Hello out there!!

I decided on a whim to make this post. Since standing out from the crowd on dating apps can be a challenge, I decided to take an alternative route and put out an old fashioned personal dating ad! I have a feeling that my match is out there and that I'm a good fit for the right person. I'll do my best to keep the tone interesting as I infodump about the type of person that I am and the type of person that I'm seeking. Hopefully you find it an interesting read!

First the basics:

I'm 31 years old 

I'm 5'10

I own two businesses and have a Master's degree 

I don't smoke, but do enjoy having drinks casually/socially

I'm left leaning politically and an ally of marginalized communities 

I identify as agnostic and do not practice any religions 

I'm Canadian and living in my own place in Ottawa, but have the resources to travel to find the right person

I'm open to kids, but honestly it depends on the person I meet. If the person I'm with doesn't want kids for any reason, I'm okay not having them. I know I'd likely make a good dad, as I have a good relationship with all of my nieces and kids tend to gravitate towards me. I wouldn't want more than two kids though.

I have two cats and see myself always having a cat or two in the house. I definitely have cat dad energy. Like with kids, animals often seek me out too. Just to prove this last point, here are a few photos of me vibing with animals in recent years:

https://imgur.com/33I6OPX

https://imgur.com/18U2u5B

https://imgur.com/juQs3jC

https://imgur.com/CoYRilv

Now for the stuff that stands me out from the crowd!!

If you're looking for somebody empathetic, look no further! I work as a therapist. In particular, I specialize in supporting neurodivergent adults, meaning I have a LOT of insight into autistic and ADHD experiences. If given the chance, I could easily talk somebody's ear off on the subject. I'm incredibly passionate about learning anything relating to my work and can be quite career-driven to expand my businesses. I also work online, giving me a lot of freedom for travel. In addition to being a therapist, I'm also in therapy and have been for a while. Good news, my therapist has always said that I'm emotionally secure, available and aware!! She even laughed when I asked if I could get that in writing to support this personal ad and said sure. I know a lot of people value good communication, and I truly believe that I'm a fit for this need!

Next, I'm absolutely a hobbyist. At the forefront, I love video games and the culture around it. I grew up playing Nintendo games with my siblings. Today, my love of video games affects many of my social relationships. I regularly host couch multiplayer game nights with friends from every era of my life. On a whim, I'll sometimes go as far as dressing up as gaming or anime characters while I host for the fun of it. I love doing this so much that I also got many gaming tattoos to advertise my interests and to recruit more people into joining for game nights. My efforts have been successful throughout the years and I tend to host people on most weekends. Here's a photo from a recent event where we made Pokémon cocktails and dressed up as characters from the series. You can see my tattoos in them too:

https://imgur.com/DX9vHgd

In addition to gaming, I do like anime, playing instruments, interior design (be warned, my decor is nerdy)... When I get into a new hobby, I go in HARD. For example, in the last two years I got really into teaching myself how to play instruments. With this new interest, I self-taught how to play a lot of my favorite gaming and anime songs on the guitar, the ukulele and now the keyboard as well. Over the same period, I also got really into solo trips. I went to Japan, South Korea and traveled to many major cities across Canada and the US. I don't anticipate either one of these interests will die down soon. Here's a photo of the magnets I collect from every major city I go to, a picture of me in Japan, as well as a collection of some of my instruments:

https://imgur.com/kOUII9U

https://imgur.com/64xQy8G

https://imgur.com/M8OYrXZ

https://imgur.com/sXWi1VU

Finally, worth noting about me, I have good relationships with friends, family and no ex-partner drama!! After growing up in a rural community and feeling bored pretty constantly, I moved to the city for university. It blew my mind as a kid that our family friends living in the city could invite their neighbors over on a whim to play couch multiplayer video games. I wanted that sooooooo badly... So the moment I could move out from home at 17, I did. One of the first things I did after moving to the city was join a local gaming group. I'm still friends with some of the members today! I got so distracted building my community of friends and focusing on my hobbies that I kept forgetting to date. I've had some dating partners that have lasted for a handful of months, but that's about it! My relationships with people mean a lot to me. I'm definitely looking for somebody who has complimentary energy to these relationships! Here's a photo of me in a group setting. This was taken at a surprise birthday party for me in university (fun fact, this was one of the most moving experiences of my life!!):

https://imgur.com/piYO0T9

In the last section, I mentioned that I'm looking for somebody that I could see having complementary energy to that of my friend and family circle. This is a good segue to talking about what I'm looking for in a partner. Here's hoping you're a good match!!

What I'm hoping to attract is someone who's a cisgender woman that also loves gaming culture. You don't need to be as intensely into it as I am (that's a hard standard to reach!), but it's important to know that gaming is an important way that I have bonded with people throughout the years. I've realized in the past that being with someone who isn't into gaming culture at all doesn't tend to work out very well.

I'm also hoping for somebody who is a good communicator. What I mean by this is that I'm looking for somebody who is flexible in their thinking and is also able to communicate and receive boundaries. This is very important to me, because if you couldn't tell from my energy, I am autistic.

What this means is that dating me may come with a few different catches: 

- I tend to get tired midday and need a nap

- In spite of me loving to host people, my social battery isn't the biggest, so I do need space to unwind alone and to enjoy my special interests

- I may need you to voice your needs a little more directly, since I'm not the best at reading through indirect communication methods

- I have touch sensitivities, so it may take me a bit longer than your average person to warm up physically. I'm also not the type a person to push past a touch boundary without asking for consent, since I'm not the best at reading whether or not it would be reciprocated.

I do also have a few deal breakers worth mentioning.

- Monogamous only

- No smokers (cigarettes) 

- I plan on always having cats, so those with allergies beware!

- I want to live in a bigger city, never outside it (Ottawa preferred!)

I see myself being a good fit for you if you're neurodivergent yourself. Because of my communication skills, I'll likely also be a good match if you need a partner to take things slower and/or if you come from a trauma background. I'll likely also vibe with you well if you bring your own set of special interests to the table. I'm also aware of the different love languages and enjoy giving affection in all the different types. I also like receiving them all, besides for physical gifts. I'm not a fan of clutter and tend to be on the cleaner side, so receiving gifts isn't my thing. Receiving gifts in the form of experiences though is right up my alley!

Here’s a close up shot of how I look too!

https://imgur.com/bPeKm55

If you think we'd be a good match feel free to send me a message! You also have my consent to forward this to people that you think would be a good match. I hope this works, I really do think I'm a good match for the right person!!