Are you really my friend?

[Sonata]

What makes someone your friend? How do you differentiate between a friend and someone who's just an acquaintance? Is there some kind of rite of passing that someone has to go through for you to see them as an actual friend or do you just see someone and claim them as a friend? Where does someone pass on from the acquaintance tier and enter the friend tier? What about the close friend tier? How close do you have to be/how long do you have to have known someone before you're comfortable enough to tell them more intimate things about yourself such as some of your secrets? How many people do you think see you as an actual friend and not just an acquaintance?

 

[Evening]

I never really considered anyone my friends, even though they probably did.
Don't know why.

 

[pkmin3033]

There are a grand total of two people I would consider to be friends, rather than just acquaintances.

Passing from the "acquaintance tier" to the "friend tier" doesn't take very long, though - it becomes abundantly clear to me almost immediately if people are going to be worthy of passing from one tier to the next. I suppose that sounds arrogant, but...well, I'm fed up with being fucked around with, stabbed in the back, abandoned, and all the rest of it. It's a lot easier and simpler if I keep people at arm's length unless I'm sure they're going to be worth the bother it'd take to form an emotional attachment to them. It'd take far too long to explain my thought processes and criterion for what separates friends from acquaintances and how one can become the other, so I won't even attempt but suffice it to say, it's entirely down to me, and time isn't a factor...nor is the amount of effort people might put into trying to befriend me.

But I suppose a friend, to me, is someone I am (almost) completely unguarded with; someone I can trust without any reservations. Someone who knows me as a person, rather than just a faceless figure who happens to share a few of their interests, or a convenient, non-judgemental listening ear for their worries and problems. Someone I am willing to let see who I am, rather than what I choose to show other people to keep them at bay.

I don't know how many people I talk to would see me as an actual friend. Two or three, perhaps? I don't really qualify as a friend for most people because I don't talk to them often enough and they know next to nothing about me as a person; people I talk to know what my interests are, but that's about all they know. But then, other people have far more relaxed standards for friendship than I do, so who knows? A lot of people I talk to ask me for advice or reveal things to me that I would never consider telling them in casual conversation if our positions were reversed, so it's hard for me to get a sense of it sometimes. Most people aren't as secretive as I am. It's not a question I really ask, because I never get a satisfactory answer...or an answer I can readily believe.

 

[Alfieri]

It really isn't some mathematical equation or tier chart that's in the back of my head. Friendship shouldn't be so calculated.

I consider people my friend if they just take the time to talk to me and we get along and have stuff in common.

 

[Laguna]

I consider someone my friend if we know each other and I think they're a decent enough person, it's that simple.

 

[Lucid]

I consider anyone who I enjoy talking to or hanging out with once in a while my friend.

 

[Sydian]

We have to perform a satanic ritual together to be true friends.

 

[Universe]

we have to do a blood pact if you want friendship.

 

[Wicked3DS]

We have to perform a satanic ritual together to be true friends.

*Backs away slowly*

It's usually someone I've hung out with or talked with a lot. I don't really set much of a definition for a friend. Basically if I know you fairly well and I like you alright, I'll call you my friend.

 

[£]

1: Do I like them?
2: Do they like me?

yes, yes = friends
otherwise =/= friends

I only have a very small number of close friends. Tho as long as you're reasonably close you'll be able to milk me for George Scandals without too much trouble.

 

[Spinosaurus]

I don't have to be particularly close to someone to consider them my friends, so long as we enjoy each other's company.

And there's the close friends anyway.

 

[Bay]

It's usually someone I've hung out with or talked with a lot. I don't really set much of a definition for a friend. Basically if I know you fairly well and I like you alright, I'll call you my friend.

More or less me here. If there's someone I interacted with often and we like each other's company fine, then I'll consider them my friend. I'm not very strict when it comes to friendships haha. There might be a few I consider very close friends due to me knowing them much longer and telling them a bit more personal stuff.

 

[Crystal Berry]

What makes someone your friend? :
A person whom one knows and with whom one has a strong bond of mutual affection, typically a platonic relationship devoid of love or romance. Once that bond breaks, a friendship ends.

