I believe most apps can be used for free… to an extent. Just like mobile games they can very much be pay to win with many QoL features locked behind a subscription. I know you prefer web, so I’m mostly thinking of apps that also have a web interface. I’m also a woman and a similar age as you; I’ve given up on dating sites and apps to meet people. I do have friends that have had decent success with Bumble, Hinge (no web interface), and Boo. I’ve not looked into the full web-based ones in a long time, but even then I remember them being very limited without a subscription; I can’t imagine that’s changed. Best of luck girl 🩷 Online dating is a complete drain!

Both with friends and with random players. The map pinging system honestly works so well for the pace of the game! The goal to be as efficient and quick as possible generally doesn’t leave much room for arguing or debates which makes things feel so not toxic. Someone usually just takes control of routing, puts a pin down, you or the other player can place a pin in the same location to second the vote, or you can place a pin where you think is best and the other players can second it or not. When I’m playing with friends they leave the routing up to me, but when we’re playing with a matchmade player it’s 50/50 if they’ll be routing or I will. Sometimes it’s chaos, but it’s usually super smooth!

It already supports single player 🩷 Enemy health, poise, and runes are adjusted to balance the lack of teammates. You can also buy a few Wending Graces that will allow you to self-revive since you won’t have teammates to revive you. Some of the final day bosses can actually be easier to manage solo. I sooo recommend the game, and I also recommend giving multiplayer a chance when you’re comfortable with the overall loop and navigating the map. While I do occasionally get a mess of a team, I would say the majority of my matchmade runs have been super smooth and fun!

I’ve had amazing success with the tucking panties from tcomfifits. I just can’t do the tape method, and these always hold everything in place when I’m out! I’ll wear them the entire day and rarely feel any discomfort. My only wish is that they had a few more styles, buuut I received an email from them recently that made it seem like they might be expanding their options!

My friends despised my Elvish Piper deck since it could easily summon creatures like this 🤭 Especially when they were playing mono colored decks and I just pipered out Iona, Shield of Emeria.

When I was growing up I sooo had this! It was a universe that had every character I liked from books, shows, movies, comics, etc. It lasted for well over a decade, but it became super draining on my mind as I got older since I couldn’t turn it off… And, most likely autism driven, I would often verbalize the sounds and actions playing in my mind. It took a lot of mental effort to finally end the story!

It will obviously vary, but I’ve been on HRT for a little over a year and started it late-ish (in my early 30s). I personally can say my face has femminized a fair amount - obviously my bone structure hasn’t changed, but my eyes are slightly wider and softer, cheeks a bit fuller with fat sitting in a different place, skin GLOWS. There’s obviously features that I would love to see change more/at all, but I’m much happier looking at myself in the mirror and in photos 🩷 I’ve also been getting laser hair removal for my facial hair along with other parts of my body. My friends and people I see occasionally for errands often have incredibly kind things to say about the changes they’ve been seeing over the year.

I did try one of those apps a few times and things didn’t necessarily click for me since they kind of added makeup over my face. I personally want to be happy with my face without makeup, so I didn’t feel they were showing a version of myself I wanted to see.

Omg… I’m the exact same…I so envy people who keep hobbies or interests for decades.

I use patches alongside spiro and progesterone. I can’t recommend patches enough! Injections give me crazy dysphoria, so I turned that option down immediately.

Yesss! I order from Etsy shops, enamel pin creators, and other independent artists super often and they always pack everything soooo cute. I have a shelf in one of my cabinets with all their little baggies and boxes that I use to store and organize various things. They are so handy!

Sooo cute! I have a pair of stuffed bunnies that I cuddle to sleep with 🩷 I can microwave them/heat them up when I really need something warm and calming. I hope you enjoy your new friend 🐇

A month or so ago, I was debating if I wanted to upgrade/build a new PC. I eventually decided that if I waited any longer, I’d not just be paying more but might also lose access to certain components I had my eye on- their Y70 Touch Infinite cases being one of those. Super happy I decided to go for it since everything has increased in price, and it seems like we’ll be seeing less of many things from overseas… also it turned out sooo beautiful!

