My Boyfriend Told Me Snacking On Cheese Balls Is A DEALBREAKER r/Relationships

[00:00:03] [SPEAKER_01]: Hey Waffle Gang, I do hope you're well. My name is Mark and today we're checking out some more Reddit stories.

[00:00:10] [SPEAKER_01]: And if you do love a Reddit story, why not consider hitting that like, subscribe, maybe that notification bell too.

[00:00:16] [SPEAKER_01]: And let's crack on with today's first story. Much love guys.

[00:00:20] [SPEAKER_01]: Now today's first story comes from a throwaway account that says,

[00:00:24] [SPEAKER_01]: Ha, brace yourself.

[00:00:27] [SPEAKER_01]: My 24th female boyfriend, 25 male, told me that snacking on mozzarella cheese balls might be a deal breaker. What should I do?

[00:00:37] [SPEAKER_01]: Ha ha, throwaway account because my boyfriend knows my personal Reddit account.

[00:00:43] [SPEAKER_01]: Hey reddit, so I'm in a very weird situation and don't know how to proceed.

[00:00:48] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm hoping to get some insight from people who don't know us personally because this is really embarrassing for me.

[00:00:55] [SPEAKER_01]: So to preface, I'm a cheese lover. I absolutely adore cheese and it's my favourite snack.

[00:01:01] [SPEAKER_01]: My number one cheese has got to be mozzarella. Specifically ball shaped mozzarella.

[00:01:07] [SPEAKER_01]: The texture and flavour are so good, especially with a little salt sprinkled.

[00:01:12] [SPEAKER_01]: I buy those Belgi or so packs of mozzarella balls. Apologies about the pronunciation there.

[00:01:19] [SPEAKER_01]: And they have been my snack of choice since I was a freshman in college.

[00:01:22] [SPEAKER_01]: They were easy and convenient to keep in my mini fridge for a quick, cheap and easy bite.

[00:01:28] [SPEAKER_01]: My boyfriend and I have been dating for three years now and we recently moved in together.

[00:01:33] [SPEAKER_01]: He's known about my love for cheese since our first date.

[00:01:36] [SPEAKER_01]: He took me to a restaurant and we ordered like three charcuterie boards.

[00:01:39] [SPEAKER_01]: I don't think he knew what he was getting into with my snacking and he probably didn't expect to see me eat mozzarella balls on the daily.

[00:01:47] [SPEAKER_01]: I thought he was fine with it, but now he's making an issue out of it and I don't know if I should stop.

[00:01:53] [SPEAKER_01]: His specific issue is the shape of the cheese.

[00:01:56] [SPEAKER_01]: He tells me that seeing me eat ball shaped cheeses makes him uncomfortable.

[00:02:01] [SPEAKER_01]: He says that it's lewd.

[00:02:15] [SPEAKER_01]: Lord oh lord.

[00:02:18] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I was really confused and I told him that I don't think this is that big of a deal and that it's literally cheese.

[00:02:25] [SPEAKER_01]: But he told me the imagery still grosses him out.

[00:02:28] [SPEAKER_01]: I thought we could work through this, but after a while he said it might be a deal breaker if I don't stop.

[00:02:36] [SPEAKER_01]: Afterwards he left for work.

[00:02:38] [SPEAKER_01]: During the argument he said he doesn't care if I eat mozzarella cheese, but he just wants me to eat it string or shredded instead.

[00:02:46] [SPEAKER_01]: I know this is so high maintenance of me, but mozzarella balls are just my favorite snack.

[00:02:51] [SPEAKER_01]: The texture, the taste, it's just so good.

[00:02:55] [SPEAKER_01]: I like shredded cheese and string cheese, but they just aren't the same.

[00:03:00] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm thinking I should maybe buy the smaller mozzarella balls that Belgio so sells and hope they won't bother him.

[00:03:07] [SPEAKER_01]: But if I feed into this, could it reinforce this mindset he has?

[00:03:11] [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know what to do.

[00:03:13] [SPEAKER_01]: I want to make him comfortable, but this feels really controlling and unnecessary.

[00:03:18] [SPEAKER_01]: Not to mention I don't really want to give up on my favorite snack.

[00:03:21] [SPEAKER_01]: He's a great guy and I know this post isn't doing justice,

[00:03:25] [SPEAKER_01]: but I just want to know if this is a red flag from him or if putting my foot down on this is unreasonable.

[00:03:32] [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you in advance to anyone who reads this and offers me some advice.

[00:03:36] [SPEAKER_01]: Now, I came into this post thinking, you know, maybe OP's like eating way too much cheese

[00:03:41] [SPEAKER_01]: that might be a health issue or maybe boyfriend's got like a texture issue to do with it.

[00:03:46] [SPEAKER_01]: But the dude thinking that it's lewd and you have another man's balls in your mouth.

[00:03:52] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm trying to wonder how that even crosses his mind.

[00:03:55] [SPEAKER_01]: She's chewing on these things.

[00:03:57] [SPEAKER_01]: It's making me wince just thinking about it.

[00:03:59] [SPEAKER_01]: And to put this simply, this isn't a you problem.

[00:04:03] [SPEAKER_01]: This is very much a him problem.

[00:04:05] [SPEAKER_01]: And you just need to ask what the hell is going on here?

[00:04:07] [SPEAKER_01]: There's clearly so it's not about the cheese, is it?

[00:04:10] [SPEAKER_01]: It's got to be about something else.

