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Alright, so I've decided to take a break from drugs for a bit, probably a month or so, and I think I need to organize my thoughts for when I go back, so I thought I would share it with the good people of this subreddit. I'm not going to do full ass trip reports or anything just my thoughts and experiences on drugs and combos and what in my subjective opinion is enjoyable/beneficial or negative/harmful. For background on me, I am 19 years old, male, about 6 foot and 160 pounds. I also have adhd and am prescribed Adderall.
DPH: Diphenhydramine, or benadryl. First drug I ever actually tried, and by far the worst shit out there. Hellish, the hallucinations are dark asf, I always felt panicky. The body high is pretty uncomfortable, and the weird nausea is always there, even though you can't throw up or anything. I've tried this shit up to 600 mg, although when I got to 600 mg I more or less blacked out, and I vaguely remember seeing myself being raped by demons, or shadow people. I was definitely psychologically addicted to this for a time, which is stupid asf because its an awful high. 0/10 cannot recommend, there are really no benefits to this drug, extreme dysphoria, its awful. I've only had one or two actual good dph highs, and they were at very low doses, so the negative effects were not as pronounced.
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Weed: I have a love/hate relationship with weed, I probably always will. It has so many benefits, but also has a lot of negatives. when I smoke weed daily, I notice I do not feel depressed, or anxious, but do tend to get paranoid. Anxiety and paranoia feel distinctly different to me, I feel like most people who smoke weed can probably get what I'm saying this. Weed does make me a bit slower with some things, and I tend to feel a bit zoned out or dissociated. Depersonalization is definitely a thing with weed, especially when you smoke daily. By daily, I typically mean hitting a pen once or twice before bed, not being stoned all day. The actual high from weed varies a lot, and when I have a low tolerance there is almost always anxiety. Its very strange because when I feel anxious I want to be sober, or at least feel the same high I do when I have a tolerance, but when I have a tolerance or am sober, I crave that anxious weird tweaky high. The anxiety is usually from the body high, or having to be around people like parents. Weed also has a tendency to make me get stuck in a certain mindset. Typically that mindset is that I love weed and smoking every day is okay. Honestly the biggest way weed has harmed me is in making my addiction to porn worse, which has impacted relationships and things in the past, but that's not really the point of this post. Weed also definitely messes with memory, not just when high but even if its been a few days. Overall, I do still enjoy the weed high, and its one of the safer things I've tried. When I can control myself and don't get addicted to get way too stoned, its one of the more consistently enjoyable highs I get. In addition to what I've mentioned, weed makes me a lot more functional as far ADHD goes and really quiets down the extra "noise" which is really helpful. 7/10.
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Caffeine: I used to love caffeine, I mean it was my shit. Everyday, drinking tea all day and playing games or doing schoolwork. I didn't realize at the time how much it was fucking with my sleep and my anxiety, and recently I've noticed that its pretty bad for my ADHD symptoms. It's possible that the reason caffeine messes with me so much now is because of how many times I've tripped on LSD, but regardless, I don't enjoy it, and it's only had negative effects on me recently. The biggest positive to caffeine honestly is its really good at sobering you up after you smoke, and can help a little after an acid trip if you didn't sleep at all.
