Drunk pictionary phrases

My wife and I (<30M, American) planned our first visit to Europe in spring 2020. 4 years deferred, the trip evolved from a barebudget experience to something closer to a second honeymoon. I don’t claim any special knowledge, I really just wanted to give back to this sub.
Total Budget: $8,000
Total Spend: $8,100
Day 1-3: Arrival and Beaune
We took the TGV to Dijon and arrived in Beaune via train at 14:00. It’s a fairytale fucking town. You are forced to downshift as you wander a warren of streets. The locals are justifiably proud of their wine and food and were generous in educating us on their culture. Burgundy’s distinctive roof tiles reinforced our sense of place.
-Highlights: Cycling Beaune-Pommard- Volnay-Mersault, Hotel Dieu/Hospices de Beaune, escargots and wine.
Best Food: A grand dinner at the cellar of Le Conty, a quiet table at Le Bistro des Cocottes.
-Additional Comment: We stayed at Hotel des Tonneliers and while the rooms were simple, the staff was so lovely and this was our favorite stay in France. The conti-brekky in the courtyard was pleasant and convenient.
Day 4: Travel, Fontenay Abbey, Guedelon Castle
Our second leg was the Loire Valley so we rented a car and stopped at some remote sites in transit. Fontenay was serene but Guedelon was a surprise highlight of the entire trip. The artisans work openly and the half-finished castle is surrounded by a village of tourist-friendly but not tacky canteens and gift shops. We enjoyed seeing ordinary French families at play.
-Highlights: Guedelon (castle and food on site), driving manual transmission in rural Burgundy.
-Best Food: Seasonal offerings and local hard cider at the Guedelon canteen
-Additional Comments: I’m American and had only driven stickshift for an extended period once before. If you have any previous experience, I recommend eschewing automatic transmission for the fun of it.
Day 5-6: Amboise and Chateaux of the Loire Valley
While Burgundy felt ancient and impressive, the Loire Valley was graceful and romantic. Willows crowd the river and flowers poured from window boxes. The renaissance chateaux are a powerful reminder of the wealth of the aristocracy and the government extends place the estates in their proper historical context. Sites actively engage children with scavenger hunts and augmented reality exhibits.
-Highlights: Hot air ballooning over Chenonceau, the grand chateau at Chambord, drinks on the Ile d’Or facing Amboise castle, crowd of rowdy regulars at Art is Ale Brewery.
-Best Food: Michelin starred lunch at L’Orangerie, intimate but thoughtful tasting menu at the patio of L’Alliance, Le Shaker bar.
-Additional Comments: We stayed at Chateau du Pray, which was grand but a 2km drive from Amboise. In hindsight, we preferred humbler digs closer to town because we were rarely in our room.
Day 7-8: Paris, Rue Cler
Emerging from the metro and onto the streets of Paris is a singular experience. The pedestrian zone on Rue Cler was perfect for an introductory stroll but we quickly branched out using the excellent and cheap public transport system.
-Highlights: L’Orangerie (we were most impressed by the Robert Ryman exposition), Napoleon’s Tomb, Saint-Chapelle in the rain, the metro.
-Best Food: Warm hospitality at Comice, sandwiches from any given boulangerie, apertifs (Lilet Blanc is my fav)
Day 9-10: Paris, Le Marais
This was our favorite neighborhood. Le Marais is near (practically) everything, feels like an authentic community and has excellent restaurants. We cancelled a planned trip to Versailles because we were greedy for more time here.
-Highlights: Picasso Museum, people watching, drinking on the banks of the Seine with college students at sunset
-Best Food: Stunningly generous hospitality at La Bourse et La Vie, oysters with cognac vinegar at Huiterie Régis, random falafel
-Additional Comments: I enjoyed running the neighborhood in the early morning and watching it all come to life.
Day 11: Travel Praise be to Xanax.
General Thoughts
-Stereotypes about the French are so outdated. Everyone, especially in the countryside, was gracious
-DO learn basic phrases in French. The French are gracious hosts and I felt that the respect demonstrated by attempting the language is reciprocated
-DO ask questions. I asked our waiter about “Eau de Vie” and after disappearing, he returned with three bottles, a generous free tasting and stories about his grandfather’s still in the countryside. I left the restaurant educated and happily drunk. In another situation, I asked a vintner if he had any older bottles off-menu following a tasting and he revealed a small but venerable stock that were for sale but too few to advertise
-DO make reservations, especially in small towns. I avoided it from fear of speaking French on the phone and executed a mad scramble to secure our tables at the start of the trip
-DO eat late. The tourists seem to clear out of restaurants by 21:00 and we enjoyed listening to the buzz of French voices when we dined on their schedule
-DO wake up early, at least sometimes. Provincial streets are so dreamy at dawn
-DON’T go to Montmartre. Obviously my opinion but it was aggressively touristy, full of hustlers and I’m no prude but fuck, there were a lot of cheap sex shops
-DO change your plans as you go. You can rebook train tickets for a modest fee or rebook hotels with reasonable notice. Be open to discovery
-DO use public transport whenever possible
-DON’T expect anything from speaking Spanish or Portuguese. This may be different in the Southwest but in the places I visited, neither of these were viable bridge languages when my French failed me
-DO check wine in your bag home

I have this friend that I will call John (33). So yesterday he tells me he can’t really concentrate & is somewhat bothered by something, I ask what is it (if you want to share it w me) so he says yes that may help just telling someone to get it off his chest. (Pls prepare your mind to be blown), he says he was at a Halloween party about 5 yrs ago & the friend that he went with asked him if he wanted to go into a bedroom where they were partying and have some fun with some girls, so of course he says yes. He gets in there and three more women come in together, and they all had on mask which they kept on, he also had a mask on. They were all very drunk and my friend ended up hooking up with one of the girls with the mask on. He ended up with a happy ending if you know what I mean and everybody kind of was done with what they were doing, and the girl that he was with took her mask off. Well to his surprise and of all people in the whole world it was… HIS MOTHER! he said that he shot out of that room Asap and didn’t say a word to anybody!
So he’s been carrying around this crazy guilt for years and hasn’t told anyone or so he said until last night. He said that two years ago he decided to tell his mother that he was the one, so she of course very surprised & starts telling him how great it was and that nobody had ever made her having a happy ending as well as he did… Can you read between the lines? So immediately after that, she wants to do it again and he did but that he felt bad about it after the fact and hasn’t done it again. Then yesterday he said he was going over to her house for a belated birthday dinner for him and he told me that he wouldn’t be surprised if they did something again or at least she would probably ask. He said that it was all he’s been thinking about too and several hours after he went he sends me a graphic photo of the “happy ending” but during lol
I am really trying to wrap my head around this because one, I’m not 100% sure that it actually happened. For some crazy reason, I just don’t know whether to believe him or not & two, who does that? I mean, he has brought a whole new meaning to the phrase, mommy issues. So my question is do you think he really did it or do you think he just made it up? I mean he also sent me the three pictures of the three different girls with the mask on so I guess that part is true, then he sends me more pictures of the actual “handwork” so this leads me to believe that it did happen, unless of course, it was a completely different scenario and he just made up the story to go with those pictures, I mean, I don’t know my mind is completely blown. I know that this is something that is a fantasy for a lot of men but I’ve never actually met or talked to a guy that has done it and I’m not really sure how to feel about it. Lol. So Charlotte, what are your thoughts? Just for question purposes, I have never dated him and I don’t know if I would after hearing all of this. I need feedback!
“Perplexed”

Have a blessed week ahead.
Acts of the Apostles, 2:1–21:

The Coming of the Holy Spirit
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost
But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible. Concordia Publishing House:
(LSB = Commission on Worship of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Lutheran Service Book. St. Louis: Concordia, 2006.)

2:1–13 The Holy Spirit descends as a gift, sounding forth one message in many tongues, showing that Israel will soon burst its ethnic bounds. Cynics of all eras belittle God’s mighty deeds and explain them away. However, humility before the Holy Spirit is in order, along with sheer wonder that God gives Himself to people of all nations. • “Come, holy Fire, comfort true, Grant us the will Your work to do And in Your service to abide; Let trials turn us not aside.” Amen. (LSB 497:3)
2:14–41 Peter shows from the Scriptures that Jesus is Israel’s Lord as well as Savior of the nations. Rejoice that God pours out His Spirit in Baptism and multiplies His blessings to us in daily repentance and forgiveness. He makes a new Israel, a new house of David—the Church! • Lord, grant that I may confess and proclaim You with confidence, as Peter did. Amen.

Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible. Concordia Publishing House:
(Aram = Aramaic — cf = confer — chs = chapters — Gk = Greek — NT = New Testament — OT = Old Testament — v = verse — vv = verses — Ex = Exodus — Lv = Leviticus — Dt = Deuteronomy — Ps = Psalms — Mt = Matthew — Lk = Luke — Jn = John — Ac = Acts — Rm = Romans — 1Co = 1 Corinthians — Gal = Galatians — Heb = Hebrews — 1Pt = 1 Peter — 2Pt = 2 Peter — Chrys = John Chrysostom — Cyr Jer = Cyril of Jerusalem — Luth = Martin Luther — AE = Luther, Martin. Luther’s Works. American Edition. General editors Jaroslav Pelikan and Helmut T. Lehmann. 56 vols. St. Louis: Concordia, and Philadelphia: Muhlenberg and Fortress, 1955–86. — NPNF 1 = Schaff, Philip, ed. A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Series 1. 14 vols. New York: The Christian Literature Series, 1886–89. Reprint, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1956. — NPNF 2 = Schaff, Philip, and Henry Wace, ed. A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Series 2. 14 vols. New York: The Christian Literature Series, 1890–99. Reprint, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1952, 1961.)

2:1 day of Pentecost. Fifty days after the Passover Sabbath (Lv 23:15–21). Pentecost likely also commemorated the giving of the Law on Sinai, as later rabbis attest. On this new day in Ac, God’s people are publicly formed through the bestowal of the Holy Spirit. They acquire the names “Church” and “Christians” in the NT but also stand in faith with believers of the OT, who trusted in the coming Savior. Cf Mt 8:11. arrived. Gk has sense of “fill up, complete” (cf Lk 9:51; Gal 4:4). they. Possibly just the 12 apostles (cf 1:26; 2:14), though the fulfillment described in vv 17–18 hints that the 120 are meant. (Reference to the 120 is much more remote; 1:15.) Chrys: “Was it upon the twelve that [the Holy Spirit] came? Not so; but upon the hundred and twenty. For Peter would not have quoted to no purpose the testimony of the prophet” (NPNF 1 11:25). all together. Continuing their practice of fellowship and worship. in one place. Setting unclear. Possibly the building containing the Upper Room (1:13), though how the apostles’ message could reach the crowd (vv 5–11) is unclear and never explained. This has led some interpreters to suggest the temple courts as a likely location.
2:2–3 like … wind … as of fire. The manifestations were indescribable because they revealed God’s miraculous activity.
2:2 house. Gk oikos. Luke usually uses this term to denote a private dwelling (or for the family as a “household”) but also uses it for the temple (Lk 6:4; 19:46; Ac 7:47, 49; cf Lk 24:53; Ac 2:46). The setting for Peter’s sermon (vv 14–41) had to accommodate thousands of people. According to later Christian tradition, the house with the Upper Room was located on Mount Zion (southwest hill of Jerusalem) and would have been outside the city wall.
2:3 tongues as of fire. Luke describes the scene with a comparison. The emphasis in the wording is on the mouth (“tongue,” “speak,” “utterance”), which may indicate where the “fire” appeared (see Moses’ appearance in Ex 34:29). The fire appropriately appears as tongues of flame, since the Holy Spirit works through the apostles’ speech. In the OT, angelic spirits were described as fire (see note, Ps 104:3–4). Fire also represented the presence of God’s Spirit (Ex 3:2–4).
2:4 filled with the Holy Spirit. Anointing with the Holy Spirit brings a startling transformation. The Spirit never becomes a personal possession but remains a heavenly gift, received by the repentant through faith. speak in other tongues. Miraculous ability to communicate in foreign languages the speakers had never learned (vv 7–11). Cyr Jer: “The Holy Spirit taught them many languages at once, languages which in all their lives they never knew” (NPNF 2 7:128).
2:5 Jews, devout men from every nation. Jews dispersed throughout the world who piously observed the Law, now in Jerusalem to observe the required feasts.
2:6 God brings the people together to hear His Word. These miraculous events are God’s extended appeal for Israel to receive Jesus as their Messiah and to become part of the new Israel, the Church. speak in his own language. The hearers understood the proclamation neither in Aram nor in common Gk but in their local languages.
2:7–8 An obvious miracle. Working men from Galilee would hardly be accomplished linguists.
2:9–11 These groups, coming from all corners of the earth, point forward to the universal character of the Church. Twelve diverse regions signify all people. The Jewish Dispersion had spread to all these places. The mention of the capital city of Rome represents the empire, which encompassed the known world. Jews and proselytes. Represents all worshipers of the God of Israel, whether ethnic Jews or Gentile converts. Cretans and Arabians. Has the sense of all from west and east, from island and mainland.
2:11 proselytes. Gentile converts to Judaism who were circumcised and likely also received a baptism for cleansing. mighty works of God. Cf Dt 11:2; Ps 71:19; 105. Luth: “When God wanted to spread the gospel throughout the world by means of the apostles he gave the tongues for that purpose [Acts 2:1–11]. Even before that, by means of the Roman Empire he had spread the Latin and Greek languages widely in every land in order that his gospel might the more speedily bear fruit far and wide” (AE 45:359).
2:12 This extraordinary work of God needed explanation.
2:13 Just as some rejected the earthly Jesus, so mockers and skeptics have always dismissed the Church’s message (cf Mt 10:22; Jn 15:18–20). Cyr Jer: “In truth the wine was new, even the grace of the New Testament; but this new wine was from a spiritual Vine, which had oftentimes [before] this borne fruit in Prophets, and had budded in the New Testament” (NPNF 2 7:128).
2:14 Peter. Spokesman for the Twelve; always named first in lists of the apostles. His work is the focus of chs 1–12.
2:15 third hour of the day. Hour of prayer and sacrifice at the temple.
2:17 last days. Peter quotes Joel’s prophecy to state that the decisive stage and climax of history has arrived with Christ and the Church (cf 1Co 10:11; Heb 1:2; 1Pt 1:20). pour out My Spirit. God gives His people not just things, but Himself in the Third Person of the Godhead. The promised Baptism with the Spirit was “poured,” showing that the term “baptism” was not regarded strictly as immersion (cf v 33). all flesh. God’s salvation is universal in scope; He pours out the Spirit on all kinds of people.
2:18 servants. Like Mary (Lk 1:38) and Paul (Rm 1:1), all Christians are bond servants of the Lord. He gives them His Spirit, yet they belong to Him.
2:19 wonders … signs. Works that demonstrate the arrival of the last days, begun in the earthly life of Christ and continued here in Ac (cf v 43; 4:16, 22, 30; 5:12; 6:8; 8:6, 13; 14:3; 15:12). above … below. Emphasizes the dramatic top-to-bottom change in creation that God enacts.
2:20 the day of the Lord. When Christ returns in glory. Refers to a time (not strictly 24 hours) in which God dramatically reveals and/or executes His judgment by condemning the wicked and delivering the righteous. The prophets often use this phrase with reference to the end of history (cf 2Pt 3:10), yet it does not always have this ultimate sense.
2:21 calls upon. A cry from the heart, lamenting sin and imploring mercy.

