#aplatonicism

[neptune-scythe]

you ever wonder if your gender expression is best described as an alien cyborg type being because you grew up watching so much star trek and because any human descriptor is simply too binary or too "gendered" and something that doesn't actually exist but summons a very specific mental image is the only way to capture how you see yourself

or of it's because you're the entire aspec and neurodiverse and thus the complete opposites of everything society deems as "humanity" and lacking the desire or capacity to partake in what is considered "the human experiences" so you have to be some kind of alien robot because you are so utterly inhuman according to society

...

or is that just me ...

#aspec #aromantic #asexual #aplatonic #agender #aroace #aromantic spectrum #asexual spectrum #aplatonic spectrum #aroace spectrum #arospec #acespec #aplspec #aroacespec #aro #ace #apl #aromanticism #asexuality #aplatonicism

[thattheater-kid]

Aplatonic culture is…

Spending a lot of time in trouble as a kid because you’d tell people you didn’t want to be their friend, and apparently that isn’t very nice, even though you didn’t mean it to be mean, it’s just how you felt

Being sent to counselors because you were always alone and said you didn’t want any friends/you didn’t need friends/you didn’t like people/there were more important things

Kids thinking you were stuck up and mean because you weren’t friendly

Never making a friend on your own, and just being taken in by people who decided they wanted to be your friend/meeting people through your friends (the ones you befriended because they decided you were friends now, not because you had a desire to befriend them)

Never meeting a person and wanting to be friends with them

Being alone and being okay with that because you don’t feel the need to have friends

Having friends that you enjoy being around, but not missing them much when you’re away

“Friend is a strong word”

“I suppose we’re friends”

#actually let’s normalize kids not wanting to be friends with certain people #kids shouldn’t have to be friends with everyone they interact with #they should be allowed to say they don’t want to be friends with someone without it being considered mean #it’s not mean #not inherently at least #unless the kid is being a dick #like if the kid is being racist or classist or something like that #but if you ask why and their answer isn’t inherently mean or intolerant? leave them alone #some kids just don’t want to be friends with someone #I had no reason for not wanting to be friends with people #I just didn’t #feel free to add on #aplatonic #aplatonicism #aplspec #aplatonic spectrum #aplatonic culture is #aplatonic culture

[anwn]

Shadow is aplatonic: an argument.

"Friends? I'm only temporarily working with you to achieve a goal. Don't get the wrong idea."

from Puyo Puyo Quest's 25th Anniversary event

@apl-swag-bracket

What is aplatonicism?

Here is a quick definition to catch you up.

The aplatonic spectrum, otherwise known as the aplatonic umbrella, is a group of platonic orientations that fall under the umbrella term of aplatonic. Those on the aplatonic spectrum may lack platonic attraction or feel it so little that they relate more to aplatonic experiences. The common link between those on the aplatonic spectrum is that they do not feel the "standard" amount of platonic attraction or they don't feel it in the "standard" way, that alloplatonic individuals do.

Here is some more reading you can do on the topic.

Resources about aplatonicism are scarce and anyway, this is meant to focus on character analysis first and foremost, so forgive me if I cut this section short. Anyway, I believe I have given enough context, so let's get into the meat of this post.

Is Shadow aplatonic?

As stated outright in the Sonic Ultimate Character Guide, Shadow is a loner who relies on himself first and foremost.

from Sonic Ultimate Character Guide (2016)

He is extremely individualistic and doesn't compromise for the sake of others. He prefers to act alone rather than as a team, believing the latter to be futile, and will even choose violence over cooperation to get his way.

from "Team Sonic Racing Racers!" Interview (2019), IDW Sonic the Hedgehog (issue #09), Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) and Sonic Rivals 2 (2007) respectively

If he teams up with others with cooperation in mind, it's always in the interest of a higher purpose. He'll actively ditch crowds and avoid gatherings once the action is over.

from IDW Sonic the Hedgehog (issue #11 and #31 respectively)

Most of his interactions with the rest of the cast follow this pattern, however there is some nuance to be considered when looking at his dynamic with a select few characters.

