I love to learn all the obscure details about the games I get into. Getting into Street Fighter has been a goldmine of lore and history for me to devour

I was always a social outsider and I was never able to have a group of friends like normal kids have, and it really makes me upset looking back and realizing how much fun all the other kids at school were having. I was mostly bullied and left out so I never got to go out with friends outside of school and I never had any of the coming of age experiences you're supposed to have, like having fun at summer camp, going to the mall or the movies, having pizza at each other's house, or making memories during your senior year of high school. Those kinds of friendships are special when you're a kid because you have other kids your own age figuring all this out with you and the experience isn't the same as an adult, so I think my life is ruined and I hate how everyone else talks about how they couldn't have survived high school or college without their best friends. It makes me feel like I'm outside of humanity and that I don't fit in anywhere.
To be honest I see no reason to get any older because the time in my life when you can just be young and have fun with friends is already behind me, so I think nothing matters now. I can't stand the fact that there are other people who are still young enough to have the experiences I can never have simply because they were born normal enough to be accepted by other kids. I think most humans are just hard-wired to hate and reject anyone who's a little bit different and the people who got to grow up happy might as well be a different species from me. I don't have any sense of purpose in life anymore because I didn't have anyone to help me build a sense of identity or what I'm good at so I'm not sure what to do now. I'm 33 but I feel dying would be preferable to getting any older.

Thank you for the Perth Festival postcard and the fun fact! I love the matching postcard and stamp haha

Ive been playing this game alot more recently because its the only Ps5 Gran Turismo game anyway
But something that i hate is the fact that the game has Tons of Cars but alot of them Dont even get used
If you have any 900HP+ Car its Impossible to use it in career mode Witch makes the oportonity of having fast paced races a waste
It feels like buying those cars for nothing and it makes me mad because i wanna use them somewhere else other then the Sunday Cup (Note: They dont even let Race Cars Enter so it makes fun for me 0)
Not only that it feels like the porpurce of those cars is none and forces me to use them in custume races
And NO i will not spend more money on Low power cars just to have a race that inst even fun
Not only 900HP cars but Cars that in general Coud be a part of other events instead you have to wait until the Special Events appear with those cars witch barely happens Because most of the time its cars no one uses
Special Events are the only time those cars get a normal use but guess what? Only stock cars
Amazing how im Spending Credits on cars i cant even use on events

Late to the party but I’m in a flat square in the middle of nowhere. The movie was good, I loved the off tone music inserts, and the hazy interactions they had with various groups of people. Also the fact that Kirsten Dunst aged like a normal person and that other dude had consistently had the batshit smile. Also the gunshots being stupidly loud was a great. The final setpiece battle was pretty silly, but I can forgive it for the rest of the movie that preceded it.
Fun time, left the theater with a bit of a buzz from the gunfights.

Hi there, thanks for checking out my post. I hope that you're staying safe and well during these crazy times! I am hoping to find someone who I can chat on here a while and then maybe move on to a messaging app with the intention 0f hanging out in real life and explore the big apple with, which is why I'm mainly looking for someone in the NYC area or at the maximum withing the east coast. If you think we would really click, I'm open to anywhere too but please put some effort into your first message and can actually hold a conversation. Not looking to waste each other's time! Thanks!
About me:

• 31
• 5'8
• 160 lbs
• Average build
• Asian
• Foodie
• Majored in Computer Science
• Working as software developer
• Huge geography buff (love history too)
• Boxing fan (also watch MMA, NBA, and soccer from time to time)
• Horrothrillemystery movie fan, do watch mainstream movies & TV shows in general
• Love paranormal/creepy things
• Exploring new and unknown places
• Space, universe, aliens
• Enjoy deep conversations
• Collecting things (I'll keep it a mystery for now, message me to find out more)
• Swimming, running, hiking, working out
• Into science & tech in general
• Laid back, open-minded, and love to make inappropriate jokes even during tough times
• Dark humor
• 420 friendly (I smoke socially and have no problem with it as long as it doesn't revolve around your life 24/7)
• Random fun fact: Drifted around homes during childhood, moved more than 10 times before I left home for college (lost count at this point 🤔)

Looking for:

• 20+
• A cutie like myself :>
• Can hold a conversation
• Share some 0f my hobbies and interests, would love to hear your hobbies/interests too
• Willing to explore the city and go on a food hunt with me
• Enjoy traveling and trying out new things
• Will enjoy staying indoor as much as being outdoors
• Build a deep connection with me and open to the possibility 0f leading to a serious relationship
• To be honest, I don't have much expectation. So just send me a message and we can find out!

What I am hoping to see from your first DM/Chat:

• An intro about yourself, just something we can kick off with. Things like as age, height, weight, location, INTERESTS, etc. would be cool
• Perhaps a photo, will be sending one (or a few) in return

Hi there, thanks for checking out my post. I hope that you're staying safe and well during these crazy times! I am hoping to find someone who I can chat on here a while and then maybe move on to a messaging app with the intention 0f hanging out in real life and explore the big apple with, which is why I'm mainly looking for someone in the NYC area or at the maximum withing the east coast. If you think we would really click, I'm open to anywhere too but please put some effort into your first message and can actually hold a conversation. Not looking to waste each other's time! Thanks!
About me:

• 31
• 5'8
• 160 lbs
• Average build
• Asian
• Foodie
• Majored in Computer Science
• Working as software developer
• Huge geography buff (love history too)
• Boxing fan (also watch MMA, NBA, and soccer from time to time)
• Horrothrillemystery movie fan, do watch mainstream movies & TV shows in general
• Love paranormal/creepy things
• Exploring new and unknown places
• Space, universe, aliens
• Enjoy deep conversations
• Collecting things (I'll keep it a mystery for now, message me to find out more)
• Swimming, running, hiking, working out
• Into science & tech in general
• Laid back, open-minded, and love to make inappropriate jokes even during tough times
• Dark humor
• 420 friendly (I smoke socially and have no problem with it as long as it doesn't revolve around your life 24/7)
• Random fun fact: Drifted around homes during childhood, moved more than 10 times before I left home for college (lost count at this point 🤔)

Looking for:

• 20+
• A cutie like myself :>
• Can hold a conversation
• Share some 0f my hobbies and interests, would love to hear your hobbies/interests too
• Willing to explore the city and go on a food hunt with me
• Enjoy traveling and trying out new things
• Will enjoy staying indoor as much as being outdoors
• Build a deep connection with me and open to the possibility 0f leading to a serious relationship
• To be honest, I don't have much expectation. So just send me a message and we can find out!

What I am hoping to see from your first DM/Chat:

• An intro about yourself, just something we can kick off with. Things like as age, height, weight, location, INTERESTS, etc. would be cool
• Perhaps a photo, will be sending one (or a few) in return

MATCH RESULTS

Winner	Loser	Match Finish	Stipulation
Sol Ruca	Izzy Dame	Sol Snatcher	Women's North American Championship Qualifier
OTM w/ Jaida Parker	Edris Enofe and Maliq Blade w/ Brinley Reece	In the Mud
Lash Legend w/ Jakara Jackson	Ivy Nile	Big Boot	Women's North American Championship Qualifier
Je'von Evans w/ Trick Williams	Oro Mensah w/ Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend	Hole in the Road
The Good Brothers	Ridge Holland and Riley Osborne w/ Chase U	Roll-Up
Lola Vice w/ Shayna Balzer	Carlee Bright	Spinning Backfist
Tony D'Angelo w/ The D'Angelo Family	Charlie Dempsey (c)	2-1 Fisherman Suplex	For the NXT Heritage Cup

IMPORTANT NOTES

• Kickoff with Noam Dar laid out backstage, Meta Four go to check on him with Oro and Jakara blaming Trick for this while Lash says Trick would never do this.
  
• Backstage Kiana James tells Izzy Dame there's a real she be-friended her over everyone else and says she's going to be a superstar so run NXT while she goes to Run Raw.
  
• Backstage Ava tells Tony D'Angelo and the family that the tag match for the No Quarter Catch Crew didn't catch and demands to know where Damon and Myles are at. Tony says the ref last week just got a bad case of bronchitis and says they had nothing to do with Damon and Myles going missing. Ava threatens to pull the Heritage Cup match tonight but Tony says that'd be false advertising so instead Ava fines them $20,000 which Arianne pays up with a brown envelope and Tony tells her to spruce up her office a bit.
  
• Shayna Bazler says all she knows is dominance and as the longest reigning NXT Women's Champion she's interested into who Ava will pick as Roxanne's next opponent. Lola Vice sets her sights on challenging Rox as well but gets ambushed by Karmen who brawls with her off screen.
  
