Here is a Hypothesis on Existence itself, To best explain this theoretical structure of existence, let's break down the ideas and develop a coherent framework that incorporates elements from string theory, classical elements, and the concept of consciousness. Here's a structured explanation of this model:

Fundamental Components of Existence

1. Strings:
   
   • Description: According to string theory, the most fundamental constituents of the universe are one-dimensional "strings" rather than point-like particles.
   • Role: These strings vibrate at different frequencies, and these vibrations give rise to the various particles that constitute matter and energy in the universe. The strings are the foundational fabric of existence.
2. Quantum Particles:
   
   • Description: Atoms and subatomic particles are manifestations of the vibrational states of strings.
   • Role: These particles combine and interact to form the observable physical world.

Classical Elements

1. The Five Elements:
   • Earth, Fire, Water, Air, Ether:
     • Earth: Represents solidity and stability.
     • Fire: Represents energy and transformation.
     • Water: Represents fluidity and adaptability.
     • Air: Represents movement and dynamism.
     • Ether: Represents the space in which the other elements exist and interact.
   • Role: These elements are symbolic representations of different states and forms of matter and energy.

The Sixth Element: Consciousness

1. Consciousness:
   • Description: Consciousness is the element that integrates and transcends the physical elements. It is the awareness that perceives and interacts with the universe.
   • Role: Consciousness is the observer and the connector of the other elements. It is both immanent within the fabric of existence and transcendent, able to perceive and influence the structure of reality.

The Unified Field

1. Ether and the Unified Field:
   • Ether: Acts as the medium through which the elements interact. It is the substrate that connects Earth, Fire, Water, and Air.
   • Unified Field: A theoretical framework where all the elements and forces of nature are interconnected. This field is a manifestation of the vibrational states of strings, unified by consciousness.

Spatial and Temporal Dimensions

1. Higher-Dimensional Perspective:
   • 3D Grid: Represents the spatial dimensions of length, width, and height.
   • Time as a Dimension: In higher-dimensional models, time is treated as an additional dimension, which can be visualized in different ways.
   • Consciousness Perspective: From the viewpoint of heightened consciousness, time is an accessible dimension, allowing for a holistic perception of past, present, and future simultaneously.
   • Visualization: Imagine viewing a 3D object from different angles. When viewed from the "time" dimension, it provides an eagle-eye view of the 3D spatial dimensions, revealing the temporal progression of the universe.

The Grid of Consciousness

1. Ever-Present Grid:
   • Description: This grid is an infinite, interconnected network that spans all dimensions, both spatial and temporal.
   • Role: It represents the structure of reality as perceived by an elevated consciousness. This grid is dynamic and ever-changing, reflecting the interplay of strings, elements, and consciousness.

Conceptual Summary

• Strings form the fundamental fabric of existence.
• Quantum particles arise from the vibrations of strings.
• Classical elements (Earth, Fire, Water, Air) represent different states of matter and energy, interconnected by Ether.
• Consciousness is the unifying and transcendent element that perceives and influences this entire structure.
• The Unified Field integrates all these components into a cohesive whole.
• From the perspective of elevated Consciousness, the universe is perceived as an interconnected grid, with time being an accessible dimension, providing a comprehensive view of existence.

This theoretical model aims to bridge concepts from physics, metaphysics, and philosophy to create a unified vision of existence that encompasses both the material and the immaterial aspects of reality.
What do you guys think? I would like honest opinions, critics, skeptics, folks who can expand on it or tear it down, come one come all to discuss this. Your voice matters.

I've noticed, and this might just be a small sample size of me and a few friends, that October 7th has seen an inversion of sympathies for Israel and Palestine. While before this conflict, I was staunchly pro-Palestine, and my friends were pro-Israel. But as this conflict has unfolded, I've been really disturbed by the antisemitism of the left, and have become a lot more sympathetic to the Zionists, while my friends have been disturbed by the unwillingness of the Netanyahu regime to actually offer a solution to the conflict afterwards, and the high civilian toll has turned them much more pro-Palestinian. My theory, again based on the tiny sample size, is that this is probably an event that is moderating the silent majority's stances on the conflict.
Another caveat, the people I'm talking about are generally pretty rational people who are more than willing to have their minds changed with new evidence. That might play a role in theimy mind changes.
Is this a trend anyone else has witnessed amongst friends/family? Or is it more a trend of people doubling down on where they already were?

Hi my name is Chase, I'm from Atlanta Georgia as the title says. And I have cerebral palsy it's basically brain damage at birth. I can still move around I'm not paraplegic. I just can't walk. (Yes my penis still works)
With that out of the way. I'm someone who likes to write and I'm someone who actually likes to read. And I'm also in the middle of writing a novella. And I also really love TableTop role playing games. That gets my creative juices really flowing.
Another aspect of me is I love music, especially grunge, emo, nu metal, or just metal in general.
Finally there is another aspect of myself I'm a gay top (I'm okay with dating trans men) who has a soft spot for edgy guys. I'm kind of the type of person who isn't easily offended. So if I sound like your guy message me :-)

