u/AzrynnAshborn

I can't bring myself to care at all when people try to make friends with me. When they ramble about their hobbies, I never know how to reply because I'm genuinely not interested in what they are talking about. It feels rude of me, and unfair to them, since they are putting in the effort while I just blank out. I think I might be pretty self-centered. How do I change?

I've never had a real friend in my life. When I was young, I thought I had friends, but it turns out my mom was actually paying those kids to hang out with me. On top of that, they constantly pestered me to let them copy my homework and buy them food. I realize now that they were never true friends. Because of this, I have almost zero experience talking to people. Literally, the longest conversation I've ever had was when I was coaching my group partner on how to give a presentation.

I used to have some "friends" in online games, but most of them just wanted a girlfriend. I felt so deceived when I realized their only motive for approaching me was romance, not friendship. After deciding that men were unreliable, I tried making a female friend online, but as soon as she found out I was a girl, she stopped talking to me entirely. Man...

Later, I googled how to become a better conversationalist. I installed a pen-pal app and made a friend. We talked a lot, and I used all the tricks I learned online, like asking questions and pretending to be interested. Eventually, it just left me feeling drained and unmotivated. I felt incredibly insincere. I didn't feel like myself at all around my pen pal, so I cut ties and uninstalled the app. Maybe I'm just not a good person, that's why I don't care.

I've also realized that I want to feel validated too. I feel completely out of place when people mostly talk about themselves. But admitting that I want validation feels like I'm being narcissistic.

[WP] You love admiring your face in the mirror. Like every other day, you’re doing just that when a voice asks, “You like it that much?” Startled, you look around. You happen to glance at the mirror, and in the reflection, you’re smiling strangely.

[WP] A struggling writer makes a deal with the devil and gains the ability to experience every life they write.

[WP] You can’t help but feel pity. The man standing before you was the first person you met when you arrived in this unfamiliar world, lost and confused. It’s been years since you last parted. You never imagined he’d stray so far from the right path. Too bad… you’re here to kill him now.

[WP] After taking over the family, you worked nonstop to clean up the former patriarch’s mess. Your ruthless methods made everyone fear you. Now that it’s over, you want to get to know your subordinates better, so you start wearing pink clothes to seem friendlier, but it doesn’t help.

[WP] “Hah. Revenge, revenge, revenge. What’s so good about revenge? In the end…” you say as you stop walking, carrying your best friend’s severed head.

[WP] You endured countless horrors in a nightmarish dimension, clinging to the hope of going home. After clearing the final trial, you died with no regrets. Unbeknownst to you, your final victory was the trigger that doomed your world to an apocalypse.

How do you actually care about someone?

[WP] “I’ve lived three different lives since we last parted. Master… how is it that you’re still here?”

[WP] You look at the man before you. They say every step he takes is calculated, even those that harm himself. Maybe every encounter was planned from the moment it began. Whether he was cornered or walked into danger willingly, no one could ever be sure.

[WP] You finally confess to the person you love, only to be met with a rejection. You're about to leave when you notice her expression change. Shock, one emotion after another flash across her face until she rushes forward, wraps you in an embrace, and affectionately calls you by your nickname.

[WP] To return to your original world, you must play the role of a beautiful, strong, and tragic character until the very end.

[WP] You come into being. As you open your eyes, you see your creator standing before you. You kneel on one knee and ask, “What is your command, Master?” He is silent for a moment before replying, “Be my friend!”

[WP] You’re a hideous, terrifying monster. One day, you meet an innocent little girl who isn’t afraid of you and treats you like anyone else. Day after day, you play together until you’re eventually separated. Many years later, you meet her again, but this time, she’s terrified of you.

[WP] You pick up a book from the ground and as you read it, you realize that your entire life is just a story, and your classmate is the main character.

[WP] “So you’re saying that if I don’t complete this quest, I’ll be terminated?" "Correct." "Hmm. Fine by me."

[WP] You’re dining with your father at a restaurant. As he hands you some of his food, memories of the countless beatings you endured in the past surface without warning. You stare at the food in silence as the smile on your face slowly fades.

[WP] "Excuse me, have you heard of—" "Woah, an escort? Gross~" Your eye twitches at the girls in front of you. You were only about to invite them to join your faith and hear the word of God. Then you glance around, and a sudden realization hits you.

[WP] "Is it good?" Absentmindedly, you nod while feasting on your enemies' corpses. Then you freeze. There is no one around you.

[WP] You suddenly come face-to-face with the most terrifying and hideous thing you've ever seen in the mirror. Before you can even react, it starts trash-talking you. Several minutes later, it's still not done talking.