[00:04:12] [SPEAKER_01]: Just sexualizing around food with balls.

[00:04:15] [SPEAKER_01]: If it's not going to be the cheese is it's going to be bloody banana, cucumber, anything sort of cherry tomatoes.

[00:04:23] [SPEAKER_01]: And if someone gave me that kind of ultimatum, my first question would be why?

[00:04:28] [SPEAKER_01]: And if they can't give you a straight answer and tell you exactly what's going on,

[00:04:32] [SPEAKER_01]: that is pretty much the end.

[00:04:33] [SPEAKER_01]: But I kind of feel it's going to go down that path of, you know,

[00:04:36] [SPEAKER_01]: he needs to be talking to someone about what's going through in his mind

[00:04:39] [SPEAKER_01]: because you certainly shouldn't stop what you enjoy eating because of this.

[00:04:44] [SPEAKER_01]: But the first commenter says,

[00:04:45] [SPEAKER_01]: I would consider a partner who got sexually jealous over a cheese snack a deal breaker personally.

[00:04:52] [SPEAKER_01]: Another commenter says, Guy sounds like a weirdo to be honest.

[00:04:55] [SPEAKER_01]: Equating mozzarella balls with another man's testicles is the stretch of the century.

[00:05:00] [SPEAKER_01]: He needs therapy.

[00:05:02] [SPEAKER_01]: Another commenter quotes and says he says that it's lewd and that I quote seeing me pop a wet cheese ball in my mouth

[00:05:08] [SPEAKER_01]: makes him think of me having another man's balls in my mouth

[00:05:11] [SPEAKER_01]: and then says I would break up with a man just for having the unearned confidence to say this collection of words literally ever.

[00:05:19] [SPEAKER_01]: Another commenter says,

[00:05:20] [SPEAKER_01]: If you stop eating mozzarella cheese balls to make him comfortable,

[00:05:23] [SPEAKER_01]: he's just going to think good, she'd tolerate that crock of shit.

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER_01]: She'll do whatever I tell her and it will get worse.

[00:05:30] [SPEAKER_01]: Stand your ground.

[00:05:31] [SPEAKER_01]: If a man wants to lose you over cheese, let him.

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_01]: You'll have won.

[00:05:35] [SPEAKER_01]: One more comment says,

[00:05:36] [SPEAKER_01]: Just tell him that if he ever brings up anything so stupid ever again that you will dump him on the spot.

[00:05:42] [SPEAKER_01]: His issues with you eating cheese are his to deal with in therapy

[00:05:45] [SPEAKER_01]: and he needs to keep any thoughts or feelings he has on the subject to himself permanently

[00:05:49] [SPEAKER_01]: or this relationship needs to be over.

[00:05:52] [SPEAKER_01]: Frankly, I could not see a person the same after they said something so idiotic

[00:05:56] [SPEAKER_01]: and definitely would not fuck him.

[00:05:59] [SPEAKER_01]: The OP came in with her update and said,

[00:06:01] [SPEAKER_01]: Hey guys, I hope I'm doing this update thing right.

[00:06:04] [SPEAKER_01]: I've never made one before, so I'm just trying to copy what other people in the sub have done.

[00:06:09] [SPEAKER_01]: Was debating posting this update or not,

[00:06:11] [SPEAKER_01]: but seeing just how many people saw it and became invested in my snacking

[00:06:15] [SPEAKER_01]: made me want to give anyone who is still interested a little bit of closure.

[00:06:20] [SPEAKER_01]: First of all, I wanted to thank you all for your time you spent with me.

[00:06:23] [SPEAKER_01]: Honestly, it's a little overwhelming to see how many people took a break from

[00:06:27] [SPEAKER_01]: what I assume are very busy lives

[00:06:30] [SPEAKER_01]: to give me advice and support.

[00:06:32] [SPEAKER_01]: I think it's very beautiful how many people in so many different places

[00:06:36] [SPEAKER_01]: can come together and give some love to people who need it.

[00:06:40] [SPEAKER_01]: Secondly, have a short and savory update.

[00:06:44] [SPEAKER_01]: Get it?

[00:06:45] [SPEAKER_01]: Because I couldn't leave you guys hanging.

[00:06:48] [SPEAKER_01]: The morning after I posted, me and my boyfriend talked out this entire issue

[00:06:52] [SPEAKER_01]: and he ended up explaining why his mind immediately went to a place of sexualizing something

[00:06:57] [SPEAKER_01]: that has no implications.

[00:06:59] [SPEAKER_01]: I lift this out of my original post because it felt unrelated,

[00:07:03] [SPEAKER_01]: even though in hindsight it was obvious.

[00:07:06] [SPEAKER_01]: But there was an issue with infidelity in his previous relationship.

[00:07:10] [SPEAKER_01]: I didn't know the details of what happened and never tried to bring it up

[00:07:13] [SPEAKER_01]: because I didn't want to upset him.

[00:07:15] [SPEAKER_01]: That was my mistake though,

[00:07:17] [SPEAKER_01]: because he is still struggling with insecurities and felt unsure if he could tell me about it.

[00:07:22] [SPEAKER_01]: Both of us were lacking in communication skills, but we ended up clearing the air

[00:07:26] [SPEAKER_01]: and I found out both why his last relationship ended

[00:07:29] [SPEAKER_01]: and why seeing me eat cheese balls upset him.

[00:07:32] [SPEAKER_01]: All I knew previously was that he had a serious relationship with his ex-girlfriend

[00:07:36] [SPEAKER_01]: and they broke up because she cheated on him.

