Back in 2020, we put together Common Bonds, a collection of short stories and poems featuring aromantic characters and centering platonic relationships. It was the first aromantic-first SFF anthology available and a thundering success. When we decided to revisit the concept in 2025 with Common Bonds 2, we received so many great submissions that we took one daring bet: we would build not one, but two anthologies from them, and our communities would be there for both.

With Common Bonds 2 successfully out to its loving readers, we turn our attention to a new set of stories. So here we are, ready to make Common Bonds 3 a reality and put even more aromantic SFF in the world. Here are all the ways you can help us fund our third anthology!

At the heart of this collection are the bonds that impact our lives from beginning to end: platonic relationships. Whether with family, mentors, friends, colleagues, or found family, these links pepper our lives and their importance is often overlooked. We seek to explore the powerful impact of these bonds on aromantic people through the lens of science-fiction and fantasy.

In Common Bonds 3, you will find 18 gorgeous short stories and poems that span science-fiction, fantasy, and horror from writers all around the world, all of which are led by an aromantic character and centre platonic bonds. This anthology totals around 80,000 words, which is 15,000-20,000 more words than previous ones (that'd be about 80 extra pages)! 

Our Common Bonds 3 stories are all chosen, so here are (in no particular order) the stories you will find within this anthology:

"The Dogs Are All Right" by Andrew Kozma
The aliens are here. Declan has promised his dead sister Hannah he'd take care of her husband Joe—but Joe's rejected friendship from everyone, even his own dog, now granted speech. This alien offering is about to change their thorny relationship forever.

"The Visitor" by Ary Madrigal
In a world where deceased loved ones can return for one last Visit, Bree gets a second chance to say goodbye to her dead sister, Mariah. But can she say everything she needs to say when Mariah can't know she's dead?

"The Demon and the Web" by Aubrey Wroth
When a thorny friendship breakup tears apart Eschiva’s connection to her community, it weakens her protection from the demons she is hired to purge—and against one who has shared her pain, she will need to strengthen bonds both new and old to survive.

"The Bone Orchard Pact" by Bella Chacha
When the king’s men come to claim her bone orchard, Nyambura awakes its ancient hunger so that it may defend itself, but the roots crave far more than soldier blood.

"The Benefits of Bursting a Bubble" by E. H. Timms
Three academics out to get marine samples—a phoenix, a selkie, and a witch—get trapped in a bubble of wild magic and attempt an impossible ritual.

"The Stars Don't Speak of Love" by Emmanuel Kibet
A lonely engineer and a sentient ghost ship find in each other what neither could find in the human world—not romance, but something fonder; a connection that doesn't need a name. What does love look like when it stops acting for an audience?

"Aquarius" by Julie Sondra Decker
Two arospec life partners apply for a prestigious position that will have them performing medical duties aboard a first-contact spaceship–a one way trip. But first they'll spend decades facing the stars alone together, waiting to wake their patients up from cryogenic sleep, and carrying the hopes of an entire planet.

"Fair Friend, You Can Never Be Old" by Kenzie Leong
In 18th century New Jersey, a young man reluctantly joins the Continental Army as a means to escape his past, and befriends a fellow recruit who walks away from the bloodiest battlefields unharmed. Meanwhile, something stalks the woods at night, leaving soldiers dead and drained of blood.

"You, Me, and the Sea" by Lucy Mason
Aromantic Masie is immune to a sirens’ illusory magic and becomes the first person to ever see what one truly looks like. Out of a shaky predator-prey beginning, they forge a lifelong bond of trust and understanding.

"Continuity, Immemorial" by MJ Palau-McDonald
When their ancestral land is decimated by haole hubris, an immortal guardian must guide their people to a new home. But the human who embodied the clan's morals and customs is dead, leaving behind a sister raised by colonizers, cast out to learn the very science that would allow their migration. But in the face of losing what it means to be ‘Ōiwi altogether, can their shared loss be enough to unite them?

"Lynx & Heron, Heron & Lynx" by Mallory G. Spencer
Two daemons explore the ravaged realm of dreams, searching amongst the long-dead remains of its previous inhabitants for the unspoken shape of their home and love—and with it, the words to make it real.

"Bond of Choice" by May Barros
Yara and Alicia are a human-mermaid pair that met during a storm and now share a platonic partnership together. When they are gifted an egg of mysterious origins, both decide to embark on the adventure of caring for a pet that will change everything, including their relationship.

"The Aurora Conundrum" by P.S.C. Willis
Cursed to sleep until true love's kiss, Aurora should have been doomed to drift in her spaceship forever. So when a stranger awakens her through a syringe, she’s curious about it—though not enough to trust him. Even curiouser: when she lands on the nearest habitable planet, the very same man she just abandoned is waiting for her... and he doesn't remember her at all.

