#but yes i hope this helps i swear you'll find/create that friend group eventually!!!! just keep having fun and you'll get there ᰔᩚ

[zhongrin]

hi!! it's me again. thank you so so much for your answer, it was very kind and well-written, and i think it definitely helped put some things into perspective for me!! also i related heavily to your whole thing about selfshipping before knowing what it was (and the mention of numerous self-indulgent fics was a direct hit augh how did u know about those /silly)

u mentioned that having friends who selfshipped helped a lot, and this is going to sound horribly juvenile, but how do you make friends in tumblr communities?? ㅠㅠ i understand it's partially a natural thing that happens when u interact with content u enjoy/the fandoms you're in but im horribly shy and everyone seems to already have friends,,, idk maybe im overthinking this hahsgsj

- sachie (if u don't mind me staying a little longer, your tea shop is very cozy!!)

nonnie sweetie you and me (and probably thousands of other people) we're all the same hsdlfjskdfj

hmhm no yeah that's a valid question, i think! naturally, it might be a little easier for fellow writers or artists to kinda 'connect 'with each other... and i'm not 100% sure what your situation is so this might not work for you? however, i think there's a mindset that people need to adopt, and that is: you need to realize that we're all just silly little humans, who just happens to like/is passionate about the same thing (fandom, character, selfshipping, etc)!!

when it comes to social media like tumblr, i like to imagine that we're all just adults in an adults' playground… showing each other the thing™️ we made or telling others about a thing™️ someone else made. just keep being yourself, be open and respectful, and interact with people! eventually you'll find someone who'll bounce back your interaction attempt with their own idea, which you can then reply to, perhaps it'll go back and forth across several topics/posts, and suddenly you might find yourself talking in their inbox/dm/discord hskdhskd

and i promise most (not all, ofc, but that's always how it is) of the writers/artists (and probably readers too. see, we're all the same silly little humans!!!) here want that interaction. we want that connection. we want that one more person to brainrot with and throw selfship ideas at each other. just try, and see where it goes! you might not click, and that's okay. you might hit it off, and that's great!! :))

oh and there's also the option of joining networks if you're a writer or artist! e.g. @/nereidsrealm, @/houseofsolisoccasum, etc. there's a lot out there! just be aware of their rules and have fun! and remember, if you get to make friends there, then great! but if not then that's okay too, don't be disheartened; it just means you just have to look somewhere else. you'll find your people eventually ᰔᩚ

also yes yes ofc!!! you're welcome to stay for as long as you like!!! :D