DeltaAro

Thanks for posting this, very beautiful. Especially the dragon, really cute. I don't know anything about Harry Potter and wouldn't even have recognized that this character is part of the franchise. Aside from copyright issues, that's another reason to not do fan fiction or fan art and instead create your own characters, or those that are truly part of shared culture. You don't know what the original author may turn out to be like...

This is called "Dark Tourism". It depends if the aliens are into this. If yes, Earth would be a great destination.

Yeah, sorry, I actually do not care about people using words the "wrong" way. The reason I asked is because this board regularly has questions of the type "Can you be aro and X?" / hot topic discussions (e. g. "aplatonic", "asexual lesbians") where I just wonder what the ACTUAL issue is. Like is it about word usage, concepts or facts? In this example, you could be (1) surprised that people write letters which express non-romantic love (psychology, sociology), or (2) that such letters are called "love letters". I'm not that surprised about (1), except if they heavily emulate the style of romantic love letters.

You say they hide. But can you really discount all those stories about alien lovers as mere alloromantic fantasies? What about Deanna Troi? Or is Xenu conceived as supernatural? 👽

Well, you are forgiven. It is not me who is harmed by thy deeds, but only the English language. But to now seriously get a better grasp on what actually a romantic gesture is, I googled for it and came across this site. So here are my opinions on a few of those "romantic gestures". Do the dishes or a chore that your significant other hates doing. Approve. Also buy me a dishwasher. Pick up the phone and give them a call instead of texting them. Please text only. Make a plan instead of debating where to eat or what movie to see. Nope. Bring them back a souvenir from you trip. Approve. But do romantic couples travel separately? Offer them the last bite. Approve. Bring home their favorite meal for dinner. Approve. Surprise them with something nice if they've had a bad day. No surprises, please. Buy them something you know they're about to run out of. Approve. Bring them their coffee in bed in the morning. Ewwww no. I drink tea. Dress up once in a while. Please no. Leave them little notes. No, very annoying. Tag them in a meme. NO. Pack them a lunch one day. Approve. Take them to your favorite places. No, to my favorite places. Insist on starting a show together. Nope. Put a picture of the two of you up. Please no. Share a secret family recipe with them. Approve. Tell them something you love about them Don't care. Pull them aside for a minute. NOOOO! Let them off the hook. Yes, absolutely. I do indeed concur, wholeheartedly! (Commander William T. Riker, Star Trek: TNG, S02E02) Put in the extra effort with people they love. Approve. Let them know you're thinking about them. Don't care. Try to read their emotions. Please stop.

Well, I don't know. I mean, is this about external facts (human psychology, sociology) or about language (how the term is used)? Or both?

New definition of aromanticism: "When your girlfriend regrettably is not imaginary."

Hmmmmmmmmmm No Maybe for you but not for me. I would personally be more weirded out if someone served me a heart shaped bacon. But that’s my opinion. I'm an aro vegan. Heart-shaped bacon would weird me out no matter what... 😁 🥓=😒 But this is about the meaning of the word "gesture". Merriam Webster: something said or done by way of formality or courtesy, as a symbol or token, or for its effect on the attitudes of others Cambridge Dictionary: an action that expresses your feelings or intentions, although it might have little practical effect Wiktionary: an act or a remark that serves as a formality or as a sign of attitude So sex is a GESTURE???🤷‍♂️ Yeah, ok. Maybe in aro culture and I didn't get the memo...

All which has been mentioned is indeed associated with romance, but these are activities or rituals and not gestures. "Oh, the sex last night was such a nice gesture" Doesn't that sound weird? Leaving notes with compliments or serving bacon in a heart shape (cringe), etc. that's what I would classify as romantic gesture.

OK, seriously. On which planet are cuddling sex watching the stars together kissing using pet names gestures? I always thought that gestures are actions that must be a bit special and not something you do all the time. Also they have to be one-sided and not simply be a shared activity. Which means they have to be innocuous that you do not need a permission. All this is not true for those examples. IMHO the only real gestures mentioned so far were: sending love letters, giving flowers / chocolate and complimenting.

Hello!!

