Oscar prepared meticulously. He scrolled through cooking subreddits to make sure he had a hang of the basics before finally posting: Beginner cook. Critique my menu for a fancy date night dinner. He lurked on men’s fashion communities enough that when he posted his date-night outfit he was met with enough thumbs-ups and crown-emoji responses that the troll replies didn’t even bother him. Even the candles for the middle of the table were recommended by r/Candles.

“Your gf is so lucky,” one redditor even said. Someone gave him a Wholesome award.

All that was left to do was take a photo of the final product. Seafood pasta, a balsamic-drizzled salad, a loaf of homemade bread, all lit by candlelight. Oscar himself, wearing a well-fitted Oxford shirt, sitting across from — an empty chair.

tfw no gf, he captioned it, and posted it with a smile. Let the karma roll in.