• In the trainers office Meta Four are told that Noam is out indefinitely after the attack earlier, so Oro steps up to take on Je'von tonight. Noam says he thinks it's Je'von who attacked him earlier and not Trick and Lash believes it's Je'von as well. Miss Jackson starts to ask Lash why she's so quick to believe it isn't Trick but Lash says she doesn't have time for this with her match next.
  
• Backstage Ridge tells Axiom and Nathan Frazer that he's having fun and says Chase is a hell of a guy and Chase U has a lot in common with him. The Good Brothers enter and says Ridge has a anger problem and he's another main roster talent that needs to get the hell out of NXT. Ridge says he actually was in NXT before. Gallows tells Ridge to find a brother and face them tonight and they'll kick him out of NXT but Anderson says Ridge has no friends.
  
• Je'von Evans is interviewed and denies attacking Noam and says it doesn't sound like his boy Trick either but regardless he's taking on Oro next and your boy about to get bouncy.
  
• Carlee Bright runs into Ava and says she wants a match against Lola Vice tonight after she helped break up the fight with Karmen and Lola. Ava says that Carlee really showed out last week in the Combine, finishing 13th, just barely missing the cut and she'll be happy to give her an opportunity tonight.
  
• Charlie Dempsey says he's been in contact with Damon and Myles and they are on their way despite being in rough shape. He says this cup is stained with the NQCC and he'll beat Tony into an inch of his life to defend it.
  
• Wes Lee makes his way to the ring. He says the last time he was in this ring with a mic things were a bit different, he was in the darkest place of his life and didn't know if he'd ever be back here. He says everyone knows how much he loves the NXT North American Championship, and losing it set him down a chain reaction that almost ended his career but he missed this! He says two days after his surgery he was walking again, and weeks later he was in the gym with one goal, to get back here. Wes says he was supposed to be out for a year but was able to make it back in 6 months feeling this amazing energy and honestly doesn't know what to say. Oba Femi makes his way out, he says he isn't there to cut him down, instead he is very impressed at the heights Wes brought this title to was extraordinary but he took it as far as he could, and now it is his time to bring it higher than Wes could ever dream of. He says Wes has a heart of a lion, but he is an actual warrior and he is the mountain that Wes can not conquer but guesses Wes still wants a title match. He tells Wes he has to do what he used to and fight for an opportunity. Wes says every checkbox tick, and while he may not check every single box, when that title was in his hands...but gets cut off by Ivar. Ivar says he knows what it is like to come back from a career ending injury and even went through the same spinal surgery Wes did and he had to fight for everything he got and knows Wes isn't afraid to fight too. Ivar says if Wes wants a shot at Oba he wants a shot at Oba too. Josh Briggs comes out and says they're all so emotional with Wes's comeback story and Ivar showing the world who he truly is, but this is a man's game and the fact is that at Stand and Deliver he and Oba tore the house down and they know how close Josh was to winning the title with broken ribs but now he's fully healed. Josh says he'll through Wes and Ivar a bone once he's champion. Oba says they all have compelling arguments and Wes tells him if he is such a ruler then make it a fatal four way. Oba says there's a reason he is a champion and Wes is not and tells them to fight among themselves and the winner will face him.
  
• Backstage Ridge is interviewed when Chase U approach him and tell him he doesn't have to go in tonight with Andre volunteering Riley to team with Ridge and Thea says it'd be a teachable moment.
  
• Lexis King says he's been on fire lately and offers to take everything else after the live event this weekend. Jazmine Nyx comes by asking if anyone wants to sign a get well soon card for Jacy Jane but everyone besides Lexis leaves. Lexis says he'll gladly sign for Jamie and agrees to sign anyways. He signs but Jazmine reads it and sees he signed it to Jordan and calls him and idiot once he leaves.
  
• Lola goes to beat down Carlee after their match but Nattalya and Karmen run down to send Shayna and Lola to the outside. Karmen tells them there's no more running around, if they really are the baddest then they'll face off next week in a tag match.
  
• Backstage Riley apologizes for losing the tag match tonight, Ridge says it's all good and they just have to trust him. Thea is overjoyed that they can trust Ridge and Andre thanks Riley for giving him a chance.
  
• Backstage Wes Lee, Ivar, and Josh Briggs are all taken out, the attackers are revealed to be the returning Gallus.
  

SHAMELESS PLUGS

• Live Thread
  
• New to /SquaredCircle? Check out the Wiki!
  
• Check out our Squared Circle twitter account for all sorts of AMA announcements and interaction!
  
• Curious about how the /SquaredCircle Championship and Jobber Championship works? Check out the rules!
  
• Be sure to follow @WWE on Twitter and Like WWE on Facebook! You can download the official WWE App on iTunes so Michael Cole shuts up about it!
  
• Like other wrestling promotions? Perhaps you're looking for other subreddits related to wrestling? There's a sub for that! Check out /TheDirtsheets, /luchaunderground, /njpw /TNA, /ROH, /indiewrestling, /Wrasslin and more!
  

My (18F) parents were never together and my dad never wanted kids. I was a mistake and I've always known that. I've always lived full time with my mom and rarely see my dad. He's from a wealthy family and he pays more child support than he has to and gives me a lot of money. He's never tried to build a relationship beyond throwing money at me and I've accepted that we'll never be close. My mom got married when I was 2. My stepdad has three kids (21M, 18F, and 17M) and they have four kids together (14M, 11M, 9F, and 6M). My mom doesn't work so money is tight sometimes. My mom is like my stepsiblings' real mom. Their dad has never been like my real dad. After they got married, they focused on creating their new life together and I didn't fit in their perfect family.
My stepsister and I were never able to build a relationship. When we were little, my dad would buy me better toys and sometimes I let SS play with me, but she would break or steal my things so I started to keep my stuff from my dad hidden. We were both too young to know better. Even as we got older, we never got closer. My mom prioritized my stepsiblings in very obvious ways and I was jealous of that. SS is jealous of the things my dad bought me. I've always had lots of new clothes, electronics, and makeup while she doesn't. She also has two loving parents while I have none. Our biggest fight was when we turned 16, my dad got me a car and threw me a big party. She said some very hurtful things. I now try to avoid her.
We're graduating this year. I'm valedictorian and got accepted to my dream school so I'm really happy. I'm having a big graduation party that my dad is paying for and he's buying me a new car. He's also paying for me to go to Europe with my friends. I'm moving out, so he's not paying my mom child support. His child support was essential for them. My mom will have to get a job and SS will have to help take care of the kids.
We had a senior sunset last Friday and SS and I had a huge fight. She called me a spoiled brat who constantly rubbed my fancy shit in her face while she had nothing and said that it's insensitive of me to leave and have fun in Europe for a month while she's stuck watching my mom's kids (she's MY mom now that SS can't be the coddled brat anymore). She said that I should at least share my grad party with her because she doesn't get one and I laughed at her. I told her no for obvious reasons. I did say it a bit rudely. She said that I use daddy's money to try and cope with the fact that nobody loves me and my mom likes her better than me. That hit hard. I blew up on her and called her an entitled bitch and said she doesn't deserve anything from me after stealing my mom and ruining my life. She started crying and left early. When I got home my mom said I'm being insensitive and if I can't control myself as an adult then I can't stay in her house either. I'm at my dad's right now and I don't plan to go back but I kind of feel bad. Did I say/do too much?

Every day, I try to learn something new. Lately, I've been diving into random topics online, like how honey never spoils or why flamingos stand on one leg (turns out it's for energy conservation!). It’s amazing how much cool and quirky stuff is out there.
Yesterday, I found out about the Japanese concept of "ikigai," which is all about finding purpose in life. It got me thinking about what truly makes me happy and motivated. Today, I read up on the history of pizza (Naples in the 18th century, who knew?), and now I’m craving a Margherita.
Anyone else have random fun facts or weird hobbies they've picked up? Let's share and maybe learn something new together!