Rouge and E123 Omega are two characters Shadow has often been partnered with. Although the word "allies" would be more appropriate to describe their relationship, they're easily the ones Shadow is closest to out of everyone else. In the case of Omega, Shadow even displays bouts of camaraderie, likely due to the fact they share a similar mindset.

from Sonic Heroes (2003)

from Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (2008)

from "Team Sonic Racing Racers!" Interview (2019)

Another notable dynamic that stands out is that between Shadow and Sonic. Shadow's attitude towards him could be much the same as with everyone else if it weren't for their rivalry. Although Shadow is always focused on his goals above all else, Sonic's presence brings out a competitive side that distracts him and pushes him to act recklessly.

from "Team Sonic Racing Racers!" Interview (2019)

from Team Sonic Racing (2019)

Shadow doesn't see Sonic as his friend, but considers him an important part of his life despite himself.

and lastly,

from Sonic Channel's Shadow character bio

Conclusion

Shadow doesn't feel the need for companionship and doesn't seek to bond with others if he doesn't have an ulterior motive. He's a loner and a misanthropic, and would rather work alone to achieve his goals in the most efficient way. Because of his standoffish personality, the few close/intense relationships he has are with people who are "like" him in some way, given the impression of an unconventional connection in a very tangible and grounded manner, and not so much driven by feelings of affection or love. Hence why I think Shadow is aplatonic or is on the aplatonic spectrum... I rest my case.

(I would have liked to give more examples, but the 10 image limit makes this very difficult haha)

Here's where you can read the translated version of the TSR Interview (which I referenced a few times) in its entirety.

Here is Shadow's official character bio.

#this was very difficult to do bc of the image limit forcing me to cram everything together #but i hope the alt text is readable #anyways i want to spread apl shadow.... i want us to learn bc i care #shadow the hedgehog #shadow #sth #sonic the hedgehog #blingee.txt #also don't be fooled by the language i use #not speaking from a place of authority im just sharing my vision bahhh #aplatonic #aplatonicism #i would have also liked to talk about maria but once again the image limit would have made it impossible... maybe another time

[entropy-sea-system]

Happy Aplatonic Day of Visibility!

#Its on may 4th #Was established since last year #aplatonic #aplatonic visibility day #aplatonic day of visibility #apl #aplspec #apl day #aspec #aplatonicism

[our-aspec-experience]

hello aspecs, and welcome to our-aspec-experience!

this was inspired by very lovely blogs such as @our-queer-experience, @our-aromantic-experience, @our-asexual-experience, @our-aroace-experience, and many, many more!

our-aspec-experience is a home for legiterally everything related to being aspec/arosec/acespec/aplspec/any other aspec term at all!

mod is jo, he/they/it and is a genderfaun butch aroace.

hope to see yall soon :3

links:

lgbtqia wiki's page for aspec

my carrd: **PLEASE READ**

#aromantic #aroace #arospec #aro #ace #asexual #aspec #asexuality #aromanticism #aspectrum #aroacespec #aplspec #aplatonic #aplatonicism #apl #intro post #experience blog

[merely-a-caricature]

Love isn’t really an emotion. Sure, most of the time it does with affection and an emotional attachment, but love in its most pure form is a choice and a conscious decision.

Love is putting another’s needs before your own, love is being unselfishly committed to someone and always being concerned about their good, even to if it’s to your own detriment, love is that compassion and kindness we can extend to ANYONE regardless of whether or not we like them. (Romantic love and love is obviously a different subject of course). Love means to care for someone deeply and be willing to do anything for them. While we may not always feels favorable or affectionate towards people, we can choose to treat them with love and respect.

As an aroace apl, I struggled with whether or not I actually loved anyone (like my friends and family) or if I just THOUGHT I did. I may not always feel affectionately towards my family members, but that doesn’t diminish the love I have for them, even if it is hard to comprehend. Coming to realize what love really is gave me a lot of reassurance and clarity, and I just felt like sharing cause maybe it’ll help y’all. Have a good day/night!