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LSD: This drug used to be my favorite thing in the fucking world, which was probably part of the problem. I still think LSD is a great drug, and has a potential for benefit, but there's a lot of potential for harm that I initially ignored. I remember the first time I tried LSD, the vibrant visuals, time slowing slightly, the rush of thoughts that felt so comfortable and euphoric at the time. LSD has helped me a great deal as far as breaking bad habits and addictions, and in coming to terms with more personal things. I honestly enjoy this drug a lot more from a recreational aspect, although I've noticed some tabs are different than others visually. To be fair, not every tab I've ever tried has been tested, and I'm sure some of it isn't lsd, but based on the lack of taste I know it wasn't 25i. Regardless, the high that I enjoy most is the bright, visual high that I haven't really gotten as much lately, but what's more beneficial is probably tripping and having some serious introspection. I enjoy the music euphoria a lot too, which is something I tend to look for in drugs. I can say that LSD has changed my life for the better, and helped me come to terms with many things. Some trips have been a lot worse though, and there I was a point where I was using almost weekly, in very low doses. Some of these trips I mostly just felt anxious, but that was largely due to me being stupid, and I don't think that is an accurate view of the substance. When LSD is used with proper breaks, and I don't let it become the only thing I look forward to in life, it's one of the best substances out there. 8/10
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MDMA: My opinion on this one might be different than a lot of other people, and I'm fully aware of the dangers associated with MDMA, but my experiences have been almost entirely positive. the first time I used MDMA, it was an extremely low dose, but was still very beneficial and fun for me. It helped me come to terms with the death of my friend, and I felt a peace about things that I had never really felt before. In higher doses, it can definitely be a little much on my heart and I get nauseous on the comeup, but when I peak fuck its worth it. Definitely one of the most euphoric things I've tried, and the music euphoria is great. I've always waited at least three months in between rolls, usually a lot more, so I haven't really had a bad comedown yet. 9/10
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MDMA+weed: I don't have much to say on this that I didn't cover in the MDMA bit, but weed definitely increases the high, and makes it a bit more trippy and less hard on the heart. It helps a lot with nausea, which is really the only thing I don't like about MDMA, and it gets you way higher. 9/10
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Cocaine: I've only tried this twice, so I don't have a lot of experience. The euphoria is definitely nice, but its such a short lived high and because of the price and its never pure its not really worth it. 4/10
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Shrooms: very mixed experiences with this drug, some being amazing and some being nausea and pretty uncomfortable overall. Some trips I've had have literally just been me drinking water and trying to get through the nausea, and others have been visual asf and very euphoric. The trip that stands out to me the most is when I did 8 grams with a friend, he got in trouble with his parents and I had to go home (I didn't drive). Before I went home, I was really panicking, but after I got into bed with some music I was enjoying myself, had some nice visuals and ended up drifting off to sleep. I would like to try mushrooms again, especially because the visuals have been more consistent on the trips that have been good. 6/10, but I would like to revisit.
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Ketamine: So far this is my favorite drug I've tried, excluding combos. Only tried it once, and it wasn't a crazy dose. I'm not sure the exact dose, but it was nice asf. I had some chill visuals, really creative thinking, and subtle euphoria. It wasn't anything over the top or crazy, and there wasn't any anxiety or uncomfortable body high. My body felt really warm and comfortable actually, and I had an out of body experience towards the end of the high. the music euphoria wasn't as intense as other drugs, and I actually didn't enjoy most of the music I usually do, but I did really enjoy burial. I can't put my finger on exactly what I like about ketamine, it wasn't intense or euphoric or anything, but its fucking amazing. 9/10.
