Pictionary idea

I'm hoping to get some input into something I'm trying to get going at my job. Any advice, input, or ideas would be appreciated!
I'm a librarian assistant and do programming at my branch. I've loved kpop for a while now (TXT is my ult) and decided to try to start a kpop club. I've come up with some games (so far I've got kpop guess who, kpop bingo, and kpop charades/pictionary, as well as kpop-themed playing cards, although these might just be prizes b/c they aren't too sturdy). We'll meet once a month starting in September.
What I need help with is a sort of Ultimate Idol Group game set up and played similar to Fantasy Football, except it's based on awards show wins. Each player picks an individual member out of a group, taking turns so one person can't pick all the big winners, just like the draft in football, until they have seven members total. Each player will be responsible for tracking their members wins/loses (which I'll also be tracking to verify) and at each meeting we'll tally the current score and trade members, if desired. I'll come up with some sort of prize for the winner in January (I think that's when the last major award show in Korea is held).
So, does this sound like something kpop lovers would enjoy? Does it even make sense or sound feasible at all? Should I limit certain things - like which award shows to count or which groups are included in the draft? If players pick more than one member from one group, how should I score each win? Two points or it still only counts as one? I don't want to track every minor award and/or music show win b/c that sounds overwhelming and stressful and I don't even know how many there are. Should foreign awards be included or is that too exclusionary to bigger groups? Also, should I allow trading members or does that add in too much confusion? If they do trade, do they lose current points potentially won by the previous member?
Anyway, I was really excited by this idea, but, having never played fantasy football, I'm a little lost in the woods about how to break it down, especially with the award show aspect. If you have any advice or tips or have already spotted a giant plot-hole in the game, please let me know! Thanks in advance!!

What do you do the last week of school? I have 9th-12th graders so I had to give the final early so seniors could take it. I am being told to continue to be rigorous but the students don’t want to do work when it’s for a grade, let alone when they know it isn’t. What kind of activities do you use? I have four full days left and planned on a historical Pictionary for one day but am struggling with ideas.

There's a TLDR at the bottom.
I stumbled across an old cranium cadoo game at a 2nd hand shop. We replaced the old crusty Playdough with some new play dough and gave it a try last night.
It was fun but it became very obvious that the game was intended for very young children, and as such was far too easy for adults. There are for instance instantly spottable spot the difference cards. There are cards that are super easy questions e.g what word do the pictures combine to make?: 📌🅾️🔑🅾️ (pinnochio) or what is logically wrong in this picture and there is clearly only one person on the seesaw and yet that person is raised up. Etc.
There were also problems with the game play itself. Basically each person has a pile of tokens that you can use to place in a grid the goal is to complete connect four. If you have a combo card then the person who guesses what you've drawn, sculpted, or acted will share the same grid section as you, but if you have a solo card then only you have to figure out the answer yourself and so only you get that square. There is a dice that has 3 options (combo card, solo card, or you choose) obviously if the end goal is to place tokens and to prevent others from placing tokens then it makes sense to always choose solo. Therefore 2 thirds of the time you're solving the way too easy logic cards as described above, rather than the combo cards while combo cards are really the only ones that can potentially be a challenge.
The only solocard challenge that could potentially have difficulty is the scavenger hunts however us being the lazy adults that we are all of the scavenger hunt cards were skipped.
The combo cards rely on the card taker looking through red lenses to see a secret word that others have to guess. Through pictionary, charades, or sculpting. These were the funnest cards, but we found that everyone else at the table had difficulty in reading the secret word. My mother in law had the most difficulty and could not read any of the words regardless of lighting scenarios, no matter how hard she tried to maneuver the card and lense to see, whenever she got a combo card she had to make up a random word instead of using the secret word, because if she can't read it then the only alternative would be for someone else to read it which basically forfeits their round. The other 2 players were able to read the card but stated that they struggled and had to look at it at a precise angle. I was the only one that could clearly see the word through the lens regardless of what angle i was holding it at. I theorize that this is because I am the only one without glasses, and all 3 others had glasses, perhaps their glasses and the red lense badly interfere with each other? My MIL as well as having glasses had laser eye surgery to improve their vision which might be why she was the only one completely unable to read the words? It is worth noting that the issue was not the size of the words as all three are able to see small words as long as they are wearing their glasses.
No one ever made connect four, just like 2 adults of reasonable intelligence going up against each other will never have a winner at tic tac toe. But luckily in such a scenario the game can still be won by whoever has the most tokens down.
We had a lot of fun with the combo cards as acting drawing and sculpting is enough of a challenge. It was also a lot of fun blocking everyone from making connect four.
Because it was a lot of fun but just aimed at a too young audience, I figured it might be a good idea to see if there are other cranium games that were made more for adults rather than for young children, and well there are a lot of different versions. I have no idea which ones are better than the others what kinds of cards they have or their difficulty levels. Or what game play would be missing. I'm not particularly any good at trivial pursuit for instance so while I'm hoping to avoid another young kids game I also don't want the difficulty levels to be too high.
TLDR: I don't know which cranium game I should get next, there's just so many, and I don't know their difficulty levels, I don't know what gameplay is missing or added to each or primarily what kinds of logic cards are in each game. Cranium cudoo had fun moments but is aimed at a far too young audience. Trivial pursuit on the other hand is too far in the other end.
Are you familiar with any of the different games e.g Cranium Hoopla, cranium afterdark, Cranium standard, Cranium anniversary edition, Cranium Primo etc?
What are their main differences, what would I be missing out on choosing one over another?

A boy from Chicagoland came down for a first date on Saturday, and I took him all around Peoria. Here's what we did on our first date in Peoria:
First we went to Grandview Drive. I made him park in the first cove thingy where everyone parks and we walked the length of the street. He said the view and houses were really nice (obvi) and said that he bet a lot of people do bird watching here. Then I took him to Than Linh and we had the buffet. It was really hot out, and after our walk we wanted to go somewhere with AC, so I took him to Barnes and Nobles and we checked out 100 Things to Do in Peoria in the local interest section. One of the suggestions was to go to Five Below which was right next door so we went there and bought Pictionary. We took it to CXT and played a few rounds. Then I took him to Ardor downtown, and we split a cheese danish. It was later in the day, so there wasn't much else but it didn't matter because the cheese danish was delicious. We were both feeling sleepy so we got some coffee/tea at Zion. It was prom weekend, so everywhere we went, there were kids taking photos lol. Finally, I took him to 8 bit and we played like virtual bowling and Pac-Man and he had a drink. Then we went to my house and we walked to Bicycle Safety Town, which is close to where I live.
Damn, I really took him all over Peoria, even one of those things would have been enough for a date, and I took him to like eight.
What did you do on your dates in Peoria? I wanna hear all about them, both just to share and also for more date ideas!

I saw someone post about trivia nights. My bf and I are okay with trivias but we have a collection of board and card games with no one to play with so I think board game nights is also a great idea. Anyone in? Not sure though where we can play, closest place we know is at UP Town but we don't know any possible venue within Marikina.
EDIT: I received a few questions through chat. Posting them here for others to see as well.

1. My bf and I are in the late 20s to early 30s, but we really don't care what you're age is as long as you're not a minor hehe.
   
2. Here are the games we have.
   

For Board Games: Betrayal, Monopoly, Life, Scrabble, Chess, Taboo, Guesstures, Catan Series, Pictionary, Boggle, etc.
For Card Games: Unstable Unicorns, Exploding Kittens, Magic The Gathering, Dungeon Mayhem, Uno, Here to Slay, Happy Little Dinosaurs, etc.

