Accidental Flirtation Triggers Gay Identity Crisis
rswfire experiences what he calls an "existential crisis of the gay variety" after accidentally flirting with a male gate attendant at a coastal park. He distributes rubber ducks to Jeep owners in the morning, then hikes to his favorite ocean overlook spot to process the encounter. **The previous day's interaction:** He approached the gate attendant with typical transactional nervousness, blurting out camping logistics, but found himself telling the man "you seem awesome" and asking his name. The attendant engaged in weather conversation, which Claude AI later suggested might have been flirting back.
**Identity revelation:** rswfire realizes his subconscious gay identity has been asserting itself through recent choices - getting multiple ear piercings, wearing bracelets, and being direct with attractive men. He connects this suppression to his last relationship with Justin two decades ago, after which he "was done" with dating entirely.
**Current conflict:** The timing feels impossible - he's actively scouting forest locations to escape society permanently, making dating seem incompatible with his collapse preparation plans. He acknowledges not knowing how dating protocols work and jokes that his YouTube channel represents what a date with him would actually look like. He remains curious about the encounter while sitting at his ocean overlook, processing this unexpected shift in his self-awareness.