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2CB: one of the more recent things I've tried. I've heard people describe it as feeling between lsd and molly, and I really can't agree. I see how that description makes sense at low doses, like 10-15 mg, but that's about it. I haven't tried 2cb many times, but its not my favorite substance so far. It feels very robotic and has a very weird body high. The body high can definitely be euphoric at times, but the visuals are disappointing in my opinion. Not very vibrant, more like very subtle shapes and things, barely visible. throwing up from the drip is also not a fun experience, and its the worst drip I've ever experienced. 6/10
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2CB+weed: Some craaaaazy shit. The first time I tried 2CB, I snorted about 20-25 mg, which I know is too much for the first time, and I wasn't really enjoying it until I smoked. the body high was intense asf, but unlike tripping on lsd I didn't have to pee often, so I could just lay in bed. Time was slowed down a lot, and the audio almost sounded like pitched down or something. The weed high helped to bring out the visuals, and fractals basically took up my entire vision. The muddy visuals of the weed high actually helped the 2CB visuals a lot, which I was not expected, but I liked a lot. I was pretty paranoid though, and I remember the auditory hallucinations being pretty intense and unwelcome. the next day I also had some hallucinations, like colors shifting and things, which kinda freaked me out. It was very intense, and since I have combined these drugs at lower doses and I have found that they complement each other well, although I would only do this once in a while because of the intensity it can sometimes bring. 6.5/10
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DXM: The weirdest drug I've ever tried. The memory loss during the high can be a bit strange, and it almost feels like a dream sometimes. I've tried poli and hbr, in gelcaps and liquid. The visuals on dxm are interesting, but mild, and I'm not entirely sure how to describe them. The best explanation I can give is its similar to being in a dream, but that's not really accurate either. The nausea really sucks for me, and I've thrown up twice on it, but the dissociation from your body makes the nausea and throwing up less unpleasant than it otherwise would be. This drug is also not very consistent, and it feels like a different drug every time I revisit it. I think it really shines in its combinations with other drugs, but is an experience on its own. DXM also doesn't really cause much anxiety, and I enjoy the anxiolytic effects. 7.5/10
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DXM+weed: this might be my DOC. Nothing is better, except maybe candyflipping, for music euphoria, and general euphoria. Usually a low dose of dxm, like half a bottle of robocough, and some hits from a pen are good enough for me. Its a very chill feeling, and I usually listen to lo fi or some kind of electronic music and kinda just let it do its thing. The substances are highly synergistic, and this is probably my favorite combo I've tried. The weed helps a lot with the nausea, and the visuals really strengthen each other. I've tried doses up to around 450 with weed, which I think was close to the "eiffel tower" dose for me at the time (right in between 2nd and 3rd plat), and was very enjoyable. The only real negative to this combo for me is the loss of memory, but when you keep the doses lower, this effect is not as pronounced. 10/10
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LSD+MDMA: Candyflipping, can be crazy euphoric. Basically drop LSD, wait about 4 hours, then drop MDMA. I've done it twice. First time was fucking amazing. When the mdma kicked in, I did feel really panicky and my heartbeat was through the roof. I was also really dehydrated, really fast, and I had throw up. after throwing up, it was the most euphoric experience I've ever had. I will definitely try this again some day. I felt so fucking warm, and loving, more than I had ever felt before. I had really bad lockjaw the entire time, but even that felt euphoric. I remember rubbing my legs together and basically writhing under the sheets because every physical sensation felt so fucking good. The second time I tried this, I couldn't make myself throw up, and I basically felt stuck, like I couldn't let the euphoria break through, but I think I was kind of resisting it. To enjoy this combo, I think you need to accept throwing up, and you need to be aware of how bad the dehydration is going to be and prepare for it. Regardless, due to the euphoria I've gotta say this is the best feeling in the world, I would say its my DOC, but because of its intensity I don't want to do it too often. Regardless, its the fucking best feeling in the world. 10/10
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Oxycodone: I've done oxy a handful of times, and I've loved pretty much every high. Just straight euphoria and relaxation, no anxiety. I tend to like drugs that kill all anxiety, which is why I like dxm so much. I definitely need higher doses to feel serious euphoria like I did the first time, even though its only been a few times I've tried it. It hasn't really effected me negatively because I've always spaced out my high to avoid addiction, but there's obviously a severe addiction risk with any opioid and I definitely can see how people get addicted to it. Still, I enjoy it, and for me personally it hasn't really had a negative effect on my life. 8.5/10
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Oxy+Weed: I don't have much to add here, but weed and oxy changes the high to be more of a body high, and is an interesting experience. I don't feel the same euphoria so I would recommend smoking after the peak, but it is an enjoyable experience in its own right. 7.5/10
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Hydrocodone: I've only done this twice, once with pills once with syrup. Syrup mostly just made me tired and relaxed, no real euphoria, and pills made me feel like really fucked up, but not really euphoric. A similar feeling to when you get too stoned or something. I couldn't really think straight and since it wasn't that euphoric I can't say it was really worth it. 4/10
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LSD+oxy+weed: I heard people talk about the neon nod and thought it would be fun to try, but fuck no, I hated that shit. I couldn't really think straight and basically lost all control over my body. I had to sit up to try and get my shit together, and I kept falling over onto my bed. The acid made me want to keep moving and doing shit and the oxy made it almost impossible to do, so it sucked. I felt like shit the next day too, can't recommend at all. 0/10
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Vyvanse: I fuck with vyvanse, but only to get high. I was prescribed it and fuck that shit did not work for me. I used to take 50s and I enjoyed the high, especially smoking on the comedown. When I was prescribed them I would have depressive episodes and shit, got taken off that shit fast asf, but its a cool high. I don't feel a lot of anxiety from it, and there's a lot of energy with it. Definitely increases ego, I felt powerful asf, confident asf. 7.5/10.