I am diagnosed bipolar1.
I’ve had very obvious psychosis in manic and depressive episodes… But I’ve always had what I thought was a really loud, intense internal monologue. Even during periods of stability.
And I always thought voices couldn’t be “in your head” and you had to hear them like outside of yourself… Apparently that’s not true- I just found out about internal hallucinations.
I’m starting to question if some of my chaotic internal monologue is actually psychosis. Do other people with bipolar experience this when they’re not having an episode?
I’ll have multiple streams of thoughts talking over each other and I can’t control or stop it.
Sometimes my thoughts are so loud and jumbled that they’re incoherent. I can’t fully understand them. They’re non sensical.
I’ve also had voices yell random phrases inside my head. Sometimes they yell or say or whisper the same word or phrase repeatedly. For example, I once heard my father scream in my ear, “I’m drunk”, over and over again when I was trying to sleep. But it wasn’t exactly “outside” of my head.
Sometimes there are certain people I’ll talk to in my head for hours- full blown conversations- and I find myself mumbling to them, smiling, laughing, crying. It is hard not to engage, and I do indulge in it, though I know it is bad. I shouldn’t be living in fantasy land. But it’s like I HAVE to engage.
I can never control or steer the direction my internal monologue goes. It does whatever it wants and I’m along for the ride. Conversations I don’t want to have. I don’t know if that makes sense.
I’ll also get music stuck in my head and it’s so loud that it’s like I have headphones on, on full blast, and sometimes the music goes double speed, or another song plays over it, or it becomes non sensical.
^But it doesn’t sound like it’s coming from a radio, if that makes sense. I’ve experienced hallucinations where I’ve heard the radio playing a podcast and it wasn’t actually playing anything I found out- what I’m talking about is different from that.

I am diagnosed bipolar1. Old psych suspected schizoaffective but I stopped seeing him shortly after he said anything cause I had to move.
I’ve had very obvious psychosis in manic and depressive episodes… But I’ve always had what I thought was a really loud, intense internal monologue. Even during periods of stability.
And I always thought voices couldn’t be “in your head” and you had to hear them like outside of yourself… Apparently that’s not true- I just found out about internal hallucinations.
I’m starting to question if some of my chaotic internal monologue is actually psychosis. Does anyone with schizophrenia experience this?
I’ll have multiple streams of thoughts talking over each other and I can’t control or stop it.
Sometimes my thoughts are so loud and jumbled that they’re incoherent. I can’t fully understand them. They’re non sensical.
I’ve also had voices yell random phrases inside my head. Sometimes they yell or say or whisper the same word or phrase repeatedly. For example, I once heard my father scream in my ear, “I’m drunk”, over and over again when I was trying to sleep. But it wasn’t exactly “outside” of my head.
Sometimes there are certain people I’ll talk to in my head for hours- full blown conversations- and I find myself mumbling to them, smiling, laughing, crying. It is hard not to engage, and I do indulge in it, though I know it is bad. I shouldn’t be living in fantasy land. But it’s like I HAVE to engage.
I can never control or steer the direction my internal monologue goes. It does whatever it wants and I’m along for the ride. Conversations I don’t want to have. I don’t know if that makes sense.

Hi Friends! Longtime Viewer first time script poster! Ive started writing a couple of my own to use but this one in particular Im quite proud of so I thought I could share with all of you! Please feel free to use and post at your leisure, monetization is a-ok I would just love a copy or a link to listen to.
[Everything in the brackets are suggestions for sounds and atmosphere , none are necessary and you are more than welcome to add or subtract.] You're welcome to make small changes to the script for flow, its gender neutral for both sides so F4A and M4A ect. are all good! I just ask you dont change the whole script around. (I know it gets suggestive esp toward the end but I dont have any sort of nsfw cut, but if thats your jam you could shoot me a dm and if you wanted to extend the script I would be all ears!)
[[Premise : You are sent to a small town far off the main road,miles and miles away from the big city you live in to look for a missing pastor that had ran off from his congregation a while ago. You arrive late into the evening into a ghost town, lots of shops boarded up and homes without the lights on , except for the large building in the middle of it; soft, warm light filters through the curtained windows and the cracks in the door. It's a bar, and as you enter there are a handful of people curled into their own drinks, at their own tables. The bartender beckons you over with a friendly smile. You just want to find Father Marley and go back home, but something pulls you toward the counter anyway.]]
[The door opens, the listener walks in to the sound of a very quiet bar atmosphere, soft piano music plays from overhead. ]
Haven't seen you around before, stranger.
Come along take a seat, would you like something to drink? It looks like you've been traveling for a while.
[Extra beat of pause]
Just water?
[water poured into a glass, then slid across the counter]
Alright then, if you need anything stronger I'd be happy to let you sample before you buy.
Now, forgive me for being forward but you know, small town…even smaller population. We don't get a whole lot of travelers, the last outsider that came through was old Father Marley.
[Curious] Oh? You know him?
[Extra beat of pause , as if the listener is explaining why they're here]
Ah, that's why you came. [Sigh]
Yes, the priest had rolled through town just a few weeks ago. I'm not quite the religious type, but there was something about the Father that had the whole town riled up.
[A little frustrated] Damn near interrogated every single person that gave him a look.
[Speaker is puttering about, wiping down the counter and putting things away. SFX unnecessary , just a note for atmosphere ]
He said he had a premonition about our town, demons running round and corrupting people. Now I never attended his sermons, but the people at my bar like to talk after a couple rounds, and the stories second hand were enough to make me shiver.
Its true that in the past couple years some people have gone missing, but its easy to move away from this town, we are not all so connected to each other. We mostly keep to ourselves.
[Extra beat of pause]
When did I last see the pastor?
I don't know where he ran off to, a couple days ago he was telling anyone who would listen that he almost had the evil spirit under control.
He knew exactly who it had possessed and he would take care of them that night.
[Quieter, as if leaning down to whisper to the listener]We hadn't heard from him since.
[Normal tone, perhaps a little judgemental] And here you are, fresh off the dirt road , looking for him. I'm afraid you just missed your mark, stranger.
[Dismissive] But enough of crazy old pastors and ghost stories for now, you look tired. I'm sure you'll track down Father Marley in no time, in his condition he couldn't have gone far.
So why dont you rest and stay a night? I'll let you have the spare room upstairs, free of charge , for the trouble.
Really, its no bother for me, its my establishment after all. The room is right next to mine so if you're having any troubles you're free to knock on my door. Though you'll most likely find me down here in the middle of the night, Im a bit of a night owl, good for business at least.
[Extra beat of pause]
Oh? That look on your face is telling me you didnt expect me to be the owner here.
Thats alright, I forgive you. I dont have many other employees, just Al who brings the barrels in and Meredith who takes over so I can have a day off once in a while.
I do live upstairs though, Ill show you your room once I get these glasses put away.
[Have the music fade in and out to represent the passing of a little bit of time, maybe add the sound of glass clinking]
Alright, follow me . Just up the stairs and your room is the last door on the left.
[The speaker leads the listener up and to the room, they enter the room together]
Its just the spare room for folks who are too drunk to walk home, I feel better knowing that my regulars can come back next weekend.
[Amused, teasing tone] And besides, apparently there's monsters lurking around, right?
Dont worry, I clean up after every person stays, so I hope the cot is comfortable enough for the night at least.
Now before I head back down, and let a stranger wander about my living area, could I get your name? Just so I know what to put on the wanted papers in case I find my valuables missing tomorrow.
[Soft laugh or a scoff] I kid, I kid.
But honestly, you've scored a free room for the night, the least you could do is give me the courtesy of knowing your name?
[Extra beat of pause]
[The speaker smiles] Thank you.
[Sigh] [Soft clap of hands ] Well, I'm about to close up for the night so if you're not too tired, I'll come back up with a drink and maybe you could tell me about how you know our dear Father Marley some more.
[The Speaker leaves, closing the door behind them.]
[Extra beat of pause, another chunk of time passing by]
[Door cracked open, then fully opened, the Speaker walks into the room setting down a glass on the bedside table]
You're still up? Oh you couldn't sleep? Do you need another blanket, the ones in here are a bit threadbare.
You've got a headache? The pains of travel I see.
Well maybe a glass of my strongest will ease your aches. Lord knows I need one for myself.
[The speaker sits on the edge of the bed, close to the listener]
Now… that name of yours, it's nice, suits you. I have an intuition for these things, names are important to people.
They hold a certain energy.
When said by someone you love, it can brighten your day. When yelled out in anger it can create a thunderstorm in your heart.
[Leaning closer]
When whispered with a hint of ecstasy it can make you feel like the most powerful thing in the world.
[Extra beat of pause]
A weird fascination you say? I suppose so. Knowing names is a part of my livelihood. Dont you think being greeted by name by an old friend at the bar isnt one of the nicer feelings to experience? I know everyone’s name in this town, well until earlier this evening.
[Tone shift, inquisitive to sultry] Why else did I come up here, after a long day of work- offering you a glass of liquor and my company?
The name itself isn't the most important thing , but when you gave me your's with the intention of wanting a more- intimate connection with me. You left yourself a little vulnerable.
Its not just the name I want , darling. [The speaker is hovering over the listener, cornering them or pinning them down]
Its the soul. [A sound cue, like something being pulled taut]
Did you know that Father Marley isnt his actual name? He was smart, not smart enough in the end, but smart to begin with.
[Chuckling, as if recalling the memory] He fought real hard to hold onto himself, but like all the others, he gave in at the end.
Like Anne-marie. What a sweet soul she was, soft like rose petals and she tasted like pure honey. She practically threw her little self into my arms. [Breathy on the last sentence for a little flair]]
[Extra beat of pause]
[Same pulling sound] You gave me a thread to pull on, stranger. Do you feel it? That little ache in your chest that grows the more I speak?
Its your soul, I've tethered my magic onto it and it calls for me. I can take it from you, but it would taste like roadkill left on the side of the road, on a sunny afternoon.
[Inhale] I want to know the flavor of your pure essence.
[tsk sound, or the smacking/licking of lips] I bet it tastes like the darkest of bourbon.
[sweetly] I want you to give it to me. Just say the words and all your pains and troubles will float away my dear, I promise.
[Extra beat of pause, followed by a small huff of annoyance]
So, I still feel a hint of resistance here.
Are you scared? Because you’ve finally connected the dots, and figured out who I am.
What I am?
Unfortunately the father found out a second too late as- Well, not exactly.
I'm not a demon, not really. I'm not simply corrupting people, if I was, there would be more people in this quiet little town now wouldn't there?
He left this world with a smile on his face though.
I told you, I can make this sweet.
[gravely , tense] What is there to lose? Your mission failed the second you stepped through my doors. Father Marley was long gone before you arrived. Terribly sorry about that.
They sent you to me like a lamb- [laugh] you know the rest of that phrase, dont you?
It would be much better for both of us if you were good, and let me have what is mine. I've already marked your soul, you've let me in that much.
See, if I pulled on this thread any harder, you’d start to feel a pain unlike any you ever felt.
I’ve only had to do that once to a stubborn little lamb.
Their cries went on for hours, and their spirit tasted like ash.
I would rather not experience that again, if at all possible.
So give in, my dear.
[The rustling of sheets, like the listener is fidgeting]
The thread is loosening ever so slightly, sweetness. You were unprepared weren't you. You didn't believe him either. You thought he was crazy, running off like that.
You were expecting to catch a senile old man and trot him back to the church, collect your reward, and leave.
Too bad. What a shame.
Now you're here with me, and who's going to follow up after you?
If I'm lucky, they'll be easier to sway than you were.
But I'm getting ahead of myself, sorry darling. I should be focusing on you.
You have my full attention, and my finest touch, as long as you give me what I want. As long as you say yes.
So?
(Thanks for reading ! Im Waxonwix on yt feel free to shoot me a message or comment if you have any feedback! )

I am diagnosed bipolar, and I’ve had very obvious psychosis in manic and depressive episodes.
But I’ve always had what I thought was a really loud, intense internal monologue. Even during periods of stability.
And I always thought voices couldn’t be “in your head” and you had to hear them like outside of yourself… Apparently that’s not true- I just found out about internal hallucinations.
I’m starting to question if some of my chaotic internal monologue is actually psychosis. Does anyone with psychosis experience this?
I’ll have multiple streams of thoughts talking over each other and I can’t control or stop it.
I’ve also had voices yell random phrases inside my head. I once heard my father scream in my ear, “I’m drunk”, but it wasn’t exactly outside of my head.
Sometimes there are certain people I’ll talk to in my head for hours- full blown conversations- and I find myself mumbling to them, smiling, laughing, crying. It is hard not to engage, and I do indulge in it, though I know it is bad. I shouldn’t be living in fantasy land. But it’s like I HAVE to engage.