[00:07:39] [SPEAKER_01]: Now, he let me know that he found out about the incident

[00:07:42] [SPEAKER_01]: because the person she cheated with him sent him a video of her

[00:07:46] [SPEAKER_01]: eating another man's cheese balls.

[00:07:49] [SPEAKER_01]: He told me that he feels like by now he should have gotten over it,

[00:07:53] [SPEAKER_01]: but the betrayal stuck with him.

[00:07:55] [SPEAKER_01]: The new move in together has started to trigger his unresolved feelings

[00:07:59] [SPEAKER_01]: and given him new anxieties that a relationship might end the same way.

[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_01]: I think pairing that with the daily visual reminder through the cheese balls

[00:08:06] [SPEAKER_01]: was a little too much for him.

[00:08:08] [SPEAKER_01]: I know many of you have very strong opinions about him

[00:08:12] [SPEAKER_01]: and I'm sorry to disappoint,

[00:08:14] [SPEAKER_01]: but I'm not ready to let go of this relationship yet.

[00:08:17] [SPEAKER_01]: During our conversation, I let him know that I didn't like the direction

[00:08:20] [SPEAKER_01]: that he was going with his ultimatum because it felt controlling

[00:08:23] [SPEAKER_01]: and I told him I wouldn't tolerate another incident like this in the future.

[00:08:28] [SPEAKER_01]: We already decided we'd be looking for couples counseling in our area

[00:08:31] [SPEAKER_01]: to help us both move on from this incident

[00:08:33] [SPEAKER_01]: and generally learn to communicate more openly

[00:08:35] [SPEAKER_01]: so that neither of us will bottle up our negative emotions alone

[00:08:39] [SPEAKER_01]: and instead, we can help each other overcome those emotions as a unit.

[00:08:44] [SPEAKER_01]: Right now, I'm feeling very hopeful

[00:08:46] [SPEAKER_01]: and I think that knowing about his past will leave me better equipped

[00:08:49] [SPEAKER_01]: to pave a better future with him.

[00:08:51] [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you all for your advice and support.

[00:08:54] [SPEAKER_01]: I think that without your perspectives,

[00:08:56] [SPEAKER_01]: I might have just given up on my cheese

[00:08:57] [SPEAKER_01]: and the two of us would continue to hide our emotions

[00:09:01] [SPEAKER_01]: without realizing that we need to open ourselves up to more communication

[00:09:05] [SPEAKER_01]: if we want to stay confident in both ourselves and each other.

[00:09:09] [SPEAKER_01]: Yes, an extra thank you to everyone who gave me recipes

[00:09:12] [SPEAKER_01]: and new cheeses to try.

[00:09:14] [SPEAKER_01]: And I think, you know, if you're going to stay in this relationship,

[00:09:17] [SPEAKER_01]: absolutely fine. It's not my relationship.

[00:09:18] [SPEAKER_01]: I think personally for me, if those words,

[00:09:21] [SPEAKER_01]: if I heard those words or struggled to move past it,

[00:09:25] [SPEAKER_01]: because as we said in the first part,

[00:09:26] [SPEAKER_01]: it's not about the cheese balls.

[00:09:28] [SPEAKER_01]: But I think at the same time you said,

[00:09:30] [SPEAKER_01]: you know, you're going to do couples counseling,

[00:09:32] [SPEAKER_01]: but I think more importantly,

[00:09:34] [SPEAKER_01]: he needs that individual counseling at the same time

[00:09:37] [SPEAKER_01]: to get him past what he's gone through.

[00:09:40] [SPEAKER_01]: And I do apologize for, you know,

[00:09:42] [SPEAKER_01]: chuckling through parts of this story.

[00:09:44] [SPEAKER_01]: You talk about wet cheese balls, I'm going to laugh.

[00:09:47] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm a big kid, but there is someone on the end

[00:09:49] [SPEAKER_01]: that's gone through the heartache,

[00:09:51] [SPEAKER_01]: gone through the cheating, the infidelity

[00:09:53] [SPEAKER_01]: and now has issues to do with it,

[00:09:55] [SPEAKER_01]: which I do hope that they do get that help for,

[00:09:58] [SPEAKER_01]: are able to move past it, et cetera.

[00:10:00] [SPEAKER_01]: Because I always say even if this relationship doesn't work,

[00:10:03] [SPEAKER_01]: those things will get carried onto another relationship.

[00:10:06] [SPEAKER_01]: So you know, it needs to be resolved one way or the other.

[00:10:09] [SPEAKER_01]: As always never an excuse for the behavior,

[00:10:12] [SPEAKER_01]: but I hope it does get resolved.

[00:10:14] [SPEAKER_01]: But now I'm going to turn this one to you guys.

[00:10:18] [SPEAKER_01]: I've got a real craving for cheese now.

[00:10:21] [SPEAKER_01]: But let us know your thoughts on this one

[00:10:23] [SPEAKER_01]: and let's move on to another story.

[00:11:11] [SPEAKER_02]: Get out there.

[00:11:23] [SPEAKER_01]: From abjecttax5584 and says,

[00:11:26] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm IVR Sol for telling my friend his game is stupid.

[00:11:30] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm 23 female, he's 23 male.

[00:11:34] [SPEAKER_01]: He's my friend and has been since elementary school.

[00:11:37] [SPEAKER_01]: He's gay so there's nothing romantic between us either.

