[Image description: a digital comic, drawn with sparse colour. First, we see a child lying on the ground and staring intently at a TV, which is showing a romantic kiss scene. Text reads, “I’ve been ‘in love’ with love for a long time. I don’t know how it started. Just something about the magical connection with another that’s enraptured me from a young age.”
We see the child grinning brightly as she holds up books with hearts on them. Text reads, “By elementary, I was a full-blown romantic. I devoured any book, show, or movie with a love story that I could get my hands on. And I, too, was eager to find my ‘special someone,’”
We see the child looking up, shadowed by an umbrella with the aromantic flag on it, stopping hearts from falling on him. Text reads, “So imagine how dissapointed I was to find out that I couldn’t.”
Text reads, “Believe me, I tried.” We see the child looking at a group of students, writing their names on a list. Text reads, “I’d make lists of boys I knew and picked those to have a ‘crush’ on.” We see the child as a teen, rubbing his temples intensely in frustration, with a couple standing nearby. Text reads, “I’d try to make myself fall in love with practically anyone my age.” We see the teen as an adult, talking to a person who is speaking enthusiastically about love. The adult scratches the back of his neck and quietly repeats the sentiments. Text reads, “I even dated people I didn’t love, hoping that I would eventually.”
We see many people standing in a line, with OP as the only one who is more than a silhouette. He says, “Even the few ‘crushes’ that I had never lasted long. And I’ve since wondered if I really fell for them, or if I just projected my desire for a relationship onto people I thought could fit the role.”
We see OP drawn with scratchy lines, head in his hands as he sits on his bed. Text reads, “For the longest time, I saw my incompetance at romance as the worst thing about me. It made me cry, question my self worth, and sent me into periodic depressive episodes. I wondered what was wrong with me. Why couldn’t I have what I clearly wanted?”
We see OP drawing romantic scenes on a drawing tablet, smiling lazily as he says, “To this day, I’m still a huge fan of romance. And occcasionally, I wish to ride into the sunset with someone. But I’m coming to terms with it possibly never being a part of my life.”
We see OP, the rainbow umbrella over his shoulder and many yellow, blue, green, and purple hearts floating around him as he continues, “So after living most of my life heartbroken… I’m glad I’m finding love in other places.” End image description]
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