Cute goodnight texts to a boy |

Hello, I have a problem with some things that my gf used to do when she was still friends with her female best friend.
I wanna keep this short but I gotta go back to when we met 7 months ago. She had this toxic friend which she was very close with. I mean very close. My did not really have many friends outside of her best friend and thus she listened to a lot of shit she told her that its right to do.
A couple of things that stand out that made me feel kinda bad, is that when we started dating she used to tell her that I am not worth it. Also her best friend had a bf, a friend of mine from college, I forgot to mention, so it was kind of an 4 people relationship cause the toxic girl wanted us to hangout 24/7 with them, even sleep all the time in the same house.
Now that it’s clear I want to point out the things that made me feel bad, my gf used to call me ‘this guy’ through text instead of just mentioning me by my name, which I find a little disrespectful, also she cursed me one time, not badly but still. She sometimes when we were together, all 4 of us, her friend was being ignored by my friend, so she always wanted to take my gf away from me so we dont get to sit one next to the other or talk between us,and my gf did just followed her “orders” everytime. And the thing that was the worst for me is that, the day we met, we met randomly through mutual friends on a monday night at my gf house. Prior to that, she and her best friend had a ‘date’’ in the same day but in the morning with 2 boys. My gf did not like the guy she went out with and she didnt want to go out again with him, but her friend wanted to pursue the other guy and pressured my gf to text the guy my gf went out with, to meet again, all 4 of them. So that was before I met her, a few hours before. But after we met, after a couple days, this guy texted my gf to go out again, and the toxic friend told her to day yes, so they can all go out again because the toxic friend wanted to pursue the other guy, but didn’t want to go alone so she insisted on all 4 of them going,and my gf texted him back saying they could go out again sometime, all 4 of them.I do believe her not wantig to because she was not interested in that guy, but her friend pressured her to do it.
And when I pointed out these things to her now she says she is really sorry, and I want to believe that her friend influenced her to do this shit. Because she did the same with her bf(my friend) she treated him like shit.
Now I want to believe her because her friend was really toxic, i cant describe in words but trust me, i got to know her and she was a piece of trash. You could not even talk to her to tell her if something was wrong because she would either start crying or making a big ass scandal. She was horrible to be with.
Fast forward and after about 4 months there was a big scandal between all of us and my gf ditched her best friend for me, cause her friend really didnt like me and told her she spent way too much time with me and not with her. So long story short, she chose me and we are really happy together and things go so well.
And we communicate all the time and we talked about these things, and like I said she is sorry for what she did, but I dont know what to do. Is she really sorry, should I fully trust her from now on? I need some advice please, Thank you for reading and sorry if this was too long.

Last week my girlfriend and I made a plan for this coming weekend, I asked her which day works for her and she said "hmmmmmmm....Saturday?" So I said "okay great"
Now skip forward a few days further and we had the usual hot and cold behaviour, I gave her space and yesterday she came back with all kinds of cute texts and so I reciprocated and eventually she said goodnight and conversation ended.
This morning I wake up to a text saying "maybe ill show you this weekend :p did we say Friday or Saturday and can it please be Friday?"
I'm 99.9% sure she knows we said Saturday.
I have flip flopped on this exact issue before several times because she has asked ahead of time and usually in a more respectful manner....yet I have also been quite forceful about which day we will be seeing eachother too at times.
I am very tempted to say "no let's stick to Saturday"
As I am actually a bit annoyed that she obviously wants to go do something else with other people and thinks she can just shift plans with me instead. I just don't want to appear controlling or needy either...
I think even if I resolve the issue, it just feels disrespectful that she is even asking.... what do you guys think?

Hello, I have a problem with some things that my gf used to do when she was still friends with her female best friend.
I wanna keep this short but I gotta go back to when we met 7 months ago. She had this toxic friend which she was very close with. I mean very close. My did not really have many friends outside of her best friend and thus she listened to a lot of shit she told her that its right to do.
A couple of things that stand out that made me feel kinda bad, is that when we started dating she used to tell her that I am not worth it. Also her best friend had a bf, a friend of mine from college, I forgot to mention, so it was kind of an 4 people relationship cause the toxic girl wanted us to hangout 24/7 with them, even sleep all the time in the same house.
Now that it’s clear I want to point out the things that made me feel bad, my gf used to call me ‘this guy’ through text instead of just mentioning me by my name, which I find a little disrespectful, also she cursed me one time, not badly but still. She sometimes when we were together, all 4 of us, her friend was being ignored by my friend, so she always wanted to take my gf away from me so we dont get to sit one next to the other or talk between us,and my gf did just followed her “orders” everytime. And the thing that was the worst for me is that, the day we met, we met randomly through mutual friends on a monday night at my gf house. Prior to that, she and her best friend had a ‘date’’ in the same day but in the morning with 2 boys. My gf did not like the guy she went out with and she didnt want to go out again with him, but her friend wanted to pursue the other guy and pressured my gf to text the guy my gf went out with, to meet again, all 4 of them. So that was before I met her, a few hours before. But after we met, after a couple days, this guy texted my gf to go out again, and the toxic friend told her to day yes, so they can all go out again because the toxic friend wanted to pursue the other guy, but didn’t want to go alone so she insisted on all 4 of them going,and my gf texted him back saying they could go out again sometime, all 4 of them.I do believe her not wantig to because she was not interested in that guy, but her friend pressured her to do it.
And when I pointed out these things to her now she says she is really sorry, and I want to believe that her friend influenced her to do this shit. Because she did the same with her bf(my friend) she treated him like shit.
Now I want to believe her because her friend was really toxic, i cant describe in words but trust me, i got to know her and she was a piece of trash. You could not even talk to her to tell her if something was wrong because she would either start crying or making a big ass scandal. She was horrible to be with.
Fast forward and after about 4 months there was a big scandal between all of us and my gf ditched her best friend for me, cause her friend really didnt like me and told her she spent way too much time with me and not with her. So long story short, she chose me and we are really happy together and things go so well.
And we communicate all the time and we talked about these things, and like I said she is sorry for what she did, but I dont know what to do. Is she really sorry, should I fully trust her from now on? I need some advice please, Thank you for reading and sorry if this was too long.

HIIIII!!! I 21F overthink alot and I was wondering if anyone who is Japanese or have been to japan could look at my virgo moon overthinking and see if I was being delulu or if I fell victim to host club culture. This all took place in a Japanese bar. B-31m Bartender (European) T-20m Waiter boy in question (Japanese) K-ME (Wasian)

first when we got there the first time. He gave me drink recommendations.
Second gave me a phone charger bank without me asking cause he noticed I needed one.
Was the one to set up my birthday stuff, and also asked me my name and when said it in Japanese went “really? That’s cute”
Fourth , he kept checking on me and then gave me another recommendation without me asking. And made the drink himself and gave it to me.
Fifth, he kept coming to talk to me about his time working at usj and then took our picture.
Sixth, he took a shot with me and taught me how to say cheers in the “young adult way”
Seventh, when I was given birthday stuff he was the one to come up to me and tell me to sit. I look over and he is standing behind me with both his arms fully up and going crazy.
he also gave me water immediately after our shot together
Eighth, he then ran to me when he thought we were leaving even though it was sooooo busy.
Ninth, he ran to the elevator to say goodbye to us. The elevator is outside the bar and he left his post to come say bye.
Next day
When I enter he immediately smiles and goes “K!!” And then brushes his hair back so it’s pushed back
Then I sit at the bar , not the tables and he finds every reason to come up to me and try to talk to me. (His post is the tables not the bar)
He gets a coaster from right next to me when he could’ve just gone to the other side of the bar to get it or somewhere else

- He gives me a recommendation again and leans super close and I’m like suaisisisisi

Friend noticed he kept trying to get into my line of sight and talk to me
I was sitting near the close area of the servers and everytime he came over to check the orders he would glance at me and see me and try to talk to me
He told me his favorite drink and tried super hard to talk in English
He told me when he was getting off and wanted to take a shot with me

- got me water without me asking cause he remembered I didn’t like the shot

He said goodbye when he was leaving to just me
when he talked to us he only talked and looked at me
He coughed and I went you ok? In Japanese and he looked over and smiled and went yes yes don’t worry
He gave just me his instagram and immediately after work liked my story
When talking about the servers to B he would come over and try to join the convo.

-We asked B ages of everyone and even though it was busy T came over and suddenly asked us ages. He asked friend one and went ok ok.. skipped my next friend and went “K ???” And I went Oh “21” he was so excited and said “03”??? And I said yes and he was admit that we should be friends because we were the same age. (My other friends were all 03 as well)
-Asked us what we did and kept wanting to see my pictures of me in my kimono.

He kept coming over to the bar and asking B about us.

The kicker is that B told us once T was getting ready to leave, “Do with this information what you will, but T has a girlfriend…”

I Mmmm a Virgo moon so I overthink a lot lol and this is when I realized I would fall victim and have no money at all if host clubs were available to me

Preface: I spent 15 years in a relationship with a narcissist, 13 years married. I have 2 sons from that relationship, ages 15 and 11. A little over 2 years ago I attempted to take my own life to escape the relationship, because of the years of verbal, mental, emotional and occasional SA I suffered at the hands of my now ex husband, who was also having an affair with our next door neighbor. I had tried to leave several times over the years only to be physically cornered in the room, and berated until I agreed to stay, so I thought the only choice I had left was to leave this world.
Now on to the title of this story. My younger son is just like his father. I have had to deal with a lot of self healing over the last couple years. This involved me living in my vehicle, and having to leave my children with their father until I could find stable housing. That is my biggest regret in leaving the way I did. Now I am in a much better place. I have my own home, a supportive partner, a new baby girl, and I'm following my dream of being a cosmetologist. But with that extra time my son spent with his father, his father was able to convince him that the split was his idea, and basically everything I say is a lie. We now have 50/50 custody, but on the weeks I have my boys, my youngest is constantly making snide remarks about how his dad is so lucky to have gotten out of a relationship with me, how much better his "new mom" is (the affair partner) and how I'm just lining about this or that when I try to correct his perception of everything. The most recent thing happened on mother's day. I asked my ex if he could being the kids to my house. I am currently unable to drive due to a leg injury, and my fiance was at his weekly league event, and wouldn't be able to pick them up until afterwards. My ex didn't respond to my text, but called a few hours later for my so. To ask when I was picking them up. I explained to my son that I was hoping his father would bring them to my house, but hadn't replied to me, and reminded him that I was unable to drive to pick him up. He then said "fine I'll just go spend time with the mom who actually wants to be around me," and the he hung up on me. I am exhausted from the little jabs and sideways comments from him, and the feeling like I just have to take the menta abuse from him just because he's my son. I don't want him thinking I don't love him, or don't want to be in his life, but every time he opens his mouth and his father falls out, it puts me right back in that fight, flight or freeze mode that I spent my whole marriage in. I'm at a loss for what to do.

I hope that anyone who follows me in the future doesn’t mind me posting about my random dreams.
Last night I had a dream that my boss hired a new girl. She was freshly 18 and still in high school, plus it was her first job. After her first day we hung out and talked for a bit about her life and why she was working while still in high school. She had been kicked out of her parents house by her stepmom a week ago and was sleeping in her car. She wanted to stay in school and get her diploma so she knew she couldn’t work full time with that goal.
I felt so bad for her and without thinking I told her she can stay with me for free. No catch. I have extra rooms she can pick from and it would be nice to have someone else in the house. She was super happy and grateful. She agreed and I brought her to my house. She setup her room right away, making herself at home while I cooked dinner. After we ate she wanted to relax in bed go to sleep. I told her goodnight and I will drive her to work tomorrow since our shifts will be the same.
Here’s why the dream became memorable lol
As I got the kitchen cleaned up and got ready for bed myself, she came into my room with just a tshirt on and some panties. Btw she is like 5’0” tall, slim body maybe 90lbs. Super pretty, short dirty blonde hair, and a very cute butt. I was shocked. I just stood there and said, “oh hey, what’s up” She said, “you are so nice. We just met and I feel so safe with you. I’ve been so scared sleeping in my car.” She was looking down this whole time while saying this. I walked up to her and held her saying “hey you don’t have to worry anymore. You have a bed and a room in a house again.” She looked up at me with some teary eyes and asked “will you lay with me in my room? You really make me feel so safe.”
The next part of the dream I remember being in her bed. I was just in my underwear, no shirt. I’m the big spoon and my dick is rock hard. I’m really trying not to be a total horny perv but she pushed back on it. Fuck. It felt so good. I grabbed her lil A cup tits and whispered in her ear, “pull your panties down if you want this dick” Side note: My sex dreams usually are weird and don’t really end with much satisfying sex stuff happening.
This dream was different. We had sex like 3 times. I railed her perfect lil body all night like I was never gonna fuck again. It was incredible. I had 3 full orgasms and I fell asleep in the dream. I woke up in my own bed yesterday and thought to myself I can’t wait to spend more time with her… oh wait fuck. It was a dream. No. Dammit. Shit. Haha. It was too good to be true.