I am 30 weeks pregnant living with my boyfriend and his grandma, which is his mother figure in his life. They moved into this new house about 2 years ago because it was given to them after a family member passed, the two of them made an agreement that this house would be for him to put a mortgage down, set him up for the future , and that she would have a tiny home or trailer moved out onto the property or just completely move away. This was their plan before I ever came along.
I moved in a year ago after me and him got really serious, we want to really make this house a home and have a future together. I got off my birth control, however I was told it would take a good amount of time to get my cycle back in line and normal, but I got pregnant so fast. Which we are not unhappy about at all.
But it is now the end of the world for Gigi, his grandma. For months it has been nothing but a living hell. She has done everything in the book you can think of when it comes to in-laws from hell. My entire pregnancy she has ignored me, given me zero advice, fights with me over every small thing I do in the house trying to make this a baby safe space. It is only a 2 bedroom house, she has the master bedroom. Our plan has been to switch rooms because we have ZERO baby space in this other room, we didn't want to rush her into moving out because times are rough now of days, so to give her extra time I have been okay with sharing the master bedroom with our baby until that time comes. For months that has been the plan and she always seemed on board. But now. She refuses to finish cleaning her room and tells everyone that we are forcing her out, destroying her home, and getting rid of her stuff, when have done nothing but try to make it fair for her. Every time I clean any room in the house, she will go behind me and make a mess or undo shit I have done reorganizing. If I am alone with her, she whispers smart remarks about everything and anything, like about how she isn't allowed to do anything, for example she will grab a water bottle out of the fridge and ask if it is allowed to drink water in this house or she will just completely ignore my existence. She makes a fight about every small thing I do. If I close a curtain, she will come behind me and slam it open. If I move a dish in the cabinet, she will slam the cabinet doors and throw dishes around. She has woken me up many times slamming doors. Also she will hide the bills from us, lie about paying them, we have had a late fee charge so many times because of her. Even had the lights and water cut off. She will buy 2 of everything for only her and him. She has even stolen my makeup and clothes. She will pull my laundry out and throw it around. She will never clean up after herself, I am ALWAYS cleaning EVERYTHING, if I do not, it will not get done. And worse of worse she made my gender reveal all about her. Thats a long story but she ruined my party. And still till this day she hasn't asked me anything about the baby or shows that she even cares about me or my baby.
There is so much more, I could just go on forever. However when my boyfriend gets off work, she acts PERFECT. She never speaks to me directly still but she will act like she is the sweetest person around, acts like she could never do wrong and plays it off when he confronts her about the stuff I tell him.
My problem is, before I got pregnant, we all lived in harmony. Everything I do now was okay before. I'm a very shy, non confrontational person, and I dont have any family myself, so I'm not family understanding and for these 7 months, I've just stuck to myself and done my best to not stress out for my baby's sake. My health hasn't been great and I was ordered to be on leave for work at 5 months. We even have had a defect scare on our baby as well. I've just had faith and hope in my boyfriend to set things right with her, but now at 30 weeks, with no progress from her, her room still so dirty, while I have our room all packed up ready to switch, I'm losing hope. I am to the point of not wanting her around me or my baby at all. I stress so much having to do everything last minute, I just didn't want to not lose faith in my man , he takes care of me so well but now I'm lost. He loves this land and house, he wants to raise our family here and doesn't want to move, he loves his grandma and doesn't want to just kick her out with no where to go, but Gigi just shows to not care at all about my health or this baby and it breaks my heart. No matter how many sit down talks we have she manipulates the situation. I'm worried that I will go into labor early because of her honestly. My man hears my cries and tells her about all the health issues and everything but she will not stop. I try my best to ignore her and do what is best for me, but its SO hard now of days. I am now feeling distant from my man because he asks me what he can do, but in reality it seems like we either have to move out or really kick her out. But i dont want to put that onto him at all. But then again I feel I have been so understanding and supportive for these 7-8 months trying my hardest to ignore her, all I asked is that we dont have everything be done last minute and we just switch rooms. And now it feels as if Its all too late and I worry about the future when the baby comes.
Everyday I overthink and regret everything. I cry so much and I feel as if no one cares enough, I know my boyfriend cares so much. But how can he see it be like this? I dont know what I expect him to do... but there has to be more right? He tells me there are other pregnant moms out there dealing with much worse and I understand that SO much, but idk... I am just so tired of being unhappy and uncomfortable. I have a baby on the way, it should be a happy experience but its just not anymore and I hate it.
Any advice? Please share your thoughts or tips. Sorry its a book to read.

So the issue that EU4 has ofc is its playability! Once you become an empire the game seems to be way to easy and steamrolling nations just ruins the fun. Here are a couple of mods that I play that keep the game interesting

1. Extended timeline! Personally when guns are around in the game combat seems to go much quicker and to me is less enjoyable, so I play this mod to make wars last longer and actually mean something...
   
2. Smaller armies. Read below
   
3. Smaller armies 2 These 2 reduce the amount of force limit that every nation has. Ideas included. Smaller armies require more tactical thought. It also reduces rebel size aswell. Buildings included
   
4. Xorme - AI + hard or very hard difficulty... THIS MAKES THE GAME MUCH MORE ENGAGING AND DIFFICULT!
   
5. BIGGER PRODUCTION UI FOR EXTENDED TIMELINE.. for QOL
   
6. MORE MISSIONS: EXTENDED TIMELINE REDUX.. more flavor
   
7. Trade goods Expanded.. for flavor
   
8. Governments expanded.. for flavor
   
9. Great monuments expanded. For flavor
   
10. Advisor types expanded. For flavor
    
11. Flavor and events expanded
    
12. Ages and splendor expanded
    
13. Subjects expanded
    
14. Peace treaties expanded
    
15. Holy Roman Empire expanded .......................................................... All of these make a whole new but similar Eu4 that gives you a breath of fresh air.
    

So now the game has been released for 4 months, and a large chunk of players have discovered almost all things the game has to offers. The burnt-out is not has been helped with the disappointed of the new warbonds, and the fact that this game doesn't have any in-depth system for players to toy with. The Loadout and weapons and armor is one thing, but they have fixed attributes and can't be change. The players need something much more sophisticated to play with, in the time they have to wait for AH to fix all of the bugs, do all of balancing and create more enemies and mission type. So i have a solution: making modules of addition attributes or some kind of perks for players to add to their weapons and armor.
If they can make this priority and focus all of their resource to make this happens, it will be the largest and the most important change to HD2 so far. It will basically change they way peoples planning the loadout, the equipments, and their play style too. It also open path for many builds of equipment sets, that can support for a play style that is unique for each player. And the introduction of these modules doesn't have to be that huge: weapons and armor just have "empty slots" of perks, or more realistic some addition equipment modules for guns and armors that carry positive attributes (and negative attributes to counter if the positive one is too powerful). Armor can have 1-2 fixed perks like we have right now, and 1-2 empty slots. For the beginning, just release like 10 of them and adding more later.
With this new system, they players will have a long time to be busy with all kind of builds they can get, and if they come to the point of tried out all of the shuffle possible, AH just need to add some more and keep them busy for a while again. That's far more fun and sustainable than "each warbond a month". I bet the players base will goes crazy as they release "5-10 addition modules a month" more than the meh warbonds they just released. And the modules will help increase the value of current AND later warbonds.
I hope that someone will bring this idea to AH's discord and let them know, because with their current direction, it seems that they've lost the way while dealing with so much trouble. They must use their time to add some fundamental thing like the in-depth modifications like this, not something suffice like the warbonds, to ensure the longevity of the game. For me, i rather have new scope for my Dominator and a handler that reduce recoil, rather than another reskin of the standard Liberator.

So I’m playing with the idea of investing my money long-term for goals I know I want to reach down the road. For example, I’d love to take my family of four on a trip to Disney World and go all out in maybe 10-12 years. I’m thinking $20k-$30k for that. Also, when my wife and I have our 25th wedding anniversary in 17 years, I’d love for us to have a second wedding and reception. Ours was $25k so somewhere around there give or take for the future. I have other goals in mind but those are the biggest. All of these goals I’m thinking about are at the very least 10 years away.
I’m leaning towards just investing in an index ETF over the years and letting it grow as opposed to just putting the money in a HYSA. Does that sound like a good idea or would a HYSA be better?

