Smosh Reads Reddit Stories - The Most Unhinged Dating Stories | Reading Reddit Stories

Episode Date: January 18, 2025

The stories people tell... 0:00 Intro 0:56 The guy I'm dating has a shrine to my ex https://www.reddit.com/r/BestofRedditorUpdates/comments/1h4nd1h/the_guy_im_dating_36m_has_a_shrine_to_my_37f/?rdt=6...1754 15:53 My bf grabbed a stranger's ice cream https://www.rareddit.com/r/relationship_advice/comments/cf06ay/my_28f_boyfriend_29m_grabbed_a_strangers_ice/ 26:25 My mom's new fiance wants me to call him dad https://www.reddit.com/r/BestofRedditorUpdates/comments/1gyjajp/my_35m_mothers_58m_new_fiance_wants_me_to_call/ 43:10 My wife wants a divorce because I dream about my first love https://www.reddit.com/r/BestofRedditorUpdates/comments/1h689pc/my_m_31_wife_28_wants_a_divorce_because_i_live_an/ 56:26 I created a 1:1 scale puppet of my bf https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoHotTakes/comments/1bkot3o/i_23f_created_a_11_scale_puppet_version_of_my/ 1:09:23 My husband is going on a "gaycation" with his brother in law https://www.reddit.com/r/relationship_advice/comments/1h142f9/my_42f_husband_42m_has_informed_me_he_intends_to/ SUBSCRIBE: https://smo.sh/Sub2SmoshPit WEAR OUR JOKES: https://smosh.com WHO YOU HEAR Shayne Topp // https://www.instagram.com/shaynetopp/ Tommy Bowe // https://www.instagram.com/tomeybones/ Chanse McCrary // https://www.instagram.com/phatchanse/ WHO YOU DON’T HEAR (usually) Director: Emily Rose Jacobson Editor: Rock Coleman Director of Programming, Smosh Pit: Emily Rose Jacobson Associate Producer, Smosh Pit: Bailey Petracek Production Designer: Cassie Vance Art Director: Erin Kuschner Assistant Art Director: Josie Bellerby Art Coordinator: Alex Aguilar Prop Master: Courtney Chapman Prop Assistant: Jacqui Culler Audio Mixer: Scott Neff Director of Photography: Brennan Iketani Camera Operator: Eric Wann Assistant Director: Alexcina Figueroa Executive Vice President of Production: Amanda Barnes Production Manager: Alexcina Figueroa Production Coordinator: Zianne Hoover Operations & Production Coordinator: Oliver Wehlander Production Assistant: Quincy Bell Production Intern: Caroline Smith Post Production Manager: Luke Baker DIT/Lead AE: Matt Duran IT: Tim Baker Director of Design: Brittany Hobbs Graphic Designers: Ness Cardano, Monica Ravitch Senior Manager, Channel & Strategy: Lizzy Jones Channel Operations Coordinator: Audrey Carganilla Director of Social Media: Erica Noboa Social Creative Producer: Peter Ditzler, Tommy Bowe Merchandising Manager: Mallory Myers Social Media Coordinator: Kim Wilborn Social Media Intern: Mailyn Stiffler Talent Coordinator: Selina Garcia People Operations Specialist: Katie Fink Front Office Assistant: Sara Faltersack CEO: Alessandra Catanese EVP of Programming: Kiana Parker Coordinator Producer of Programming: Marcus Munguia Executive Coordinator: Rachel Collis OTHER SMOSHES: Smosh: https://smo.sh/Sub2Smosh Smosh Games: https://smo.sh/Sub2SmoshGames El Smosh (Spanish Dub): https://smo.sh/Sub2ElSmosh SmoshCast: https://smo.sh/Sub2SmoshCast FOLLOW US: TikTok: https://smo.sh/TikTok Instagram: https://instagram.com/smosh Facebook: https://facebook.com/smosh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 We're so done with New Year, New You. This year, it's more you on Bumble. More of you shamelessly sending playlists, especially that one filled with show tunes. More of you finding Geminis because you know you always like them. More of you dating with intention because you know what you want. And you know what? We love that for you. Someone else will too. Be more you this year and find them on Bumble. Be more you this year and find them on Bumble.
Starting point is 00:00:30 This winter, take a trip to Tampa on Porter Airlines. Enjoy the warm Tampa Bay temperatures and warm Porter hospitality on your way there. All Porter Fairs include beer, wine and snacks and free fast streaming Wi-Fi on planes with no middle seats. And your Tampa Bay vacation includes good times, relaxation, and great Gulf Coast weather. Visit flyporter.com and actually enjoy economy. Hello and welcome to Reddit Stories. I'm Shane and today's theme is all about some wild dating stories. And I am joined by two people
Starting point is 00:01:04 who I think have had wild dating lives, Tommy and Chance. Woo! You just kick him on the leg down. If we both did that, the couch would fall apart. It just ripped in half. Sometimes it's like, you can do yours now if you want to. Woo!
Starting point is 00:01:24 It's a good roller coaster right there. That's good, thank you. So these stories apparently, pretty wild. That's great. Apparently. I mean, I feel like most of the dating ones are. Yeah. People get crazy in love. Yeah, it's true.
Starting point is 00:01:38 Okay, shall we just go right into it? Let's do it. Okay, here we go. I'm down for some wild stories. We know this first one's gonna be good because it comes from best of Redditor updates. Okay right into it. Let's do it. Okay. I'm down for some wild stories. We know this first one's gonna be good because it comes from best of Redditor updates. Okay. Love it. So it's gonna be a couple parts to this.
Starting point is 00:01:52 The guy I'm dating, it's a 36 year old man, has a shrine to my 37 year old woman, ex-husband in his house. The guy I'm dating has a shrine to my ex-husband in his house. The guy I'm dating has a shrine to the ex-husband in his house. The guy I'm dating has a shrine to... The writers? ... your ex-husband in his house.
Starting point is 00:02:09 You have an ex-husband. You're dating me. I have a shrine to your ex-husband. Why? I was married for seven years to a celebrity. And there we go. Celebrity in quotes. Okay.
Starting point is 00:02:23 I put it in quotes because while most of you have never heard of him, he is a A-list in the world of metal music. If you're a metalhead, you 100% know who he is. Maybe someone in this room might know, have an idea. As we discuss this, we split amicably because he was always going on tour. I used to love going with him,
Starting point is 00:02:43 but the thrill of it wore off and I found myself sick of traveling so much. Because of this, we grew apart, but still keep in contact occasionally because despite the fact our marriage didn't work, he is a really cool, nice person. Two weeks ago, I met a guy through a friend that I immediately hit it off with.
Starting point is 00:02:59 We had been on three dates so far. The first two dates were drinks after work. He showed up in nice khakis and a button-down both times on our latest date I went to his house to watch a movie literally watch a movie. We are taking the physical stuff slow lol He has a nice house. So I asked for a tour after he showed me the upstairs He said he had to show me his game room We went down into a fully furnished basement with a pool table, a mini bar, and darts. Okay.
Starting point is 00:03:26 But there was something very weird down there also. Apparently, my new man is really into metal music. Would never have guessed based on how he dresses. And his favorite artist of all time is, you guessed it, my ex-husband. Yes. He had framed posters of all my ex's bands, autographed signature guitars,
Starting point is 00:03:45 and every record he has ever released were framed on the walls. He even had magazine articles about him and some of his bands framed. Every wall in his game room was covered with my ex's face and his signature guitars. So I may have messed up here, but I kept my mouth shut and didn't say anything.
Starting point is 00:04:02 He knows I'm divorced, but he definitely doesn't know it's from his idol. Girl. We are seeing each other tonight for our fourth date and I know I need to tell him, but how? I really like this guy, but I'm afraid if I tell him, he will freak out and run. What should I say?
Starting point is 00:04:18 Where should I tell him? I just don't want to damage our relationship because I can really see it becoming long-term. I know I should have told him at his house, but honestly, I was in shock. Does anybody know how to approach this? And he has his final part of the collection, his ex-wife. Yeah, wow.
Starting point is 00:04:35 I finally collected everything. Are we sure he doesn't know? Yes, that's what I was gonna ask. If he's a big fan. If he has got magazine articles, he's got all this shit, he knows he was married to someone. Yeah. This dude knows.
Starting point is 00:04:50 If he's a diehard. He's a diehard. He's like, I wanna. I wanna kiss the girl that he kissed. No, no. He's got to know, but also she should have told him, right then, right there.
Starting point is 00:05:07 Because also, he knows. She should have been like, oh, he definitely knows this guy. He probably knows who I am. Right then, right there, get it over with, rip off the bandaid. He's there just like, yeah, I'm such a huge fan of him. He must be so awesome to have sex with.
Starting point is 00:05:24 Yeah. Yeah, I'm such a huge fan of him. He must be so awesome to have sex with. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I wonder if he's a really good husband.
Starting point is 00:05:30 Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yeah. Okay, comments. I find it really hard to believe that he has a shrine of your ex-husband to the level you're describing, but doesn't know who you are. Maybe I'm jaded, but it seems too coincidental
Starting point is 00:05:45 and potentially unsafe for you. OP said, a lot of people are saying this and now I'm a little freaked out. I mean, he can Google him and find out we were married. Right. Now I'm scared he did. I'm gonna ask my friend that introduced us if she told him. He has Googled him so many times.
Starting point is 00:06:03 Yeah. I'm a little, I guess maybe, I'm a little surprised because we're all public figures in a way, and it's like, we know that information gets out there, even information that you do everything you can to keep secret, that I'm kind of surprised that she was married to him for seven years and she's not even questioning whether he's,
Starting point is 00:06:25 like if his whole basement is filled, it's like he's Googled him. Yeah. He's Googled a lot. Imagine him having never Googled the man he's obsessed with. He's like, I've never Googled him. I don't know anything about his life. He knows.
Starting point is 00:06:38 He knows, how else can he get all that shit? Which does make it freaky that he hasn't brought it up to her maybe once he showed it But also it's like I'm gonna show you this Like do you have anything to say about this Someone said have you ever been in photos with your ex-husband that this new guy might have seen I find it hard to believe That in this day and age he wouldn't know who the former wife of his idol is She said this never dawned on me until I posted it
Starting point is 00:07:05 But there are pictures of us all over the internet now a little freaked out that he already knew Lastly someone said if he's such a fan, he knows you Oh P said yeah I think you guys are all correct and I don't think I should continue seeing him I'm beginning to think it's not a coincidence at all Okay update also Carrie from Okay, update. Also, Carrie from Sex and the City says, friends who set friends up with other friends are the most evil people on the planet.
Starting point is 00:07:31 Ooh. So this girl, I don't know who, she has not been mentioned, but Miss Girly Thing, who's ever setting her up, she was doing some nefarious shit, I bet. Two weeks ago, I met a guy through a friend. Yuck! Yeah. That's it.
Starting point is 00:07:44 I'll put it on her. I'm gonna name her Emma. Ooh, guy through a friend. Yup. Yeah. That's it. I'll put it on her. I'm gonna name her Emma. Fuck you, Emma. Fuck Emma. Okay, update. Well, after getting a huge range of answers, some of which were kind of frightening, I decided to give the new guy the benefit of the doubt
Starting point is 00:07:58 and go ahead with our dinner date that night, our fourth date. So I met him at the restaurant and we had some wine first. We were just talking and chatting and I realized that I had to bring up the ex-husband thing. So while we were both two glasses of wine in, I decided to just ask him flat out
Starting point is 00:08:14 if he knew that I was previously married to his favorite musician. He laughed nervously and said, "'Yes, I knew, but my friend didn't tell me. "'I figured it out.' "'He told me essentially that he found out "'through the grapevine that he decided to start mingling with my friend so he could meet me.
Starting point is 00:08:28 He told me that yes, at first it was just because I was married to his idol, but that now he is really developing feelings for me. I thought it was a little odd, a little odd. No, this is stalker shit. This guy's kinda quirky. But it's also, he's looking at her through the lens of his idol.
