Hello and good day people of Reddit, or R4R at least! I'm out here on Reddit looking for some kind of connection, something special. Maybe just a friendship to start with that blooms into something more. Or maybe even starting off with the intention of a relationship sooner than later. I come to Reddit seeking this as dating apps are mostly useless, and even more so being a nerdy left leaning guy in a small rural Midwest town surrounded by nothing but right leaning country girls.

I'll keep this simple to let you know about me and what I'm looking for:

About Me:

• First and foremost; I am a huge nerd. I have always been a real nerd and always will be. I enjoy playing video games, board games, fantasy, sci-fi, and computer related things. I'm a huge PC gamer and it is the main console I play on. I play one or two competitive games - Call of Duty MWII being my current obsession. But I will dip my toes into a few others if I'm encouraged to. If not playing Call of Duty I usually like to play more casual games like simulators and factory building games like: Farming Simulator 22, Satisfactory, Factorio, Stardew Valley. I also sink alot of hours into Runescape & Final Fantasy XIV. But if a partner wants to play something else I would love to dip into that. I'm also into Dungeons and Dragons and looking into trying other TTRPG systems. I am also a forever DM, always being the guy in my friend group willing to be a DM. If you don't know how to play and are interested, I love to teach ya!
• Second most important point (more important than being a nerd, but also not my whole personality): I share two children with my previous ex. At the time of writing they are 6 & 4. They are very important in my life, I love them more than I love even myself, and they are truly the reason I wake up every morning. Their mental and physical safety are important to me: so that means I would not involve them in the relationship unless I knew it was going to go places. I don't want to subject my children to a revolving door of partners. To make it work with me you would have to be okay with my children and being in their lives at some point. If a potential partner has children already, that is perfectly alright with me! I will (soon) not be able to have more children myself, as I am not interested in rearing any more spawn of myself.
• I am a 31 year old white male. I got that dad bod going; I always joked it was sympathy weight gained when my ex was pregnant and I never lost it. I'm by no means obese, but I do have a bit of a jolly belly. It's a bit of a resolution this year to shave off a dozen or so pounds.
• I am politically more left leaning; I am all for LGBTQIA rights, women's reproductive rights, socialist programs, funding of more education, environmental conservation, and gun control. I am also more agnostic, and believe everyone has the right to practice their own faith but believe there should be a true separation of church and state. I am not opposed to dating someone that is not agnostic/atheist, but I do no attend church for anybody.
• I am not college educated, but I do have a decent factory job. I hate that job a bit as it is leaves my heart unfulfilled. I have a dream of one day publishing a novel and making board games, and also getting certified for various tech jobs (something I am actively working on).
• I am a Twitch Affiliate - though currently on hiatus for a few months and hope to find time to get back to streaming one day.

What I am Looking For:

This will be pretty short and simple as I don't want anyone to think they couldn't work cause they don't think they check all my boxes.

• A nerdy woman who likes to play games and likes to play with their partner.
• Someone who likes kids, or has kids of their own.
• Someone more left leaning; or at least believes three basic things - reproductive rights, gay/trans rights, and religious freedom/freedom from religion.
• Not into heavy drinking - drunks make me uncomfortable. Not to say that I don't like a drunk person, but someone that's getting drunk every weekend makes me uneasy. I myself will partake in a wine cooler or hard cider every month or so, but in general hate the taste of most alcohol. Also not into drug usage other than pot (I don't partake, but I am accepting of a partner who does).
• Someone that would be willing to relocate to the Midwest, or more importantly northern MN. I cannot relocate anytime in the foreseeable future. I refuse to live away from my children. This is this biggest deal breaker for me. Until my children are 18 (or close to that age) I will be close to them to be in their life. I am fine maintaining a LDR for awhile, though I would want to eventually live with a future partner.

Golden Retriever nerd looking for his over dressed goth girlfriend <3