Hi all! been a bedroom DJ with my friends since COVID and looking for opportunities to play some tunes for a crowd. Not looking for anything special, just looking to see if anyone needs someone to fill a spot somewhere in the campground/outeroo area.
Feel free to shoot me a PM
I prefer to DJ house/tech, but can rip dubstep/riddim/experimental/DNB as well

Today’s review is for Tales of the EdgeWorlds Volume 1 by Shawn Frost. I was given an ARC copy back in July of 2023, but didn’t finish reading it until recently because I bogged myself down with too many activities, and something this long takes me a while. I will go through the things I liked about it, the things I hated, and wrap it up with a score from 1-10. My scoring system goes through 5 key components, with each one going over the creative aspect and the technical aspect. I will explain that part when we get to scoring later on, so let’s plow on through.
This is a collection, about 266 pages long, and is meant to be the first installment of a comedy series. Shawn runs a Youtube channel where he covers lolcows and does gaming streams, so comedy should come naturally to him. As a volume, this holds 4 short stories, each one holding about 8 chapters, with each story running for about 20k words. Technically, we can say it’s 4 novelettes, but as I explain the situation, you’ll see why they are so long. The plot may seem complex but the main characters go through the same situations: the dimensional merge occurred, between all of our creative properties and C-197, with a group of rambunctious penguins doing mercenary work.
Sadly, it’s not really the Chris-Chan version of a dimensional merge, so we do not see Sonichu or any of that wacky world… yet. It's volume 1, so it's too early to say it's not open to the possibilities. The style runs close to internet memes and those old Newgrounds cartoons, with the focus aimed at action scenes and descriptions of the creative world around their setups. But, as you read through the massive amount of descriptions and banter, you'll realize that very little happens in each story. I would say each one is very simple and with a low reading level needed to get through them, which is a double-edged sword in this case.
I say this because the writing tries too hard to claim a joke was made when it wasn’t really a “ha-ha” joke to begin with. It’s more like “ah… humor is detectable somewhere in these pages” kind of comedy. It relates to the offensive animals of Fritz the Cat, where the comedy comes from the absurdity of a setup, rather than a punchline that is found. Unfortunately, because the satire is absent and it focuses too much on the premise, the result becomes more like my favorite episode of Heil Honey I’m Home, minus Hitler and his annoying neighbors. The banter bogs down the pacing, turning each chapter into a short, yet overly long, sample of a scene, chained together by constantly shifting points of view.
Thankfully, this simple way of approaching a story allows a casual reader to speed on by. Things are easy to follow and characters are easy to remember. The main cast of Edgy, Jeff, Todd, and Hylus are separated by their brand of chaotic addictions. Addiction to drugs, addiction to hentai, addiction to video games, addiction to murder; all greatly expressed in what are meant to be running gags that resemble a sitcom cast. The ship they travel around in, from job to job, can easily be imagined as a "That '70s Show basement" version of the ship in The Orville, as each story goes to different planets where they meet different aliens.
There is enough in each story to understand what is going on, with the stories more as an exploration of lore than an exploration of character or theme. The lack of focus, as well as the indifferent prose, harms the way each tale is told. I would never say these are bad ideas or bad concepts, just bad ways to get them across. High concept, low composition. I would say the main value is from the promise of more to come than what is presented in the pages.
Time for the rating, which will be given between 0-2. 1 point goes to the technical aspect and 1 point goes to the creative side of things. Flaws within a point will reduce it into smaller decimals, but a single aspect is not able to entirely kill a story on its own. If it’s all technical or all creative, a story will be treated as mediocre. Even if I like something, it is still possible to get a 5/10, meaning it’s not suitable for the average reader who is more accepting of a 7 or an 8.
Plot: 1.5 Things happen and people go places in the form of a violent travelog. The pacing bogs down the destination with tourist traps.
Characters: 1.5 The characters play their roles well, even though their roles don’t play well with the plot. Their banter and quirks fall flat in parts.
Prose: 1 With clear points between A and B, wet and sloppy ideas are delivered dry and brittle. With each paragraph shoving lore down the reader’s throat, it can become death by a thousand detours.
Theme: 1 There is a great message about how chaos and anarchy transforms people into primitive animals. Unfortunately, the author couldn’t find it in the infinite vastness of subspace.
Setting : 2 It is a world you want to know more about and look forward to the next bit of info. Creative, exotic, to the proper point of chaotic, yet still comprehensible. Everything about this book is in the setting.
Final verdict: 7/10
The book is niche, it takes a while to heat up, and even then it’s as appealing as a mystery flavor hot pocket. If you’re into absurdity, you will enjoy it. I just wish the absurdity had some life behind it. There is room for expansion and I hope that opportunity is taken.

· Are you excited to see what SC becomes and looking for others to discuss with?
· Have you been soloing and decided it might be time to try SC with friends?
· Have you been playing that one loop and want to explore others?
Org: Infinite Frontiers Inc. [SCIFINC]
Our Goal: We are looking to grow our roster by another 3-4 applicants.
The Breakdown: Intentionally not a huge Org. IFI is focused on promoting tighter online friendships and comradery to support our members in game goals. To that end, we are starting small and growing organically. Currently, our roster sits at 24 with about 10 actives at any given time and we would like to add a few more now that 3.23 has arrived. Our long-term vision will be to grow to around 25-30ish active citizens by 4.0 so that we have a solid roster to support each other. Longer term, we want to crew up and try more multiplayer shenanigans as CIG implements more and more things to do and game loops to explore.
The standard stuff:
Commitment: Casual atmosphere, with semi-regular frequency of play. Most of us are playing 1-3 times a week, some more, some less. Generally, there is someone online every night. Life comes first though. We have families, you have IRL obligations, we will never force commitment. We are in search of players who want to play 2 or more times a week, group up and enjoy what the game has to offer. We currently engage the entire org by use of scheduled monthly events (practice dog fighting, recruitment initiations, team based capture the ship events, etc.) and use Thursday evenings as our unofficial dedicated play night.
Age Requirements: 18+ and to keep it mature. Please no harassment, NSFW, racism, sexism, homophobia, hate speech or attacking of any kind. All we ask is that you be respectful to each other. We are primarily law-abiding citizens. No griefers or A$$hattery.
Specialization: None. We are here to try all game loops and support our fellow citizens in whatever they would like to accomplish. Bunkers, mining, medical, bounty hunting, exploring, salvaging, hauling, etc. Want to be a pilot, looking for a gunner? Hate flying but like the pew-pew? Want to group mine 10k rocks to extinction? We’re probably doing it already beside you. We are not a pirate org.
Language & Time Zones: English speaking. North America, mostly CST, MST & PST and some EST atm. We primarily play in the evenings in these time zones.
Role-Play: We are not role play Org.
Org Comms: Discord required. We've built it out to include events, org announcements, screenshot sharing, fleet share, news & links. Don’t have to have a mic (but it would make life easier on everyone). We do require you join channels to listen when grouping & especially for any Org events. Be respectful with your background noise, push to talk if you have to.
Links:
· If interested, please send me a PM first:
· Then drop an app on the RSI Page: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/orgs/SCIFINC
In Closing: We are really looking forward to Pyro and want to build out the org for excursions & any new content it will provide. Meanwhile, we are having a blast with what we have. We are accepting both seasoned veterans and newer players. We are more interested in accepting folks who want to play often, SC fans, space sim fanatics, and all-around good friends. Doesn’t matter what ships you have. If you’re wanting to play cooperatively and a couple times a week, come check us out!

