Aplatonic
Aplatonic, abbreviated Apl (pronounced 'apple'), is an orientation defined by experiencing little to no platonic attraction, not relating to the concept of platonic love, and/or struggling to form relationships due to neurodivergency or trauma.[1] The prefix A- means "not" or "a lack of" in Greek.[2][3]
Aplatonic does not refer to a friendless or asocial individual, although either of these may also be true of an aplatonic individual. Aplatonic rather describes someone who rarely or never experiences platonic attraction or crushes (called squishes). Some aplatonic individuals may still have strong platonic bonds or have a general desire for friendships; however, they never experience a strong desire to be friends with someone in particular, or feel as though the term 'platonic love' can never be applied to the relationship.
History
The term aplatonic was first introduced by Mr. Shuttershy on the AVEN forums on April 6th, 2012. They defined it as:
"I have friends and care about them; but love is a powerful word, and one I cannot apply to them."[3]
The term was later reintroduced by Tumblr user aroarolibrary on December 20th, 2014.[4]
Related Terms
| Label | Relationship | Description | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alloplatonic | Opposite | An individual that experiences platonic attraction. | It is the opposite of aplatonic. |
| Aromantic | Counterpart | An individual that experiences little to no romantic attraction. | Aromantic is the romantic orientation counterpart to aplatonic. |
| Asexual | Counterpart | An individual that experiences little to no sexual attraction. | Asexual is the sexual orientation counterpart to aplatonic. |
| Aqueerplatonic | Counterpart | An individual that experiences little to no queerplatonic attraction. | Aqueerplatonic is the queerplatonic orientation counterpart to aplatonic. |
Prefixes and Suffixes
| Label | Prefix / Suffix | Flag | Description | Creator(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aplspike | -spike |  [5]
|
Normally aplatonic but occasionally alloplatonic.[5] | pride-flags-for-us |
Flags and Symbols
The aplatonic flag was created by deactivated Tumblr user pride-flags-for-us on or before August 15th, 2015.[6] The colors were chosen as they are the inverse of yellow, a color that traditionally represents friendship. The cream-white stripe signifies the possibility of attractions other than platonic being present.[7] Apples are sometimes used to symbolize aplatonicism, due to the phonetic similarity between 'apl' and apple. The colors of iridescence can also be used a symbol for aplatonicism, due to the colors resembling the aplatonic flag.[8]
Two alternate aplspike flags were created by Pride-Flags, and another one was created by pride-flags-for-us.[5]
Aplatonic (Pride-Flags)
Aplspike (Pride-Flags)
Aplspike (pride-flags-for-us)
Aplspike (Pride-Flags)
Resources
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20230524203314/https://www.tumblr.com/aromagni/629112378923122688/aplatonic-masterpost
- ↑ "a-" Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/a-#Catalan. Accessed on 21 Jan, 2023.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Aplatonic" The AVEN, Mr. Shuttershy, 6 Apr, 2012, https://web.archive.org/web/20221105224123/https://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/73079-aplatonic/.
- ↑ "I’m going to make aplatonic a thing." Tumblr, aroarolibrary, 30 Dec, https://web.archive.org/web/20220219173332/https://aroarolibrary.tumblr.com/post/106663269439/im-going-to-make-aplatonic-a-thing. Archived on 19 Feb, 2022.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Aplspike, Aplatonispike" Tumblr, pride-color-schemes, 26 Jun, 2016, https://web.archive.org/web/20230517213832/https://pride-color-schemes.tumblr.com/post/146492803406/aplspike-aplatonispike.
- ↑ "Aplatonic/Gray Aplatonic/Demiplatonic Pride Flags" Tumblr, brianuriel, https://web.archive.org/web/20230622230003/https://brianuriel.tumblr.com/post/129347627654/aplatonicgray-aplatonicdemiplatonic-pride-flags/amp. Archived on 22 Jun, 2023.
- ↑ Tumblr, pride-flags-for-us, https://web.archive.org/web/20220124014319/https://aroarolibrary.tumblr.com/post/106685973494/pride-flags-for-us-aplatonic-describes-someone. Archived on 24 Jan, 2022.
- ↑ "Aplatonic Symbols Post!!" Tumblr, apl-aro-narc, https://www.tumblr.com/apl-aro-narc/711387669620523008/aplatonic-symbols-post?source=share. Accessed on 8 May, 2023.