#aromantic #aplatonic #arospec #aplspec #aromanticism #aplatonicism #aro #apl #aromantism #aromantic spectrum #aplatonic spectrum #true love

[degengxrl]

aspecs on valentines day trying their best to make it abt us god i love this community

🖤🩶🤍💜 (asexual)

💚🤍🩶🖤 (aromantic)

🧡💛🩷🩵🖤 (atertiary)

even tho im a traitor /j (i have a partner)

#aspec #asexual #asexuality #aromantic #aromantism #ace #aro #aplatonic #aplatonicism #apl #atertiary #afamilial #asocial #aspec inclusion #aroallo #alloace #aroace #all of us #estrogendyking

[exploringaspec]

November 2023 Submissions for Carnival of Aros

I'm Rachel, the host of November's Carnival of Aros theme and one of the authors for AUREA's book project. This month's theme was aplatonicism. I was inspired to host this month's theme on this topic because of all of the interesting blog posts that I've come across on Tumblr on the topic. My submission for this month was on the topic of Aplatonic vs. Loner. In this post, I explored my feelings on the two terms and my identity on the aplatonic and aromantic spectrums as I've transitioned from being non-partnering to being in a romantic relationship.

I received two other submissions for this month's theme.

In Platonic Attraction and the Meaning of Friendship, Sara explored her feelings on the term aplatonic in relation to her experience with connecting with others and socializing. While she experiences some similarities with the term, it is not a term she would use to describe herself.

In Aplatonic Advice, askanaroace provides advice to those who think they may be aplatonic and links to other posts on the topic.

#carnival of aros #aplatonic #aplspec #apl #arospec #aromanticism #aspec #aplatonicism #aromantic

[theacewithmace]

Aplatonic Spectrum Flag Redesign

blue = community, history, & pride aqua green = rejection of platonormativity green = aplatonicism (all forms) yellow = diversity in attraction and experiences

I was only able to find two other aplspec flags and wasn't vibing with them so I made my own! (Nothing against the old ones, they just weren't for me)

#aplatonic #aplatonicism #aplatonic spectrum #aplspec #aplatonic spectrum flag #aplspec flag #aspec flag #pride flag #flag design #flag redesign #lgbtq #lgbtqia+ #spin’s bitching

[apl-swag-bracket]

Round 2 : Squidward Tentacles (Spongebob Squarepants) Vs. Sunset Shimmer (My Little Pony : Friendship is Magic - Equestria Girls)

[4]

#aplatonic #apl #apl swag bracket #aplatonicism #aplspec #aplatonic spectrum #aspec #mlp #mlp : fim #eqg #equestria girls #mlp eqg #mlp fim #fim #sunset shimmer #my little pony equestria girls #my little pony #squidward #squidward tentacles #spongebob squarepants #they both have books in these images lol #apl swag bracket 2024 #apl swag bracket round 2 #round 2 #polls #tournament polls #tumblr tournament

[limetarte]

[..] don’t want friends and never did, but always wanted the nonromantic nonsexual close bonds friends are portrayed as having in the media. Thought wanted platonic anything, but no, it’s not that I want platonic anything, it’s that wanna have a close relationship, a fun relationship, a supportive relationship with someone who isn’t biologically related and without any romance nor sexual thing, but also without family bonds (labels?, roles? /nrgenq). But in society that type of relationship is always assigned the label friendship and put as platonic, so it forcibly grew on me with time, but rethinking about it, never wanted friends, never liked it, [..] never wanted that! 😧🤔 It got forced onto me, so [..] grew to tolerate it and accept it as a part of life and inevitable and that nobody else felt this way and since [..] only recently learned about aplatony/aplatonicism and realized and learned that [..] don’t have to have friends, now I rethought about that, and I might be aplatonic.

*/nrgenq meaning: /not really a genuine question

#aroace #aplatonic #aromantic #asexual #aplatony #aplatonicism

[thattheater-kid]

Do you feel that being aplatonic changes the way you interact with people? (I'm sorry if this question comes off as rude, I'm just trying to learn more)

It’s not rude at all!

I do think being aplatonic changes how I interact with people, both my friends and strangers. I don’t really talk to strangers much at all because, well, I don’t want to. I have no interest in talking to them. I don’t actively seek friendship or connection with others, so I have no reason to talk to them. They come up to me sometimes, and I do try to be polite. I don’t ever try to be rude to anyone, but I don’t really talk to any of them.