Two years ago, I had just moved to a new house from a different neighbourhood for work. I was settling in and getting used to the place, but I was still lonely and went through bouts of depression.
My ex-boyfriend of five years had ended the relationship a while before I moved, and I wasn't having much luck going on dates. I eventually decided to focus my energy into work and fitness instead, but the loneliness lingered. The house still felt empty at times, and the silence was painful. I went through the motions numbly as the days passed by.
About two months after I had moved in, I started noticed a stray dog pacing around my front yard from time to time. It had big, brown, sad eyes, and there was no collar around its neck. I couldn't tell you what breed it was - a reverse Google image search tells me it looks like an Indian Pariah dog. I could always recognize it, as its left eye was slightly larger and darker than the right, but that gave it some unique charm. After seeing it outside my front door for three days straight, I put up some posters along my street inviting anyone who might have lost a dog to call me. I quickly learned that I probably shouldn't have done that, after getting a few silent calls from an unknown number that I eventually chalked up to being a prankster or some scammer.
I called a local animal shelter and them pictures of the dog. A guy came over to scan the dog for a microchip, but found nothing. He said it was most likely abandoned as a puppy. He could take it back to the shelter, or I could look after it for the time being - they would contact me if anyone ever tried to claim it. My grandad had a german shepherd that I used to love playing with, so I always had a soft spot for dogs and agreed to look after it, even if it was for a while. The guy from the animal shelter advised that if I didn't hear back in a week, I should take it to the vet to get it checked out and microchipped, or to the shelter if I didn't want to keep it.
I took care of the dog and let it roam around the living room, with free access to the back yard. I decided to name him Charlie, and purchased more dog food, a labelled dog collar, some brushes to groom him with and dog toys. The nearest vet was a two hour drive away. Work was busy so I wasn't incredibly flexible for a visit, but I managed to get an appointment booked in two weeks' time.
The first night I spent with Charlie, I realized that he might just be what I needed in my life. Late in the evening, I sat on the couch looking at him, sitting quietly in the middle of the room on my wooden floor. I began talking out loud to Charlie. It seemed stupid at first, but the way he sat quietly and listened was comforting. After a while, I got more into it, and vented about my loneliness and frustrations to the point of tears.
How I stayed with my cheating, gaslighting ex-boyfriend because I was too insecure to be alone, until he dumped me. All my failed dates, and how I thought I would die alone and unloved. I poured my heart out to my new companion, spilling my deepest secrets until I cried myself to sleep. The next day, I again began talking to Charlie about the pain and depression I had been through, and he listened patiently once more. I discovered that spending time with my new friend was cathartic. Perhaps I needed to get it all out, and be listened to for once, even if not fully understood.
The third day after I had taken Charlie in, I woke up to realize that I'd overslept half an hour. I poured some food into Charlie's bowl and brushed my teeth at lightning speed, then grabbed my bag and flung the door open, ready to bolt into my car. A surprise greeted me at the front door, that made me stop.
There was a bouquet of red and pink roses on my front door step.
I picked it up and looked at it, confused. There was no note attached or anything. I couldn't think of who it would be from - I obviously hadn't been on any dates recently. Being late for work, I didn't have much time to ponder, so I dropped the roses back on my doorstep and drove off. During the drive, I panicked for a second at the thought that it could have been my ex, but then realized he didn't know my new address, or even that I had moved. The mystery bugged me all day at work. When I came back home, the roses were gone, so I assumed someone had accidentally left them at the wrong address.
That night, I woke to the sound of creaking. As I opened my eyes slightly, I saw something at the foot of my bed and bolted upright, adrenaline rushing through me. As the fogginess faded, my heart rate settled a little.
"It’s just you, Charlie," I sighed, "you scared me."
Charlie continued to stare at me from the foot of my bed. After a minute, he stood up and left the room. I didn't think much of it, and fell back asleep.
For the next week, I continued the usual ritual of talking to Charlie before I went to bed. I would talk about my day, my plans, hopes, dreams and other such things. I found our one way conversations getting more positive each day - they were very therapeutic. Charlie would always stare at me with those big brown eyes and sit quietly still as I talked.
On the morning of the vet appointment, for which I had taken the day off work, I noticed that my car was much cleaner than usual. Had it always been this shiny? I thought. I had driven it to work the Friday before, but I hadn't taken notice of how clean it was then. The last time I had, I could swear there were bird droppings on the back window, and some general grime that covered it all round, but it was now spotless. I pondered for a few seconds, and came to the conclusion that it must've just be a brain lapse on my part - it was probably always clean. Those droppings must have washed away over time with a few rainy nights.
I drove Charlie down to the vet and explained the story of how I'd found him.
"He's very well behaved," she beamed, as she began examining Charlie on the table. "We see a few of these cases from time to time. People's dogs have puppies, and they get sold or abandoned."
"It's a real shame," I sighed. "Charlie's been a star, I'm lucky to have him really. I live alone, so as odd as it sounds, I've been talking to him and it's helped me through some difficult moments."
"That's not strange at all," replied the vet, checking his teeth. "Owning a dog can do wonders for your mental health, especially if you live alo-"
She suddenly stopped.
I stared as she squinted and moved Charlie's head up and down, trying to get a look at something. She plucked a light out of her pocket and aimed it into Charlie's left eye.
"What's wrong?" I asked. She didn't answer, and kept looking at Charlie from different angles. He whimpered slightly.
"Did his eye look like this when you found him?" She asked. I leaned in closer.
"Yeah, I did notice his left eye was slightly darker and larger than his right."
She looked at me for a second and raised her eyebrows, then back at Charlie.
"I'd like to get a closer look at his eye and examine it in the next room, if that's okay?"
"Uh, sure," I said, confused.
Without further explanation, she hastily picked Charlie up and carried him off into a different room. I sat down and waited, reading the news on my phone, expecting her to be back in a few minutes. However, when the vet didn’t come back for a while, my concern began to grow. I paced around the room and tried to glance into the door she had left through a few times.
Then I sat back down and watched the minutes pass by, getting more anxious. Hopefully it's nothing, I thought to myself. An easily curable eye infection perhaps, or a defect he was born with - hopefully it was something like that or nothing. I'd only spent a few weeks with Charlie, but he was the best friend I'd ever had. I had told him so much about me, and he was the only one that had ever really listened to me. I had grown very attached to him quickly, so I almost felt like a worried parent, blaming myself for not bringing him to the vet sooner.
An hour and a half passed, but it felt like eternity. The vet finally came back through the door. I stood up.
"Everything okay?" I asked.
"Have you noticed any odd events recently?" she asked, "Like, anything you couldn't explain?"
"To do with Charlie?"
"No, just in general. Anything you've seen or heard around you that felt out of place in your life?" She insisted. I took a second to think.
"I'm pretty sure this isn't gonna be relevant," I said, "But I have a couple of times. For instance, this morning I thought my car was a lot cleaner than usual. I've been getting some unknown calls, and hearing some creaking noises at night lately, but I'm sure it's just Charlie walking around and waking me up. And… someone left roses on my front doorstep one day. Didn't say from who, but… Sorry, I'm not sure why I'm even telling you this."
I looked up at the vet, who now had a very concerned look on her face.
"I'm going to have to call the police," she said.
It took a few seconds to register. A million thoughts started racing through my mind. Did I say something wrong? Did she think I was abusing Charlie?
"I swear," I said, "Everything I've told you is true, I'm really sorry it took me so long to bring him in, it's my first time owning a dog and all…"
"No, no, it's not that," she said. She gestured for me to follow her into the room through the door.
Charlie was sitting on a table in the middle of the room. There were a few other tables surrounding it, with dog toys and surgical equipment on them. There was a large hole where his left eye had been, now a gaping black cavity.
The vet pointed at a sheet of blue paper on a table next to the one Charlie was on. There were two black domes resting on it, like two halves of a black ping pong ball had been split in half. A clear fluid was covering the outer sides, and staining the blue paper. There was also a tiny black cube. I looked closer, and saw some red and green wires coming out of the tube.
"I took this out of Charlie's left eye," the vet explained, "I thought my eyes were fooling me, but I took a closer look and was sure this thing definitely shouldn't have been in his head. When I took it out, I thought it was some kind of prosthetic eye, until I heard something moving inside it. I opened it up, and found this."
She pointed at the tiny cube and picked it up with some tweezers, revealing a transparent circular window on one side.
"Now I'm no expert, but I took that apart just now and to me it looked a lot like the inside of a camera lens you'd get on a smartphone."
She looked back at me.
"Do you think…" She paused.
"Do you think it's possible someone could have been watching you for the past few days?"
The police were eventually called and an investigation started. The tiny device inside Charlie's eye was indeed a camera lens with a built in audio recording device, and it had a wireless connection. It was an advanced piece of kit, but with some technical expertise they were able to examine its traffic logs and identify an IP address to which the miniature device was streaming.
That IP address belonged to my neighbor, who lived in the house opposite to mine.
I had never seen him leave the house before, although when I moved in I did see his silhouette in the top floor window a couple of times. He was a fifty five year old balding, slightly overweight man who worked as an engineer, but otherwise lived a reclusive lifestyle. I later found out that he had multiple restraining orders placed against him from ex partners. He had a collection of tiny bugging devices which he had been planting in various places including public women's bathrooms for years. These devices could livestream video and audio to his computer, and in his spare time he would watch and listen to this footage he collected.
A while before I moved into the house, he had purchased a puppy from someone he knew, and kept it as a pet without registering it. I assume he got bored of spying on women in bathroom stalls, and when he saw me move into the house opposite, he suddenly got a wild idea of how he could get a peek at something more intimate. The rest is some truly horrific history.
Charlie had been in my room while I slept and even a couple of times while I undressed. But worst of all, I had told him everything about me. The names of previous partners, things about my family, companies I had worked for and more. I wish I could say that I kept Charlie, but I just couldn't. Not after that. The vet arranged for him to be sent to the animal shelter where I'm glad to say he eventually did find a new home. I also relocated and changed my phone number.
For anyone out there wondering, I'm still single. The difference is that nowadays, I'm completely at peace with being alone. I've experienced a worse alternative, that's for sure.