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Adderall: Prescribed it for a while now, and it works pretty well for my adhd, but getting high on it is fun too. Its not very consistent anymore probably because I have tolerance but it can be quite euphoric. I don't stimmed out on addy every time, usually its just a chill feeling, kinda zombie like. Still a fun drug, even though the comedowns are godawful. Smoking weed after is a lot of fun too. 7.5/10
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LSD+Shrooms: I've only done this once, so its probably not the best view of the drug, but I had some of the coolest visuals I've ever had while coming up. I saw pirate ships, and alien landscapes, and all sorts of 3d immersive visuals, which I rarely get. The trip eventually took a turn for the worse though, and I became very anxious. I remember seeing jungle people, and I felt them stab me with spears. My body felt very strange, and my skin felt leathery, like that of some strange animal. The beginning was the coolest psychedelic experience I've had so far, but it turned bad quickly. I will need to try again with lower doses. I think the doses I took were around 200-300ug and 2.5-3.5 grams of mushrooms.
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LSD+2CB: again, this is something I've only done once, but I still wanted to touch on it. This is one of the few daytrips I've had, and it was a mixed experience. I was in the woods, and got a bit panicky because I couldn't recognize my surroundings. I ended up going back to my car and chilling there. I felt better, but still really panicky for a little while. I took 1.5 tabs and 10-15 mg of 2CB, which was more than enough. When this anxious feeling left, I had some of the coolest visuals I've ever had. I remember looking at the persons face who I was with. Her face looked very different, its hard to explain how, but almost minimalist or something, but I could also see some sort of writing or glyphs on her face, which looks kinda like aztec visuals I've had before. The trip was okay after that until I smoked, which led to me being unable to walk, while in the mountains. I was convinced I was going to die, which had never happened to me before, and scared the shit out of me. I don't want to make this post too long so but that's the basics of it.
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LSD+weed: before the acid hits, smoking subdues the visuals and the high a lot in my experience, and I can't recommend it. Smoking after the peak is cool if the body high doesn't get too intense, and can lead to some cool visuals. The only 'downside' if you can call it that, is that I sometimes get insanely horny on this combo, to the point where I tend to jerk off way too much. Regardless, this combo can be cool at times, and provides some really cool spacey feelings and euphoria. There is definitely some anxiety and shit associated with it as well. 6.5/10
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Alcohol: The most overrated drug. I've seen it fuck up people's lives so damn easy because its so accessible. I do think that it can be fun, and I've had some surprising euphoria on alcohol alone, but I don't think it compares to most other drugs, and I usually end up feeling really stupid and goofy, without having a lot of fun. There can be some really euphoric moments and it allows you to open up about shit, not as much as on psychedelics, but its still something to consider. 5.5/10
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Kava: One of my favorites. While I wouldn't necessarily call this a 'drug' it is something you ingest that changes how you feel a bit, so it kind of is. Its a very mild feeling, and I would guess its not enough for most people on this sub, but I enjoy it a lot, especially when I'm taking breaks to be sober, like right now. It helps wind me down at the end of the day and helps me sleep, especially when I have to take adderall, and it doesn't really have any negatives besides dehydrating you slightly. It can have some 'euphoria' although I'm hesitant to call it that because its so mild, but I enjoy it nonetheless. 9.5/10
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CBD: Another really mild substance, but during the day if I want to chill and I don't want to smoke, cbd honestly works better for anxiety than thc imo. I never get paranoid or anything, and to be fair I technically don't get high, but if weed is a bit too much or you're looking for something more mild, cbd is the move. 9/10
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Delta-8: This is pretty much the same as weed for me, but has a lot less negatives. I get less paranoid and it works better for anxiety reduction in my subjective opinion. 8/10
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This post ended up being a lot longer than I thought, so thanks to anyone who actually read through everything. I would like to answer any comments on this, so if anyone relates or disagrees I would be interested to hear.