Starting point is 00:08:44 He's not even looking at her for her. Right. I thought it was a little odd, but I felt fine with it until I remembered his man cave basement. I asked him if he knew I was married to his favorite musician, then why the fuck would he bring me down there to show me all of the memorabilia?
Starting point is 00:08:58 His response was too weird for me. He said, I was trying to see if you would confess. I was like, confess to what? And he said to my being married to my ex. I told him that I thought it was pretty concerning that he tried to trick me into some weird confession and that I didn't think we would work out. He accepted it and didn't seem upset or anything. Dinner had already been served,
Starting point is 00:09:17 so we started eating when he proceeded to bombard me with questions about my ex. And now we're onto the real, the real reason we're all here. When is he releasing new material? What is his favorite band? What does he do during the day of a show? Is he vegan? What's his mother's maiden name?
Starting point is 00:09:32 Okay, so I made up the last one, LOL. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Finally, he could sense my discomfort and we ended the dinner and parted ways. He said he would text me the next day just as friends, which I said was okay. Well, his text the next day was trying to get him and his friends' VIP passes when my ex comes near us to play.
Starting point is 00:09:49 I did not respond and I blocked his number because he kept texting again and again, begging me for the hookup. It was desperate and weird. Anyway, I called my ex to warn him about this dude, even though he seems harmless. He doesn't know where I live and I didn't get any psycho vibes. I think he just wanted me as a trophy as some user put it in my last post. Ew, thanks Reddit.
Starting point is 00:10:09 I'm sorry, you didn't get any psycho vibes? Yeah. Girl, you need to be a little more aware. So he became friends with Emma in order to get to her. Yeah. That is like Megamind crazy shit. I will never. That is like the Joker planning a giant Gotham extravagant
Starting point is 00:10:31 shit. It really like. I've never understood because I'm such an introvert and I'm like so shy that becoming friends with people is already hard enough for me. But whenever I hear about people becoming friends to get to someone else or like just dating someone to get to someone else, or like using people as a stepping stone socially
Starting point is 00:10:49 has always fascinated me, because I'm just like, man, that's a whole lot. Yeah, it's a lot of stuff. It's also like putting, I get it kind of, but it's like putting, if you're going for someone specifically, you need to go to that person, not go around them. If you don't know what you're going to,
Starting point is 00:11:04 I think it's okay to cast a wide net, meet some people, like you're like, I'm not sure about this person, meet them, then they show you their people, and then you just kind of, that's what networking is. It's kind of like, but that's- Yeah, but you're going into it like, I just want to meet some people. You're not, I want to connect with that person.
Starting point is 00:11:20 You're never looking at someone as a means to an end. You're fascinated by every person individually as well. And that's fine. That is how networking works. Like it is, networking is being like, I'm friends with you and oh, I've met people through you and now I'm friends with them and now I'm meeting people through them.
Starting point is 00:11:35 That's fine. He did this with the intent of getting to other people. He's playing seven degrees of separation. Never okay. He's got an end goal. Yeah, he was never interested in Emma as a human. He needed her to get to her. Well, I'm glad OP escaped that.
Starting point is 00:11:51 And he was never interested in her either. Yeah, no. OP, he was not. It was the idea of her. And as soon as she said, we can just be friends, he's like, great, I need this from you, I need this from you, I need this from you. Oh, God.
Starting point is 00:12:04 She frankly needs to be a little more paranoid. That's what, yeah, yeah. She's not paranoid enough. Well, I think, yeah, I guess her husband is a celebrity, so she might not have to be that paranoid. Well, the thing is, yeah, the thing is this though, it's almost the more niche of a community you're in, the more intense the fans are.
Starting point is 00:12:25 I don't know what Metalhead fans are like, but I know that's not mainstream stuff. That's true. But like for them, it means so much more to them. Yeah, right. So they're way more diehard about it. There's probably, I don't know. That community is usually a little,
Starting point is 00:12:41 they're usually sweethearts. So it's like that it's a lucky community to have to do all this with him. I've usually heard that metal is like a really chill fan base. Because they get all their anger out in their music. They're all yelling. Like, ah!
Starting point is 00:12:55 Yeah, it's kinda like this. They're like, let's make a sandwich. Sorry. Wild. Wild. That hits a, what, like an eight or nine on the wild scale. Yeah, that's scary. That's scary, that's like a stalker, like straight up.
Starting point is 00:13:09 Okay, it's fair to bring this up. Would this, any realm of this be a deal breaker if someone knows you or something? Like from your career, from Smosh or from YouTube? Does it happen often to you? No. It's happened twice to me and it's not a deal breaker. Really?
Starting point is 00:13:29 Really. It depends on the level. If they pretend like they don't and then I found out they did and they're like, I actually, that weirds me out. Yeah, but if they come into it and they're just like, hey, by the way, you're hilarious, love your shit. Hey, let's go to drink.
Starting point is 00:13:41 Then you're just like, oh. Boom, I'm in. That's fine. I think there's levels to it. I never experienced it. And you know, out here in LA, you might experience a bit, like they might be also a peer where they're like, oh, I'm an actor.
Starting point is 00:13:54 Oh, I've seen your stuff. Like, but a fan, like where they're like, oh, I'm a fan. I've watched tons of your stuff. I think where I would have had an issue with it is that I'm like, oh, you know an idea of me. Yeah. And this is gonna be complicated because this is... Can't wait to disappoint you.
Starting point is 00:14:14 And that's kind of fun because it's kind of like, oh, you know the mask that I've put out. Would you like to get to know the person under it? I love your take. My take is like, oh, you know the mask I put out. Are you ready to be disappointed? No, no, no, no. There's levels to it.
Starting point is 00:14:31 I'll also say my sun sign and my rising sign are the same. So it's very easy for me, because I feel like the mask that I put out is also what I identify with. But there's also the thing of, okay, did you seek me out? Oh, that's weird. Because that's a thing. It's like, oh, if it's a happenstance.
Starting point is 00:14:49 But see, in this situation, he sought him out. He sought her out. And that I think is inherently a problem. Shane, I think I'm so crazy broken. What happened? Because I'm like, at least they're coming after me. At least someone is putting in some freaking effort. Wow, you went out of your way to track me down and find me
Starting point is 00:15:07 Yeah, let's go to dinner I'm like, what is what is the blindfold for? I'm like, ooh, you're weird. Pignada! I've heard the take two and you know, like I said, this is far removed for me because I'm not dating anyone, I haven't for years, but I've seen the take of like a person and a fan
Starting point is 00:15:43 can never date because there's an inherent power imbalance there. Like the person who's a fan is gonna kinda like already be enamored in a way and that kinda creates this imbalance. And I was like, I thought that's really interesting. Once again, I think there's just a lot of levels to it. It depends on how much of a fan. You know, cause someone might watch and be like,
Starting point is 00:16:02 oh, I've seen your stuff, I really like your stuff. That is kind of one thing. You know, it's, are they a much of a fan, you know, because someone might watch and be like, oh, I've seen your stuff, I really like your stuff. That is kind of one thing, you know, it's are they but a dot, like a fan of this level, where they have images of you around their house. It's like, that might be, the relationship is fan and entertainer and it needs to stay that way. Because then you're also-
Starting point is 00:16:22 That's a cherished relationship right there. That's a real thing, but that, when you try to combine two different things or transition one from another, that makes sense. I think it can be tough. Then you're locked into being entertaining forever in your personal life.
Starting point is 00:16:34 Yeah. Oh, that's awful. Yeah. But a lot of different situations that arise. I mean, but anyways, it's an interesting thought. Our next story, relationship advice. This is a 28 year old woman. My boyfriend who's 29 grabbed a stranger's ice cream.
Starting point is 00:16:55 Can't believe this actually happened. Was it a baby? My boyfriend stole candy from a baby. And it was really easy. It was frankly really easy. Okay, so her boyfriend grabbed a stranger's ice cream. Right off the bat, it doesn't say stole. Maybe there's poison in it.
Starting point is 00:17:16 No! He just grabbed it. No, he just grabbed it and squeezed it. Yeah. It's like, ah! It's somehow worse than stealing their ice cream. At least he did. Yeah. We were out walking around this evening It's somehow worse than stealing their ice cream. At least eat it, yeah.
Starting point is 00:17:25 We were out walking around this evening. He'd mentioned wanting to get ice cream, but hadn't brought money, and neither had I. We usually take a walk after dinner and don't buy stuff during it unless we decide beforehand we wanna get something that night. So as we're walking past a group of people,
Starting point is 00:17:38 he made a sudden movement to the side and then started running in the opposite direction at full speed. It was so fast, I hadn't seen exactly what he did. People were saying things like, holy shit, and oh my God, one guy said, he took my ice cream, and that's when I realized what happened.
Starting point is 00:17:53 He fucking stole this guy's ice cream on a busy street. I was absolutely shocked and mortified. Everyone around us had seen it, or else quickly got told about it. They were staring and pointing down the street where he was still running. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I apologized repeatedly to the man
Starting point is 00:18:10 whose ice cream he grabbed, then said I was going to go find him and got myself out of there, utterly humiliating. Well, he nearly made it back to the house in that time. I got there a few minutes later and found he had been crouched in the stairway furiously eating the ice cream out of the cup. Wait, what, what, what?
Starting point is 00:18:27 He was gonna turn back into a rat if he didn't get the ice cream before midnight. Chance, come on. Right, my bad, my bad, my bad. He scrambled when he heard me coming, dripping ice cream everywhere. Looked like a deer in headlights. He literally left the cup on the stairs
Starting point is 00:18:41 and ran away from me up to our apartment. But I had the key, but I had the key so he was just standing there when I got there. I of course demanded an explanation. He had the balls to deny he'd done anything. He insisted he didn't know what I was talking about. I sort of lost it and started yelling at him. The cup is down on the stairs,
Starting point is 00:18:59 your hands and mouth are covered in it. A dozen people literally saw you snatch it right out of the guy's hand. What the fuck do you mean you don't know? He then changed his story and said it was just a joke. What the fuck? He decided to reenact a YouTube prank video on a random stranger? How is that a prank? After I let us inside, I kept asking what makes him think that's okay to do. He then changed the story again. This time he said he doesn't know why he did it. It was just an urge. I didn't even know
Starting point is 00:19:23 what to say so I told him I needed some time to myself. I'm seriously disturbed. He's got no good reason. This is completely out of character for him. He's always very mild, reserved, and treats people, especially me, very kindly. He's the last person I thought would do something like this.
Starting point is 00:19:39 What do I do next to figure out what the fuck that was about? How can I even know he's being honest? Hey, babe, we need to talk. You grabbed a random man's ice cream. Why? This is something I think about a lot, about how quickly you can just ruin your own life.
Starting point is 00:20:03 About how just anyone walking on the street, I'm just like, I can just grab that guy's ice cream and run and just eat it somewhere. Like I could just do, you can do something just unpredictable. Every time I'm in a museum, I'm like, what if I just went insane and ripped all the paintings off the wall?
Starting point is 00:20:18 Yeah, it's something you could do. Art galleries are a crazy place to be where you're just face to face with a Picasso and you're just like like I could fuck that up I just lick it like what and what now? What are you gonna do? What are you gonna do about it? Yeah Um, it sounds like he, this is,
Starting point is 00:20:45 like you know how people joke a lot about like, I let the intrusive thoughts win and I got a donut. It's like that's not an intrusive thought. No. We all want a donut all the time. But this sounds like a, this sounds like an intrusive thought one. Yeah, I was about to say,
Starting point is 00:20:57 this sounds like something just took over him and he did it. It does sound like. He felt the spirit. It does. I do believe him that, I believe the YouTube prank. There is some reality in which I can believe a guy
Starting point is 00:21:10 was like, a 28 year old straight male, is like, this will be funny. And then it turns out not to be funny, but it seems like it's such an era of like jackass humor that isn't around anymore. Yeah, and there's nobody filming it. There's no I just have to say there's no one there to react It's just the moment. It's just to be like he left her behind. Yeah, you're right behind You're right denies it once she finds him and you have to tell her if you want if she's the audience you have to be like
Starting point is 00:21:39 I'm about to do a prank. Yeah, which it will set it up and then there's expectations there. And then she's like, oh, this is not funny, but I now know what's going on. Right. I don't think it was the YouTube prank, my only possible thought. There's two possibilities. One, this is a fake story. Two, what do you mean?