I'll start by saying - I am aware this was not the most sensitive thing I could have done. I mean to improve in the future and would like feedback on how to do so, though I don't think I was an asshole (feel free to say otherwise).
My girlfriend recently did a community theatre performance of a very well-known play. This show involves one male lead, two significant female leads (of which she was one), and several important supporting roles.
I thought the show was very good and that my gf in particular did an excellent job. IMO her part was the most challenging one in the show. It has a massive range and I thought she managed it well. There were however occasional moments when I felt her acting was a bit internally-focused, like she was reciting a carefully crafted highly emotional speech, waiting for her scene partner to finish saying their lines, instead of authentically interacting with her scene partners. This was literally the only weakness I saw in her performance and I think if she found a way to overcome that, she'd be a competitive professional actress, if she isn't already.
The other female lead had a less challenging role but I think she executed it nearly flawlessly. The chemistry between her and the male lead was organic and easy, and she felt so natural and sincere in all her deliveries. There was subtlety in her performance that I think went beyond what anyone else in the cast delivered.
So when my gf asked me for feedback on the show, I said I thought everyone did a great job and that I loved her performance and gave her the praise I mentioned, but when we got to the other woman I said "Oh yeah, she was fantastic, I think she gave the best performance in the show." And my gf just froze, like she'd just gotten a massive gut punch, and we had a fight that's honestly still ongoing.
I know I made a faux pas. I probably shouldn't view performance quality as a hierarchy like this in the first place, and even if I do, it was a mistake to share it like that. I made this error because it's the feedback I would have wanted. When I look for feedback, I see myself as on a journey of self-improvement in acting, never complete, always growing. If someone did a "better job" than me, then that's someone I can learn from. It doesn't mean I am somehow inadequate or whatever.
She doesn't think like that at all. She wants to be "the best," and if she's not "the best," she doesn't see acting as worth doing. So in saying that someone else did better, she heard that as she's not good enough and should give up, despite all the things I thought she did excellently.
On the one hand, I appreciate that I should have realized she was looking for support and validation, not necessarily critical feedback. On the other, I think looking to be "the best" is a toxic mentality in this profession and she's doomed to failure if she's going to fold the moment anyone thinks another actor delivers a stronger performance than her.
Was I an asshole here? Is my outlook flawed? Thoughts on what to do better? Thank you in advance.