[00:11:40] [SPEAKER_01]: Our friend group is very active, but he's not anymore.

[00:11:44] [SPEAKER_01]: He's now disabled and unable to do most activities

[00:11:47] [SPEAKER_01]: we used to do because he can't walk long distances

[00:11:50] [SPEAKER_01]: and his dominant arm gives him problems.

[00:11:53] [SPEAKER_01]: He was in an accident at his workplace.

[00:11:56] [SPEAKER_01]: He was very depressed for the longest time

[00:11:58] [SPEAKER_01]: and still struggles with things.

[00:12:01] [SPEAKER_01]: It's been over a year since the accident.

[00:12:03] [SPEAKER_01]: While he's not depressed in general anymore,

[00:12:06] [SPEAKER_01]: he does get sad when we go on our trips without him

[00:12:08] [SPEAKER_01]: and he doesn't have good self-image anymore.

[00:12:11] [SPEAKER_01]: He's a very handsome guy and any man will be lucky to have him.

[00:12:16] [SPEAKER_01]: But he thinks because he's disabled

[00:12:17] [SPEAKER_01]: and his income is disability that he's not fit to date anyone.

[00:12:22] [SPEAKER_01]: Anyone real apparently.

[00:12:25] [SPEAKER_01]: Around the time he started feeling less depressed,

[00:12:28] [SPEAKER_01]: his sister got him into video games

[00:12:29] [SPEAKER_01]: which none of us in our friend group are into.

[00:12:33] [SPEAKER_01]: We like being active, not pretending to be.

[00:12:36] [SPEAKER_01]: But a few months ago he got this one popular game

[00:12:39] [SPEAKER_01]: and it really turned things around for him.

[00:12:42] [SPEAKER_01]: Namely the fact that you can date other characters,

[00:12:44] [SPEAKER_01]: which is weird to me.

[00:12:46] [SPEAKER_01]: He's grown very attached to this game

[00:12:48] [SPEAKER_01]: and tries to talk to us about it.

[00:12:50] [SPEAKER_01]: A couple in the group act interested.

[00:12:53] [SPEAKER_01]: The rest of us just don't really care.

[00:12:55] [SPEAKER_01]: I tried to talk to him about getting out into the real world again,

[00:12:58] [SPEAKER_01]: but he doesn't seem interested.

[00:13:00] [SPEAKER_01]: Well, once again, he tried to talk about this game

[00:13:03] [SPEAKER_01]: and this character he really likes

[00:13:05] [SPEAKER_01]: and I finally had enough.

[00:13:07] [SPEAKER_01]: I told him no one cares about a stupid game

[00:13:10] [SPEAKER_01]: and he needs to find someone real

[00:13:11] [SPEAKER_01]: and experience the world however he can again.

[00:13:14] [SPEAKER_01]: No one else said anything and he left to get an Uber home.

[00:13:18] [SPEAKER_01]: One of our friends tried to offer him a ride,

[00:13:19] [SPEAKER_01]: but he just quietly denied and left.

[00:13:22] [SPEAKER_01]: We all went home after and I got back to find

[00:13:25] [SPEAKER_01]: he left our group chats and blocked me.

[00:13:27] [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if he's blocked the others as well.

[00:13:30] [SPEAKER_01]: He left me one last message saying

[00:13:32] [SPEAKER_01]: that game is the only way

[00:13:34] [SPEAKER_01]: I can feel like a normal person again.

[00:13:36] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm not disabled.

[00:13:38] [SPEAKER_01]: I can walk as long as I want.

[00:13:40] [SPEAKER_01]: I explore everything it will allow me without my body hurting.

[00:13:44] [SPEAKER_01]: Character might not be real,

[00:13:46] [SPEAKER_01]: but he looks at my character in ways

[00:13:48] [SPEAKER_01]: I wish I could be looked at.

[00:13:50] [SPEAKER_01]: I only get looked at with pity anymore.

[00:13:52] [SPEAKER_01]: He doesn't see that.

[00:13:53] [SPEAKER_01]: No one I meet in that game does.

[00:13:55] [SPEAKER_01]: So forgive me for finding something that brings me joy.

[00:13:59] [SPEAKER_01]: It can't replace real life.

[00:14:01] [SPEAKER_01]: Character can't replace the love and touch of a real person,

[00:14:04] [SPEAKER_01]: but it gets as close as I'll ever get.

[00:14:08] [SPEAKER_01]: Our friendship group had mixed emotions

[00:14:10] [SPEAKER_01]: about the whole thing,

[00:14:11] [SPEAKER_01]: but when I ranted to my sister about it,

[00:14:13] [SPEAKER_01]: she got indignant and told me that I messed up big.

[00:14:16] [SPEAKER_01]: She said I was a jerk for making him feel more isolated

[00:14:19] [SPEAKER_01]: and for not entertaining him talking about that dumb game.

[00:14:23] [SPEAKER_01]: I told her I just wanted him to experience real life

[00:14:26] [SPEAKER_01]: and real people instead of focusing on that stupid game,

[00:14:29] [SPEAKER_01]: but she hung up.

[00:14:32] [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe I was harsh,

[00:14:32] [SPEAKER_01]: but am I really the asshole?

[00:14:36] [SPEAKER_01]: In the relevant comments,

[00:14:37] [SPEAKER_01]: says yes, you're the asshole.