How do you differentiate between a friend and someone who's just an acquaintance?:
An acquaintance might like you, but they might not really care about you either. An acquaintance probably won't talk to you very often. An acquaintance is someone who may never want to hang out with you for long periods of time.

Is there some kind of rite of passing that someone has to go through for you to see them as an actual friend or do you just see someone and claim them as a friend? :
If they actually want to talk to me I will consider them a friend. I'm willing to be almost anyone's friend unless they're really mean, creepy, way older or younger than me, and other obvious factors.

Where does someone pass on from the acquaintance tier and enter the friend tier? :
Well, when both sides have a mutual feeling of companionship towards each other, and will gladly talk to each other or hang out often and for long periods of time.

What about the close friend tier?:
To me a close friend is just a friendship where both people enjoy each other's company so much that they consider each other of greater importance and priority than most of their other friends.

How close do you have to be/how long do you have to have known someone before you're comfortable enough to tell them more intimate things about yourself such as some of your secrets? :
It would have to be a very close friendship.

How many people do you think see you as an actual friend and not just an acquaintance?:
I dunno. A lot of people see me as a friend that I don't see as a friend in return. It's weird. xD

 

[Margaery Tyrell]

I don't have a very calculated form of forming friendships, but I do take into consideration the amount of time we've been friends and how much they care about me when I decide they can know more intimate things about me. I have lots of friends, and actually a rather large circle of close friends. I dunno, not to be arrogant or prideful, but a lot of people take a liking to me rather quickly - if I find someone worth the energy, then I try to put effort into building a relationship with them. I'm constantly wanting to learn more about the way people work, what makes people they way they are - I want to discover and understand as many perceptions as possible. Its easy for me to get close to people idk

 

[HollyYoshi]

I don't have any complex calculations when it comes to who I consider a friend. My close friends however are those I talk with a lot, sometimes on a daily basis.

 

[Dusk]

These days, even I don't know what I consider to be a friend in distinct terms. Uhm... I guess what separates friends from acquaintances is if we spent an extended period of time conversing/spending time together outside of where we initially met with conversations that went beyond small talk at some point. Again, it's really hard to say when/why some people become friends and others don't because it amounts to feelings that don't always progress in the same manner. Of course, I can't just call someone a friend if I don't think the feeling is mutual. Maybe I've done that before? If I have called you a friend when you didn't see me the same way, I am sorry.

Close friends... They have to have been friends for several years and have been through a lot together. I'd say I only have 3 close friends, two of which I've known for more than 10 years. Even though we seldom contact each other because of current differing life situations and distance, I still consider them to be close to my heart. How long do I have to know someone/how close do I have to be before I tell people more vulnerable stuff? Several months, at least. Even then, there are still some things I keep from my closest friends. I take it there are things I don't know about them either, and that's totally okay. Hrmm... I'd say at least 5 people I know see me as an actual friend, too.

 

[moon]

Someone I can relax and be happy with, and not feel like they're judging me or annoy me more than they amuse me.

 

[Sirfetch’d]

Someone I can relax and be happy with, and not feel like they're judging me or annoy me more than they amuse me.

This is what I was going to say as well. I can be friends with pretty much anyone but I just want to know that I am going to be comfortable around them. I was in a very toxic friendship for a long time where I was judged and it's such a turnoff haha.

 

[Corrin]

I'm not sure really, if we've talked some times I'll probably want to be your friend, unless you say otherwise.
An aquaintence is someone I spend time with, but don't really talk to. like most people here I'd say are just aquaintences.

 

[Palamon]

This is a difficult question...

For a regular friend, sharing interests, and being able to talk to me easily, but not letting them in too close.

Close/best friends, I know I can count on you, and you can count on me, and feel practically like you know me, body and soul. If I feel like you'll stick by me, and get me through things no one else can, that's a best friend right there, I only have one person like that. Also, people that are close to me/best friend, I treat a little differently than how I'd treat a regular friend. Like, a best friend is entitled to information no one else gets to know first, that sort of thing.

Acquaintances? Well, someone I talk to a little, but am not particularly have any sort of relation to.

Also, internet friendship is still a real friendship.