Yes, I hate it. But this would be an understatement.

Nooooo.... Well, it's a LOVE letter. Isn't hat simply a romantic thing?

To me it's Wasting Love (1992) by Iron Maiden. I likely interpret this in a way not intended by the composer. But to me this describes the aro experience of being an outsider and having lost all chance at romantic "love" while OTOH, yeah, becoming really indifferent about mainstream allo society seeking romantic fulfillment...

I imagine that in a parallel universe this really is an Aro Cultural Center, offering exhibitions on aromanticism, aromantic cinema, aromantic live music, aromantic comedy, aromantic dance, aromantic drama, aromantic theatre, aromantic galleries... all for aros.

Depends on the "relationship"... it it is unconventional enough, yes... But, for example, I simply could not accept cohabitation, no matter how much platonically and sexually attracted (sexual attraction isn't something enduring anyway, but has more a flash in the pan quality) I am to someone. I know dormitories and barracks. They're bad, for sure. But I can deal with them. At least I have my own bed and the other people are not maximally intrusive 24/7. I find it difficult to state it that bluntly... It would also not be true. I'm interested in other things, too. If only it does NOT involve romance. So if they want to play e. g. It Takes Two (that's an actual video game and not an euphemism for...😁), that's fine ...

LOL, this anime was a bit too bizarre for me. Watched like 4 or 5 episodes... On the upside, there's one character named JotARO Kujo. 😁 Just another Isekai Power Fantasy and Overlord rip-off...

On some occasions there are special Zeppelin flights in more northern cities (Cologne, Düsseldorf, ...). But if you're that far away anyway, like Sweden, I guess those +/- 500 km do not really matter...

LOL, I made a conscious effort not to mention anything from THAT book. Though this is IMHO one of the greatest non-fiction works... 😉😉 But yeah, The Poison Garden of Alnwick Castle.... I would like to visit that, too.... in the far North East of England. I only was in England once in the South: Cambridge & London. Eisriesenwelt is great. But it still pales compared to the caves of Slovenia, IMHO. Oh, another place I want to visit (not one of the most impressive, but one for which I already booked and planned everything) is: Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, Kassel, Germany. It is not mentioned in that certain book, 😉 but an UNESCO World Heritage Site: Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe is the largest European hillside park, and second largest park on a mountain slope in the world. Its waterworks along with the towering Hercules statue constitute an expression of the ideals of absolutist Monarchy while the ensemble is a remarkable testimony to the aesthetics of the Baroque and Romantic periods.

aww, don't be sad, judging from the photos they pale compared to the Northern Lights I saw in Iceland. btw, you can get your campervan to Iceland if you take the ferry. I don't know if that's a good idea, though. Does it have 4x4? The car I rented had that and you really need it for the fords. Also if you drive around in Iceland, you'll be soon acquainted with a sign saying "MALBIK ENDAR", which means "end of tarred road". But to me, after a while, it seemed to mean: "Why am I doing this to myself?"

I saw HUGE and intense northern lights in Iceland in July. According to Capcom, northern lights normally occur in England. As an absolute authority on this matter, I believe them. But seriously, in November 2021 there was a RARE event where you could see northern lights very far south, like Frisia / southern Baltic coast. Definitely!!

Does this work? I fear it's regarded as something between "What a weirdo!" and "Oh, that's the newest pick-up scheme?". 🙃 Any real-life experiences with this?

This is like one of those absurd video game catacombs, which you always found unrealistic, but now REAL. Nothing for the faint-hearted. Oh yes, very recommended, I visited them on a tour through Slovenia and Northern Croatia. Now I would want to visit: Paris for the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay Mont-Saint-Michel (France) Hambach surface mine (Germany) for the Bagger 293 Namib Desert I also would like to visit Japan, but honestly this is more like a general feeling, LOL. Egypt for the pyramids Theoretically Venice, but this city is a synonym for overtourism ... I did ride a zeppelin for 1 hour in Friedrichshafen, at Lake Constance, Germany (this is the only real zeppelin in the world - not a blimp - which you can ride)... it is insanely expensive. Expect like 250 € for 30 minutes, LOL. It was still very worth it.