5 Steps To Be in a Geeky Relationship Before Next Valentine’s Day

geekloverules

Originally published in the Geek Love Rules issue of the DriveThruRPG Newsletter. Valentine's Day is all love and fancy dinners when you're in a relationship, but when you're single, it's a different story. It's a day to complain of capitalism gone awry. It's time to crow about Singles Awareness Day. It's a day to lament that you're "forever alone." Geek friends, let's not do any of those things. Instead, here are some simple ways to level up your love life. As with all strategy guides, … [Read more...]

Why Waiting To Date Won’t Make You More Successful

The "Perfect" Date

You'll start dating after you lose 20 pounds. Or get your degree. Or stop working so hard. Or once you move into your new place. Or after you've gotten a new job. Here's why you should kick those excuses to the curb --> See that picture right there? That needs to be your motto. New Year, New You? Everyone starts the new year with aspirations. And we think, if I can just get those things on track first, then I'll put up a dating profile. If I can just have this one habit cemented in my … [Read more...]

Dear Anon-O-Box: Shy Guy Afraid of Dating Sites

mailbox

Dear Anon-O-Box, I'm terrified of dating sites.  Well, not so much "terrified", as they make me really uncomfortable.  It just feels like every time I'd meet a person there, all our conversations/interactions/etc would have a feeling of "you are expected to form a relationship with this person" hanging over them.  I don't know how to put it better, but it feels like there's this glaring expectations of how I feel about each person.  I don't really know that I could easily form a … [Read more...]

Dear Anon-O-Box: I’m A Turtle and I Hate the Dating Race!

mailbox

Dear Anon-O-Box, I suppose if I had to boil down my problems with the female of the species it would come down to simply moving too slowly.  I'm not fond of dating sites because I feel they put an unspoken pressure on the relationship from the start when I want to just know a girl before even considering asking her out. I tend to take about a year of solid crushing before I'm even willing to do that considering, and even if I'm ready and willing to ask someone out they tend to already … [Read more...]

CONTEST: FlipMe Your Best Geeky Pickup Lines!

flipme

Ever seen a cutie cosplayer from across the con floor and wished you could flirt with them without all that awkward tripping over your words? Or met someone at a game day and hoped you could keep in touch? When I heard about FlipMe, I immediately saw it as a great way for shy geeks to express interest in other shy geeks. And I'll tell you what, if I were single, I'd be adding FlipMe cards to my dating tools arsenal. What Is FlipMe? From their website: Ever been out somewhere, seen someone you … [Read more...]

Ways You Convince Potential Dates To Turn You Down

nokissing1

It amazes me how many dating profiles practically list out the reasons why nobody should date you. You say you want a partner, but in the very place you should be putting your best face forward, you're slyly convincing every new reader to skip you for someone better. Amazing, date-able, talented, smart people do this. You shoot yourself in the foot. Repeatedly. Sometimes, you don't even realize you're doing it. You know that pain from being single? Hate to say it, but some of you are … [Read more...]

Toronto Pride: Dating Advice From The Queer and Fabulous

skateboards

A couple of weekends ago the Out, the Proud, and the Straight-Not-Narrow took to the streets of Toronto for a weekend-long celebration of all things queer and fabulous. As I wandered hand-in-hand with a beautiful woman through the throngs of the gay and the gawkers, I collected free condoms and advice. Especially in the gay world, Those Who Came Before have a lot to teach us about being ourselves in a sometimes hostile world. I asked men and women, twinks and femmes, bears and dykes, what they … [Read more...]

Unleash your Inner Pretty Boy: 4 Dating Tips from Anime Bishounen

FY_hotohori0013

Bishounen for those not in the know, is a Japanese word meaning, literally, “beautiful boy.” While it used to refer primarily to an ideal of a youthful and pretty boy, it has now expanded to refer to an entire character archetype within anime and other media: a beautiful adult male with fine features, long and/or well-styled hair, and a generally refined demeanor. While they’re most often found in anime for girls and women, such as Kyou Kara Maoh and Fushigi Yuugi, there are plenty of … [Read more...]

Dear Anon-O-Box: How Do You Stay Hopeful When You’re Single?

seanpatfan

We're deviating from the normal Anon-O-Box this week for a very special note from Sean Patrick Fannon. You may know him as the man behind Shaintar, an epic high fantasy RPG setting. Or from his work with RPGNow and DriveThruRPG. I met SPF at ConCarolinas 2009, where Dave and I played in his Savage Worlds game, set in Shaintar. We had a blast... which then extended to a fun dinner... which then extended to an impromptu party. Good times! Sean met the love of his life, Carinn, in a pretty … [Read more...]

Remember Me? I’m Shopping Cart Girl! (Or, Why Your Dating Profile Isn’t Memorable)

sh0pp1ngc4rt

In my own match.com profile, I opened with a scene of my typical shopping trip to Publix supermarket, which ended with me riding my cart across the parking lot. No matter what people thought about my age or maturity level for doing so, it's one of those little pleasures that makes me unbearably happy. The image of a near-30-year-old woman riding her cart full of groceries was a total hit. When men wrote me, they almost always mentioned how that image stuck in their heads. Some admitted that … [Read more...]