we are born whole

@arotechno / arotechno.tumblr.com

home of subversive aro fiction, sad aro poetry, and other assorted aro ramblings. pfp by carrotkake. you have to build your own castle.

about the author

you can call me techno (she/they). i’m aroace, genderqueer, and in my 20s. you may know me as aro tumblr’s resident (and dare i say original) outspoken soulmate critic and less-than-prolific writer. you may also know me as one of the mods on the Arocalypse discord or at the mostly-defunct @aromantic-official.

i’ve been identifying as aro since 2014 and an active member of aro spaces since 2016. i was once better known on aro tumblr for my subversive short stories about soulmates from the aro perspective, but my magnum opus is the heartless, a fantasy coming-of-age story about aromanticism and the human condition. i also appeared in the 2020 Aspec Journal. these days, you can find me sporadically reblogging posts and waxing poetic about the jughead comics in between random bursts of original content. i don’t tag consistently anymore. sorry about that.

find me on Arocalypse or on my mostly inactive twitter @arotechno. if you talk to me about my writing i will start clapping for praise like a well trained seal. fellow jughead comics scholars and enjoyers are welcome in my office at any time. please be my friend, i promise i don’t bite (just don’t ask me why i hate soulmates, or i will start crying).

(no, i will not make a carrd. i’m old and allergic to effort.)

"Why are soulmates bad?" FAQ and Masterpost

The Heartless Masterpost

arotechno reblogged

an aromantic person is someone who (fill in the blank here) // april 10 2024

#AAUUUOOIGFHHHHHH (<- complimentary)#aro #aromantic #aro poetry #reblog

arotechno reblogged

nobaradeathdenier

#Y'ALL...... YOU SUCK #YOU SUCK SO BAD #having a real blorbus from my polls moment 😭#fellow aroaces i am fucking begging you. get some taste #STOP ACCEPTING SCRAPS AND CALLING IT GOOD REPRESENTATION #WATCH NON-ENGLISH MEDIA #or just read jughead for petes sake #anyway. to my beloved followers and fellow jughead and/or koisenu futari scholars. sicc em boys #reblog

I NEED TO MAKE MORE ARO ART

#op #techno's jdrama era #konya sukiyaki dayo #<- I GUESS?

arotechno reblogged

aroace-kodama-sakuko

I love them SO MUCH. I love Aiko so much for not letting Tomoko undersell their bond.

They're Isokuma, Your Honor.

#screaming crying throwing up #konya sukiyaki dayo #reblog

arotechno reblogged

We have a long life ahead of us. We may not always communicate well. We may even hurt each other. Even so, the place where we can just have fun—where we can enjoy a delicious meal today—is right here. So I'm sure we'll be fine from now on.

KONYA SUKIYAYKI DAYO (2023); EP01 → EP12 dir. Ota Ryo

#posts that make you want to try making sukiyaki #konya sukiyaki dayo #reblog

arotechno reblogged

the way that both koisenu futari and konya sukiyaki dayo are also commentaries on gendered expectations around cooking

#REAL!!!!!!!!!#so true!!!#tbh i think tomoko and satoru would be good friends.#konya sukiyaki dayo #koisenu futari #reblog

arotechno reblogged

very cool how this scene destroyed me and changed me forever

#this is why i cried over onigiri. btw #this scene is so fucking real. platonic love is stored in the rice #konya sukiyaki dayo #reblog

i absolutely love what konya sukiyaki dayo says about communal living, child-rearing, and the many forms both can take. it's great when aro media takes a step into navigating the way de-centering monogamous romance and leaning on community can benefit all members of the group, not just aromantics. and, really, living right next door to your best friend so you can see each other all the time but have your own place, isn't that kind of the dream?