Starting point is 00:21:59 That what's being written is fake, like on Reddit. Everything on Reddit is real. Yeah. I mean is real. Yeah. I mean, look. Period. We for fun always take everything as just like, okay, what if this is real? But in this case, I'm like, this is really out there.
Starting point is 00:22:16 But people do stuff like this. I'm not saying it doesn't happen. This could happen. This very easily could happen. And if it did happen, and a friend was telling me this, I'd be like, I don't think it's the YouTube prank. That was his second explanation. His first was deny, his second was that.
Starting point is 00:22:32 The deny was weird. His final one was like, was his final one was he doesn't even know why he did it? Yeah, it was just an urge. That's probably what I believe. I believe that 100%. I just think he just was like, he did it, and once he did it, he had to commit 100%.
Starting point is 00:22:46 There's no way, there's no way. That to me says like, you had a break in your consciousness. Like you had a blackout and you are, Correct. That is like possession, like you were possessed by something otherworldly. It does happen to people. Oh my God.
Starting point is 00:23:04 Lastly, a note was written down by Bailey. It's also unsanitary. He doesn't know. Like he grabbed someone at random person's ice cream. This was bad in every possible category. Yeah. Comments, I would honestly ask him if he's okay, both financially and mentally,
Starting point is 00:23:20 try not to attack him or make it sound like an accusation. Someone else said, how long have you been together either? This behavior is new and something has gone wrong with him or you need to put more effort into getting to know your partners Also check your co level sensors Someone else said are you sure your boyfriend isn't a raccoon? Right, right. That's what I said Update Desperately me. Yeah Update, which we desperately need.
Starting point is 00:23:45 So I finally got the explanation from him yesterday. Turns out he was in a Discord server chat, where the members all dare each other to humiliate themselves by doing outlandish things in public they'd never normally do. He told me he's left the group because the experience was really stressful to him, not exciting like he thought when he joined. It was the first time he'd taken one of the dares. He said that afterwards he just didn't know what to say and couldn't believe he'd actually done it. He was extremely apologetic for acting like a lunatic, causing me to worry about him. We had a long talk about it last night.
Starting point is 00:24:19 I genuinely believe he regrets it. He knows what a stupid fuck up it was. Not much else to say really, just wanted to come back now that I got the answers Thank you to everyone who tried to make sense of the original post and who gave me advice for talking with him I guess I believe that I it's like it wasn't filmed I would also did it but also why not tell her before or why do you have to do it with her?
Starting point is 00:24:42 Go do it by yourself. Well, you don't know when you're gonna walk past a man with a loose grip on an ice cream. You don't know when that's gonna happen. That's true. I don't. He's holding it like this. Okay, so he gets dared by a Discord server, which they literally don't see if he does this or not.
Starting point is 00:25:01 He could have lied. Yeah. He could have just fully played it out in his head. But he wanted to experience it. He could have lied. He could have just fully played it out in his head. But he wanted to experience it. He wanted to experience it. But then he also didn't have to actually eat the ice cream. But he did. I think once it started,
Starting point is 00:25:12 he just like flat out and just ate ice cream. The rush had to have been frankly awesome. Yeah. Yeah. No, it probably was sick as hell. This is, this is, this is. It's just. I can't believe this. But peer pressure, the guy is 29.
Starting point is 00:25:30 Boys will be boys. I'm like, okay, I understand peer, I understood peer pressure at a certain point in my life. I'm like, I'm not feeling peer pressure like that anymore. I'm not doing that. He wanted to do it. He wanted to do it. It seems like he thought it would feel different.
Starting point is 00:25:44 This is a childhood dream. Yeah. Yes. And he finally made it come true. Proud of him. I'm not. I'm not either. I just feel bad for her. Like she deserved to know.
Starting point is 00:25:54 I'm not proud of it. And like what did he expect was gonna happen? It was a really shitty thing to do to her. He stole an ice cream and ran away and left her with a crowd of people. that was the biggest issue of people She's just like saying she's the girl emoji. That's just horribly for her. Yeah No, it was incredibly selfish of him. She should have been like, oh my god. Let me buy you a new ice cream I don't know what just happened. I I think this I think it's not on her either
Starting point is 00:26:20 I think this should be a deal breaker for her It's not on her either. I think this should be a deal breaker for her. Oh, absolutely Question like even though he's sorry. I'm just like no that was so disrespectful Yeah, and it's like what other dares or yeah We're gonna be ready says he's done. Yes, he's done But he still was able to do that to her and I'm just like that's that's not right. That's a lot 20 years later He's like I was dared to not do a dare for 20 years There there's a whole lot of levels to, there's a lot of red flags.
Starting point is 00:26:48 There's probably red flags I'm not even catching in the story. I don't love this. I don't love how easily she forgave him for such extreme. They're still together? Yeah. No, Shane.
Starting point is 00:27:00 I just want to come back to that. I genuinely believe he regrets it and he knows what a stupid fuck up it was. I'm like, okay, like, all right. Wouldn't you love somebody? Anyways, moving on. This is a 35 year old man. My mother, 58, my mother's new fiance wants me
Starting point is 00:27:21 to call him dad. He's 24. How do I navigate this? Wait, the mother's new fiance wants me to call him dad. He's 24. How do I navigate this? The mother's fiance is 24? This is a 35 year old man who wrote this. OP is 35. My mother, who's 58, her new fiance wants me to call him dad, but he's 24.
Starting point is 00:27:39 How do I navigate this? She's dating a 24 year old? She's engaged to a 24 year old, and that 24 year old wants him to call him dad. Yeah, right. Yeah, fucking right. Age gaps are such an interesting thing to me, but especially when people have kids
Starting point is 00:28:00 who are younger than their partner. I'm like, how do you, how? Like, come on, now you have to see this. You gotta know what's going on, yeah. Please buckle in because this is all so weird. I'm a 35-year-old man, and for some backstory, my dad died when I was 19, leaving my mom with me and my two siblings.
Starting point is 00:28:18 I'm the oldest. It took some time, but eventually my mom started dating again. We don't live together per se, but our house is back onto each other, and have a gate, so it's pretty common for her to, but eventually my mom started dating again. We don't live together per se, but our house is back onto each other and have a gate, so it's pretty common for her to offer to do my laundry or me to just go over for dinner or go look after our dog, that kind of stuff. Plus, me and my siblings go over there for dinner every other Friday night or so.
Starting point is 00:28:36 The men she's been dating have been getting younger and younger, and I've never had a problem with them. She's been very open to me and my siblings that she wants to get married again and we've always been supportive, at least after the initial shocks, LOL. The latest guy is by far the most serious and they've been dating since around last June. He proposed at the start of autumn and they want to get married next summer.
Starting point is 00:28:57 Again, me and my siblings are fine with this because it's her life and we trust him. He's a nice guy and they clearly love each other. But anyway, so long and short is, this weekend her fiance, let's call him Phil, calls me and asks me if I could come over. I say, yeah, sure, I'll be over after work and I assumed he just needed help
Starting point is 00:29:14 with some DIY stuff they're doing. When I get over there, he calls me sport and says we need to talk. I should mention this is something he does to me and my little brother, calling us things like kids, sports, scout, little buddy, or my personal favorite, calling us red and blue, seemingly out of nowhere. My brother is 30, by the way.
Starting point is 00:29:31 He tried it with my little sister, 28, too, once, and called her princess, once, but he stopped when she just stared at him. Okay. I'll wait. The thing with Phil is that he reminds me a lot of Charlie Day's character in Horrible Bosses and that his sole ambition has always been to meet a girl, get married, and have a family. When he told me and my brother this,
Starting point is 00:29:52 my brother made some joke about how maybe our mom's going to come up short on the last part, and he got very upset, but they made up after. Anyway, so I go around and ask if my mom's around, and he says, no, it's just him, and that we really need to talk man-to-man I say sure and he starts talking about how he's always wanted to be a father Etc and raise a son to call his own and then he drops this bombshell by saying now
Starting point is 00:30:15 I know I can never replace your father the man who made you but it would mean the world to me if you would call me Dad, I'll admit it I snickered a little and And then I knew he was serious because he looked like he was about to cry and he didn't drop it either. I asked if he really meant it and he got really emotional and started talking about what it means to be a man
Starting point is 00:30:34 and how his purpose is to have and provide for a family and he wants me and my siblings to be a part of that family. Like he reiterated, he'll never replace my father. And this did rub me the wrong way a bit, but he's ready to step up and be my dad and provide and protect for me and my siblings. I just sat there thinking, dude, I'm a decade older than you
Starting point is 00:30:53 and live in a separate house. I don't need providing for it. And even if I did, I don't think a guy a third of my age who works part-time at the hardware store and is into collecting manga is the man to do it. No offense if you are into that, LOL, just, I don't know. I was a bit taken aback. I was in shock, so I just said, okay,
Starting point is 00:31:13 and he gets emotional again, but in a happy way, talking about how he wants to go camping or go to a baseball game. I don't even like baseball, L.M.L.O., and how he joined the Lions this year and how he wants to bring me into it too as his boy, which just feels so surreal, even more so as I'm a Shriner, so all this talk of service and charity isn't the brag he thinks it is. Because again,
Starting point is 00:31:34 I'm ten years older than this guy. Well, I ended it by just saying, this has gotten a bit too weird and I was going home. He got very upset and I left, called my brother and he agrees it sounds weird as fuck. Later my mom called me and she wasn't disappointed but admitted it's made him very upset and depressed. I told her that if he's embarrassed, he doesn't need to be. I get he's excited about the marriage and we can just laugh this off as a funny story. She then said that wasn't what he was upset about.
Starting point is 00:32:03 He and she too a bit is upset about the fact that he poured his heart out and I rejected him. She said, yeah, it is a bit kooky, but this is how he proves himself he's a man. And I guess I was a bit angry and said something like, first off, it's not my job to certify what's between his legs, and second, this doesn't prove he's a man,
Starting point is 00:32:20 it just proves he's a nut job. I apologized immediately, but she said she didn't wanna hear it and hung up. She called back 10 minutes later and we apologized and she begged me to just go along with it until he has some kids to call his own. I won't go too much into the details here, but she sort of let slip they plan to try IVF treatment because she's not ready to give up on being a mom just yet. And while I have my own thoughts about whether or not that's a good idea, I'm not here to litigate on that
Starting point is 00:32:46 We finished up fine and I reiterated I'd support her and she agreed that it was definitely a stressful situation for me But begged me to at least think about it, which leads me here I did think it over and obviously I'm going to say no I had a dad and he died rest in peace dad And that's the only dad I've ever needed I've ever ever wanted, and I'll ever bestow that title on. I'm not asking if someone's unreasonable or what I should do, more so what I should say. This clearly means a lot to him for some reason and I deeply love my mom,
Starting point is 00:33:16 so I wanna try and minimize the damage, especially as we're still so involved in each other's lives and they live behind me. How can I make it clear to them? As painlessly as possible that I think this is weird and borderline offensive. I really don't wanna rip the bandaid off because I fear what it might do to the family.
Starting point is 00:33:33 Whoa. Wow. This is wild. Okay, I like how the mom almost kind of admits that she's dating a boy. Like truly, cause she's like, he's trying to prove that he's a man. I'm like, you're 58. You should be dating someone who's been a man
Starting point is 00:33:55 for a long time. You know, it's like describing him and describing like how he's thinking is like, you're admitting he's way too immature. You're admitting it, you recognize it. So you recognize the power imbalance here. Yeah. Like this is not okay.
