Karst

Happy Pride! By the way, do you have an online shop for your stuff?

Personally, I don't feel like there's any strong connection between my being aro/ace and being non-binary. They're both important facets of who I am, but they don't affect each other any more than my love of sketching affects my religious beliefs.

Original lyrics (from Mulan): (Be a man) We must be swift as the coursing river, (Be a man) With all the force of a great typhoon, (Be a man) With all the strength of a raging fire, Mysterious as the dark side of the moon Run through Esperanto, Welsh, Chinese, Xhosa, and Amharic: (To be human) We have to be fast like a river (To be human) With all the power of a mighty wind, (To be human) With all the power of a blazing fire Mysterious as the dark side of the moon

Welcome!

I opened this thread thinking it was going to be about the TV show... *facepalm* As someone who's pretty emotionally invested in fantasy worlds (I play and run Dungeons & Dragons games, and I'm a big fan of sci-fi), I think that you have to have a balance between enjoying imaginary things and knowing that art isn't, and can never be, life. Stories can be inspiring and an escape from the worst aspects of reality, but you can't immerse yourself in them so deeply that you lose contact with the real world.

I think that more people are out as trans/NB on the internet than in real life, especially in queer-oriented spaces. It's easier to express your identity in a space where you aren't going to be beaten up, lose your job, etc. over it. Historically, there have been a fair number of cultures where long hair is/was considered masculine or gender-neutral aside from the ones already mentioned on this thread. The Celtic and Germanic tribes of Iron Age Europe had warriors with long hair- here's an example where the hairstyle was actually preserved on a bog body (spoilered for human remains). Sikhs also don't cut their hair, but the prohibition applies to both men and women.

I use they/them because it's easier to fit into the existing grammar framework of English than neopronouns, IMHO.

As someone who doesn't have a particularly strong sense of Gender Identity (I just sort of grabbed the "agender" label and called it a day), it's amazing to me that there are people out there whose lived experiences include being more than one gender. It honestly seems like so much to deal with.

Don't worry too much about finding a *precise* microlabel for your identity. Many of them overlap, anyway.

When I'm around people who aren't likely to want or accept a full explanation of my orientation, I usually just tell them that I'm focusing on my studies/career and don't really have time to date. Maybe it's not ideal, but it saves me from an awkward conversation.

Personal style doesn't necessarily have anything to do with sexuality. Worst case scenario, you might get mistaken for a lesbian, but no one's going to call you out for Appropriation. Anyway, queer fashion isn't neatly divided up by orientation and gender.

There are some episodes of Doctor Who that still give me the creeps. Also, this isn't a movie, but my dad got the idea at one point to read me some Edward Gorey before bed, which terrified me for years. On the other hand, The Dark Crystal (which seems to be a pretty common childhood fear) left me totally unfazed.

I have one younger brother, who's bi.

A number of the romances in Deep Space 9 felt like they were written in just to persuade the viewers that various characters weren't gay. The 90s were a different time... (On a related note, I think that Dr. Bashir has the most powerful Bi Vibes I have ever seen in a TV character.)

I can feel pain in my dreams- last night I had an unpleasant one about moths that landed on people's hands and sucked their blood like mosquitoes. It felt like being stabbed with needles.

I mainly just use "non-binary" to describe myself, but I'll get more specific in queer spaces. I'm agender (AFAB), and my gender presentation leans more towards the masculine side. I'm not terribly attached to any particular gender label, to be honest. I just know that I'm not a man or a woman.

Side note: Bi people get hit with a lot of the same BS from inside the queer community. Some people just don't seem to get that you can pass as straight (or cisgender), but still have to deal with issues due to lack of understanding and acceptance of your sexuality/gender. We shouldn't reduce the queer community to a contest of "who's the most oppressed". Everyone has unique struggles in life, and just because someone else is in a worse situation doesn't make your problems less real.

Currently, my main gaming group is an adventure that my brother is running. Even if I weren't aro, having my character romance an NPC played by a family member would be incredibly weird.

Here's some AVEN threads that might help: https://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/137200-helpful-info-for-those-questioning-their-asexuality/ https://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/69810-what-is-sexual-attraction/

I took a close opposite-gender friend to a formal dance once- neither of us had a romantic partner to go with. To be honest, I think part of me just wanted to wear matching flowers with someone.

I feel pretty much the same way- not having a partner tends to be more immediately visible to to others than not having sex. That said, I still see being ace as an integral part of my identity. Maybe it's not the cornerstone of who I am, but it's still there.

You don't have to answer this question if you think it's too personal, but how do orientations... work?... for people who are plural? Do they have to be a matching set, so to speak?

There's a variety of sub-labels in the NB category. Take a look at some and see if anything stands out to you.