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Post by The Producers on Apr 13, 2020 14:45:38 GMT
You arrived yesterday and met all of your suite mates. Today is your first day of dates! This morning your phones were all taken from you and will be returned either when you go home or at the start of stage 3! No social media, no contact with the outside world, just a chance for you to focus on your connections with other people here. (You were told this would be the case when you first signed up to be a participant)
The first round of dates will be relatively quick. You'll get a chance to meet all the ladies/gents. The first dates will last about 10-20 minutes (IC) and the purpose is a short little getting to know you.
Here are some topics you might consider talking about (though it's TOTALLY up to you):
General lifestyle (partier/works a lot/spends most time at home alone)
Occupation
Hopes for this event/what you're looking for in a spouse
Hobbies/Passions
RULES
- Remember to keep physical descriptions out of your conversations.
- Each person gets only 10 posts in this thread!
- Posts are limited to 150 words! The idea is to give your characters a little taste but leave them wanting MORE!
Will you start to make a connection today? Let's find out!
This date is for River Hughes & Dean Baelish!
You enter the pods, one person on each side in a soundproofed room. This allows you to feel totally secluded and private from the other participants who may be near you. This is your chance to get a feel for the women/men who are here and who you might be interested in continuing to get to know!
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Post by River Hughes on Apr 13, 2020 20:59:22 GMT
"Hello, is anyone there?" River called gently through the glass. "I'm River Hughes. I'm not usually on this many dates in a whole year, let alone a day, so please don't judge too harshly... Do you have a favorite book? Or a favorite author?"
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27Age
231Posts
Personal Trainer
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Post by Dean Baelish on Apr 13, 2020 23:44:09 GMT
"Hey there, River." Dean answered with a smile. "I'm Dean, nice to meet you. Um, honestly I don't do a lot of reading, I have a hard time sitting still. I've tried to listen to audio books but I don't usually get very far. And don't worry, no judging come from me." He replied. "I'm assuming you like books?" He asked in return.
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Post by River Hughes on Apr 14, 2020 0:03:52 GMT
"I do! I'm a librarian, so I think it's kind of required," she answered with a little laugh. "I'm basically the stereotype librarian: books, tea, cats, nice sweaters, I love it all." She paused. "Audiobooks are nice! But if you want something shorter, podcasts are fun too. I like a few of those. What do you usually do in your free time?"
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27Age
231Posts
Personal Trainer
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Post by Dean Baelish on Apr 14, 2020 0:08:33 GMT
"Glasses?" Dean asked with a playful, curious tone. "Glasses can be very cute." He said smiling. "I do catch the occasional podcast. Do you have any that you recommend?" He asked. "In my free time I like to surf. If I could spend every day surfing, I'd be in heaven. As it is, I do spend many days able to get out for a least a time. I'm a Personal Trainer by profession. And...I like loud music and parties. So, if you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?"
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Post by River Hughes on Apr 14, 2020 2:40:46 GMT
"Only at bedtime," She answered with a playful tone, "Or on days I don't make it out of bed on time. The rest of the time it's contacts. Ooh, and yes. I definitely recommend 'Throughline,' it's kind of history, but not exactly? They take a current issue, like uh, race in sports with Kopernick, and then they trace it all the way back to the beginning and why it is the way it is. It's really cool. If you want fiction, I hear that "Welcome to Nightvale is good? My students want me to listen, but I haven't had a chance yet." She listened about surfing and thought for a moment about her answer.
"I love the beach, but I'd probably watch from the sand with a book. If I only get one, it's got to be The Odyssey. I could read and re-read that forever."
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27Age
231Posts
Personal Trainer
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Post by Dean Baelish on Apr 14, 2020 12:34:25 GMT
"Okay cool, 'Throughline' and 'Welcome to Nightvale', I'll have to check those out. I haven't heard of them before, but that's not really surprising, I haven't heard of many other than just 'NPR'." He admitted.