Context: You prepare to confess to your Royal Knight, despite certain "controversies".
Tags: [F4M] [Wholesome] [Confession] [Forbidden love] [Kissing] [Childhood Friends]
Usage: You may tweak or record this script.
Monetization: All forms of monetization are OK with me! YouTube, Patreon, etc. I would appreciate being able to listen to the recording, if possible. Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!
[Scene opens up in the hall]
***
[SFX: Door opening and armor clanking]
"You summoned me, your Highness?"
[You nod]
"Is it something important?"
[You nod again]
"If that is the case, what seems to be the problem?"
[You ask if she could talk to you normally]
"I'm sorry your highness. I don't think I can necessarily do that right now. While I am still on duty."
[Pause]
"If that is all, shall I return to my-"
[You ask her to stop]
"Huh? Wha-what's the matter my prince?"
[You ask her to please talk to you as you use to]
"Eh? Talk to you as I use to? D-do you really want that? Especially Now of all times?"
[You nod]
"I mean...if It's all right with you can I shut the door first?"
[You nod]
"Thank you."
[SFX: Door shutting]
"Now tell me, why did you want me to talk to you as we did back when we were kids?"
[You say that you want her honest opinion]
"*Snicker* My honest opinion? Forgive me my pri-I mean um...anyways. When have you ever known me for not giving my honest opinion?"
[Pause]
"If it will please you however, I will give you my honest opinion."
[You ask her if you are a good man]
"Are you...a good man? Well, if I were to compare all the men in this kingdom; I'd say you have a great heart."
[You say that isn't what you mean]
"I know, I know. It's just...So often people overlook that characteristic that makes them good. In my humble opinion, it's what separates you from monsters and creatures."
[You mention that she is a monster]
"Okay, I'll grant you this. Coming from a Drider, it may seem odd when I talk about humanity in such a peculiar way."
[Pause]
"I should mention though, that other monsters and creatures do envy the hearts of humanity. Not to mention their compassion."
[You chuckle a little]
"Well, it may seem funny. However, what I have notice is that humans are very...nice."
[Pause]
"Sure, they may have a few...bad eggs if you'll pardon the phrase. I don't think however that deteriorates their species as a whole."
[Pause]
"I find that your heart is one of the most pure of them all. Your honest but kind, firm but fair, and your people love how you are willing to sacrifice everything for them. Remember the flood a few years ago?"
[Pause]
"You never hesitated to forfeit your rooms for the sake of your subjects. Even willing to offer them supplies so they can rebuild their homes."
[SFX: crawling closer]
"If I don't mind asking, where did that question come from?"
[Your surprised that she asked that so late in]
"Forgive me, old habits tend to die hard. While training to become a knight, I know I mustn't overstep my boundaries. Even for a childhood friend like you."
[You confess that you have a crush on someone]
"*Smug* Oh? Do tell."
[You explain the situation]
"Ah, I see. One of those "Forbidden loves" eh? Two souls, bound by love. Never meant to be together because of societal norms."
[She laughs a little]
"Forgive me for overstepping my boundaries, it's just...any girl would be lucky to have you as their beloved."
[You ask if she found anyone]
"Huh? Me? D-did I find anyone? Kind of a out of the blue question. Don't you think?"
[Pause]
"*Sigh* I guess your worried if your the only one who has a crush on someone. Fearing I might end up alone."
[Pause]
"Anyways, It's not like I have a massive amount of "Suitors" lined up to date a Drider. Even other driders tend to fear females."
[You ask why?]
"Well, I'll answer the first question first. It takes a special kind of person to like spiders, let alone spider creatures like me."
[You ask if she is being treated poorly]
"On the contrary your Highness. When my family and our tribes arrived in your kingdom I was told by my mother; Don't take anything to heart my child. Some people just need to know the "real you" before they like you."
[Pause]
"If anything, I get kind of annoyed by the people tip-toeing to try to prevent any offense to me."
[Pause]
"I guess that's why I like the children of this kingdom. They speak of the heart. Not knowing any social graces."
[You apologize]
"Now, don't you go starting to apologize for them. I actually like it. The curious questions that they have."
[You ask for examples]
"I'm afraid that some of these questions cannot be repeated to such parties of nobility. I'm sorry."
[Pause]
"However, it's not all bad. Some are quite cute, like "Is it true that your species get drunk off of coffee?" To witch I reply, "Depending on the brew and spider species."
[She chuckles and sighs]
"The men however...trying to find the right partner can have it's complications. Drider woman can be very strong willed."
[Pause]
"I guess that's why Drider men often have issues with us as well."
[You mention your not that kind of "Strong willed"]
"Thanks your grace, I do appreciate it. I just want them to know that even though I'm a knight; It doesn't mean I don't want to be looked at like a woman."
[Pause]
"So anyways, what is this crush is like?"
[You mention she isn't human]
"She isn't human huh? I guess I can see what that would be a little...controversial. *Gasp* Don't tell me; you fell for a Drider?!"
[You nod]
"Oof man, I really feel bad for you. I mean, if it was a Harpy, a Centaur, or heck even a Lamia I can see you maybe salvaging this. But a Drider?!"
[Pause]
"I mean, all I got to say is good luck on convincing your family that this is a good idea."
[Pause]
"I bet your mother would have a fit knowing that the next in line had fallen for a Drider. *Snickers* I can only imagine what the lords must think of it too."
[Pause]
"So anyways, who's the lucky girl?"
[You point to her]
"Huh? M-me? Surely you jest."
[You shake your head]
"Oh...um...I...Well, you see-"
[You ask if she feels the same]
"Huh? Do I feel the same?"
[You nod]
"If I was being perfectly honest. I can't deny that I do have feelings for you."
[You smile]
"However, I wouldn't want you to risk everything all for the possibility that this might not work out."
[Pause]
"If it is all right with you, I might need some time to make sure that this isn't a grave mistake."
[You ask if she hates you]
"Of course I don't hate you, your Highness. I just don't want you to regret this decision later. I think it would also be best to think it over on how to break the news to some people."
[You ask who?]
"Well, for starters; the lords. I don't know how they would take the news if you decide to be with me, instead of a princess."
[Pause]
"*Sigh* The taboo of dating a knight wouldn't be bad enough. Just the idea of seeing you lose your title would be too grim for me."
[You ask why?]
"Well, just between us; The tribes that I was a part of that moved into your kingdom really admire you."
[Pause]
"The fact that you address every Drider, Harpy, Lamia, and Centaur as if they were all your subjects. All of them you treat equally."
[Pause]
"I guess it is something that I as well my lord greatly admire you for."
[Pause]
"I do have to ask though, what was it about me that made you fall in love with me?"
[You say her courage and loyalty]
"My courage and loyalty? I mean, other guards and nights are just as loyal as I-"
[You insist that they are not]
"R-really. If that's the case could there be any-"
[You say she is also beautiful inside and out]
"H-Huh?! You think I'm beautiful inside and out?"
[You nod]
"W-with all do respect if you keep this up, I might end up falling in love with-"
[SFX: Kissing]
"Y-you kissed me."
[You apologize]
"No need to apologize, but judging by that kiss you must really do care about me."
[You nod]
"*giggle* Perhaps if that is the case, we could try to see if this works. I do have to admit however, if you would be so bold as to keep this our little secret?"
[You ask why]
"Well, if only to keep the illusion that you might of not found your one true beloved. If only to stay face."
[Pause]
"Trust me your highness, if you were to take action too early...Imagine what your subjects would say or think."
[You say you don't care about that]
"You may not care, but I do. I don't want to see you throw away all of this, in the unlikely hope that we might have a "Happily ever after". I fear that even "True love" couldn't overcome this. Especially if it is rushed."
[Pause]
"However, if it would put your mind at ease; perhaps you should mention this to any lord that you trust fully and completely, when it comes to subtilty."
[Pause]
"At least do this for me, your Highness?"
[You nod]
"Thank you."
[SFX: Kissing]
"Just to motivate you to keep your word."
[You ask if she feels the same way]
"I think it is appropriate to mention this after that discussion."
[You nod]
"Thank you for honoring this request. Now, if that is all; I shall see myself out."
[She kneels]
"Good day your highness."
[She walks away as it fades to black]
[To be continued...?]

