I have a particular limitation when it comes socially. I perform fantastically in person, but I have absolutely no social sense when it comes online. My best opportunities are a board game night meetup and some chance meetups at an arcade nearby on the weekends. I am neither old, Christian, or a drinker, hence the limited interests in my area. I still feel socially stunted without a real close friendship, but I can withstand that for the weeks in between seeing my sweetheart.
Now, assuming they move in soon, I assume I should find at least some friends in earnest? I know we both can get emotionally vulnerable so we ought to have as many support sources as possible. He is my best friend, but I need more eggs and more baskets. I have yet to have other friends… ever, but I’m damn trying with my gaming groups.
One of my friends started joining climbing and dodgeball teams to get to know people.
Hilariously enough, the kink culture here is great, so I’ve actually been going to these like, “nude beach socials” and kink nights just to meet people, as they are engines of socialization for a broad spectrum of people ranging from young to old. In an era of awkwardness, sometimes a mask and a drink helps, lol.
Anyways, I also joined a mountain bike group, who immediately folded me in, and I’ve been having a lot of fun with that and reconnecting with childhood friends (I moved back to the same city I was from, about a decade later)