[00:14:40] [SPEAKER_01]: I do agree with the sentiment that he would be better off

[00:14:42] [SPEAKER_01]: experiencing the real world,

[00:14:44] [SPEAKER_01]: but that was extraordinarily harsh to him.

[00:14:47] [SPEAKER_01]: It's a coping mechanism for him.

[00:14:49] [SPEAKER_01]: And to some extent, it has helped him to get out of a funk.

[00:14:52] [SPEAKER_01]: I would have just gently encouraged him to get out there

[00:14:55] [SPEAKER_01]: and supported that in any way possible.

[00:14:57] [SPEAKER_01]: And just make sure you offer that to him

[00:14:59] [SPEAKER_01]: so he knows he is still wanted by you

[00:15:01] [SPEAKER_01]: and the rest of the group.

[00:15:03] [SPEAKER_01]: That being said,

[00:15:04] [SPEAKER_01]: granted it's something to get him talking again,

[00:15:06] [SPEAKER_01]: but it's just a matter of boundaries.

[00:15:08] [SPEAKER_01]: I hope that he can recognize that the rest of you

[00:15:10] [SPEAKER_01]: want to talk about other topics

[00:15:11] [SPEAKER_01]: and that you all want him involved

[00:15:13] [SPEAKER_01]: to the extent he can slash will.

[00:15:16] [SPEAKER_01]: He does need to choose for himself

[00:15:18] [SPEAKER_01]: to get out there in the real world.

[00:15:19] [SPEAKER_01]: And I think the best thing

[00:15:21] [SPEAKER_01]: that people in his life can do for him

[00:15:22] [SPEAKER_01]: is encourage and be there.

[00:15:24] [SPEAKER_01]: Speaking harshly like that had the opposite effect

[00:15:27] [SPEAKER_01]: and only encouraged him to retreat into his virtual self.

[00:15:31] [SPEAKER_01]: Opie said,

[00:15:32] [SPEAKER_01]: it's not that he dominates conversations

[00:15:34] [SPEAKER_01]: talking about his games or specifically this one.

[00:15:37] [SPEAKER_01]: I just get tired of hearing about it when he does.

[00:15:40] [SPEAKER_01]: None of us like games.

[00:15:42] [SPEAKER_01]: He didn't until his sister got him into them.

[00:15:44] [SPEAKER_01]: And now that he's got into this one,

[00:15:46] [SPEAKER_01]: it's his favorite.

[00:15:47] [SPEAKER_01]: I think it's ridiculous that he goes far

[00:15:49] [SPEAKER_01]: as to hang out with us,

[00:15:50] [SPEAKER_01]: but Phil thinks he needs that game

[00:15:52] [SPEAKER_01]: to get over what happened.

[00:15:54] [SPEAKER_01]: We tried talking to him about doing some things with us

[00:15:56] [SPEAKER_01]: and he tries,

[00:15:57] [SPEAKER_01]: but he can't do as much as he used to.

[00:16:00] [SPEAKER_01]: I wish his sister hadn't got him into gaming.

[00:16:03] [SPEAKER_01]: It ruined him.

[00:16:04] [SPEAKER_01]: Someone suggested to Opie that they've got no sympathy.

[00:16:07] [SPEAKER_01]: Opie said,

[00:16:08] [SPEAKER_01]: he can either adjust to a new lifestyle,

[00:16:10] [SPEAKER_01]: which is what we've been trying to help him do,

[00:16:12] [SPEAKER_01]: or he can sit on that stupid game

[00:16:13] [SPEAKER_01]: and replace the life you already had with some fake one.

[00:16:17] [SPEAKER_01]: I'd really rather have my friend back

[00:16:19] [SPEAKER_01]: without the gaming.

[00:16:21] [SPEAKER_01]: Someone says to Opie,

[00:16:22] [SPEAKER_01]: this has got to be rage bait.

[00:16:24] [SPEAKER_01]: Opie says the fact that people would be raging

[00:16:26] [SPEAKER_01]: about someone not liking some stupid game is pretty sad

[00:16:29] [SPEAKER_01]: and exactly part of the reason

[00:16:31] [SPEAKER_01]: why I want to find him something else.

[00:16:33] [SPEAKER_01]: Happy examination says,

[00:16:35] [SPEAKER_01]: why do you care about what someone else likes?

[00:16:38] [SPEAKER_01]: Is it your life?

[00:16:39] [SPEAKER_01]: No?

[00:16:40] [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, okay then.

[00:16:41] [SPEAKER_01]: What right would you have to tell someone

[00:16:43] [SPEAKER_01]: what they can or cannot like?

[00:16:44] [SPEAKER_01]: You can enjoy whatever you like the same

[00:16:46] [SPEAKER_01]: as they're allowed to enjoy what they like.

[00:16:49] [SPEAKER_01]: You have no right to be an asshole

[00:16:50] [SPEAKER_01]: about what your friend likes.

[00:16:52] [SPEAKER_01]: You just sound like a controlling person

[00:16:54] [SPEAKER_01]: and awful to be around.

[00:16:58] [SPEAKER_01]: Opie replied to that saying,

[00:16:59] [SPEAKER_01]: We've been friends the longest out of anyone in our group.

[00:17:02] [SPEAKER_01]: I was the first person he came out to.

[00:17:04] [SPEAKER_01]: I was the first one to show up at the hospital

[00:17:06] [SPEAKER_01]: after his accident.

[00:17:08] [SPEAKER_01]: I refuse to watch my friend get sucked into gaming

[00:17:10] [SPEAKER_01]: when he can do so much more with his life.