1. You can bring your own board and card games too.
   
2. We live near Ayala Feliz but willing to go anywhere in Marikina or nearby.
   

If you want, you can also look into my answers on another questionnaire I did:
https://www.reddit.com/Socionics/s/Rgaa9YmsFV
Anyways, here's my answers to the Sedecology questions
What do you study or do for a living? How did you come to do that? What do you like or dislike about it?
Ans) I'm currently studying in A Levels, my subjects are Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics and Biology. I chose these sujects due to my love for science and to be able to pursue a degree in the field of Biology or Health Sciences. I love learning about the mechanisms behind how everything works to create the reality we're in. However, I dislike the education system and having to rote memorize for my exams.
What else do you do on a daily basis? What are your interests and hobbies? Why do you do them?
Ans) I study, play my guitar, write songs or poetry, listen to music and just contemplate everything there is to contemplate for the rest of the day. I mainly study for my upcoming exams while music helps me relax and understand any situation or emotion. I write to turn my thoughts and emotions into something tangible.
What are your values, and why?
And) I value independence because I am usually at my best when I'm working on my own, plus I crave a lot of alone time, to just sit and think. I value my goals and aspirations because it drives me to work towards something meaningful and puts life into perspective in a way. And then I value my friendships because they're a beacon of hope, meaning and humour in a hustle and bustle life.
Describe your relationships with family and friends. What do you like and dislike about them?
Ans) I used to be close with my mom but I started to have a completely different outlook on life which leads to a lot of arguments and conflicts. I also don't like her trying to tell me what life choices to make because I'm stern on my plans with my future. My father and I don't talk too much but when we do, it's usually around the topics of science and religion. Sometimes he also opens up about his childhood stories. In the end, he's also someone with different sets of values. I have two friends (we'll call them N and Z). I have been friends with N for 10 years. We talk about everything that happens in our lives and we share our honest thoughts, feelings and perspectives on our own and each other's lives. We're the most open about our lives with each other. Z, on the other hand, is someone I (shit)talk with, mostly regarding academics and school life. We play board games online, like Pictionary or Monopoly. We also engage in a lot of banters that can get a little out of hand.
What do you look for in friends? In romantic relationships?
Ans) In friendships, I look for trust and humour. I want to be able to talk and laugh about anything with a friend. A lot of times someone's confidence in something or a talent impresses me enough to want to know them. In romantic relationships, I also look for trust and humour, but I also want that feeling of home and safety. I also want a partner to encourage me to strive for my goals and also have goals themselves. Compatibility is also something I would consider. And of course, reciprocated love, support and admiration!
What conflicts have you encountered recently with other people? Why did they happen? Which kinds seem to happen on a regular basis?
Ans) I'm generally conflict averse but I usually get pissed when I'm met with unsolicited advices about my future from people. Usually I have these arguments with my mother, who suggests choices that are inconvenient and impractical with what I want to do. She also makes overly critical judgements about my academic performance and social life, sometimes concluding that I'm the worst at whatever she's judging. I get annoyed over her warnings about my future that lacks any evidence that is based on reality and are rather hypothetical.
What are your strengths? What do people like about you? What do you like about yourself?
Ans) I can basically arrive early or on time whenever I want and need to. I'm also good at sorting out my priorities and giving the right amount of time to each of them, according to the current situations. I'm also thoughtful in every aspect of my life, which leads to my impressive writing skills. People like the fact that I'm patient, hard working, smart (only cause my grades are decent lol), punctual, polite, friendly and quiet. I receive complements on my writing as well. A couple of people also like my sense of style. I'd say I like how thoughtful and patient I can be.
What are your weaknesses? What criticism do you often face from others? What do you dislike about yourself?
Ans) With great patience comes a lack of assertiveness. Along with that, I'm hopeless when it comes to social situations and I can come across as quiet boring. I get called out for how I can be too formal, even in informal events like a party, and the inability to "loosen up". I personally don't like my lack of assertiveness and my inability to connect and fit into a group of people.
In what areas of life can you manage well on your own? In what areas of your life would you like help?
Ans) I'm good with time and priorities. I'm also good at planning for the future and reflecting on my life. I'm also good with my friendships. I need help in social situations and in trying to be assertive and confident as well.
What things do you dislike doing? What things do you enjoy more than others?
Ans) I hate going out for social niceties and being in gatherings where I don't know many people or have no one to talk to. I also get annoyed by purposeless discussions and debates that leads you nowhere. And I hate studying for the sake of passing an exam. I enjoy being in my head for the most part and think or imagine. I like doing research for any project I'm in. I also just like to google stuff out of curiosity. I like spending time and making plans with my friends. I listen to music and play my guitar to relieve stress and feel my emotions. And I love writing my thoughts and emotions down with eloquence.
What goals, aspirations, or plans do you have for the future, and why?
Ans) I'm aiming for studying abroad for a Bachelor's degree in Public Health and to start a new, independent life. I'm also planning on returning on a business project/idea, concerned with environmental issues. I also want to aim for a career as a singesongwriter (while also ensuring financial safety ofc). I love all things I've mentioned here and so I'd definitely enjoy earning money while doing all this.
What kinds of things do you do to manage and/or beautify your environment (your room, your house, etc.)?
Ans) I don't do much except have my walls painted my favorite color, blue.
If you won the lottery and didn't have to work anymore, what would you do?
Ans) Donate a huge chunk of it to charities. Use the rest to get into high ranking universities. But I prefer earning my reward by hardwork rather than luck.
What traits do you find endearing that others might dislike? What traits are considered positive/neutral by others but tend to annoy you?
Ans) I like reasonable assertiveness in other people. I like people who are also able to bluntly put others in their places, most people can't mind their business these days. I hate cockiness and self righteousness, which other people might think is "cool" or "brave". I also despise blind pessimism, it's unrealistic and unnecessarily creates conflicts and tension.
How do you behave around strangers?
Ans) I stay silent unless approached. I try to be polite, nice and engaged. Usually the other person takes the initiative to start a conversation or changing the topic.
How do you react to conflict? What do you do if somebody insults or attacks you?
Ans) I stay quiet in conflicts as well. I quietly stare at the person with a resting bitch face when insulted. When physically attacked, I usually resort to defend myself rather than fighting back. If possible, I'll document and report it to any form of authority available.
Would you ever be interested in starting a business? Why or why not? What role would you play in it? What kind of business would it be?
Ans) I would be interested in starting a business. I like working hard towards a goal, purpose or an idea. I enjoy the independence in decision making that doing a business would allow. I would probably help with research and providing important information. I would also be involved in making plans and creating, discerning and improving innovative ideas. The business would need to make a practical and long lasting impact on the world.
How do you dress or manage your appearance?
Ans) I dress according to the occasion. My favorite thing to wear are formal clothing, especially suits. I decide on a hairstyle and pay a little too much attention to my straight, flat hair to make sure it looks good all the time. I use body sprays and deodorants everytime I leave the house.
Do you like kids? Why or why not?
Ans) I like kids because I like being reminded of innocence and naivety every now and then.
In what situations or times in your life did you feel most fulfilled, and why?
Ans) When I achieved a goal or good results based on any kind of performance. I like working hard and getting to a place I wanna be in. (This might have to do with the fact that my enneagram type is most likely 3)
How do you feel about attention? Do you seek it out?
Ans) I only like attention if it feels relevant or if I'm being recognized for something. I don't actively seek it out but I do crave for relevant recognition.
How do you approach responsibility? What do you tend to expect of others?
Ans) I sort out my responsibilities and discern proper amount of time and effort for each. I expect others to be competent in their jobs and maintaining respect.
If you were to raise a child, what would be your main concerns, what approach would you take, and why?
Ans) My main concerns would be relating to finance, my relationship with my child and the child's development. I would make sure of buying the right things, on budget. I would also invest as much time as possible to connect with my child and make sure they grow up to be responsible and moral adults.
Your friend bursts into tears. What do you do? How does it make you feel?
Ans) I try comfort them with a pat or a hug. I let them talk about it and listen first. If I can, I may share some advices. It would definitely make me feel sad to see a person I love and trust to cry.
What is your biggest accomplishment?
Ans) Achieving third position in an online competition where groups of teenagers come up with and present solutions to large scale problems in the world.
What was (or is) your high school experience like?
Ans) I was in online classes for Grade 9 and 10 during the pandemic. I managed to make some new friends but I changed schools in Grade 11, so we ended up connected but got too busy to continue talking to each other. Being too caught up with academic pressure and lacking social skills lead to me making no new friends in my new school. Overall, its been isolating and stressful.
Ever feel stuck in a rut? If yes, describe the causes and your reaction to it.
Ans) YES! I became too concerned with my academics that I couldn't give enough time to the things I love doing. It's probably stemming from failing an exam for the very first time in life, in Grade 9. It has left me feeling lost and lonely.
What is something you regret?
Ans) Not being brave enough to make more friends and doing the things that bring me joy.
Who do you admire, and why?
Ans) I admire the brilliant and thoughtful lyricism, and the commitment to work hard and challenge herself, in Taylor Swift.
What's been on your mind? Has anything been worrying or concerning you? What problems have you encountered lately?
Ans) The ridiculous life I've been living for the last four years as the student of a horrible education system and the person it has made me, for better or worse. I've been concerned about the state of the world and violence at the moment. Lately, I've been feeling burned out as I try to study and prepare for my A Levels.
What kind of work environment do you prefer? What do you look for in a job?
Ans) I prefer a quiet work environment where I can work on my own with all the resources required to do so. I look for a reasonable pay in a job and make sure it doesn't take too much of my time where I can't focus on other aspects of my life.
What is or was your favorite school subject and why?
Ans) My favorite subject is Biology. I love learning about the complex mechanisms behind everything about the body that makes an organism what it is.
What is one common misconception that people have about life? Explain why it is wrong.
Ans) Happily Ever After doesn't exist and boxing yourself to a stable job, marriage and kids doesn't lead you to it. The only ending is death. Everyday you live, you'll go through range of experiences and emotions. Instead, aim for a life that makes you feel content while living it so that, even in bad times, it feels worth it.
Where did you go on your most recent vacation? What did you do there? How did you like it and why?
Ans) I went to an area of high altitudes, with hills and mountains, followed by a trip to a beach. I mostly just watched and enjoyed the beauty of the nature. I liked observing the surrounding as it helped me connect to nature and allowed me to feel less stressed.
Talk about a significant event from your life.
Ans) I'm on my way to finish my school life by the next month. It's making me reflect on everything that has happened and also making me excitingly envision my plans for the future.
How do you see other people as a whole? What do you consider a prevalent social problem? Name one.
Ans) I've never really been able to see people as a whole unless in a specific setting or group. A prevalent social problem is that a lot of people have this tendency to call out small behaviours that have a short impact compared to the actions of politicians and corporations that are directly causing a huge impact on large scale issues of the world.
What do you do if you're not getting what you want? What approach do you use?
Ans) I wait and re-adjust my plans accordingly, with relevance to the order of my priorities.
Are you comfortable taking leadership roles? In what areas? Why or why not?
Ans) I'm not confident in leading people in general. If I need to lead research or planning, that might be the least uncomfortable for me.
How often do you get angry? What kinds of things make you angry?
Ans) I do sometimes get angry. I get angry over ignorance, disorganization, incompetence from someone who promised competence in a particular area, disrespect, ill faith judgements and injustice
What is one unusual trait or ability you possess? What makes you special?
Ans) I can delay my work and still get it effectively done on time.
What is your sense of humor like? Do you joke around a lot?
Ans) I like jokes that rightfully calls out someone's behavior. I also like jokes about sex, the more overt and shameless, the better.
What were you like as a child? How have you changed since then?
Ans) I was and still am contemplative and imaginative. I used to be into following rules and sticking to certain ideologies but as I grew up, I now no longer do it actively.
What is the best thing that happened to you during the past week?
Ans) I got some studying that I've been procrastinating on done so that was nice.
What is the worst thing that happened to you during the past week?
Ans) I screwed up my sleep schedule again
What is the purpose of life? What do you find personally meaningful in life?
Ans) The purpose of life is to be who you are and to do what you feel like you were meant to do. I find it meaningful to stick true to myself and my dreams in life
What is the most interesting place you have been, and why?
Ans) The hills and mountains I went to for vacation. I loved how close the clouds were when we were at the top. I also got to see clouds being below the the place I was in.