I have scoured high and low for all manner of suggestions on dynolod's forums, reddit, specific ini settings and load orders of mods and i cant get my grass to show up to save my life.
What information do you guys need to give me a headsup on what i need to fix or look at?
I have xedit'd my mods, fixed wild edits manually, completed all the autoclean edits, double checked my load order an tried all the suggested ini fixes i could find. I just cant get it to show up. I know i have multiple landdscape and grass modds but i also have a good amount of patches involved as well.
Heres my load order atm with all conflicts resolved that were originally prompted to me through LOOT. All 200+(mods, not conflicts) of them. Wall of text.
1st is the left window of MO2
0 0 Skyrim.esm
1 1 Update.esm
2 2 Dawnguard.esm
3 3 HearthFires.esm
4 4 Dragonborn.esm
5 5 ccasvsse001-almsivi.esm
6 6 ccBGSSSE001-Fish.esm
254 FE 0 ccbgssse002-exoticarrows.esl
254 FE 1 ccbgssse003-zombies.esl
254 FE 2 ccbgssse004-ruinsedge.esl
254 FE 3 ccbgssse005-goldbrand.esl
254 FE 4 ccbgssse006-stendarshammer.esl
254 FE 5 ccbgssse007-chrysamere.esl
254 FE 6 ccbgssse014-spellpack01.esl
254 FE 7 ccbgssse019-staffofsheogorath.esl
254 FE 8 ccbgssse020-graycowl.esl
254 FE 9 ccbgssse021-lordsmail.esl
254 FE a ccmtysse001-knightsofthenine.esl
254 FE b ccQDRSSE001-SurvivalMode.esl
7 7 cctwbsse001-puzzledungeon.esm
8 8 cceejsse001-hstead.esm
254 FE c ccqdrsse002-firewood.esl
254 FE d ccbgssse018-shadowrend.esl
254 FE e ccbgssse035-petnhound.esl
254 FE f ccfsvsse001-backpacks.esl
254 FE 10 cceejsse002-tower.esl
254 FE 11 ccedhsse001-norjewel.esl
254 FE 12 ccvsvsse002-pets.esl
254 FE 13 ccBGSSSE037-Curios.esl
254 FE 14 ccbgssse034-mntuni.esl
254 FE 15 ccbgssse045-hasedoki.esl
254 FE 16 ccbgssse008-wraithguard.esl
254 FE 17 ccbgssse036-petbwolf.esl
254 FE 18 ccffbsse001-imperialdragon.esl
254 FE 19 ccmtysse002-ve.esl
254 FE 1a ccbgssse043-crosselv.esl
254 FE 1b ccvsvsse001-winter.esl
254 FE 1c cceejsse003-hollow.esl
9 9 ccbgssse016-umbra.esm
10 a ccbgssse031-advcyrus.esm
254 FE 1d ccbgssse038-bowofshadows.esl
254 FE 1e ccbgssse040-advobgobs.esl
254 FE 1f ccbgssse050-ba_daedric.esl
254 FE 20 ccbgssse052-ba_iron.esl
254 FE 21 ccbgssse054-ba_orcish.esl
254 FE 22 ccbgssse058-ba_steel.esl
254 FE 23 ccbgssse059-ba_dragonplate.esl
254 FE 24 ccbgssse061-ba_dwarven.esl
254 FE 25 ccpewsse002-armsofchaos.esl
254 FE 26 ccbgssse041-netchleather.esl
254 FE 27 ccedhsse002-splkntset.esl
254 FE 28 ccbgssse063-ba_ebony.esl
254 FE 29 ccbgssse062-ba_dwarvenmail.esl
254 FE 2a ccbgssse060-ba_dragonscale.esl
254 FE 2b ccbgssse056-ba_silver.esl
254 FE 2c ccbgssse055-ba_orcishscaled.esl
254 FE 2d ccbgssse053-ba_leather.esl
254 FE 2e ccbgssse051-ba_daedricmail.esl
254 FE 2f ccbgssse057-ba_stalhrim.esl
254 FE 30 ccbgssse066-staves.esl
11 b ccbgssse067-daedinv.esm
254 FE 31 ccbgssse068-bloodfall.esl
254 FE 32 ccbgssse069-contest.esl
254 FE 33 ccvsvsse003-necroarts.esl
254 FE 34 ccvsvsse004-beafarmer.esl
12 c ccBGSSSE025-AdvDSGS.esm
254 FE 35 ccffbsse002-crossbowpack.esl
254 FE 36 ccbgssse013-dawnfang.esl
254 FE 37 ccrmssse001-necrohouse.esl
254 FE 38 ccedhsse003-redguard.esl
254 FE 39 cceejsse004-hall.esl
13 d cceejsse005-cave.esm
254 FE 3a cckrtsse001_altar.esl
254 FE 3b cccbhsse001-gaunt.esl
14 e ccafdsse001-dwesanctuary.esm
254 FE 3c _ResourcePack.esl
unofficial skyrim creation club content patch.esl
15 f Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch.esp
16 10 RSkyrimChildren.esm
17 11 MajesticMountains_Landscape.esm
18 12 Lanterns Of Skyrim II.esm
19 13 LegacyoftheDragonborn.esm
20 14 3DNPC.esp
21 15 Water for ENB.esm
22 16 Natural Waterfalls.esp
23 17 Obsidian Mountain Fogs.esm
254 FE 3d MajesticMountains_Moss.esp
254 FE 3e AnimatedShips.esl
254 FE 3f ELAF POI - CRF Compatible.esl
254 FE 40 Lux - Master plugin.esm
254 FE 41 Natural Waterfalls - Dawnguard.esp
254 FE 42 Natural Waterfalls - Dragonborn.esp
24 18 AnimatedCarriage.esm
254 FE 43 3DNPC - MM Moss Patch.esp
254 FE 44 Lux - Resources.esp
25 19 Lux Via.esp
26 1a DynDOLOD.esm
EBT - IC PATCH.esp
Water for ENB - Patch - Folkvangr.esp
27 1b SkyUI_SE.esp
254 FE 45 Particle Patch for ENB.esp
28 1c SMIM-SE-Merged-All.esp
29 1d Audio Overhaul Skyrim.esp
30 1e Immersive Sounds - Compendium.esp
254 FE 46 AOS_ISC_Integration.esp
31 1f EnhancedLightsandFX.esp
32 20 Fabled Forests.esp
33 21 Northern Roads.esp
254 FE 47 ELFX Shadows.esp
34 22 Weapons Armor Clothing & Clutter Fixes.esp
35 23 Shadows.esp
36 24 ELFX - Exteriors.esp
254 FE 48 Verdant - A Skyrim Grass Plugin SSE Version.esp
37 25 JKs Skyrim.esp
38 26 Relationship Dialogue Overhaul.esp
39 27 Vinland Grass Patch.esp
40 28 Cutting Room Floor.esp
41 29 AI Overhaul.esp
254 FE 49 Lux Via - plugin.esp
42 2a Civil War Overhaul.esp
43 2b Helgen Reborn.esp
254 FE 4a LoS II - JKs Skyrim patch.esp
44 2c Embers XD.esp
45 2d Immersive Encounters.esp
46 2e Thunderchild - Epic Shout Package.esp
47 2f Hothtrooper44_ArmorCompilation.esp
48 30 Hidden Hideouts of Skyrim - Merged.esp
49 31 Skyrim Flora Overhaul.esp
254 FE 4b MajesticMountains.esp
50 32 CFTO.esp
254 FE 4c man_DaedricShrines.esp
254 FE 4d Stave Churches - All.esp
254 FE 4e JKs Skyrim - AI Overhaul Patch.esp
51 33 Cloaks.esp
254 FE 4f DBM_ISC_Patch.esp
52 34 ZIA_Complete Pack.esp
254 FE 50 DBM_HelgenReborn_Patch.esp
53 35 Clockwork.esp
54 36 Cathedral Landscapes.esp
55 37 waterplants.esp
254 FE 51 WSLightFade.esp
254 FE 52 LoS II - ELFX patch.esp
56 38 Watchtowers of Skyrim.esp
254 FE 53 BetterQuestObjectives.esp
254 FE 54 moretodo.esp
254 FE 55 LoS II - CRF patch.esp
Embers XD - Patch - JKs Skyrim & LOS2 & ELFX Exteriors.esp
57 39 Immersive Patrols II.esp
254 FE 56 CFTO-JK-Patch.esp
58 3a RabbitsOfSkyrim.esp
254 FE 57 DBM_ELFXExteriors_Patch.esp
254 FE 58 DBM_JKSkyrim_Patch.esp
254 FE 59 moretosayfalkreath.esp
254 FE 5a Project ja-Kha'jay- Khajiit Diversity.esp
254 FE 5b JKs Skyrim_Clockwork_Patch.esp
254 FE 5c DBM_CRF_Patch.esp
254 FE 5d Environs - Whiterun Watchtower.esp
254 FE 5e 3DNPC Alternative Locations.esp
59 3b ForgottenCity.esp
254 FE 5f JKs Skyrim_Cutting Room Floor_Patch.esp
254 FE 60 RW08WanderingMerchants.esp
254 FE 61 DIbella's Blessing.esp
254 FE 62 3DNPC - AI Overhaul patch.esp
60 3c The Paarthurnax Dilemma.esp
254 FE 63 LoS II - 3DNPC addon.esp
254 FE 64 CFTO_Bittercup_JKs_Skyrim_Patch.esp
254 FE 65 moretosayrorikstead.esp
254 FE 66 Embers XD - Patch - Lux Via.esp
61 3d PAN_NPCs_Males.esp
62 3e PAN_NPCs_Males2.esp
254 FE 67 Sons of Nirn - Whiterun.esp
254 FE 68 AI Overhaul - Cutting Room Floor Patch.esp
254 FE 69 CFTO-Lanterns.esp
254 FE 6a ACLine_Whiterun.esp
254 FE 6b Animated Carriage Additional Route.esp
254 FE 6c Animated Carriage Additional Route 0.esp
254 FE 6d CFTO-CoveredCarriages.esp
254 FE 6e moretosaywhiterun.esp
254 FE 6f LoS II - SMIM patch.esp
254 FE 70 moretosayriverwood.esp
254 FE 71 moretosayshorsstone.esp
254 FE 72 LoS II - USSEP patch.esp
254 FE 73 JKs Skyrim_Thunderchild_Patch.esp
254 FE 74 DBM_ZimsThaneWeapons_Patch.esp
254 FE 75 DBM_CloaksofSkyrim_Patch.esp
254 FE 76 DBM_Clockwork_Patch.esp
63 3f Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim.esp
64 40 dD - Enhanced Blood Main.esp
254 FE 77 SnowOverSkyrim.esp
254 FE 78 MCMHelper.esp
65 41 RaceMenu.esp
66 42 XPMSE.esp
254 FE 79 CBBE.esp
67 43 RaceMenuPlugin.esp
68 44 RaceMenuMorphsCBBE.esp
69 45 AmazingFollowerTweaks.esp
70 46 Cathedral Weathers.esp
71 47 RDO - AFT v1.66 Patch.esp
72 48 RDO - CRF + USSEP Patch.esp
RDO - USSEP Patch.esp
254 FE 7a Cathedral Weathers - Patch - Rudy ENB.esp
254 FE 7b NightEyeENBFix.esp
73 49 Hothtrooper44_Armor_Ecksstra.esp
74 4a KS Hairdo's.esp
75 4b Cloaks - USSEP Patch.esp
76 4c Cloaks - Dawnguard.esp
77 4d RSChildren.esp
78 4e BarenziahQuestMarkers.esp
79 4f UnreadBooksGlow.esp
254 FE 7c AOS_EBT Patch.esp
254 FE 7d 3DNPC - CRF Patch.esp
254 FE 7e 3DNPC0.esp
254 FE 7f 3DNPC1.esp
80 50 RUSTIC SOULGEMS - Sorted.esp
254 FE 80 Cloaks_WACCF_Patch.esp
81 51 1nivWICCloaks.esp
254 FE 81 Skoglendi - A Grass Mod.esp
82 52 FloraOrientalis.esp
254 FE 82 Water for ENB - Patch - ELFX Shadows.esp
83 53 Cathedral - Water.esp
254 FE 83 NW Water Add On.esp
84 54 Extended Encounters.esp
85 55 Radiance.esp
254 FE 84 Patch- CRF + Wandering Merchants.esp
254 FE 85 JKJ - AI Overhaul Patch.esp
254 FE 86 JKJ - USSEP Patch.esp
254 FE 87 Immersive Death Cycle.esp
254 FE 88 moretosaycityguards.esp
254 FE 89 guardencounters.esp
254 FE 8a moretosaygeneric.esp
254 FE 8b moretosaykarthwasten.esp
254 FE 8c moretosayriften.esp
254 FE 8d moretosaywinterhold.esp
254 FE 8e mtsfollowerbanter.esp
254 FE 8f priestsgrantblessings.esp
254 FE 90 secretofrorikstead.esp
254 FE 91 Shaders of Solstheim.esp
86 56 Fluffworks.esp
254 FE 92 Skyrim Snow Dogs.esp
254 FE 93 Bears of the North.esp
87 57 StormLightning.esp
88 58 ENB Light.esp
254 FE 94 ELFX Shadow - ELFX Exteriors Patch.esp
254 FE 95 Lux Via - Blended Roads Bridges Texture sets.esp
254 FE 96 Embers XD - Patch - Goldenhills Plantation.esp
254 FE 97 Embers XD - Patch - ELFX.esp
254 FE 98 Embers XD - Fire Magick Add-On.esp
254 FE 99 BetterQuestObjectives-CRFPatch.esp
254 FE 9a BetterQuestObjectives-DBForevertoMisc.esp
254 FE 9b BetterQuestObjectives-PaarDilemmaPatch.esp
254 FE 9c BetterQuestObjectives-AFTPatch.esp
254 FE 9d BetterQuestObjectives - LOTD Patch.esp
254 FE 9e DBM_ELFX_Patch.esp
254 FE 9f DBM_ForgottenCity_Patch.esp
254 FE a0 DBM_IA_Patch.esp
254 FE a1 DBM_RSChildren_Patch.esp
254 FE a2 DBM_SMIM_Patch.esp
254 FE a3 DBM_UnreadBooksGlow_Patch.esp
254 FE a4 CC-FearsomeFists_WACCF_Patch.esp
254 FE a5 WACCF_Survival Mode_Patch.esp
254 FE a6 DBM_WACCF_Patch.esp
FNIS.esp
FNISspells.esp
254 FE a7 RS Children - AI Overhaul AE edition Patch.esp
254 FE a8 RSC Forgotten City Patch.esp
254 FE a9 AI Overhaul - Relationship Dialogue Overhaul Patch.esp
254 FE aa RSC 3DNPC Patch.esp
254 FE ab RSC CRF Patch.esp
254 FE ac RSChildren + AI Overhaul Patch.esp
254 FE ad CFTO_fix.esp
254 FE ae CC-Fishing_WACCF_Patch.esp
254 FE af CC-NecromanticGrimoire_WACCF_Patch.esp
254 FE b0 ZimsImmersiveArtifacts_WACCF_Patch.esp
254 FE b1 CuttingRoomFloor_WACCF_Patch.esp
254 FE b2 Hothtrooper44_ArmorCompilation_WACCF_Patch.esp
254 FE b3 RSChildren_WACCF_Patch.esp
254 FE b4 Immersive Encounters - RS Children Patch.esp
254 FE b5 CWOLeveled.esp
254 FE b6 DBM_CoSRetexture_Patch.esp
254 FE b7 LoS II - LotD patch.esp
254 FE b8 GDOS - Glorious Solitude Door - Rotation Fix.esp
254 FE b9 GDOS - Splendid Mechanized Dwemer Door.esp
89 59 FasterMiningPlusSE.esp
254 FE ba SMIM Fixes.esp
254 FE bb LoS II - HelgenReborn patch.esp
Embers XD - Patch - ENB Light.esp
90 5a Ordinator - Perks of Skyrim.esp
91 5b Apocalypse - Ordinator Compatibility Patch.esp
254 FE bc Ordinator_WACCF_Patch.esp
92 5c Alternate Start - Live Another Life.esp
254 FE bd BetterQuestObjectives-AlternateStartPatch.esp
254 FE be Alternate Start - Live Another Life_WACCF_Patch.esp
93 5d Water for ENB (Shades of Skyrim).esp
254 FE bf Water for ENB - Patch - Rudy ENB.esp
254 FE c0 Natural Waterfalls - Water for ENB Patch (Shades of Skyrim).esp