[00:17:14] [SPEAKER_01]: Now, I'm a gamer myself.

[00:17:16] [SPEAKER_01]: So my opinion might be very, very biased here

[00:17:19] [SPEAKER_01]: and I'm pretty sure the game

[00:17:20] [SPEAKER_01]: that they're talking about here is Baldur's Gate 3.

[00:17:23] [SPEAKER_01]: Great game by the way.

[00:17:24] [SPEAKER_01]: And a game that you can really get sucked into

[00:17:27] [SPEAKER_01]: the characters, the dialogue,

[00:17:29] [SPEAKER_01]: the relationships within the game.

[00:17:31] [SPEAKER_01]: You can really get yourself pulled into it.

[00:17:33] [SPEAKER_01]: And Baldur's Gate 3 for myself

[00:17:35] [SPEAKER_01]: is a game exactly like that.

[00:17:37] [SPEAKER_01]: It was the first game since Star Wars,

[00:17:40] [SPEAKER_01]: the Knights of the Old Republic

[00:17:41] [SPEAKER_01]: that I've been sucked into.

[00:17:43] [SPEAKER_01]: And you really get into it sometimes

[00:17:44] [SPEAKER_01]: just like reading a book or whatever.

[00:17:47] [SPEAKER_01]: And it feels like your friend is using this in a way

[00:17:50] [SPEAKER_01]: to cope with what's going on in his life.

[00:17:52] [SPEAKER_01]: I think in the ideal situation,

[00:17:54] [SPEAKER_01]: there's going to be a balance of both,

[00:17:56] [SPEAKER_01]: but this is something he's into

[00:17:58] [SPEAKER_01]: and you can't humor him to just listen

[00:18:00] [SPEAKER_01]: to what he's really enjoying at the moment.

[00:18:02] [SPEAKER_01]: You know, he's struggling with everything else.

[00:18:05] [SPEAKER_01]: You say your friend group is very active

[00:18:06] [SPEAKER_01]: and he's unable to do the activities you used to.

[00:18:09] [SPEAKER_01]: You know he was depressed

[00:18:11] [SPEAKER_01]: and when he starts showing signs of positivity

[00:18:13] [SPEAKER_01]: in his life, you basically shit on it.

[00:18:15] [SPEAKER_01]: And I just felt like the whole post just screams at me.

[00:18:18] [SPEAKER_01]: You don't understand gaming.

[00:18:20] [SPEAKER_01]: You don't want to understand gaming.

[00:18:22] [SPEAKER_01]: The line where I saw we like being active,

[00:18:25] [SPEAKER_01]: not pretending to be, pretty much said it all for me.

[00:18:28] [SPEAKER_01]: So then a user came into the post

[00:18:30] [SPEAKER_01]: called Sister of Gaming Rage,

[00:18:33] [SPEAKER_01]: who was claiming to be OP sister and says,

[00:18:36] [SPEAKER_01]: hey sis, thanks for calling to rant about this

[00:18:39] [SPEAKER_01]: so I could come look it up and see for myself.

[00:18:42] [SPEAKER_01]: It's been fun.

[00:18:42] [SPEAKER_01]: I can't wait to see a friend sister

[00:18:44] [SPEAKER_01]: sees this on TikTok so I can laugh about it

[00:18:46] [SPEAKER_01]: when she goes to tell me about it.

[00:18:48] [SPEAKER_01]: So to elaborate for anyone who may see this,

[00:18:51] [SPEAKER_01]: our parents were raised in that

[00:18:53] [SPEAKER_01]: D and D is devil worship way of thinking

[00:18:56] [SPEAKER_01]: and they instilled it into her with video games.

[00:18:59] [SPEAKER_01]: My friend, the older sister of the friend

[00:19:02] [SPEAKER_01]: that this is about loved games.

[00:19:04] [SPEAKER_01]: And so when she and I would babysit the younger two,

[00:19:07] [SPEAKER_01]: I would watch her play games their uncle loaned her,

[00:19:10] [SPEAKER_01]: including the first two in the series, Baldur's Gate.

[00:19:14] [SPEAKER_01]: So when the new one came out,

[00:19:15] [SPEAKER_01]: she got it for him to help him have something to do.

[00:19:18] [SPEAKER_01]: And once he got over being embarrassed,

[00:19:20] [SPEAKER_01]: he loved it a lot.

[00:19:22] [SPEAKER_01]: He likes to hang out with his sister sometimes

[00:19:24] [SPEAKER_01]: and I'm with her a lot.

[00:19:25] [SPEAKER_01]: So I get to hear about this game.

[00:19:27] [SPEAKER_01]: Don't worry.

[00:19:28] [SPEAKER_01]: He has four ears to listen.

[00:19:30] [SPEAKER_01]: He gets so cute when he talks about Gail,

[00:19:33] [SPEAKER_01]: which is an in-game character.

[00:19:34] [SPEAKER_01]: And we tease him about needing to find a bearded guy

[00:19:37] [SPEAKER_01]: with a cat all the time.

[00:19:39] [SPEAKER_01]: It warms my heart to see so many people

[00:19:41] [SPEAKER_01]: jumping to his defense.

[00:19:43] [SPEAKER_01]: I wish I could say that about the rest of the group,

[00:19:44] [SPEAKER_01]: but I never knew them at well to know

[00:19:47] [SPEAKER_01]: if they are sincere with him

[00:19:48] [SPEAKER_01]: and his feelings and listening to him.

