hi!! oh I don’t mind 🩷

truthfully I don’t think there’s really any “step by step” for making friends online. I think it’s perfectly normal and common to feel overwhelmed and out of your depth when you enter into a space you’re new to. even for me, I had been in online fandom spaces for years but switching over to skz fandom felt like a whole new world and it was scary at first! it took a lot of time to adjust. for me it was just a while of observing and cautiously interacting until I felt like I sort of started to feel a bit less out of place and more confident that I could open up a bit more.

when it comes to actually making friends though I think what’s most important is having your expectations and personal values in perspective. the internet is vast, and it can be a lot, especially in a fandom as big as this one. you’ll encounter a lot of people and it’s just not possible to click with all of them, and that’s okay. accepting that up front is so crucial, because otherwise it’s really easy to get discouraged. But there are certainly friends out there for everyone!! that’s where the personal values comes in. have a somewhat general idea of what sorts of people you want to surround yourself with. what opinions and interests you hope to share. what needs and expectations you might have for any friendships you foster here. considering those things up front makes it so much easier to navigate and to know where to (and to not!!) put your energy when it comes to getting to know people.

but most importantly, just be yourself. I know that’s a big ask and goes directly against the whole feeling like it’s “life or death” thing but I PROMISE you that more often than not the people you will want to spend your time with will be drawn to you for your authenticity. that’s the only way to foster genuine friendships. be open and honest about who you are and what you like and the people who vibe with that will follow. when it comes to boundaries, just do your best. as long as you’re being thoughtful and curious about the opinions and feelings of others then it will shake out just fine. for me, I sometimes tread a little lightly with new people until I get an idea of what they do/don’t like as far as content goes. like, if I’m replying to a post if theirs I usually will just say something in agreement with them OR if I know them better I will talk about things I already know they like. that helps a lot with the fear of being annoying/crossing any boundaries.

At the end of the day getting to know people really is a bit of trial and error. Awkward interactions are pretty inevitable but that’s genuinely okay! Nothing in life is totally smooth. If it were then we would lose so much of what makes life interesting lol most people around here are genuinely happy to have people interact with them, and I know it can be easy to feel like a bother but just try to remind yourself that’s why people get on twt and post to begin with! for people to see and interact! so there is nothing wrong or annoying about you doing exactly that. 🩷

and as far as finding people who share your brand of pervert, I’d highly encourage you to post about what you like on you’re account! That’s how I met most of the people I know now. I really just showed up to the fandom and started saying shit everyday until I met people haha. and interact with posts that you like! I promise that people are DELIGHTED to hear that you share an interest with them.

I hope this was a little helpful and not all over the place lol jshdsh I really wish you the best of luck!!! navigating online communities can be a lot but I know you’re going to do great and be just fine!!🩷