#big parallels with koisenu futari in terms of the way expanding your social circle and building a support network #can enrich the lives of everyone involved #aro #aromantic #op #techno's jdrama era #konya sukiyaki dayo

arotechno reblogged

watching episodes 4, 5, and 6 of konya sukiyaki dayo.

in these three episodes we have covered everything from the fleeting nature of youth, mentorship, toxic masculinity and gender roles, the salaryman archetype, class, exploitation of the working class, economic turmoil, and the plight of undervalued and underpaid artists. what a fucking show

also, i'm claiming "isokuma" as the new "family (subject to change)"

OH GOD... the end of episode 6 just peered deep into my soul. holy shit aro media hits hard

(episode 7 now)

OHHH JESUS FUCK I'M IN AGONY

tomoko's internal monologue of "i'm supposed to be happy for her. why aren't i happy? this is how it Should be. i can't believe i want her to not get married. i am an evil person with evil thoughts" cut me so deeply to my core!!

don't mind me. i just cried over onigiri as an expression of platonic love!!! it's fine!!!! it's cool!!

sukiyaki tonight? sukiyaki tonight queen?

(on episode 11 now)

NOOOO TOMOKO GET OFF OF TWITTER

in a lot of ways this show, or at least tomoko's character arc, feels like a love letter to aro creatives. the drive to make something that resonates with YOU, that you feel connected to, even with the knowledge that other people may not get it. the satisfaction in knowing that your art has been meaningful to at least one person. this show makes me want to make more aro art

AIKO'S "FOOD BEFORE ROMANCE" SHIRT... bruh

#episode 12 btw!#op #techno's jdrama era #konya sukiyaki dayo

arotechno reblogged

watching episodes 4, 5, and 6 of konya sukiyaki dayo.

in these three episodes we have covered everything from the fleeting nature of youth, mentorship, toxic masculinity and gender roles, the salaryman archetype, class, exploitation of the working class, economic turmoil, and the plight of undervalued and underpaid artists. what a fucking show

also, i'm claiming "isokuma" as the new "family (subject to change)"

OH GOD... the end of episode 6 just peered deep into my soul. holy shit aro media hits hard

(episode 7 now)

OHHH JESUS FUCK I'M IN AGONY

tomoko's internal monologue of "i'm supposed to be happy for her. why aren't i happy? this is how it Should be. i can't believe i want her to not get married. i am an evil person with evil thoughts" cut me so deeply to my core!!

don't mind me. i just cried over onigiri as an expression of platonic love!!! it's fine!!!! it's cool!!

sukiyaki tonight? sukiyaki tonight queen?

(on episode 11 now)

NOOOO TOMOKO GET OFF OF TWITTER

in a lot of ways this show, or at least tomoko's character arc, feels like a love letter to aro creatives. the drive to make something that resonates with YOU, that you feel connected to, even with the knowledge that other people may not get it. the satisfaction in knowing that your art has been meaningful to at least one person. this show makes me want to make more aro art

#op #techno's jdrama era #konya sukiyaki dayo

arotechno reblogged

watching episodes 4, 5, and 6 of konya sukiyaki dayo.

in these three episodes we have covered everything from the fleeting nature of youth, mentorship, toxic masculinity and gender roles, the salaryman archetype, class, exploitation of the working class, economic turmoil, and the plight of undervalued and underpaid artists. what a fucking show

also, i'm claiming "isokuma" as the new "family (subject to change)"

OH GOD... the end of episode 6 just peered deep into my soul. holy shit aro media hits hard

(episode 7 now)

OHHH JESUS FUCK I'M IN AGONY

tomoko's internal monologue of "i'm supposed to be happy for her. why aren't i happy? this is how it Should be. i can't believe i want her to not get married. i am an evil person with evil thoughts" cut me so deeply to my core!!

don't mind me. i just cried over onigiri as an expression of platonic love!!! it's fine!!!! it's cool!!

sukiyaki tonight? sukiyaki tonight queen?

(on episode 11 now)

NOOOO TOMOKO GET OFF OF TWITTER

#twitter is the mindkiller!!!!#op #techno's jdrama era #konya sukiyaki dayo

arotechno reblogged

sofiart-puddinheaddraws

happy aro week!! 💚 🤍 🩶 🖤

[Characters are from Koisenu Futari a really nice series about two people who are aroace that start living together]

#I MISS THEM!!!!!!!!

arotechno reblogged

zemathememequeen

Anonymous asked:

Hi I saw you're poll about whether people realised they are aro or ace first and I have a question. Is it not an automatic thing that if you're aro you're also ace? Like I don't get it of you don't like anyone romantically why you would wnat to have sex? If people do that completely valid I just didn't really think about it? Like I just assumed it would be that if ur aro then ur automatically ace too.