94 5e Lux.esp
254 FE c1 Lux - 3DNPC patch.esp
254 FE c2 Lux - Legacy of the Dragonborn patch.esp
254 FE c3 Lux - USSEP patch.esp
254 FE c4 Lux - 3DNPC Alternate Start patch.esp
254 FE c5 Lux - AOS Cathedral Weathers Compatibility Patch.esp
254 FE c6 Lux - Bittercup Patch.esp
254 FE c7 Lux - Bloodchill Manor patch.esp
254 FE c8 Lux - CC Fish patch.esp
254 FE c9 Lux - Cuting Room Floor.esp
254 FE ca Lux - Dawnfang CC.esp
254 FE cb Lux - Dead Mans Dread Patch.esp
254 FE cc Lux - Elite Crossbows.esp
254 FE cd Lux - Water for ENB patch.esp
254 FE ce Lux - Embers XD patch.esp
254 FE cf Lux - Farmer patch.esp
254 FE d0 Lux - Forgotten City.esp
254 FE d1 Lux - Forgotten Seasons.esp
254 FE d2 Lux - Ghosts of the Tribunal CC.esp
254 FE d3 Lux - Goblins CC.esp
254 FE d4 Lux - Goldbrand CC.esp
254 FE d5 Lux - Hendraheim patch.esp
254 FE d6 Lux - Hidden Hideouts of Skyrim patch.esp
254 FE d7 Lux - JK's Skyrim.esp
254 FE d8 Lux - Live Another Life patch.esp
254 FE d9 Lux - Nchuanthumz Dwarven Home patch.esp
254 FE da Lux - Necrohouse patch.esp
254 FE db Lux - Pets of Skyrim CC.esp
254 FE dc Lux - Saints and Seducers patch.esp
254 FE dd Lux - Shadowfoot Sanctum patch.esp
254 FE de Lux - Staff of Hasedoki CC.esp
254 FE df Lux - The Cause patch.esp
254 FE e0 Lux - Tundra Homestead patch.esp
254 FE e1 Lux - Umbra CC.esp
254 FE e2 Lux - Vigil Enforcer CC.esp
254 FE e3 Lux - Watchtowers of Skyrim patch.esp
254 FE e4 Lux - Water for ENB (Shades of skyrim) patch.esp
254 FE e5 Lux - Clockwork.esp
Lux - Brighter interior nights.esp
Lux - HelgenReborn.esp
Lux - Brighter Templates.esp
95 5f DynDOLOD.esp
254 FE e6 Occlusion.esp
Which INI do you guys need that i can provide? I have a bunch of them. prefs, config, skyrim, texgen, dyynolod, enb, enblocal, enbseires...so many of them.
Now its the right window of MO2
1nivWICCloaks.esp
3DNPC - AI Overhaul patch.esp
3DNPC - CRF Patch.esp
3DNPC - MM Moss Patch.esp
3DNPC Alternative Locations.esp
3DNPC.esp
3DNPC0.esp
3DNPC1.esp
_ResourcePack.esl
ACLine_Whiterun.esp
AI Overhaul - Cutting Room Floor Patch.esp
AI Overhaul - Relationship Dialogue Overhaul Patch.esp
AI Overhaul.esp
Alternate Start - Live Another Life.esp
Alternate Start - Live Another Life_WACCF_Patch.esp
AmazingFollowerTweaks.esp
Animated Carriage Additional Route 0.esp
Animated Carriage Additional Route.esp
AnimatedCarriage.esm
AnimatedShips.esl
AOS_EBT Patch.esp
AOS_ISC_Integration.esp
Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim.esp
Apocalypse - Ordinator Compatibility Patch.esp
Audio Overhaul Skyrim.esp
BarenziahQuestMarkers.esp
Bears of the North.esp
BetterQuestObjectives - LOTD Patch.esp
BetterQuestObjectives-AFTPatch.esp
BetterQuestObjectives-AlternateStartPatch.esp
BetterQuestObjectives-CRFPatch.esp
BetterQuestObjectives-DBForevertoMisc.esp
BetterQuestObjectives-PaarDilemmaPatch.esp
BetterQuestObjectives.esp
Cathedral - Water.esp
Cathedral Landscapes.esp
Cathedral Weathers - Patch - Rudy ENB.esp
Cathedral Weathers.esp
CBBE.esp
CC-FearsomeFists_WACCF_Patch.esp
CC-Fishing_WACCF_Patch.esp
CC-NecromanticGrimoire_WACCF_Patch.esp
ccafdsse001-dwesanctuary.esm
ccasvsse001-almsivi.esm
ccBGSSSE001-Fish.esm
ccbgssse002-exoticarrows.esl
ccbgssse003-zombies.esl
ccbgssse004-ruinsedge.esl
ccbgssse005-goldbrand.esl
ccbgssse006-stendarshammer.esl
ccbgssse007-chrysamere.esl
ccbgssse008-wraithguard.esl
ccbgssse013-dawnfang.esl
ccbgssse014-spellpack01.esl
ccbgssse016-umbra.esm
ccbgssse018-shadowrend.esl
ccbgssse019-staffofsheogorath.esl
ccbgssse020-graycowl.esl
ccbgssse021-lordsmail.esl
ccBGSSSE025-AdvDSGS.esm
ccbgssse031-advcyrus.esm
ccbgssse034-mntuni.esl
ccbgssse035-petnhound.esl
ccbgssse036-petbwolf.esl
ccBGSSSE037-Curios.esl
ccbgssse038-bowofshadows.esl
ccbgssse040-advobgobs.esl
ccbgssse041-netchleather.esl
ccbgssse043-crosselv.esl
ccbgssse045-hasedoki.esl
ccbgssse050-ba_daedric.esl
ccbgssse051-ba_daedricmail.esl
ccbgssse052-ba_iron.esl
ccbgssse053-ba_leather.esl
ccbgssse054-ba_orcish.esl
ccbgssse055-ba_orcishscaled.esl
ccbgssse056-ba_silver.esl
ccbgssse057-ba_stalhrim.esl
ccbgssse058-ba_steel.esl
ccbgssse059-ba_dragonplate.esl
ccbgssse060-ba_dragonscale.esl
ccbgssse061-ba_dwarven.esl
ccbgssse062-ba_dwarvenmail.esl
ccbgssse063-ba_ebony.esl
ccbgssse066-staves.esl
ccbgssse067-daedinv.esm
ccbgssse068-bloodfall.esl
ccbgssse069-contest.esl
cccbhsse001-gaunt.esl
ccedhsse001-norjewel.esl
ccedhsse002-splkntset.esl
ccedhsse003-redguard.esl
cceejsse001-hstead.esm
cceejsse002-tower.esl
cceejsse003-hollow.esl
cceejsse004-hall.esl
cceejsse005-cave.esm
ccffbsse001-imperialdragon.esl
ccffbsse002-crossbowpack.esl
ccfsvsse001-backpacks.esl
cckrtsse001_altar.esl
ccmtysse001-knightsofthenine.esl
ccmtysse002-ve.esl
ccpewsse002-armsofchaos.esl
ccQDRSSE001-SurvivalMode.esl
ccqdrsse002-firewood.esl
ccrmssse001-necrohouse.esl
cctwbsse001-puzzledungeon.esm
ccvsvsse001-winter.esl
ccvsvsse002-pets.esl
ccvsvsse003-necroarts.esl
ccvsvsse004-beafarmer.esl
CFTO-CoveredCarriages.esp
CFTO-JK-Patch.esp
CFTO-Lanterns.esp
CFTO.esp
CFTO_Bittercup_JKs_Skyrim_Patch.esp
CFTO_fix.esp
Civil War Overhaul.esp
Cloaks - Dawnguard.esp
Cloaks - USSEP Patch.esp
Cloaks.esp
Cloaks_WACCF_Patch.esp
Clockwork.esp
Cutting Room Floor.esp
CuttingRoomFloor_WACCF_Patch.esp
CWOLeveled.esp
Dawnguard.esm
DBM_CloaksofSkyrim_Patch.esp
DBM_Clockwork_Patch.esp
DBM_CoSRetexture_Patch.esp
DBM_CRF_Patch.esp
DBM_ELFX_Patch.esp
DBM_ELFXExteriors_Patch.esp
DBM_ForgottenCity_Patch.esp
DBM_HelgenReborn_Patch.esp
DBM_IA_Patch.esp
DBM_ISC_Patch.esp
DBM_JKSkyrim_Patch.esp
DBM_RSChildren_Patch.esp
DBM_SMIM_Patch.esp
DBM_UnreadBooksGlow_Patch.esp
DBM_WACCF_Patch.esp
DBM_ZimsThaneWeapons_Patch.esp
dD - Enhanced Blood Main.esp
DIbella's Blessing.esp
Dragonborn.esm
DynDOLOD.esm
DynDOLOD.esp
EBT - IC PATCH.esp **NOT ENABLED**
ELAF POI - CRF Compatible.esl
ELFX - Exteriors.esp
ELFX Shadow - ELFX Exteriors Patch.esp
ELFX Shadows.esp
Embers XD - Fire Magick Add-On.esp
Embers XD - Patch - ELFX.esp
Embers XD - Patch - ENB Light.esp **NOT ENABLED**
Embers XD - Patch - Goldenhills Plantation.esp
Embers XD - Patch - JKs Skyrim & LOS2 & ELFX Exteriors.esp
Embers XD - Patch - Lux Via.esp
Embers XD.esp
ENB Light.esp
EnhancedLightsandFX.esp
Environs - Whiterun Watchtower.esp
Extended Encounters.esp
Fabled Forests.esp
FasterMiningPlusSE.esp
FloraOrientalis.esp
Fluffworks.esp
FNIS.esp **NOT ENABLED
FNISspells.esp **NOT ENABLE**
ForgottenCity.esp
GDOS - Glorious Solitude Door - Rotation Fix.esp
GDOS - Splendid Mechanized Dwemer Door.esp
guardencounters.esp
HearthFires.esm
Helgen Reborn.esp
Hidden Hideouts of Skyrim - Merged.esp
Hothtrooper44_Armor_Ecksstra.esp
Hothtrooper44_ArmorCompilation.esp
Hothtrooper44_ArmorCompilation_WACCF_Patch.esp
Immersive Death Cycle.esp
Immersive Encounters - RS Children Patch.esp
Immersive Encounters.esp
Immersive Patrols II.esp
Immersive Sounds - Compendium.esp
JKJ - AI Overhaul Patch.esp
JKJ - USSEP Patch.esp
JKs Skyrim - AI Overhaul Patch.esp
JKs Skyrim.esp
JKs Skyrim_Clockwork_Patch.esp
JKs Skyrim_Cutting Room Floor_Patch.esp
JKs Skyrim_Thunderchild_Patch.esp
KS Hairdo's.esp
Lanterns Of Skyrim II.esm
LegacyoftheDragonborn.esm
LoS II - 3DNPC addon.esp
LoS II - CRF patch.esp
LoS II - ELFX patch.esp
LoS II - HelgenReborn patch.esp
LoS II - JKs Skyrim patch.esp
LoS II - LotD patch.esp
LoS II - SMIM patch.esp
LoS II - USSEP patch.esp
Lux - 3DNPC Alternate Start patch.esp
Lux - 3DNPC patch.esp
Lux - AOS Cathedral Weathers Compatibility Patch.esp
Lux - Bittercup Patch.esp
Lux - Bloodchill Manor patch.esp
Lux - Brighter interior nights.esp **NOT ENABLED*
Lux - Brighter Templates.esp **NOT ENABLE**
Lux - CC Fish patch.esp
Lux - Clockwork.esp
Lux - Cuting Room Floor.esp
Lux - Dawnfang CC.esp
Lux - Dead Mans Dread Patch.esp
Lux - Elite Crossbows.esp
Lux - Embers XD patch.esp
Lux - Farmer patch.esp
Lux - Forgotten City.esp
Lux - Forgotten Seasons.esp
Lux - Ghosts of the Tribunal CC.esp
Lux - Goblins CC.esp
Lux - Goldbrand CC.esp
Lux - HelgenReborn.esp **NOT ENABLED**
Lux - Hendraheim patch.esp
Lux - Hidden Hideouts of Skyrim patch.esp
Lux - JK's Skyrim.esp
Lux - Legacy of the Dragonborn patch.esp
Lux - Live Another Life patch.esp
Lux - Master plugin.esm
Lux - Nchuanthumz Dwarven Home patch.esp
Lux - Necrohouse patch.esp
Lux - Pets of Skyrim CC.esp
Lux - Resources.esp
Lux - Saints and Seducers patch.esp
Lux - Shadowfoot Sanctum patch.esp
Lux - Staff of Hasedoki CC.esp
Lux - The Cause patch.esp
Lux - Tundra Homestead patch.esp
Lux - Umbra CC.esp
Lux - USSEP patch.esp
Lux - Vigil Enforcer CC.esp
Lux - Watchtowers of Skyrim patch.esp
Lux - Water for ENB (Shades of skyrim) patch.esp
Lux - Water for ENB patch.esp
Lux Via - Blended Roads Bridges Texture sets.esp
Lux Via - plugin.esp
Lux Via.esp
Lux.esp
MajesticMountains.esp
MajesticMountains_Landscape.esm
MajesticMountains_Moss.esp
man_DaedricShrines.esp
MCMHelper.esp
moretodo.esp
moretosaycityguards.esp
moretosayfalkreath.esp
moretosaygeneric.esp
moretosaykarthwasten.esp
moretosayriften.esp
moretosayriverwood.esp
moretosayrorikstead.esp
moretosayshorsstone.esp
moretosaywhiterun.esp
moretosaywinterhold.esp
mtsfollowerbanter.esp
Natural Waterfalls - Dawnguard.esp
Natural Waterfalls - Dragonborn.esp
Natural Waterfalls - Water for ENB Patch (Shades of Skyrim).esp
Natural Waterfalls.esp
NightEyeENBFix.esp
Northern Roads.esp
NW Water Add On.esp
Obsidian Mountain Fogs.esm
Occlusion.esp
Ordinator - Perks of Skyrim.esp
Ordinator_WACCF_Patch.esp
PAN_NPCs_Males.esp
PAN_NPCs_Males2.esp
Particle Patch for ENB.esp
Patch- CRF + Wandering Merchants.esp
priestsgrantblessings.esp
Project ja-Kha'jay- Khajiit Diversity.esp
RabbitsOfSkyrim.esp
RaceMenu.esp
RaceMenuMorphsCBBE.esp
RaceMenuPlugin.esp
Radiance.esp
RDO - AFT v1.66 Patch.esp
RDO - CRF + USSEP Patch.esp
RDO - USSEP Patch.esp **NOT ENABLED**
Relationship Dialogue Overhaul.esp
RS Children - AI Overhaul AE edition Patch.esp
RSC 3DNPC Patch.esp
RSC CRF Patch.esp
RSC Forgotten City Patch.esp
RSChildren + AI Overhaul Patch.esp
RSChildren.esp
RSChildren_WACCF_Patch.esp
RSkyrimChildren.esm
RUSTIC SOULGEMS - Sorted.esp
RW08WanderingMerchants.esp
secretofrorikstead.esp
Shaders of Solstheim.esp
Shadows.esp
Skoglendi - A Grass Mod.esp
Skyrim Flora Overhaul.esp
Skyrim Snow Dogs.esp
Skyrim.esm
SkyUI_SE.esp
SMIM Fixes.esp
SMIM-SE-Merged-All.esp
SnowOverSkyrim.esp
Sons of Nirn - Whiterun.esp
Stave Churches - All.esp
StormLightning.esp
The Paarthurnax Dilemma.esp
Thunderchild - Epic Shout Package.esp
unofficial skyrim creation club content patch.esl **NOT ENABLED**
Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch.esp
UnreadBooksGlow.esp
Update.esm
Verdant - A Skyrim Grass Plugin SSE Version.esp
Vinland Grass Patch.esp
WACCF_Survival Mode_Patch.esp
Watchtowers of Skyrim.esp
Water for ENB (Shades of Skyrim).esp
Water for ENB - Patch - ELFX Shadows.esp
Water for ENB - Patch - Folkvangr.esp **NOT ENABLED**
Water for ENB - Patch - Rudy ENB.esp
Water for ENB.esm
waterplants.esp
Weapons Armor Clothing & Clutter Fixes.esp
WSLightFade.esp
XPMSE.esp
ZIA_Complete Pack.esp
ZimsImmersiveArtifacts_WACCF_Patch.esp