Delton and Alyrria find a meaningful way to communicate, meanwhile some unexpected guests arrive.
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Cover
As was happening all to often these past few days, Alyrria sat confused as to the quirks and antics of her new guest.
After contemplating what Del’tohn might be able to eat, she decided to let them pick for themselves. To that end, she’d entered her pantry and asked Shaldir to help her grab an armful of various foodstuffs. Shaldir had pointed out that Del’tohn had flat front teeth like the vegetarian Zahira of the northern continent. However, when he had spoken, Alyrria swore she could see a few small pointed teeth as well, nowhere near what a Kan’rysi would have, but they were present none the less.
With that knowledge, they focused on grabbing what few root vegetables and fruits they she had left, not that she especially needed them in her diet, but she did enjoy the occasional sweet treat. In addition, she’d made sure to bring out a small sack of various grains for them to peruse as well as a pieces of smoke-cured meat.
There was a sense of satisfaction as Del’tohn stared, wide eyed, at the impressive array of food laid on the table before them. Gesturing between them and the food, Del’tohn seemed to understand that she had left them with the final decision of what they would like. They went to each item in turn, stomach growling once again, and looked everything over. They picked up, examined, sniffed, and put down everything from the reedy cylarro shoots to the lumpy and misshapen sweetroots that she had gathered on the night she had first rescued the smaller being. In the end though, Del’tohn let out a sigh and leaned against the table, shaking their head.
They looked… in pain? No, nothing so intense, as they mumbled something to themselves in their singsong language before they gestured to the table and shrugged.
Can their people not move their ears? I guess not… She thought as she observed that, while their ears did bob up and down a little as they spoke, they either couldn’t or wouldn’t swivel in the way she expected. Her attention snapped back to Del’tohn as they said something.
[Whel, thankz, bhat ai haav noh aideea eef theez ar poisonuzz tooh mee ohr nhat.]
She looked at them expectantly, assuming that once they found something they liked they would dig right in. No such luck.
The awkward pause stretched on for several more seconds until she came to the eventual realization that they must not have seen any of these plants before and so, they was just as clueless as her as to what they could and couldn’t consume.
Frustration started to creep into her mind. She was a hunter, she helped provide the village with meat for the butcher and hides, teeth and bones for crafting and trade. It was what she was good at, and for the first time in a very long time, she was forced to sit back and watch helplessly. It seemed like Del’tohn would probably be forced to starve or else eat something potentially poisonous to them. Del’tohn too, now seemed more blatantly frustrated at this setback. Resting their hands on its hips once more, their shoulders sagged as they hooked their thumbs into their belt loops.
Picking up on the dilemma, Shaldir seemed to be brainstorming ideas as well when, several seconds later, Del’tohn suddenly perked up. Both Kan'rysi glanced over as they started patting their hands around their belt and pants, looking for something. Before long they seemed to feel something in a back pocket somewhere.
[iiiess!] They exclaimed suddenly, sounding more like a hiss under its breath than an actual word. Alyrria continued to be surprised at the range of noises Del’tohn was capable of producing.
With a proud flourish, Del’tohn produced what looked like a series of colored metal ingots from one of their many pants pockets. Some type of lettering seemed to be imprinted on them while both ends of the ingots were stamped flat with serrated edges.
Shaldir was the first to speak, addressing the pieces of metal in Del’tohn’s hand despite knowing they couldn’t understand each other, “Look, I think Aly and I both appreciate that you’d want to pay us back or trade for whatever you need but that doesn’t help that we still don’t know what you can eat.” The end of her statement was drawn out as she gestured both hands towards the ingots for emphasis.
Del’tohn placed two of the ingots back into a pocket, putting up a hand in a gesture to placate the exasperated Kan'rysi. They made a show of presenting the ingot when they pinched the middle of one of the serrated edges with both of their hands and pulled each hand in opposite directions.
Alyrria and Shaldir looked on in amazement as the metal ingot tore in half as easily as paper with nary a sound to reveal a brown and red speckled brick contained within. A sweet aroma started to permeate the air, tinged with some nuttiness and a few other scents that were otherwise unidentifiable.
“Huh, a parcel of some kind?” Alyrria wondered aloud.
“Must be.” Shaldir replied, sniffing and tasting the air.
They watched as Del’tohn stuck one end of the brick in their mouth and bit down, easily crunching through. The brick seemed to be made of some type of baked grain, cemented together with a sweet paste.
Alyrria resolved to somehow ask about how Del’tohn was able to hammer metal to such thinness and flexibility and why they would store food like that later, once some way of communicating had been worked out. In the meantime, she was just relieved that the food issue was resolved for a little while, seeing as Del’thon had a few more of the metallic packets.
She gestured for Del’tohn to take a seat as she made her way to a series of cabinets placed against a nearby wall, located above a well-used counter. As Del’tohn took the offered seat, Alyrria produced three ceramic cups, she filled them with water from a simple bronze jug and headed back, placing a cup each in front of Shaldir and Del’tohn before taking a seat next to the hungry being, her own cup in hand. Del’tohn looked at the cup and nodded in appreciation. The two Kan’rysi watched silently for a few minutes as the smaller being finished eating before raising the cup and sniffing its contents. Determining that it wasn’t harmful, Del’tohn took a tentative sip. It briefly scrunched its face with a look of… confusion or maybe slight disgust she had to guess, before proceeding to down the entire cup with a contented sigh.
Alyrria chuckled lightly, “Thirsty too I guess.”
Shaldir grunted in thoughtful agreement, her head propped up on her hand.
Del’tohn stared at the now empty parcel for a few seconds, brow furrowed. It looked like it was trying to contemplate some puzzle when Alyrria tapped them on the shoulder to get their attention. Startled, Del’tohn looked over and realized that Alyrria had extended her hand, palm up, while pointing to the parcel. Figuring her intention, they handed over the tattered remnants.
[Whel, ae proteen bhar eesent ahn ai deel brakefhaast ahfthur hoo noes hao lhong, bhat eets bhetter thahn nohtheeng.] Del’tohn quietly commented.
Whatever this parcel was made of, it wasn’t metal. As it turned out, it was some material that was closer to cloth, but was smoother than firebeetle silk. Alyrria gave the parcel a few experimental tugs and it snapped taught. She tried ripping it but it took a surprising amount of force just to get it to stretch. She then imitated Del’tohn, pinching one of the serrated ends between both hands and pulling in opposite directions. To her surprise, it parted just as easily as Del’tohn had made it look and tore evenly down its entire length despite the wrinkles that seemed to be permanently creased into it after Del’tohn had finished eating. She wanted to see if Shaldir was curious but she just waved it away when Alyrria tried to hand the remains of the parcel over.
Her curiosity satisfied for now, she gave the tattered parcel back to Del’tohn, who proceeded to fold it up and place it in one of the many pockets that adorned their pants.
The three of them sat in contemplative silence for a few minutes before Shaldir spoke up.
“Hey Ali,” She started. “I need to head back and report to my mentor about this before it gets too late in the day.”
“The old man will be happy to know that our guest seems to be doing fine.” Alyrria replied.
“Since when has he ever been happy about anything?” Shaldir asked, rhetorically.
“Yeah, good point.” Alyrria conceded as they both shared a quiet laugh.
Shaldir then got up and the two of them proceeded to gather up all the foodstuffs left on the table and carry it back into the pantry as Del’tohn watched with intense interest. Goodbyes were said and Shaldir bundled herself up in a heavy, fur lined, leather coat before proceeding out the entryway.
The snow had piled up some since earlier in the day, and by this point, the sun had started to dip lower in the horizon. It wouldn’t be night for some time yet but the air was growing steadily chillier as the day wore on. With the door shut and latched, Alyrria headed back to the pantry and retrieved some more firewood before tending to the flame, stoking it back to life for a few more hours and ensuring that there would be a healthy bed of coals to keep the house warm through the night.
As she was doing that, Del’tohn had made their way back to the table and produced a trinket which they was now tinkering with. Curious, she made her way over to get a better look. It seemed like a small box, with its lid pried open. Inside was a mess of flat, rainbow colored, sheets shot through with gold leaf in geometric lines. Some kind of puzzle maybe? She wasn’t sure. She watched as Del’tohn moved, removed, and replaced these sheets before closing the box and pressing a circular button on the side. After a second, a bright orange ring lit up on one face of the box, pulsing with a gentle light every few seconds. Del’tohn made a noise that seemed to indicate giddiness or pleasure as they pumped their fist in the air.
Seemingly taking notice of her for the first time since the tinkering had started, Del’tohn proudly showed off the box before realizing that she had no idea what it did. Regardless, Alyrria was happy that this small task seemed to have lifted Del’tohn’s spirits.
An idea seemed to come to them as they suddenly waved their hands to get Alyrria’s attention. She paid attention as they made a pinching motion with one hand while dragging the pinched fingers haphazardly across the other hand’s open palm. Del’tohn repeated this action a few times.
It took a few seconds before Alyrria’s eyes grew wide.
“Yeah, that makes sense!” She cried before darting into the room next to the one Del’tohn had been placed in.
What followed was Alyrria desperately throwing open drawers, looking through various shelves, and shuffling aside random curios. She knew she’d placed it here somewhere! Wardrobe? No. Under the mattress? No. Writing desk? No. Drawer under the writing desk? Nope. With a frustrated sigh, she stood up.
“Where in the five domains did I put the damned thing?” She muttered, leaning against a wall hard enough to jostle the door. As it closed slightly, she saw the writing slate hanging on a hook behind the door.
“Of course.” She stated, humorlessly.
Grabbing the slate and a few fresh writing sticks from the desk, she made her way back out, presenting it to Del’tohn.
Looking at it, Del’tohn excitedly took it and started to scribble something.
Alright, let’s see what you have to say. She thought to herself.
---
Pwip… Pwip… Pwip…
It took a couple of cycles for Lily to realize what her sensors were telling her.
Pwip… Pwip… Pwip…
A few milliseconds later, she could barely contain herself. “Cass! Get in here now! Del’s transponder just reactivated!”
After a brief pause, a hatch slammed shut as the stomping of boots could be heard getting louder and louder. Cassandra burst into the cartography room, eyes wide and breathing heavily. She could hardly believe what she was hearing.
“Say that again. Just so I know I’m not dreamin’.” She gasped.
“Del’s transponder just reactivated!” Lily was almost yelling, “he must have been able to repair it! It’s broadcasting from the same direction that Taka and Gordon are heading in so I think it’s safe to say his hunch was correct.”
“Finally, some good news!” Cassandra laughed, “Is there any way to reach them and fill them in?”
“Not yet, they’re still below line of sight to our radio antenna, but they should be able to pick up the signal as they get closer. The only downside is that with only a rough idea of where exactly we, and they, are, we can’t get an accurate fix on Del’s position.”
Cassandra made a move to speak before Lily cut her off.
“But,” Lily continued, “as they get closer, it will get easier for them to determine the direction and distance the signal is coming from.”
Cassandra breathed out a sigh of relief. “Alright, let’s hope the next time they check in, they’ll have our pilot in tow. I’m sure the captain will be happy to hear this.” With that, the medical officer left the cartography room with an obvious spring to her step, leaving Lily standing on the holotable.
Lily turned towards the projection of the surrounding area. Her yellow holographic form floated over to the line showing the direction Delton’s signal was coming from.
“Hang on Del, help’s coming.” She quietly hoped. As she deactivated the holographic projectors, her transparent avatar flickered out of existence before reappearing in the medical bay where Cassandra was animatedly talking to the captain.
--–
Del was overjoyed when Aleeria handed him the slate, it was one thing to try and interpret gestures and body language, but now he’d be able to convey magnitudes more complex ideas, or at the very least clarify more basic subjects. He was already able to figure out he’d been unconscious for about three days since Aleeria had found him.
“Alright, I kinda need my knife back.” He muttered as he scribbled the rough shape of his utility knife onto the slate, holding the finished image up for Aleeria to see, “I need to know if you’ve seen my knife. Taka would kill me if he knew I’d lost it.”
Aleeria stared at the picture for a second before their eyes flashed in understanding. Standing up from their seat, they made their way to the room where they had first grabbed the slate. They soon returned, holding a conspicuously knife-like shape wrapped in cloth. The blade looked like a pocket knife when held in Aleeria’s hands. As they handed the blade over, Del carefully unwrapped it and gave it a quick inspection before reaching behind his back and slipping it back into its sheath with a satisfying click. He smiled and gave Aleeria a quick nod of appreciation.
Once again picking up the slate, Del proceeded to draw two simple stick figures next to each other, one with a triangular torso and one in which the triangle was inverted, leaving plenty of space for more drawings just in case.
