It was a Friday night, and the dim, cozy atmosphere of Paddy’s Sports Bar was buzzing with lively chatter. At his usual spot near the dartboard, John Price nursed a craft beer, his laptop bag slung over the back of his chair. His fingers itched to type, but tonight, he had bigger plans than climbing from 387,000 to 388,000 posts on HFBoards' Useless Thread. Tonight, he was determined to make a connection—with a real, live woman.
John scanned the room, his eyes locking on a woman at the bar who was laughing with her friends. She wore a leather jacket and had a quick, confident smile. Perfect. This was his moment.
With a deep breath, he sauntered over, straightened his hockey jersey, and leaned against the bar in what he thought was an effortlessly cool pose.
“Hey,” he began, “Did you know I’ve posted 387,000 times on HFBoards?”
The woman blinked at him. “HF what?”
“HFBoards. It’s the biggest hockey forum online. I’ve been a staple in the
Useless Thread since, like, 2010.” He grinned, waiting for the awe to set in.
“Oh,” she said, clearly unimpressed. “That’s… a lot of posts.”
He nodded enthusiastically. “It is! And that’s not even the best part. I also collect plushies. I have 35,000 of them at home.”
Her friends stifled laughter behind their cocktails. The woman, to her credit, tried to stay polite. “Uh, wow. That’s… quite the collection.”
“Right? My rarest one is a life-sized Gritty plush. Got it custom-made. Cost me three months’ rent, but totally worth it. You like plushies?”
She sipped her drink, visibly searching for an exit. “Not really. I’m more into… adult stuff.”
John ignored the jab, determined to salvage the conversation. “Well, you’re missing out! Plushies and hockey forums are a lifestyle. Anyway, what’s your favorite team?”
She glanced at her friends, who were now openly giggling. “Honestly? I’m not much of a hockey fan.”
This was a fatal blow to John’s confidence, but he rallied. “That’s okay! You don’t need to like hockey. You just need to like me.” He followed this with an awkward wink that looked more like he had something in his eye.
The woman’s smile turned icy. “Listen, John, was it? You seem… passionate. But I’m just here to hang out with my friends.”
John’s face fell, but he tried to play it cool. “No problem. Just thought you’d appreciate a man with dedication.”
As he retreated to his table, tail between his legs, the woman turned back to her friends, who burst into laughter.
John, meanwhile, opened his laptop and fired up HFBoards. Within minutes, he was typing a post in
Useless Thread:
“Just tried to pick up a girl by mentioning my post count and plushies. She didn’t get it. Women these days, man. Unreal.”
Within seconds, responses flooded in:
- “Should’ve led with the Gritty plush.”
- “Bro, your mistake was leaving the house.”
- “Did you at least plug the thread?”
John sighed and took another sip of his beer. Maybe next time, he’d find someone who understood him. Until then, he had his plushies—and his 388,000th post to look forward to.