I looked through the sub rules, and I'm really hoping this doesn't break any of them. (I originally tried posting with a throwaway so my gf didn't see this post, but it got blocked by spam filters, so now I'm just praying she doesn't see this...)
I am a queer non-binary human living in Canada who knows nothing about gamedev, but who absolutely loves their girlfriend who does nothing but play video games all day every day. (For the record, I also play video games, but less religiously.) I've been with my girlfriend for about five years, and have been wanting to propose for four of those years. That being said, I've been dreaming of proposing to a girl since I was a little queer kid, and always knew I wanted it to be a really thoughtful and intentional gesture, so this leads me here.
Since 2019, I've had the idea that I want to propose with a custom video game (for PC) that she could play (picture me walking into her room and saying: "babe! i found this really cute video game that i think you'd like!", showing it to her and then telling her she should play it on her computer while i watch), that wouldn't last more than 20-30 minutes, that ends with her character in the game getting proposed to.
I have a few cute concepts for stories that I think could work pretty well, which I could share more info about at some point with y'all if there's interest. I'd like the vibe to be inspired by games we both like: I really love games like Unpacking, Dicey Dungeons, and Stardew Valley, while she's a fan of a huge range of games but some of her recent faves include a text-based cyberpunk roleplaying game that she won't tell me the name of, and Cult of Lamb.
Anyways, I have spent some time researching to figure out if I could do this myself, but I don't think that's likely... I'm willing to spend some money on hiring someone to help do the gamedev part, but I have folks who would be able to help with the illustration and writing for the game. Ideally, if I'm going to pay for it, I'd rather work with a queer or trans game developer, but I'd be good to work with anybody who might just have a big heart for two gays in love.
With that in mind, I have a few questions for reddit:

