I Like To Think Of Relationship Anarchy As The Foundation That Shapes My Understanding Of Aromantic Theory.

Want to learn something new in 2022??

Absolute beginner adult ballet series (fabulous beginning teacher)

40 piano lessons for beginners (some of the best explanations for piano I’ve ever seen)

Excellent basic crochet video series

Basic knitting (probably the best how to knit video out there)

Pre-Free Figure Skate Levels A-D guides and practice activities (each video builds up with exercises to the actual moves!)

How to draw character faces video (very funny, surprisingly instructive?)

Another drawing character faces video

Literally my favorite art pose hack

Tutorial of how to make a whole ass Stardew Valley esque farming game in Gamemaker Studios 2??

Introduction to flying small aircrafts

French/Dutch/Fishtail braiding

Playing the guitar for beginners (well paced and excellent instructor)

Playing the violin for beginners (really good practical tips mixed in)

Color theory in digital art (not of the children’s hospital variety)

Retake classes you hated but now there’s zero stakes:

Calculus 1 (full semester class)

Learn basic statistics (free textbook)

Introduction to college physics (free textbook)

Introduction to accounting (free textbook)

Learn a language:

Ancient Greek

Latin

Spanish

German

Japanese (grammar guide) (for dummies)

French

Russian (pretty good cyrillic guide!)

The aromantic agenda is a good one.

Go and think about what kinds of relationships you want. Don't think about labels like romantic or platonic or sexual, think purely about what relationships would make you happiest.

When I realized I was aromantic, I was asked things like "Would you still date? Would you have a QPR? Will you ever kiss?"

But the aromantic community didn't ask that. Instead, they focused on "What do you want in a world where anything is possible?"

And I realized I want to be alone, surrounded by friends and family I love who are close enough, I can bring them fresh baked scones when I overbake.

They asked me "What do you want?" and the question was so broad, I could weigh labels in my hand like queerplatonic partner and nonpartnering and significant other. I could look at these and shrug and say, "What I want is to not worry about questions I don't care about." I could shelve these indefinitely. Maybe even forever. And just enjoy being myself.

The aromantic community celebrates exploration. Tells people asking if they are aromantic, "This is a personal decision. Your personal decision. If this label helps you, take it. If this community helps you, stay as long as you need. You don't have to be labelled anything, aromantic or otherwise, unless it would bring you comfort. You don't have to be anything you aren't."

It's a good community with good philosophies born from a unique experience, not rooted in missing out, but in being forced to consider what you want when you don't want what's expected.

aro culture is somehow giving really good romantic advice to friends, but still not understanding what the fuck romance feelings are like "haha yeah like, what even is a crush though? lol" "no like. seriously. can someone explain it?"

Me in fourth grade: I am a god above you all. I have a twelfth grade reading level. I'm one of the two biggest readers in school and everybody knows it. This book? Yeah, I started it yesterday. I finished it today. Yeah it's 600 pages, what about it? You fools are nothing compared to me.

Me now: I can only read fanfiction and comic books. I can't even reread my favourite books. Actually starting a new book? Not happening. Reading is still my favourite activity but I can't do it. I am physically incapable of reading more than ten pages. I had to google how to spell twelfth. My favourite books are all over 1000 pages send help.

FOB lyrics that feel incredibly arospec to me

so boycott love

love never wanted me but I took it anyway

this is a love song in my own way, happily ever after below the waist

its a strange way of saying I know I’m supposed to love you

I got your love letters, corrected the grammar and sent them back

it’s true romance is dead, I shot it in the chest and in the head

I thought I loved you, it was just how you looked in the light

y’all do understand that dismantling amatonormativity and arophobia isn’t just... “haha you’re valid”, right

it’s young aromantics not being told by their peers that they’re weird because they don’t have a crush, and them not intentionally avoiding making friends in fear of being excluded from conversations

it’s aromantics being able to see themselves in mainstream media in many diverse ways, and alloromantics respecting canon aromantic identities instead of crying over “shipping”, and aromanticism finally being included in queer discussions, sex ed, etc.