"Oh the Odyssey, very nice! I read that once in high school and from what I remember it was pretty great." He said. "So, what it is that your looking for in all of this?" He asked.
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Post by River Hughes on Apr 14, 2020 22:50:58 GMT
River took a deep breath. Ooh, ok. That's a long answer but um, I'm looking for someone to really be a partner to me. Someone I can trust to face the world with me. We don't have to agree on every single thing, but I definitely want to marry someone I can geek out over books with...I guess I'm looking for someone who likes me for me, and makes me feel...safe? I don't know if that makes any sense, sorry. It's a little hard to put into words. But um, your turn now! It's only fair."
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27Age
231Posts
Personal Trainer
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Post by Dean Baelish on Apr 15, 2020 13:03:08 GMT
"No, that totally makes sense. I've dated a lot but haven't been in a serious relationship that lasted longer than six months. I'm...still figuring out what it means to have a lasting relationship and what I need to do to change that. I'm looking for someone who wants to have fun with me, who wants to go on adventures, and enjoy our youth while we have it. But I also need someone who can ground me, who can help me settle from my bachelor lifestyle." He gave a little nervous chuckle.
"I don't know, maybe that's a lot to ask of one person."
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Post by River Hughes on Apr 16, 2020 0:00:41 GMT
"Ok this is definitely a rude question, but can I ask what made you call off those other relationships? Did you run into something you knew was a dealbreaker? I know that's probably prying a bit more than I have a right to, but I honestly have never been on more than a second date with anyone, so I guess I'm trying to borrow your experience, a little." She gave a nervous laugh of her own. "Plus, if I meet any of those things, I'll let you know so you can flee now."
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27Age
231Posts
Personal Trainer
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Post by Dean Baelish on Apr 16, 2020 0:37:06 GMT
"No, no, that's a valid question. And hey, it's not like we have a ton of time to waste while we're here, so why not get right down to it right?" He said with a little laugh. "Don't get me wrong, not all my dating ended in a long-term relationship, they usually didn't. There have been 5 girls that lasted longer than a couple dates. The reason it ended varied.
The first was when I was still pretty young and I didn't like feeling tied down. Another was just incompatibility and fighting alot. One was simply because she moved away. For me, I don't know that there is any one thing that's a 'deal breaker'. I don't want to constantly be nagged if I want to go out with by buddies but I also hope to find someone who makes me want to stay home. Does that make any sense?"
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Post by River Hughes on Apr 16, 2020 1:16:23 GMT
"Yeah, actually, it does. Life gets in the way of a lot of things, I think. The only dealbreaker I think I'd really have is someone who thought that my reading or my work was stupid. I got picked on a lot in school for not wanting to do what the other kids were doing, like sports and dating and stuff. I was honestly really shy, but I also genuinely love to read. So if someone didn't like that part of me, I'd be pretty hurt, and there wouldn't be any reason for us to date, let alone get married. She sighed. "This whole experiment has me pretty worried. I already felt like people weren't going to like me...so to have it be in a closed environment with the whole world watching...it's pretty scary. But, it's also a good chance for me to face my fears."
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27Age
231Posts
Personal Trainer
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Post by Dean Baelish on Apr 16, 2020 1:59:19 GMT
"Well I don't think it's stupid at all, I think it's great that you know who you are and what you like. No one should ever feel like they have to change themselves to just fit the mold. It was brave of you to come here regardless of your fears. And from what I know of the guys already, I have a feeling you'll find more than one person who is willing to accept those parts of you." He said encouragingly.
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Post by River Hughes on Apr 16, 2020 3:39:57 GMT
"Aw, thanks! Does that mean maybe you're not super into it though...? River said, her voice squeaking a bit as she got nervous. "I'm so sorry if I'm wrong, um, I just kinda heard that in the way you put it. It sounded like you were saying 'someone other than me,' you know? Um, I'm not mad or anything, though. You seem really sweet, and I appreciate you being so kind to me."
