Hey! Sorry to hear you’ve been finding it tough to make friends. Sometimes it can feel difficult, especially when it seems like everyone already has their own group, but befriending the right people can bring a very meaningful change to your life, so I hope you can find them. Here’s some advice based on how I’ve found my friends ☺️

AO3
- Leave heartfelt comments on multiple works. These should come organically, don’t do this for the purpose of gaining friends of course. But if you find yourself wondering whether or not you should comment, the answer is yes, you probably should. I left all my comments on my girlfriend’s works because I genuinely loved the fics and felt it would be a shame if I didn’t enthusiastically share how much they impacted me. And they, in turn, impacted her, and also led to some thought provoking discussions that led us to realize that we have a lot in common.

• Posting your own content helps a lot too! My gf and I wouldn’t have met if it weren’t for her hard work on her writing, and I’ve made some friends this way, too. It’s especially useful if you’re a fan of a rare pair, because those communities are much smaller and getting to know fellow readers and writers for a pair you’re passionate about is easier. Plus, if you’re like me and self-conscious about the quality of your work, there’s less content for readers to choose from and people will take what they can get (or so I like to tell myself 😅)

Tumblr
- Interacting with people’s posts can be a useful way of putting yourself out there in a more casual, low-stakes way. One thing that has particularly helped me is leaving reactions in the tags of posts. It’s a great way for someone to see you, and I know any time I get a tag on a post, I get curious and click on the person’s blog to check them out. They’re even more likely to check you out if you leave compliments on something they made, like a drawing. People really appreciate when you do that!! It goes without saying, but only leave genuine feedback when doing this. But I’m of the opinion that any positive thought is best shared, so I make a point of letting people know how much I like their work whenever I can, and sometimes it has naturally led to us talking and becoming friends.

• If you’ve been interacting with each other’s posts or have had a conversation in replies that you’d like to continue, consider sending a DM! Or even if you just want to let them know you love their blog, art posts, etc. Having the courage to message first can be tough, especially with the fear of being rejected, but sometimes you get lucky. One of my friends DMed me expressing interest in collaborating in voice acting and it led to us doing multiple projects together and growing close as friends. They told me later that they almost didn’t DM because they were nervous, but I was grateful they did!

Miscellaneous

• Some people like to join Discord group chats to meet a lot of people. I tend to prefer more one-on-one interaction, but this is still an option to interact with a variety of different people and find a few you may want to branch off with and get closer to later on

Best of luck to you! I hope you can find some good friends. Like I said in my previous answer, sometimes friends come naturally when you get involved in stuff you enjoy and surround yourself with people who also enjoy it. But going out of your way to interact and connect with them is often a great way to meet new people you might end up becoming friends with in the long run!

Sending lots of luck and courage your way 🍀🤗