Been a super big Fallout fan since 3. I never got Into any of the Fallouts before Bethesda but I started watching a lot of Tim Cain and could tell that he was so (and still is) passionate about Fallout so I told myself that I had to give it a try and I'm so glad I did! The atmosphere gave me the same dreaded dark feeling that I got when I first played Fallout 3 as a a kid. It took a while to get used to the combat system and the general interface but once I got used to it I found it very fun. I had a blast going through that game and it delivered such a fresh experience for a franchise that I love so much. I just wanted to share it on here. I rate the game a SOLID 8.7/10. I would rate it higher if it wasn't for the companion AI and the fact it's annoying to open and go through doors all the time but I heard most of it is fixed in 2 so I'm very excited to play through that! I couldn't get the game to work on PC so I did a emulator on my phone and played it all day at work hahaha. It's so much fun, anyone who has ever considered it should give it a try! The game gets so good the more you go into it. The end game was intense,rewarding, exciting and fun! I'm glad to say I played through Fallout 1 and am excited to play through 2

CANCER ZODIAC TAROT READING - UNEXPECTED INCOME MAY 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ5mIkLhCyY
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I accidentally posted this to my username instead of my subreddit so here is is:
The Mortgage, Part 3
“Fuck,” I said as I drove to work in the old beater that only started on the fourth try because it could tell that I was pissed off. Ray’s case started at two o’clock, and I was heading to the office to get ready. “Fuck fuck fuckity fucking fuck. Fuck.” I’d wanted to tell Angela about Ray’s case, and how I was sorry that I hadn’t wanted to help him, but now I would, I would help him, and I would win, but then I’d gotten her all riled up on something else, something totally different, something way more serious.
My wife had given me a triple ultimatum: fix things up with her father, save idiot Ray from Sy-Co Corp., and somehow find a downpayment for the place she wanted to buy, in the little townhouse infill project in Bixity. It was like demanding I do a double bank shot, and then run over to the baseball diamond and hit a home run after first pointing to where it would land, Babe Ruth style.
Angela was mad at me, seriously mad. She’d slipped out that morning before I was even awake, sliding quietly past me on the couch. I didn’t realize she was gone until I heard the faint click of the front door closing. I jumped up, tripped over a blanket, and by the time I got up and my robe on, the elevator down the hall dinged, and Angela was gone before I opened the apartment door.
I swore at myself some more and pounded the steering wheel, “I fucked up,” I said, several times as I hit the wheel over and over again, until I accidentally honked it, and then looked all sheepish when the guy in front of me gave me the finger. I reached my office without further incident, but instead of walking in the front door, I went further down the hall, and into the office of Mark Cecil-Rowe, Barrister, LL.D, the man with the finest speaking voice I ever heard. When I entered his office I forgot for a minute about Angela and her father and sleeping on the couch the night before. I forget about everything, except the reason that I had come to Cecil-Rowe’s office: to stump him with a legal problem that I had solved, but which I was pretty sure he could not. In other words, I had come to preen and to brag and to boast. No one likes a showoff, and I had come to show off. I put my hand on the door and turned the knob. After a brief pause, I flung open the door.
“I’m a goddamn genius,” I said as I strolled into the older man’s office.
I noticed the echo of a hastily closed desk drawer hanging in the air. In Aaron’s office, where I rented space, a sudden act of concealment implied cocaine, but with Cecil-Rowe, the item in question was probably a mickey of vodka. I had the sense that he’d been drinking a bit before I arrived, but his powers of observation were unimpaired, and when he looked into my face, his expression showed sympathy, and actual pain.
“What have you done now?” he said, as set the papers before him to one side, and readied himself to hear my latest tale of legal brilliance.
“I’m a genius,” I said.
“Oh dear. Have a seat.”
“No really, I am. I’m a genius. I got this case that everyone says you can’t win, but I’m gonna win it, and when I do, I’m gonna look like a genius.” Cecil-Rowe gave me a sad indulgent smile.
“Whenever you tell me you’re a genius, I am always concerned about what is to follow. When you get wrapped up in what you call your genius, you tend to ignore the more mundane things we lawyers have to do to win a case. You think you’re going to win by genius alone.”
“Let me tell you why I’m a goddamn genius.” With effort I wiped the smug, self-satisfied expression that was on my face.
“Tell me why you’re a genius,” Cecil-Rowe said, “while I pour us a coffee.” He heaved his bulky body up from his chair and shuffled over to a counter. He picked up a carafe of hot coffee sitting on a hot plate, and poured two cups. “Speak,” he said, handing me one. I took a sip of the coffee, and told Cecil-Rowe the tale of Cousin Ray: his purchase of a franchise from Sy-Co Corp, its swift demise, the crash and burn in Commercial Court, the Minutes of Settlement, the seventy-one kilometer limit, and lastly, Sy-Co’s motion scheduled for two p.m. that very day, seeking an interim injunction shutting down Ray’s place.
Cecil-Rowe absorbed all this without the need to take notes. Instead, he sat back while he eyed me, taking the occasional sip of coffee, and smiling at the extravagant flourishes and details that brought out Ray’s story to full effect.
“Obviously Ray is dead on arrival,” he said, “but I guess this is the part where you tell me how you’re going to win.”
So I told him how I was going to win, but it didn’t have the desired effect. “I told ya I’m a genius, Mr. C,” cueing him to applaud, to admit what a brilliant lawyer I was. But there was no applause from Mark Cecil-Rowe. He looked at me without so much as a smile.
“You can cling to that genius notion as a consolation prize, after you get whipped this afternoon in court.”
“No way,” I said, “not a chance. I got this thing won hands down. I’m gonna kick ass in court today and--”
“And how exactly do you plan to do that, if you don’t have evidence?”
“What?”
“Evidence, Calledinthe9os. It’s what lawyers like me use to beat geniuses like you.”
“But I’m gonna win without proof. I don’t need proof. The argument I’m gonna make, relies on simple facts that are totally obvious, so the judge is gonna--” Cecil-Rowe stuck up his hand.
“Stop right there. I know what’s coming. You’re going to ask the judge to take *judicial notice.”
And he was right. That was exactly what I was going to do.
There are some things so obvious that you didn’t have to prove them, things that everyone knew. You didn’t have to prove that water froze at zero degrees and boiled at a hundred, or that Bixity was between West Bay and East Bay.
“You got it,” I said, “judicial notice all the way.”
“You’re going to tell the judge that the centerpiece of your argument, the lynchpin of your case is a fact known to pretty well everyone, and so you don’t need proof.”
“Exactly,” I said. Cecil-Rowe took another sip of his coffee, and left me hanging in the silence for a while before he spoke.
“If that’s true, then why does coming up with that argument make you a genius?”
“Oh, I said,”I didn’t think of that.”
“It is acceptable to rely on judicial notice for minor, ancillary points. But you never should walk into court thinking that the court will take judicial notice of your entire defence. It’s just too risky.”
“But how am I going to rustle up a witness in time for this afternoon?”
“Worry about that after you leave my office. I can’t help you with that. What I want to know, is why you’re doing this at the last minute.”
“What makes you think I’m doing this at the last minute?”
“Because you never would have resorted to judicial notice if you were properly prepared. If you’d opened this case a bit earlier, you’ve have everything lined up. But you got to work on it late, and so you want to rely on judicial notice. You’ve messed up, Calledinthe90s, and you know what my rule is when you mess up.” Cecil-Rowe didn’t extend aid to me, until I admitted the error of my ways. It was infuriating, but he was inflexible. So I fessed up.
“My idiot cousin Ray’s been trying to retain me for almost two weeks, but I was putting him off because I was mad at him. So now my wife’s mad at me, and if I don’t win this case, I’m dead. Plus her dad’s mad at me too and --” My brain roared into overdrive, a mess of family and law and fear, and at the centre of it, thoughts of Angela’s anger and her father. My mind took off, and then came to an instant halt at a helpful destination.
“Yes?” Cecil-Rowe said.
“Sorry. I just realized how to solve the evidence problem. Look, can I ask you about the thing I actually came here to ask you about?”
“You have a problem that’s worse than having no evidence? What could be worse than -- oh. You don’t have a retainer. Your client doesn't have any money.”
“Exactly. How do I get paid? That’s the problem.” I explained that Ray had no money, as in none, and that if he did have money, he wouldn’t spend it on me. Instead, he’d go back downtown and throw his cash at some big firm, who would take on his case, and proceed to lose it in a calm, careful, sober manner, ending in a reporting letter to Ray telling him that he’d lost.
“Now that’s a problem I can solve,” Cecil-Rowe said.
“Really? ‘Cause I can’t see a way around it. I think I’m gonna have to do this for free, and that really pisses me off.” Cecil-Rowe shook his head.
“You may or may not get paid, but you can set things up so that if you win, you’ll win pretty good.”
“How? Ray’s a deadbeat. Tapped out.”
“But is he desperate?”
“Totally. The first time he failed, he lost his own money, but if he goes under this time, he’s taking family money with him, and he’ll be the black sheep forever.”
“And he’s using family to emotionally blackmail you into helping him?’
“Like no shit. That’s the part that pisses me off the most. I’m like a goddamn slave, being forced to work for free.”
“Never fear, young apprentice. I have just the thing in mind.” He reached into a drawer, and pulled out a form. “Fill in the blanks, and have him sign.”
I looked it over, and saw that the document was a retainer agreement. I whistled. “Holy shit. If he signs this, he’s almost my slave.”
“Close, but not quite” Cecil-Rowe said, “the Latin term for this is "contractus pro venditione animae"”. It’s the ultimate retainer agreement. Once Ray signs that, you own any cause of action he has against the person suing him. You can settle the case on any terms you like, and you get to keep whatever proceeds there are.” Cecil-Rowe placed the folder back in a drawer, and from his manner you could tell that the interview was over.
“Awesome, Mr. C. I’ll call you from Commercial Court when we’re done.”
“Commercial Court?” he said.
“Yeah, Commercial Court.”
“This just keeps getting worse. Take notes, Calledinthe90s, while I school you on Commercial Court. Commercial Court is a jungle, and without preparation, you’ll get savaged.”
“That’s what happened to Ray when--”
“Take notes, young apprentice,” he said, tossing me a pad and a pen. He started to lecture, and I took notes that I have with me to this day, in a safe deposit box downstairs in the vault at Mega Bank Main Branch.
* * *
By the time Cecil-Rowe finished schooling me, it was close to ten, and the case started at two. I didn’t have much time. I ran down the hall to my office, and called Ray’s restaurant. No answer. Then I called Ray’s house. I expected to get Ray’s wife, but the man himself answered.
“You’re not at work. Why aren’t you at work?”
“Sy-Co Corp served all my employees with a cease and desist letter. They all got scared and took off. The place is shut down.”
“You gotta fax machine at home?” He did, and asked why.
“I’m taking your case, but only if you sign the paper I’m about to send and fax it back.” I sent the fax, and five minutes later it came back signed, and it was official: Ray had sold me his legal soul.
I went out to the parking lot, got into my beater and drove fast. In less than thirty minutes I reached my destination. I knocked on the door, and when it opened, my diminutive mother-in-law poked out her head. “What a pleasant surprise,” she said.