Please don't at all think I'm trying to be rude or anything I'm just wondering and if people are ark but not ace then good for them,that's chill I just wanted to ask. It might just be my utter lack of understanding of attraction as a whole cause while I'm a lesbian I'm also 17 and have never had any kind of sexual attraction (I have considered that I may be ace before but I'm also a kid so that might also just be why).

But yeah anyway that's my question I hope it makes sense and doesn't come off as rude. Have a nice day:)

zemathememequeen answered:

Not only can aromantic people not be asexual, there is even a term for it: allosexual aromantic, or alloaro for short. It is a very broad label as alloaros can be any sexuality that isn't ace.

It's important here to recognise that while sex can be an expression of romantic intimacy, it certainly doesn't have to be. Sex is just an activity that people can engage in for a variety of reasons. For some it's an expression of romantic love, for others it's about friendship, and for others it's just a fun way to spend their time. None of these are any more or less valid than any other.

I myself am not alloaro, so I certainly can't speak on their behalf. But I do hope that some people in my notes are willing to explain their own experiences of being alloaro.

thisvegetabledoesntfallinlove

alloaro here! op sums it up pretty well. sex and romance are often linked, but to what degree they are is entirely individual. even among alloromantics, some people don't want to have sex without a romantic connection, and some are happy to engage in casual hookups. it's all about personal preference.

and also, you don't have to wait till you're 18 to call yourself asexual if you feel it fits. you can change your labels if you discover something new, or find one that works better. you can do whatever you want forever.

arotechno reblogged

zemathememequeen

So, I was thinking today about how, as an aroace, I started identifying as asexual several months before I started identifying as aromantic. I just found it more difficult to come to terms with my aromanticism than my asexuality, thereby taking me longer to accept it.

And that got me curious:

#both at the same time... kind of #it wasn’t really a linear process with like a moment of realization #i just kind of slowly accepted both of them in tandem #aromanticism was ultimately harder to come to terms with but it still sort of happened at the same time #aro #aromantic #reblog

arotechno reblogged

watching episodes 4, 5, and 6 of konya sukiyaki dayo.

in these three episodes we have covered everything from the fleeting nature of youth, mentorship, toxic masculinity and gender roles, the salaryman archetype, class, exploitation of the working class, economic turmoil, and the plight of undervalued and underpaid artists. what a fucking show

also, i'm claiming "isokuma" as the new "family (subject to change)"

OH GOD... the end of episode 6 just peered deep into my soul. holy shit aro media hits hard

(episode 7 now)

OHHH JESUS FUCK I'M IN AGONY

tomoko's internal monologue of "i'm supposed to be happy for her. why aren't i happy? this is how it Should be. i can't believe i want her to not get married. i am an evil person with evil thoughts" cut me so deeply to my core!!

don't mind me. i just cried over onigiri as an expression of platonic love!!! it's fine!!!! it's cool!!

#op #techno's jdrama era #konya sukiyaki dayo

arotechno reblogged

watching episodes 4, 5, and 6 of konya sukiyaki dayo.

in these three episodes we have covered everything from the fleeting nature of youth, mentorship, toxic masculinity and gender roles, the salaryman archetype, class, exploitation of the working class, economic turmoil, and the plight of undervalued and underpaid artists. what a fucking show

also, i'm claiming "isokuma" as the new "family (subject to change)"

OH GOD... the end of episode 6 just peered deep into my soul. holy shit aro media hits hard

(episode 7 now)

OHHH JESUS FUCK I'M IN AGONY

tomoko's internal monologue of "i'm supposed to be happy for her. why aren't i happy? this is how it Should be. i can't believe i want her to not get married. i am an evil person with evil thoughts" cut me so deeply to my core!!

#op #techno's jdrama era #konya sukiyaki dayo

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