I have been in the situation of being "optional" and while it took a while for my ego to adjust, I did actually learn from the situation. Now that I think about it though, this is probably going to be one of those "long Recon stories". I know, a satire thread shouldn't get long and serious answers, but let an old man ramble. Maybe it will be interesting, maybe not. But I am typing and don't know when I will stop. I was in my early 20's, working in the food/service industry (at a bar/restaurant) and needed a place to stay or a roommate. One of the bartenders was a friend of mine and she offered to let me stay at the apartment she shared with her girlfriend on a "short term basis, we'll see how it goes, but if it gets uncomfortable, you're out" basis. Which was fine by me, it sure beat sleeping in my car. So, I moved in with my friend, met her girlfriend (who was cautious and a bit "arms length" with me) and we became roomies. My friend, who I already knew well and had a lot in common with, became even better friends and over time, her girlfriend adjusted and went from leery of me, to accepting, and then even comfortable with my presence. It was very clear that they loved each other, and I didn't make any moves to interfere, or to intrude on their happy relationship. We'd hang out, talk, drink, listen, and I learned more about each of them, how they met, how great they were for each other, better understood why they were in love, and they were my lesbian roomies. I never thought that they hated men, they just didn't see a need, a point or have any interest in them. Fine by me, and it clearly worked for them. They were both young, attractive, very into each other, and so, for me, it was just the way it was. When they headed off to bed at night, it was not anything that anyone was uncomfortable or awkward with. Eventually, as happens with friends, the rib-poking and jokes started occurring, to be honest, THEY started it. Comments like, "dude, it must be so HARD for you, like being a diabetic in a candy store" and since they were joking/teasing, I would give it back as best I could, but they always had better taunts and jokes than I, so I just learned to roll with it as part of being friends. Then they started getting louder in their room, and louder. Then I noticed that sometimes their door was left cracked, and later, eventually it was left open. The mental image of two attractive women making love was already pretty amazing, but then hearing it frequently, and then occasionally catching a glimpse as I was headed to/from my own room.... well, it went from an amazing imaginary mental image to something very real and (since I didn't want to intrude or make them uncomfortable) very distracting. Well, one evening, they were very loud, and as I went to my room, their door was open again, so I was in my room..... well, dealing with my personal reaction to the situation. Suddenly the door was open and standing in the doorway was my friend's girlfriend. She said something along the lines of "well, I guess that hints aren't getting through to you, so if you want to take care of that yourself, you can stay here, or you can come into our room." Wow. They laid out some ground rules. Important ones. That I was there at their invitation, I was a guest, this was not about me or any male-fantasy, but rather they were curious, interested and trusted me enough to see if I had anything to add/offer to their playtime. That it was not an open-invitation, they would let me know if/when I was invited, that they loved each other, but they both liked and trusted me, and that if anyone decided "nope", then that was that. Talk about being on thin ice. Anyway, the fact that we had become close friends, knew each other, talked, listened and laughed a lot together, while it was awkward (especially at first), I learned a lot from both of them (about them, women in general, and about myself). Because we talked. A lot. About everything. And one of the biggest lessons that I learned is that when it came to their enjoyment? I was a curio and not the primary focus or main event. Or, as my friend once said half-jokingly as a jab, "Just remember, you can easily be replaced by a lump of silicone and some batteries". So what did I learn and what was the point of all of this typing? Well, the topic is "Males are obsolete". And my personal experience has taught me that when it comes to women, men aren't required, but when they are desired? That's when things get interesting. The same is true in the inverse. Men don't "need women", despite their tears, the stereotypical foreveralone isn't incomplete, they are just lonely. People (male/female) can be alone, they can want the company of others, and it is when they find the right company who wants to be with them just as much? The idea of "obsolete" becomes silly.