“Sorry, Mrs. M, but I’m in a super hurry. I gotta rush to get to court to help Ray. But first, I gotta speak to Dr. M.”
“He’s not here,” she said.
“Not here?”
“He’s on his way to his bridge game. He left just a few minutes ago.”
“Where’s the club?”
“He’s walking there,” she said, and pointed down the street.
“Thanks.” I got into my car and headed where Mrs. M had pointed, passing big houses and new project with an “Opening Soon” sign. And walking past it was the figure of Dr. M.
“Hey, Dr. M,” I called out the window. He stopped and looked around, startled. But he didn’t see me, not at first.
“It’s me, Dr. M. Me, Calledin90s.” He leaned forward as if to see me better. I got out of the car.
“Is something wrong with Angela? Or the baby?”
“No, no not at all, sorry to scare you, it’s nothing like that. I need your help.”
“Oh.” He started walking again, and now it was my turn to be a bit stunned, watching my father-in-law walk away from me. I caught up with him in a few quick strides.
“Listen, I really need your help.”
“And I really need to get to a bridge game.”
“This isn’t about me. It’s about Ray.” That brought him to a halt. He turned to me, angrier even than he’d been the night before.
“Did you drive all the way out here just to make fun of me? To remind me of how you won, distracting me with nonsense about Ray’s case?”
“I mean it,” I said, “I can win Ray’s case. I can prove it in a few words.”
“Prove it, then.” So I did. I spoke words, only a few words, but they were the right words to speak to Dr. M, for the words I spoke were in his language, words that he understood perfectly.
“I understand,” he said, “you’ve come to boast some more, to prove that you were right after all.”
“I want to win Ray’s case, but I don’t have any proof of what I’m saying.”
“You don’t need to prove that two plus two is four.”
“This, I gotta prove, and I need you to help me prove it. I need you to come to court with me, as my witness.”
“I can’t do that. I didn’t witness anything.”
“As my witness. My expert witness.” Unlike a normal witness, an expert witness can give an opinion. An expert is there not to advocate, I explained to Dr. M but to instruct, to teach.
“My bridge partner won’t be very happy,” he said.
“But Ray will, and so will Mrs. M and Angela and--”
“Very well. Do you have a cell phone? We can call the bridge club from my car.”
* * *
We were on the highway getting close to the downtown exit, when my wife called my cell phone. Back then cell phone service was super expensive and my wife only used it for emergencies. Or when she was really angry. I picked up the phone, wondering which it would be.
“I’m so happy that you made things up with my father,” she said.
“How did you know?”
“My mother called. She says you took him with you, that you went out together.”
“He’s with me right now,” I said.
“Where are you going?”
“To court. Going to court to win Ray’s case for him.”
“And you brought my father with you to watch?” She was so happy, I could hear in her voice that she was smiling. “That’s a great way to bond with him, Calledinthe90s. Look, I’m sorry I got so mad at you earlier, I really am. My dad’s a bit too sensitive and--”
“Sorry, Angela, your dad’s not coming to watch me.”
“Why is he with you, then?”
“He’s my witness,” I said.
“What?”
“His expert witness,” Dr. M said, loudly enough for Angela to hear.
My wife’s anger exploded into the phone. She wanted to know how I could expose her elderly, vulnerable father to the stress of a court case. I tried to tell her how I needed him, how there was literally no one else I could turn to, that her father was an expert, a true expert, and the judge was legally bound to believe him, but Angela heard none of this.
“Look,’ I said, “I promise you that--” And then I lowered the phone and pushed the red button, terminating the call. I’d learned that the best way to hang up on someone, was to do it when I was doing the talking. That way it looked like the call had dropped.
“I’m going to steal that move,” Dr. M said.
We rolled into the parking lot. I grabbed the cloth bag out of the back of my car, the bag that held my law robes and shirt and tabs, plus the other stuff I needed for court. It was one-thirty, still thirty minutes to go, not a lot of time to get robed and ready for court. It was just past one-forty five when I, with Dr. M in tow, opened the door to a courtroom on the eighth floor of an old insurance building that had been converted into a courthouse, the home of Commercial Court.
“Commercial Court is an exclusive club,” Cecil-Rowe had explained to me earlier that day, “the legal playground of the rich and powerful. They’ll know instantly that you’re not one of them.” And he was right. It was clear from the moment I walked in that I did not belong, for I was the only lawyer in robes. Everyone else was wearing a suit, and not some cheap thing off the rack like I wore.
There were a half-dozen lawyers present, and after they saw me, they exchanged knowing looks about the stranger amongst them. I ignored them, and walked up to the Registrar. I told him the case I was on, and he signed me in.
“First time in Commercial Court?” he said, eyeing my robes. “You know you don’t have to be robed in Commercial Court.” In other Superior Courts, you always had to bring your robes and get all dressed up. But Commercial Court had its own set of rules, and in the court for rich people, their lawyers did not have to wear robes.
“You’re here on the Sy-Co case?” a young woman asked. She was a junior like me, give a year or two either way. She was dressed in the finest downtown counsel fashion, some designer thing that Angela would know if she saw it.
“Just got retained,” I said.
“You know there’s no adjournments, right? We don’t do adjournments in Commercial Court. I’m just trying to be helpful, because I don’t think you've been here before. You know you don’t have to be robed, right?
“So I heard.”
“So where’s your material? You haven’t served anything, so how do you plan to argue your case?”
“I gotta witness,” I said.
She smiled. “There’s no viva voce evidence, either. Affidavit only.”
“We’ll see what the judge says.” There was a knock from the other side of the door to the judge’s chambers, and then the man himself entered.
I was amazed to see that even the judge wasn’t wearing a robe; instead, he was wearing a light coloured suit and a bright blue bow tie. He was dressed as good as the lawyers, all part of the downtown Commercial Court club, the playground of the richest and most powerful corporations in the City.
“Commercial Court’s not like other courts,” Cecil-Rowe told me earlier that day, explaining that most cases were over in fifteen minutes or less. A plaintiff showed up with some papers, and had a short consultation with the judge. The judge signed an order granting an injunction, or taking away a man’s business, or freezing his money. Commercial Court is where you went to get quick and simple court orders that eviscerated your opponent before the case even got going.
Defendants would appear sometimes in Commercial Court, Cecil-Rowe explained, but it was usually their last time up. Defendants always died a quick death in Commercial Court.
The judge took his seat, and then looked over the lawyers before him. His eyes moved along, and then stopped when they reached me, the one lawyer who was not like the others.
“You don’t need robes in Commercial Court,” the judge said to me.
“I’ll remember that for next time,” I said.
“What case are you on?”
I told him.
“He’s filed no responding materials,” my opponent said, “nothing at all.”
“I’m just vetting the list,” the judge said, “I’ll circle back to you two in a few minutes.” I listend while the judge vetted the rest of the afternoon list: a Mareva, plus a Norwich order, with counsel on those cases sent away in a matter of minutes.
Now the courtroom was almost empty, just the judge, two lawyers, the registrar and my star witness and father-in-law, Dr. M, who sat in the back of the courtroom dressed in an old business suit, put on hastily at his place two hours earlier, when I urged him to hurry it up, to not waste so much time on picking a suit.
“Back to you,” the judge said, addressing my opponent, “I thought this was an uncontested matter. That’s what your confirmation sheet said.”
“I’m sorry, Your Honour, but I didn’t know until I got here that the case was defended.”
“I got retained at the last minute,” I said, “barely three hours ago, the day after I read the papers. But I’m ready to go, ready to argue the case on the merits, so long as you grant me an indulgence, and let me call my witness, to let him testify in person instead of by affidavit, there being no time for me to draft anything.”
Opposing counsel was on her feet. “That’s not how things are done in Commercial Court,” she said, “or any court that I know of, for that matter. My friend (that’s what they make lawyers call each other in court, ‘my friend,’ even though you might hate the other guy’s guts),” the lawyer said, “my friend should have served his responding materials and filed them with the court. Instead, he’s taken us totally by surprise.”
“I’m sorry my friend is surprised by opposition,” I said, “but then consider, it’s my client’s livelihood that’s at stake. If my friend gets her injunction, Ray Telewu’s business is dead, and he loses everything. So yes, my client opposes the injunction, and yes, I’d like to call evidence.”
The judge didn’t consult the papers before him nor the books, but instead, he looked up at the big white clock on the courtroom wall. Its hands said two-fifteen.
“How long will your witness take, counsel?”
“In chief, ten minutes.” I’d practiced with Dr. M on the way in, and I was pretty sure he could do it in five, but I gave him a bit of extra time, just in case.
“We’ve got about two hours,” the judge said, “but I want to be fair to you and your client. Let’s take a fifteen minute recess so you can get instructions. Either we go ahead today with viva voce evidence, or we adjourn, and that will give Calledinthe90s time to file responding materials.”
When everyone came back, the junior’s boss was there, Senior Counsel, a heavy weight, one of those big guys downtown. Plus they brought this guy from Sy-Co Corp, the head of some bullshit division, with some bullshit title, Head of whatever, so that’s the title I’ll give him here. He was The Head. He was the man, the big cheese, the signer of the affidavit on which Sy-Co relied that day.
“What’s he doing here?” I asked Senior Counsel.
He stared at me, all lean and steel grey, looking every inch the hard hitting lawyer that commanded the biggest fees. “If you’re calling a live witness, then so can we. The Head will give evidence today, in advance of your client, so that the judge hears it from him first.” His junior smirked at me, and the two of them sat down, delighted that they’d thought of a way to one up me.
Except that they’d done it by exposing their client to cross-examination. The judge came in, allowed the Head to testify, and when he was done, I stood up.
“Just a few questions,” I said. Senior Counsel was stunned for an instant, and then he stood.
“This serves no purpose, Your Honour. The witness has confirmed the simple facts of his affidavit, and there’s no disputing it. Ray Telewu opened a restaurant less than seventy-one kilometres from Bixity City Hall, and that’s in breach of the Minutes of Settlement he signed.”
I did not bother to respond. Instead, I just stood, and I started to ask questions.
“Have a look at that map in your affidavit,” I said, and he did. I picked up my copy, and tore the map out of it. I passed it up to him.
“What do you notice about this map?”
“That it’s accurate,” the Head said, repeating his evidence in chief, amplifying it, talking about how the map contained perfect measurement.
“You will notice that the map is flat,” I said, laying it on the witness box before him.
“Of course it’s flat. That’s what maps are. Maps are flat.”
“But the earth is round,” I said, “or more properly, a sphere.” Senior Counsel was on his feet in an instant.
“What difference does that make?” he said.
“What you’ll hear from my expert witness, is that a flat map cannot accurately show Earth’s curves. A flat map distorts distances, and in this case, reduces them.”
“But that can’t be by very much.”
“In this case, by just over twenty meters,” Dr. M said from the back of the court.
“That’s my expert witness, the esteemed Dr. M.” I didn’t actually say Dr. M. Instead, I said his real name. But I’m not going to use the real names of my family here, so I’ll just keep calling him Dr. M. “Dr. M was a professor of Physics at the University of Bixity for almost thirty years. He has published numerous papers on particle physics, and is the first Canadian winner of the Wolf Prize for physics.”