TLDR: Met the guy on OkCupid, went two date. We had sex. Turns out he was a statue and in the end he makes his way out by himself, thank god.
First of all I want to apologize for my typos and grammar since english is not my mother tongue.
So this is not my worse story but it is the latest one. I definetly had much much worse dates but after ten months without no sexual contact with anyone, (because of covid and I had nobody for booty call since I graduate and moved back to my home city after 5 years) expactations getting highier and highier therefore things made me feel more angry and irritated.
We met on OkCupid. Chated a little bit and it was actually quite funny and boy, dating apps these days its just not easy to talk with anyone without being WTF longer than 5 minutes. We texted about 1 week and then we decided to meet. It was on september and covid measures loosened because of the low numbers. Anyways I was so excited because duh, 10 fu.king months. I dressed up really well. Puted my first date make up on, shiny but natural with dark lips puts the attention yout mouth and all you do is talking on first dates and that gives the dude really good courage to having the idea kissing you. We had like 1.5 hour distance so we met in the somewhere middle.
I waited 15 mins but it was okay I was smoking and the calm myself a little bit. Than he showed up with basketball shorts and basic shirt. Useally style is not the most important thing for me but dude it is first date and first impression is important. Also that gives you an idea that you are giving a fu*k.
We had some coffee. Chat was okay and we set like 2 hours so decided to strech our legs after he finishes his caffee. He went to westroom (which It was 3 floors down and right near the cash register and we apperantly cant have check to our table because of the place was so big and they working as sections) after he came back while he finishes his caffee and I went to westroom. Meanwhile hading to the upstairs I asked for the check and it wasn't payed. So I did. I really dont like the talk about money specially on first dates. People insists for paying or wanna split the check just for few bocks and I dont find this plaasent. We left the place and he attended to cash register I said It taken care off. He was like I should ve pay. No big deal i make money and you had the chance to be a gentleman. Anyways we walked and keep talking about life and usual stuff. At one point he kissed me. It was short and for a second so I did not feel anything. Than we split ourways.
After that few hours later he texted and wanted to set another date for next weekend. I said yes. He suggested wine and movie and I didnt discuse. Everybody knows that is a polite way to offer sex. I called him to my place because I want to things under my control and my place have secuority so that would be more comfortable to me.
So he called me from the taxi and asked if he should have any alcohol with him, I said whatever he wishes. Now, in my culture people bring things for the host as a thank you to having them over but host did not tell them to do that. Dude if you wanna bring something bring it if you don't I can not tell you, it is just manner.
He came with empty hands and it is okay, since I am very detail oriented person and most of the people not I usually let this kinds of things go. But did I mentioned he was wearing basketball shorts again?