Starting point is 00:34:09 I can be his mom and his wife. Yeah, exactly. It's like, you know, we talk about this because oftentimes when we see these age gaps, it's the man is older. This is no different. This is just as messed up. Like this is not okay.
Starting point is 00:34:23 And especially she's putting her children in such a weird position here. And defending him to them. Yeah, like defending him while also admitting that it's like, hey, I understand that this is a lot. There's also this element of he said, he poured his heart out to this guy. He's like, this is what I want, this is what I want.
Starting point is 00:34:44 And the guy said no. Right. That's it. You can't control other people. You can say what you want, but you can't make other people do something they don't wanna do, period. And everyone applauded. Everyone applauded. I'll say this too, they're engaged, right?
Starting point is 00:35:01 This man is engaged to their mom. I think this would be an inappropriate conversation even if he was 60 years old. Absolutely. It's like, no, you're an adult. You're a 35-year-old man. Your father died when you were already an adult. What he said is true.
Starting point is 00:35:19 It's like, he does not need another father. He had a father. You don't get to do that. That's not the case. And it's like, would you feel comfortable calling me dad? Cause that's something I would like. Right, that's how you offer that thing. Yeah, exactly.
Starting point is 00:35:35 This is, this is a very unique situation. Yeah. This is extremely unique. 24 is so young. It's so young. Well, and it's adding his behavior to it too. He can't rent a car. The detail.
Starting point is 00:35:53 He can't rent a car. That's exactly correct. He cannot. Like, I'm sorry man, you're not ready to be a father to a 35 year old. Like, you're not. Like, I'm not saying, a 24 year old might be ready to be a father for a like a two year old.
Starting point is 00:36:07 Two year old. Right. But a 35, being a father to a 35 year old is a whole new ballpark. Hey, dad, I'm happy. You don't even know what it's like to be 35. No. You won't for 11 years.
Starting point is 00:36:16 Yeah, for another decade and some change. I'm sorry, you don't get to tell him how to live his life when you aren't ready for that either. Exactly. It's just, this is unfortunately extremely funny. Oh yeah, it's hilarious. Extremely funny. Comments, I wonder if he grew up without a dad.
Starting point is 00:36:34 He's giving a weird 1950s energy to this whole thing that feels like he only knows what dad's from seeing them on the television. OP said, oh no, his dad's still alive. Both his parents are, I've met them. They definitely feel odd about the whole situation but go along with it for his sake. Someone else said, such a crazy situation,
Starting point is 00:36:52 I think you should talk with your mom and maybe hang out with her fiance, but as bros, not some weird dad situation. OP said, I have offered this, but every time me and my brother do, he definitely tries to act like the man of the group or sets us up for more explicit father-son activities or just talks about how desperate he is to be a father.
Starting point is 00:37:10 A personal favorite was a time when he got his phone out and started reading some pearls of wisdom he'd obviously found online. That's awesome. Dude, this is a- Why are they putting up with this? Why are they not communicating like, hey, we don't need you to be a dad,
Starting point is 00:37:26 we don't like how you treat us, like just be here with us as you and we'll be us. Like, it really seems that simple, no? That's all it takes. He's like, come on, let's roughhouse, and they just beat the shit out of him. I'm also picturing this guy really short, like really little.
Starting point is 00:37:43 I can't help but picture him as the chosen. Yeah. I'm just picturing him like, I've always wanted to be a father. Like it's just like, it should be said, this guy, like in a way, this 24 year old guy is doing nothing wrong cause he is, he's clearly insecure. He's in a weird situation where if I was in a situation
Starting point is 00:38:05 I would have no idea how to act or think. Like this is a really weird place to be and he's trying to solve it in a way that is not the way to solve it. It's not the way to solve it, yeah. It's gotta be uncomfortable for him. I don't know what to think. I've never encountered a situation like this.
Starting point is 00:38:23 I've never heard of anything like this before. Nope. So let's see what happens next because we have an update. Oh! So I told both my siblings and we agreed we'd collectively put our foot down with Phil at our next family dinner next. They're gonna kill him.
Starting point is 00:38:43 Especially after an incident where Phil referred to my brother as sport and asked if he wanted to go see a baseball game with him. I do love how it's like 1950s. Yeah, it's also like, are you paying for the tickets? Are you paying? Are you doing that? God. You're providing, you're dad, yeah you pay now.
Starting point is 00:38:59 I like to think that the 35 year old there is standing there, but still the 24 year old insists on getting down on one knee. Being like, hey champ, he's just talking right at his crotch. He's just like, come on. Okay, admittedly, I was a bit spurred on by what you all said and got involved, pinging him back with, no tickets for me daddy. And my brother responded with, daddy wants me all to himself.
Starting point is 00:39:23 Hmm, hot. And Phil took a few minutes to respond before saying he was shocked, speechless, and disgusted. Hell yeah, I love this approach. He then messaged me in private to say he was utterly appalled and that he'd never disrespect his own father the way you boys did.
Starting point is 00:39:37 I kind of lost it at this point and said, Right, that's because you're not my father, Phil. You're a 24-year-old man-child dating my mother. You have no right to my respect, especially not to the respect a father gets I immediately said sorry But then blocked his number and left the group chat Apparently he sent a similar thing to my brother who responded with more daddy stuff and Phil blocked him Well that aside I don't think that family dinner is going ahead after the original post blew up
Starting point is 00:40:01 It seems someone from his Lions Club found it and reported it to their chair or whatever and Phil has either been expelled or resigned or in the process of one of the two. He has removed nearly all mentions of the Lions from his social media and no longer mentions being a member with his last post on it being some cryptic goodbye post where he kind of drones on about what it means to be a man in the modern day and the duty of fatherhood bestowed on all men at birth. Really weird shit. My mom called me half in a panic, half in rage after, about the stuff I'd been telling about him before breaking down and saying we need to meet, which we did and got my brother
Starting point is 00:40:35 to go over too. I know Phil has temporarily moved back in with his parents in the next town over, but from my understanding, they still want to go ahead with the wedding. But I think that's more so because they've already spent money on it. I have no idea what's happened with Phil or what's going to happen with him, but I did make it clear to my mom that he is not my dad. He's not even my stepdad.
Starting point is 00:40:55 I'm not a kid, and he's never going to be either one outside of legal fuckery. She relented pretty quickly. I think she's finally broken out of her shell, at least, and we've agreed that if things go ahead, that it's going to be a huge red line though, I don't know if he'll want to be friends with me after all this LMAO. Anyway, thanks for the help on the original post, y'all.
Starting point is 00:41:15 I just can't believe, I don't know, this is wild to me, that his parents aren't like, hey, stop, stop this, this is wild to me, like, that his parents aren't like, hey, stop. Yeah. Stop this. This is silly. I feel bad, because the amount of delusion this guy's in, he is living in some sort of- Feel bad for the mom too, kind of.
Starting point is 00:41:38 I feel bad for kind of everybody. Everybody. The situation. You just need to keep it separate. Just go get married and keep the kids out of that. Yeah. Okay, update number two. A second update? A second update.
Starting point is 00:41:53 Oh. Bit of an update as I can't respond to everybody, but I think the marriage is off. Phil has gone AWOL again and has had a huge argument with his family as they've demanded he call off the wedding and date people his own age. This apparently made him snap.
Starting point is 00:42:07 Me and my mom have met his mom and older brother who said Phil is very insecure around girls his own age and has never been able to talk to them, hence his preference. This very deeply upset my mom and after some begging from all of us, she has agreed to push the wedding back, though she wants to keep dating him.
Starting point is 00:42:23 I have no idea where Phil is, though his brother assumes he's couch surfing with his D&D friends, who have been sending me and my brother some not so nice messages because clearly we're just jealous of the MILF hunter. Oh. Ooh. Okay.
Starting point is 00:42:37 I think we have enough here to say this should stop. Yeah. I think we have enough. I'm all full on evidence. I think that's, I think, I don't even know if this guy is acting like a 24 year old. He's acting younger than that. So,
Starting point is 00:42:54 wow. Yeah. That, down with Phil. Down with Phil. Phil the future, more like Phil the past. That's right, dude. That was sick. That was not. Wow. That's right, dude. That was sick Wow
Starting point is 00:43:08 Wow, that was crazy. What's our wild scale point? That's 10 10. That's a 10. I give it a 9 I'll give it a 9. I'll give it a 9 as 9 9's fair. We need to always leave room for it to get crazier It's just the delusion is so the delusion was palpable in that one. Yeah. That was... At least he's consistent, I guess. And persistent. And a lot more than a lot of fathers are. Wow. Wow. Maybe he would be a good father. I hope someday.
Starting point is 00:43:35 I mean, if we're playing devil's advocate, the 35 year old didn't let him get a chance, he didn't even get a chance. He didn't go to the baseball game. Your father died and this could be your new father. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Him like being, like someone talks to him at the game, and she's like, I'm here with my dad,
Starting point is 00:43:53 and it's just like a 24 year old, just like, hi, I'm here with my son right here. Ha ha ha ha ha. All right, moving on. Okay, this next story comes from R Relationships. This is a 31 year old man writing, my wife who's 28 wants to. My wife, I'm sorry.
Starting point is 00:44:10 I'm sorry. I'm sorry. No, it was worth interrupting. It was worth it. It was really worth it. You get one. Sorry. Yes!
Starting point is 00:44:17 My wife who's 28. My wife. I knew you were gonna do it! I knew you were gonna do it! I was about to. I won't do it again. I was about to if you were going to. I won't do it again. Okay.
Starting point is 00:44:28 I won't do it again, I swear, I swear. My wife who's 28 wants a divorce because I live an entirely different reality with my first love, who's 29, in my dreams. Okay. In your dreams. Okay. In your dreams? So, my wife wants a divorce because I live an entirely different reality
Starting point is 00:44:50 with my first love, a 29-year-old woman, in my dreams. No, what? No. What do you mean in your dreams? Like when you're asleep? I guess when he's asleep, he lives a different life with his first love. Oh, I'm into that.
Starting point is 00:45:03 I get a day wife and a night wife. Night wife. This night wife. Night wife. This sounds like a romance novel. It would be called Night Wife. Wow. Dream wife.
Starting point is 00:45:15 Dream wife. Oh. Okay. I, a 31 year old man, have been with my wife for three years. We had a short engagement, married quickly, and have a perfectly ordinary existence. I love her. She loves me. We do taxes, housework, watch movies, all the normal things. No physical cheating on either side as far as
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Starting point is 00:46:27 I am a lucid dreamer, which means I can, to an extent, control my dreams, which is something I find cool as it allows me to go on adventures while asleep. It also makes scary dreams not so bad because I can just wake myself out of them. Over the last year or so, I've been having a recurring dream about my ex, my first love, a 29 year old woman.
Starting point is 00:46:47 Truth be told, I never got over her. Okay, okay, what? I just feel like you're admitting a thing there. Okay. Is she still alive? We'll find out. Yeah. Truth be told, I never got over her.
Starting point is 00:47:00 We were together for five years from 2015 to 2020. We broke up after I graduated from college because she didn't want to move from New York to South Carolina with me, which is where the biggest industry for my field is. I was crushed, but moved on, and we've spoken sporadically over the years, although we never crossed any lines.
Starting point is 00:47:16 I will admit that I've kept up with her on social media a bit, but nothing stalkerish. Well, a year ago, she announced she was getting married, and I experienced a resurgence of feelings for her, although I never acted on them or told her. That same night, I dreamt about her for the first time in years. In the dream, she showed up at my door
Starting point is 00:47:33 and asked me if I wanted to get coffee. I said, yes, of course. The dream, which was not a lucid dream, ended there. It felt so real, I couldn't shake the feeling once I woke up. It felt like we were actually reconnecting. Since then, I've dreamt about her several times a week, and I've practiced becoming lucid,
Starting point is 00:47:48 so I've been able to control the outcome more times than not. We've lived a whole life together over the past year. Everything from dates to a trip to Paris together, which we visited while in college. We even re-walked the same paths we did in real life. It got to the point I was looking forward to going to sleep to be with her. Fast forward to today, my wife told me she felt distant from me.