“I can’t keep on thinking of you as a “them” now can I?” He asked aloud, a little thankful that he couldn’t be understood.
He turned the slate around, pointing to the figure with an inverted triangle for a torso then pointing to himself. Aleeria stared for a few seconds, they looked unsure of his intentions with the drawings. Del then turned the slate back around to inspect his work.
Maybe I wasn’t clear enough? He thought to himself before an idea took shape in his mind’s eye. He drew an arrow pointing from the figure with an upright triangle body and drew a smaller figure at the end of the arrow. Once again, he turned the slate around.
Once again, Aleeria leaned in to take a look. It was fascinating to observe the gears turning in their head and Del couldn’t help but be reminded of a cat with the way their pupils involuntarily contracted as they thought.
A few more seconds later and Aleeria looked like they realized what he was asking as they leaned back with their head slightly tilted and their eyes more relaxed. They gestured to the long piece of chalk that he was holding, and when he gave it to them, they drew a line from the figure with the inverted triangular torso, to the figure with the upright triangular torso, then to the smaller figure next to it. Looking up, they pointed from the figure with the inverted torso then to him, and their eyes widened when he nodded and affirmed their gesture by tapping that same figure again and then his own chest.
Aleeria thoughtfully mumbled something unintelligible before looking back to him. They then pointed to the figure drawn from the upright triangle and then back to themselves a couple times, making sure that he could clearly see where they were pointing.
“Oh okay! So you’re a ‘she’.” Delton stated aloud only for Aleeria to beckon him to look again at the slate.
And so, the exchange continued like this for a few more minutes. Through this impromptu game of pictionary, Del learned that Alleria’s people hatched from eggs, but gave live birth, and that their females tended to be taller and leaner while their males were shorter and much more strongly built.
Then came the question of, presumably, each of their livelihoods, prompted by Aleeria drawing what Delton recognized as a bow.
She grew excited once he showed his understanding by roughly pantomiming the nocking and loosing of an arrow. Enthusiastically, she had made her way back to her room and retrieved her favorite tool, a massive and heavily recurved composite bow. While it looked like a longbow in his hands, was much more modest when she wielded it. He had no idea what exactly it was made of, but whatever it was, it was clear that considerable time and effort had been put into its construction. The black horn-like material along its inside complemented the dark red wood of the body while some type of shaved plant fiber or bark had been braided along the arms. This protected the seam where the two materials had been joined together and gave the front bow a faintly lustrous braided pattern thanks to the lacquered finish and deep red fibers.
He was so caught up in admiring it that he felt a little embarrassed when he looked up to find her staring at him expectantly and gesturing for him to take his turn on the drawing slate. As he handed the unstrung bow back, he thought about the best way to convey that he was a part of a team of explorers.
Guilt welled in his chest as he realized that he had allowed himself to get distracted from his main priority, checking on the crew and then getting the ship back in running order. Aleeria seemed to notice the change in his demeanor as he saw her expression change and her ears turn downwards slightly. Thinking hard, he decided to try and see if she knew what a boat was.
He drew a basic rendition of an old sailing ship on rocky seas complete with sails. Once complete, he backed away. He gestured towards her, then pretended to scribble on the slate, then himself as he quickly pantomimed working her bow again. He then did the same in reverse, with himself doing the scribbling and then gesturing to her. She looked at the drawing and nodded, filling in some simplified waves to show her understanding.
“Ok, perfect.” Del stated as he then drew a few figures on the boat and pointed to himself and one of the figures.
Aleeria glanced between him and the slate and nodded.
He then wiped the slate clean once more and drew a small rendition of the populated boat to one side of the slate as Aleeria watched intensely. He then drew a simplified rendition of the top view of the Onager, except this time he placed seven figures in the middle of the ship’s outline. Showing the sketch to Aleeria, he circled the seafaring boat, circled the Onager, and then drew a line between them.
Aleeria scrutinized the sketch for a moment before Del heard creaking somewhere below them. Looking down he saw that her hands were digging into her pants, claws starting to rend small furrows in the cloth. She looked up with what could only be described as a shocked expression, jaw slightly opened, eyes wide, brow slightly furrowed, her face seemed slightly more pale as well. She turned quickly enough that the flattened scales on the back of her head clicked together as she snatched the slate from Del’s hands and haphazardly smudged out the drawing. In its place she drew a single figure, pointing to Del. Once he nodded, she then drew six more figures before looking back at him.
She could only stammer in shock as he nodded again with a determined look.
--–
Oh no, oh no no no… Alyrria thought numbly. If she was understanding this correctly, not only was that giant contraption some kind of vessel, there were at least six others of Del’tohn’s people still trapped on the thing and she left them there! She got up and rushed to the door. Unlatching it, she looked outside hoping to see even a hint of light, but the sun had already set, the last of the goldish-pink rays disappearing far beyond the horizon.
How could she have let this happen? Why hadn’t she taken a closer look? At worst they might have all burned in the fire or frozen to death by now all because she hadn’t acted sooner or been more thorough.
She brought her hand up to the sides of her head, her claws clicking against her scalp as she wracked her brain, trying to plan out the quickest route back to the vessel. It had been a few days. At best they would still be alive and waiting, she could even bring Del’tohn to attempt to communicate with them now that he was awake.
At worst, there would be six new graves in a few days.
They couldn’t set off now, even knowing where the vessel was, she would need help to assist six others, moreover, Del’tohn was still injured and him traveling in the dark in his state would only be inviting accidents to happen. Setting off on her own was one thing, but a two day trek with a group required so much more planning and no one else, well, except maybe for Shal, would be willing to set off on a trek all the way to Lake Omson just after dark, especially not after a day busy with early winter preparations. A series of rapid footfalls broke her out of her train of thought as Del quickly ran up to her.
“Yes I know! I’m sorry! I’m trying to think of something!” Alyrria cried desperately, hoping that she could force him to understand.
He shoved the slate up towards her face, forcing her to back up a step. He had drawn the odd, bug shaped vessel again, but this time had the six figures in a circle. He pulled her back towards the table and made a show of drawing two crossed rectangles in the middle of the circle and a series of wavy lines above them, a campfire. He looked at her with an intensity she hadn’t expected and pointed slowly, making sure she looked at the campfire before drawing a series of stacked rectangles next to the group and drawing a line from the stack to the two crossed rectangles.
Alright, I think he’s saying they have some way of keeping warm. To confirm what she thought, she pointed to the drawing of a fire and then pointed to the fireplace in the middle of her home. Del’tohn nodded reassuringly and gently clapped her on the shoulder. He then produced another one of his metallic parcels, pointed to it, and to the slate, and drew another small pile of rectangles.
Right, calm down, so they have food and some way to keep warm, and if I’m understanding this, they have plenty of both so we have some time.
--–
Despite only meeting her a few hours ago, it hurt to see Aleeria so distressed. It seemed like she understood what he was saying but he hadn’t expected such an extreme reaction to her figuring out his friends were still on the ship. Luckily, he seemed to be able to convince her that they weren’t in too much danger. Truth be told, he didn’t know if they were alright or not, but Lily hadn’t said anything about the sleeper pods being damaged after they had landed, and he knew they were designed to take a beating and had emergency batteries that would last for a few months at least.
If they were alive, those pods should keep them safe for a while, and if not, well, if they were dead it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.
So for the time being, his only concern was making sure his rescuer didn’t do anything rash.
He watched as Aleeria sketched something else on the slate.
Looking over at the drawing, she had drawn a large circle with a spiral in the middle rising from a horizontal line across the slate. Additionally, she had drawn a small group of figures, one of which was much shorter than the rest, on the left side of the line and another dotted line leading to a crude approximation of the Onager on the right.
The meaning seemed pretty clear to him, they’d set out in the morning.
Putting those thought aside for now, Del nodded to Aleeria and she seemed to relax slightly. The tension of the past few minutes gone, his stomach growled again, her’s followed soon after as he realized that she hadn’t eaten anything this entire time. With a tired sigh, she got up and headed over to the pantry as Del took out another protein bar from his cargo pants pocket. He laid the bar on the table as he went over and refilled their cups from earlier with the bronze jug. By the time he was finished, Aleeria had returned with what looked like a small loaf of purplish black bread and a hunk of cured meat. Del sat back down and watched as she pulled a simple glazed ceramic plate from the shelf, produced a knife, and prepared her meal. He waited for her to sit down before opening and slowly nibbling on the bar.
Both of them ate in silence, Aleeria tore into the bread and sliced meats as Del slowly consumed his second meal bar of the day.
Hmh. First actual meal together with my new friend and we can’t even eat the same things. He thought wryly. Oh well. The ship seemed mostly intact and Lily was still talking, so there’s a good chance everyone else is alright as well. Once I get back it should be easy enough to assess the damage and figure out what needs to be done. Worst case, if we need to stay long term and we can’t figure out what’s edible, there’s still a couple years of preserved food stores we could use if we ration things out.
Once they’d finished their respective meals, Aleeria gestured for Del to place his cup in a basin of water next to the food preparation table as she did the same with her dishware.
He was in for one last surprise when it seemed like Aleeria had forgotten something. She went to the entrance and ducked outside for a moment before returning with a box containing a glass lid. A soft white/blue glow emanated from the box. His curiosity piqued, he watched as she opened the box to reveal about a dozen glowing crystals. She smiled and gestured for him to follow as she entered the room he had been given and placed a crystal into what Del had originally thought was a candlestick.
“Oh wow…” He gasped, awestruck.
She chuckled softly, her voice like tumbling gravel, as she demonstrated taking a small bell-shaped cover next to the crystal holder. She placed it over the crystal to snuff out its light before lifting it back off, allowing the gentle whitish glow to fill the room once more. He went up to the writing desk and gingerly touched the crystal, he expected it to be warm to the touch and was surprised to find it was ice cold.
Duh, it’s winter, and this rock’s been sitting outside all day. He reminded himself.
With the demonstration of the new light source concluded, she once again gestured for him to follow as she grabbed a two small towels, a waxy bluish green bar, and shallow pail. She entered into the pantry and filled the basin with water before proceeding outside. Del zipped up his flight jacket as she led him down a short path behind the house, blazing a path through the fresh snow that was also lit by the glowing crystals. She then proceeded to show him what was essentially a detached bathroom, complete with a large stone bathtub easily big enough for two people, a segregated latrine, and an area with a polished metal mirror and shelf where she placed the pail. He was pleasantly surprised to hear running water coming from somewhere deep within the latrine.
Nodding his understanding, he retreated to the house to give Aleeria some privacy. Half an hour later, they both prepared to settle in for the night. Sleep came easily to Del, he didn’t understand it but despite being unconscious for a few days he was still exhausted. Aleeria, on the other hand, spent a couple hours more staring at the ceiling, lost in thought, before her eyes eventually grew heavy.
--–
The morning came quickly and both of them were up before dawn. Aleeria joined him as the sun just started peeking over the horizon. She had donned her leather armor and was just finishing tightening the straps laying across her ribs. A quick breakfast soon followed, with Del enjoying another protein bar.
Ok, these are getting old real quick. He complained internally.
As they were finishing up, there was a knock at the door. Both of them looked at each other, confused. Since Del was closer to the door, he approached and glanced at Aleeria. When she nodded, he undid the latch and started to slide the door open. Peeking around the corner, he was expecting Aleeria’s friend from yesterday, he wasn’t expecting to meet the masked visages of two human-sized people in very familiar looking thermal suits pointing rifles at him. By how they recoiled, they weren’t expecting to see him here either.
“Del?” The lead figure asked, incredulous, as he lowered his firearm.
“Taka?” Delton asked in response.
[Prev][Next]
[First]
A/N: I apologize if the first part is a bit paingul to read with the pronouns. A part of it was intentional, moreover, in the first draft, I used "it" instead of "they" which seemed a little pejorative so I changed it at the cost of having ambiguous pronouns. I tried to be as clear as I could without getting too repetitive and apologize if it was not enjoyable.