Sionia
Chapter 13
Map First Previous
It was an overcast day with a bit of fog as I exited the carriage for my morning constitutional. At the gate to our enclosure, the owner of the inn wanted to provide the morning meal. I agreed to bacon, eggs, toasted sliced bread, cheese and apple cider. The inn owner was over joyed given the fact that my party was an imposing fifty two counting the apprentice doctors.
I ate with Freya who was still looking after Charlie and making sure he ate enough. It did not escape my notice the look Freya gave me with the “I want a child” expression and attitude. I set that aside as it was obvious that Freya's and my relationship would accelerate soon but I wanted to pursue her without the trials and issues of hard travel with a large group.
Upon seeing Robert, I sought him out as he was talking with Hazel. I stopped short when I noticed their copper rings and general appearance. I then motioned to Robert as I stepped forward.
“I will send Gus and Lorna to get clothes for you two and Charlie. You also need to remove your rings and put them on a cord to hang around your neck so you can access it quickly but hide it too. Stay hidden in the carts until you change into your new clothing. If you are being sought, those searching will eventually take notice our group if not actually closely inspect our party for rings as well as any child of similar age. Just be cautious and go out of your way to stay hidden for about eight to ten days. Then you can relax. Just act like you belong to my house! Be a servant that does not have much to do. However, do pitch in here and there as travel is a strain on everyone.” I stated my wise counsel and order.
“We will do as you say Lord Wyatt. Where will Charlie stay and wear?” Asked Robert with concern.
“His new clothing be non nondescript of a commoner and he will become just another one of my wards. He will wear his ring on a cord around his neck as well. Since he is my ward, he will travel with them and be under the same restrictions and protection all my wards have. Your duty right now is to support me as guardian for the young lad as I am in charge. Make no mistake on this matter! Challenge it and suffer greatly.” I stated with authority how things would be followed by a strong warning.
“We understand.” Robert answered with a salute and bow which Hazel also copied.
I sought out Gus and gave him five koper to go get commoner clothing that was a dark color and a second that was lite tannish brown. I made sure Gus understood the clothing would be bought from a shop that is not frequented by nobility for our newest trio and also to find slippers that would closely fit but not custom made. Lastly, Gus was to get basic grooming supplies for Charlie. With that finished, Gus and Lorna went to judge the clothing and shoe sizes they were to get.
Finally, I caught up with Freya again where we shared a quick hug and kiss that I hoped no one saw or at least only one or two persons. I asked Freya to continue looking after Charlie as he is the newest of my wards. I asked her to keep Charlie out of sight as I did not want any spy to get an easy look at him and to get a cord for Charlie's ring and hang it around his neck out of sight. Back at my carriage, I took out several copper rings from the strongbox which I took to Luke my blacksmith to have him fit all my people with rings denoting their service to my house as it needed to be done. I thought this would have the added benefit to further hide the trio from assassins.
With things set into motion, I asked Razor and Meowth to accompany me to the adventurer's guild office leaving the wolf kin brothers to look after the girls and Charlie.
Walking about a quarter mile from the inn, Razor stopped and put his big paw on my chest and pushed me behind him a bit. Meowth growled with a hiss which Razor also gave a very low grumbling growl.
“What is it?” I asked as I put my hand on my sword hilt.
“Meow Lord Wyatt. That tom in the black cloak a bad human fur sure. He kills for coin and does highway robbery.” Meowth stated with another growl and a Q sounding hiss.
“I have fought him before when I guarded a merchant through lands of Mag Mell. It was a hard fight against his mercenary friends. We won eventually but many of ours were wounded and killed. I want to rip his belly apart!” Growled Razor with his desire for revenge.
“He is a walking cat-tastrophy! I want to claw his eyes out!” Meowth growled again her own desire of violence.
“Watch him close. If he does anything threatening or tries to follow me, you have permission to deal with him however your wish. If he does nothing, just watch him on the sly without being obvious and do absolutely nothing! I do not need to be in a fight against possible dozens in the middle of a town I do not know!” I ordered with a slice of my hand through the air.
“Agreed.” Answered Razor and motioned for Meowth to move behind me to protect my back.
The mercenary did nothing and actually sat down to eat his morning meal as we past. The adventurer's guild office was just a small two story building about thirty feet by thirty feet. Inside was an open spaced room about twenty by twenty feet with four tables evenly spaced. At the back, was a counter that separated a staircase, a store room and an office from the front area where a fifty something man with gray hair stood.
“Welcome to Trino Adventurer's Guild office, I am Ronga. How can I be of assistance.” Stated Ronga with a salute and head bow.
“I wish to hire Zack Tally's party from Avalon for a guard, scouting and guide job.” I requested crossing my arms and made what I understood was the standard merchant's business pose.
“Zack Tally. Yes, I can send a floxis request but it will be at least a week before I get a reply.” Stated Ronga as he scratched the back of his head.
“I want Zack's party to met me about three to five millo this side of Avalon on the main road as I will not be waiting here.” I further explained what I wanted.
“That will require an upfront fee for those kinds of arrangement. May I ask who is making the request?” Ronga asked as he was writing the job request down.
“I am Count Ryan Wyatt.” I stated with a look that I hoped was incredulous.
“Count Ryan Wyatt. Wait. You are all everyone talks about these days.” Ronga stated as he looked up in surprise.
“Whatever, not interested in gossip of others.” I stated with a heavy frown.
“Yes, I understand. But tell me, did you really kill a war orc in single combat all by yourself while not once taking a blow that had injured many dark elves before you joined the fight to rescue them?” Ronga asked with undisguised excitement.
I sighed and said, “Yes, I suppose that is true. I am certain it is not as you imagine it.” I stated as I tried to keep my answer short and sweet.
“Yes, I understand. However, defeating a war orc in single combat is amazing!” Ronga stated as he could not stop his excitement as if he had met a legendary idol celebrity.
“Please, Zack Tally's party!” I stated again with my index finger thumping the counter.
“Yes, yes. I will send the filoxis right away. I will require one sceats upfront. How long do you wish to hire Zack and his party?” Ronga asked still beaming with his excitement.
“You know, I am not sure. I am traveling to Camelot. I have never been there before and do not know the dangers, roads or places to rest. Thus, the guide part. I am lacking in guards and fighting strength to deal with raiders and rogue mercenaries. I have already fought battles short handed. I just want to make sure I have more protection. So, ten days to two weeks at a minimum. Two to six months at the most. However, that could change once I reach Camelot.” I stated as I really was not sure.
“Yes, I have heard about you wiping out a nasty dishonorable mercenary unit that abandoned the army as cowards to runaway and join pirates.” Ronga stated with even more excitement.
“That is way over exaggerated and not accurate. I had Knights of the Sixth Order with me.” I stated the truth.
“Yes, yes. I heard they were drunk and you had to save them from being slaughtered.” Ronga continued his excitement that was now just getting too much to deal with.
I sighed and shook my head. I then hit the counter with my fist to get Ronga's attention.
“Just figure ten days to two weeks for now. Leave the contract open ended as I have travel to do after I leave Camelot.” I stated with exasperation.
“Yes, yes. That will be two hundred fifty denari for ten days. Should there be an attack by monsters then the pay is increased by half. Do you wish to pay here or in the city of Avalon?” Ronga asked as he was finally calming down from his excitement.
“Avalon. Circumstances always change and future is never certain.” I stated after thinking for a minute.
“Good. I will need fifty denari for the up front plus fracto twenty five for the job posting fee with the guild.” Ronga stating the bill's total.
With that, I handed over one scates and one peleno. I quickly realized that “Fracto” meaning fraction of a whole was an ancient Roman term on earth for decimal place with money or numbers. I then remembered I needed some mites where I handed over a koper for one hundred mites as that was all that Ronga would exchange.
“It was my pleasure to assist you Lord Wyatt. You are very welcome here anytime.” Ronga stated with a salute and a very deep exaggerated bow.
“Alright.” I stated and motioned for Razor and Meowth to follow me out.
Looking across the way and down the road back toward the inn, I saw a small merchant storefront with the same sign as the Green Trading Company of the tradesman's guild I previously had been to. Heading over, I inquired for another fully fitted out cart and desire to hire a stable boy servant who could drive a cart. About forty minutes later, I was introduced to an eighteen year old boy named Raulo Zukas. I learned he was previously the stable boy for the tradesman's guild and was recently trained to drive a supply cart. I also purchased a water cask, extra tin cups and two cart replacement wheels as I saw a cart with a broken wheel being repaired. I ordered the cart with spare wheels tied to the side delivered immediately to the Resting Unicorn Inn.
About an hour later, I had our group loaded up and heading out. The newest cart was solely for my people ride in. The carts for the Order of Knights was cramped given the sheer number of people now numbering fifty six in total with the newest additions to our group. However, the main reason for the new cart was for Robert, Hazel and Charlie. They would need a cart to travel through the city of Avalon as the original carts were already full of passengers, baggage and supplies.
The travel on the road south was steady and unsurprisingly boring. Pamba just stretched on her back to sleep where she actually snored which made me and Gus laugh. We continued on until little after mid day where we stopped for lunch. I was informed by Lars that Ivor had spotted three riders that apparently was following us as our pace was slow and florse riders should have overtaken us easily. Ivor also reported that they looked like soldiers or mercenaries. With that news, I informed Robert and Hazel. I then spoke with Freya to insure that Charlie hid himself as much as possible. I also gave two of my extra swords to Freya's remaining girls from Asgardia for their reputation as fighters was well known.
When Big Jake and Jason was announcing meal ready to be served, the Mercenary riders came up quickly and camped on the opposite side of the road where they began to eat cold rations. It was obvious that they were looking our party over closely. I had to stop Razor whose fur stood up as I recognized the mercenary from Trino.
“Razor, do nothing unless they cross the road.” I ordered for I wanted them to get a look.
“I do not like it but as you command.” Razor said as I realized he was actually considering on acting against my orders.
I had Lars post an extra guard to face the mercenaries to send a message of strength that even their little party would be noticed and opposed with serious force. When our party began packing up and loading back into the carts, the mercenaries also mounted up where they galloped quickly back toward the city of Trino. I sighed with relief as I suspected that they were looking for Charlie and had assumed he was not with our group.
Two days later, we entered into Monmu where we stopped at a very large inn called the Red Apple Tavern. It was similar to the one in Trino where it had wooden walled enclosures for large traveling parties to camp. Again, I forbid any in our party from going to the tavern as I did not want any drunken problems. I allowed the Tavern owner to bring out two casks of ale and one of beer. The meal was boar steaks, potatoes with gravy and green peas with diced carrots. The inn also had a filoxis message for me from the adventurer's guild letting me know that Zack Tally's party would meet me five millos from Avalon's north main bridge gate.
About two hours after our party had gone to sleep, I was awakened by noise and call to arms.
I heard Razor roar as and the carriage shook when he leaped off from where he was sleeping.
“Alarm! Alarm! Arm yourselves!” Called one of the guards on watch.
“Reeeearrr!” Screamed Meowth with hissing as it sounded as if she was in a cat fight back on earth.
Grabbing and putting on my weapons belt where I pulled the sig and readied myself for battle. I pulled back the window curtain to see what was happening as I could hear fighting all around. I first saw Meowth slashing at a cloaked person and then in a flash of incredible agility she jumped up onto attacker's shoulders taking him to the ground. A split second later, Meowth had ripped out the throat of this intruder. I then saw Razor off to the left had easily dispatched his man and standing tall over his foe was screaming his victory roar.
Looking around further, I saw one of my guards on his knee seemingly dazed with another holding a person at sword point who had been wounded.
“Men of House Wyatt!” I called out my predetermined code phrase which would alert me if fighting was still ongoing or if all was secure.
“Rah!” Called out my guards in unison acknowledging the fight was over and our group was victorious.
Stepping out of the carriage, I walk over to Lars who was checking on Greg who had blood streaming down the side of his head.
“Thieves, Lord Wyatt. Greg took a blow from a slinger's stone. Good thing he wore his padded head mail as all should. He is alright just stunned a bit. More of the mail cutting him than anything else.” Lars stated with a salute and double chest bump.
“Have Old Maude look at him just to be sure. Build up the fire over there and bring the intruder.” I stated and holstered my sig.
Before the roaring fire that brightly lit the enclosure, I began my interrogation.
“You will answer my questions quickly and without lies. If you do not answer or lie, I will let Razor slowly rip you to pieces after he removes your tongue so you can not scream.” I threatened the thief and pointing to Razor's blood soaked claws.
The thief's eyes bugged out to the point that you would think they would pop out and roll around on the ground. Razor to his credit reached out his right paw with claws extended slowly toward the thief's eyes then quickly ripped the thief's shirt demonstrating the how sharp his claws were.
“I will talk!” The thief said as Lars had also put his thumb on the wound in the thief's right shoulder that was cut deep enough that the right arm was useless.
“Who are you and why come after us?” I asked as I drew my dagger using it to seemingly clean under my fingernails as a threatening gesture.
“My name is Andros. We are or were an adventurer party hired to recover a ventu volpis that was spotted with your group by its owner. We though we could slip in and get out without getting caught. Beast people are harder to sneak past than we thought.” Andros stated as he looked at the ground unable to face me.
“The ventu volpis is my companion and has never been someone else's property! Who hired you?” I stated then asked threateningly with my dagger pointed at Andros.
“The guild office has that information. We were told it was a noble of significant authority who wanted to keep their name secret. The pay was very good at three gold.” Andros stated shaking his head.
“We will go to Avalon and see if your story is true. I am sure the guild has harsh penalties for rogue adventurers who do crimes under the guise of a legit job.” I stated as I sheathed my dagger.
“I know. Ten years hard labor often in a dwarven mine. If you are lucky, working on stone walls or laying brick on roads.” Andros stated as he shook his head realizing what his fate would be.
“Have Maude look after his wound so he does not die before we reach Avalon. Once done, tie his hands and feet. He will ride with the baggage with a guard. We will deliver him to the adventurer's guild in Avalon tomorrow. Now, lets get back to sleep. Well done, men of House of Wyatt!” I stated my orders and praise of my guards.
“Rah!” Shouted the guards in unison.
Just as the first sun was peaking out, I had everyone woken up and having the morning meal. The owner of the inn made breakfast of bacon and eggs with bread toasted over an open fire, fresh churned butter, apple sauce and apple cider. The sheriff of Monmu came to collected the dead bodies and he took my statement as to what happened. The sheriff wanted to take Andros into custody but I refused stating I was taking him to Avalon to know the truth. The sheriff just shrugged and left.
A little over an hour later, our party was back on the road and heading mostly southwest and down to the river Paradise. It was about nine hours travel from Monmu to the city of Avalon. We made good time and stopped for lunch about six hours later as the suns were reaching their zenith of mid day. I had Big Jake and Jason make sandwiches for everyone as I did not want to spend two to three hours for lunch. We were back on the road over an hour later.
It was late afternoon early evening when I was informed by Ivor that there was heavily armed and well kitted out adventurer group sitting on the side of the road ahead. I asked Lars to have Nick, a scout and point man for our party, inquire if this armed group was Zack Talley's party. Once Nick gave the affirmative sign, I had our little train pull well off the road.
Exiting the carriage I was flanked by Razor, Meowth, Lars and Ivor as I approached Zack Talley's party. Nick and Moe then bracketed the ten adventurers.
“I am Count Ryan Wyatt.” I announced as I approached the group.
A golden haired well muscled man in his late twenties stepped forward.
“I am Zack Talley and leader of this group called the Keepers of the Blood Oath.” Zack stated with a salute and bow followed by a sweeping arm toward his party.
“It is good to meet you, Zack. I find that I have need of your services.” I replied with a slight nod of my head.
“It is an honor to work for one with your reputation. Let me introduce my party. Here is Mi a dog kin from Argosa. She is my right hand and our tracker. Fang is a jackal kin from the Far Islands and our scout, Leonardo a lion kin from Amazonia is a melee fighter, Brent is a shield man from the Blue Mountains, Dagmar is from Shambala who is our negotiator and in charge of procuring supplies. She is excellent with the bow. Kia, Ollie and Ozzy are brothers from Yis so they are expert florse riders. They are very skilled with lance and good with a bow and sword. Lastly is Todd a master swordsman who served in the army as a vanguard attacker. Todd like me is from Avalon. I am master of the sword and bow and was a sergeant in Duke Boasag's levied army. I am the fifth son of a baron and do not have any title or lands. So, I became an adventurer.” Zack introduced and explained everyone's skills and background.
“Very good. I am traveling to Camelot to meet with the king. I have many wards under my protection from up north that I am escorting south. I hired you because one of my wards needs guards to protect them as they have a very dangerous enemy in Avalon. I do not want to risk their lives as it would stain my honor. They will be riding in a cart through Avalon that you will be guarding. Find a good camping spot a good days journey from Avalon that is away from any towns, taverns or inns. I will catch up two days later after I finish my business. After that, you will guide me to Camelot and provide extra security. That is basically what I need from your party.” I explained.
“That is not a problem and seems a fairly simple job. However, the enemy you speak of must be very dangerous for you to hire us given your prowess and reputation. Worry not for we have never failed a job.” Zack stated with confidence and a short laugh.
“You will be guarding a cart with my stable boy Raulo the driver and house servants Rob and Hazel who are assigned to care for my ward and Jason one of my cooks. I ask that you do not speak with them unless it is absolutely necessary. I do not want them spooked nor have any bad stories that the king might find displeasing. Understand that I have quiet a few wards which the king will speak with. I will hold you responsible if the king is displeased.” I bluffed a threat to help hide Charlie's identity.
“Will you require us to hunt game?” Zack asked as you could see his mind hard at work.
“Yes. Just enough for your group and the five you will be guarding. I ask that you wait here a full span before you head out. I do not want this cart associated with our group in Avalon. I want people to think they are with you or you are helping them out of kindness. That should be everything.” I replied with a a quick half salute.
“Very well. We will do as you have asked. When you go to the guild, ask to speak with Marine. Tell her this is a level one escort. Marine will then collect the payment..” Zack explained with a salute and bow of his head.
“Good enough. I will see you in two days before nightfall. If we have not caught up to you by then, head to Camelot and leave a message with the guild where I can find you.” I stated my final instructions.
“Very well. Have safe travel and we will be waiting.” Zack stated with a salute and a bow.
After separating Robert, Hazel, Charlie, Raulo and Jason and their cart, Pamba suddenly refused to leave Charlie. I was shocked when she actually growled at me when I reached for her.
“OK, you win. You want to ride with Charlie then so bit it!” I acquiesced with a sigh.
Pamba then barked where she rubbed up against my leg before she leaped into Charlie's arms catching him off guard.
“I will care for her. So, do not worry.” Said Charlie with a smile as he was happy to have Pamba's companionship.
“See that you do care for her well. Remember what I told you and be a good boy.” I said with a nod of my head.
We headed back onto the road which was before a slight rise that gave an excellent view of Avalon in the river valley below. Avalon was both a city and a rather sizable island that sat where the Paradise River broadened out into a flood plain. This broad area appeared as a large lake with the city of Avalon filling up most of the island save an orchard section that obviously was kept as a food source should the city be besieged.
The ride down to river was nerve racking at times as the winding switchback road was built up with very steep drop offs to provide easy travel over the steep terrain of the river valley. I chose to read the book of animals I had purchased to keep my mind well occupied off the possible perils of crashing down hill into the river below.

