Apex

I think it would be nice to be married one day, but right now it's not a need or anything. Kids are much more iffy. With the right person, maybe 10 years or so from now, I can see myself adopting an older child (like over 7 years old). But it's unlikely.

Welcome! Your icon (with the cat) is really cute ?

Welcome!

Welcome! I hope that you find more acceptance here You mentioned being a cat lover- do you own any?

I have limited experience due to a general lack of attraction. Tried Tinder and such a few times but decided to stop, because hookups aren't very satisfying and everyone seemed so fake (not their fault; it's hard to not look fake given the design of dating apps/sites IMO). I agree with what others have said about hookup culture; being allo-aro doesn't make it easier or more desirable for me. Especially when the other party isn't aro. Even when I've communicated my lack of attraction, there's still a lingering sense of unease. Ideally I would like a close FWB or sexual QPP. Someone that I can grow close to outside of the bedroom, in a relationship where there's mutual understanding and comfort. I can still see myself having one night stands in the future but it'd have to be under the right conditions. I don't think I'll be looking for them specifically any time soon.

Welcome It's perfectly fine to call yourself aro now; it's difficult for anyone to be 100% sure of their identity, we can't see into the future.

Welcome!

I would like to be in a committed relationship, maybe one that people see as romantic from the outside, but it wouldn't necessarily have to be romantic. The fantasy of being in a romantic relationship is nice but I don't know if I could handle it IRL. I'd feel super guilty about not being able to reciprocate my partner's feelings, and I'd probably feel pressured. I'm still open to the idea, but it'd have to be with the right person who really understood my aro-ness.

Welcome!

Welcome! Do you enjoy being a librarian? It's always seemed like a nice job to me, but I don't know the ins-and-outs lol

Welcome!

I think that friendships are a type of platonic relationship, but they aren't the only type. I wouldn't consider my professors/advisors my friends, for example. In the future I'd like a platonic partnership/QPR and wouldn't really call that a friendship either, because the circumstances would be different from what I'd normally expect with a friendship. However, I will add that I believe friendship to be an important component for many relationships, both platonic and romantic. I would want my future QPP to also be my friend. So I don't think that "platonic relationship" and "friendship" are synonymous.

I first learned about it in 2011 (freshman year of high school) and I'm 23 now. I remember stumbling upon it because I had learned about asexuality recently and thought, "I wonder if there's a romantic version of that? Because that would explain a lot," and then googling it.

I think it depends on what label (if any) you feel the most connection with, and what matters most to you. If your attraction towards both "male" and "female" genitals is important to you, if your sleeping and flirting with men is important to you, if you can see yourself being in some sort of relationship with a man (if you want relationships), etc... then you might find bi to be a comfortable label. If not, you might feel more authentic calling yourself hetero and that's fine. I don't think that liking dick automatically makes you bi, women can have dicks and vise versa. Sexuality is complicated and words like "straight" or "bi" or "heteroflexible" don't always encompass every facet of it. You don't have to label yourself either. For instance, I'm attracted to multiple/all genders but I can't relate to other WLW or bi people, to the point that it feels wrong to call myself bi. So I don't.

I do feel loved; I have family and friends who love me. Although, I don't think there's love in all of my relationships; like you said, there's a difference between a friend liking you and platonic love. And that's fine with me. Personally, I've never cared for those "You're special, you're loved!" mental health things. Having a stranger tell me that I'm loved does nothing for me. They don't know me or my circumstances. Some people feel helped by those words of encouragement & I think that's a great, but usually it just seems... really shallow? If someone is depressed, etc., then they're going to need a lot more than that. I also agree that there's an issue with the love = value thing. Personally I feel like the majority of people need some positive connections in their lives (be it with family, friends, a mentor, a pet, whatever), but I don't think it should define the worth of someone's life.

I guess I'm technically cupio, since I like the idea of being in a romantic relationship (although I don't need one). But I'm fine with just calling myself aromantic. I remember hearing the term a few years ago but I forgot what it meant so thank you for reminding me ?

That sounds like a good idea! I know there's an ace & aro (well, mostly ace) meetup around me, but it doesn't look very active.

I think my ideal situation would be living with a QPP (or QPPs?). I would prefer separate rooms, or at least separate beds, but it would still be nice to share a bed every so often. Right now I rent a place with a few friends and I'm pretty happy with it.

I recently ordered the "aro-gator" pin from here, it'll be my first aro pride merch ?

I meant to comment on your thread when I first discovered this forum, but I would definitely be interested in an aro-centric app. However I also agree with what others have said here, that there may not a big enough "market" to keep one afloat. I wish there was something we could use though. I checked out ACEapp briefly but it seemed too ace-centric; aromantic orientations weren't even included when making your profile.

Hi, I'm not particularly new to aromanticism, but things have kept me away the past few years. I'm in the process of re-accepting myself. A little bit about me! I'm about to start a master's degree in biology but I'm also an artist. I like anime/manga, scifi/fantasy, nature, costumes, thrifting, and a bunch of other stuff. I'm alterhuman, which is another important part of my identity, and I'm a furry too. I'm fairly romance-favorable and would like a QPP one day. I don't feel attraction towards real people, but I've always gotten crushes on fictional characters, which I guess puts me in a weird place among other arosepc people lol. It's nice to meet you all!