Two teams of three.
One team member draws standing at an easel.
Two team members guess.
While the painter of the other team has X amount of shots to shoot paint at the other teams easel. The sniper has to manage their likite bullets, but sometimes it's best to let your enemy make their own mistakes.

We have 75 minute periods and we all need a fun break halfway through. Ideas?

This is my 8th year teaching. I teach 9th grade Algebra 1. If you’re like me, you constantly have students asking if we can have a “free day”. And, again, if you’re like me, you’re wondering why students in the past few years all of a sudden have the idea that “free days” are a thing…. Like we don’t have nearly enough time to get through all this content guys, especially if we just take a “free day” whenever we feel like it.
Well here’s the deal. Next week is the last week before spring break and we have Friday off. We have a block schedule, so next week I teach even classes on Monday/Wednesday and odd classes Tuesday/Thursday, all Algebra 1. Usually the blocks are odds tues/thurs and evens wed/fri, with all classes on Mondays, but due to the holiday on Friday the “all classes” Monday becomes an even block day instead.
I already have to take Thursday off for a different reason, so there was gonna be kind of an extra day on Wednesday where I don’t want to introduce new content that Thursday’s classes won’t get, so basically I’d have students do the sub work that day but I’ll just be there instead of the sub.
Well, this morning the wifi was out for the entire district. I’m getting class going for my period 2 block and realizing that it’s not going to be ideal since a can’t project slides or even print the practice problems that I usually post to Google classroom. After 20 min, still no wifi and our principal just said “there is no estimate for when it will return”. Since I have my even blocks on Monday anyway, I realize I can just teach this lesson on Monday and then I won’t have a weird extra day where students will be working on sub work with me instead.
I think to myself for like 20 seconds, and kids are kind of on the edge of their seats, when I say…. “How would you guys feel about a free day?” They all rejoice.
I pulled out the board games and the ping pong paddles with makeshift nets I keep in my room and we played games and chilled for an hour. The wifi didn’t come back until the beginning of the next block, but we still had a free day with that class too, which they appreciated even more since they’re the ones who, now ritualistically as a joke, ask every day if we can have a free day. My one rule was that we had to play a game as a whole class first, so we played technology-less Pictionary for 45 minutes.
It was a great day precisely because the stars aligned and it made sense, but it was a treat. Students know I don’t budge on having “free-days” willy-nilly, and they know they won’t be getting another one now that I know how to use my phone as a hotspot lol. So I apologize. Next time your students ask “can we have a free day???” blame me for giving them a taste of that possibility.

I am going to integrate Jackbox Drawful into a friend's baby shower. I need to make a custom Drawful game that's baby shower themed. Has anyone done this that can share their prompts for ideas? I have a couple but Drawful's appeal is that it's typically funnier than Pictionary prompts.

I am playing on a fairly big minecraft server with an amazing community. My whole thing is building minigames. My problem, however, is lack of ideas. When I get an idea (be it from myself or from someone else), I can usually figure if it's doable in minecraft or not and if it is, how to make the game. Some of my games are pretty redstone heavy, but they don't necessarily need to be. To give a few examples of what I've done already:
-No/Low redstone: Quoridor, Quarto, Quixo, Pylos, Othello, Ticket to Ride: Europe, Spleef and Dripspleef, Connect 4,

• Redstone intensive: Settlers of Catan, UNO, Blocktionary (pictionary), Wavelength, Stat poker, Hangman, Whack-a-mole

In the last few weeks, I have hit a proverbial wall and can't come up with anything that fits my requirements: - Survival friendly - Easily resettable - Multiplayer - Not too time intensive gameplay (a few hours maximum) - Doesn't use complicated cards (UNO is done with banners, but I can't do something like DiXit) - No parkour, generic PvP arenas, Puzzle/Escape games (Not in the mood to build these currently) - Nothing with a ,,judge'' role like Build battle, etc.
Ideally, I'd like suggestions on Tabletop games that you think could be adapted to Minecraft (even if you don't know how exactly). Something in the spirit of friendly competition. Ideally more focused on thinking and strategy, rather than good reflexes and mechanical skill. We have a working Discord channel, so it isn't a problem if the game needs voice chat.

I’m planning an ACOTAR series birthday party for my sister’s 30th and I thought Pictionary could be fun. Can you all help me with ideas please? A mix of difficult and easy with no spoilers please. People are at different places in the series. Sister has read all other SJM books, so references from other series is okay too.
Also open to any other fun, easy game suggestions. Thanks all!!

I am not necessarily talking about things like go for a walk or visit a museum (although those things are also fun), but more about ideas that - it‘s a bit hard to describe - bring out your inner child more? Like random suggestions you can hit up your friends to do together instead of going out for a cup of coffee. Like:

• bake your own cookies together and watch your favorite childhood movie
• collect magazines and spend the afternoon creating collages about eachother
• Make a makramee plant hanger
• Get together and do a fun quiz night/pictionary etc.
• Get yourselves a paint by number and listen to your favorite podcast while painting

Etc. etc.
What are more ideas you have?

Over the last ten or so years I've grown into a lot of new habits as I get into the middle years of my life; some of them good, some of them less so. Such is life. One thing I've tried to do is be conscious of time spent and items purchased, because as we get older stuff has a way of coming into your life faster than it tends to leave. Gifts from friends, shiny retail purchases while out looking for something else, or a Kickstarter from two years ago that finally landed on the doorstep.
And as items accumulate around the house, I've had less and less hours in a week, month, or year to make use of them. I found myself a while back noticing when I would pull out one game to play with my partner or friends I'd sigh at how many games in my collection had gathered dust, and struggled to remember the last time they were more than clutter on a shelf. It's been a journey to pair down possessions in my life across the last decade, including board games (and their kin), but this last time I pulled out a game to play I noticed I'm perfectly happy with what I own and am getting a lot of joy in 2024 out of my gaming experiences. So, I thought some members of this community might find my journey and current mindset valuable as we head further into the year. Three ideas to chew on for your own experience:
1 - My current collection, and why I've landed on each game.
2 - A few thoughts on life, gaming, and what's next for me in my gaming adventures.
3 - A few resources I found valuable for people resonating with my experience.
My Favorite Games of All Time - Someone asked me a long time ago, what would I carry out of my house if there was a fire and after thinking through the obvious answers I repeated the question with each segment of my belongs. What are my most beloved, books, clothes, and pieces of decor? I've played a lot of games in my life, but these are my favorite. Yours will obviously be different, but if you had to walk out the door with whatever you could carry, what would make the cut? These are games I will likely be playing for the rest of my life because they never get old for me.

• Cosmic Encounter - No two games are ever the same, and as you'll notice with many of my selections, I love replayability.
  
• Inis - The art is beautiful, the gameplay is dynamic and engaging, and it's quick for a game of this type. Sessions run fast especially once friends understand how to play.
  
• Betrayal at House on the Hill - Reddit hates this game, but if you play it as a storytelling adventure akin to an episode of Scooby Doo then you'll have a good time. 3rd edition fixes most of the issues with the game which people disliked. Alcohol and a spooky Spotify soundtrack also make this game better.
  
• 1000 Blank White Cards - I don't blame you if you've never heard of this game, but it's hella fun. The Calvinball of games and just as creative and hysterical as the people you play with. Best with theatre kids or drama queens.
  
• Magic Cube - Magic the Gathering has been something I've played since I was a kid, but WOTC's greed and sheer number of releases got me out of the game ages ago. A few years back I printed off a custom Magic Cube of all the most fun cards I wanted to play with and haven't looked back. My cube if interested. mtgcube shoutout!
  
• Quantum - Another niche game, but one that tickles my math nerdiness unlike anything else. If you like space themes and dice without having to strap in for 13 hours of TI4, get your hands on a copy of this semi-rare gem.
  
• Ahoy - The newest game of the bunch by far. I love Leder games, but most of them miss the mark for me. Root ends up taking about three hours when it should be 90 minutes. Oath is too complex for most casual gamers. Pax Pamir II and John Company are just a bit too in the weeds to entice most players. Ahoy takes a lot of elements of other Wehrle games and brings them down in scale to something easy to teach and fast enough not to take all night. Plus, pirates.
  

Party games - These aren't strictly board games, hence the title, but for me playing a game is primarily about bringing people together and having a good time. These are games I keep coming back to when I want to "party" with 4+ friends and the vibe is to sit on a couch rather than around a table.