Hi! I'm 22f. It's been 2 years na rin since I last worked as an online ESL tutor so I was around 20 at the time. I just wanna share lang my exp of 3mos. (Yes I only worked for 3mos. i'll explain later) to those planning to work as an online ESL tutor in the PH.
To start, I worked w/ RJ (i'm sure yall know the company by these initials). My reason was ofc financial aid bc at the time I wanted to buy things w/ my own money ++ bakasyon din from uni.
As an introverted girliepop, it was such a huge leap to take. It changed me a lot so to speak. I was talking not only to random strangers, but also to foreign people. My students are mostly japanese and some other foreigners like chinese and koreans who are based in Japan. I would say that the students I taught range from being introverted ppl like me to overly extroverted ones. In the program offered by RJ to its students at that time, they can opt to choose a lesson or simply an "free conversation" with their tutor. Tbh I prefer the lesson one bc at least we have a more systematic set-up. Thinking of new topics or those that might interest my student was reaaaaaaaaally exhausting as an introvert. Not to add na my timeslots are kinda limited at the time pa. I can only open bookings that are either from 5am-9am (i think) and (5pm-12mn). Ofc u have to reach a specific quota by the end of the month so u have to really open ur slots early in the morning and may times din na sinasagad ko talaga til 12mn. Only then RJ will open the midday slots for u. It was hella tiring pero I told myself na dahil ginusto ko to, pangangatawan ko hahaha. I reached naman my quota a month after being hired so I was able to book students during middays pero it switched back to the previous one kasi raw i should've still opened bookings during the said timeframes. Soooo i was like wtf.
I guess the most challenging part in this job is ur students talaga. I had those that rebooked me numerous times whose company I actually enjoyed. Even though most of them chose the conversation type, it was easy to converse coz they were friendly and chatty too. Para talaga silang yung mga friendly characters sa anime lol. However, I also encountered (sorry for the term) weird creeps. Honestly, dito mo marerealize na kahit papano thankful kang filo ka lol. Coz im sure kahit gano pa tayo "kalala", I'm proud to say na we're "more sane"lol.
I remembered na I had this one student who wasn't entirely fluent in English so he spoke in phrases lang and he chose free coversation pa. The topic he wanted to talk abt was his gn collection (yeah ik). Well I'm mostly open for any topics talaga but what threw me off is he actually sHOWED some of them to me ON CAM during the video call jusko. He even showed me how to load them up like what?? Mind you, he was a teenager and looked around 13-15 at the time. He boasted na he stole his dad's gns from time to time and played w/ them w/ his friends jusko kang bata ka. He was simply talking abt them lang naman so i dont think na the company would pay much attention to it if I told them kaya hinayaan ko na lang.
There's also one who just stared at the screen. It was a video call so need namin as tutors na laging on cam. He's already old-ish mga 50-60s and this was our 2nd time meeting na. The first time was okay. He opted for conversation during that time and this one. But ik for sure na he's drunk kasi garalgal sya magsalita and it was hella awkward for me. I asked him what topic he would like to talk about and he said whatever i want😭 as an introvert that's enough to turn my brain into a battlefield talaga. What's worse is that he only responded w/ one-liner answers. The worst ever was when I recommended him a movie. Boy i could never forget that moment talaga. The topic was movie bc he said he went to the cinema that day to watch an action movie so ako ito si recommend, I told him abt the movie "expendables". I sh*t u not he got mad at me and cursed me in japanese and proceeded to ramble in japanese afterwards. He assumed na I mocked him bc I used a word he doesn't know like bro what????? As in I was so stunned at that time talaga na I was just 👁️👄👁️. He talked to me in jp so I would know raw how it feels to be spoken to in another language. Sorry sya kasi fluent ako in jp. Nanginginig na talaga ko that time mga dzai so sabi ko na lang in jp na "i understood everything u said, don't worry." Thank God the 25min. time was over na so I immediately ended the call after that. He was my last student for the day so after that class I just stared at my screen for 5 min. before making the report. These are only two of the weird exp I had w/ some jp students. I have so many more stories pero ofc magiging novela na tong post if I did so.
If u think the exp was problematic. Wait til I tell u abt the response of the company. They didn't actually do anything besides disabling the student from booking me. The response was really passive and common for companies na gumagamit lang ng filo employees bc it's cheaper to hire us and they take advantage of our "desperation" and "determination" to actually make money. While the weeks pass by I realized na this isn't worth my mental health so I stopped na.
Now, I'm a graduating student in college so that's where my focus lies muna. Do I regret being an ESL tutor?? No. I actually love helping and teaching others. Do I regret the company where I worked? YES. I realized na not only the tutors were underpaid, but they're mostly overworked with no health benefits. Kaya if you're an online ESL tutor lalo na sa company na yon, I salute u. Tho I hope u wont forget to take care of urself too:(

My girlfriend and I have been in a relationship for 2 months; we spent 4 months in the talking stage.
Last night, she went out to a club with her girlfriend. Bars and clubs here close at around 12 or 1 a.m. I texted her at 11 p.m. to ask how she was. It was pretty noisy and I knew 'cause she sent me voice messages. I was only texting while she sent only voice messages. She told me she was drunk and that I'd have to come pick her up and she'd call me when to do so. I am more than happy to do so. I told her to take care of her phone and not let any guys touch her. She said there was a guy but....I couldn't hear the rest of the message cos it was so loud. That's when the "I love you's" at the end of all the voice messages started coming in.
A few messages later, she told me a guy asked her if she wanted to go for a long drive and asked me what she should say. I couldn't hear the voice message cos it was muffled and I only found out later. I asked her what she said but she didn't reply to that message.
She kept sending incoherent voice messages until I got a call from her. I picked up, it was her friend. She told me I'd have to come pick them up and she told me to hurry up. I booked a cab as fast as I could and made my way there.
I called as soon as I reached the front of the building and her friend picked up. In the background, I could hear some guy saying "Tell him to go back". She told him I was already here. I told them to come down 'cause I wasn't sure if the bouncer was gonna let me in an hour before closing.
A few minutes passed by and no signs of them except some people exiting said club. I called and her friend told me to come upstairs.
I made my way up the lift and as soon as I exited, my girlfriend was sitting on the stairs, barely able to balance herself, taking support on a random stranger's shoulder while he had his hand on her back; his 2 or 3 friends were waiting for him near the elevator. He moved away as soon as I sat down next to her. I picked her up by the arms, supporting her on the back of my shoulders to walk down the stairs; her legs didn't move and we almost fell. She kept tripping as we traversed the stairs. When we got to the 2nd floor, her friend suggested taking the lift 'cause it'd be too much walking down the stairs.
As soon as the doors opened, the guys from earlier were in the lift (almost like they were waiting). They told us to get on but her friend and I said no. One of the boys called out my girlfriend's name and, without hesitation, she walked toward the lift. I grabbed her by the arm and asked her what she thought she was doing. They invited us to come inside with them, telling me it'd be okay but we rejected the offer.
We made our way down and what do you know, the guys from earlier were standing near the entrance. We hid behind the door until they left. We finally went home in a cab.
Keep in mind, my girlfriend's been talking gibberish the whole time and the only words and phrases I could catch were "Are you angry at me?" and "I love you". And I kept telling her now was not a good time throughout the whole ride back.
We finally made it to her apartment after her friend got a cab. She was lying down on her bed. I started asking her how much she drank. She replied 6 shots of vodka and 3 beers (She doesn't like beer).
I then asked her what she did at the club trying to find out why those guys knew her name and why they were so friendly with her. She kept saying, "Nothing", "I didn't do anything" and kept giving incomplete, vague answers while repeatedly saying she loved me and changed the topic.
I asked her about the "long drive" voice message when she blurted out that she gave her instagram ID to someone in the club. I immediately checked her phone and recognized him to be one of the guys from the club who was being friendly with her.
I then asked her how many guys she spoke to, how they knew her name and if they ever bought her any drinks (because she doesn't like beer and she had 3). She said "No one" and kept using the "I love you" to change the topic. She's still very wasted at this point and mumbling and talking gibberish.
I kept asking her the questions but she kept giving me the same reply. She was tugging on the neck of my t-shirt, scratching me with her nails. So I grabbed both her arms and continued the interrogation. By this point, I'm getting really pissed and my tone changes. She started crying but still wouldn't give me the answer. She eventually fell asleep and I left her place thinking I'd confront her the next day about it.
But the problem is she doesn't remember anything she does or says when she's wasted but I don't know if she would use that as an excuse the next day or when she's sober.
I have thought about ending things with her even though I have feelings for her; but I don't know how to go about it.
Should I ask her friend about what happened in the club that night, so I can put my mind to rest?
Should I ask my childhood friend, who's in the same class as her, how she is in class?
What should I do?
TLDR; Girlfriend entertained random strangers in club and is acting innocent. What should I do?

Matthew 5:33-37 and james 5:12 warn against making oaths, yet people have told me the following
'' james' General Epistle has a couple dozen similarities with the Sermon on the Mount. He often expands upon the Sermon on the Mount or uses similar phrases.
"Yes be yes" and "no be no" is one such example. Jesus taught that making oaths comes from the evil one. James expands upon Jesus' teaching that Jesus was warning against oaths because making false oaths will result in condemnation.
Paul was not actually making oaths. He wasn't promising to do something in the future. He was testifying of what he did in secret and the hidden feelings of his heart. It is really not much different than swearing on a Bible to tell the truth concerning a past event.
In summary, Jesus and James are warning us against making rash promises and oaths of what we will do in the future. (For example, one such oath would be I swear to God I will never get drunk again). We can't control the future, so we shouldn't be making these kind of oaths. Paul was testifying to the past: (for example, God knows I prayed for you without ceasing.) I hope that clears it up. '''

Matthew 5:33-37 and james 5:12 warn against making oaths, yet people have told me the following
'' james' General Epistle has a couple dozen similarities with the Sermon on the Mount. He often expands upon the Sermon on the Mount or uses similar phrases.
"Yes be yes" and "no be no" is one such example. Jesus taught that making oaths comes from the evil one. James expands upon Jesus' teaching that Jesus was warning against oaths because making false oaths will result in condemnation.
Paul was not actually making oaths. He wasn't promising to do something in the future. He was testifying of what he did in secret and the hidden feelings of his heart. It is really not much different than swearing on a Bible to tell the truth concerning a past event.
In summary, Jesus and James are warning us against making rash promises and oaths of what we will do in the future. (For example, one such oath would be I swear to God I will never get drunk again). We can't control the future, so we shouldn't be making these kind of oaths. Paul was testifying to the past: (for example, God knows I prayed for you without ceasing.) I hope that clears it up. '''

So: I really, really dig the aesthetic/concept/vibe of BotC. I'm not sure what I think of the game, which I've only played a little of. I feel like I feel similarly towards it as I do to D&D 3.5, which I don't play but love optimizing. I'd like to play a lot more BotC (and probably more 3.5), but in lieu of that, I really enjoy reading the wiki/discord/subreddit.
I'm curious if it's possible to construct a script that does the following:

• Is extremely, ludicrously disinfo-based, to "1960s government conspiracy" levels
• Is fun to play, and can at least in theory be won by good

I say "disinfo" rather than "misinfo" here to get at a certain idea. A psychological warfare script, kind of. Lots of droisoning, but lots of misdirection in general -- non-droisoned false info, the threat of misdirection, etc.
To this end, I've created the script Anti-Pattern. It has 13 townsfolk, is in SAO, etc.
Thought processes behind choices:

• Steward is a fairly simple role, which both has value in its own right and serves as a great bluff/Marionette. There are shenanigans that can emerge with the Steward seeing the Drunk, or seeing the Recluse that pings evil most of the game.
  
