Jot-Aro Kujo

Absolutely. As an aromantic bisexual, being aro honestly has more impact on my life than being bi does. There is nothing even remotely "straight" about aromanticism or asexuality

What? Is winged eyeliner considered a gay girl thing now? That's news to me. If anything I associate it more with straight girls. Clothes are clothes, man, wear what ya wanna. If wearing flannels is """appropriation""" now there's gonna be a lot of disgruntled Canadian men...

I don't think so, personally. Hikikomori usually has more to do with mental health struggles, with Japan being a country where it's highly frowned upon to acknowledge mental health issues. It also generally includes a refusal to leave the house at all as much as possible, including not working, not going to school, not seeing friends, not going to the store, etc., none of which has anything to do with romance.

I have read enough Fullmetal Alchemist to know immortality is a curse. No thank you

I think the more pertinent question is, does the distinction matter to you? Which label do you want to use? Labels exist to serve our communication needs. Instead of focusing on what you could potentially be, try turning it around and focusing on what you want to tell other people.

Yeah, um... That's pretty much how my friends and I act around each other. That's not necessarily a romantic signal, especially when aros are involved. If your relationship with this girl is not fulfilling your desires, that's understandable, but it's also not her problem. There are an endless amount of alloromantic fish in the sea, so to speak. If you seek a romantic partnership- And ESPECIALLY if you respect this girl as much as you claim to- Then the thing to do is to get to know someone who also desires a romantic partnership. NOT to project one onto someone who has explicitly told you she has no interest in romance. You ask how aromantic people's partners cope- Without even having asked this girl whether she wants to be your partner- But if I can be frank? The question you need to be thinking about is, how do aromantic people cope with being treated the way we are? Do you know what it's like to be always seen as an expectation to be fulfilled? To give someone your all and be told it's not enough? To grow close to someone, to think you've finally found someone who understands you and doesn't see you as half a person, only to learn they lament the fact that you cannot feel something they want you to feel? Do you know what it's like to live your life suspicious of men who are nice to you, because most of the time they only do so in the hopes that you'll give them something you cannot give? Do you know what it's like to tell someone up front that you don't feel certain feelings, only to have them insist that you do and that they know you better than you do, because they cannot accept that you, as a person, are not the same as the person they have made up in their heads? Do you know what it's like to live in a world where other people's desire for something you cannot give comes before your autonomy as a person? To never have a relationship where you can truly feel comfortable, because you're always afraid of the day your friends say "Actually, this relationship isn't good enough for me. Make it one you're not comfortable with. Give me that which you cannot give. I'm not your friend anymore, I'm someone who wants you to change who you are for me." Do you know what that's like? Think about that, and then ask yourself, how does one cope?

Who is to say you can't have an intimate sexual relationship without romance? Sure, they're harder to find, but it's not like it's illegal to bang a homie, ya know?

Are you not affectionate with your friends? Do you not enjoy spending time around them?? I'm sorry to hear that... Romance is not a prerequisite to companionship or kindness. It might be worth examining your ideas about friendship and why you think x things have to be romantic. Also, speaking as an aromantic girl myself, there's so little information about aromanticism and it's such a highly stigmatized identity that like... It's not really something people identify with on a whim, you know? It takes a lot of research and a lot of self-reflection and a lot of courage for someone to say "Yes, I'm aromantic". So I highly doubt she's "mistaken" about her identity. Furthermore, is she asexual? If not, she may be expressing sexual interest in you. But it sounds to me more like she's just being an affectionate friend.

I've never heard of it either. Is it a Tiktok thing?

Um... I think you might be a little bit confused. This is a forum for people who primarily don't experience romantic attraction.

Are you familiar with the concept of amatonormativity? It might be worth examining how that plays into your life. Though it is true that there are aros who have romantic relationships, it sounds like that’s not really what you want. The concept of romance as a “need” is something that’s so strongly pushed on us from such an early age that it’s not uncommon for aros to grow up really invested in it, only to do a complete 180 when they realize they don’t have to be. You might be going through that.

Oh, yeah. For sure. This is something we talk about all the time.

Right?? But you know, boo hoo no stands or whatever... Geez. Part 1 is a Victorian drama turned pulp adventure novel and I couldn't ask for anything better than that. Everybody's just cowards.

Ah, a man of taste I see. Nobody ever appreciates Jonathan enough :(

Luke Spiller. He's the only real life man who knows how to dress worth a damn. Guys think they're adventurous if they wear An Color on their clothes, fuck that, where are all the sequined shirts and tattoo chokers?

What is anything but a complex cocktail of brain chemicals that compel us to do things?

Yup. I prefer goth, punk, and lolita (mainly gothic or classic) fashion myself. I do a fair amount of DIY too.

Oh man, I've got a lot of games on my plate right now... In general I'm really into Devil May Cry right now, so I'm currently doing an all-Nevan run of DMC3, DMC4 on Heaven or Hell, and DMC5 Vergil mode. But aside from DMC, I'm also currently playing Bayonetta, Castlevania (the original), and the first Ace Attorney trilogy. I've also occasionally been playing Duel Links, Arknights, and Guilty Gear XX Accent Core +R or Xrd Revelator.

Does the person know what aromantic is? If not, I'd say it's a reasonable term to come up with on their own, without knowing better. If they do know what it means... ?

Ayyy, I'm into EGL too! Greetings!

Cause I don't wanna marry em, I wanna fuck em. That's about the only way I can put it really.

What the hell punks have you been talking to that don’t like small incremental improvements? I mean yeah, we’d all like to pull out the guillotines and get this shit over and done with, but in the meantime... Anything’s better than nothing, yknow? We have to celebrate the small victories if we’re going to survive with some semblance of mental health remaining. That being said, on the other topic, cultural appropriation is absolutely a real issue and it’s absolutely something any halfway decent punk should be against. Yeah, there are still some who do it and that’s fucked up, but I hate those guys and so do all the punks I hang out with. Cultural appropriation is not cool.

Well, are you calling yourself punk while wearing certain fashions or listening to certain musical styles, without subscribing to a philosophy of social justice and mutual aid? Cause if not... Sounds like those guys don't actually know what poser means. Probably they're the posers. Also, I would really appreciate it if you would stop posting condescending memes while I'm trying to explain to you something important to me.

Eh, I wouldn't really call sex a need, tbh... And I think there's a lot of reasons people go through a lot of romantic relationships in a short span of time.

Anything’s fashionable if you don’t give a shit about silly societal standards about aesthetic. I for one think multiple rings look kickass. The more the better!