Can someones romantic orientation and sexual orientation be very different (aromantic pansexual or asexual polyromantic) or do they have to go in hand (aromantic asexual, biromantic bisexual)?

Romantic and sexual orientation are like socks, sometimes they can be paired, but they don't have to be.

Someone's romantic orientation can definitely be very different. We are all different to begin with. For example, Somebody might be aromantic, but may be interested in both genders.

How we each identify can vary greatly. Some of us have our romantic orientation as very different than our sexual orientation. Personally I am pan-romantic grey-asexual.

They can absolutely be different. Sexual and romantic attraction are different, and while the most common combination of differention orientations is asexual xxromantic or xxsexual aromantic, any combination is possible and whatever fits you.

Well, my girlfriend is an asexual lesbian, and one of my friends is bisexual but heteroromantic, and another friend of mine is pansexual but aromantic. So, yes, the two can be very different.

Romantic and sexual orientation can be very different. There can always be a dichotomy between who you do or don't want to date and who you do or don't want to have sex with. It's different for everybody!

They can be extremely different! It all depends on the person, but usually, it actually doesn't go hand in hand.

For a long time I struggled to find both a sexuality and romantic orientation that really fit me. To be honest I never understood the sheer amount of sexualities out there, and felt compelled to join a more 'well-known' group, i.e bisexual, lesbian etc. Since then I have decided that the best fit for me is 'Questioning-Asexual, Demi-Pan-Romantic'--- which is incredibly long winded and seemed silly at first. But, we should never limit ourselves to one group, we should persevere to find one that feels comfortable, and accept ourselves if we can't find our place on the spectrum. Your romantic orientation does not affect your sexual orientation and vice versa, they are fluid and they can be completely different ends of the spectrum, and that does not invalidate you.

It is totally okay to have a romantic orientation and sexual orientation that are completely different! They do not have to go hand in hand at all, as they are two different aspects of attraction. It is totally okay to be aromatic pansexual, just like it's perfectly okay to be biromatic bisexual!

They can be very different. I know people (my mom for instance) who feel no sexual attraction, but do want and enjoy romantic relationships. I also know people who are romantically attracted to multiple genders, but only sexually attracted to one. Many people have both the same, but others do not, especially if they're aromantic or asexual.