• * * *

It went downhill after that for Sy-Co Corp. My father-in-law testified, explaining in simple language, language that even a child could understand, that the Earth was a sphere, that the shortest distance between two points on Earth was a curve, not a straight line. He summarized his calculations in plain English, dumbing down the math, so that everyone present imagined, if only for the moment, that they shared his understanding of a difficult mathematical equation.
Senior Counsel tried to cross-examine Dr. M, but it did not go well, my father-in-law indulging him, gently chiding him, continuing his explanations until the lawyer sat down, defeated by Dr. M’s mastery of the subject,his own lack of preparation and his inability to improvise. When counsel said that he had no further questions, the judge addressed us all.
“I’m not going to reserve, and I don’t think I need to tell everyone why. I think it will take about a minute for me to write a decision saying that the Earth is not flat. I’ll give you some more time after that, but after fifteen minutes, I”ll be back to render my decision.” He rose, everyone bowed, and he disappeared behind the door to judge’s chambers.
I pulled a piece of paper out of my file, and slammed it on the desk before Senior Counsel and his junior. “Fill in the blanks, and sign,” I said.
Dr. M’s head shot up at the commotion, and he shuffled over to see what was going on.
“What’s this?” Senior Counsel said, picking up the paper I gave him..
“Minutes of Settlement. You fill in a number, a big number, for the costs you gotta pay me. Your client signs, and then we’re done.” Senior Counsel opened his mouth to bargain, but I overrode him.
“You know your client’s going to lose; the judge made that obvious. Hurry up if you want to settle; we don’t have much time.”
At the end of most Canadian court cases, the loser has to pay at least part of the winner’s legal fees. That’s the way it’s been since forever, and I think it’s a good rule. Sy-Co Corp had lost, so it had to pay a good chunk of Ray’s costs, and Ray’s costs were somewhere between whatever bullshit figure I claimed they were, and where they actually ought to be. Senior Counsel took the paper over to his client. There was a brief discussion, and then they came back, with the form signed, and a number written in the blank space.
I’ll give it to Sy-Co Corp and their lawyer. It wasn’t a bullshit number, a low ball number. They gave me a real number, a number more like something I’d actually accept, a number that made sense to pay me in costs, in light of the success I’d had, and how I got it. It was a respectful number, a common sense number, and I appreciated it an awful lot.
I tossed the paper back at them.
“Add a zero,” I said, continuing on when Senior Counsel blanched, and his junior retreated a step. “I know what’s going on here. Your client sold mine a bullshit franchise, one with a history of failing.” The franchise had opened up again under a new owner not long after Ray had lost it and then it promptly failed again. Like I said at the start of this story, it’s an old story. It’s how some franchise companies make money. “Your client makes more money selling bullshit franchises doomed to fail, then it does from the honest ones that make money. So add a zero to that number, or Ray’s gonna sue you, class action and all that, for all the people you’ve fucked.”
The Head stepped forward from the benches and spoke to me.
“We get threats like that all the time, but no one follows through. They don’t have the money to fight us, and neither does your client. So go ahead and sue.”
“It’s true that Ray doesn’t have jack shit,” I said, “not a pot to piss in, but he’s my cousin, Ray is, and even if he doesn’t have money, he’s got me. Ray’s family, and for Ray, I’ll sue you guys for free. Hell, I’ll even pay the expenses. Plus I’m gonna put a jury notice in, too, come to think of it, ‘cause juries--”
Senior Counsel cut me off, and moved his client to the back of the courtroom. There was a brief discussion, and then they came back. I watched as Senior Counsel wrote a single digit on the Minutes, a zero, written right where I wanted it.
“You’ll have to initial the change,” I said to the Head of Sy-C0, and it gave me great satisfaction to watch him sign.
“Don’t forget,” I said the moment his pen stopped moving, “for the settlement to be valid, I need to get the money today. Right now.”
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” the Head said.
“Not if you want the settlement to stay in place. I’ll follow you back to your office, and you can put a cheque in my hands.”