My girlfriend and I are both 21 years old. I had this friend since 4th grade, and we were extremely close. They have also been extremely close with my current girlfriend since middle school. About 3 years ago this friend and I had a big falling out, a year later we patched things up and moved on, at least I thought so. We would hang out all the time, we would play games, everything was normal. The friend went off to college and we started to drift apart a little, and I just assumed that was the reason. Then I found out from someone else that the friend told them that they don’t think I’m a good person, and they hope me and girlfriend break up because she deserves someone better than me.
This obviously really hurt, and I was really bothered by this. Again, my gf has been friends with this person for years, I understand them still being friends and I wouldn’t try to stop them from being friends, but it does bother me that she’s so ok with our friend saying that.
My girlfriend and I have had multiple talks about it. She doesn’t agree with our friend at all, we’ve even talked about it amongst other mutual friends and no one has any idea why they would’ve said that.
I wasn’t going through all this again after we already had a falling out. I don’t feel like patching things up again, just to get hurt again. We haven’t spoken in months, never even talked about what happened. Now my girlfriend wants to throw her birthday party at my house which I am happy to do, but she wants to invite this friend. I could be cordial, and the friend could be here without any problems, but I just feel like I have enough self respect for myself to not invite someone who said that about me, and about my relationship, into my home.
I feel like it’s important to add that this friend is interested in men, just to make it clear they’re not trying to end our relationship for personal gain
Is this petty? Should I just be ok with it?

hey, this is my first reddit post and i'll try to be as precise as possible and not prolong this too much.so sorry for grammar mistakes or if this seems chaotic i really don't know where else to turn.
so it all started before i was born. my mom is a woman raised where i was raised as well and my dad came from a country near by due to war. my mom was raised by an abusive mom (my abusive grandma) and by an absent dad(my grandpa was working a lot in the US). my dad was raised by okish parents, his dad died of lung cancer which is a thing my dad never overcame, and my grandma was a teacher who was strict but my dad has a lot of siblings so i guess they managed.
my mom has a brother who is older then her and is a successful businessman. my dad is the oldest of them 4, and is a teacher as well.
my mom and dad met bc of my dad being a teachers assistant and my mom going to his lessons. he is 7 yrs older then my mom so its not as weird as it sounds. eventually they started dating and got me in March of 2000. they divorced in 2006. officially, and were not together since 2004.
so early on i was in care of my abusive mom. she was emotionally and physically abusive from my first memory since 2014. when i decided to run away from "home" forever. i never had a place to call home. my moms place was always cluttered and i could not get any privacy o relax for a second or she would loose her shit. she was diagnosed with depression and cancer in 2017. and that crushed her to a spiraling depression and led me to be forever scared. my mom was so abusive that i had to put foundation on to cover bruises when i was 9 or 10. she called me a slut, garbage, a failure, a bitch etc. all of that stuck to me till this day. i was a straight A student but if i were to get B or god forbid B- i was punished in front of my friends, my relatives or at home. NOBODY SEEMED TO CARE. but everybody knew.
my dad had a very good job at the time. he had quite a bit of money so he'd send some to my mom to spend on me but now remembering i cant say that i remember her spending that amount on me. also i had no concept of money. i was a child. then i hit the age of 10\11 and developed some idea that this was not normal. so every time my mom would harm me i would find a way to call my dad and be crying and begging him to come and get me. i loved my dad the most back then. he would always brush it off or say we'll go to grandmas this weekend but it was only Wednesday so will i survive till then? but it didnt matter i trusted that man with my life.
and so after endless sleepless nights (thats why im short btw) and the never ending abuse, my dad would randomly show up and pick me up from like kinder garden or school like a was some kind of a cute lil pet. and not just that! he would buy me that one thing i wanted as all kids i think at least, have that one thing they like. so he'd buy it for me. and we would go to Mc Donalds since my mom forbid me that kind of food (i was a model and played flute so i ate only small amount of usually boiled rice and fish). so based on all this my dad was a superhero. i loved that man so much.
i forgot to mention but, i was in a mental institution since my dads wife is a doctor and a bitch so she thought it was a good idea to lock me up with seriously dangerous kids and make me stay there for 20 days till it was claimed that i am ok, just has a teenage behavior. i think i will never forgive them for that. im not sure but i think it was 2016.
until October of 2014. i decided to end this vicious cycle. my mom was hitting me and i had enough. i punched back. hard. and i ran through that door like my dad did and never looked back. mom and dad were looking for me for the whole night since i didnt grab my phone while all this was happening. i didnt care. i was with a guy who ended up to be the love of my life and would be killed by his friend in 2018.
after all of this i started to realize i was not small and vulnerable as i was before. so i started to live on the streets. i didnt eat, sleep or shower at home. sometimes i would sleep in front of peoples doors in buildings. i started to fail school. and again it was all my fault. my whole life was my fault. always.
one day my dad had enough since he was always looking for me and not sleeping. so he decided to put me in a campus while im in high school. thats not rly common over here btw. so i went. and i was mad since 150km from my hometown was a lot and my bf(that dude i talked abt already) was in jail so i felt like i was in jail too. i was bullied a lot. and s/harassed. my parents have no idea abt this tho.
so 2018. rolles up. my mom has survived cancer, my dad is proud cuz i graduated and everything seems to be fine. but it rly wasnt. as i mentioned my bf was k!lled that summer(a few days before his birthday) so i was completely alone now. i had some relationships but they didnt matter at all. i was and maybe still am, dead inside.
after that summer i came back to my hometown. this time my dad has planned for me to stay at my grandmas since shes far away from the city center and also has a whole house to her. thats when i developed a bunch of mental disorders, had my first panic attack, went to the hospital o the daily bases, was harassed on the street and had to seek help from a psychiatrist again. only this time i found out that i had depression and this and that and the other. after months of trying to figure out what is wrong with me my latest dr said that it was cptsd and anxiety and since then i have never been the same.
i have had recently an epileptic seizure as well so i am now 10x more terrified of the world. i cant go anywhere without really preparing for it. i was paralyzed for months and suddenly i live w my now boyfriend who doesn't understand shit, have parents who aren't capable of helping led alone love, and with a few friends. and a mean like 3 friends.
i feel so bad. i feel like i don't want to live anymore. please help me im too embarrassed to talk to anyone.
tnx if u read