• Chef is another simple role that both has utility and can be complicated by various Marionette/Recluse/Cult Leader combinations.
  
• Librarian helps narrow down Drunks (and allows the classic Drunk-Librarian play). It can help distinguish a Drunk from a puzzledrunk character, which could be game-solving in the right circumstances. It can see the Recluse and the Demon as Recluses, which seems fun. Seeing 0 can strongly suggest a Vigormortis world...or hide Outsiders behind a droisoned Librarian.
  
• Balloonist is fun. Balloonist droisoning shenanigans on this script are a feature, not a bug, but one reason for Gardener is to avoid particularly undesirable combinations (e.g. seating the Balloonist far away from the Vigormortis minions). Powerful info role, extremely droisoning-vulnerable, adds outsiders, funny to bluff, one of the core roles of this script. Also makes a great Marionette.
  
• Cult Leader is Dark Empath, allows for another win condition (potentially useful in Oops All Droisoning setups), and is funny to sit between a Demon and a Recluse. Or a Marionette and a Recluse. Or anyone and a Recluse. Also, I love this role's flavouring.
  
• Fortune Teller is a classic for a reason. Can be too strong with some Balloonist or Juggler setups, but is checked by having the Recluse in addition to the usual red herrings, plus the amount of droisoning. Multiple characters on this script make for very good herrings, for the same reasons they make good droisoning targets.
  
• Savant is great, generally-insane info that needs to be disentangled from everything else going on here. Has more creative droisoning potential than most roles (double-true info as well as double-false, plus straightforwardly "your ability is working correctly").
  
• Amnesiac fills gaps. Most Amnesiacs would have either sobriety-related abilities (toy model: "choose a player, their ability works correctly tomorrow and tomorrow night") or protection-related abilities (more reasons for executions and deaths to fail). "You are sober and healthy" should be a rider on Amne abilities unless something is very strange. Amnesiac becomes unfun if droisoned, but having a guaranteed permasober Amne adds clarity and can overcome certain evil schemes (e.g. if Widow poisons Amne, it doesn't take).
  
• Juggler allows for "everyone juggles d1" chaos, gets great info, is accordingly fun to droison.
  
• Slayer can kill the Demon, kill the Recluse, or kill anyone in a Yaggababble game. Allows for particularly impressive plays where the Yagga-bluffing-Slayer shoots the actual Slayer and they die. Useful Marionette.
  
• Fisherman is great if sober, funny if droisoned, and "why yes, I will give you some info to help your team win" if Marionette.
  
• Philosopher both fills gaps and adds droisoning. In a script with multiple forms of starting droison, there's lots of potential in "droisoned Philosopher thinks they picked the ability of an in-game role". For similar reasons, makes an especially good Marionette.
  
• Pacifist is sort of a leftover from a prior version of the script that had Lleech, and might be a little too hard-confirmable these days. I think it's useful, though. Balloonist/Savant/Amnesiac all want longer games, while there are multiple possibilities for multikills, so it helps slow things down. It can keep alive roles that need keeping alive (e.g. Fishermen and Slayers that haven't proc'd yet). It can strongly suggest a Cult Leader's current alignment, and by extension multiple other alignments. It can disambiguate the Recluse from real evil if the game is getting too confusing. If there are protection-related Amnes, it's not as confirmable.
  
• Puzzlemaster adds droisoning. In practice, most Puzzlemasters will be "Once per game, you learn someone who is not the Demon", which I think is fine -- it's an Outsider, after all. Librarian makes it possible to find the actual puzzledrunk and win. Puzzledrunkenness is ST-controlled and can affect any alignment, which can balance difficult situations.
  
• Sweetheart adds droisoning. Sweetheart drunkenness is ST-controlled and can affect any alignment, which can balance difficult situations.
  
• Recluse is Recluse. A bunch of shenanigans on this script de jure or de facto require Recluse.
  
• Drunk is Drunk, see "Recluse is Recluse".
  
• Widow adds droisoning and gets evil some particularly targeted info. Excellent synergy with Vigormortis. Widow calls can solve the game, or lose it if the recipient is distrusted. Evil can bluff Widow calls, obscuring the minion setup (and in particular the existence of a Marionette).
  
• Godfather adds multikills, muddying the waters of whether it's a Yagga world or not. This spot is tricky. I want some source of multikills to cover Yagga, but without making the game too fast (the info roles want longer games). Previous versions of the script had various combinations of Gossip/TinkeAssassin/Witch. Tinker takes a precious Outsider spot, Assassin only acts once, Gossip probably makes the game too fast, Witch has great Vigormortis synergy but kills during day (night kills feel intuitively better). I've landed on Godfather for now, because it works with Vigormortis and manipulates Outsider count (in particular, sidesteps the "Baron+Balloonist at base 2 Outsiders forces Vigormortis" issue). Also, I kind of like having two male-coded and two female-coded Minions.
  
• Baron is Baron. PuzzleSweetheartRecluseDrunksayswhat?
  
• Scarlet Woman is mandatory with Slayer, otherwise if someone dies to a Slayer shot and the game continues they're hard confirmed not Demon (and said Slayer will be the recipient of several questions, given the Yagga world possibility). I know the synergy with Vigormortis is awful. There are other Demons.
  
• Marionette adds yet more disinfo without technically being droisoning. Is there something wrong with your info? Time to work out what team you're playing for! Allows various shenanigans with tons of roles on this script (Cult Leader, Drunk, and Recluse especially). Serves as No Dashii extension cord. Works well in some roles that an ordinary Drunk isn't as good in (e.g. Balloonist, Steward). As Marionettes think they're "good characters" rather than Townsfolk, Marionette-Puzzlemaster, Marionette-Sweetheart, and Marionette-Recluse are all intriguing options.
  
• Yaggababble is psychological warfare. As the one Demon that doesn't add poisoning itself, it can be used to control the amount of starting droisoning. Plays very well with some roles (e.g. Slayer). Leaves everyone looking for weird phrases, which is especially funny in non-Yagga games. ST-decided kills can balance if necessary.
  
• No Dashii adds droisoning. A lot of droisoning. Baron and Marionette can stretch extension cords out remarkably far.
  
• Vigormortis adds droisoning and buffs the hell out of Widow. Because it's more about droisoning than it is about anything else, Baron and Marionette are perfectly fine Vig kills. (Scarlet Woman doesn't work, but that's why there are five Minions.)
  
• Gardener avoids awkward table setups (Balloonist next to Vig minions, Amnesiac and Cult Leader neighbouring the No Dashii, etc).
  

It has been through...a lot of variations (I have 11 png files saved, which are just for various major versions). There are a lot of characters I'd like to fit on, but can't make space for.
Does this work? Is this at all on the right track for its goal? Could it be played without being horrible? What could improve it? Is this a viable script idea at all?