How much money should I expect to pay someone to make a 15-20 minute video game?
What kind of timeline is realistic for someone who might be working on a gamedev project like this on a very part-time capacity?
Are there any helpful storyboarding (or other??) tools that might help me flesh out the story a bit more?
Where could be some good places for me to seek out someone who might be willing to help me?

Normally you'd never catch me on here. This being my very first post after using Reddit for many years. So here goes nothing and I'll keep it short.
Hi, I'm a 26 year old from Florida who is your A-Typical mans man. I've always been called older than I am and constantly try to understand the world and the people around me better and improve myself.
I work in an armed capacity and see the highs and lows of society most every day. I am 6'5 and weigh 285lbs but I'm trying to cut to around 275, my ideal weight. I used to do powerlifting and I love heavy weights, it's a weird obsession for me. Man things, pick things up, put things down lol.
I considered myself open minded and patient with people. I'm a good public speaker and I stand my ground on things I feel I must protect. My job requires it, but I've always been that way.
What Im looking for, I likely won't find, but I'm very willing to give it a shot. I want a girl who's 19-27, preferably white but I'm open to anything, petite in size, kind, considerate and wants to really work towards a future for herself. I'm a big dude and I like smaller girls, fun to lift you up and all that. If you think you're cute, I'll likely find you adorable. You don't have to be anything but you.
I enjoy video games when I'm not working and if you do too, that's a huge bonus. I'm the romantic guy who will surprise you with random trips to get ice cream or take you shopping on a whim. My version of adventure is hopping in my car, picking a direction and just driving for fun. Life is too short to waste happiness or time and that's exactly why I'm here.
If you give me you, I'll give you the world.
I'm willing to make accomodations and work things out for my relationship so it results in the best it can be. I give my all, and tend to protect and fight for things I love and believe in.
Honesty, loyalty, strength and in all, honor. Those are my most sacred values.
This is Reddit after all, and this is just a wall of text, so if any of this resonates with you and you think there might be something to let flourish between us, message me on here and we'll talk and hopefully move off the platform to understand each other better. I am an open book, with nothing to hide.
Everything should happen naturally, be it fast or slow, whatever is right, is right. I hope you're out there and I hope I can make you the happiest girl in the world.