• Jackbox Party Games - Quick, light, and full of laughs. I own all the good party packs, and once you know how to read the mood of the room it never disappoints. I stream to my TV and in the future will likely pick up a Steam Deck to stream when away from home.
  
• Mario Party - Yes, it's a video game. Sue me. But it has the same essential vibe of sitting on the couch and trash-talking each other or watching with glee as a friend gets wrecked in a mini-game. Candyland for adults.
  
• Fishbowl / Telephone Pictionary - A bit old school, but especially fun when you want to get to know a person, and can be played in just about any environment.
  
• Co-op Game / SpaceTeam - This current is a slot of a type of game (large-scale co-op) that I enjoy. The specific game has changed over the years, but lately I've been enjoying Spaceteam so it holds the slot for now. Previously it has been Two Rooms and A Boom and in a few years I imagine this will rotate out. (Open to suggestions here if there is a team co-op game you love!)
  
• Hidden Role Game / Blood on the Clocktower - I've always enjoyed hidden role games, Werewolf, Secret Hitler, Renaissance...but BotC is one of the best in the genre. Thematic, quirky, and full of good features. Protip: light candles and drink wine when playing.
  

Car games - These are games that permanently live in my car. They are good for visits with family, trips to the bar, and when we are just randomly in the mood to play a game while at a friend's house.

• Wavelength - Fantastic icebreaker with new people. Not an all-the-time game, but fun at breweries in particular as it draws bystanders in.
  
• Longshot - Racing games scratch an itch for me unlike anything else and this is one of the better games in this genre. Enjoying it a lot, but in the future will play Heat and Gaslands and may swap out.
  
• Wits & Wagers - My mom has never stepped foot in a casino in her life, but loves this one. Chill game anyone can get into. Get the Vegas edition, and upgrade with Iron Clay chips.
  
• Skull - Sometimes you want to play something while you talk about life over a pint. Skull is the perfect game for that. A bluffing game that doesn't burn the clock, and interesting for people of all ages.
  
• Bocce Ball (full and travel-sized) - Again, not technically a board game, but easy-going and can be played by anyone. I have a mini camping version and a normal set so this can be played indoors or outdoors depending on the mood. (Micro indoor bocce is insane.)
  

Travel games - I have a small pouch I keep these games in which lives inside my EDC backpack and goes with me for any air travel. Versatility is the aim along with creating a small, lightweight package that can be taken anywhere.

• Everdeck - The Swiss army knife of card decks. Allows you to play just about any card game, and a miracle of modern design.
  
• The Crew: Mission Deep Sea - Limited in scope, but comes in a small package and offers a lot of different options for play. Hard not to enjoy this one if you like trick-taking.
  
• Deep Sea Adventure - Oink makes some wild games. This is a lovely time-filler at airports or coffee shops with travel companions. Received Scout for Christmas but haven't played it yet; may add it into my long-term rotation.
  
• Push It - I was researching Crokinole boards when I stumbled across this; imagine Crokinole without a board. I just bought a bunch of Crokinole pucks off eBay since this game isn't produced anymore, but every single person who has played this loves it.
  
• Dice set - 20 six-sided dice and one set of DnD dice. Mainly used to play Liar's Dice, but keep the others around for storytelling game purposes. Also was gifted The Quiet Year game over the holidays so will likely put it in this kit.
  

A few thoughts...

• You'll notice this isn't quite 25 games. For me, somewhere around that number seems to be the upper limit on games I can enjoy periodically without feeling like I own too much. I'll likely add a few more games to my favorite games segment to make it a round 10 games over the coming decades.
  
• Speaking of adding games, I have no plans to add any games to my collection in the near future aside from Arcs by Leder Games coming out this spring. I haven't played it, but it looks like the type of game I'd love so I'll purchase it when it releases and if it doesn't stick I'll pass it along to a friend. Games may rotate out, but long-term this set of gaming slots fills all the needs I have and hits all the types of entertainment I like in this space.
  
• Life is short. As I age I find myself having to guard my time ever more fiercely. I only want to own and bring games I love to the table regularly, and while I enjoy trying new games I don't feel compelled to own every enticing new release. Borrowing something I don't own or going to a friend's house to check out something they own often takes care of that urge.
  
• My encouragement to you this year would be to find a balance between what works for you now and where you want to go next in life. Maybe you need to expand your collection to address gaps in this arena, but if you are anything like me the next step may be to cull some of what you have to focus on having more fun and less clutter going forward.
  

A few resources you might find useful...

• The books and Netflix series by Marie Kondo are motivating pieces of media if you are looking for inspiration around pairing down and finding joy around what you already have in your collection.
  
• While they can come across as smug at times, I've found the writings of The Minimalists to be interesting when approaching how to handle feelings around purchases, sunk costs, and letting go of possessions. This essay in particular comes to mind for me and board games when I think about letting go of something I've had a good time with in the past.
  
• This Reddit thread on having a "core collection" to pair down to your favorites in a category was an interesting discussion. Worth a look if you are consolidating!
  
• If you feel like something is missing for you in this space, or you are new to the hobby and don't want to overdo it, take a look at this recent Reddit thread on recommendations for games based on what you already love.
  

Happy gaming in 2024 friends!

I chair a sustainability committee at my company, and I’ve been tasked with organizing a sustainability focused Ice breaker or group activity to kick off our next company wide All Hands meeting. I’ve been doing my own research and have some ideas but would love to get more input!
Some considerations:

1. This is technically an in person event but we usually have a handful of folks logging in remotely so something that the remote people can participate in would be nice
2. I’ve been looking up Reddit threads about these types of things and the sentiment I see repeated over and over is that people like these to be optional so I’m trying to avoid anything that would come across too strongly as “mandatory fun”
3. I expect the head count to be 60ish people
4. I haven’t been told how much time I’ll be expected to fill but I imagine it will be between 30 minutes to an hour

Some ideas I’ve had so far: 1. Asking everyone to optionally submit sustainability related prompts that I will then feed into Drawasaurus.com where we can play a few rounds of sustainability themed Pictionary in a private online game room - this site is free and I’ve read 80+ people can play free in a private room. People can play remotely and it’s optional - I can project the game on a screen for people who just want to passively observe. 2. Playing several rounds of “Compostable, recyclable, or garbage?” where I present people with different items and they can enter their guesses on their computers/phones
I’d love to hear what ideas other people have! Please feel free to give new ideas or ideas to expand on my existing ideas. Thank you!

Original Post: https://www.reddit.com/OCD/comments/19a562s/i_went_through_something_traumatic_that_ignited/
So, I am starting to get cold feet about telling a therapist about this. I wanted to test the waters here before I go on to tell a therapist.
I genuinely don't know how to start telling my story and it feels rather emotional because I'm scared of not being believed and because when I was younger I was encouraged to keep quiet about this stuff... I know this doesn't sound believable and I'm not asking for belief, but I am asking for support. My reality might not be your reality and that's fine, but it happened to me and it still negatively affects me and my mental health. This will also be incredibly long because I was in this situation for ~5 years.
​
I'm posting this because I'm starting to get nervous about telling a therapist because I'm scared that they will think I'm crazy or that my experience isn't real. I don't need someone telling me "oh don't worry because that isn't real!" as I've tried to do that and it doesn't help; it feels like I'm gaslighting myself. I need someone to help me practice accepting this reality and to continue using ERP even though I have deep fear and shame because of my past.
​
This experience was traumatic for me because it violated my privacy and made me feel like I was being stalked... I met people who could read minds. I genuinely hope that this isn't triggering for people to hear. As far as I know, this is pretty rare. So, it's not like random strangers at the store can see your intrusive thoughts, but when I was going to school, there were people that could see mine. It was as awful as it sounds. And, it was also kind of cult-y. The people who could read minds were also telepathic... so I know it sounds like bullshit, but they could talk to each other. There was stalking, blackmail, and (I think) someone even physically hurt me because of an intrusive thought.
​
I found out from a toxic ex-friend (they didn't trigger me bc they couldn't read minds 'well' and sometimes other people she was friends with would tell her info about me). A lot of people didn't like this person and encouraged me not to hang out with them... the problem is that whenever I would have these private conversations... hours later I would get a phone call from this person and they would be pissed off and repeat word-for-word what the other person said about them. They were always mad at the other person, but I felt that they were also pissed at me for being 'disloyal' to them even though they never said it. Also, people weren't around when I had these conversations.
​
This friend was incredibly toxic and would tell me that friends I had were saying bad things about me. Which I believed when I was younger because they could read minds so why not believe them? I think that they were honestly trying to isolate me, so that I was only friends with them/to get me away from people who didn't like her.
​
There was another time where my friend transferred to another school for the year. I felt free, but alone... my friend assured me that she would have someone 'watch out for me' :/.... which basically meant stalk me. When I talked to her on the phone one day, she mentioned that she knew that I would go from lunch table to lunch table because I didn't know who to hang out with.... She wasn't at the school, but she knew that...
​
I also had 'suspicious' experiences outside of this person.
​
Once, I had someone respond to my thoughts without me saying anything out loud. We were in class playing Pictionary and our classmate wasn't getting what the picture was even though it was obvious... The 'mind reader' and I were facing each other and they were muttering that the person was an idiot and it was obviously a house... in my head I was like 'be nice' and then I got an intrusive thought calling our classmate an 'idiot' and the 'mind reader' immediately looked at me in disbelief and kind of threw their hands up in the air like "are you being serious??/exactly!" I just looked shocked and turned away from them and I guess they got frustrated and put their head in their hands...
​
I used to also get intrusive thoughts about calling this person a homophobic slur :/.... whenever I would do this, this person would put their head in their hands like they had a headache... but I felt that it was because of me. Not exactly 'proof' but still felt horrible. Once this happened and they were near another 'mind reader'. The guy put his head in his hands after my intrusive thought towards him... then the other 'mind reader' looked like she was asking him "what? what's wrong?" and then she looked over at me... this was a while ago and I can't remember if I was looking directly at them, so proof or not idk, but still traumatizing.
​
I also had a huge crush on this person (but now I think it was mix of trauma/OCD tbh), but they ignored my existence lol. I would sometimes get pissed at myself for liking them and would vent about them and why I should dislike them. Like clockwork, the next day, he would always glare into my fucking soul. This happened once or twice from what I remember... Going from never acknowledging me, to glaring at me after I would journal about them. Not really proof, but still traumatizing for me.
​
There was also a girl that I had classes with multiple years throughout school... it started with me having intrusive thoughts of saying her name in my head. I would try to push it away by saying a celebrity's name in my head that was similar to hers, but I would catch her staring at me... the next year I started having harm OCD thoughts about her and it was awful because I felt bad but the thoughts wouldn't stop. I had no idea what was going on with me and I thought that I was a monster. She would glare at me from across class.
​
Another year, I fucking had to sit next to her. This year, I learned about OCD and that I was having intrusive thoughts. I had intrusive thoughts about her, but would try to push them away. One day, I had an intrusive thought about her, but was trying to reassure myself by saying "I'm okay, it's just my OCD, it's just OCD" and she fucking turned to me out of the blue holding her assignment notebook and said, "sometimes I get so OCD about my assignment notebook... I have to check everything off"... I just smiled and went "ohh... okay..."
​
Another time, she was across the room glaring at me and I was visibly uncomfortable... I was like squirming in my seat and she smirked at me... so. fucking. creepy. There were other times where I would think about her while she was sitting away from me, but I was still within earshot and she would be like, "hey OP, I like your shirt" while staring at me... I know the instances with this girl aren't really proof, but it felt like she was taunting me..? It was very uncomfortable.
​
One of the most triggering experiences I had was with someone in my class who's dad passed away... Our teacher told us to be kind to them because their father passed away. I wish she never said that because they were all that I could think about during our class together.
​
I kept trying to make sure my thoughts were 'good' and I would say "I feel so bad. I hope that they are okay"... but then randomly I had an intrusive thought about being 'happy that their dad passed away'... I tried to push the thought away, but was worried it would make it worse... eventually the thought won and I looked over and the person was staring at me and they looked (understandably) super pissed and hurt. When I walked into the hallway, I got shoulder checked by a football player twice my size and he called me a 'bitch'. No idea if those instances are related, but no one had ever done that to me before. It seemed very intentional.
​
Okay last experience... once I went to a school social worker to vent about my toxic friend. Later on in the day, my friend called me and was like "hey, did you talk to them about the mind readers?" and I was like "no... I would never do that why?" and my friend said that another person was like freaking out that I would say something and people were telling him not to listen to my counseling session. This was years ago, so I have no idea if I told my friend that I had a counseling session or what, but it was so weird to me that I was being monitored like that.
​
If you made it this far then you're awesome.... lol. There are other experiences I've had, but these were the most impactful. I didn't even go into how there was this guy (same person who was worried about me speaking up during a counseling session) who seemed to be like a cult leader who would threaten people (with blackmail and intimidation). I never interacted with him directly though, but they are a big part of why I'm scared to say anything. I'm scared of being hurt as well as not being believed.
​
When I graduated, moved away from these people, and cut ties with my friend, I thought that I would be free from all of this, but the trauma from it slowly started creeping back in. I noticed that I feel triggered when I catch people staring at me. I also sometimes whisper when I talk and get worried about someone listening in on my conversations with people. I never connected the dots to my past. At times, I still feel like I am in that school and still feel like I am being watched/monitored. I'm mad that a significant time in my life was ruined by this bullshit.
Even writing this, I feel like I'm sick. I needed to take a lot of breaks and felt triggered throughout the process. I'm scared to tell a new therapist this and I guess I'm testing the waters on Reddit... I'm pushing through my fear though because the OCD and PTSD that I developed from this experience is worse than being harmed for opening up about this/not being believed. I know it sounds crazy, but this experience really hurt me and it still hurts me. I'm to the point where I absolutely need to get help.
​