"What the Smoke Foretold" by R. Xiang
When Ming Kuashan receives a portent of death for the coming winter, it falls upon them to seek protection for their village. They intend to summon a dangerous wish-granting monster alone, but when their sister shows up to help, Ming Kuashan has to navigate the difficult tangle of collective risks and their own protective love.

"The One Who Walked Beside Me" by Shofiqure Rahman
A poignant poem about an aroace person and their lifelong shadow wolf companion.

"On Why You Shouldn't Bring Your Ex Back from the Dead" by Solstice Lamarre
Leo's ex boyfriend is dead. Unfortunately, Leo’s not quite over how things ended between them. Fortunately, he's studying necromancy. But said ex didn't come back the same, and still wants more than Leo can ever offer–like human flesh. Turns out, unearthing a dead body is sometimes easier than coming to terms with who you are.

"The Dead Girl of Laurel Creek" by Sparrow Josephs
Mabel, a dreamwitch-in-denial, flees her abusive family to a small, middle-of-nowhere town, where she gets tangled up in the knotted roots of another woman’s bloody family past, and that of her mysterious, precocious little sister. The good news: Mabel’s found a real connection and life here. The bad news: nobody can ever leave—Mabel included.

"Skybound Blessings" by Victoria Ojo
A vibrantly illustrative poem about the lifelong bond between father and child.

Here is a full list of the rewards, in both Canadian dollars and American Dollars. The conversions to USD are approximate and solely to help you quickly get a sense of the numbers, rather than a promise of what you will pay. 

Please note that in order to get physical add ons, you must pick a tier with a physical rewards. Furthermore, BackerKit will only charge shipping later in the process, when we are ready to send rewards and can have our most accurate prices. You will find below our best estimates of shipping costs. 

There are, in essence, two types of reward tiers: Common Bonds 3 only, and All Common Bonds anthologies together. If you wish to mix and match (ex.: CB3 and CB1, but not CB2), select a Common Bonds 3 only tier, then use the Add Ons to complete your pledge!

Add Ons are separated in three broad categories: extra Common Bondsgoodness, bundles of books, and the high end professional services. Please keep in mind that in order to add a physical add on, you must have selected a tier with a physical reward.   

Extra Common Bonds: Snatch up copies of our previous Common Bonds anthologies, or add extra paperback copies of Common Bonds 3 to your pledge!

Sponsor a Marketing Copy: Over the years, many of you have expressed the desire to help us get more visibility for Common Bonds. This lets you add a physical copy to our marketing budget! While we reserve the final decision on how to allocate this, we'll definitely be asking you for suggestions, so you can tell us about your local queer groups or libraries!

Stories from Claudie Arseneault: Fans of aromantic fantasy can grab two different sets of stories from Claudie Arseneault. First is Kaeralgan the Vicious and the Sky Mobulas, a cozy fantasy friendship story. Second is the two Chronicles of Nerezia bundles, containing an epic road trip adventures with big found family energy. If you backed for the Nerezia bundle in our Common Bonds 2 campaign, the second bundle (6-9) starts where you left off!

Bundles of Books from Various Authors
We put together a cool selection of story bundles for you! We're very excited about these. Common Bonds would not exist without the aromantic community, readers and authors both, and with these bundles, it's more true than ever. It's a pleasure for the team to showcase so many cool aromantic stories and to share some of our visibility and success with them.

First, the two bundles from our current Common Bonds people:

Bundle #1: Short stories from our Common Bonds 3 authors! At $6, this bundle includes: 

Bundle #2: Books from the editorial team! These were all selected to be different from our bundle during the Common Bonds 2 campaign, too! At $20, this bundle includes:

Second, the two bundles from others not otherwise involved in this project. Authors in these bundles will receive $1 (USD) for each bundle, so you're not only supporting Common Bonds 3, you're helping the wider indie aro SFF community thrive!

Bundle #2: Books from previous Common Bonds authors. Featuring wonderful aromantic SFF from authors we've published in Common Bonds 1 & 2! At $15, this bundle includes: 

Bundle #3: Books from other aro indie authors. Featuring incredible arospec fantasy books from the wider indie aromantic SFFH community. At $25, this bundle includes:

Finally, we have two very special add ons, which I've called the high end professional services: short story edits and fully-rendered art!

Short story edits: Get developmental feedback on your short story from Claudie Arseneault, RoAnna Sylver, and Emery Lee! The short story must be 6000 words or shorter and be science fiction, fantasy, or horror.  We recommend you send us aromantic or platonic-centered short fiction for the best feedback!

Fully-rendered art comission: Commission a fully rendered piece from May Barros, one of our multi-talented authors. Turnaround for this is about 6 months, and May keeps 40% of the commission price. You can see her full portfolio here.

Check out these other incredible projects that are part of the Bazaar and we thought might interest you!

These two first are queer anthologies:

And these are queer SFF books !