, this study contributes to broader discussions on the fluidity of attraction, the legitimacy of non-physical intimacy, and the importance of fantasy in constructing alternative modes of love and desire.

Author

• Weifeng Tao, University of Oxford