#ormbunkar

Yes! I have five, but as every tattooed person says... I desperately want more! you shouldn't have asked me about this, because I love talking about them! Hehehe~

I got my first two together, the half sleeve and my forearm tattoo. I got them done at Old London Road Tattoos a few weeks after I turned 18 and I love them as much now as I did back then! The artist was amazing and I honestly can't recommend this place enough! If you're in the UK and are looking for a place, please check them out!

My next one was done in Korea and I got it as a matchy one with best friend back home in England! Designed by the incredible @idkhazee on TikTok! She does a tonne of amazing designs and this is the one me and my friend chose!

Next up is my fish tattoo! I also got her done in Korea, designed and tattooed by an incredible artist in Daegu. I got this one on my chest and I heard it was one of the most painful places to get it, but it really wasn't that bad...

Finally, my most recent- and current favourite- is my thigh tattoo! I got this one on a whim after seeing the artist post that it was available on her Instagram. She was so lovely and took the time to talk with me even though my Korean isn't great- for that, I was very grateful!

hi!

so, ultimately, i find the best response to this question is a question in return: why does it matter to you? You say it doesn’t matter, which I agree with, but the fact that you are asking means that it does mean something to you.

I have identified as aro since I was 13, and I’m currently just shy of 21. I also identified as ace at 13, but stopped identifying as ace shortly after turning 19. I’ve enjoyed and felt acceptance in both communities, and I don’t regret or think I was wrong to identify as ace even though I don’t identify that way anymore. It was a useful term for me then, and when I no longer felt it was accurate, there was no outcry from anyone who accepted me. There was just a curious “oh, so what’s the difference with how you identify now? Could you run me through the difference between aromantic and asexual again?”

To give a more concrete answer, I think that the age at which it is safe to assume someone is aro is when they are helped by the label aromantic. Some people always knew, to some degree - I always thought romance was weird and fake. Some people only noticed when their peers began to act differently - I only consciously noticed my aromanticism at that point. Some people go much longer. But at any point where calling themselves aromantic brings them comfort, comradery, or connections, I think it is appropriate.

Why? Because it’s not just okay to change your mind because you were “wrong”. Identity itself can be fluid. I no longer identify as ace because I was asexual and am now not. I’m also genderfluid, and that has significantly impacted how I view my identity. My gender can change, and so can my orientation. Right now, we don’t talk about that very often because, in my opinion, we’re still recovering from the era of conversion therapy, and it isn’t a finished battle worldwide. But the difference is that conversion therapy attempts to force change, while orientation and gender are innate experiences that don’t necessarily follow any rhyme or reason.

I hope this helps.

Lila x Diego