I just moved in to my new apartment a few weeks ago and have been struggling ever since to get my bedroom right. I have a queen bed, dresser, and nightstand that I need to keep. I would love any and all ideas for layout/design! My room is the “primary bedroom” on the floor plan. TIA!

whether you like swampland drainage projects or fear the color orange, we can all agree that this coming election is easily the most important election of our lives
no effort should be spared and no monetary cost is too high when it comes to preparing for this election, and you should be proud as an American to play a vital role in the defense of democracy
this is why i'm pleased to announce that as an authentic registered Indepenent Voter, a critical and key swing voter required for victory, i am officially taking donations and hearing arguments from lobbyists on both sides prior to the 2024 presidential election
unfortunately and regrettably i can only spare my valuable time for those with donations equal or in excess to USD $10,000.00 thanks

New player and don't know what to do? Don't know which class to play? Don't know which gear to upgrade? Don't know which tree to sap?
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• Teach you how to PvP + what to do in NW
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Before I start, this story is long, and I'll repeat myself a lot; my first goal is to get what's inside me out and vent, so please be patient and if you respond be respectful, please.
I (29M) came out of the closet about two years ago, but living in the environment I live in, I couldn't be as open as I would have liked until recently. During that time, I lost a lot of weight and gained confidence in myself, which made it easier for me to open up to the world that interested me. I'm not someone with much experience when it comes to sex, but I've had my adventures, mostly with women, but once I accepted who I am, my experiences shifted towards men. In recent years, I've had fleeting relationships and two relationships that lasted more than four months, but in recent months, I've been puzzled by a situation I've had to live through, and that's why I'm writing this here, to see if the perspective of strangers helps me clarify my thoughts a bit.
I don't consider myself ugly; I can even be attractive, both physically and in personality, but insecurities have affected me since I was very young. This story begins in September of last year when I started working at a new company. The workgroup consists of about 30 colleagues, some of whom I knew from before. But the story focuses on a guy (32M), let's call him Stephen. I must mention that he didn't attract me at first; he's not my physical type. But around November, as I got to know him, I was attracted to his personality, which surprised me because I'm usually a very superficial person (I know I need to work on that), and it's not very common for me to be attracted to someone because of their personality.
Over time, I formed a very close group of friends, who told each other everything that happened in our daily lives, so it was only a matter of time before I mentioned to them that I was attracted to Stephen. The three colleagues, Anna (37F), Violet (36F), and Lily (20F), were happy for me and told me that the interest seemed mutual because they thought the guy was getting very close to me. I liked that because I had already noticed that the jokes or comments I made to him received the same response, or at least he played along.
We reached December, we organized a dinner with some colleagues, and both he and I attended. By then, my colleagues had been pressuring me a lot to tell him something, but since we only had a relationship at work, I didn't dare to take the step; it didn't seem right to me. I also mentioned my situation to my friends, who could give me another point of view, but they all told me that not seeing the relationship we had made it difficult for them to evaluate it. I must mention that all this was happening while I was seeing another guy, John (27M), in a stable relationship for 6 months.
At the dinner and at the after-party, Stephen didn't leave my side. If I went out to smoke, he came out with me even though he doesn't smoke; if I had a drink, he accompanied me to the bar. My colleagues were ecstatic because they saw that this was the night something was going to happen. Well, it didn't. Between my relationship with John and the nerves of the moment, I didn't dare to do anything. But I already saw clearly that with those ideas in my head, the relationship with John was unfeasible; he was no longer my priority. We broke up during the following week.
I was already going all out for Stephen; I was attracted to his personality, to what he could offer me in a relationship. The week before Christmas arrived. We had a one-week break from work, and I didn't want to leave with doubts on vacation. On Tuesday of that week, I went to talk to him about the subject, determined, but when I started talking, I saw that we weren't alone, and I didn't dare to continue. I didn't dare again until Friday; he insisted that I finish saying what I had to tell him, which excited me even more because in my head, what I wanted to tell him seemed obvious.
Friday came, the last day for me to tell him something. When there was an hour left to finish the workday, I saw that we were alone, and I approached him. I was very nervous, I even stuttered, but I practically told him that I found him a very interesting guy and that I would like to get to know him outside of work, to which he responded that he was flattered but that he was not homosexual. It crushed me. I tried to disguise it by saying that he had become a very important support at work and that I wouldn't want this to ruin that relationship; he accepted it.
I left there as quickly as possible, holding back tears as best I could (yes, very teenage everything). I met up with my colleagues and told them what had happened. They supported me, but they kept saying that they didn't believe Stephen, that the relationship we had wasn't just friendship. I didn't give importance to that; at that moment I just wanted to forget what had happened. It was one of the toughest Christmases I've ever had. My family didn't know anything, my friends outside of work didn't understand it, and my work colleagues kept insisting that I needed to clarify things even more with him. My head was spinning.
I decided that I was going to fulfill what I said to Stephen, that the work relationship would continue as it had until that moment. The first week was weird and tough, I won't deny it, but I handled it quite well. I insisted that my colleagues avoid the subject, but it was impossible not to see the looks every time Stephen and I talked. Over time, we've returned to jokes, and although there's attraction on my part, I've come to understand that nothing will ever happen between us. Or so I thought. The last month I've had abrupt changes in my life. My grandmother died, I started dating Parker (33M), I got promoted at work, and I moved out on my own. It's important to mention, I think, that Stephen was my superior, and now, with the promotion, he's my immediate superior, I have to answer to him. So we spend much more time together, and we've come to know each other more intimately. I know about his problems with family, his friends, his plans for the weekend... But he never talks to me about relationships. We have a colleague who lives in the same city as Stephen, who has known him for years, and my colleagues, being the gossips they are, interrogated her about Stephen, and she managed to find out that he has never had a known relationship, nor has he had relationships with anyone, which surprised us all because, even though he's not my type, he's an athletic and quite attractive man.
Meanwhile, physical contact has emerged; he touches my shoulder when speaking, he hugs me when greeting me in the mornings... That was what I was missing. Just when I was rebuilding my life after the Christmas fiasco, to doubt again because of physical contact, once more when I was in a relationship that seemed perfect on the surface. More doubts on the subject. I had been with Parker for three months; I met him at a party with friends, in early February, falling back into the same old mistakes, focusing on the physical and then on the personality, luckily we were compatible, until feelings for Stephen surfaced again. The relationship faded, literally, no sex, no affection, no compatibility. My work colleagues didn't accept Parker, they were still insisting on Stephen. We come to yesterday, I broke up with Parker last week, and I really felt bad because it seemed to me that I was making the same mistakes as with John, obsessing over a relationship that didn't exist, that I had already received rejection for. But I moved to my new house, perfect for me, and liked by everyone, even Stephen. Today I received the comment that led me to speak here. I have organized a dinner next weekend at my house, Stephen is coming, he has asked to stay the night, I only have one bed, he has said we will share with a wink. I got excited, but I don't want to. I couldn't bear another fiasco. My work colleagues are already on cloud nine.
So I ask, do I have reasons to be excited or is it all in my head?