[00:19:51] [SPEAKER_01]: But once things have calmed down,

[00:19:53] [SPEAKER_01]: I will try to tell him about this thread.

[00:19:55] [SPEAKER_01]: I don't think he uses Reddit,

[00:19:56] [SPEAKER_01]: but then again,

[00:19:57] [SPEAKER_01]: I didn't think my sis would either.

[00:19:59] [SPEAKER_01]: But thank you again.

[00:20:01] [SPEAKER_01]: Enjoyed seeing you get shut down.

[00:20:03] [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe this time it will stick

[00:20:04] [SPEAKER_01]: since it didn't when I said it.

[00:20:07] [SPEAKER_01]: By the way,

[00:20:08] [SPEAKER_01]: when I called to tell Tabby,

[00:20:09] [SPEAKER_01]: she said I should mention that Gail

[00:20:11] [SPEAKER_01]: would still love Mark

[00:20:12] [SPEAKER_01]: even if he was disabled in the game.

[00:20:14] [SPEAKER_01]: Just the way he is.

[00:20:16] [SPEAKER_01]: So that says more about you.

[00:20:17] [SPEAKER_01]: Call me later.

[00:20:19] [SPEAKER_01]: And,

[00:20:19] [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, and for the people

[00:20:20] [SPEAKER_01]: offering to play games with Mark,

[00:20:22] [SPEAKER_01]: thank you.

[00:20:23] [SPEAKER_01]: I will tell him about that

[00:20:24] [SPEAKER_01]: when I mention the thread

[00:20:25] [SPEAKER_01]: after things calm down.

[00:20:28] [SPEAKER_01]: But I don't know if he reach out to anyone.

[00:20:30] [SPEAKER_01]: He's always been shy

[00:20:31] [SPEAKER_01]: and sis had pretty much

[00:20:32] [SPEAKER_01]: been his only friend.

[00:20:34] [SPEAKER_01]: So this is an adjustment for him

[00:20:35] [SPEAKER_01]: as much as his being disabled has been.

[00:20:39] [SPEAKER_01]: But I'll share this

[00:20:40] [SPEAKER_01]: and maybe he will.

[00:20:41] [SPEAKER_01]: But I think also just knowing people

[00:20:43] [SPEAKER_01]: just looking out for him

[00:20:44] [SPEAKER_01]: will be more than enough.

[00:20:46] [SPEAKER_01]: OP did respond to the comment

[00:20:47] [SPEAKER_01]: and said you're not my sister,

[00:20:49] [SPEAKER_01]: but nice try.

[00:20:51] [SPEAKER_01]: And then someone asked if OP called yet

[00:20:53] [SPEAKER_01]: and OP said no phone called yet,

[00:20:54] [SPEAKER_01]: but if she does,

[00:20:55] [SPEAKER_01]: I plan on making sure she knows

[00:20:57] [SPEAKER_01]: I won't let this one slide.

[00:20:58] [SPEAKER_01]: And I will.

[00:21:01] [SPEAKER_01]: I know he likes Gail a lot.

[00:21:03] [SPEAKER_01]: He says he's the only one

[00:21:04] [SPEAKER_01]: he can't be mean to.

[00:21:05] [SPEAKER_01]: That makes me happy.

[00:21:07] [SPEAKER_01]: He seems to have picked a good character

[00:21:08] [SPEAKER_01]: to maybe judge a future boyfriend on.

[00:21:11] [SPEAKER_01]: So around eight days

[00:21:12] [SPEAKER_01]: after the original post,

[00:21:14] [SPEAKER_01]: OP makes an update and says

[00:21:15] [SPEAKER_01]: so this was rejected by the group.

[00:21:17] [SPEAKER_01]: I think.

[00:21:17] [SPEAKER_01]: I don't really know how that works.

[00:21:19] [SPEAKER_01]: So here it is for anyone

[00:21:21] [SPEAKER_01]: who might see or care.

[00:21:23] [SPEAKER_01]: I'll start this off by saying

[00:21:25] [SPEAKER_01]: to everyone who was rooting for

[00:21:26] [SPEAKER_01]: my sister in the comments,

[00:21:29] [SPEAKER_01]: that was not her.

[00:21:30] [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know what they thought

[00:21:31] [SPEAKER_01]: that would accomplish,

[00:21:32] [SPEAKER_01]: but it wasn't until after that comment

[00:21:33] [SPEAKER_01]: that I even called my sister.

[00:21:36] [SPEAKER_01]: Actually called my sister.

[00:21:38] [SPEAKER_01]: She had a laugh over it

[00:21:39] [SPEAKER_01]: before she berated me for the post.

[00:21:41] [SPEAKER_01]: But for the actual update,

[00:21:43] [SPEAKER_01]: no, my friend has not unblocked me

[00:21:45] [SPEAKER_01]: and a couple of others in our group

[00:21:46] [SPEAKER_01]: aren't speaking with me anymore either.

[00:21:49] [SPEAKER_01]: My stance on games hasn't changed

[00:21:51] [SPEAKER_01]: and it won't.

[00:21:52] [SPEAKER_01]: I still find them ridiculous

[00:21:54] [SPEAKER_01]: and pointless.

[00:21:55] [SPEAKER_01]: And I still think what my friend

[00:21:56] [SPEAKER_01]: is doing with that whole

[00:21:57] [SPEAKER_01]: dating a character in the game

[00:21:59] [SPEAKER_01]: thing is weird.