Starting point is 00:48:09 And I started to feel guilty because I thought what I was doing was harmless, but she's obviously noticed a change in me. So I confessed about all of it. At first she thought that I was joking, but when she realized I was serious, she accused me of cheating on her and told her mom and sisters
Starting point is 00:48:23 who are calling me a cheating weirdo. She even threatened to tell my ex so she'll know what a fucking loser I am. Now I get that it's not anything a woman would want to hear, but it's not like I physically cheated. I don't wanna lose my wife, but I don't think she can forgive me for this. What a woman would want to hear?
Starting point is 00:48:39 That's a weird way to put that. It is not like you are physically cheating, but if you are consciously making this choice in your dream, it makes me feel like you're, I mean you are making the choice actively. Which makes me feel like if the opportunity presented itself, would you make the choice in real life? Because you're consciously choosing to do it.
Starting point is 00:49:04 You're already like practicing making that choice. Literally practice. Yeah, he admits in the story, I never got over her. Right. Yeah, oh, in writing, you put that down in writing. You wrote, I am not over her. Right. That's a deal breaker.
Starting point is 00:49:17 Yeah. That is a deal breaker for most people. And he's making the conscious choice to fantasize about this and make, he's's like I'm going to practice Lucid dreaming yeah, so that I can spend time with her Yeah, like this and this this all spurned on once he saw that she was getting married and he's like Oh this resurgence of feelings. I'm like, oh, I can't get her. I'm like this is there's a lot here That I think is a problem. I have a question
Starting point is 00:49:41 Can you date another person if you're not over, like if you haven't gotten, like. I think you could, oh, I think you can absolutely, dating, like if you're talking about early stages of dating, like I almost think that's important when it's like to get over someone. But he's been with this person for three years. For three years. They're married. And he's saying, oh, I'm not over this person.
Starting point is 00:49:58 I'm like, she needs to know this. That should have been resolved. You need to break this off if you can't. Okay, great. Yeah. That's where I think it's a problem. Yeah. No, that's, off if you can't. Okay, great. Yeah. That's where I think it's a problem. Yeah. No, that's, but I also think it's why, you know,
Starting point is 00:50:09 I was upfront years ago, when you get out of a serious relationship, when you're dating and you're like, hey, I just got out of a serious relationship. Yeah. Like I'm still working. You're upfront about those things. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:50:19 He wasn't upfront about this and it's like she's noticing, he's distant. Now, I don't know what you call this, right? Cause it's like,'s noticing he's distant. Now I don't know what you call this right because it's like he's not actually talking to her is it emotional cheating? It is. It is. But it's not because the person's not actually. For me I'm like I don't even care what the classification is. Yeah. It's a problem. It's a problem. He's not invested in his current relationship because he's more invested. The way he's talking and writing this out,
Starting point is 00:50:45 I'm excited to go to sleep. It's like, you're not in this current relationship. You need to respect her and either get out of this so that she can live her life and stop wasting her time. Or you need to figure out and handle your feelings. That's awesome. Comments, yeah, no, I think this might be a lost cause. I would certainly consider this cheating
Starting point is 00:51:08 and I think that it does indeed warrant a divorce. You clearly don't really love her, at least not as much as you love your ex. OP responded, I do love my wife, which is why I married her. I just also have feelings for my ex, which I should have been honest about before we got married. I didn't mean for this to happen,
Starting point is 00:51:23 but once it did, I wasn't able to stop it. Living that life with my ex while sleeping felt like getting to experience what I missed out on in young adulthood. With that said, my wife left overnight for a hotel and I don't know if she's coming back. I feel awful for hurting her. I wasn't able to stop it.
Starting point is 00:51:39 Oh, you weren't? You weren't? Yeah. What kept you? You practiced, you said you practiced lucid dreaming in order to do this. You're making choices. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:51:51 What disabled you, huh? Yeah. No, you are actively doing that. Or if you're not able to stop it, you're making an active choice to not communicate to her or to go to therapy and work on this and figure it out. Yeah. Someone else said, I'm asking this genuinely,
Starting point is 00:52:04 not trying to be snarky at all. What did you think your wife's reaction was going to be? Did you expect what happened or did you think she would be more accepting? OP said, I knew she would be upset, but I felt I owed her an explanation once she communicated that she felt distant. I didn't want to gaslight her perception.
Starting point is 00:52:20 I just hadn't known that she even noticed a difference in me. I just didn't think she would leave she's turned off her location I have no idea where she is or if she's alright and her family won't speak to me now I do love her and would like for our marriage not to end but that seems inevitable now as I process this The way he's writing is not convincing me. No loves his wife I think it's not convinced the only thing he did right was tell her. Yeah, thank God he did. Thank God he told her.
Starting point is 00:52:47 I mean she was noticing something already. It took her going something's off. He's just so ready to go to bed. He's like, okay, time for bed. He's like, oh boy. She's like, it's 8 p.m. It's like popping melatonin. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:52:59 There's so many. Okay. Update. Whoa, she came out of the dream and they're happily ever after. Wow. Birth from my head, like Zeus to Athena. Night wife.
Starting point is 00:53:15 Oh my God. Night wife. Okay, update. Two days ago, I posted about the fallout that occurred after I admitted to my wife that I've been lucid dreaming about my ex and first love over the past year. After a major blowup where my wife called me every name
Starting point is 00:53:31 in the book and got her family involved, which I understood completely, so please don't take this wrong, my wife left. I didn't know where her whereabouts were for over 24 hours. Early this morning, about 3 a.m., she came home and told me she wanted to file for divorce. She didn't want to have to compete with a phantom and deserve better than a shit bag like me But she doesn't want to move out or start the process because it's a pandemic and she doesn't want to live on one income
Starting point is 00:53:54 This was written in 2020 We make roughly the same amount of money me $90,000 a year after taxes and her $85,000 I tried to apologize to her for all the hurt I caused by making her feel like she wasn't enough to assure her that I do love her even though I still love my ex and explain to her that I've never physically cheated
Starting point is 00:54:13 or had any inappropriate conversation with my ex. But she won't budge. She doesn't want me anymore. I can't blame her. I was selfish and I shouldn't have carried on what I now accept to be a one-sided emotional affair. So I agreed to stay together for financial purposes for two years or until the pandemic is over, whichever comes first.
Starting point is 00:54:30 But she kicked me out of our bedroom and basically claimed the second floor for herself. There's so much tension in the house right now. So I left as soon as the sun came up and went to a coffee shop to do some work. While there, I received a message on IG from my ex that my ex wife sent her a long message from her own account telling her about everything that I told her. I froze because I hadn't spoken to her in a long time, but she saw that I had read the message and followed up an hour later telling me she needed to know the truth. So again, I confessed, expecting to be berated and called a loser again because I had nothing
Starting point is 00:55:00 else to lose, but she didn't think that my dreams about her were weird or creepy. She thought it was sweet and that I still loved her, especially with her knowing that I'd never tried to have inappropriate conversations or force my way into her life. I'm aware that her not condemning my actions doesn't make them right or take away from the hurt I caused my wife, but knowing she didn't think negatively
Starting point is 00:55:19 of me made me feel better. We messaged back and forth for a couple of hours talking about our relationship and how it ended and the choices we made. In that, I learned that she and her fiance called off their engagement a few months ago. I also told her my wife was going to divorce me because of the revelation. She expressed her condolences and that was the end of the conversation. I'm home now and I can't help but wonder if this is the universe's way of putting my ex and I back on the path to reconciliation. Hate me if you want, but I made a mistake and I hurt my wife and my marriage is over now,
Starting point is 00:55:47 or going to be. But knowing that the person I ruined my marriage over doesn't think I'm the scum of the earth is worth its weight in gold. I don't know what will happen now, but I can't imagine a friendship with my ex won't blossom from this, at the very least. I know this won't make my wife happy
Starting point is 00:56:02 since she contacted my ex to further shame me, but may just not tell her we are after all divorcing I hope the next few months and years can result in healing for both my wife and myself and that will both live happy fulfilled lives I Fucking hate this guy. I called it I'm like fuck you man. Like yeah, I fuck you. Yeah this 100% confirmed It's like you were waiting for your mom. Yeah cheat. Oh, yeah. This 100% confirmed, it's like, you were waiting for your moment to cheat. 100%. Like 100%.
Starting point is 00:56:28 Oh yeah. And he does not feel bad. I'm glad your dream practice sessions worked, my guy. Like, congratulations, you got exactly what you wanted. Dude, give me a break. Yeah. It also just might be his delusion too. He said the conversation ended.
Starting point is 00:56:45 You're right, it may not have been as good as we think. Yeah, no, he's like finally, yes, something's gonna blossom from this. I can just tell, the universe is working. And all she said was like, okay. She was like, oh, that's nice. My condolences and that's it. You're so right.
Starting point is 00:56:58 He's like, I got her. Because I know a lot of dudes out there will take any sort of polite comment as she loves me. Yeah, that's right. Oh, God, that's infuriating. I mean, she clocked it and got out. I think, I mean, living together for two years, their plan is to live together for two years.
Starting point is 00:57:18 Sounds awful. That sounds horrible. Good luck to them. I never wanna live with that. And I also think that's about to end because he's going to try to date. He's gonna move to wherever she is or something. Yes, he will.
Starting point is 00:57:30 This is a crazy story. This is gonna get worse. There's no more updates because it probably goes worse for him. It was from 2021, but there's been no updates since then because it probably did not work out. No, right, definitely not. Okay.
Starting point is 00:57:44 That was also a nine out of 10 for me. That was a nine out of 10. I'm gonna give that one an eight. Aw. Yeah, no, I'm giving it an eight because it was dream and it wasn't real. But doesn't that make it wilder? Is real?
Starting point is 00:57:58 Yeah. Oh, three years into marriage, you go, I'm in love with my ex. Oh, that doesn't make sense. No. I don't know. Our next story. This comes from Two Hot Takes.
Starting point is 00:58:10 Shout out to Morgan over there. Love their stuff. I, a 23 year old woman, created a one to one scale puppet version of my boyfriend. Ah, ah, ah! 22 year old man. Hell yes. And showed it to him during foreplay as a joke.
Starting point is 00:58:25 Hell yes. What do you mean a joke? Now he hasn't texted me in 12 hours and I'm starting to get worried. How do I get him to text me back? I love that. Now, see this is what I was waiting for. Here's a 10.
Starting point is 00:58:40 Right, here's the 10. My friends, we've made it. That is a 10. I've made it that is a tin I wonder if it's Marionette or if it's like hand and she's like one scale puppet This is crazy. So that can't be Marionette. This is crazy I'm at the bar with his buddies and he's sitting there with a beer and he's just there just like what's going on Greg He's like I Got cucked by myself
Starting point is 00:59:02 The real Greg comes in he's like wait it goes back over and it's the puppet with the friends. What's happening? All his buddies like the puppet more. Yeah. Like he's a really good time. Yeah. He drank us under the floor.
Starting point is 00:59:16 He's a puppet. He's a dope puppet. He's cool. Yeah. The title pretty much says it all, but here are some more details. My boyfriend of six months and I have had a pretty cut and dry relationship up to this point.
Starting point is 00:59:28 I've always been what some people would call as quirky. So pranks are sort of my bread and butter. He, John, has expressed that he really likes this part of me and I'm just happy to be with someone who can handle all of my zest, LOL. Sometimes I worry that he doesn't actually think I'm as funny as he says, but he always reassures me that this is not the case.
