gemmy

It can definitely be more than online relationships. My Daddy and I are married. Some people take it more seriously than others, some people just want to get their rocks off, etc. Your mileage may vary. Anyway, the online communities are fun and it's really nice to chat about the lifestyle (that's why I joined). There's plenty to learn, but don't ever feel like you have to put yourself in a box.

Seems it's still down? Been a few years since I've been active on CGL forums in any capacity, but that was my go to site.

Local events are great for this! Local sometimes means regional, but still. Events and meeting people through friends are great for a level of vetting. And honestly, Discord has some robust kink communities. Decent ones require ID verification.