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27Age
231Posts
Personal Trainer
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Post by Dean Baelish on Apr 16, 2020 13:47:28 GMT
"Oh, no no, that's not what I'm trying to say." He said with little guilty chuckle. "Admittedly, I'm not particularly bookish myself but that doesn't mean I couldn't be happy with someone who was. I think...I think it's all about the connection you make. It's not my expectation to find someone who is exactly like me, I just want to find someone who can love me for me and who I can love for who they are." He tried, clumsily, to explain.
"You honestly seem really sweet, maybe someone who can knock the bachelor out of a guy like me." He said with a soft laugh.
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Post by River Hughes on Apr 17, 2020 2:32:40 GMT
"That's alright! I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions...I think I'm predisposed to decide people don't like me, but it's really the anxiety talking. It can be hard to look past it. So, um, thank you for being honest! And for not thinking I'm dumb."
"I think some of the best relationships are ones where they are each their own person with their own interests, but they still work together as a team. I think shared values are important, of course, but that's different. I'm...not sure I'm making sense. Talking in the abstract is difficult." She laughed gently. "Alright, so no deal breakers, huh? What about things that would make you fall head over heels for someone?"
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27Age
231Posts
Personal Trainer
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Post by Dean Baelish on Apr 17, 2020 16:05:41 GMT
"Ya, I totally get what you're saying." He said with a smile in his voice.
"Oh that's a good question, no one has asked me that one yet. Let's see. I guess...a girl who has a little fire, who can stand on her own two feet but who also makes me feel like a man and not like the purse on her arm." He said with a little laugh. "If that makes sense. I dunno, that's a hard question for me. I don't think there is any one type of girl that would do it for me. I've liked girls in the past for many different reasons. Each one is unique."
He paused for a moment. "To be honest I've dated and hooked up quite a lot, but things never last for very long. I guess I'm hoping to find that piece that's missing through all this."
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Post by River Hughes on Apr 18, 2020 3:05:04 GMT
"Hm... River answered thoughtfully. "That makes sense, I think. You've been searching for something you can't quite reach, feeling around the edges of it to figure out what it is. I'll be really curious to see where you end up, Dean! You mentioned that you've dated a lot and called yourself a bachelor, but you don't seem like you're just messing around to me. I think you might be kind of a wild card in all this. We've talked for a while, and I think I have a sense of your philosophy now...but I also don't think I know much about you at all!" She laughed.
We're running short on time, do you want to try and knock out as many details as we can in the last couple of minutes? Liiiike...what kind of work do you do? Are you a morning person? Do you have a pet?"
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27Age
231Posts
Personal Trainer
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Post by Dean Baelish on Apr 18, 2020 3:40:58 GMT
Dean laughed and there was the faint sound of him scratching the back of his head. “Ya, about as clear as mud right?” He said. “I’m definitely tired of living the ‘bachelor’ lifestyle and I want to find something they will last, something that goes beyond physical attraction, something ... real.” He tried to explain.
“Wow, I hadn’t realized how fast the time went by. Let’s see. I’m a personal trainer, I work one on one with people mostly in their own homes, sometimes at the gym. I’m kind of both a morning person and a night owl. Depends on the day I guess. And no pets for me.”
“What about you? Last moments of information?”
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Post by River Hughes on Apr 18, 2020 3:52:57 GMT
"I'm definitely a night owl, I love staying up late to finish a good book. I hate coffee and I'll only drink tea, and I have a cat! His name is Hades and he's an absolute angel. He really likes to chew on shoelaces, though. And since you're a trainer, I'd better mention the only fitness stuff I really do is yoga with a girl on youtube. I'm just not really sporty! I'm much more of a homebody. Hmmm.... I'm trying to think about what else you should know, to decide if you wanna pursue something. Um. I do want kids, eventually, but I'm not in a hurry... That's everything I can think of! Oh, wait. Since I'm a librarian at a college, I do get a summer break, plus spring and fall breaks. So I do have some nice time off, but otherwise, I work pretty normal business hours."
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