Cigarettes and rebellion have always gone hand-in-hand, and in an age of cigarette packet-sized health warnings, now more than ever, smoking a fag says: 'I do not give a fuck.' But if Brandon Flowers is hoping to strike a seditious pose by sparking up at the start of the interview, it's not going according to plan. The Killers' frontman is on all fours rooting through the junk that carpets the anteroom at the band's rehearsal space. "Has anyone seen my lighter?" he asks, rocking back on his heels. The question hangs in the air while Brandon cocks his head, waiting for an answer like a meerkat listening for a predator. Twenty-five years old and with a delicate bone structure, there's something almost dainty about him. Receiving no response, he returns to his search. "Oh, Jeez," he sighs. "I had it just a minute ago."
It's a scene that emphatically does not suggest a rebel without a cause. The mess isn't helping. The Killers' HQ - an industrial unit sandwiched between a construction supplier and the offices of a housing development just off Dean Martin Drive in West Las Vegas - is ankle-deep in designer clothing. A Dior Homme suit lies crumpled by the door; there's a pile of shoes topped like a sundae by a pair of Marc Jacobs trainers; and anyone wishing to enter the shoebox room the band use as an office must negotiate a mountain of discarded jeans. Many items are identifiable as coming from the wardrobe of Hot Fuss, The Killers' hugely successful 2004 debut album - triple platinum in the UK with two weeks at Number One and five million sold worldwide. Look! There are the shirts, ties and suit jackets they wore when they thrilled Glastonbury 2005 with indie rock anthems Mr Brightside and Somebody Told Me. That was the crowning moment of a two-and-a-half year tour that finally concluded in October of last year. It seems that after playing that final date in Miami, they returned to Vegas and shrugged off their image onto the floor of this bland white box.
Now a fine layer of dust covers the dead clothes. The Killers have no further use for white tuxedos on their second album, Sam's Town. Today, Brandon wears a black polo shirt, black pin-stripe waistcoat, black jeans and black boots. Where there used to be a layer of foundation, there is now a beard - an untrimmed beard at that. Dave Keuning (30, guitar), Mark Stoermer (29, bass) and Ronnie Vannucci (29, drums) all echo Brandon's black ensemble. Ronnie has added Aviator shades and a handlebar moustache for a dash of motorcycle cop, Dave's frizzy bubble of hair gives him a Marc Bolan-ish air, and there's something very teenage about Mark's scuffed Vans.
Short of walking around wearing sandwich boards saying, "Our new record is a bit heavier than the last one," The Killers couldn't hope to communicate that message more effectively. And they have gained some musical girth on Sam's Town. The pop hooks that made Hot Fuss so irresistible survive intact - see the ringing guitar riffs on first single When You Were Young - but there's a newfound punchiness, coupled with an epic sweep. The minor-to-major uplifts on Bones are fabulously dramatic, the coda to Why Do I Keep Counting? thrillingly intense. Comparisons to Bruce Springsteen have been made. If they overstate the case a little, they are at leaset qualitatively accurate. The Killers are back and this time it's serious - they've got the bootlace ties to prove it.
"Hey, it says here that Springsteen's headlining Glastonbury next year," shouts Ronnie, who's flicking through the NME. He nods sagely at the page without looking up.
"Really?" asks Dave, nicknamed Crazy Dave on account of his alledgedly volatile nature.
"The Boss is headlining one night, we're playing second on the bill the next night and Kylie's headlining the Sunday," says Brandon, charging like a bull through Michael Eavis' as-yet-unannounced line-up with what subsequently proves to be a characteristic gaucheness.
But that lighter is proving elusive. This being America, none of the people hurrying to-and-fro prepping the world for the release of Sam's Town smokes. Manager Robert Reynolds - Bobby Rey to the band - barks into his mobile, booking his band onto eye-wateringly demanding tours. "We're going to make a lot of money," he cackles to himself before switching calls to make a series of stern pronouncements on legal matters. Dave, Mark and Ronnie disappear for a jam session. Artwork is approved, B-sides are decided on and schedules are hammered out.
"I can't find it," Brandon says, finally. But he's not going to be denied the opportunity to underline The Killers reinvention with a puff of smoke. "Let's go to the gas station. I'll have to buy one. It's too busy to talk here anyway."
+
Brandon's black (of course) Volkswagen Touraeg four-wheel drive is barrelling down West Flamingo Road into town. "I was a bell boy there," he says, pointing out of the driver's window at the stucco facade of the Gold Coast casino. "I was working there when we were signed."
Coming from Las Vegas, it is perhaps inevitable that casinos play a big part in The Killers' story; not only is Sam's Town named after one, it was recorded in one, too.
The band began writing songs while on the road with Hot Fuss, turning up early for soundchecks to run through new ideas. On a trip home to Vegas, George Maloof, a hotelier known for cultivating famous friends, invited them to record the album in the new studio he'd built at The Palms, his flagship hotel-cum-gambling den. When the tour finished in October 2005, they returned to Vegas and spent five month finessing the songs they'd sketched out on the road. Then, in February, they decampled to the third floor studio at The Palms and recorded Sam's Town over 11 weeks.
Producer Flood (U2, Depeche Mode) encouraged them to experiment. They overdubbed, fiddled with synthesizers and played with new equipment. It took them five weeks to get the backing vocals right. The band sang the harmonies, then double-tracked them four times. The end result recalls Queen wondering, "Is this is the real life? Is this just fantasy?" When Ronnie, a trained classical percussionist, brought some kettledrums down, eyebrows were raised; but the fabulously bombastic coda on Why Do I Keep Counting? vindicates his indulgence.
"That's kind of the Ben Hur of the album," he says. He's not wrong. Sam's Town is a record on an epic scale. "Yeah, it has drama," he continues. "But, at the same time, I think it's a little more exposed than Hot Fuss. It's a little more naked. Last time it was about a lot of fictional things." By "fictional", Ronnie means that Hot Fuss wore its predominantly British influences for all to see. Brandon's taste in music is rabidly Anglophile - he constantly references The Smiths, The Cure and Joy Division - and it showed. By contrast, Sam's Town is an unequivocally American record. The lyrical imagery is pure American dream - cars, girls, wide-open spaces and escaping to a better life. "We're burning down the highway skyline/On the back of a hurricane that started turning/When you were young," sings Brandon on When You Were Young. That's the basis of the Springsteen comparisons then, though the lack of pathos more closely recalls another blue-collar rocker from New Jersey - Jon Bon Jovi.
The phrase "this town" recurs throughout the album, and it's always receding into the distance as The Killers escape to a new life. "This town was made for passing through/I never did get along with everybody else," sings Brandon on This River Is Wild. On Read My Mind he "never really gave up on breaking out of this two-star town", while on the title track he offers something of an explanation: "Nobody ever had a dream round here."
"With the first record, there was this feeling that there was this world out there that we didn't know," says Mark later in the day. Before The Killers, he studied philosophy: now he's their quiet one. "We wanted to get out and away from this and be somewhere else. We hadn't had a lot of experience - hadn't travelled much - then we were gone for three years. We didn't sit down and say that we wanted to make a record about how we're glad to be home, but that's what happened naturally."
It's not an angsty record. The Killers have already escaped with Hot Fuss, and, having done so, they view the experience fondly now they're back. There's a mistiness to Brandon's eyes as he explains how the album got it's name.
"Sam's Town is a casino on the edge of Vegas," he says. "I grew up in Henderson, which is out on the way to the Hoover Dam. My mom and dad lived in a trailer park, and my dad used to hitchhike up and down Boulder Highway, which is the only way you could get to Vegas. Sam's Town was the first thing you saw on your way in to town. So, when you're driving down Boulder Highway from Henderson, I always thought you finally knew you were getting somewhere when you saw Sam's Town. It was kind of like a beacon."
"It's not a completely American album," contines Brandon. "We still have our English influence, but we're also from the Wild West. Somehow we've managed to unify all that on this album. it's just such a perfect resemblence of what we are."
At the petrol station, Brandon rummages through the glove box looking for change to buy a lighter. "This is a great album," he says, pointing at Highway Companion, the latest from iconic American rocker Tom Petty. "I've always been a big fan of his. He's such a great American artist."
Yes, Brandon: we get the point.
+
When Brandon finally lights his cigarette, he smokes it awkwardly, like a child mimicking something he's seen the grown-ups doing. However, when he cheerfully admits that, "I feel the same mentally as I did when I was 12," it's not a knowing nod to the fact that he sometimes behaves like a loveably precocious child, but a reference to an unusually comprehensive grounding in pop music at an early age.
When Brandon sings about "this town", he doesn't mean Las Vegas. He means Nephi, Utah or Henderson, Nevada, where he spent his childhood. His parents are Mormon and he is the youngest of six children. "I was a surprise," he says. "I've got a 42-year-old sister." If he was issues about his "surprise" status, he chooses to gloss over them. "It turned out perfect because my brother was a teenager when I was a kid," he says. "He would bring home things like Rattle And Hum by U2 and I would watch it. I remember he bought Live In Dallas by Morrissey. It was always him watching these things, or his door was shut and you'd hear The Head On The Door by The Cure blasting through the house and rattling the walls."
The Killers were formed when Brandon answered an advert Dave had placed in a local paper in late 2002. Dave cited Oasis as a big influence; Brandon had seen them play recently and responded; and, as Dave has said in previous interviews: "He was the only person to reply to my ad who wasn't a complete freak." However, the band was born in Brandon's brothers bedroom.
"His room was like a shrine," enthuses Brandon. "It was a holy place. I wish I could show you a picture of it. It was covered in posters. There'd be a big picture of Elvis wearing a bow tie that just said 'The Smiths' [the artwork for The Smiths 1987 single Shoplifters Of The World Unite]. You had The Cure wearing face paint [the artwork to The Cure's 1985 single In Between Days] - all that kind of stuff. I remember Morrissey being on the cover of the NME, with the halo [from 1985] - stuff like that. You just wanted to know about these people 'cause they were so cool. My brother seemed like such a cool person. But he was a teenager, so he wasn't going to be that nice to me, a kid."
Brandon was fascinated by his brother's collection of music, magazines and posters, but he was denied access to them - officially, at least. "I would sneak in," he says. "I knew he'd be angry if he found out, but I would go in as soon as he left the house." For a long time Brandon was too scared to actually play anything. "That didn't come 'til later. I just used to go in there because I liked it. Then I got to the point where I'd actually take a tape out and put it in. It took more guts to do that."
It was a life-changing moment. "I was ten and the first song I played was Sing Your Life by Morrissey. I remember dancing about to it."
The lyrics to Sing Your Life include the lines, "Sing your life/Just walk right up to the microphone/And name all the things that you love/All the things that you loathe." It's intriguing to wonder what Morrissey makes of the neophyte he inspired with these lines.
Eventually, Brandon inherited his brother's tape collection. "It was around the same time CDs started coming out in a big way. He started buying CDs and gave me his tapes. And that was it: it took off from there. I got a hundred of the best albums - all the New Order, all the Morrissey, all The Smiths, The Beatles. I started buying posters. I went to see The Cure in concert. It was just kind of a continuation of my brother. And it was nice because, though my parents were strict, they were already used to it from him. There was no, 'My dad doesn't understand me,' or any of that kind of stuff. My mum likes The Smiths."
Brandon was 13 and his favourite band was late-'70s/early-'80s American new wavers The Cars, and particularly their jaw-droppingly catchy 1979 single Just What I Needed.
"I wouldn't exist without that song," he says. "That was the one. I remember driving around with my mum when I was 13, and we're living in Nephi - a really small town - and I felt so cool when I put that song on. Like: 'I have something that none of these kids I'm going to middle school with tomorrow have.' That excitement is what music's about, isn't it? That's why I understand the mentality of people that don't like us because we've sold so many records. I used to like it when no one else knew about a band. So I get that - I do."
+
Brandon's first band was called Blush Response. It was never going to work out. Not because he refused to move to Los Angeles with them, but because he is utterly - comically - shameless. He's given to making outrageously boastful statements like: "It's not like the '60s, '70s and '80s now. There are only a few bands around that are really good, that just do it. I mean, there's what, five or six of us?"
For the record, in Brandon's estimation, those bands are Franz Ferdinand, Razorlight, The Strokes, The White Stripes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and, of course, The Killers.
"I don't want people to think I'm lumping myself with other people just to make us sound cool," he says. Really? It sort of sounds like you are. But he just steamrolls through it. "Yeah, but you know what I mean," he says, grinning at his own cheekiness. He's so disgracefully forward you can't help but laugh along with him - Oh you are awful, Brandon! But joking aside, The Killers are the most commercially successful of all the bands he mentions.
Later, back at the rehearsal space, the band run through Sam's Town at deafening volume in preparation for the forthcoming tour - first the US, then the world. The infectious, almost contagious, chorus of When You Were Young sounds fabulous, as do the U2-like guitars and Twin Peaks synths of Read My Mind. Meanwhile, Smile Like You Mean It and Somebody Told Me benefit from the newfound harder edge.
They somewhat heavy-handedly underline the new direction by playing Paranoid by Black Sabbath and Get It On by T Rex. That's the thing: The Killers are not a subtle band. Their songs are like a wet kiss from a girl who's a bit too drunk. They are big and brash, and not everyone loves them for it. Mr Brightside and Somebody Told Me might go down as well at hip nightclubs as they do on the festival circuit, but the DJs play them with the same guilty look they wear when playing a pop record.
"I hate that," says Brandon. "Like writing a song you can hum somehow cheapens it? It makes me think of this quote by Morrissey. Everybody knows how he read Oscar Wilde, Keats and Yates when he was growing up and that he wanted to be a writer. He was talking to this journalist who asked why he hadn't become a writer, and Morrissey said: 'What I do is more powerful than what you do because I can write down these words and you get it to a melody. How can you beat that?' I'm of the same opinion. I don't understand why a good melody that's memorable is a bad thing."
Being dismissed as pop particular aggrieves Ronnie. "When we first came out we got compared to Duran Duran all the time. Jesus Christ! We got a keyboard player now all of a sudden he's Nick Rhodes! Come on!"
"The people who criticise us for being too poppy don't get it," agrees Mark. "I think that's the problem with a lot of rock music. People are afraid to write a song any more. Either that or they can't. And that attitude hurts music in general. The best bands ever have all written great songs. You can still do it and do it intelligently and it can be original. This isn't a studio creation with a producer writing these songs for us. We're not Avril Lavigne, or something like that. We're a real band writing real songs, just like a punk band would do, except that we write pop songs."
You get the impression that The Killers knack for showboating pop hooks that border on vulgar is inextricably tied up with the brazen side of Brandon's personality. But while his ebullient charisma, not to mention the songs themselves, mitigates his outrageousness, there is a less attractive side to his ego. He has a combative streak. He can't resist taking pot shots at emo bands, notably Fall Out Boy, whith whom The Killers share an A&R man.
Has he heard how many emo kids it takes to change a light bulb? "No." None. They just sit in the dark and cry. It's a full 30 seconds before he stops laughing. When he does he admits: "Yeah, we've had problems with other bands. You know, when you walk in the room it's like..." He whistles the theme to The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. "We're like gangs."
And while the other members of the band are diplomatic on the subject of Brandon, you don't have to read too deeply between the lines to conclude that there have been internal issues, too.
"Some people will think Brandon's the big genius," says Dave, visibly bridling. "There are songs, such as Why Do I Keep Counting?, where he's written every note. But there are others, like When You Were Young, that were more of a collaboration - like Mr Brightside, where I had some of the music and Brandon came up with the lyrics. We always have arguments about who wrote what. The truth is that we all help in that process."
When asked how success affected them, Ronnie says: "There were certain things that needed adjusting. When you're on tour for two years, people can get a little needy. It doesn't help that you're surrounded by yes men and everybody's working for you. At times we've had to say, 'Who do you think you are?' to people. No one wears the trousers, but some people would like to. I think if it wasn't for the people in the band kicking each other in the ass... Let's just say there was some ass-kickin'."
It doesn't take a genius to work out whose ass needed kicking most often.
+
It's the following day and The Killers are back at their rehearsal space. The topic of discussion is what to wear in the video for Bones, the second single. It's a big deal: the director is Tim Burton. "I feel like Frank Sinatra when I sing it," announces Brandon. "With maybe a little bit of Morrissey and a little bit of Elvis, too."
Of course he does. But if securing the services of Tim Burton tells you one thing, it's that The Killers are about to get even bigger, perhaps even make the leap to the same level as Coldplay et al. Already stars, they are about to become superstars. Brandon can hardly wait.
"Do you know that Rolling Stone didn't want to put us on the cover last time," he says indignantly. "They didn't think we were stars. We sold five million albums! What more do they want from a band?"
Whatever was required, Brandon would be happy to do most things. "I'll do stuff that some people don't want to do, 'cause I want people to hear the music," he says. However, even he has limits. "The Rolling Stone thing made the record label think: 'What can we do to make them stars?' If I go on vacation with my wife, do they have to send somebody to be there to take pictures of me? Is that how you become a star? I don't want that. I walked down the red carpet one time and I realised I don't like it. But you don't have to walk down the red carpet for people to hear your music. We do still have some of that indie blood running through our veins."
He heads off at a tangent: "When you walk around Liverpool, you think of The Beatles, or you go to Manchester and you think of The Smiths or Oasis. I want you to come to Las Vegas and think of Sam's Town. And I think we've started to capture that, which is a truer version of The Killers, 'cause that's where we're from."
He pauses.
"I used to live across the street from Sam's Town. Maybe it'll be like our Abbey Road where people go to take pictures."
Is that what he'd like?
"I wouldn't mind it," he says, desperately hoping it will come true.
He puts a cigarette between his lips, looks down at his trouser pockets and pats them in search of the lighter he bought yesterday.
"Hey, I don't suppose you've got one?"

It's not a bad thought, it is something I've been thinking about for quite some time but is always just a thought at the moment
I should clarify first that I am a 32 year old cis het gal (new to this phrasing so I'm not sure how that was suppose to be typed)
I am in general someone who recognizes beauty in people, even if I wouldn't find myself attracted to them, I can say they're genuinely beautiful or pretty, and it doesn't apply to just men. I do this as well for women and those who identify beyond the 2 genders as well.
I like men, I know I do. Granted I'm not lucky at all in the dating aspect as I'm considered ugly as hell (according to Florida people) so I've chosen to put a pause until I can move and get more confidence.
The women is the interesting part.
I say that there are women that would be so gorgeous I would say "I'm straight, but if she wanted to sit on my face I would say yes ma'am you deserve the world". There are women that are physically, spiritually, emotionally, characteristically beautiful I genuinely get giddy and nervous.
How my friend brought this up? My friend (32 year old Cis gay man, love him) was playing Hades 2 and I fawned over Hecate's character design. Subtle and stunning, you could see the strength yet caring aspect of her overall. He was a little drunk at the time too. So he asked "So like are you maybe bi?" And I was like "no idea I might be".
That's pretty much it really. It was a pleasant conversation, but it is something that's appeared in my mind.
I'm not entirely sure how one goes about exploring this to see if it's true or not. Not sure how I would approach this.
Tips in how I could? How did you guys figure this out?