I'm making this post in the hope of finding a partner to be my person for a LTR or if you are adverse to something serious we can talk about any other labels/avenues/ideas you have or are open to. We don't have to be alone lol. Let's enjoy all that 2024 has to offer while we decide! I'm down to grab an egg cream or milkshake in some quaint small out of the way town. Who doesn't want to enjoy some warm beverage (as long as it's chilly outside) while looking at old shops (sample some fudge in a general store and buy some old fashioned whatchamacallit) with some light hand holding? Ooooh maybe a kiss?
To start I have to disclose that I mainly like women/trans women but I also like a very very very specific type of guy and certain trans men as I'm partially bi. (It's off-putting I know but I'd rather be upfront about it) Chances are you aren't that type but feel free to ask if you are. (Didn’t want to offend anyone so I’d rather say in private) Just throwing that out there as it's a deal breaker for most women. Which why would it be? The number one reason I get is I'm going to cheat on them with a guy if we were to date. As if being bi has any bearing on cheating and not the persons character.
I'm a 35 year old guy living in the middle-ish of Texas looking for a female partner. Partner as in LTR. That's Long Term Relationship meaning boyfriend and girlfriend and holding hands type of stuff. You know, adult things? I had someone comment I was too vague so this is me being specific. I'm gonna be honest and kinda sad so bare with me.
So I've spent the past two New Years alone. Rang in this one just like last New Years in bed staring at the ceiling listening to fireworks go off into the night. The next day I cried randomly while browsing for a movie to watch on TV. At first I didn't know why as I'm not much of a criefeelings person but I realized for the first time that I genuinely felt alone. I have no partner, no family that I speak to, no friends just acquaintances, really no one there for me. That's my own doing which took years to accomplish through me being closed off and just shutting people out, so I figure it might take just as long to fix. I'm not complaining as I got myself into this predicament. It's gonna sound dumb but I wanted a New Years kiss. I'd never had one and it seemed like a fun dumb silly thing to do. Eh maybe one day. Ok well back to my spiel. (I'm not depressed or anything or wanting attention) Some of my hobbies and interests are movies, reading, cooking, kayaking, records, video games, board games, snorkeling, bowling, swimming, escape rooms, puzzles and antiquing. I would describe myself as more goofy and dorky than nerdy. I like to go out and do fun things but also stay in and cuddle and relax. I guess it depends on my mood and the weather. I prefer the cold and would love to live in a state with actual seasons and snow. I'm 5'10, stocky AKA fat and open for adventure and new experiences.
I posted in a poly sub looking for a throuple/triad because I'm curious about being in one. I've never been in one nor have I ever been in a poly relationship. I've been 100% monogamous all my life. I'm merely curious about it. Apparently merely being curious about it disqualifies me from even talking to a fair amount of women. So be it I guess. This doesn't mean I'm solely looking for anything poly related. Just means I'm open to exploring it. I'm mainly looking for a partner. If she happens to be poly then that's ok. If she's not then that's ok too. I keep getting people judging me for posting in the poly sub as if I'm only looking for that. I'm not. Just thought I'd clarify my experience and what I'm looking for in that regard. (For the record I'm 100% ok with being monogamous)
Here are some random facts about me:
Some of my favorite bands are: The Black Keys, Kings of Leon, The Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival and The White Stripes.
Christmas is my favorite holiday, mainly because of the cold and festive activities. (Seriously let's go do some festive activities!)
I come from a medium-ish family.
I'm exceptionally patient but every person has a breaking point lol
I like traveling a lot. It's a basic thing that lots of people like. But I've found lots of people hate to leave their house, town or state so if that's you we probably might not be a good match. I also enjoy the mountains. But I don't like roughing it (give me that sweet AC in the summer). Hiking is so hard on my knees and I haven't done it in a while that if I were to I think about doing it I'd about die or twist a cankle.
I don't eat seafood, mushrooms, artichokes or pineapple on pizza (Who cares about this? Doesn't mean I won't go to a restaurant with you that has these things)
Never went to college as I'm horrible in a classroom setting and at taking tests. (I'm slowly bettering myself)
Have probably the most boring job imaginable (Ask me about it)
Overweight but trying to work on it and make better choices (Get healthier and lose weight together maybe?)
Non religious but no issue with what you believe. (If anything)
Looking into sterilization. If you are already maybe you can give me some info or tips?
My own red flags 🚩
I work too much and oftentimes can't talk.
I send selfies often. I'm a visual person and like receiving photos. Apparently it's a generational thing. Hopefully you think pictures are neat as well? Is it really that weird to want to see you and your life and show you mine?
I sometimes speedily become attached to people, not in a weird way, but if I like you and we have some kind of connection, I will enjoy talking to you and want to do it often.
I'm a very organized person and will plan out pretty much anything from a vacation to a road trip to a birthday. This makes being with a go with the flow type of person hard at times I've learned but still very much doable.
Due to childhood trauma I'm secretive which can be annoying.
MY own "HELL YES" 🏁
I know how to cook.
I will always drive if you want. (Within reason)
Great at escape rooms and jigsaw puzzles.
Can read a map and follow directions.
Decent at reading backwards upside down writing.
What I'm looking for:
Is my age or older. But I'm willing to go quite a bit lower if you are neat and we have stuff in common. But super young isn't my goal here.
Mature, considerate, responsible and funny (Dorky wouldn't hurt)
Someone who never cheats, honesty and trust are important to me.
Someone who is open-minded, willing to try new things, be adventurous, funny and nerdy.
Someone who believes in sharing household chores equally because we are both adults.
Be open and frank about issues you or I are having. Not pushy or jealous. Won't yell or argue about stupid things, I've had enough of that.
Willing to push me to become a better version of myself (Can you turn me into Batman?)
If this sounds like you then feel free to reach out and say hi or challenge me to a game of Scrabble/Pictionary/hand to hand combat maybe? Maybe Wordle or some online vidya game?
P.S. I realize my post isn't for everyone but if your seeing red flags from my post then I'd say trust your gut and please don't message me as we probably aren't compatible. I honestly don't mean that in a mean or hurtful way. I've just been messaged quite often with women saying they pushed aside red flags to get to know me. Please don't, it never ends well and you end up wasting both of our time. Wouldn't you rather spend it finding your person with no flags?