[00:22:00] [SPEAKER_01]: I think anyone who does

[00:22:02] [SPEAKER_01]: that needs help.

[00:22:03] [SPEAKER_01]: One guy who messaged me his email.

[00:22:06] [SPEAKER_01]: My sister talked me into forwarding it

[00:22:08] [SPEAKER_01]: to one of the friends

[00:22:09] [SPEAKER_01]: who isn't talking to me,

[00:22:10] [SPEAKER_01]: but it hasn't blocked me

[00:22:11] [SPEAKER_01]: and told them to pass it to him.

[00:22:13] [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if they did

[00:22:14] [SPEAKER_01]: and I don't know if those two

[00:22:15] [SPEAKER_01]: ever got in contact.

[00:22:17] [SPEAKER_01]: I tried to ask, but no one

[00:22:18] [SPEAKER_01]: would give me a solid answer.

[00:22:20] [SPEAKER_01]: The friends who aren't speaking to me now

[00:22:22] [SPEAKER_01]: apparently have been looking for a reason

[00:22:23] [SPEAKER_01]: not to speak to me for a while.

[00:22:25] [SPEAKER_01]: And that's all I know with that situation.

[00:22:27] [SPEAKER_01]: And the ones who still are

[00:22:28] [SPEAKER_01]: have an adamant about not wanting to pick sides.

[00:22:31] [SPEAKER_01]: So that's it.

[00:22:33] [SPEAKER_01]: I most likely won't log back in after this.

[00:22:35] [SPEAKER_01]: And it got back into the post

[00:22:36] [SPEAKER_01]: because my sister said

[00:22:37] [SPEAKER_01]: she wanted me to reflect a bit more.

[00:22:40] [SPEAKER_01]: Said it might help since I was

[00:22:41] [SPEAKER_01]: keen to air my dirty laundry anyway.

[00:22:44] [SPEAKER_01]: So the friends who are not speaking to OP

[00:22:47] [SPEAKER_01]: have apparently been looking for a reason

[00:22:49] [SPEAKER_01]: not to speak to OP for a while.

[00:22:52] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, red flag, right?

[00:22:53] [SPEAKER_01]: And for me in this, I don't think Mark

[00:22:55] [SPEAKER_01]: was unhealthily obsessed

[00:22:57] [SPEAKER_01]: with this particular character in the game.

[00:22:59] [SPEAKER_01]: I think it was just him enjoying the game

[00:23:02] [SPEAKER_01]: and wanting to talk about his experience in the game.

[00:23:05] [SPEAKER_01]: Especially a game like Baldur's Gate,

[00:23:07] [SPEAKER_01]: which is very story driven.

[00:23:09] [SPEAKER_01]: A lot of choices you make within the game.

[00:23:12] [SPEAKER_01]: There's lots of friendships

[00:23:13] [SPEAKER_01]: and like I said, choices you make

[00:23:15] [SPEAKER_01]: to do with those friendships.

[00:23:17] [SPEAKER_01]: To me it was a positive thing

[00:23:18] [SPEAKER_01]: that he's doing something that he loves

[00:23:21] [SPEAKER_01]: and it might be a springboard for future things for him.

[00:23:25] [SPEAKER_01]: Which I think that's a positive.

[00:23:27] [SPEAKER_01]: I think like with all things,

[00:23:28] [SPEAKER_01]: it needs to be moderation.

[00:23:30] [SPEAKER_01]: But again, I don't think he was unhealthily obsessed

[00:23:33] [SPEAKER_01]: in this story to me.

[00:23:34] [SPEAKER_01]: And I truly hope it is a springboard for Mark too

[00:23:37] [SPEAKER_01]: that gives him confidence, that gets him out there.

[00:23:40] [SPEAKER_01]: As well as his gaming hobby at the same time.

[00:23:43] [SPEAKER_01]: It just felt like to me, OP hates gaming

[00:23:45] [SPEAKER_01]: and that's all there was to it.

[00:23:47] [SPEAKER_01]: There was no alternative.

[00:23:49] [SPEAKER_01]: You shouldn't be gaming as a waste of your life.

[00:23:51] [SPEAKER_01]: That kind of attitude.

[00:23:53] [SPEAKER_01]: Personally for me without gaming in my life,

[00:23:55] [SPEAKER_01]: especially in some of my earlier years,

[00:23:57] [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know where I would be now to be quite honest.

[00:24:00] [SPEAKER_01]: But now I'm gonna turn this one to you guys.

[00:24:03] [SPEAKER_01]: What do you guys make of this situation?

[00:24:06] [SPEAKER_01]: Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below

[00:24:09] [SPEAKER_01]: and just a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart

[00:24:12] [SPEAKER_01]: for getting involved in today's stories.

[00:24:14] [SPEAKER_01]: Your love, your support, your time

[00:24:16] [SPEAKER_01]: always means the absolute world to me.

[00:24:18] [SPEAKER_01]: Sorry about the croaky voice

[00:24:19] [SPEAKER_01]: you're having to listen to at the moment.

[00:24:21] [SPEAKER_01]: I think it's slowly recovering.

[00:24:23] [SPEAKER_01]: Thanks for your tips about the gargling of the salt water.

[00:24:26] [SPEAKER_01]: All that good stuff is really helping me.

[00:24:28] [SPEAKER_01]: So thank you and I will see you in the next one.

[00:24:31] [SPEAKER_01]: Take care and much love.

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