# The relationship fairy rides AGAIN! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 2, 2010, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254 "2010-07-02T00:49:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/1 "2010-07-02T00:49:25Z")
She’s dressed in Kevlar and, frankly, she’s pissed at the lot of you. Never threaten a relationship fairy with death, people! In any case, Relationship Fairy is plotting her revenge on you for not appreciating her [other](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=563323) [offerings](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=563471). But she’s a kind, forgiving fairy. So, she’s giving you a choice. In your romantic relationship, you must choose between going without speaking or going without touching for one month. If you don’t currently have a romantic relationship, the RF will just wait until you do. Ready, set, choose. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/2 "2010-07-02T00:53:12Z")
_Somebody_ has to remind him to take out the trash. Touch it is. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/3 "2010-07-02T00:57:06Z")
Well, it’s a tough choice, but I opted for touch. He’s my best friend and I would be really lonely if I couldn’t talk to him for a month. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/4 "2010-07-02T01:04:45Z")
Speaking is only verbal communication, yes? We could still write notes to each other, sign, etc? In that case, I’ll pick speaking to go and touch to stay. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/5 "2010-07-02T01:07:25Z")
I can’t imagine the frustration of being close enough to talk to each other, yet not able to touch. Especially since there are ways of communicating other than speech. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/6 "2010-07-02T01:21:14Z")
I’d skip speaking. We could email a lot to keep communicating. But to not touch? No way! ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/7 "2010-07-02T01:38:55Z")
Wait . . . I can touch her–like, touch her all over–without having to talk with her? Where’s the catch? ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/8 "2010-07-02T01:43:22Z")
I’m in a long-distance relationship, and I go long periods of time without the benefit of the touch. I would be really unhappy if we couldn’t talk. I mean, I’d be really unhappy either way, and the Relationship Fairy would die, but I’m still choosing to go without touch. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/9 "2010-07-02T01:51:57Z")
It might have been interesting to break up the poll by gender. I think most men would skip talking and most women would skip touching. As a way of making it a real choice, perhaps we could replace “speaking” with “communicating” since, as others have pointed out, it’s rather easy to replace speaking with writing. Male: I’d skip speaking. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/10 "2010-07-02T02:07:57Z")
Touching, for sure. Hell, we’ve had that experience in our lives quite often. The wife is often gone on business or family matters for weeks at a time, and we pursued a long-distance relationship when we were courting. I can do “no touching” (her) for a month without breaking a sweat. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/11 "2010-07-02T02:13:00Z")
Female. I’d skip speaking. Having spent varying lengths of time apart from SOs (from a week to a year), what I always miss the most, what I daydream about most, and what I look most forward to doing again is touching them. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/12 "2010-07-02T02:15:38Z")
I would go without speaking. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/13 "2010-07-02T02:18:32Z")
Female. I’d skip speaking. If I’m in the same room with him and can’t touch him, it drives me crazy. (Granted, it’s an LDR right now, so the touching is what would, and does, go, but I’m projecting into a regular relationship). ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/14 "2010-07-02T02:21:49Z")
Male. I’d forgo touching. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/15 "2010-07-02T03:33:41Z")
I haven’t touched the one I consider my SO in months. So I can (reluctantly) give up that. But speaking? Hear his voice? Communicate with him? It’s the only way we can keep in touch (heh). ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/16 "2010-07-02T03:44:46Z")
Hey, if we can’t talk, then he can’t talk to me…but I can tickle him! Perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Shocker\_Khan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@Shocker\_Khan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shocker_Khan)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/17 "2010-07-02T03:56:04Z")
Shut up and touch me. ---
**Author:** ![SecondJudith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@SecondJudith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecondJudith)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/18 "2010-07-02T09:53:37Z")
Can we make boopy/nonsensical noises? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/19 "2010-07-02T10:41:40Z")
No touching, all it means is that someone is traveling. I can do that. But no communication? Whether someone is traveling or not, that’s size=11 BAD. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254/20 "2010-07-02T11:51:15Z")
Been through something like this. Pepper Mill had an operation at one point, and all sex was off the table ---- well, let’s say sex was altogether forbidden – for a period of several months. Of course, we could touch (foot and back rubs!), but it’s close enough to the poll. It’d be a lot more difficult if we couldn’t talk, I think. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-relationship-fairy-rides-again/545254.md?page=2)