Mark

I'd define romantic intent as they want you to be "theirs". Something purely affectionate would be great.

Why do I find even trying monogamous relationships weird. For me it's kind of like being a badly cast actor. Very unnatural; lots of strange roles and expectations; dosn't really address what I want from human interaction; very much a "one size fits all".

It's the very idea of "has to choose" which gets me. Especially when there is no sensible plot or character reason excluding these characters winding up in a vee.

It could make sense for this to work when the love in question isn't romantic love. Such things as agape and phila enabling the good guys to work together whilst the bad guys find themselves obstructing each other or abandoned by their minions. My first though was this song.

How very arrogant of your alloromantic friends to assume that the way things work for them would work for you. If you are aromantic you'd, obviously, need to have "other forms of bonds" in place from the start. It's not like you can use romantic attraction as a form of "scaffolding". Or they end up confused by you treating it as a ludicrous comedy.

Possibly you could get "OK, you were right all along!" as an epitaph. So you don't want (a) relationship or "emotional connection" with anyone. But everyone wants that...

Actually I appear to have spent a fair part of my life feeling like a square peg wondering why I don't fit with social expectations. Anyone care to guess my age, BTW?

Attempted to try monogamy, even though it wasn't the kind of relationship I wanted. Was just completely weird.

Or you think "That sounds great. But your service would need some radical changes first. Like non assuming that everyone wants hetero-monogamy." Without kissing having a zombie disabling or confusing effect. Thus making sense in terms of plot.

As well as living with them, entangling personal finances, doing just about everything with them, etc... Seriously WTF! Or you wanted relationship(s) but "not like that".

Somewhat similar. Though it took me quite a while to find the term "solo poly". Since I find "group poly" and "hierarchical poly" as unappealing as monogamy. Where I had a big difficulty with fitting in with poly was never having wanted anything like being married, nesting relationships or to be "coupled".