I planned a menu and he insisted before that day we should cook together. I made the dessert and waited for him for the rest. So we getting hungry and decide to start making dinner. It was a Chinese recipe and we talked about before that we both like different cuisines. He also mentioned he knows how to cook and turns out he didn't. He doesn't understand anything about cooking. Also when we first met he mentioned that he knows Spanish and I get excited because my major on university was related with European languages and that kinds of things turns on for me. I myself also know a little Spanish and we start talk about languages and that he confess he didn't know Spanish he just study ten hours total maybe. I don't understand why people lie about themselves especially these kinds of things. It was odd but I figure it was maybe a honest mistake and let it go. Dinner was ready we start eating and he really like the recipe. He wanted more and I am flattered. Than he ate 3 more plates!? He got up and make himself home. After a while I guess he noticed my looks and said it is so good, I am not even hungry I am just eating for pleasure. I was like ok.
So he finished with the meal finally and when we were talking about super usual stuff suddenly he reached and kissed me when I am talking. Literally i was talking to his mouth to the last second and I had a dirty plate scrubbing my hand. There was no "moment" and no tension for that. And again didn't feel anything. And guys I was really horney. Kiss was not good and realised that guy has no skill to do these kinds of things. After 4-5 hours all we had a awkward slappy kissing and we didn't talk about this earlier but he decided to stay over. It was getting late and there was no light for our chemistry so I decided to go get some alcohol. We went out and was walking to liquor store and suddenly he was like I wanna check this place (supermarket) maybe they have the wine I want you go there and I will come. I said okay, than he ask me if he can get me anything. Whatever dude I am on my way to get my own drink. Wtf, he was really running from me because probably he thought I will make him pay for my drink. It was so weird that he said he can find a drink on supermarket that he couldn't find on liquor store? He came 2 minutes later and some drunk guy was hitting on me. He was like "what's up?" (Not to me, to the dude) smiling. I did not reach to not make a seen but c'mon dude, I am giving so much effort to have sex with you but you constantly repelling me. Please.
We start drinking. He had his wine but he said he doesn't wanna drink wine right now so dive into my bag. It was okay, all I care was getting drunk and having the crazy hormones to leading me to kissing him and like that situation. But good luck girl, there was not enough alcohol on the world.
At some point it was getting late and I decide I cannot stand his fake intellectual conversation. I was actually correcting him regularly the issues that he rubbed off about knowing it. He went to the westroom I gave myself a pep talk and said girl I know you could do better than this guy but he is all you have so suck it up and fuk him. Because god knows you need a dik inside of you before going crazy.
I started kissing him. This is the juicy part guys, if you still reading this. It was no turn on but still a good way to start. We went to my bedroom. I got on top. Usually I like being dominated but this guy was just kissing me and rubbing my back so I took the lead. Than he was like he came for a massage. He was lying on the bed kissing me and at some point his hands were on bed and he wasn't even moving!? Constantly he was saylng this is so good. He likes my tits and all but he wasn't touching them? Not licking them, no anything. He was like a statue at that point and I decide to go for it. Nevermind I was like strew the foreplay and just pray for the big price. I zip him off it was dark and first I thought I couldn't find "it". I mean all of it. But of course it was a few centimeters fuking penis. What else it could be? Universe doesn't want me to be pleased. Anyway at that point I just wanted to have a dik inside of me and try my best ask for him doggy and he couldn't. HE LITERALLY COULDN'T FIND THE HOLE. It was pretty obvious that he was not had that much experiences. But. Dude. Come onnnnnn. After he couldn't find the way he gone soft and told me to get on top of him again. You lazy fu*k. I was there but again couldn't feel anything. Than he asked me if I am there yet. Seriously, not even close and he thought I came. I was actually forcing myself not to yawn. Than he decided to change the condom. I was like why? He told me because it is wet!? Isn't it suppose to be? Nevermind I wasnt care anymore. So he change the condom and try to go immedeatly inside, I was like no dude wait, at least it has to be wet a little, you know about friction right? I go down for just a soak a little and I had that weirdest taste. Than my mouth felt a little strange. I couldn't understand what was happening at that moment and than hitted me HE WAS USING CONDOM WITH DELAYING EFFECT AND WHEN I PUT IT MY MOUTH IT NUMBED ME. Oh boy, that was the drop one before last. So I asked for the doggy again I needed all the penetration I can get to get there. Didn't want to go to waste all the effort. Than he couldn't do it again. I was like why? Than he said maybe because you are tall. WTF? I am 1.80 and I slept with shorter guys and they didn't seemed any problem with my height to put it in. And he was 1.90 so there is not related about my height. And I got pissed. Dude you can not be bad at bed and throw shit on the other person's height. He gone soft again and said he lost his concentration I was like okay I am too. I couldn't stand it anymore I went to living room and have a cigarette. He stayed a little bit and I am pretty sure he waited me to come back than he shows up and said "it never happened to me before" having sex? Yeah I can tell. Anyways he wanted to go because it will be awkward between us and didn't say against it.