L

I've (18F) met this guy (19M) on Tinder about 3 weeks ago. He reached out to me first and we had a great talk so we started texting each other on Instagram. He often says I'm beautiful, a great person, etc. We are planning a date (it'd probably happen already, but he has finals rn) and he often talks about us finally meeting. I really like him, I think he's a great, handsome guy. But I've noticed that I'm the one who texts first almost every day. 2 days ago I texted him 'Goodnight' and he only liked the text. I've found it a bit humiliating, so in the morning I didn't text him which led to us not texting each other at all that day. I don't know what to do now, I want to text him, but I don't want to seem desperate.
I've talked to a friend about this and he said he probably just doesn't want to impose himself or he's too shy. But I don't think that's the case, because he never seemed to be that kind of a person (although I barely know him). What could be the reason? Should I text him?
I hope it's understandable, English isn't my first language:)

so basically I, (F19) have a history of men, its not something im proud of, i just tend to make shitty decisions when im under the influence of many things like alcohol or horniness. while im not saint, when i want to lock in, i do. i was in a year long relationship with a man and it went great but bec of some issues we broke up, no cheating involved.
recently, I have been going out a lot and meeting a lot of people including men. I met a guy who happens to own and host parties/clubs. I knew what I was getting into at first, but I wasn't thinking much of it i was just h0rby. After the first time we hooked up, I told myself never again because after we finished i saw his sheets were stained of cum not mine. I ghosted him for a bit, but then my demon came out again. And I saw him today. we had a lot of sex and cuddled naked and were sleeping on and off. While we were laying in bed together, I asked him what he wants to do with his life. And if he plans on And if he plans on just fucking bitches. his answers pleased me and he seemed shocked that a girl he was just hooking up w actually cared.
The thing about me is im a lover girl deep down. i just have some under lying issues that im working on. but i yearn for human connection.
shortly after our conversation, he asked if he could put a baby in me...point is our entire hang out was full of remarks saying that he wanted me to stop being a thot. We went and got food, and I ate with him and his little sisters together. he asked me what i was doing tmr and we made plans, there was a point where he said that his friends might go to our plans and I was like whyyy and he said you have to get along with my boys. It wasn't until minutes later I realize what he had said and I was like "wait why do I have to get along with your boys".. he smirked and i was like you want meeee and he said i want uu to stfu. we get to my house and he grabs my hand and kisses it and weve been texting since i got home. i told him i don't wanna fuck tmr and i said do u still wanna see me? he replied yes, then i went for a long shot and said we could go on a date. he seemed hesitant, but he agreed. then i texted him to figure it out im going to sleep gn. he said to spell it out and that ill see him tmr.
a couple questions: am i being delusional or does he want me for more than sex? if yes, what do i do? I feel like it would be hypocritical to say I can't cuff him because of his past. HELP

Previous entry: https://www.reddit.com/buffy/comments/1cpqgdq/rewatchers_diary_season_2_episodes_5_to_7/
On today's menu: The Dark Age (2x8) and What's My Line (2x9-2x10).
Quick thoughts: The Dark Age is fine, What's My Line is part of why BTVS is great.
The Dark Age
Summary: Giles' dark past comes back to haunt him. It ends up hurting Jenny and distancing her from him.
This was fine. I didn't quite have the greatness which BTVS is capable of, but it was fine.
Random thoughts in a random order:

In this episode we have the line "three down, two to go". In the next one we'll have "one down, one gone", and I think in the previous episode—Lie To Me (2x7)—there was also some take on "N down, M to go". These phrases always make me think of Willow's "one down" line in Villains (6x20), and the title of the next episode, Two to Go (6x21).
Ooh, more Ethan! Ethan is great!
I used to be a teenager, but it's a while ago. I liked Buffy's line near the end, which I'll inadvertently paraphrase: "I used to think of you as a grown-up [i.e. distant], now I discovered you're a person [i.e. relatable]". I think I must have forgotten the teen perspective and just how big the gap feels. The ages in my current friendship circles spans four decades. The scoobies at some point refer to Giles as "their grown-up friend". Huh, I guess I'm someone's grown-up friend, and my life feels less weird than the show is made to look on that occasion. Oh well, we have a shared recreational activity in real life, so the friendship that spans a big age range is genuine; affectionate as it is, Giles and the scoobies have more of a working relationship than a friendship. (In my book Giles hasn't fully stepped into the surrogate father role yet.)
I guess I should talk about how this is a cautionary tale to young people about bad decisions in one's youth having the capacity to exact a price later in life. Uhm. It is.
Hey, the morgue where Phillip (Deirdre's victim / transfer target) rises from the apparently-dead, is that the same morgue we saw in Never Kill a Boy on the First Date (1x5)? It kinda' looks like it.
Yay for Willow being assertive towards Xander and Cordelia, "[either get to work, or] get the hell out of my library!"
Poor Giles, having to once again face the fact that his actions got one of his friends killed, and now having to consider the fact that they may also get his love interest killed.
Hey, does this feed thematically into the the way Buffy feels responsible for, in some sense, killing Angel (and making Angelus replacing him) in Surprise (2x13)? I think it might.
Ooh: in this episode Angel saves Jenny. In Passion (2x17) Angel kills Jenny. (Yes, okay, Angelus.)
Giles' irresponsible decisions almost got Jenny killed. Buffy's irresponsible decisions—unleashing Angelus—actually got Jenny killed.

What's My Line
Summary: Career day at school. The next slayer, Kendra, has a short enemies-to-rivals-to-friends with Buffy. Drusilla is restored while Spike is injured during the attempted escape, and Angel is injured during Drusilla's restoration ritual.
Oh boy, this is great. Random thoughts in a random order:

Ooh, more Terminator references! Buffy is targeted for termination by (a) someone disguised as a police officer; and (b) a shapeshifting creature made of liquid ~~metal~~ maggots.
Buffy is already doing uh supernatural community policing, so her as a police officer makes sense. I've not read the comics but I've heard she actually becomes a LEO. Her future as a LEO doesn't get much screen time, but I was still surprised by how much.
But her actual career right now is being the Slayer, and Kendra shows Buffy how to do it by the book™.
In that light, it's interesting that Buffy's determination increases a notch when she realizes it's personal: "no one messes with my boyfriend!"
Willy! Ooooh I like Willy the slime ball.
He suggests Buffy and Kendra might do "art photography, but naked". Buffy is 16 which is less than 18. Given SMG's age and look, Willy might have overestimated Buffy's age—but still, if such photography happened it would legally be ch*ld p*rn. I recall Buffy dismissing Willy with a disgusted face. I'm not sure how I feel about the show not commenting more strongly on this.
On a lighter note (maybe), there was such a wonderful scene with Spike holding Drusilla in his arms and the two dancing after Spike talking about dancing on the slayer's grave. In Crush (5x14) Spike would happily dance with Buffy on Drusilla's grave. Between The Gift (5x22) and Bargaining (6x1-6x2), Spike is deeply troubled by the slayer having a grave. Oh how the tables will turn. And I guess in Chosen (7x22) Buffy is... not dancing, but definitely feeling a sense of relief, while standing atop the place where Spike is buried (the whole in the ground that used to be Sunnydale).
Spike and Drusilla is an incredibly sexy couple. May I join in, please?
Oz and Willow, while not yet a couple, are so cute together.
Xander and Cordelia kiss. They are sooo awkward together.
Buffy touching and kissing Angel in vamp face at the skating rink: the music makes it appear all romantic and stuff, suggesting that she's mature enough to see the man hiding below the monster's exterior. But really—I think—she's too blinded by hormones to notice the monster and the monstrous pile of red flags.
Speaking of which, "We have this thing at school / Career day? / How do you know? / I lurk", that came across as somewhat stalker-like behavior to me. When Buffy tries to read Angel's mind in Earshot (3x18) out of jealousy, Angel says "[just ask]". Why doesn't Angel just ask what's going on in Buffy's life, then?
Drusilla has been wearing her white dress the whole time, which I associate with purity and innocence. When at the end she's restored to her full strength and thus capacity for evil she's wearing all black. A nice contrast.
Drusilla's white dress makes me think of a bridal gown. I think there ought to be some joke about a vampire couple staying together "till death do you part", but I haven't quite nailed it yet.

Updated episode tier list:

S-tier: 7
A-tier: 9 10
B-tier: 3 6 > 1
C-tier: 8 > 5
D-tier: 2 4

As many people know, the 2nd Tumbleton was a giant mess of material that is nearing fanfiction levels of writing favoring the Blacks, but I wanted to break down some things that really irk or make my brain hurt thinking over them as I am re-reading the text. Hope I can make a few people laugh also, tried my best.
The battle starts in the black of night, where Addam arrives with his army of spawned in men that we are told he convinced to join him through talk-no-jutsu. We are told Addam set afire hundreds of tents full of men asleep. He then set his flames onto the town of Tumbleton, we are told the few shops, homes and Septs that were spared in the sack were engulfed in dragonfire by Addam. The book completely just glosses over how this kid just nuked a town for no reason after spending pages describing how awful the greens were for doing the same thing, anyway lol.
Ulf was knocked into a coma dream, that we are to assume he was put in by Benjicot's sharingan, nothing could wake him up. Hugh made his way to the stables, while waiting for his men to get his armor, Jon Roxton kills him to make sure he can't mount his dragon and kill Addam?????? Roxton really got hit hard by George with the brainless juice here because you can't put 2 and 2 together that maybe killing a valuable rider in the midst of an ambush is a really bad idea.
We are then told next that Daeron was killed by either two randoms or his tent. His dragon never even attempted to acknowledge its rider's death or the danger he was in. Tessarion kinda forgot about strong dragon & dragonrider bonds, feeling emotions, pain etc. So Addam's fire barrage kills Daeron. We are then told that Tessarion decides to now finally stop forgetting and kill the dragon who just killed her rider, so she attacks Seasmoke. Then George starts writing dragon pornfic about Tessarion deciding to have a mating dance with her rider's killer lol?????????
Vermithor then rose to put a stop to this cringe George was writing. The text then goes on to wank Addam more telling us how brave and awesome he is by deciding to face Vermithor, so he blindsides Vermithor, mid fight we get a Blackwood mention, George cant help himself. Vermithor beats and is about to kill Seasmoke when Tessarion decides she never really cared about Daeron in the first place, and decides to help her rider's murderer, the reason is unclear, it could have been the dragon porn? it could have been Addam's anime powers? maybe it was the Blackwood aura? Anyway Tessarion steps in saves Seasmoke's ass for some reason, then they fight for a bit, Seasmoke gets his head ripped off, Tessarion crawled away and Vermithor died from his wounds. Tessarion then gets killed by a Blackwood because George had to get one last Blackwood wank in.
The battle concludes when Benjicot grabs Addam's body and carries him away like a dramatic anime moment. We are told he got the privilege to rest at Raventree hall for a couple years till he later gets entombed in Hull with a stone engraved with the word LOYAL.
Daeron's body conveniently disappears, no body or funeral is ever held for him. His own men really gave zero shits about what happened to him. His own kin back in Oldtown forgot he existed and befriend his killer's brother. His brother Aegon was the only one who really cared that he died, ordered a giant statue made for him, that never got completed.
To conclude the breakdown of the 2nd Battle of Tumbleton, we had a 16 year old boy with anime protagonist talk-no-jutsu powers lead an army 4000 strong, of fish people I am to assume? against an army that was originally 20k, probably down to 15k by then, utterly defeated them, killed the Prince in charge, nuked the town, set the camps ablaze, participated in some dragon mating dance, attacked an angry Vermithor, befriended the dragon of the prince he killed, died from crush in the dragon 2v1, got the honor to be carried by a Blackwood. Then a Blackwood killed a dragon because this was necessary. Unwin Peake then decides to kill the last rider they have, decides he never really cared about helping his king and took the remaining thousands of men and marched home. We don't know where Daeron's body went, maybe he became the Night King? Alicent never mentions her son's death after and none of his kin do either. So we are to assume Lyonel never really cared for Daeron also. Oh yeah and the Hightowers kinda forgot they lost their Valyrian sword Vigilance @ Tumbleton when Hobert died.

Hi everyone, im telling this story more so to vent, and not because I don’t know what to do, im done with him.
I dated this man for 6 weeks (thank god not longer) we were together so much, (so I would’ve never guessed) and when we weren’t together he was calling and texting me. While the s3X was amazing he always brought up feelings, commitment, etc to me and we were together days at a time. Even said he wants a son and sees me having a boy someday, etc. just always painting the picture that he wants and sees us in a long term commitment and his actions were showing it (may have been moving a bit fast for my liking which can be a red flag, but you get the point here) I’ve been single for awhile before he came along and I’ve been doing a lot of self work and healing, and everyone around me was congratulating me because he is a successful older man that makes good money and he was treating me great. People that care about me also know i don’t catch feelings easy and don’t give chances to people easy. Guess what?
Long story short: he went on vacation with his girlfriend, (they’re still on vacation, they come back in a day or two) i guess she went through his phone, and she contacted me about 4 days ago. We clarified some info on instagram DMs and I found out they’ve been dating for 1.5 years or so. I actually did know who she was, but I thought it was his ex girlfriend (that’s what he told me) and they weren’t posting each other or interacting on social media for 4+ months or so on top of that, plus he gave me so much consistency, time, and attention- so I didn’t know. However, she travels A LOT for work she said, so that’s how he was able to get away with it. She’s older as well and was really nice. They’re both 10+ years older than me, im 25. She said she’s done with him a few days ago, as she’s never caught him doing this before, then kept telling me he’s telling her he just used me for s3X and we weren’t serious, and when I explained the dynamic to her she realized we were in fact dating. But now she’s posting stuff on her insta story to make it seem like they’re happy, then he’ll post stuff on his social media of the trip, but has nothing to do with her, and I don’t know how she can stomach what he did to her and hang out with him? Maybe she’s playing it off til the trip is over since its a business vacation/trip. But it’s just strange to me. I on the other hand didn’t say anything to him and blocked him. The worst part of it all, is I know he’s going to try and come back to me on some bs! I know what type of man he is, and I dodged a bullet! I’m kinda a little heartbroken because we got close in a short amount of time and I thought I was finally getting a good man I deserve to be with, but im so lucky I found this out early and dodged bullets!!!

