I’ve been extremely fortunate to get introduced to DDLG by the best guy ever. We met online 6 months ago and things rapidly started to falling into place. It felt FANTASTIC! We built an online dynamic together and said forever to each other, both fully meaning it.

But… 2 months ago things started to change. I have been actively dating, now certain that I want a DDLG relationship in real life. And he has been dealing with a personal situation, which is taking most of his time away, indefinitely. We’ve continued to check in with each other daily and care for each other’s wellbeing greatly, but it’s nowhere near what it used to be. Nor do we see it returning to what it was.

For the sake of transparency I’ve been very open about my online dynamic while dating for a real life CG, though naturally it’s kind of daunting. My best matches are people who are looking to build seriously, but of course they don’t want a girl with an online dynamic. And I’ve been struggling to explain… is it even that?

We check in briefly only 3 or 4 times a day. All our rules have disappeared. The ones we do have (bedtime and getting up time) are not enforced - he doesn’t ask if I skip them. We hardly play together anymore. And he’s not my Dom… he’s just someone who deeply cares about my wellbeing. There is literally no capacity for him to do more than briefly remind me I’m on his mind.

After struggling and struggling with this development, it seemed kind of in an inevitability that we needed to change something. We talked. Besides the love we have for each other, it no longer truly is a dynamic. I no longer need to announce him as my Daddy. He’s just a friend who regularly checks how I am.

It’s beautiful and it’s sad…

Above was mainly venting and explaining the situation I guess, though I have some genuine questions:

• Do I still need to specifically mention this friendship while dating, because I used to call him Daddy?

• Has anyone else gone through a natural transition like this?

• How do I date responsibly while also feeling wobbly from the lack of an existing dynamic (no rules, support, etc for the past few months)?