• * * *

“What’s this?” my wife said when I entered the apartment later that day, after I’d driven Dr. M home, stopping first at a local pub for beers.
“It’s an absurdly expensive bunch of flowers,” I said, “although no flowers, however beautiful, however expensive, could expiate my--”
She took the flowers, and gave a kiss.
“My mom called. She told me what happened. You fixed things with my dad.”
“Yup,” I said. I had certainly done that. I’d made Dr. M a professor again, if only for a few minutes. Not only a professor, but an expert witness. The judge had declared him an expert in plain terms and Dr.M had beamed when he’d heard those words.
“And you won Ray’s case, too. But my mom didn’t know how, and I don’t know how you did it either.”
“I’ll tell you over dinner tonight,” I said.
“But we agreed no more dinners out; we have to save money, now that a baby’s coming.”
I passed her the envelope that I’d received a few hours before. She opened it, and took out a cheque, a cheque drawn up for an amount I specified, made payable to Mr. and Mrs. Calledinthe90s.
The moment I got that cheque, all I could think about was how my wife would react when I put it into her hands. I could not wait to see her eyes bulge, to hear her voice say “oh my god,” to hear her laugh.
She did none of these things. Instead, she cried.
“Does this mean we can buy a house?” The money wouldn’t be enough to buy a house, not nowadays, with prices being so crazy. But things were different back then in the 90s. Sure, the internet was barely a thing and cell phones were super expensive and a lot of things sucked, but I’ll give the nineties one thing: houses were cheap.
“I think so,” I said.

TLDR: My boyfriend and I have completely different relationships to dogs. He likes dogs, but not in the way I like dogs. Can't get on the same page about my dog and it's causing an impasse. Suggested couples therapy and he was wishy-washy about it. Not sure what to do
My (27f) boyfriend (30m) and I have been together for about 9 months, but have known each other for much longer (~9+ years). He is not originally from the US, but has been in the US since undergrad, which is where we met. I'm from the US.
I have a 6-7 year old male cattle dog/hound mix named Red who I've had for nearly 6 years. Red has had bad isolation distress literally since a week after I picked him up from the shelter that I've spent tons of time, money, and energy working on. He's made a TON of progress, but he's still not at the point where he can be consistently left home alone for more than 15 minutes. I have roommates, so if they're planning to be home while I'm gone, I can leave him with them since his issues really only come out when he's left all alone. If they're not going to be home for even 30 minutes of when I'd be away or if they aren't sure if they want to leave the house for a bit to do something, I'll either take him to daycare if it's during their hours, bring him with me if I can, or cancel my plans because I can't be sure that I'll be able to leave him without him barking nonstop. I have neighbors and he's a hound with quite an intense bark. Besides his isolation distress, he's a really sweet boy who loves people (especially men lol) and just wants to hang out nearby and maybe get some pets. Because of the YEARS of trying to get his isolation distress under control, I've spent a lot of time training him and he's a smart little guy so he's pretty well-trained although there's always room for improvement. However, he does have some anxiety.
I love him with my whole heart. As you can imagine, we've spent a ton of time together over the past 6ish years and I'm QUITE attached. I also just love dogs generally. Since I was a little kid, I've always loved dogs, wanted a dog, loved caring for dogs, etc. My love for Red is quite clear and everyone who knows me even a little bit knows how much I love and would sacrifice for him.
Although my partner and I started dating only 9 months ago, we've known each other for much longer. I would go visit him with Red throughout the years and I was always under the impression my bf liked him and didn't mind my relationship with him. When I'd visit, I'd share the bed with my boyfriend and Red would also sleep on the bed. My boyfriend never said anything at the time. Whenever I needed to take Red for a walk, he would gladly accompany us. He would play with Red and pet him. He would talk about him fondly. The only indication I had that we didn't have the same background with dog ownership is when I asked him if it was okay for Red to be on the bed or furniture, he said it was totally okay but jokingly told me not to tell anyone from the country he is from because they would make fun of him. I thought that was a funny way of commenting on cultural differences around dog ownership, but I didn't get the sense that it was something that he was uncomfortable with personally.
The entire time I've known him, except for when we were in college, we've been long-distance (like on opposite sides of the country long-distance). That was the main reason why we didn't start dating before now. In august, we said fuck it and let's just try. Communication has definitely been challenging at times because of being long-distance, but it's overall been going pretty well. We get to see each other every month, switching off who goes where. I'm in grad school right now, so I'll go to him during breaks. He has his own company and frequently has business in the city I'm living in, so he'll prolong his stays in my city by a couple of days when he comes out here for business. It's pretty good for bi-coastal long-distance!
The biggest problem that's come up (which feels so ridiculous but it is) is my dog. Since we've started dating, he's completely changed how he acts about my dog. When my boyfriend comes over to my house during visits, he doesn't initiate any interaction with my dog at all. When I tell him I need to take my dog on a walk, he doesn't come and tells me that he doesn't need the walk. Even when he's not visiting and I'm talking to him on the phone, I've mentioned that I need to take him on at least 2 30+ min walks a day (because that's the bare minimum exercise he needs to be doing good) and he tells me that it's too much walking and I don't need to do that. He frequently tries to get me to board my dog overnight when he's in town because he likes to "just spend time with me." Like, he asks me to do this when we're just hanging out at my place with no plans to go out. Or he keeps suggesting that I should leave him with my mom who lives 10 hours away because my life would be less stressful and he would be taken care of really well with her.
I've tried to be patient and respect that he doesn't have the same relationship to dogs that I do. I don't let Red on the bed when he's around. I don't let Red lick him. I don't ask him to go on walks with us. If we're going to go to a dinner and we can bring Red because it's outdoor seating, I'll consider taking him to daycare instead or with my roommates if they're around/able. But the suggestions about leaving him with my mom or boarding him overnight for no reason (IMO) really, really get me mad and it's getting harder to deal with because I've tried to explain to him why I don't feel comfortable doing that many times but it doesn't seem like he's willing to accept that my answer is no. We had a big conversation about the Red problem in February, because there were several times where our preferences regarding Red were not aligned and one time where I got pissed about him asking me to board him and I said no pretty sternly. We talked about it and he expressed that he didn't realize before that trip that I view Red as my actual son. He said he had reflected on his requests regarding Red because he always wants to make sure he's being reasonable and thought that it might just be a cultural difference between us, but then he thought about what his SIL who is from the States is like with her *family dog that she hasn't lived with in many years* and came to the conclusion that I do not view my dog like other people view their dogs. I tried to push back on that, but he wasn't convinced. Anyways, I tried to explain again why I don't like to board him overnight if I can avoid it and how I take the role of being his owner really seriously because I'm the only advocate he has to look out for his health/wellbeing. I also tried to explain that I like to be around my dog and the way he's been around my dog makes it seem like he doesn't like him + the way he tries to convince me to leave him with my mom or board him makes me worried that he's trying to get me to get rid of my dog and/or he doesn't take seriously that my dog brings a lot of joy to me/is really important to me. He denies all of this but still keeps suggesting these things even though he knows it makes me uncomfortable. He says that he wants to make sure he's honoring who he is which is why he continues to bring it up and that he doesn't like that he doesn't have any input on the decision. I'm trying to be more flexible but I feel I've already accommodated a lot on this front (like taking Red to daycare or leaving him with roommates when we're doing something he could easily come to like cook dinner at his airbnb and watch movies) and also... it's my dog...
I think part of my bf's problem is that my dog is used to being on the bed or furniture, so when my bf's over, I have to tell him a couple of times to stay off before he will. He also can get barky/jumpy when people hug or kiss, so we have to do some training for that too. I think my bf doesn't like to have to think about those things/doesn't think that can change and would rather him just not be there. I've tried to tell him that those things are trainable and I'm more than happy to do that with him so he's more comfortable, but we need to have him there with us so that we can train him get used to it. In fact, I had started doing that already and he's gotten better, even though it's only been worked on about 4 times in the past 6 months (the total number of times all 3 of us have been together in the past 6 months). He does not believe me that'll actually get better with training though. I'm kind of at a loss because I'm really trying to find a solution that'll work for all of us, but it doesn't feel like he's interested in any alternative that involves my dog being around. He also hasn't offered any alternatives.
I've talked to my therapist about it and she thinks that we're having a really hard time communicating with and understanding each other about this (YUP) and suggested we consider couple's therapy. Honestly, for however silly it sounds, I think it's a good idea. Especially since we have been pretty clear from the beginning about how we want to have a future together (i.e. live together, get married, have children, etc) and I'm not sure how any of that can work if we can't get on the same page about something like this.
I talked to my bf about the couple's counseling and he brushed it off. I'm planning on bringing it up again but honestly all of this, including some other stuff I am not mentioning here bc this post is already long enough, is already making have massive doubts about whether this'll work more seriously since as silly as it sounds, it seems like a big incompatibility that we're not able to work through. I don't know. I'm worried I'm being too protective and uncompromising, but I think it's because I'm worried that if I don't set a firm boundary about this, it could be a slippery slope...