Regarding my friends, I struggle because I don’t really feel anything for them beyond enjoying their company. I didn’t actively seek to be friends with them, they sought me. I talk to them, and I like talking to them, but I don’t really feel anything for them. They love each other platonically and have a connection that I can’t have because of being aplatonic. I don’t text or call them much when I’m not around them because I don’t miss them much. There’s always this sort of barrier between them. It’s hard for us to connect sometimes because I’m aplatonic and because I never really wanted to be friends with them in the first place. I do still like being around them and I do tell them that, but my friends have a different connection with each other than they have with me. It’s not more or less valuable or important, just different.

So yeah, I do think it changes how I interact and connect with others, but I’ve learned to live with it.

#aplatonic #aplatonicism #ask #answered ask #answered asks #answered anon #thanks for the ask!

[entropy-sea-system]

Aplatonicism is queer. It always has been and always will be. Exclusionists can shut the fuck up abt it actually

#aplatonic #aplatonicism #aspec #aplspec #aplmisia #aplphobia #tw apl exclusionism implied

[plato-repulsed-culture-is]

I wanna learn more about aplatonicness as Im also aspec but am still trying to have better awareness for aplatonicness. So I got a question.

If I know someone, online or otherwise, and found out they were aplatonic, would refering them as acquaintances be fine?

Because saying "were strangers" doesnt fit bc with a stranger i do not know them AT ALL, down to the first letter of their name. But I know them on some level. So I wouldnt use "stranger" because we are consciously aware of each other. Like this would only come up if me and them were together for whatever reason and someone I know comes up to me and asks "oh who's this?". Low chance but not an impossible one so I wanna have an idea of how to respond without offending the them.

Ask them what terms they are okay with. I dislike the term if used for me, but some other aplatonics are okay with it. Also some aplatonics may also be okay w the term friend if they are plato-favorable, so you wont know for sure unless you ask this person. Also the term is aplatonicism.

Stranger and acquaintance are also not the only words or phrases that exist. You can literally say 'person I know' or something like that if someone isnt okay w the term 'acquaintance' . The term acquaintance isnt the only option and just because you know someone doesnt mean you need to label it socially.

#plato repulsed #aplatonic #anon ask #not plato repulsed culture #aplatonicism #terms

[merely-a-caricature]

What do you mean by aplatonicism?

Oh, if someone’s aplatonic, it can mean a variety of things! A basic definition is that they don’t experience platonic attraction or experience it rarely or only under certain circumstances, much like other aspec identities. Aplatonic, however, could also mean they don’t really feel platonic love the same way others do or relate to most experiences of friendship. It could relate to a lack of desire for friends, trouble making friends, whatever!

Aplatonicism is not as cut and dry as aromanticism or asexuality (though those aren’t super cut and dry themselves). What it means to be aplatonic and why someone may identify with the label isn’t exactly as concrete as other labels.

I personally use the label as I rarely experience platonic attraction and general my platonic relationships are just… off, more shallow, and don’t genuinely involve an emotional bond. I also use it as I have no active desire for friendships and am perfectly unaffected whenever said friendships ends. I’d definitely encourage looking into it more on your own as I can’t give all the answers! Thanks for asking!

#aplatonic #aplatonicism #aplatonic spectrum #actually aplatonic #aplspec #apl

[degengxrl]

hello! i saw you stated in a comment that you were aplatonic, and i have heard of the term but i'm not sure if i completely understand. is platonic attraction didferent than just having friends? so sorry if i'm being rude, i'd just like to know more if you'd want to explain. thank you!

-fellow aroace :)

not rude, completely understandable aplatonicism is a form of tertiary aspecness and basically means you dont experience platonic attraction tho that doesnt necissarily mean that you wont have friends as thats more of a friendship stance thing similar to sex stances or romantic stances like how acespec ppl can still have sex if thats what they want or arospec ppl can still date if thats their preference same for aplspec ppl they can still have friends if thats personally what they want of course its a spectrum so there will be aplspecs who do not have friends aka nonpartnering aplatonics (yeah thats more used for rose relationships but thats amatonormativity so fuck that) me personally im aplatonic friendship indifferent so i have some friends but i dont actively search for them i just have had friends because thats what society expects but i can live without them the same way most aros/aces can live without sex or romance i just dont necessarily need friends but im ok with having them.

hope this helps!

#ask #aplatonicism #aplspec #aplatonic #friendship stances #aspec stuff #aspec community #platonormativity #estrogendyking