QUARANTINE CONNECTIONS: PART ONE

Admit it, you didn’t think it was possible to find love during quarantine. Dating during a global pandemic does prove to be a bit...complicated. Well, allow us to change your mind in our new series: Quarantine Connections. We’ll be celebrating the stories of those who despite these unprecedented times, not only found love, but on many occasions, themselves. From long-lost reconnections, to first dates on a video game, navigating this current state of the world during these complex times is varied, exciting, and actually, kinda sexy. 

To our single friends: we hope this gives you hope that no once-in-a-lifetime virus can stop you from finding love. Whether you’re single or partnered, we hope these stories inspire you to find new ways to connect. Love really does come out on top. So light a candle, grab a glass of something nourishing, and read on (don’t be surprised if you find yourself falling in love alongside them).

“Come To My Island”

Name: Neisha & Partner
Location: Seattle, WA

You know when you break up with an ex and you have no intention of getting into another relationship? That’s exactly what Neisha and her partner had in mind. After meeting on Tinder this past April, they were both only single for one month. Ironically, Neisha's rarely uses the app and was surprised to have even matched at all - (she doesn’t even like texting!) Nevertheless, from that initial moment of matching, the connection was impossible to deny. Read on for their incredible first date story and how they spice things up:

Ok, tell us about your first date!
Our first date was actually on Animal Crossing. We visited each other’s islands and talked over the Nintendo voice app. The funny thing is even though we were meeting in a video game, I tidied up my game house, decorated my island, and chose a super cute outfit for him to first “meet me in”. Now we have matching Animal Crossing tattoos!

How do you spice things up?
Trying new things together! It’s a very fun combo where I am very kinky, and have a huge toy collection, and he is interested but hasn’t tried much before. So it’s fun to try new things out. He’s quite determined to learn new things, so he’s been using YouTube videos to learn Shibari ties.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced so far?
The biggest “challenge” is still trying to do romantic things. We have to get very creative. Both of us love arcades, but we have never gone together. We have also never been to a bar or club or out dancing together, which are all things I normally really want to do with a partner. 

“Rise up:  International Love”

Name: Kaelah & Partner
Location: Canada and Texas

Several years ago, Kaelah and her partner had connected on the messaging app Kik but nothing had really transpired. Kaelah had his Instagram so she decided to follow him there. (We appreciate that first move 😉) Fast forward, it’s early summer of 2020 and the national shutdown has reached an astounding peak. They started to share memes and eventually started gaming together. Keep in mind, they haven’t actually met in person yet. Read on to find out what happened next...

What qualities did you first notice about him? 
I liked how he wasn't afraid to speak his mind. He liked me because I was funny and I was a great listener.

What was your first date like?
For our first date-date, we watched Hamilton together through the Disney Plus app while staying on the phone with each other.

How do you spice things up?
Using the WeConnect app is suuuuuper convenient especially for us since we are a couple thousand miles away from each other.

Consensually sending each other steamy pictures and videos is also really fun for both of us.

Any major challenges?
Well, he lives in Canada, and I live in Texas. Borders right now are closed so I have never met him IN PERSON. We Facetime all the time but sometimes I get really depressed because I just want to be able to hold his hand.

“Must Love Dogs”

Name: Kat
Location: New Haven, CT

This is a pretty common scenario: you match on a dating app but never wind up connecting. On the rare occasion, the other person has the insight to screenshot the profile because they had a feeling something special was there. That’s exactly what happened here. After deleting their OkCupid account, he assumed that Kat had unmatched him. Kat's Instagram handle was on their profile, so he took a leap of faith and messaged Kat on IG.

So tell us, what happened after he messaged you on Instagram?
We hit it off instantly. After talking every day for almost 4 months we decided to link. He’s a dog walker and was dog sitting over the Christmas/New Years holiday. I went there for New Years. We spent four days together and I felt at home. He cooked me a nice vegan meal and never slipped up on my pronouns. We sat on the floor listening to sappy songs and looking into each other’s eyes. I had my first sober sex in probably 5 years.

Loving each other had made loving ourselves easier.

What qualities initially attracted you?
He was open and caring from the start. We describe it now like we were mirrors to each other.

