#defining things

[brother-hermes]

Gotta LOVE simple definitions!

[zeetbl33p]

Might delete later

Something that's been giving me some problems recently is: "what exactly is romance/romantic emotion, and how is it distinguished from other forms of relationships like friendships?"

Lots of rambling thoughts that may or may not make sense below the break

For a lot of my life, growing up in the south, romance has mostly been associated with the typical ideas of various forms of intimacy, but then I have friends that I feel extremely close with to where what emotional bonds we share seem to border on/match the levels of intimacy I've seemingly been taught to associate with romance.

What might make this more complicated; being demi (i think, if I understand myself and the label correctly), I find myself to become attracted to a person through getting to know them, and the more I know them, the more I feel a desire for various forms of intimacy. Sometimes that's just emotional support and supporting and spending time together, but other times it includes physical contact and such. On top of that the intensity can also vary and aaaaaaaaa.

Recently I found out about the term queerplatonic, and while by definition it is a hazy thing, it further calls into question what exactly are friendship and romantic relationships for me. Can friendships be extremely emotionally intimate and vulnerable without being considered something else? Is a strong positive emotion linked to intimacy necessarily linked to romance, or can it just stand on its own? How does physical intimacy and sexual intimacy play into this? Where do categories like "friends with benefits" fit in? Is there even a legitimate way to actually define these things generally or do they exist on a spectrum (like gender) as well and what is considered platonic, queerplatonic, romantic, or anything else mainly at the discretion of the parties involved in the relationship? If relationships exist on a spectrum, would queerplatonic be roughly equivalent to how the nonbinary umbrella works for gender?

Idk, emotions and relationships are confusing. Feel free to chime in in the notes since I probably could use some more perspectives.

[room-for-one-more-name]

I'M NOT CUT OUT FOR ADULTHOOD

[emphatico]

WE LIKE TO say how things are, perhaps because we hope that’s how they might actually be. We attempt to name, identify, and define the most mysterious of matters: sex, love, marriage, monogamy, infidelity, death, loss, grief. We want these things to have an order, an internal logic, and we also want them to be connected to one another. We want it to be true that if we cheat on our spouse, it means we no longer want to be married to him or her. We want it to be true that if someone we love dies, we simply have to pass through a series of phases, like an emotional obstacle course from which we will emerge happy and content, unharmed and unchanged.

Cheryl Strayed

[thathalfelf]

I need help

How do you define Anime to someone who has no idea what it is, never heard of it/claims to never seen it

but you also have to take in the fact their a christian, there about in there 40's-50's, and is a female (that shouldnt be a factor but sometimes it is)?

[iferuniversity]

Aloof

Aloof is my favorite word right now. It means: removed or distant, either emotionally or physically. Instead of thinking that I've been standoffish, anti-social, distant, or cold, I'm just going to say I've been feeling aloof lately. It sounds so nice that I plan on letting myself be aloof for awhile!