hiii !!

honestly, it can be pretty intimidating to talk to people of the opposite gender, and i think some of that can come from how we're socialized growing up. you might have mostly been encouraged to form friendships with girls, or you might feel like friendships between boys and girls are automatically going to be interpreted romantically. there's nothing wrong with feeling awkward about it, and you're def not the only one. but if you genuinely want to be friends with them, just do it !!! make an effort to find common interests and talk to them. it might take a little more effort at first, but that doesn't mean it's not worth it. for me personally, i've always had a friend group full of girls, but almost every year i've had a different guy i was close with. i usually didn't initiate the friendships, but they would talk to me, and even when we were younger and it was mostly teasing, i thought they were fun, so i made an effort. i teased them back, we joked around, talked about shared interests, and eventually we became friends. so i promise you it's possible to be friends with guys even if it's hard at first but PLEASE !!!! remember that not every friendship is worth keeping just because you managed to build it. i think girls can sometimes accept the bare minimum from men, even in friendships, because we feel like "that's just how they are." but if you wouldn't accept something from your girl friends, please don't feel like you have to accept it from boys either. i learned this the hard way with a guy i considered a friend for about four years. i kept trying to maintain the friendship, but eventually he blamed me for us not talking, despite me being the only one who was putting in effort. it hurt, but it taught me that being the one who tries harder isn't always worth it. and that brings me to your second question: you are not solely responsible for keeping a relationship stable. don't blame yourself for something failing when both people have responsibilities. if you notice things you could do better, or ways your insecurities affect your relationships, use that as something to work on rather than something to hate yourself for. communicate with the other person, ask what you could do better, and tell them what you need, too. if your effort isn't being reciprocated, please don't put yourself through constantly trying to hold everything together on your own. sometimes letting go is better than clinging onto something that needs to end. i was lucky enough to have a guy friend who made an effort to talk to me even when i was awkward because he genuinely wanted to be my friend. we'd talk about anime and soccer and compete in literally everything we could. unfortunately, we aren't friends anymore, and i think the effort eventually fizzled out from his side. as much as i'd still like to be friends, i had to accept that i couldn't maintain it by myself. it was an amazing friendship while it lasted, though, and losing it doesn't take away from that. so don't let the awkwardness at the beginning stop you from trying !! friendships take effort, but you deserve relationships where that effort goes both ways. i hope this gave you some clarity, and tysm for your nice comments !! please come back if you have more to say. you can even comment on a post or reach out on social media <3

honestly, i feel like the president of awkward town, so idk what advice i can give you that might genuinely help lolz, but as someone who is actively trying to be less awkward, i think the thing that has probably helped me the most is to stop letting the awkwardness define an interaction. i have social anxiety, so it's hard for me to interact with people, and when i finally do and am awkward, i let it consume the whole interaction. i will let one awkward moment ruin what could've been a great interaction simply because in my head i started thinking about how weird i was being, and that only makes me more awkward, so maybe just try to let loose a little ? obviously that's easier said than done, but if you notice yourself being awkward, don't sit in that; instead, focus on what is actually happening and pay full attention to the situation/person. you'll definitely think of something you would like to say by fully focusing on the other person, and if you do, say it. don't talk yourself out of it; don't overthink it; just say it. i know a lot of the time i feel like my mouth is being shut so tight that i can't say anything even if i want to, so before you notice that feeling because of your overthinking, just say what you want to say before your mind or body can stop you from it. also find something that soothes you; for me, running my hands through my hair/cracking my fingers helps me stay in the moment instead of completely tapping out. so yeah, maybe it can look unconfident on the outside, but if it helps you actually engage, then use what you can until you can eventually work your way to interacting confidently without it. also, honestly, watching video essays on bettering yourself is pretty helpful; sometimes they say the most obvious thing, but it's validating to hear that other people think the way you do, and honestly, they've helped to really change my perspective as of late. obviously, awkwardness can look different for everyone, but this is what has helped me personally so i hope that was somewhat helpful lol ! also, i would love to be moots, but i couldn't find a follow button on your blog TT if you have one, please lmk where it is, or maybe add one if you'd like ! your blog is super cute, and thanks for the credits lolz the doll is so adorbs <3 p.s. maybe try making a move on your crush or make it a little obvious ? they'd be lucky to have you

the part about this being the first blog you read is honestly very validating !!!! and truly, that's such a lovely blog idea ! what you said is pretty similar to how i thought of mine. when i first started, i wasn't expecting to make any mutuals/have followers on here because honestly i didn't even really know you could, but knowing that someone out there is reading my posts and finding them relatable is such a nice feeling, and i hope you get to experience that too !! now for your question, honestly, i think i just got lucky ? when i made mine, as soon as i felt like it was presentable, i started making comments on tiktok about it. i found a really viral video of a blog i liked and left a comment with my url, and luckily it did pretty well and now has almost 200 likes (probably the comment you found me from lol), but i couldn't guarantee that a single comment would do good, so i found other videos with decently big audiences and left comments as well. they didn't do as well as my other comment, but even just one like or one curious person searching my blog up helped yk. i would also say to just reply to people's comments; if someone left their blog in a comment section and you like it, just reply saying you would like to be mutuals. again, one person is not a lot, but it's something, and it's definitely a start. once i had people visiting, they would leave comments on my chatbox, and i would leave some back and always dropped my link. don't ever forget to leave your link !! it's helpful so the person knows who you are, obviously, but also if people happen to be scrolling through someone's blog and see your comment, they could be curious and click it. you should also do the same: go to people's chatbox and click on the links they've left and then leave your own link as well, especially if you see they have a big audience, because then it's more likely that someone will click on your link (obviously, please leave a nice comment for them as well so you aren't just using them for promo lol). aside from my initial comments, i haven't left any new tiktok comments, so to reach new people, i mostly just browse around on different blogs and leave a comment. so honestly, the biggest piece of advice i can give you is to have a chatbox !!!! after you post your first few comments, a chatbox is going to be the one thing keeping a constant flow of new people leaving links and blogs that you can leave your link on as well. hope that helped a bit !! my "blog notes" tab is for blog help, so if you have any more questions/want me to be more specific about something, you can leave a comment on there, and i will make a detailed post

ngl this just kinda happened to me but my guy just got a gf so ugh unfortunately ik how you feel rn but honestly as sad/annoying as it may be you really can't do anything but say ok and move on. if someone isn't willing to admit their feelings for you, forcing them to won't make you happy and neither will questioning why he isn't being honest. ik its gonna feel sad and like that year and a half might've meant nothing or what you (and others) thought it meant but you can't change the past, his actions, or his denial so there isn't any point in dwelling on it. not saying you can't be sad or annoyed (ik part of me still feels that way) but not lingering in those thoughts and what you can't change will def help you move on. sorry if that was a lot or if i'm just assuming a bit based on what you said (⸝⸝๑﹏๑⸝⸝) but feel free to come back and lmk more if you want, hope this helped even a bit !

tyyyy and tysm for all your comments, you're so sweet !!!

OMG TY !!! im so glad ) if you want, def lmk your blog name when you make it and i'll follow you !