“Just Moved: Seeking Casual Serious”

Name: Liora + Julie 
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Liora wasn’t looking for anything serious. They had just moved to a new city and were excited to explore LA’s dating scene - casually. After meeting Julie on Tinder, it became clear that their relationship would be more than just a fling. Read on for one of the most romantic first date stories we’ve ever heard:

What was your first date?
Our first date was incredible. We have talked about it since and both said that it was love at first date. We live in LA so we met at a beach in Malibu and went on a little hike up to a cliff. We brought wine and chocolate and music and we sat watching the sunset and drinking and talking, it was stunning. It got cold and windy so we ended up huddling under the blanket together, and our first kiss was on that cliff looking at the sunset. We hiked down and cuddled on the beach and looked at the stars for the rest of the night.

The date lasted 4 or 5 hours but neither of us wanted to leave at the end.

What qualities initially attracted you to each other?
We were both attracted to each other’s confidence; we could both tell that we were very sure of who we were as people. I loved her openness and eagerness to share with me and also get to know me at the same time. It didn’t hurt that I also thought she was gorgeous.

How do you spice things up in this new normal?
We try to have as many “plans” as we can just to feel like life has a little bit of structure. Even though we both have roommates we try to find time to be alone and to go out together just the two of us. We have done a couple of road trips to nearby national parks which has been a ton of fun.

“Dinner With Lovers”

If you’re exploring polyamory, practicing social distancing likely means fewer in person meetings, but communication will allow the intimacy and emotions to build. Now onto our scheduled programming:

Name: Cyrenne, Husband, and Megan
Location: Beaverton, OR

It was right after the holidays. Cyrenne and her husband were looking to mix things up, you know, continue to spread the holiday cheer. They logged onto Tinder with a mission: find the perfect unicorn. After matching with Megan right after Christmas, it took quite a bit of time for the three of them to connect in person. The limitations on activities proved to be a bit of challenge, however, once they met, they haven't looked back since.

What was your first date?
My husband and I took her out to dinner, then we went over to Lovers.

What initially attracted you? 
Her smile definitely caught my attention, then we matched and I fell in love with her personality. That smile tho.

What challenges do you face?
Took a little bit to meet in person and start going on dates. Options on things to do are limited.

“Never Met Kinda Love”

Name: Annie & Partner
Location: Sydney, Australia and Saint Johns, FL

What happens when you change your settings on Tinder to the opposite side of the world? Meet the love of your life of course! Now, Annie was always curious about Australian guys. Since she couldn’t physically travel there, she used the one-time only option on Tinder to explore any city in the world. She chose Sydney, Australia. We get it, accents. Teaser: they clicked immediately and have been dating since May, 2020. Fun fact: they’re very much in love, despite having actually met in person yet. Here’s their story:

Tell us about your first date!
Well, we’ve actually never had a first date. We’ve been online dating for 9 months now and never met in person. You’re probably reading this thinking we’re completely nuts!

What qualities are you attracted to most?
His amazing relationship with his family and the way he cares for the ones he loves... I feel like we’re learning so much from each other and growing together as well as individually.

He taught me how to love myself, my body and accept it the way it is.

He taught me to trust as well as to love unconditionally no matter what. I’m forever grateful for meeting such a mature and empathetic man who always wants what’s best for me.

What challenges are you facing as a couple?
The distance! The fact that we’ve never met in person. At the same time it gave us so many chances to talk, connect and really learn about each other. In normal circumstances I’m not sure we would talk that much. Not going to lie the time difference is also a big challenge. It’s often difficult to sync sexually having a 16hr difference! I’m usually asleep when he’s coming back home from work and vice versa. That’s why sex videos are such a great way to feel the presence of your partner without engaging in it at the same time. I love it when I wake up in the morning to 5 videos to enjoy. It’s the best surprise ever.

How do you spice it up, especially with the distance?
Oh there are many ways to do that online... sexting, sending each other photos, videos, and voice memos. We have FaceTime sex or phone sex, using toys. We make sex tapes for each other. Even though we’ve never met in person we know so much about our desires and what we want sexually. I don’t think I’ve ever before had such an organic relationship with anyone.