GUYS there's a mistake in the title: I am a female, not a male. Can't edit.
Just to be clear beforehand:
· I am a 100% sure he is single and not dating his ex
I (27F) met this man (26M) a couple months ago on a datingapp. I remember it saying in his bio that he was looking for something casual, at that point I didn’t know what I was looking for so I just sent him a message. We bonded over the fact that we both just got out of a long term relationship, we were both single for 2 months at that point after 4.5-5 years of dating (very coincidental but nice to bond over that LOL). He was very open and honest and also told me that he is still living with her at this point (it’s not easy to find a new place in the capital of our country). What I noticed is that this man was very honest, for example, he shared that he had a STD and that he has kissed guys (which could definitely be a dealbreaker for some girls). While it was clear that he was looking for casual, I did notice that after a short while he would text me at 7am when he woke up, and he literally talk the whole day. Also when he was working he would text me all the time. I started really liking him.
We had a strong attraction, and I was the one making very flirty and sexual comments. We would tease each other and couldn’t wait till the moment that we could meet up and have sex. After talking 24/7 for 3 weeks, we had our first date. We very both very nervous, and I remember him saying that he normally doesn’t get nervous so that this was weird for him. I sometimes did get the feeling that he started to like me a little more than only for casual. The date went great, and I think we really hit it off. We just talked for hours about our life and interests. We went from bar to bar just talking, and I remember saying that I had to at a certain point because I paid for my parking until a specific time. It was just a 10 minute walk. What made me certain that he liked me enough for a second date is when he offered to just keep talking, and that he would pay for my fine (100$) when I got one. He has a good job (therapist) so definitely has a good income but that amount of money is also a lot for him. Of course I declined LOL but I remember being flattered.
The day after I remember saying that he decided after the date to only focus on me, and that he would like it if I did the same. He also said that he was a “one girl kind of guy”. On the first date he also made me promise jokingly, yet serious, to at least go on 5 dates with each other. At tis point, it was clear that we found each other very attractive and that we really want to sleep with each other. Date two was also a lot of fun and at this point I really started to like him. The day after, he asked me for a third date. We kept taking initiative with conversations all the time. It would be very flirty and sexual sometimes, but also about anything and everything. I remember that sometimes I would try to be very flirty and he would direct the conversation to other stuff (like family), which was interesting to me, but I think he just really liked me. I am very cautious, and am really scared of the dating scene especially hearing all the ghosting, manipulating, whatever shit that happened to people around me so I was really analyzing anything and everything he was saying but there did not seem to be any red flags. My friends and older sister were sure he was falling in love with me based on the information I shared.
One night we were on the phone and I remember him hanging up suddenly when his ex entered their home. He already told me that he would have to end the conversation if this happened. After the conversation I remember him being kind of scared that I was annoyed that his ex is affecting our situation, but I explained that I understand and think it’s very respectful that he’s not rubbing it in her face that he’s talking to someone new. The day after he shared that he realized he wants to really separate wit this ex, and that he initiated a conversation about one of them moving out. I remember being like: oh he really likes me since little situation made him take action.
Throughout all of this, I would sometimes joke and make non-casual comments, in the beginning he was clear that he was not ready for that. After a while I remember him saying that these jokes were not scaring him (anymore). At this point I really liked him, and wasn’t sure if I was going to be happy with only being casual, and we had multiple conversations about this. The conversations went from ‘I really only can do casual at this point so if we’re not at the same page, we need to be clear and end it so no one gets hurt’ to ‘I wanted casual but at this point I am not sure, I really like you and I think it’s likely that I would want a serious relationship with you’. He was very clear and open about the fact that he was confused and was trying to figure out what he really wanted. A very important note: I noticed from the beginning on that this is a very conscientious, analytical person that thinks things through. From the beginning, I was also very clear that I could develop feelings, and that if I did and wanted more, that I would really like it if he would respect me enough to tell if he wasn’t in that place. He promised he would be honest. At this point there was no indication that he was dishonest about anything so I tried to just trust him on this.
I think at this point we’ve been talking for 3 weeks, and of course, I start to really like him. To me, it’s clear that he really likes me too. We did not have sex at this point. I started to catch feelings and asked him how to prevent falling in love. He responded that he had the same, and that at this point he is not even sure that this something he wants to prevent anymore. However, he was still reflecting on this situation and honestly it would be kind of weird to rush into a new relationship after being involved with someone else for so long, he was also living with her, and we do not live near each other so the situation was not in our favor.
Note: at this point we did not have sex yet. The sexual connection was definitely there though, and it was clear for both of us that on date 3 we would have sex.
One night, he had a party that he was really looking forward to. The day after he called me and kind of broke things off with me. He explained that this party made him realize that being single/having freedom is what he wants at this point. He was honest about finding other women attractive at this party (he volunteered the information that he did not find the girls more attractive than me), and that he did not flirt with them because we were talking, but that he would’ve liked that and would’ve liked to just have fun without the commitment. He said that he really liked me, and that if he kept talking to me and if we would continue to mee up, he was sure that he would fall in love and that he is just not ready for that at this point. He shared that he only wants to get in a relationship if he thinks he can give himself fully, and that at this point he’s just not there yet. During this conversation, he realized that this situation also happened with his ex that we dating for 5 years: they really liked each other, but he didn’t feel like he could give his all to her, so he didn’t commit. However, they still kept in contact (studying the same thing), couldn’t really keep away from each other and still had sex. This continued for a while until he felt ready to give himself fully, and that’s when they got official. I asked him if he also sees that happening with me, he said he did but that he couldn’t promise that 100%. I thanked him for his honesty, but couldn’t understand: all the signals were there that he really liked me and was very invested. I also told him that I was afraid I was being naïve to believe what he was saying, as I heard this exact situation happen to every girl ever (the bullshit cliches like “you deserve better”, “I need to work on myself”) and that it didn’t make sense what he was saying like: “I like you. I like you so much that if we would keep meeting, I will fall in love. Therefore, let’s stop talking.” However, at the same time I felt like I could trust him, based on the fact that he cut if off BEFORE we had sex. He literally could’ve waited another five days, had sex with me, and then cut if off. But at this point he didn’t get any.
This guy is not a fuckboy, I am sure of that. I have a specific type. He is the exact type like my ex, there is no fuckboy bone in their body.
We ended it. I let him know that he could contact me whenever he is ready for something serious, but that I would also keep dating and go on with my life.
My question to you guys is, and you can be harsh:
· Am I delusional, and is this quite literally every situation ever and does it come down to “I am not ready to a relationship… WITH YOU” or does it make sense what he’s saying? I just don’t understand letting someone go you like so much, think is so beautiful and interesting. It just does not make sense. However, at the same time, everything that he is and said did indicate that he really values “doing the right thing” and is really strict on himself. Is he just such a good, stand-up guy that he’s willing to let me go, or at least let the possibility for sex go, because he “knows he can’t give himself fully” and that he won’t get in a serious relationship if this is the case because he would lose respect for himself, and also doesn’t want me to accept any less than 100%.
(Last point: I considered the possibility that he just lost interest after date 2. He ended it 6 days after the second day. However, I don’t think this is likely: he asked for a third date the day after, and would jokingly remind me of the 5-date-promise, he “offered” to go to a concert with me of someone that he is not as big as a fan of which would cost him a lot of money, nothing in our conversations changed. Nothing gave off that he was less interested.)
TL;DR Met a guy on a dating app who initially wanted something casual. Despite living with his ex and admitting to not being ready for a serious relationship, we connected deeply. He was very open and honest, shared personal details early on, and our communication was intense and constant. After a few great dates, he seemed to start considering a more serious relationship with me. However, after a party, he realized he wasn’t ready to commit and broke things off, saying he feared falling in love because he couldn’t give himself fully yet. He was honest and ended things respectfully before we became more involved. I’m left wondering if this situation is a typical "it’s not you, it’s me" scenario or if he genuinely needs more time, as he stated. Is it delusional to think he might come around, or did his actions show genuine integrity and self-awareness?