Starting point is 00:59:46 One of the ways we really like to express our humor to each other is in the bedroom. For example, I love to do impressions of mostly Disney characters, such as the paperwork lady from Monsters, Inc. He sometimes does them too, but he's not as good at voices. So here's where I think I may have taken it too far. I recently bought a sewing machine to try and make cosplay costumes and stuff, but something dawned on me as I was messing around with it. This was the plan.
Starting point is 01:00:10 We often start sexy time with a habitual back rub massage sort of thing, and we switch off, and then we progress into French kissing and then full blown you know what. One very important fact to tell you is that John does in fact wear glasses, so I will usually make a point to take them off
Starting point is 01:00:25 and put them on the table for safety. During this particular romp in the hay, I got a really funny idea about how to take his glasses off next time, and I couldn't stop laughing. He asked me what I was laughing at because he has some insecurity about his appearance, but I assured him that it was nothing like that.
Starting point is 01:00:40 We had our fun and John went home, but all I could think about was this plan. So the next day, I went to the fabric store and bought a bunch of skin colored felt and wire framing and cotton and got to work creating a muppet style version of my boyfriend to put his glasses on next time we started getting dirty. Honestly, the thing was looking pretty good
Starting point is 01:00:57 and I even found some clothes at Goodwill that were his style. I dressed the puppet in the clothes, hid them under my collection of squish mellows that's in my room, and invited him over. To spare you all the explicit details, we did start kissing and taking clothes off and stuff, but my hands were shaking as I reached up
Starting point is 01:01:13 to grab his glasses. Instead of putting it on my nightstand, I made a point to say something like, I'm just gonna put these right here, as I stretched over to the squishmallow that was covering the puppet boyfriend's head and put the glasses right over his felt eyes. He got confused, I think, and looked back
Starting point is 01:01:28 to where I put the glasses and sat up as a felt version of his face, very easily identified, by the way. John has red hair and a mustache, so the glasses on top left little question of who he could be. He was silent for a second and then said, is that supposed to be me?
Starting point is 01:01:43 As I was laughing, I said something like, do you like it? As I took it out of the squish mellow pile and revealed the entirely Muppet John. Oh, did you make that? He asked and I stood it up off the bed and asked him to stand next to it. See, it's just like you basically, I said.
Starting point is 01:01:58 But he still wasn't laughing that much. I think he saw that the Muppet ended up being just a little bit taller than him. He's five seven and probably insecure about that. The Muppet ended up being just a little bit taller than him He's 5'7 and probably insecure about that the Muppet ended up accidentally being a little taller than him Around six foot one based on seeing them side by side the Muppet also had a little bit broader shoulders had a huge cough huge cock a better job He was a doctor Box in it and ask me how I'm doing I
Starting point is 01:02:25 Noticed his disappointment and did a tried-and-true Disney impression to make him feel better in my best goofy impression I said well looks like we should call him big John John just took the glasses off of big John and let him fall to the floor And put the glasses on the nightstand and sat on the bed for a while We eventually went to Sin City, but it was a lot quieter than usual. He left after that, even though we were planning on having a sleepover.
Starting point is 01:02:50 He said he wasn't feeling good. I texted him good night and went to bed. So here's the ish. This morning, I haven't gotten any good morning text or any text at all from him, even though he always sends me a good morning text. I'm worried that Big John was a step too far and that normal John didn't think
Starting point is 01:03:05 the joke was as funny as I did. I feel like he's just putting me in an uncomfortable position by not telling me how this made him really feel. Even though I thought it was pretty funny. Is this salvageable or am I effed? I think Arasha and I did this skit in Bit City. Yeah. That's crazy.
Starting point is 01:03:24 I feel bad for him. That's a, I don't know. Do you guys wanna see the puppet? Yes, I'd love to see the puppet. Let us see the puppet. I would like to see the puppet. I would like to see the puppet. Now this is gonna matter because how sexy is this puppet?
Starting point is 01:03:38 Okay. Okay. That's the full version of him. Okay. This is... That's his face. Oh! Oh! Guys. Oh no, That's his face. Oh! Oh! Guys.
Starting point is 01:03:45 Oh no. Okay, so update. She made it really ugly. It's really ugly. It's a really ugly doll. Like the eyes are like bloodshot. The mustache is like strings and it's like, yeah, the teeth are buck teeth.
Starting point is 01:03:58 Yeah, it's terrifying. It's, I would be humiliated if someone was like, that looks just like you. I'd be like, I'm gonna go Yeah, like whoa that was rough. That's real rough, but in other news, it's not sexy. I Actually think it's the flip of what we thought. Yeah, it is the puppet was gonna be super sick I think actually he would have liked it. It was like oh, this is you Yeah, yeah, this is how I see you and it's like yeah, it's like it's brutal
Starting point is 01:04:26 He probably felt really bad about himself. I Can't believe she uploaded a picture. I know she's like she's like he's mad at this thing I like how this is a red story. We know is real. Yeah. Oh, yeah, we have there's the we have the puppet bring the puppet out The comments someone said girl what the fuck is this? Yeah, exactly Um, the comments, someone said, girl, what the fuck is this? Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Someone else said, I read the title thinking, oh, that's a cute toy.
Starting point is 01:04:51 Thinking teddy bear size, then reread the scale. I mean, it's not a deal breaker, but it can come off creepy as fuck. Someone else said, the fact he still decided to have sex with you after this is what I keep getting hung up on. I'm sorry. Yeah, I think six months into dating
Starting point is 01:05:07 maybe is too short of a time. I did react to that earlier in the thing. I was like, this is six? Six months. Six months. This is new. I think that's like, you're married. And you pull that out.
Starting point is 01:05:18 Yeah, you're married. Or maybe just a couple of years. Get a couple of years. Yeah, I could get like five years in. Get like 10 years in maybe. Update. Puppets alive? Puppets alive.
Starting point is 01:05:35 Whoa. And it killed a man. Oh shit. Not sure why Mods deleted my last post, but so many people were asking for updates that I'll leave the original in the comments. It's really funny to read back, but here's what happened in the last week.
Starting point is 01:05:48 So it's been a wild couple of days or so, and I've honestly been a little depressed at the negative reaction from everyone. After my boyfriend, John, left after he did the no pants dance in front of the puppet, Big John, he didn't text me for like a day and a half. I was really starting to get worried and believe some of the comments that I was a serial killer. Can I vent really quick about something?
Starting point is 01:06:08 I kind of hate how Redditors can't say had sex. They refuse to say, so we had sex. Why? They always say we did the no pants dance or we did the deed or we went to Sin City. It's doggo coded. We did the dirty. I'm like, just say you had sex. Well, maybe it was not specifically sex. Okay. They did like, pattywhack with each other's genitals or something? Yeah, maybe. Maybe that's what they say.
Starting point is 01:06:34 All right, fair. I just feel like it's- Not everyone likes sex. There's a lot of sides of it. I know, I know, but like, but it's so common in Reddit posts to just be like, but even then just be like, so then we went down on each other.
Starting point is 01:06:44 Yeah, that's true. I think it's less cringy than being like, so we went to Sin City. I'm like, don't. Yeah. It's just a funny trend I've noticed with writers where they cannot say that. I'm like, you're anonymous. We don't.
Starting point is 01:06:57 Right, that's so true. I'm like, just say it. You included a picture of this puppet. Puppet, dude. And you can't say we had sex? Yeah, that's fair. I was so sad that I didn't even want to look at the sewing machine to make my custom Disney ears
Starting point is 01:07:10 because it just reminded me of Big John. Speaking of Big John, I hung him up in the closet so I didn't have to look at him. Wait, it just reminded her of Big John, not her boyfriend? Just Big John. That is crazy. I was so ashamed, I was drawing when my phone buzzed, and I saw it was finally John.
Starting point is 01:07:25 All it said was, hey, can we talk? I was super nervous and he came over to my place. It was awkward at first because it had been so long since we saw or talked to each other, and I honestly thought things were gonna end, especially after reading all the comments. However, he apologized for his behavior and told me something that cleared things up.
Starting point is 01:07:42 So apparently his mom has been cheating on his dad with multiple younger men for years, and he and his dad just found this out the other day, the day I made Big John. He wasn't upset about Big John at all. I could tell he was still upset, and my instincts were saying I should do a Disney voice. But I considered the comments from the last post
Starting point is 01:07:59 and decided just to say, I'm sorry that happened to you. I hope your family is okay. Then the most surprising part, he said, I'm sorry too. And then in his adorably not very good singing voice saying, Big John never bothered me anyway. I have something for him actually. I don't know how he's saying that.
Starting point is 01:08:15 And brought out one of his favorite slap bracelets that his mom got him as a kid. He pulled me into a hug and we danced like we were Cinderella and Prince Charming boyfriend. He tried to dip me, but he's not very strong, so it created a funny moment where we kissed and then he led me to my royal suite. And well, you can probably guess the rest.
Starting point is 01:08:35 I. So I am about to cry, which is funny. I have tears in my eyes. That's really funny that I'm about to cry now. We got on the bed and normal John had some smears on his glasses after kissing. He asked if there was anywhere or anyone that he could put these on.
Starting point is 01:08:49 I brought out Big John and his hand fell off, but it was like a fairy tale romance when Normal John placed the glasses on Big John's cute nose. So for now, it seems like a happy ending. I'm sorry I didn't post any pics with the original post, but after seeing John's reaction, I was so embarrassed and some of the comments were so mean that I wanted to just destroy Big John and never think of him again.
Starting point is 01:09:10 But there were some very kind people who sent me private messages that made me feel a lot better and proud of my quirkiness, which could very well be autism, as some commenters have stated, getting the test in a couple weeks. Also, stop thinking I would use Big John for the Devil's Tango.
Starting point is 01:09:26 He is strictly- Jesus! God! God! It caught me off guard. He is strictly an awesome way for normal John to have somewhere to put his glasses. So after all this time, I've gained the courage to share Big John with you,
Starting point is 01:09:42 like all of you have asked. I was happy with how it turned out, and even happier than my beloved loved him as well Okay, they're this is making me realize there is someone for every You are not alone. Yep. No, they sound like an adorable couple Yeah, that and honestly if they got past this they're perfect for each other. They're good. That is so beautiful. Yeah, I was about to cry and then I remembered what the puppet looked like.
Starting point is 01:10:10 Yeah, that's true. Exactly. Yeah. That is so gorgeous. That is a very sweet story. He started singing, a Frozen reference, come on. They are extremely vulnerable with each other in a way that is simply adorable.
Starting point is 01:10:24 Beautiful. That is a hilarious story. That's three out of 10 why in a way that is simply adorable. Beautiful. That is a hilarious story. That's three out of 10 why. I like that she addressed it wasn't a sex thing. Sorry, a devil's tango thing. The devil's tango. Devil's tango. God, we need to make like a,
Starting point is 01:10:38 we need to have a running list of all the ways Redditors have referred to sex. Or just anything revolving sex. Like, just, it's so funny to me. Okay, that was a great one. That was a great one. That was a great one. That was sweet.
Starting point is 01:10:53 That turned very sweet. Very happy. Okay, here's our last story. This comes from Relationship Advice. This is a recent post. As of reading this, this is not that old, which is always great. Okay, there's a 42-year-old woman writing this.
Starting point is 01:11:09 My husband, who's 42, has informed me he intends to go on a gaycation with his brother-in-law, a 35-year-old man, in Ibiza. How do I handle this? Okay, wait. Well, first of all, pronounce it properly. Ibiza. Ibiza. Okay, well first of all pronounce it properly. Ibiza. Ibiza.
Starting point is 01:11:25 Okay. Okay. Hi there. I really wish I didn't have to make this post, but here goes. So me and my husband had been happily married for about 16 years, give or take. We both have stable careers, good family life, and are fairly fortunate despite the cost of living racking the UK right now. We have two boys, 15 and 10, and up until this Sunday thought we had it pretty good.