I'm making this post in the hope of finding a partner to be my person for a LTR or if you are adverse to something serious we can talk about any other labels/avenues/ideas you have or are open to. We don't have to be alone lol. Let's enjoy all that 2024 has to offer while we decide! I'm down to grab an egg cream or milkshake in some quaint small out of the way town. Who doesn't want to enjoy some warm beverage (as long as it's chilly outside) while looking at old shops (sample some fudge in a general store and buy some old fashioned whatchamacallit) with some light hand holding? Ooooh maybe a kiss?
To start I have to disclose that I mainly like women/trans women but I also like a very very very specific type of guy and certain trans men as I'm partially bi. (It's off-putting I know but I'd rather be upfront about it) Chances are you aren't that type but feel free to ask if you are. (Didn’t want to offend anyone so I’d rather say in private) Just throwing that out there as it's a deal breaker for most women. Which why would it be? The number one reason I get is I'm going to cheat on them with a guy if we were to date. As if being bi has any bearing on cheating and not the persons character.
I'm a 35 year old guy living in the middle-ish of Texas looking for a female partner. Partner as in LTR. That's Long Term Relationship meaning boyfriend and girlfriend and holding hands type of stuff. You know, adult things? I had someone comment I was too vague so this is me being specific. I'm gonna be honest and kinda sad so bare with me.
So I've spent the past two New Years alone. Rang in this one just like last New Years in bed staring at the ceiling listening to fireworks go off into the night. The next day I cried randomly while browsing for a movie to watch on TV. At first I didn't know why as I'm not much of a criefeelings person but I realized for the first time that I genuinely felt alone. I have no partner, no family that I speak to, no friends just acquaintances, really no one there for me. That's my own doing which took years to accomplish through me being closed off and just shutting people out, so I figure it might take just as long to fix. I'm not complaining as I got myself into this predicament. It's gonna sound dumb but I wanted a New Years kiss. I'd never had one and it seemed like a fun dumb silly thing to do. Eh maybe one day. Ok well back to my spiel. (I'm not depressed or anything or wanting attention) Some of my hobbies and interests are movies, reading, cooking, kayaking, records, video games, board games, snorkeling, bowling, swimming, escape rooms, puzzles and antiquing. I would describe myself as more goofy and dorky than nerdy. I like to go out and do fun things but also stay in and cuddle and relax. I guess it depends on my mood and the weather. I prefer the cold and would love to live in a state with actual seasons and snow. I'm 5'10, stocky AKA fat and open for adventure and new experiences.
I posted in a poly sub looking for a throuple/triad because I'm curious about being in one. I've never been in one nor have I ever been in a poly relationship. I've been 100% monogamous all my life. I'm merely curious about it. Apparently merely being curious about it disqualifies me from even talking to a fair amount of women. So be it I guess. This doesn't mean I'm solely looking for anything poly related. Just means I'm open to exploring it. I'm mainly looking for a partner. If she happens to be poly then that's ok. If she's not then that's ok too. I keep getting people judging me for posting in the poly sub as if I'm only looking for that. I'm not. Just thought I'd clarify my experience and what I'm looking for in that regard. (For the record I'm 100% ok with being monogamous)
Here are some random facts about me:
Some of my favorite bands are: The Black Keys, Kings of Leon, The Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival and The White Stripes.
Christmas is my favorite holiday, mainly because of the cold and festive activities. (Seriously let's go do some festive activities!)
I come from a medium-ish family.
I'm exceptionally patient but every person has a breaking point lol
I like traveling a lot. It's a basic thing that lots of people like. But I've found lots of people hate to leave their house, town or state so if that's you we probably might not be a good match. I also enjoy the mountains. But I don't like roughing it (give me that sweet AC in the summer). Hiking is so hard on my knees and I haven't done it in a while that if I were to I think about doing it I'd about die or twist a cankle.
I don't eat seafood, mushrooms, artichokes or pineapple on pizza (Who cares about this? Doesn't mean I won't go to a restaurant with you that has these things)
Never went to college as I'm horrible in a classroom setting and at taking tests. (I'm slowly bettering myself)
Have probably the most boring job imaginable (Ask me about it)
Overweight but trying to work on it and make better choices (Get healthier and lose weight together maybe?)
Non religious but no issue with what you believe. (If anything)
Looking into sterilization. If you are already maybe you can give me some info or tips?
My own red flags 🚩
I work too much and oftentimes can't talk.
I send selfies often. I'm a visual person and like receiving photos. Apparently it's a generational thing. Hopefully you think pictures are neat as well? Is it really that weird to want to see you and your life and show you mine?
I sometimes speedily become attached to people, not in a weird way, but if I like you and we have some kind of connection, I will enjoy talking to you and want to do it often.
I'm a very organized person and will plan out pretty much anything from a vacation to a road trip to a birthday. This makes being with a go with the flow type of person hard at times I've learned but still very much doable.
Due to childhood trauma I'm secretive which can be annoying.
MY own "HELL YES" 🏁
I know how to cook.
I will always drive if you want. (Within reason)
Great at escape rooms and jigsaw puzzles.
Can read a map and follow directions.
Decent at reading backwards upside down writing.
What I'm looking for:
Is my age or older. But I'm willing to go quite a bit lower if you are neat and we have stuff in common. But super young isn't my goal here.
Mature, considerate, responsible and funny (Dorky wouldn't hurt)
Someone who never cheats, honesty and trust are important to me.
Someone who is open-minded, willing to try new things, be adventurous, funny and nerdy.
Someone who believes in sharing household chores equally because we are both adults.
Be open and frank about issues you or I are having. Not pushy or jealous. Won't yell or argue about stupid things, I've had enough of that.
Willing to push me to become a better version of myself (Can you turn me into Batman?)
If this sounds like you then feel free to reach out and say hi or challenge me to a game of Scrabble/Pictionary/hand to hand combat maybe? Maybe Wordle or some online vidya game?
P.S. I realize my post isn't for everyone but if your seeing red flags from my post then I'd say trust your gut and please don't message me as we probably aren't compatible. I honestly don't mean that in a mean or hurtful way. I've just been messaged quite often with women saying they pushed aside red flags to get to know me. Please don't, it never ends well and you end up wasting both of our time. Wouldn't you rather spend it finding your person with no flags?

I'm making this post in the hope of finding a partner to be my person for a LTR or if you are adverse to something serious we can talk about any other labels/avenues/ideas you have or are open to. We don't have to be alone lol. Let's enjoy all that 2024 has to offer while we decide! I'm down to grab an egg cream or milkshake in some quaint small out of the way town. Who doesn't want to enjoy some warm beverage (as long as it's chilly outside) while looking at old shops (sample some fudge in a general store and buy some old fashioned whatchamacallit) with some light hand holding? Ooooh maybe a kiss?
To start I have to disclose that I mainly like women/trans women but I also like a very very very specific type of guy and certain trans men as I'm partially bi. (It's off-putting I know but I'd rather be upfront about it) Chances are you aren't that type but feel free to ask if you are. (Didn’t want to offend anyone so I’d rather say in private) Just throwing that out there as it's a deal breaker for most women. Which why would it be? The number one reason I get is I'm going to cheat on them with a guy if we were to date. As if being bi has any bearing on cheating and not the persons character.
I'm a 35 year old guy living in the middle-ish of Texas looking for a female partner. Partner as in LTR. That's Long Term Relationship meaning boyfriend and girlfriend and holding hands type of stuff. You know, adult things? I had someone comment I was too vague so this is me being specific. I'm gonna be honest and kinda sad so bare with me.
So I've spent the past two New Years alone. Rang in this one just like last New Years in bed staring at the ceiling listening to fireworks go off into the night. The next day I cried randomly while browsing for a movie to watch on TV. At first I didn't know why as I'm not much of a criefeelings person but I realized for the first time that I genuinely felt alone. I have no partner, no family that I speak to, no friends just acquaintances, really no one there for me. That's my own doing which took years to accomplish through me being closed off and just shutting people out, so I figure it might take just as long to fix. I'm not complaining as I got myself into this predicament. It's gonna sound dumb but I wanted a New Years kiss. I'd never had one and it seemed like a fun dumb silly thing to do. Eh maybe one day. Ok well back to my spiel. (I'm not depressed or anything or wanting attention) Some of my hobbies and interests are movies, reading, cooking, kayaking, records, video games, board games, snorkeling, bowling, swimming, escape rooms, puzzles and antiquing. I would describe myself as more goofy and dorky than nerdy. I like to go out and do fun things but also stay in and cuddle and relax. I guess it depends on my mood and the weather. I prefer the cold and would love to live in a state with actual seasons and snow. I'm 5'10, stocky AKA fat and open for adventure and new experiences.
Here are some random facts about me:
Some of my favorite bands are: The Black Keys, Kings of Leon, The Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival and The White Stripes.
Christmas is my favorite holiday, mainly because of the cold and festive activities. (Seriously let's go do some festive activities!)
I come from a medium-ish family.
I'm exceptionally patient but every person has a breaking point lol
I like traveling a lot. It's a basic thing that lots of people like. But I've found lots of people hate to leave their house, town or state so if that's you we probably might not be a good match. I also enjoy the mountains. But I don't like roughing it (give me that sweet AC in the summer). Hiking is so hard on my knees and I haven't done it in a while that if I were to I think about doing it I'd about die or twist a cankle.
I don't eat seafood, mushrooms, artichokes or pineapple on pizza (Who cares about this? Doesn't mean I won't go to a restaurant with you that has these things)
Never went to college as I'm horrible in a classroom setting and at taking tests. (I'm slowly bettering myself)
Have probably the most boring job imaginable (Ask me about it)
Overweight but trying to work on it and make better choices (Get healthier and lose weight together maybe?)
Non religious but no issue with what you believe. (If anything)
Looking into sterilization. If you are already maybe you can give me some info or tips?
My own red flags 🚩
I work too much and oftentimes can't talk.
I send selfies often. I'm a visual person and like receiving photos. Apparently it's a generational thing. Hopefully you think pictures are neat as well? Is it really that weird to want to see you and your life and show you mine?
I sometimes speedily become attached to people, not in a weird way, but if I like you and we have some kind of connection, I will enjoy talking to you and want to do it often.
I'm a very organized person and will plan out pretty much anything from a vacation to a road trip to a birthday. This makes being with a go with the flow type of person hard at times I've learned but still very much doable.
Due to childhood trauma I'm secretive which can be annoying.
MY own "HELL YES" 🏁
I know how to cook.
I will always drive if you want. (Within reason)
Great at escape rooms and jigsaw puzzles.
Can read a map and follow directions.
Decent at reading backwards upside down writing.
What I'm looking for:
Is my age or older. But I'm willing to go quite a bit lower if you are neat and we have stuff in common. But super young isn't my goal here.
Mature, considerate, responsible and funny (Dorky wouldn't hurt)
Someone who never cheats, honesty and trust are important to me.
Someone who is open-minded, willing to try new things, be adventurous, funny and nerdy.
Someone who believes in sharing household chores equally because we are both adults.
Be open and frank about issues you or I are having. Not pushy or jealous. Won't yell or argue about stupid things, I've had enough of that.
Willing to push me to become a better version of myself (Can you turn me into Batman?)
If this sounds like you then feel free to reach out and say hi or challenge me to a game of Scrabble/Pictionary/hand to hand combat maybe? Maybe Wordle or some online vidya game?
P.S. I realize my post isn't for everyone but if your seeing red flags from my post then I'd say trust your gut and please don't message me as we probably aren't compatible. I honestly don't mean that in a mean or hurtful way. I've just been messaged quite often with women saying they pushed aside red flags to get to know me. Please don't, it never ends well and you end up wasting both of our time. Wouldn't you rather spend it finding your person with no flags?