Hello gents, I've lurked here for a bit and figured I'd finally sign up. I wouldn't consider myself desperately in need of help unless the benchmark for success is having a woman on my dick every second of the day. Anyway, here's my tale:

I'm currently in Afghanistan (Cavalry Scout in the US Army, hooah), about four miles from the Pakistani border. Pick-up was a topic I explored over the summer months because I had mid-tour leave in August and had only wasted previous leave time. Soldiers are supposed to be getting their socks boned, not hanging around a bunch of female "friends" and getting nowhere. Never again, I told myself. I'm 26 and had only experienced piecemeal success with women. I'd gotten laid before sure, but the number of occasions could be counted on my fingers and toes and the number of women required two hands but just barely (seven total). The approach, mid-game, closing, it was all a nebulous cloud that my (non-nerd) friends seemingly navigated with ease. Fortunately, Amazon ships to APO addresses and I've got the internet at our outpost here. Though not related to pick-up, I read I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell to gain insight into the mindset of the guy who doesn't give a fuck. Coupled with The Game, I got the fundamentals down and felt like a new man as I boarded a helicopter to take me away on the first leg of my trip back to America.

As soon as I hit American soil I found out I was indeed a new man. Old Art would have been happy with just fooling around with a girl and maybe getting laid, but new Art was a dynamo, with multiple lays of three different women and coming nearasdammit to a fourth on the last night I was in town but I was far too drunk to overcome LMR properly. At least I got to see that fantastic body of hers. Side tattoos are fantastic. In addition to these I collected numbers, kisses, and generally became the AMOG wherever I went.

Sounds like a happy ending, an AFC who used to get hung up on individual women for months at a time (I want to go back in time and kick my ass) finally getting his and graduating to rAFC. Hooray! Well, despite reading pieces on PUAratings and the like telling me to revel in my successes no matter how small, I felt as though these were easy since the women I had sex with were previous acquaintances of varying familiarity. I'd made progress in terms of rectifying previous mistakes ("you've changed so much, it's amazing!" was a common refrain), but felt that I hadn't really done much in terms of overcoming the gap between myself and strangers.

Since returning to Afghanistan I've worked to keep myself from getting rusty by talking to women on Facebook, trying different angles and so on. My personal game falls somewhere on the Natural/Cocky Funny/Absurd side of the pick-up axis. Routines feel too forced, and I'll be damned if I do some gay-ass magic tricks. None of those things feel natural to me. As an example, in a Facebook message exchange with one target I was asked where I was from. I said "I'm originally from Charleston, South Carolina. I'm stationed at Fort Campbell now, but in between those two places I've visited thirty-two states, nine countries, five planets, and a Dairy Queen."

This is growing long-winded and I'm noticing not too many introduction posts get replies so I'll cut it off here. I'm mainly here to make it so nothing slips through my fingers when I get home and ensure my confidence is bulletproof rather than simply solid. Thank you in advance for having me and for your counsel!

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Only one thing could cure this: Dance Music.