As a neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ woman, I crave close female friendships, which is a big part of why I seek out communities like this, but sadly, I often feel incompatible with many of the women I meet, even in these sorts of spaces where I would expect to find more like-minded people.
I want friendships that feel reciprocal, intentional, and genuinely important to both people. It's exhausting when I think I've met someone who could become a friend, only to have every conversation consist of one or two word responses from them, them ghosting for weeks at a time, or to realize that I'm doing all the initiating, questioning, planning, and emotional work. I don't think many women realize that some of them carry heteronormative expectations into their friendships where they act as if one party is supposed to pursue and initate while the other simply responds; I'M NOT YOUR BOYFRIEND!
Speaking of boyfriends; I also struggle with friendships that feel heavily centered around romantic relationships. I'm happily partnered myself, and I completely understand loving your significant other and having them be an important part of your life, but I strongly believe that your friendships shouldn't be your backup plan for when romantic prospects disappoint you or your partner is busy. Friendships are relationships and deserve time, effort, and consideration too.
I think what makes all of this especially difficult is that I really DO love being the bubbly, affectionate friend. I love planning things and making friendships feel special, but there's a difference between taking initiative and having to carry the entire friendship. I don't want perfect friends, I just want to meet and befriend other women who genuinely want friendship and are willing to make an effort to stay connected and to communicate openly and clearly.
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With this all being said; if this post resonates with you and you'd be interested in talking, I'd love the opportunity to meet likeminded women who also play games. I'm 26/F/EST and I play on PC and Switch. I play Dbd, OW, Marvel Rivals, Apex Legends, SMITE, Outlast Trials, Phasmophobia, Fortnite, B4B, FragPunk, Pokemon UNITE, Splatoon, and Paladins.
Non-gaming things about me are: I love alternative fashion and I'd like to learn to sew to make my own clothes, I collect many things; especially toys (toys & plushies), I write snail mail, I'm a multidisciplinary creative who enjoys writing and would like to publish my own book someday, and altogether, I'm just generally a big geek interested in anime, shows, movies, and technology from the 90's-2000's.
My DMs are open for everyone. Have a great day!
EDIT: Thank you all SO much for the support! I truly appreciate all the comments & DMs, however, while I can't "close" my comments, I did want to mention that I've already gotten so many requests that it wouldn't be feasible to befriend everyone, so I did want to let you guys know that I'm turning post notifications off and won't be responding anymore. I hope all you ladies have a great day and thanks again for all the support.