The original thread in manga is a post titled "Tsumiki Ogami & the Strange Everyday Life. - Volume 1 Cover", and it's an image of the cover art for the new series' volume 1 edition (Japanese manga chapters get compiled into physical volumes so you can read 7-8 chapters at a time in one book).
Now, I wrote in the title that the drama involves a power mod, and personally, I don't know how many subs someone can mod for before they're considered a power mod, but the redditors in this conversation mod 150+ subreddits for reference, so I consider that power mod status. One of these power mods in particular will create a new subreddit for every new Weekly Shonen Jump manga series, precisely so they can be the top mod for the subreddit and dictate how the rules go there. It should also be noted that this power mod creates a discord server for these series as well, and advertises it in the series' subreddits.
With that out of the way, the drama spawns shortly after a regular comment about the art for the volume: (regular redditors will be abbrev. as C1, C2, while power mod accounts will be Pmod1, Pmod2)

C1: BIG OL' STOMPERS. Pmod1: OgamiTsumiki gonna have a field trip with this today Pmod2[OP]: go away [links to a comment in another thread which states: "Don't listen to [Pmod1]. It's the same guy who'll shill his new subreddit for any new manga that appears."] Pmod1: Why do you hate me punpun, I thought we were besties :( C2: Spiderman pointing at Spiderman C3: battle of the power mods: who can be mods for more manga subreddits

Even though the spiderman comment was in reply to Pmod2, Pmod1 reads it and decides to respond to C2:

C2: Spiderman pointing at Spiderman Pmod1: Lol why don't u go and mald over some [Weekly Shonen Jump] series sales and [Table of Contents] shit what are you doing here xd. C2: Get help Pmod1: Say the same thing again but infront of a mirror now. C2: You're so god damn weird jfc Pmod1: Yeah sure you come and comment under my thread and I'm the weird one. Get a life bro lol reddit isn't everything. C2: Yes, you're the weird one. Maybe take your own advice to heart Pmod1: Bro lives on reddit and discord and likes to hate everywhere lol. No wonder they always clown on you, you should look deeper into yourself where it all went wrong. C2: Please get help Pmod1: I'm pleading the same for you too! Please go get help, being obsessed with others isn't good for you. C2: Yes, surely it's me being obsessed and not you. Get help, please. Pmod1: Just stop replying to me brother it's looking mad embarrassing for you [at this point]. C2: It's looking embarrassing for me when you're the one who replied to a comment that wasn't even a direct reply to you within a minute? Pmod1: Maybe stop sharing it to ur secret wicket discord server 😉 C2: This just makes you look even worse 😭 What would you have done if I hadn't made that comment here? Don't want your alt to get exposed and that's why you replied here instead of the discord even though the comment was made minutes later? Pmod1: What is bro yapping about 😭 go play with some charts or something don't disturb me now

(The way Pmod1 is talking to C2 makes it seems like C2 is a power mod, but I checked the account and they only mod 3 subreddits, so probably not? Anyways, the conversation, continued:)

C2: You are the one who started this convo man lmaoooo Pmod1: Yeah sure that's why it shows u being the one who said "Spiderman pointing at spiderman" first lol and what does that makes you? Don't say Batman u cringe af 🤧 C2: But that reply wasn't made to you? 😭 Pmod1: Indirectly it was?? 😭 Out of the two spidermans u referenced me as one too. C2: Are you really this dense? I didn't reply to you, you chose to engage in this convo so why are you now telling me to stop bothering you? Just stop replying lmao Pmod1: That's what I have been telling you too, stop being obsessed with me and this weird thing where you want to have the last reply for some reason. Just stop responding back. C2: Why would I? This is entertaining to me. Since you're apparently bothered by it, just stop replying and that's it? Pmod1: Lol bro thinks he's the main character C2: No, I just think you're a loser and clowning on you and other powermods is funny as fuck. Pmod1: Lol says the social loser who has been sitting on reddit all day. C2: You can't be this dense man. Not only have you been more active than me today specifically, you also immediately replied to a comment that wasn't even a reply to you and you are a god damn powermod. Like, the longer you keep replying the more you're embarrassing yourself. Pmod1: I just returned from office so I got more time now buddy. I can do this all day. Keep responding back and you'll keep getting a reply back. So just stop being a clown and stop now. C2: Again, why would I? You started this, not me and you also wanted this to stop and now you're changing your tune again. You keep making an ass out of yourself because you got so fucking triggered by a reply that wasn't even directed at you, that you can't help yourself but to continue this with more and more nonsense arguments digging yourself deeper and deeper into this hole.

I think that last comment by C2 really irritated Pmod1, because their replies get longer and the drama really duplicates:

Pmod1: Brother the only one who keeps falling deeper into this hole is you. It's like you're almost begging to be clowned atp. I can understand you have a lot of free time in your hand like most unemployed people, but that doesn't mean you should waste it all on reddit. If you want I can help you look for job applications. We can help you get through this, together. C2: It's incredible how dumb you are, jfc. Let me repeat: You started this. Not me. You. You immediately replied to a comment that wasn't even a reply to you. Not me. You. You're so insanely triggered by a single comment that you can't simply let it go and keep getting your ass trolled by me who's laughing his ass off at how desperate you're trying to somehow own me. It's so funny how pressed you are by a single comment, but I guess if the shoe fits... Pmod1: You literally came to the thread to start this shit and now trying to turn it on me...is this your new hobby now? From rolling in downvotes for your shit manga takes to arguing with random redditors? I'm honestly getting a kick out of it though so please continue... C2: Omfg, it has been a full weekend and you still can't let go. That's so fucking sad. You really spent the weekend doing fun stuff and then came back here just to be angry again. Please get help. Pmod1: Buddy I just forgot. But it's genuinely sad that you're still going on this after so long. Either get a life or some help. I'm feeling pity for you now. C2: Sure, you "forgot" even though you clearly have notifications on since you replied to a comment that wasn't a reply to you within a minute because it triggered you so much. Look, even if you forgot it's still incredibly sad that you can't just let go and keep coming here just to be wound up by me again. I also don't know why you keep trying to spin this when the whole conversation is publicly readable and it's clear you're incredibly mad while I've already stated that I won't stop because it's fucking funny. It takes me a few minutes at worst to respond and get you to bite while you insist on pretending like you're not actually angry even though everyone knows you are because why else would you even react to my comment like that lmao. Honestly, since you're only replying sporadically with the same "no u" garbage atp, it takes the fun out of it, so I'm just gonna block your ass and hope I'll never come across you again

So C2 in fact does block Pmod1, essentially allowing them to have the last word, right? But in a twist, Pmod1 responds to C2 with another account that is a power mod for 90+ subs:

Pmod-Alt1: Did you really think you can just have the final say and then block me and think this all ends? Well guess not. If it annoys you that much then just stop replying, it's not that deep. But ofcourse it's gonna hurt your male fragile ego because deep inside you're just a scared little boy 🥺 and that's alright. We won't judge you for being so sad, it's not your fault at all buddy. C2: I'm just gonna block that account too, lol. Wonder how many alts you have you pathetic loser Edit: Shit, you can only block once every 24 hours... Well, time to turn off notifs. Stay mad clown Pmod-Alt1: Keep malding. And stop replying back, u just clown on yourself more and make it super embarrassing for yourself. C2: No u

It appears C2 blocks that account, and through Undelete, I can see there were 2 more replies from 2 other accounts, but they were deleted too fast, so this is all you see:

C2: No u Pmod-Alt2: [deleted] Pmod-Alt3: [removed too quickly to be archived]

The content must have been similar to some of the comments in the conversation above, because C2 edits their 'No u' comment twice to call Pmod1 out:

C2: Edit: I'm literally just gonna block all of your accounts you obsessed freak. At least it seems like you've done me a favor by blocking me with your 5th alt since I can't see your reply. No one is buying your "no u" bullshit, which is why I'm making fun of it. I'm just gonna turn off notifs again and block any account of yours I see on sight. Stay mad, loser
Edit 2: What the fuck are you talking about you fucking weirdo?? You chose to engage in this convo. You always could've just stepped away, but you were too mad to do that. It's also crazy how you try to claim that I'm mad when you're the one who replied to a comment that wasn't a reply to you because it got you so triggered and are now scrambling to find your millionth alt just to get another reply in. You're an obsessed freak, basically proving me right just by how you're reacting to all this and all you can come up with is "no u" because you have no rebuttal. Back to blocking and hoping the notif suppression actually works now... Pmod-Alt4: Atleast ur doing both of us a favor and I can finally get rid of your obsession with me. Keep malding while I keep laughing!

Please note that this drama is a few months old, and as far as I can tell, the power mods are still doing their modding thing.

I'm a rather unhealthy, somehow not obese person. I usually only drink MTN dew and monster (guess my career) and really only ever drank water if I was noticably thirsty which is hardly ever.
I've legitimately gone weeks without drinking straight water.
Anyways, I've recently actually started just wanting to drink water, my brain is just telling me it tastes good lol. I suppose the bon stupid question would be - what are noticable changes that I'll notice with this switch?
The one thing I have noticed is that I have more energy and in recent days have been generally in a better mood, will I notice anything else? Or are there any fun anatomical facts of how my body will change?