"A family is left in mourning as twenty-one-year-old Natalie Rose was found dead over the weekend," the TV blared into the room, "seemingly attacked by some sort of wild animal as she sat in her tent on what was meant to be a relaxing camping trip alone. Natalie's parents have requested privacy at this time, but they appreciate the condolences they have received. In other news-" Roman grabbed the remote from me and shut off the TV.
"Hey, I was watching that!" I said as I flipped him off from across the room. "Bullshit, you're on your phone," he chuckled, fixing his hair up in the mirror. "Okay, well, I was listening. I like to have background noise, dickhead," I replied, watching him in the reflection, his focus clearly not on this important conversation.
"Where are you going all dressed up?" I interrogated him. "Morgan and I are having our engagement party, but we've got to be there early to sort out seating."
"You're having your engagement party and you didn't invite your own brother?" I questioned him, offended at the audacity this man had. "I did invite you, dipshit. You told me you had a date with Katie tonight."
The realisation hit me like a punch to the gut. I'd completely forgotten about my movie date with Katie. With a surge of panic, I leaped from my seat, heart pounding, and scrambled to get dressed. Every second felt like an eternity as I cursed my forgetfulness. Then, I heard Roman's car start outside. Without a second thought, I sprinted out the door and down the driveway. Knocking on his window, I pleaded for a ride.
The soft hum of the road and the whirring of the engine filled the car as we silently moved through the night. Staring out the window at the blur of trees, I thought about how I would apologise to Katie. Roman reached for the radio, and a Trace Adkins song began playing. Seeing this as the perfect time to start a conversation, I spoke up, "So, are Katie and I coming to the wedding?" I asked, grinning. Roman let out a deep sigh as he turned off the music. "If Katie doesn't plan a date night on the same day, then yes," he replied.
Silence filled the car as we drove along the empty road. The vast woods surrounding us created an eerie atmosphere, intensified by the winter darkness cloaking the night sky above. Yet, for Roman and me, who had grown up in this land, these woods evoked nostalgic memories of our childhood adventures. While for others, it might be an unsettling glimpse into the barrier separating civilization from the unknown, for us, it was a comforting window back into our past.
When Roman bought the land we had grown up on after our parents passed, I was probably more excited than I should've been, considering I had just lost my mum and dad in a tragic carbon monoxide leak. But my relief at not having to leave this place was immense.
We eventually reached an area where the city lights were visible in the distance. I noticed Roman yawn as he adjusted his grip on the wheel. "You're gonna have to tell me where to go, I can't remember where Katie lives," he stated as he changed gears and prepared to enter the busy traffic, a stark contrast to the remote rural road we were about to vacate.
“Just take a left up h-" I began, but was interrupted as a white blur ran in front of the car, causing Roman to slam on the brakes and swerve. I grabbed onto the side of the door as we spun out of control, the screeching of the tires filling my ears, jolting me out of the relaxed state I had been in due to the many miles of quiet driving.
We eventually came to a stop, now facing the opposite direction, gazing down the endless stretch of desolate road we had just traversed. Roman calmly checked all his mirrors for whatever he nearly hit but failed to see anything through the dust he had stirred up in the spinout.
“You all good?” he asked, a relieved smile creeping up his face, a deep breath escaping his lungs.
“Yeah, what was that?” I asked as Roman started reversing, then turned the car back towards the busy city street about a kilometre away and began driving. I looked over to him, expecting an answer to my question, but didn't receive one. His brow was furrowed in an uncertain expression, clearly lost in thought, like he was trying to remember if he locked the front door.
“Roman?” I said, causing him to blink a couple of times.
“I don't know what it was," Roman answered, not breaking his intense stare at the asphalt in front of us as we drove along, approaching the main road. “Probably just a sheep, there's a few acres of farmland behind these trees,” he continued.
As we approached the intersection, Roman flicked his left indicator on before turning onto the main road. “Okay, now take the next right,” I said, feeling the weird atmosphere in the vehicle slowly dissipating. After a few more turns, Roman said that he knew the way from here and turned the radio back on, which cut the remaining tension that I could tell we were both feeling.
The chilly winter night was starting to bite at my skin, and I cursed myself for forgetting a jacket in my hurry. I swivelled my head around to see the backseat. “What are you looking for?” Roman asked, finally looking in my direction as he turned the music down slightly.
“Uh, do you have a jacket I can borrow? I didn't realise it was gonna be this cold,” I sheepishly admitted.
“Hold the wheel,” Roman told me as he reached around behind him, shifting around his hiking gear that he hadn't taken out since his camping trip with Morgan last month.
Eventually, he pulled out his gym hoodie and threw it on my lap. “This is all I got,” he grunted as he readjusted himself in his seat and took hold of the steering wheel again. When we pulled into Katie's driveway, I pulled the hoodie over my head and hopped out of the car into the brisk night air, my breath visible in the cold. “I'll pick you up around 11:30.” Roman shouted out the window as I pulled the hoodie the rest of the way down and waved to Roman as he drove away, beeping his horn as he left me in the chilling winter breeze.
I knocked on the door, checking the time to see that it was 7:37, only a few minutes late. As I waited in the dark, a surprisingly chipper Katie opened the door, hugging me and dragging me inside. “You didn't miss much,” she whispered as we stumbled through the house that had all of its lights off. “Why do you smell like your brother?” she asked, shooting me a dirty look before grabbing a handful of the hoodie and sniffing it. All I could do was shrug and grin, “I forgot how cold it gets in the winter time, he let me borrow it.” She rolled her eyes, and we sat down next to a bunch of her friends and her parents, who all whispered their hellos in the soft glow of the TV.
Around 11:18 pm when the movie was long since finished, Katie's parents said goodnight and headed off to bed, and a few of Katie's friends who had been visiting said goodbye and drove home. I got up to get some water from the kitchen, and as I walked back, I stood in the doorway that separated the kitchen from the living room, which was dark, only lit by the TV. This allowed me to see Katie frozen, staring towards the window, which was out of my direct line of sight.
Confused, I peeked my head out of the doorway and looked toward the window. I froze and dropped my glass; luckily, it landed on the carpet and didn't make much noise, and the tall, pale creature standing an inch from the window didn't notice. The creature was foul, a gaunt, lanky humanoid. Well, at least the head was humanoid; the body and limbs were almost ape-like, with long, disproportionate arms and less exaggerated legs. The creature's whole body was covered in grey skin stretched tightly over its abnormally long bones. It had no hair anywhere. Its mouth was strangely wide, stretching around to where its ears would be if it had them, and its eyes were just sunken, inky black pits in its head. But I could tell it was staring daggers at Katie, who had tears rolling down her face. She slowly turned her head to look at me, shaking and breathing quickly. I had never felt so powerless. I was supposed to protect her, and I would. I would die to protect her, but I had no idea how to shield her from whatever this thing was.
Then I had an idea. I looked to the light switch panel to my left. I knew one of them was the porch light, but there were three others: the living room light, the kitchen light, and the hall light. If I pressed the wrong light, I didn't know what the thing would do, but I had to try. I had to remember which light Katie's dad used to turn the porch light on when he goes out for a smoke.
I reached for the light second from the bottom and flicked the switch. The hall light turned on. Luckily, the hall was on the opposite side of the kitchen from where the living room was, and it was out of view for the creature at the window. But I couldn't mess up again. If the kitchen light turned on, the creature would see me, and if the living room light turned on, it might cause it to attack Katie. I looked back at the creature, which was using one of its hands to scratch the window as it sniffed around. I had to do something.
I reached for the bottom light switch and flicked it; the porch light turned on. The creature spun around to face it and let out a screech that will haunt my nightmares for the rest of my life. I ran to Katie and grabbed her, dragging her off the side of the couch where there was about a metre gap between the armrest of the couch and the wall.
The sound of the window smashing filled the house, and Katie cried into my shoulder. I couldn't see anything; it was pitch darkness besides the slight blue glare from the TV on the wall above us. But I could hear raspy breathing and bones cracking as the thing searched the living room. I heard it sniffing the couch where Katie was sitting, and I heard it make its way closer to the end of the couch, one of its hands pressed on the wall above us. I saw the silhouette of its head begin to peak over the side of the couch, but suddenly the light turned on, and Katie's dad yelled as he saw us from the kitchen while he was holding a shotgun.
The creature ran at him but fell to the ground as a loud shot rang out in the night, leaving only the sound of our combined breathing and Katie's soft sobs. I watched intently as the body lying between Katie's dad and me moved around on the floor, before slamming its hand down, then the other, and pushing itself to its feet.
Katie's dad reloaded his shotgun, but it was too late. The creature grabbed the poor man by his leg and pulled it out from under him, causing him to shoot the ceiling. I grabbed Katie and dragged her upstairs as the creature began tearing into her father. She cried and screamed, begging me to help him, but what could I do? Whatever that thing was, it just took a shotgun blast to the chest and brushed it off.
I locked us in her upstairs bathroom as the creature's loud and hurried footsteps made their way towards us. Katie was crying loudly now, insisting that we were going to die. Honestly, not a super helpful contribution, but I can't blame her.
As the creature began crashing against the door, pieces of wood started to splinter off. I shoved Katie into the tub, and then lay on top of her. Hopefully, my body would be enough to shield her from this thing. Time slowed down as the door exploded inward. I looked at the girl I loved, makeup running down her face, pieces of door in her hair, mouth wide open as she let out the most ear splitting scream. For some reason, I felt no fear. Even as the monster began tearing at my clothes and clawing at my flesh, I felt strangely calm.
Eventually, the creature grabbed me, swinging me around by my hoodie, slamming me into every wall and surface in the room. I fell to the ground as the hoodie ripped off, and the creature just stared at me, then the hoodie in its hand, then back at me. I stared back, utterly confused, as it leaned over and sniffed my entire body from head to toe. It looked as puzzled as I felt for a moment before I heard Roman's car pull up outside.
The creature screeched as it sprinted out the door, slamming into the hallway wall in its haste. "NO!" I shouted, leaving my still-shaking girlfriend in the tub as I chased the monster out of the house. Somehow, I caught up to the creature and grabbed onto it, bringing it to the ground below. The thing managed to get on top of me, biting and clawing at my arms and hands as I shielded my face.
Before I knew it, Roman came out of nowhere, tackling the creature off me, yelling for me to run. The creature, sleek and deadly, wasted no time in retaliating against Roman's attack. With a primal growl, it lunged at him, its claws slicing through the air like daggers.
Roman had a size advantage that I didn't have, and managed to hold his own for a few seconds as he wrestled with the beast. He'd always been as strong as a bull for as long as I can remember, tall with powerful hands and massive arms and shoulders. But I couldn't risk watching my brother, as strong as he may be, get killed by this… whatever it is.
With strength I didn't know I had, I grabbed the back of Roman's expensive shirt and pulled him out of the way of a fatal blow to the head, throwing him towards the car before I lunged at the creature and went feral. I don't know what came over me; I started swinging on the creature as we tumbled around in the muddy grass. Just when I thought I was actually winning, the creature managed to get its legs between us and kicked me off, then swung its clawed hand at my stomach, ripping it right open.
I collapsed to the ground as my body tried to comprehend what had just happened. My eyes narrowed as everything was drowned out. I watched the silent scene play out before me, my heartbeat pounding in my head.
The creature charged at Roman, who leaped to grab his car's back door handle just as the creature snagged his foot. It yanked at his leg, but Roman clung onto his car door tightly. The creature persisted in pulling as Roman struggled to reach for something in his hiking gear stored in the back seat.
With an agonising yell, Roman's leg gave a sickening snap. Despite the pain, he finally retrieved what he was searching for. Releasing the car door, Roman watched as the creature stumbled backward. Seizing the opportunity, he swiftly climbed on top of it, brandishing his trusty hunting knife from his camping trips.
As Roman wrestled with the creature, the air was filled with grunts and snarls. He plunged the hunting knife into the creature's body, eliciting a guttural howl of pain. The creature thrashed wildly, but Roman held on grimly, his determination unwavering.
With each strike, Roman's movements became more frenzied, fueled by adrenaline and the need to protect us. The creature's attempts to retaliate grew weaker as Roman's blows found their mark. With a final decisive thrust, Roman delivered the fatal blow, and the creature slumped to the ground, defeated.
Breathing heavily, Roman collapsed beside the creature, his body trembling with exhaustion and relief. I rushed to his side, concern evident in my voice. "Natalie-" he faintly murmured.
"Who? Who's Natalie?" I asked, my confusion growing.
Suddenly, the creature jolted up, its movements abrupt and startling. Without warning, it lunged at me, seizing me by the throat and hurling me against the car.
The last thing I saw before I blacked out was the creature sprinting towards me. In that moment, I felt a strange sensation coursing through my body, as if something within me was shifting. I glanced down at my hands and watched in horror as they contorted and turned a sickly shade of grey. Long claws protruded from my fingers, their sharp edges glinting in the dim light.
As my bones cracked and deformed under the strain of this inexplicable transformation, a sudden surge of anger and ferocity overwhelmed my senses. It was as though a primal instinct had taken hold of me, consuming my entire being in its relentless grip. With each passing moment, the world around me faded into darkness until finally, I lost consciousness, my mind consumed by the terrifying reality of what I had become.
I awoke hours later in the back seat of Roman's car. The hum of the road and the whirring of the engine attempted to lull me back to sleep, but I sat up, rubbing my head as the memories flooded back. "What happened?" I asked, my voice hoarse and strained.
Roman responded with silence, a familiar reaction from him, but this time, it sent a shiver down my spine. As I looked at my arms, then my stomach, and felt around my whole body, I realised the wounds and deep gashes caused by the creature were all gone, as if I had never been attacked.
I caught Roman's gaze in the mirror, but he quickly averted his eyes. That's when I noticed Katie in the passenger seat, her tear-stained face betraying her silent anguish. It was clear she wanted to say something, but I couldn't shake the feeling that Roman had warned her against it.
"What do you know about this place?" Roman asked sternly, his voice devoid of emotion.
"We've lived here all our lives, Roman," I replied, confusion evident in my tone. "What do you mean?”
Roman pressed down on the brakes, bringing us to a sudden stop. I noticed a pained expression flit across his face in the mirror, a fleeting moment of vulnerability that he quickly tried to conceal.
"Your leg!" I exclaimed, my voice laced with concern as I recalled the events from earlier.
"It was a dislocated hip. I fixed it," he replied bluntly, his tone revealing little about the ordeal he must have endured.
"This isn't real, Jason. None of this is real. You are not real!" Roman's voice was sharp, refusing to meet my eyes in the reflection.
"Back at Katie's house, I remembered everything the moment I looked into that creature's eyes. I remembered... I remembered Natalie," he said, his words catching in his throat, revealing the first hint of emotion I'd seen from him.
I watched as a tear rolled down Katie's face. I reached to put a hand on her shoulder but stopped myself.
"Roman got me to remember," Katie said, her voice trembling. "I remembered the emergency alert, and when those things broke down our doors. I watched as they dragged my parents out, then my baby brother, then me. I woke up in this fake world, in a family that isn't even mine, dating a boy who turns out to be one of the monsters who brought me here." She spluttered, and I began to cry silently as I realised what she was saying.
Roman eventually started driving again, occasionally getting a call from Morgan, but after the fifth call he threw his phone out the window. We drove until I fell asleep. I don't remember what I dreamed about, but it was peaceful. I think I was in that forest with Roman. We were children again, playing around in the trees, finding cool sticks and exploring the endless expanse of what felt like a fairytale, which I guess it was.
I was awoken by the abrupt sound of Roman's car door slamming. I looked outside and saw that it was daytime again. Trying to figure out where we had stopped, I noticed a giant sign that said “Library.” I hopped out of the car and jogged to catch up to Roman and Katie.
“What are we doing here?” I asked, clearly still being avoided. It was understandable, but it still hurt.
“I need to wake everyone up,” Roman said as we walked in and approached a computer.
I noticed we were getting odd stares from everyone as we walked by, which is when I also noticed that I looked like I had just come out the other side of a paper shredder. My clothes were all torn up with bits missing, apparently not possessing the magic healing ability that I do. The sound of Roman typing snapped me out of my self-conscious thoughts and redirected me to the computer screen.
"I'm going to be a while, guys," Roman said as he began writing out his story. "I need to tell the whole thing from the beginning. Go find a book or something.”
I looked over to Katie, her face void of expression, but a great sadness filled her now dry eyes, having cried all the tears she had. “Why don't you just wake up?” I asked, probably coming across as more insensitive than I intended.
“I've got nothing to go back to. Roman told me what the world is like back there. If my family is here, I have to find them and wake them up first,” she responded, finally meeting my eye.
I wanted to hug her so bad, but I knew she didn't love me anymore. She probably had a real boyfriend in the real world.
Hours went by as Katie and I found a place to sit and wait in silence, watching Roman. He looked funny in the little library chair, hunched over the computer. Such a big guy looked out of place here, his muscular presence overpowering that of the rest of the library's patrons, who were all either very old or very young.
I hate to admit I fell asleep, but I'm just telling the story how it was. I was awoken suddenly by sirens and shouts. “We have got you surrounded, come out with your hands up or we will come in and show you no mercy,” a man's voice yelled from outside through a speaker. I looked over to Roman, who was limping over to us as all the customers flooded out the exits.
“Get up, we need to leave. They've turned the law against us,” Roman ordered. Katie and I listened and followed him.
We made our way upstairs into the empty employee lounge, and Roman opened a window... with his elbow. “They've got every exit covered but this one. We need to jump,” he calmly told us. He stood up in the window frame, kicked off some of the remaining glass with his boots, and jumped to the roof of the single-story building below, wincing in pain as he landed on his bad leg.
That's when six armed officers kicked down the door and opened fire on Katie and me. I moved to block the bullets from hitting Katie, taking several hits to the head and back. I then pushed Katie through the window, and Roman caught her before I jumped out myself and followed.
We ran from rooftop to rooftop until we reached a ladder that led down into an alleyway, where we attempted to catch our breaths. Roman and Katie watched me intently as the bullets lodged in my body began to work their way back out, the wounds closing up after. My skin color shifted a little, and I felt a rattle leave my throat as a cold sweat came over me.
“Hey, control yourself,” Roman told me sternly. I nodded, struggling to remain composed.
“Did you finish the story?” Katie asked Roman.
“Yeah, I kind of had to rush the last part, but I got the message across,” he replied, slumping to the ground behind a dumpster, exhausted.
“What now?” I asked.
Roman looked at me, panting. “I'm gonna help Katie find her family, then I'm going back to Natalie,” he said between heavy breaths.
“What about Morgan?” I questioned, causing him to look down at his feet. “I don't even know her in the real world, and I would never have chosen to be with her. This place… it's like it wrote me a life that was least likely to let me remember who I am. The girl I'm engaged to is the complete opposite of Natalie. I've got a brother who lives with me, my parents are dead. There's literally nothing here to remind me of home, bro,” Roman said, shedding a couple of tears.
We waited in the alley until night, hearing sirens go back and forth every now and then. When Roman said we were in the clear, we made our way back to the car and started driving again. I noticed Roman's eyes fluttering after about an hour, and I told him I'd be happy to drive if he needed to sleep. I could tell that his ego didn't want to admit he was exhausted, and he also still didn't trust me, but he gave in and pulled over, falling asleep in the back seat as I drove off into the night.