Starting point is 01:11:47 We argue sometimes, of course, but it never gets too bad and we have a pretty decent sex life with some exploration, but I won't get into that. Long and short is, on Sunday, just after I dropped our boys off at their friends, my husband asked me if we had the house alone, and more importantly, do I have a minute? I said yes, and he sat me down, then got out this printed poster for some sort of orgy,
Starting point is 01:12:07 and started explaining to me the concept of a gaycation. How it's where straight men go to somewhere with sun, sand, and booze, and become gay for the duration of the trip, but that's fine because it doesn't actually count, because what happens on the gaycation stays on the gaycation. I was just completely silent and mortified, even more so when he said he was looking into
Starting point is 01:12:29 booking a trip to Ibiza next year with his brother-in-law, his sister's husband, to experience it for himself. When he finally let me speak, I just said, I need him to be clear with me. Is he gay? Because if yes, that's okay, but we need to figure out what happens going forward. I didn't let myself get angry or upset I was just stunned he swore up and down He's not gay and he's 100% attracted to women and of course still loves me and our boys
Starting point is 01:12:54 So I said well, do you think you're bi maybe and he got very defensive saying how I need to drop the Accusations and that this is the beauty of the gaycation. It allows straight men to experience gayness without actually being gay and how it's like going to an aquarium. Ha ha ha! And again, he was adamant he doesn't find men's bodies or genitalia exciting at all, but he needs to experience this apparently.
Starting point is 01:13:21 I said, well, I'm really not comfortable because even if he was bi, this would be explicitly cheating on me, and he got very angry and reiterated he's not because that's the beauty of the gaycation. What is this? I just had enough and left the room. Well, honey, that's the beauty of the gaycation.
Starting point is 01:13:37 That's the beauty of it. Anything goes, and nothing counts there. It's kind of like a lucid dream. Yeah. I ignored him for the rest of the day, but we spoke at tea, where I again asked him, why does he want to do this so badly if he's not gay? It's kind of like a lucid dream. Yeah. I ignored him for the rest of the day, but we spoke at tea where I again asked him, why does he want to do this so badly if he's not gay?
Starting point is 01:13:50 Yes! He said how he's interested in how gay men's lives differ to straight men's, and that unfortunately, once the gaycation begins, it's simply impossible for a man to resist, and he must surrender himself, mind, body, and soul to the gaycation or be destroyed. What? I really can't put into words how surreal it was,
Starting point is 01:14:08 What? I really can't put into words how surreal it was, because he was speaking so matter-of-factly, and he again insists this is a thing that straight men do all the time, and how he's actually doing it a bit late. I just said to him, if he has any love for me, then he can't go ahead with this and if he does the marriage will be dead
Starting point is 01:14:27 We didn't speak any more after that since then he's mentioned no more of it But somehow and this is what scares me a lot too that decision genuinely seems to be tearing him up He didn't go into work on Monday and only went in a half day yesterday Because he told me he just felt too ill and he just looks distraught every time I see him I really don't think he's wholly gay though. I can absolutely believe he's bi, but I'd rather we talked about that in a healthy way rather than this incredibly weird denialism around going on a sex holiday to Abiza. Has anyone known straight guys to do this and come back and just go back to being straight? Like surely that can't be a thing that happens.
Starting point is 01:15:03 I'm so out of my depth here and I just don't know how to even initiate the conversation. For the record, I also haven't mentioned it to his sister yet. I don't know how I'd even break it to her. Thanks for any help, I just don't even wanna think so. Being able to get this out there has helped even just a little bit.
Starting point is 01:15:18 Edit, while this blew up, this has been incredibly sobering and I think I've now confirmed that I already knew to be the case. The marriage is dead, one way or another. in a way. I was in denial about that I have contacted my sister-in-law and she initially screamed at me calling me a liar and even insinuated I was trying to steal her husband. She rang me back shortly after apologized and admitted she was in deep deep shock I have asked my parents to look after the boys and we're going to meet tomorrow to discuss this deeper I have also texted my husband and told him
Starting point is 01:15:46 we will need to make alternative accommodation arrangements but he will not be sleeping here tonight and a bag will be waiting for him. P.S. I see a lot of people asking about the aquarium and at risk of doxing myself. There's a pretty famous aquarium in the UK called The Deep. At the very end you walk through a tunnel that goes underneath the main fish tank
Starting point is 01:16:04 so it's quite immersive I suppose. My husband explained the aquarium thing in that it's a bit like that. You go there and you observe the fishes, you even get a bit up close but you never actually enter the water, get emotionally invested or become a fish, gay, so it doesn't really count. It was very bizarre analogy and I pointed out it still makes no sense and he just got more in a huff and how I Just don't get it and frankly, I still don't Okay, but you're in the water. You're not observing the fishes. You're in you're on the vacation You're all you're all the way in the water. Yeah, like you're you're a fish. You're you're a fish He might not be a fish. He might not be a fish. But he's swimming with.
Starting point is 01:16:45 But he's swimming with the mermaid. Yes, he might not be a fish, but he's definitely paddling in the water. Yeah. I will say, I have been out, I've lived in West Hollywood for a long time. It is, for those who don't know West Hollywood, it's a super gay place.
Starting point is 01:16:59 It is gay everywhere. It's gay, yeah, it's gay everywhere. And going out there, there's a whole strip of like 17 bars that are all gay bars, yep and Living there for six or I've lived there for three years and specifically in West Hollywood But living there there have been so many people who have their straight friends come visit or come move here and They will be in our friend group and they will come out with us and they will go out and be a part of our group but they are straight and they'll get hit on
Starting point is 01:17:28 and it'll happen or, and sometimes, sometimes they might even go home with a person. They'll experiment, it's very normal. It's a normal thing. You can go, you can experiment and then they're like, yeah, that actually wasn't my thing, I am straight. And then everyone's like, oh, there's a stigma of people who are like, no, no you're not you're not straight anymore
Starting point is 01:17:46 Cuz you did that thing well. I did that thing. I didn't like it and now I know what I like right There's nothing wrong with figuring that out so that I just wanted to say that before we get into this But he's got and everyone listening is probably like well, okay, that's a good man to be gay. No, right He's probably by and never experimented at all. He could be by he could be straight and wants to experiment still he's like Oh, that's something that I want to try Yeah, and then he might he might like it. He might not the the issue. I don't think the issue here is His sexuality. No, it's not the issue. The issue is he's married and he wants to go to a place He's literally like yes, I'm an orgy like it's like is he gonna have an orgy did but that's what he showed her
Starting point is 01:18:28 That's what it says. That's the she described it as an orgy poster But it might just be a bunch of half-naked but like the problem is like he's still describing like what he is describing is inferring That he's going to go. I wish you would have been in a situation where it's even if it's a mind body and soul Yeah, it's also like even if it's a situation where it's even if it's a mind, body and soul. Yeah, it's also like, even if it's a situation where it's like, oh, I'm gonna go, I'm not gonna have sex, but I'm gonna go watch some other people that are there have sex. It's like, that's still cheating.
Starting point is 01:18:54 Like you're still, what you're telling me is what she's upset about is that it's like, hey, what, like, this is a whole lot of layers. She doesn't even seem to be upset about it. Yeah, I think she's trying to make sense of it. I don't know. It is, you're right, there's some vagueness to what is being described here.
Starting point is 01:19:11 He's explaining it like an aquarium. So that's the best we have. Which is awesome to be a fish. Right. It's like, oh, I'm gonna go watch the little things do their little thing. It's like, okay, well, buy a ticket and give me the money then.
Starting point is 01:19:23 Whoa. Yeah, the fish make the proceeds from you. As you know, as we all know, all the fish in an aquarium are rich. I think the I think I, I understand though, her inferring. And that's what I'm inferring. I would think that too. I'd be like, are you gay? That's my, well, no, I'm saying I'm saying my assumption that this is this is going to involve sex. Sex is going to involve
Starting point is 01:19:44 something, you know, like kissing. Yeah. Like anything sort of that's cheating. When he said mind, body, and so I don't. He added body to that. He did add body to that, but it's like, I'm picturing gay as in like happiness, going, dancing. I have a whole different experience.
Starting point is 01:19:58 But he's just gonna be gay in that time period. Yeah. But I guess what, I'm, I'm guess you can be gay without having sex. I know. Look at us right now. I'm not fucking anyone right now. I know, but right now, I'm not fucking anyone. And I'm still gay.
Starting point is 01:20:17 But like, you can go be, being gay is, it's a spirit. It's like, it is, it's an energy. Like, it's not just like. And that's the beauty of the gaycation And that's the beauty of the gaycation. That's the beauty of the gaycation. Just like on the beach drinking a pita colada, just like, I'm gay right now. Exactly.
Starting point is 01:20:35 Out of a little straw with an umbrella, yes. You can be gay for a second. You can just go be like, just go be gay for a night. Go dance, go to your local gay bar and be gay for a night. You can just go be gay for a night. Go dance. Go to your local gay bar and be gay for a night. You can be straight and do those things too, right? Can you? I don't know.
Starting point is 01:20:51 You know what? I certainly can. I haven't been to a straightcation. It's almost, I haven't been, I've never been. Guys, let's go on a straightcation. Most-cations are straightcations. Why can't she go with him? That's what I was thinking.
Starting point is 01:21:03 That's what I was saying. Let's just disguise her as like a little twink. And then if he's... Nope, she can just go with him. No. But if she goes with him, and if he's being honest about being straight, then he has someone to like hook up with. Like he gets to go do the thing, and you get someone that you love that You're married to to go have sex with well, that's she she should go with them. I'm into that
Starting point is 01:21:30 She should go be gay, too. This is the resolution. Yeah Wouldn't that be so much more fun if you're straight to go on a vacation with your wife Yeah, I mean the main tip the main take is like this't gonna work out, obviously he needs to go do this, and that doesn't work with her, so this obviously, this just, this isn't gonna work out this way. He should still go on the vacation because that's his journey.
Starting point is 01:21:54 She should, they should break up, and she should find someone who doesn't wanna go do that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I just wanted to. I'm just so mad. I'm not mad, but I'm just like, it was, I just want more communication. Is there an update?
Starting point is 01:22:07 We need far more clarification on this. Let's go. I need to know what is happening. Cause I have never heard of this in my life. And it also sounds like someone has sold him on this gaycation. Yeah. The brother-in-law.
Starting point is 01:22:17 Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too. In Ibiza. Okay, comments. Your husband isn't proposing a gaycation. He's proposing cheating on you with men while using magical thinking to pretend it doesn't count. The fact that he's planning this with his sister's husband makes it even more disturbing.
Starting point is 01:22:31 His bizarre explanation about surrendering mind, body, and soul isn't straight man curiosity. It's someone desperately trying to justify exploring his sexuality while keeping his heterosexual marriage. His depression about not being able to go isn't about missing a vacation. It's about being forced to confront his sexuality
Starting point is 01:22:48 without his convenient what happens in Ibiza stays in Ibiza excuse. His meltdown over not going shows how desperately he wants to avoid facing this reality. OP responded, I read over this multiple times and I guess the worst part is I know you're completely right. Lastly, someone said, I'm a straight European man and this sounds completely absurd. If it's so normal, why then is the only thing that shows up on Google a
Starting point is 01:23:11 docuseries from 2016? Yeah I've never heard of a vacation. I've never heard of this before. Anyways, update. Okay, let's fucking run. Oh yeah. Okay, I am really hoping that he is straight and just wanted to go have fun. That's my hope. Okay. Okay. So when I last posted, I'd contacted my husband to tell him he wouldn't be staying at home at tonight
Starting point is 01:23:35 and a bag would be waiting for him. As you can imagine, we argued quite badly. I won't go into the specific details, but no, I'm 100% on board with the fact at a minimum he's bi, might even be gay altogether. We've had arguments in the past, but I've genuinely never seen him have such a childish tantrum before, screaming about how I just don't understand the gaycation. Absolutely despise that phrase now.
