For me, they are people from an online community. We know eachother since 1-2 decades and they know some things about me that even my own mother doesn’t know. They even unknowingly saved my life when i was on the nearly suicidal during COVID, simply by responding to my cry for help. Sometimes, we get at each other’s nerves, but we still close friends nevertheless.
I have two aunts, one in the UK and the other about a state away from me. I’ve known them for about 4 years and they’ve been the best aunts I’ve come to know. I used to have a chosen mother but things with her are up in the air after coming to light some very questionable content being shared on her FB that takes jabs at transgenders.