Hi, how are you? Im just looking for new friends that i can talk to anytime. doesn't matter where you're from honestly. ive got a few friends from all over the globe and it's working out just fine : )
Ok so about me: - im a singer and i play a few instruments - i have a cute toy poodle - i love pasta haha - i like dinosaurs, space, ocean, reptiles, gardening, and rocks - i enjoy watching films or series and listening to indie music - im empathic : ) - i gym
leave a short intro when u text me!
Just hmu anytime and i'll try my best to answer asap. Also this is platonic so please haha

"A family is left in mourning as twenty-one-year-old Natalie Rose was found dead over the weekend," the TV blared into the room, "seemingly attacked by some sort of wild animal as she sat in her tent on what was meant to be a relaxing camping trip alone. Natalie's parents have requested privacy at this time, but they appreciate the condolences they have received. In other news-" Roman grabbed the remote from me and shut off the TV.
"Hey, I was watching that!" I said as I flipped him off from across the room. "Bullshit, you're on your phone," he chuckled, fixing his hair up in the mirror. "Okay, well, I was listening. I like to have background noise, dickhead," I replied, watching him in the reflection, his focus clearly not on this important conversation.
"Where are you going all dressed up?" I interrogated him. "Morgan and I are having our engagement party, but we've got to be there early to sort out seating."
"You're having your engagement party and you didn't invite your own brother?" I questioned him, offended at the audacity this man had. "I did invite you, dipshit. You told me you had a date with Katie tonight."
The realisation hit me like a punch to the gut. I'd completely forgotten about my movie date with Katie. With a surge of panic, I leaped from my seat, heart pounding, and scrambled to get dressed. Every second felt like an eternity as I cursed my forgetfulness. Then, I heard Roman's car start outside. Without a second thought, I sprinted out the door and down the driveway. Knocking on his window, I pleaded for a ride.
The soft hum of the road and the whirring of the engine filled the car as we silently moved through the night. Staring out the window at the blur of trees, I thought about how I would apologise to Katie. Roman reached for the radio, and a Trace Adkins song began playing. Seeing this as the perfect time to start a conversation, I spoke up, "So, are Katie and I coming to the wedding?" I asked, grinning. Roman let out a deep sigh as he turned off the music. "If Katie doesn't plan a date night on the same day, then yes," he replied.
Silence filled the car as we drove along the empty road. The vast woods surrounding us created an eerie atmosphere, intensified by the winter darkness cloaking the night sky above. Yet, for Roman and me, who had grown up in this land, these woods evoked nostalgic memories of our childhood adventures. While for others, it might be an unsettling glimpse into the barrier separating civilization from the unknown, for us, it was a comforting window back into our past.
When Roman bought the land we had grown up on after our parents passed, I was probably more excited than I should've been, considering I had just lost my mum and dad in a tragic carbon monoxide leak. But my relief at not having to leave this place was immense.
We eventually reached an area where the city lights were visible in the distance. I noticed Roman yawn as he adjusted his grip on the wheel. "You're gonna have to tell me where to go, I can't remember where Katie lives," he stated as he changed gears and prepared to enter the busy traffic, a stark contrast to the remote rural road we were about to vacate.
“Just take a left up h-" I began, but was interrupted as a white blur ran in front of the car, causing Roman to slam on the brakes and swerve. I grabbed onto the side of the door as we spun out of control, the screeching of the tires filling my ears, jolting me out of the relaxed state I had been in due to the many miles of quiet driving.
We eventually came to a stop, now facing the opposite direction, gazing down the endless stretch of desolate road we had just traversed. Roman calmly checked all his mirrors for whatever he nearly hit but failed to see anything through the dust he had stirred up in the spinout.
“You all good?” he asked, a relieved smile creeping up his face, a deep breath escaping his lungs.
“Yeah, what was that?” I asked as Roman started reversing, then turned the car back towards the busy city street about a kilometre away and began driving. I looked over to him, expecting an answer to my question, but didn't receive one. His brow was furrowed in an uncertain expression, clearly lost in thought, like he was trying to remember if he locked the front door.
“Roman?” I said, causing him to blink a couple of times.
“I don't know what it was," Roman answered, not breaking his intense stare at the asphalt in front of us as we drove along, approaching the main road. “Probably just a sheep, there's a few acres of farmland behind these trees,” he continued.
As we approached the intersection, Roman flicked his left indicator on before turning onto the main road. “Okay, now take the next right,” I said, feeling the weird atmosphere in the vehicle slowly dissipating. After a few more turns, Roman said that he knew the way from here and turned the radio back on, which cut the remaining tension that I could tell we were both feeling.
The chilly winter night was starting to bite at my skin, and I cursed myself for forgetting a jacket in my hurry. I swivelled my head around to see the backseat. “What are you looking for?” Roman asked, finally looking in my direction as he turned the music down slightly.
“Uh, do you have a jacket I can borrow? I didn't realise it was gonna be this cold,” I sheepishly admitted.
“Hold the wheel,” Roman told me as he reached around behind him, shifting around his hiking gear that he hadn't taken out since his camping trip with Morgan last month.
Eventually, he pulled out his gym hoodie and threw it on my lap. “This is all I got,” he grunted as he readjusted himself in his seat and took hold of the steering wheel again. When we pulled into Katie's driveway, I pulled the hoodie over my head and hopped out of the car into the brisk night air, my breath visible in the cold. “I'll pick you up around 11:30.” Roman shouted out the window as I pulled the hoodie the rest of the way down and waved to Roman as he drove away, beeping his horn as he left me in the chilling winter breeze.
I knocked on the door, checking the time to see that it was 7:37, only a few minutes late. As I waited in the dark, a surprisingly chipper Katie opened the door, hugging me and dragging me inside. “You didn't miss much,” she whispered as we stumbled through the house that had all of its lights off. “Why do you smell like your brother?” she asked, shooting me a dirty look before grabbing a handful of the hoodie and sniffing it. All I could do was shrug and grin, “I forgot how cold it gets in the winter time, he let me borrow it.” She rolled her eyes, and we sat down next to a bunch of her friends and her parents, who all whispered their hellos in the soft glow of the TV.
Around 11:18 pm when the movie was long since finished, Katie's parents said goodnight and headed off to bed, and a few of Katie's friends who had been visiting said goodbye and drove home. I got up to get some water from the kitchen, and as I walked back, I stood in the doorway that separated the kitchen from the living room, which was dark, only lit by the TV. This allowed me to see Katie frozen, staring towards the window, which was out of my direct line of sight.
Confused, I peeked my head out of the doorway and looked toward the window. I froze and dropped my glass; luckily, it landed on the carpet and didn't make much noise, and the tall, pale creature standing an inch from the window didn't notice. The creature was foul, a gaunt, lanky humanoid. Well, at least the head was humanoid; the body and limbs were almost ape-like, with long, disproportionate arms and less exaggerated legs. The creature's whole body was covered in grey skin stretched tightly over its abnormally long bones. It had no hair anywhere. Its mouth was strangely wide, stretching around to where its ears would be if it had them, and its eyes were just sunken, inky black pits in its head. But I could tell it was staring daggers at Katie, who had tears rolling down her face. She slowly turned her head to look at me, shaking and breathing quickly. I had never felt so powerless. I was supposed to protect her, and I would. I would die to protect her, but I had no idea how to shield her from whatever this thing was.
Then I had an idea. I looked to the light switch panel to my left. I knew one of them was the porch light, but there were three others: the living room light, the kitchen light, and the hall light. If I pressed the wrong light, I didn't know what the thing would do, but I had to try. I had to remember which light Katie's dad used to turn the porch light on when he goes out for a smoke.
I reached for the light second from the bottom and flicked the switch. The hall light turned on. Luckily, the hall was on the opposite side of the kitchen from where the living room was, and it was out of view for the creature at the window. But I couldn't mess up again. If the kitchen light turned on, the creature would see me, and if the living room light turned on, it might cause it to attack Katie. I looked back at the creature, which was using one of its hands to scratch the window as it sniffed around. I had to do something.
I reached for the bottom light switch and flicked it; the porch light turned on. The creature spun around to face it and let out a screech that will haunt my nightmares for the rest of my life. I ran to Katie and grabbed her, dragging her off the side of the couch where there was about a metre gap between the armrest of the couch and the wall.
The sound of the window smashing filled the house, and Katie cried into my shoulder. I couldn't see anything; it was pitch darkness besides the slight blue glare from the TV on the wall above us. But I could hear raspy breathing and bones cracking as the thing searched the living room. I heard it sniffing the couch where Katie was sitting, and I heard it make its way closer to the end of the couch, one of its hands pressed on the wall above us. I saw the silhouette of its head begin to peak over the side of the couch, but suddenly the light turned on, and Katie's dad yelled as he saw us from the kitchen while he was holding a shotgun.
The creature ran at him but fell to the ground as a loud shot rang out in the night, leaving only the sound of our combined breathing and Katie's soft sobs. I watched intently as the body lying between Katie's dad and me moved around on the floor, before slamming its hand down, then the other, and pushing itself to its feet.
Katie's dad reloaded his shotgun, but it was too late. The creature grabbed the poor man by his leg and pulled it out from under him, causing him to shoot the ceiling. I grabbed Katie and dragged her upstairs as the creature began tearing into her father. She cried and screamed, begging me to help him, but what could I do? Whatever that thing was, it just took a shotgun blast to the chest and brushed it off.
I locked us in her upstairs bathroom as the creature's loud and hurried footsteps made their way towards us. Katie was crying loudly now, insisting that we were going to die. Honestly, not a super helpful contribution, but I can't blame her.
As the creature began crashing against the door, pieces of wood started to splinter off. I shoved Katie into the tub, and then lay on top of her. Hopefully, my body would be enough to shield her from this thing. Time slowed down as the door exploded inward. I looked at the girl I loved, makeup running down her face, pieces of door in her hair, mouth wide open as she let out the most ear splitting scream. For some reason, I felt no fear. Even as the monster began tearing at my clothes and clawing at my flesh, I felt strangely calm.
Eventually, the creature grabbed me, swinging me around by my hoodie, slamming me into every wall and surface in the room. I fell to the ground as the hoodie ripped off, and the creature just stared at me, then the hoodie in its hand, then back at me. I stared back, utterly confused, as it leaned over and sniffed my entire body from head to toe. It looked as puzzled as I felt for a moment before I heard Roman's car pull up outside.
The creature screeched as it sprinted out the door, slamming into the hallway wall in its haste. "NO!" I shouted, leaving my still-shaking girlfriend in the tub as I chased the monster out of the house. Somehow, I caught up to the creature and grabbed onto it, bringing it to the ground below. The thing managed to get on top of me, biting and clawing at my arms and hands as I shielded my face.
Before I knew it, Roman came out of nowhere, tackling the creature off me, yelling for me to run. The creature, sleek and deadly, wasted no time in retaliating against Roman's attack. With a primal growl, it lunged at him, its claws slicing through the air like daggers.
Roman had a size advantage that I didn't have, and managed to hold his own for a few seconds as he wrestled with the beast. He'd always been as strong as a bull for as long as I can remember, tall with powerful hands and massive arms and shoulders. But I couldn't risk watching my brother, as strong as he may be, get killed by this… whatever it is.
With strength I didn't know I had, I grabbed the back of Roman's expensive shirt and pulled him out of the way of a fatal blow to the head, throwing him towards the car before I lunged at the creature and went feral. I don't know what came over me; I started swinging on the creature as we tumbled around in the muddy grass. Just when I thought I was actually winning, the creature managed to get its legs between us and kicked me off, then swung its clawed hand at my stomach, ripping it right open.
I collapsed to the ground as my body tried to comprehend what had just happened. My eyes narrowed as everything was drowned out. I watched the silent scene play out before me, my heartbeat pounding in my head.
The creature charged at Roman, who leaped to grab his car's back door handle just as the creature snagged his foot. It yanked at his leg, but Roman clung onto his car door tightly. The creature persisted in pulling as Roman struggled to reach for something in his hiking gear stored in the back seat.
With an agonising yell, Roman's leg gave a sickening snap. Despite the pain, he finally retrieved what he was searching for. Releasing the car door, Roman watched as the creature stumbled backward. Seizing the opportunity, he swiftly climbed on top of it, brandishing his trusty hunting knife from his camping trips.
As Roman wrestled with the creature, the air was filled with grunts and snarls. He plunged the hunting knife into the creature's body, eliciting a guttural howl of pain. The creature thrashed wildly, but Roman held on grimly, his determination unwavering.
With each strike, Roman's movements became more frenzied, fueled by adrenaline and the need to protect us. The creature's attempts to retaliate grew weaker as Roman's blows found their mark. With a final decisive thrust, Roman delivered the fatal blow, and the creature slumped to the ground, defeated.
Breathing heavily, Roman collapsed beside the creature, his body trembling with exhaustion and relief. I rushed to his side, concern evident in my voice. "Natalie-" he faintly murmured.
"Who? Who's Natalie?" I asked, my confusion growing.
Suddenly, the creature jolted up, its movements abrupt and startling. Without warning, it lunged at me, seizing me by the throat and hurling me against the car.
The last thing I saw before I blacked out was the creature sprinting towards me. In that moment, I felt a strange sensation coursing through my body, as if something within me was shifting. I glanced down at my hands and watched in horror as they contorted and turned a sickly shade of grey. Long claws protruded from my fingers, their sharp edges glinting in the dim light.
As my bones cracked and deformed under the strain of this inexplicable transformation, a sudden surge of anger and ferocity overwhelmed my senses. It was as though a primal instinct had taken hold of me, consuming my entire being in its relentless grip. With each passing moment, the world around me faded into darkness until finally, I lost consciousness, my mind consumed by the terrifying reality of what I had become.
I awoke hours later in the back seat of Roman's car. The hum of the road and the whirring of the engine attempted to lull me back to sleep, but I sat up, rubbing my head as the memories flooded back. "What happened?" I asked, my voice hoarse and strained.
Roman responded with silence, a familiar reaction from him, but this time, it sent a shiver down my spine. As I looked at my arms, then my stomach, and felt around my whole body, I realised the wounds and deep gashes caused by the creature were all gone, as if I had never been attacked.
I caught Roman's gaze in the mirror, but he quickly averted his eyes. That's when I noticed Katie in the passenger seat, her tear-stained face betraying her silent anguish. It was clear she wanted to say something, but I couldn't shake the feeling that Roman had warned her against it.
"What do you know about this place?" Roman asked sternly, his voice devoid of emotion.
"We've lived here all our lives, Roman," I replied, confusion evident in my tone. "What do you mean?”
Roman pressed down on the brakes, bringing us to a sudden stop. I noticed a pained expression flit across his face in the mirror, a fleeting moment of vulnerability that he quickly tried to conceal.
"Your leg!" I exclaimed, my voice laced with concern as I recalled the events from earlier.
"It was a dislocated hip. I fixed it," he replied bluntly, his tone revealing little about the ordeal he must have endured.
"This isn't real, Jason. None of this is real. You are not real!" Roman's voice was sharp, refusing to meet my eyes in the reflection.
"Back at Katie's house, I remembered everything the moment I looked into that creature's eyes. I remembered... I remembered Natalie," he said, his words catching in his throat, revealing the first hint of emotion I'd seen from him.
I watched as a tear rolled down Katie's face. I reached to put a hand on her shoulder but stopped myself.
"Roman got me to remember," Katie said, her voice trembling. "I remembered the emergency alert, and when those things broke down our doors. I watched as they dragged my parents out, then my baby brother, then me. I woke up in this fake world, in a family that isn't even mine, dating a boy who turns out to be one of the monsters who brought me here." She spluttered, and I began to cry silently as I realised what she was saying.
Roman eventually started driving again, occasionally getting a call from Morgan, but after the fifth call he threw his phone out the window. We drove until I fell asleep. I don't remember what I dreamed about, but it was peaceful. I think I was in that forest with Roman. We were children again, playing around in the trees, finding cool sticks and exploring the endless expanse of what felt like a fairytale, which I guess it was.
I was awoken by the abrupt sound of Roman's car door slamming. I looked outside and saw that it was daytime again. Trying to figure out where we had stopped, I noticed a giant sign that said “Library.” I hopped out of the car and jogged to catch up to Roman and Katie.
“What are we doing here?” I asked, clearly still being avoided. It was understandable, but it still hurt.
“I need to wake everyone up,” Roman said as we walked in and approached a computer.
I noticed we were getting odd stares from everyone as we walked by, which is when I also noticed that I looked like I had just come out the other side of a paper shredder. My clothes were all torn up with bits missing, apparently not possessing the magic healing ability that I do. The sound of Roman typing snapped me out of my self-conscious thoughts and redirected me to the computer screen.
"I'm going to be a while, guys," Roman said as he began writing out his story. "I need to tell the whole thing from the beginning. Go find a book or something.”
I looked over to Katie, her face void of expression, but a great sadness filled her now dry eyes, having cried all the tears she had. “Why don't you just wake up?” I asked, probably coming across as more insensitive than I intended.
“I've got nothing to go back to. Roman told me what the world is like back there. If my family is here, I have to find them and wake them up first,” she responded, finally meeting my eye.
I wanted to hug her so bad, but I knew she didn't love me anymore. She probably had a real boyfriend in the real world.
Hours went by as Katie and I found a place to sit and wait in silence, watching Roman. He looked funny in the little library chair, hunched over the computer. Such a big guy looked out of place here, his muscular presence overpowering that of the rest of the library's patrons, who were all either very old or very young.
I hate to admit I fell asleep, but I'm just telling the story how it was. I was awoken suddenly by sirens and shouts. “We have got you surrounded, come out with your hands up or we will come in and show you no mercy,” a man's voice yelled from outside through a speaker. I looked over to Roman, who was limping over to us as all the customers flooded out the exits.
“Get up, we need to leave. They've turned the law against us,” Roman ordered. Katie and I listened and followed him.
We made our way upstairs into the empty employee lounge, and Roman opened a window... with his elbow. “They've got every exit covered but this one. We need to jump,” he calmly told us. He stood up in the window frame, kicked off some of the remaining glass with his boots, and jumped to the roof of the single-story building below, wincing in pain as he landed on his bad leg.
That's when six armed officers kicked down the door and opened fire on Katie and me. I moved to block the bullets from hitting Katie, taking several hits to the head and back. I then pushed Katie through the window, and Roman caught her before I jumped out myself and followed.
We ran from rooftop to rooftop until we reached a ladder that led down into an alleyway, where we attempted to catch our breaths. Roman and Katie watched me intently as the bullets lodged in my body began to work their way back out, the wounds closing up after. My skin color shifted a little, and I felt a rattle leave my throat as a cold sweat came over me.
“Hey, control yourself,” Roman told me sternly. I nodded, struggling to remain composed.
“Did you finish the story?” Katie asked Roman.
“Yeah, I kind of had to rush the last part, but I got the message across,” he replied, slumping to the ground behind a dumpster, exhausted.
“What now?” I asked.
Roman looked at me, panting. “I'm gonna help Katie find her family, then I'm going back to Natalie,” he said between heavy breaths.
“What about Morgan?” I questioned, causing him to look down at his feet. “I don't even know her in the real world, and I would never have chosen to be with her. This place… it's like it wrote me a life that was least likely to let me remember who I am. The girl I'm engaged to is the complete opposite of Natalie. I've got a brother who lives with me, my parents are dead. There's literally nothing here to remind me of home, bro,” Roman said, shedding a couple of tears.
We waited in the alley until night, hearing sirens go back and forth every now and then. When Roman said we were in the clear, we made our way back to the car and started driving again. I noticed Roman's eyes fluttering after about an hour, and I told him I'd be happy to drive if he needed to sleep. I could tell that his ego didn't want to admit he was exhausted, and he also still didn't trust me, but he gave in and pulled over, falling asleep in the back seat as I drove off into the night.

Cute goodnight texts to a boy

SonnyAngel