Hello! I (N14) recently wanted to talk to my dad. My parents got divorced last year and I didn't get to talk to him one on one honestly since then. I arranged the meeting in a park near my school (just in case I wanted my mom to pick me up). There was a list of things I wanted to talk to him about. Things I felt like we needed to be honest to each other about and to start making a bond.
- I resent him for years of drinking and neglect. He never apologized or even acknowledged it, He acts like I haven't been there during covid and like I didn't see him drunk. I'm scared of drinking and alcohol because of him. I just wanted him to apologize and to acknowledge
- I wanted to get to know him as a person. I know him as a dad, but as a normal guy, no. I wanted to build more friendly connection with him and something more then just parent/child relationship. I wanted more friend/friend relationship with him (like the one I have with my mom) or "acutance" someone I can talk to more freely. I'm just tired of trying to figure out who my dad is from other people. I want to know who he is from him.
- I wanted him to join my church. I understand that my dad is entitled to his own opinions on religion and that he is not obligated to join anything. I'm not forcing him into it, and never will. Religion is something that a person should decide for themselves. You can never force a person into religion. But i just thought that religion is something we can bond from. I wanted him to go to church with my on Saturdays (my church is on Saturdays, yes) since i I'm part of the youth group/English service crew (Also my church is not English only, we are Rus/Eng church).
- It's ok for him to start dating. I always felt like my dad thought that I resented my mom for dating someone right after the divorce (My mom DID NOT CHEAT, she just met her boyfriend at a gathering before the divorce). Plus I think my dad still views my mom as his wife, and he feels like he is cheating on her. I wanted to set that straight with him that no matter who he, or my mom dates, I'll view them as my only parents (I'm defiantly not in the age range of needing another father or a stable male figure)
- I need him to stop treating me like a kid. I understand that he is my dad and has the right to parent me. But i do not like when he is trying to get into my business and parent me there. I can figure out my own relationships with people. If his help is needed, I will tell him if needed, but I do not need him contently be over me ,worried. I still think he sees me as his little "girl", but It's just getting on my nerves and just makes more stressed then I'm already. I wanted to set that clear boundary with him.
These were the main points that I wanted to bring up with him. Sadly, I didn't have the courage to talk to him on all topics. The only ones I got to were church, dating and understanding him more. He was happy that I didn't hate him for wanting to date. He didn't want to go to church with me (he hates them and people talking "down to him"? that what he said). He was good with me wanting to get to know him more. He admitted that I never really got to know him because he was gone for 4 years of my life, trying to settle in America. I was happy with how our convo went. But also i was really disappointed? I know I shouldn't say things like that about my father but... I feel like he is trying to groom me in a way. Not sexually ofc! But more like... Domestic abuse wise. He abused my mother when they were married and I feel like he wanted that for me to.
Also important thing is. Is that i got physically sick from talking to him. I think I was under so much stress from just talking to him, I got sick. I'm scared of him. that scares me.
Ill finish this post off, If you need any clarifications, ask! <3 (also English is not my first language so If i made any mistakes or might have phrased myself in an incorrect manner, I'm really sorry. :[ )

I (32F) met the guy (34M) on the Internet when we were still teenagers - about 16 years ago. At that time, he lived on another continent, and as we were chatting, it got a bit romantic and we started “online dating”. It was a very childish and innocent thing, basically just chatting on Facebook every day and calling each other “love” and sending each other romantic songs, nothing serious. After about half a year, he found a real-life girlfriend and asked me to end the “online relationship” but stay friends. My teenage little soul was a bit hurt, but I found a real-life boyfriend soon after as well and we remained friends. It was kind of on and off for many years, we would keep in touch but it wasn’t intense. A few years ago he moved to the country next to mine for work, and this summer, he told me he would like to visit me in my city, and finally get to meet each other in person. I was excited and said yes. It went fine, we had a lot of fun, I showed him around and we talked a lot, but not really about any personal stuff. He left after two days.
Last month, he wrote me a message that he would be visiting again this month. I was actually a bit annoyed, because we didn’t discuss it previously, and he would be visiting over the weekend. Work has been stressful lately and I am usually very tired at the end of the week, so I was looking forward to having the weekend to myself and just staying in bed honestly, but I felt it would be rude to phrase it like that and I didn’t want to lie about having something planned. I was very tired on the Friday night, but we still met up. Looking back, I probably missed some red flags back then, but I was really tired and thought it was due to my bad mood that I was feeling that way. For example, when we met, I just said hi, and he was clearly expecting a hug or a kiss. We discussed it and I told him that it’s not really something I’m comfortable with, as it’s reserved only for my closest friends and family in my culture. He seemed hurt by that, but we then didn’t discuss it further. He also told me he brought me gifts, and since we met in front of his hotel, he asked me to go with him to get them, but I said I would just wait outside - tbh, I didn’t really suspect anything bad, but it would just feel weird going to someone’s hotel room when I’m not a guest at that hotel, if it makes sense. So he brought the things outside. We went for drinks and had quite a nice evening. I called it a night at 10 because I was falling asleep. He offered to walk me home, and I refused, not really because I didn’t want him to know where I lived, but again, it’s not something I’m used to, since all my life I’ve pretty much walked guys home and not vice versa - I’m just like that. Again, it left kind of a weird aftertaste.
We met up again in the morning and went for a walk and then for lunch. On the way back when we were on public transport, the conversation started going towards our relationship. I could immediately sense that, and I tried to redirect it elsewhere, but then he asked me how I would “classify” our relationship. I immediately said: “Friends.” I thought it was the end of that, but he started going on about how he had thought it would be just meeting an online acquaintance, but realised that he really liked me in person etc. I told him to stop right there, because I had bad experience with guys I had been friends with later “realising” they liked me, and when I told them I didn’t feel that way, they cut ties with me completely - and I’ve lost a few dear friends like that. I said that it was a territory I didn’t want to go it, but I honestly felt like it was falling on deaf ears. He kept going on about how he wouldn’t be able to be in a long distance relationship with me though, because he would just miss me too much, so it would all need to be carefully planned, but next year his work would allow him to basically be working remotely etc. I felt like I was in the Twilight zone. I had clearly expressed that I didn’t feel that way, and didn’t want to discuss it further, and there he was basically planning our marriage. I felt like I couldn’t have been more clearer before, and because I didn’t want to start hysterically screaming in public, I just stayed really silent and basically zoned out until we got off, and I basically curtly said goodbye and went home.
He texted me about ten minutes later saying that he was “confused” by my reaction, and asked if he had said anything wrong. I replied that yes, basically everything, since I clearly expressed my boundary and he didn’t respect it. He called me cold and said I could have at least hear him out (as if I didn’t listen to him going on about it for at least fifteen minutes straight), and I said that I only saw us as friends and wasn’t moving from that position. He argued that it wasn’t always that way and I replied that if there ever was any romantic feeling from my side, that ship sailed fifteen years ago. He asked me to meet him again and talk about it, but I replied that I really didn’t feel like there was anything more to talk about on this subject. He tried again in the evening, asking me to meet him again, I just left him on read. He left the following day without us meeting again and we haven’t talked since. I’m fine with that, I didn’t try to initiate contact and honestly probably never will again. Later I found out he blocked me everywhere anyway.
But as it wasn’t the first time something like this happened to me, I started thinking about it and whether I wasn’t sending mixed signals or something. I went over what was said many times in my head, if I wasn’t too harsh, or if I didn’t say or do something to make him feel like he could make that move (I did get a bit drunk on the first night since I was so tired and just two glasses of wine made me fairly tipsy, but I think I still remember everything I said that night and we just talked about work and travel and innocent things like that). Basically I still stand by what I did, but because this just seems to keep happening, I’m now doubting myself and I think I must be doing something wrong.
He also met my mother during these two visits (just briefly, not like it was an official introduction, we just went to an event where my mom also was, so they only exchanged a few words), and for some reason I can’t bring myself to tell her about what happened. She kept talking about him after the first visit, and I felt like she was trying to push him on me because she found him really nice and I’ve been single for a long time, and she’s been since asking about him, and I just avoid the subject and don’t react because I feel uncomfortable (and I feel stupid about feeling that way).
Was I TA or did I do the right thing to cut it short and I’m simply weird like that?

Throwaway account to remain anonymous, but I want some advice on this situation. First and foremost, I do have some overall PTSD. I’ve had homies at the drop of a hair turn their back on me, steal from me, even a homie I let stay in my house when he was homeless ended up trying to fuck with my ex when we broke up. So safe to say I find it a bit difficult giving 100% trust to people all the time. Which brings us to this particular situation.
A few days back I was having a bonfire at my house, a couple of my friends were over and it was a good time. We were smoking and drinking and roasting stuff over the fire. It was getting late so my gf went inside to lay down, as she had work the next morning. At one point my friend was looking for my portable charger so he could charge his phone outside, so I told him where it could be inside the house. He left for probably 2 mins and came back, nothing out of the ordinary. The next day my gf and I were chit chatting and suddenly she says “oh yeah I forgot to say. Last night while everyone was out there, ______ came in and was looking for the charger. At one point he said something when he came looking in the living room ‘“Oh hi don’t mind me, I’m not looking at ur big tits.’” She said it made her very uncomfortable, but she said he didn’t do anything else though, found the charger, and kept it moving.
I was pretty disturbed when she told me, and kinda told myself like yeah not the best idea to have that homie around all intimately close anymore. Now that a couple days have passed, I kinda keep thinking about the phrase “a drunk mouth speaks a sober mind,” and I think back on the old shitty friends I had. Am I overthinking/reacting to this? I know personally that I would never look at my homies girls in that way, let alone have something like that come to mind to say…
I guess another thing I can bring up is how we’ve been friends for 3-4 years now, I’ve heard his whole stance on OF girls and stuff like that. He’s the type of dude where he doesn’t mind dudes looking at his girl. Says it’s gonna happen regardless. I’ve had some bad experiences with SA and things of that nature so I’m more on the wave of thinking you shouldn’t go around imaging people in that way. I think it’s weird to see an attractive person and to start imaging physical acts with them without knowing them on a personal level, or even knowing if they want to be viewed that way by me. Especially when they’re your friends partner. What do you think ? Am I making too big of a deal about something that came from some intoxicated dumb choice of words?

Throwaway account to remain anonymous, but I want some advice on this situation. First and foremost, I do have some overall PTSD. I’ve had homies at the drop of a hair turn their back on me, steal from me, even a homie I let stay in my house when he was homeless ended up trying to fuck with my ex when we broke up. So safe to say I find it a bit difficult giving 100% trust to people all the time. Which brings us to this particular situation.
A few days back I was having a bonfire at my house, a couple of my friends were over and it was a good time. We were smoking and drinking and roasting stuff over the fire. It was getting late so my gf went inside to lay down, as she had work the next morning. At one point my friend was looking for my portable charger so he could charge his phone outside, so I told him where it could be inside the house. He left for probably 2 mins and came back, nothing out of the ordinary. The next day my gf and I were chit chatting and suddenly she says “oh yeah I forgot to say. Last night while everyone was out there, ______ came in and was looking for the charger. At one point he said something when he came looking in the living room ‘“Oh hi don’t mind me, I’m not looking at ur big tits.’” She said it made her very uncomfortable, but she said he didn’t do anything else though, found the charger, and kept it moving.
I was pretty disturbed when she told me, and kinda told myself like yeah not the best idea to have that homie around all intimately close anymore. Now that a couple days have passed, I kinda keep thinking about the phrase “a drunk mouth speaks a sober mind,” and I think back on the old shitty friends I had. Am I overthinking/reacting to this? I know personally that I would never look at my homies girls in that way, let alone have something like that come to mind to say…
I guess another thing I can bring up is how we’ve been friends for 3-4 years now, I’ve heard his whole stance on OF girls and stuff like that. He’s the type of dude where he doesn’t mind dudes sexually looking at his girl. Says it’s gonna happen regardless. I’ve had some bad sexual experiences with SA and things of that nature so I’m more on the wave of thinking you shouldn’t go around internally sexualizing people. I think it’s weird to see an attractive person and to start imaging sex with them without knowing them on a personal level, or even knowing if they want to be sexualized. Especially when they’re your friends partner. What do you think ? Am I making too big of a deal about something that came from some intoxicated dumb choice of words?

We were at a team-building weekend with a big party Saturday night. We are both in uni and we know each other for over 3.5 years due to this team project. I (24M) was in a relationship for the past 4 years which ended recently.
At the party I had some drinks but I was fine, my friend (24F) wasn't feeling good so I helped her to her room. While there she started a disconnected speech about how she was doing in life, I tried to cheer her up and then she started to tell me that "I am good" and others things about how I take care of her. I confessed to her that I am feeling lonely because of the relationship and that I moved out of town for a job and since then her and others are "ignoring" me (they are very busy but a message once or twice I think doesn't takes time). After this, the last thing she said was "I am waiting for you" then she fell silent and started sobbing. She stopped after a couple of minutes without saying a word and a moment later my best friend entered the room with her roommate that was drunk and not feeling good as well.
Nothing more happened that night and the next morning she woke up without remembering a thing of what happened. She said that the last thing she remembers is that we were dancing. To be fair this is not the first time that this happens (the blackout after drunk thing) and I believe her on this. Anyway, I told everything that happened (because she asked me) and I asked her about that last phrase but she said that the whole speech was the result of a delirium and that it didn't mean anything.
I have now mixed feelings: -> from one side I'm relieved. I always struggled on having friends and other relationships since I am very introvert and I value very much our friendship and I don't wanna ruin it either with a relationship that I am not ready for or with a drunken move;
-> she was very upset about what I told hewhat happened, and I don't know how to interpret this. She couldn't gave me an explanation on why she said such things and I don't understand how this makes me feel (angry and sad mainly);
-> I would lie if I say that the whole speech didn't make me feel something: I don't have romantic feelings for her but it's one of few people which I trust blindly and we enjoy each other company both during spare time and during uni time and all of this makes me wonder that if she has feelings I can see our friendship take very carefull steps toward a proper relationship because I can be down with it. And I am f***ing lonely/depressed and having the possibility to hang out with her more could be a good medicine for this.
I wonder if she is scared of the same things I am scared of about our friendship? Can someone tell me what thinks about this? and if someone has ever been in this situation and how it played out? I also think that I am making a lot of stuff up in my head and I want a reality check from someone that's not inside the whole story