Starting point is 01:23:57 And insinuating I'm actually homophobic because I refuse to allow him to participate in this cultural exchange with the gay community. A lot of you said to ask him if it'd be acceptable if the roles were reversed, and I did ask him, would it be acceptable if I went and slept with other guys during that week? Like fucking clockwork, he was very angry and offended, saying it's completely different
Starting point is 01:24:19 because a gaycation means nothing, and what happens on the gaycation stays on the gaycation. So he did wanna sleep with people. Yeah. So doesn't actually count. Whereas I'd just be straight up cheating. Well, I turned it around on him. No, but you see what happens in Manchester stays in Manchester.
Starting point is 01:24:36 It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't count. It's like bird watching. And I think it got through to him. He went all quiet and then started crying, admitting the thought of me sleeping with another man is destroying his heart, but relationships need sacrifices. So agreed, while in tears, that when he goes on the vacation, I'll get one week in Manchester to do whatever I want. He doesn't want me to, but that's fair in a twisted way, he supposed.
Starting point is 01:24:58 I told him to get out of my house. Thankfully, he left without a fight. I know it's incredibly petty, but I also drained the joint bank account, legal in the UK, so he couldn't try to use it against me. About an hour later, I got rang up by his mom, my mother-in-law, who just screamed and screamed at me about being a cheating whore. What about the kids?
Starting point is 01:25:15 It said, what? He must've said that. Yeah, he said some stuff. When I finally got my composure back, I just said, ask your son about the gaycation. Obviously at first she got angry, but I said said, ask your son about the gaycation. Obviously at first she got angry, but I said no, just ask him about the gaycation. He'll explain, but she called me a fucking joke
Starting point is 01:25:30 and hung up. Later on, getting into the evening, I got another phone call from her in floods of tears. She was very apologetic and I told her she doesn't need to be the one to apologize. She was so upset she put father-in-law on the phone, who while he sounded calm, I could just sort of tell he was on the war path. Again, very apologetic and said he overheard that phrase,
Starting point is 01:25:49 asked my husband and husband initially said, no, it's nothing, before explaining how it's a modern thing men do and gave them the same spiel about how what happens on the gaycation, men cannot resist the gaycation, how a man must surrender to the gaycation, et cetera. Father-in-law just said they told him to leave or they'd call the police. Don't care where he goes, but he wasn't staying there.
Starting point is 01:26:10 My husband tried to call me while I was on the phone, but I just ignored it, and father-in-law just said he was so sorry for me, and they have my corner in this, so that's one thing. Told them to be there for their daughter, because it sounds like brother-in-law is involved. Husband didn't tell them that. And father-in-law just said he had to go because he was so,
Starting point is 01:26:27 so, so angry. Got a text from my husband after the phone call, which was all weirdly rambly saying how I'd abused the gaycation to destroy his marriage and destroy his life. And again, insinuated I and his parents was homophobic for doing such a thing. Told him we'll talk when he grows up and blocked his number. I took a day off work myself to have the locks changed this morning
Starting point is 01:26:50 so that 500 pounds gone, whatever. At least I know he won't be coming back. I'm going to look into how to proceed with a divorce and then we'll move from there. So I haven't yet met with sister-in-law. She was in such a state and has taken this far, far worse than I have for reasons that'll be clear soon. We're going to maybe try tomorrow,
Starting point is 01:27:07 but we did talk over the phone and I eavesdropped on the conversation with her husband where she put her phone on speaker and I went on mute. Her husband got home earlier, she made him come home, told him there was an emergency and just said to him, can you please explain what a gaycation is? She told me afterwards she was praying he'd look confused or just be like what or anything like that.
Starting point is 01:27:26 But instead he just sat her down and explained that a gaycation is a new thing where straight men go to gay hotspots and participate in gay sex acts, but it doesn't count because there's no investment and because what happens on the gaycation stays on the gaycation. If I hear that phrase one more time. Oh, I hate this.
Starting point is 01:27:41 He said it's like writing down angry thoughts and putting them in a drawer. You never have to see them again. Oh God. The whole time, Sister-in-law is in tears as he just calmly bats off the same points my husband did about how it doesn't count and he even did the whole it's impossible to resist.
Starting point is 01:27:57 You must surrender or be destroyed shit. I seriously think they must be speaking to a dominatrix or something because surely neither of them are that into this to actually make that up on their own. I really don't wanna go into what was discussed for her sake, but it did become very apparent to me that the brother-in-law is into sissy hypnoporn
Starting point is 01:28:14 and at times conflated that with the concept of a gaycation. There was this utterly surreal moment where sister-in-law is just trying to wrap her head around this while also in floods of tears and he explains so genuinely So matter-of-factly that for most men the gaycation is either a one-time or annual thing But some men go on the gaycation for years and others simply never return Because they use hypnosis and mind control to be totally feminized into a state of permanent Pseudo gayness she said in disbelief surely if you're taking it up the arse willingly
Starting point is 01:28:48 because you want to, that makes you gay. And he said no, because that's the beauty of the gaycation. You can do all this gay stuff, but you don't interact with the wider gay life experience. She asked him if the sissy stuff is what he wanted, and he said not on a long-term basis, and was adamant this is something all straight men do
Starting point is 01:29:07 but she wouldn't get it because she's a woman. Then there were more insinuations of homophobia. Well, that marriage is dead too, I suppose. The whole ordeal ended when she said to him he has a choice to make and he said no, he doesn't need to make this choice because the beauty of the gaycation is that it allows him to keep his marriage
Starting point is 01:29:25 because it doesn't count. She said that's not the choice. The choice is whether he's leaving the house that night or she is. The only good thing is he did leave. Me and sister-in-law spoke about it after that and I'm just still utterly stunned. I understand she's gone to her parents for support.
Starting point is 01:29:41 What exactly did we do to have our lives destroyed in such an abrupt, bizarre, embarrassing way? Per some advice, I'm going to look at devices and bank statements to see if I can find any definitive proof of cheating. After that, I suppose I'll figure out how I tell the boys why their father won't be coming home. Edit spoke to my other sister-in-law.
Starting point is 01:29:57 My husband's family is older sister, him younger sister slash original sister-in-law, and gave her a skimmed down version of it. She asked her husband and thankfully, he was deeply confused but then mentioned about two years ago at a birthday party He was approached by my husband and brother-in-law about signing up to some online boot camp around BDSM cross-dressing He assumed they were taking the piss out of him So told them to fuck off and never really thought of it again The fact that this has been going on for that long is making me want to throw up
Starting point is 01:30:25 PS for the poster who said about divorce options, I'm actually going to look into adultery because plain and simple, that's what this is. Wow, I am so disappointed in this dude. Yeah. Yeah. And I feel sad. It's sad. Yeah. I think this is sad.
Starting point is 01:30:43 I think this is sad because it shows the lengths people go to like, they can't confront things. Yeah. There's so much around it that they can't just face the, it's so insane. And it's the world we live in. It is, I was about to say the societal pressure. It's shamed so much, you're not allowed to, like I think what you said was important earlier,
Starting point is 01:31:06 of like people's ability to experiment, because clearly he never could in his life. He's now been married for 16 years, he's got something inside that he's struggling with, and it's when you have a desire, when there's something in you, and you are literally pushing it down, I'm talking a realm of anything.
Starting point is 01:31:26 That leads to destructive behaviors. Because you're trying to kind of like find some other path and he's found his way here to convince himself this is how he can do it. I wanna feel really badly for the guy. And I feel bad for something that is going on inside. But unfortunately. But where we have ended up now.
Starting point is 01:31:50 Yeah. Is, that's the problem. And he had an out. He, well he's been doing it for a long time. But she asked him, she was like, I'm, I still love you. I need, but we need to figure this out right now. Like what you're talking about, like, I'm your wife of 16 years,
Starting point is 01:32:05 now this is the time to figure it out and talk with me, communicate. Right, right. And he didn't do that. Which it is a lot of pressure and it's a lot on him. No, and it's- The only way to do it without blowing up. Yeah, yeah, cause this is like,
Starting point is 01:32:20 it's just tough, like it's disrespectful, it's disrespectful on so many levels. I'm a little curious, I'm curious what your thoughts are, because this is the thing, she's got put through a whirlwind, right? So any decisions she's making, it's like, I understand, this is all happening so fast. Her going to his parents and telling them,
Starting point is 01:32:41 ask about the gaycation, do you think that's in a way like, did she need to do that? Like, cause it is, is it in a way kind of outing him to his parents? And like their reaction, the dad's reaction has me like, okay, like what's, what do his parents think about the possibility of him being gay? Yeah, that sucks.
Starting point is 01:33:02 Like, because there's a reason he is pushing it down so hard. This way. At the same time, I'm like, like I said, what she's going through, I'm like, Oh, it's awful. And you're worried about what the ramifications of separating are gonna be, but it's just like, so I'm not mad at her, I'm not saying she's an asshole,
Starting point is 01:33:22 but it's just like. Right. There's definitely homophobia in the story. Sure. Like, there's that, some of the reactions, I'm not saying she's an asshole, but it's just like. Right, there's definitely homophobia in the story. Sure. Like there's that, some of the reactions, I mean yeah, it's like, you know, you're cheating, but to be like, I'm sorry, it's like, okay, you're adding on a layer of also, oh my God, my adult son is gay, I'm gonna go blow up, you know?
Starting point is 01:33:41 Yeah. Or gayish or whatever. Yeah, it's just really, it's sad on so many levels because it's also sad that he didn't feel comfortable at any point, and this is his own thing, this is his own battle, to talk to his wife and be like, you know what, I wonder if I have feelings. I wonder if I, like, you should feel comfortable
Starting point is 01:34:03 talking about that. Maybe they could have done the gaycation at home with one person and had a mutual experience. Even just, or just like maybe just talking about it would be enough for him. Well, obviously, yeah. Like, oh my God, that would have been freeing for him to be like, oh, and that's okay.
Starting point is 01:34:21 This guy is struggling, it seems like, with not being okay with something. That's all he needs. That's all he needs. He's trying to find a way to be like, and this doesn't count. And he kept reiterating it. That's all he needs.
Starting point is 01:34:34 Just come out. Just come out. It's like, it's a hard, just do it. Just start talking about it. Well, that's the block. That's the block. I know.
Starting point is 01:34:42 That's the whole thing. And I think it's very clear to me, like from the subtleties of like, oh, and nobody in his life is okay with it. No. We are not, I mean, she did say like, I'd be okay with this, but who knows where up into his life
Starting point is 01:34:56 how everybody's talked about it. That's true. So it is a tragedy. It's sad. It's very sad. But at the end of the day too, they're gonna divorce, he will be single, and. Here's his opportunity.
Starting point is 01:35:12 Now we will see. Anyways, wildness scale. 10 out of 10. That's, that could be the 10. That's our 10. That could be the 10. And that's the beauty of the gaycation. And that's the beauty of the gaycation.
Starting point is 01:35:23 Shut up! What stays in the, what happens in the gaycation stays in the gaycation. It's also like, ugh, I hate this guy going to Greece and then taking advantage of all these gay people too. It's like, I'm straight, and I'm just gonna do it here, and then it won't count. No strings attached.
Starting point is 01:35:38 What? Fuck off. These have been wild. Those are wild! These were wild. Really wild. I will be thinking These were wild. Really wild. I will be thinking about these ones for a while. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:35:49 Wow. Thank you both for being here. Hey, thanks. Thanks for listening. This is a lot of fun. What's this? Oh, this is Jerry's Bruce. This was really fun.
Starting point is 01:36:00 Man, okay. Let us know your thoughts on these. Yeah, we need to hear. I will be processing these for a while. And let us know what other themes and subreddits you want us to cover on this show, because the stories just keep coming. That's right, baby.
Starting point is 01:36:15 Anyways. Just like me. Oh. What? Nothing. All right, we'll see you next Saturday. Goodbye. Goodbye.

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