games, some on hold and others I'm playing at the moment. I have a lot of fun on the PS5 and especially in VR2. I've never been a PC Gamer, but for a few years, more specifically from 2016 to 2019, I was totally PC Gamer, but as soon as COVID hit, I started working as a developer from home, my job changed to full home-office and since then I basically spend 9h or more a day in front of a computer in my room. My house is big, so my bedroom isn't next to the living room.
What I do is leave the PC to study and work and when I'm off the clock I go into the living room to play. Of course, lately I've had less time to play video games, but whenever I can I take advantage of the little free time I have to play on the PS5 or do other activities.
But seeing all the popularity of PC Gaming and people going crazy over there, should I sell everything I own along with the PS5 and migrate to the PC? It's not something I'd like, it's more about the fear that the consoles will die and I'll be left behind.

My ex and I split before LO was born. For the first 3 years, he literally did NOTHING besides show up and play. No diapers, no feedings, no baths, nothing. For a while he brought his mom and sister in to help him, but they would just monopolize the visit and not actually teach him anything. I tried to ask him to find a parenting skills class or something but he refused unless I was the one teaching it (he literally said that). Obviously if that’s how things were going to be, I couldn’t just let him take LO god knows where. He couldn’t even pick LO up (if I left LO in the swing, he would wait 10-15 minutes and then make up an excuse to get me to pull him out - like a diaper change or “he looks hungry” - so I’d take him out, assess, and say “no, he’s fine”, to which my ex would go “oh, okay, I’ll just take him then”), let alone get him in and out of a car seat.
Then, he moved. I work in real estate so even though I was on mat leave and didn’t have access to the system, it’s a guilty pleasure of mine to peruse the listings online. I saw the listing. A day or so later a close friend of mine who does a lot of work in that neighborhood sent me a screenshot of it on the realtor end (where it said the sellers’ names, who were his parents that he lived with) and said “hey, isn’t this [ex’s] parents? Are they moving?” So yeah, I knew. He didn’t tell me until I called him out 6 months later, to which he said “I didn’t think it was pertinent.” Still no address or even general location. I should mention that the ONE single time I drove by his house was completely circumstantial (I had an errand to run a block away so it was difficult to avoid). So it’s not like he had any reasonable fear of me stalking him or anything. He was just hiding his location. I still don’t know why. So yeah. Also not sending my literal baby with someone without any sort of parenting agreement or anything if I don’t know where they live. Not happening.
Speaking of an agreement, twice I tried to get one going. Both times he ignored it, picked the parts that “worked” for him/he would be legally obligated to do anyway (like child support, but only the base amount), and ignored the rest. He brought the birth certificate up a few times, and my response was always “figure out what you need from me and let me know.” Never a “no” or even remotely close.
This shit continued on for THREE FULL YEARS.
Then last summer, he found out I had a new long-term partner. Suddenly my home was an extremely hostile environment (with or without my partner in it) that he couldn’t possibly spend any time in. It was here where I found out where he’s living - turns out he moved an hour away! So he demanded every other weekend and a week in the summer. I said “that’s absolutely something we can work up to, here’s what I’d like to see from you to get there, and while we’re at it I think it’s time to revisit child support because as we’ve previously discussed, x, y, and x aren’t actually included in that and I’ve been paying it all myself for the last 3 years. I accepted that when you wanted minimal involvement and I was left to make these decisions myself based on my schedule and budget, but if you want to step it up and have the benefit of having more of a parental role I think you should have more responsibility as well.” He completely ignored me - again - and tried to just chip away to get what he wanted. Taking LO out. An extra 30 minutes here. An extra hour there. Being late for drop-offs. Etc. No extra money, and literally ALL of his time was spent with either his own partner or his parents. Never any one-on-one.
Eventually, LO came home saying some very concerning things. It started with just “grandma and grandpa fight a lot” and I was basically like “yep, they do. Sorry they’re doing that in front of you. I’ll talk to [ex] about it.” He tried to gaslight me and say they get along fine, which is complete bullshit and he knows it. But as the months went by, the things I was being told got more and more concerning, and LO started getting more and more agitated about going there. I tried to talk to my ex and suggest that he take LO out to do something instead, like to McDonalds or a museum or something - I even said LO was asking for one-on-one time with him - but he told me he couldn’t afford to and everything was fine. He wasn’t seeing any of the behaviour I was describing so obviously it was all my fault and he refused to change anything. We progressed to “I’m not allowed to tell you anything” (“you must not be making him feel safe to talk about his time with me”) and eventually to “grandma took off my clothes and we played doctor…but that’s a secret. I’m not supposed to tell you that.” That was when I put the brakes on, called CPS, told my ex visits would be coming back to my home, and enrolled LO in therapy to get to the bottom of whatever was going on.
Then, in February, he had me served. Fuck. But he wasn’t using all of his time, so I was really confused.
We had a meeting with our lawyers a few weeks ago and now he’s done a complete 180. He suddenly has the money to take him to McDonald’s, he’s taking him to the park, he even took him to Starbucks for a treat.
A lot of things were said (mostly by him) during the meeting that would have left him open to getting a dressing-down by his lawyer afterwards, but I honestly don’t think that would’ve made a difference to him. But even if it did, why did it HAVE to come to this? I was willing to work with him, but then all of this happened. LO is STILL telling us outrageous things that I can’t unhear (except now he walks it back when I mention talking to anyone about it and says he’s scared of getting into trouble - the therapist is aware but can’t really do anything until he’s ready to talk). I’m so unbelievably pissed off that he couldn’t have just listened to me before and now we’re each several thousand dollars deep into a completely unnecessary legal battle. Like just…why.