it’s romance repulsed kids and teens not (sometimes traumatically) forcing themselves to like something they never want because they’ve been taught, intentionally or not, that if they don’t have romance, they will live a miserable life

it’s aromantics being able to come out and people actually understanding what it means and not asking invasive questions they wouldn’t ask an allocishet person or even other queers

it’s non-partnering aromantics not having severe anxiety about their future financial states because they fear that they will not be able to pay their bills without a married partner’s money to help out

it’s allosexual aromantics being able to come out and not fear sexual harassment, rape, assault, etc. because others take their orientation as “asking for it” or as automatic consent to sexual acts

it’s religious aromantics not feeling like they’ve failed their religion by not wanting a traditional idea of marriage, sex, romance, etc. as their religion may present it, and them not being rejected by their family and peers as a result

it’s aromantics, especially women, being able to reject romantic advances or break up with someone without fear of being seen as an inherently bad person/villain or being harassed/assaulted/insulted because people can’t take no for an answer

it’s loveless aromantics not being shunned and left out of conversations regarding love, and aplatonic aromantics not being antagonized for not feeling affection for friends, and aromantics not always feeling like they have to prove themselves to alloromantics somehow

it’s lovequeer and queerplatonic/alterous aromantics not being told that their love or relationships are queerbaiting, giving off mixed signals, or that it’s never strong enough or can never be life-changing the way romance can

it’s so much more than just “aromantics are valid uwu”, the same way that dismantling other anti-queerness is so much more than “gays and trans are valid uwu”.

you’ve been here before, haven’t you?

can you imagine how freaky shark mermaids would be like unlike sharks, shark mermaids would have actual arms/hands and could rely on touching things with their hands to see if they’re prey rather than having to bite like sharks do. like youre just swimming in the ocean and suddenly you feel a strong grip on your leg, you freak the FUCK out because uh what????? the fuck??? youre swimming alone in the ocean??

a head pops out of the water, dorsal fin pointed from its back and it just points at you and says in a low whisper: “i thought you were a seal. please dont swim alone like this, im sorry i scared you i just wanted to see what you are” and then disappears back into the depth. what the fuck.

INFP's flaws

INFP's mother: Why can't you remember one single thing we ask you to do? Like watering the plants, rearrange your room? Is it that hard?

INFP: *YES MUM, IT'S HARD BECAUSE I'M ALWAYS THINKING AND BEATING MYSELF UP FOR MY 57348 FLAWS AND TRYING TO FIX THEM BUT AT THE SAME TIME, ALL WHILE EXHAUSTING MYSELF TO ACCOMPLISH MY GOALS AND AT THE SAME TIME HAVE A FUCKING LIFE DESPITE MY LIFE ACTUALLY HAVING TONS OF EVENTS, MY MIND BEING JUST FUCKING ALLERGIC TO PLANS AND SCHEDULES JUST STRESSING ME THE FUCK OUT BY THE SOLE THOUGHT OF THEM, AND PEOPLE JUST DON'T REALISE HOW HARD AND DRAINING IT IS TO HAVE A BRAIN WHERE EVERY BIT OF TIREDNESS, LOW SELF-ESTEEM AND ANXIETY FLY UNSTOPPINGLY BETWEEN A WEB OF DREAMS, PROJECTS AND OVERWHELMING RESPONSIBILITIES TO RESPECT. IT'S SO FUCKING HARD TO THINK ABOUT WATERING THE PLANTS WHEN THERE'S SUCH A HURRICANE WITH A MILLION TABS OPEN RAGING IN YOUR MIND FUCKING ALL DAY.*

INFP: Okay, I made a mistake.

[image id: a four-page comic. it is titled “immortality” after the poem by clare harner (more popularly known as “do not stand at my grave and weep”). the first page shows paleontologists digging up fossils at a dig. it reads, “do not stand at my grave and weep. i am not there. i do not sleep.” page two features several prehistoric creatures living in the wild. not featured but notable, each have modern descendants: horses, cetaceans, horsetail plants, and crocodilians. it reads, “i am a thousand winds that blow. i am the diamond glints on snow. i am the sunlight on ripened grain. i am the gentle autumn rain.” the third page shows archaeopteryx in the treetops and the skies, then a modern museum-goer reading the placard on a fossil display. it reads, “when you awaken in the morning’s hush, i am the swift uplifting rush, of quiet birds in circled flight. i am the soft stars that shine at night. do not stand at my grave and cry.” the fourth page shows a chicken in a field. it reads, “i am not there. i did not die” / end id]

a comic i made in about 15 hours for my school’s comic anthology. the theme was “evolution”