This is kind of the logic that hurts me. People like me will express that those terms make them uncomfortable, but someone will argue that they’ll use gendered words with the intent to be gender neutral. But like…it’s not very empathetic to disregard someone’s feelings because using ‘girl’ is uncomfortable. It’s kind of putting your feelings above there’s. If you have the opportunity to be kind and affirming, to make someone feel safe and comfortable in the world, why not embrace that? A simple change in your language could make someone’s entire day.

My long-time friend and hair stylist very occasionally uses that with me and her other girl friends. She uses it super occasionally and in such a loving way that it doesn’t bother me as much. It’s very context dependent with her since she’s so caring and affirming to me and usually uses girl, sis, beautiful, babe, etc. If someone I didn’t know used that with me, I’d probably understand it’s being used in a gender-neutral way, but it originates from ‘homeboy’, so it still carries that slight weight.

Soooo much appreciation for this 🩷 I think I’ll forever mentally twitch when people use dude, man, mate, bro, etc. towards me. I totally know it’s done in a gender neutral way, but I still feel a small pang in my heart.

Honestly so lucky that they had all those laser hair removal sessions a year before the world ended 🤭

Maybe 4… and by understand, I mean they have experienced my highs when I have something in my life to temporarily hyperfixate over that brings me so much joy - but also my incredible lows during burnout periods. They’ve been caught in my emotional storms and have continued to be there when I eventually even out (sometimes many months later). They understand I can be highly emotional and prone to crumbling under sadness and stress.

The other people in my life know I’m on the spectrum, but I don’t think they necessarily get it.

I would say the biggest difference I notice is communication. I tend to need full honesty and full commitment. I’m super incompatible with people who think small lies are better than uncomfortable and honest conversations or who make plans and don’t follow through with them.

Most likely trauma and previous friendships eroding. I’m on the spectrum and know that the world I experience is very different from most people. How I communicate, express myself, and just feel overall tends to come off as exaggerated… but for me, it’s what feels normal and is fully authentic. I reach out, communicate that I’m hurting, and could use support, but it’s almost always “I’ll try to make time.” I always ask to spend time doing things we do regularly - playing games online, chatting, shopping etc… but the moment I’m asking for that time to help me through something, it’s just not there anymore. I’ve lost a few friendships that I really valued when I was struggling like this - it’s hard to not feel like it’s a ‘me’ problem.

Friendship…I so struggle balancing my feelings of loneliness and desire for companionship. I look to my friends for support, but don’t want to be a burden or overwhelm them. I constantly think about how I can be the best friend I can for them and how I can support them while also being present for myself. I always end up neglecting my feelings, burning out, and sometimes even losing a friend as I crumble under my emotions. People are so hard sometimes 😢

I wish I had a good answer… most of my life, I was raised by a single parent. I love my mom, but she’s no doubt also on the spectrum, and she was incredibly overprotective and wasn’t the best at managing her emotions. After I turned 18 and started community college, I really pushed for my independence. She didn’t do too well with this and was constantly telling me I wasn’t allowed to leave without her permission and set an arbitrary curfew for me. I pushed back, she got super upset, changed the locks on me one day, and I was forced to live in my car (until I totalled it), friends’ floors, and eventually a small shelter specifically for people struggling with mental health issues. I really hated that shelter since it was rigid and I had no privacy… I learned independence to survive. I’m in my 30s, living in my own, and I feel I’ll always be playing catch up. I wasn’t taught how to handle different life obstacles well or how to navigate my intense emotions, especially when it came to friendships, relationships, and work-life.

We’re semi-fortunate to have the internet and access to large amounts of information. I leverage it constantly to help me figure out and understand how to solve problems in my life. Obviously, research is important and not acting impulsively (not the easiest). For your question, I think figuring out what specific things you’d like to plan or research would be helpful!