He was gone and it was the best part of that day. It the was bottom. I cursed covid and slept on it. After that night he texted me once but he deleted before I saw so I asked what happened he said nothing. We didn't talk again.

Although Ten Towns probably isn't the most well-read location in Faerun, I still wanted to add a bookstore to my setting. There's so much you can do with books and the written word, and I wanted to beef up Termalaine so it had at least one unique location that wasn't a kobold-infested mine. So, I added this shop to give the town a bit more of a homey vibe. Feel free to move it wherever you see fit.
Please note that although the shop and most of these books are my own invention, there are a few that have crept in from other sources. Nos. 2, 3, and 12 on the Nonfiction list are adapted from this d100 list, and No. 11 comes from a Dragon Magazine article. Also, some of my understanding of the lore may be imperfect (I enjoy rejecting the Forgotten Realms' reality and substituting my own), so use at your own risk. Also, this is a DM's resource, so some of the book descriptions do contain some minor spoilers.
Bandits & Basilisks Bookstore Exterior: As you make your way through Termalaine’s snowpacked streets, you spot a building of stately black wood, with plenty of candlelight illuminating each of its low and frosted windows, competing with the ice encrusted on each sash. Above the front door flanked by lanterns hangs a snow-flecked sign that creaks in the wind reading “Bandits & Basilisks Bookstore.”
Interior: You’re greeted with a faint and largely pleasant musty scent from the collection of books within, from the colorful shelves of mystery, adventure, and romance novels nearest the entrance to the more sedate spines of works relating to culture, history, and the arcane occupying the rear wall. A well-built man with greenish skin and small tusks twangs upon a lute he holds behind the counter, frowning as he adjusts its strings before ultimately putting the instrument down and turning to welcome you to the establishment. “Hello and welcome! The name’s Chevy – short for Chevalier. Let me know if you need any help.”
The Owner: Chefferwith “Chevy” Hundelfrinck runs this bookstore, and is clearly lying about the Chevalier bit. Whoever in your party has the highest passive Insight can call his bluff – he’s a bad liar, and confesses his name when asked (“Wouldn’t you lie about it too?”). He treats his customers with a rustic dignity and is otherwise honest to a fault. Few who know him have ever seen him run out of patience, but those who have whisper that there’s more to him than meets the eye. Chevy is a NG commoner who is also an amateur bard, and he describes himself as a quarter-orc (“My father was a human, my mother a half-orc. that makes me a quarter-orc!”). He grew up far to the south, but was inspired earlier in life by tales of the savage north, and on his first visit to Ten Towns was disappointed in the state of reading (and indeed, of literacy) in the Dale. He decided to follow his muse and move here just a few years ago, shortly before the Rime, and curses his bad timing without regretting his decision.
The Store: B&B carries all type of fiction and nonfiction works, as well as some other odds and ends, including writing supplies, game sets, musical instruments, and even a few low-end spell scrolls. Chevy will gladly restring or repair instruments for a few coin. Books are priced at 25 gold for nonfiction and 15 gold for fiction. Many of the nonfiction books carry small perks to characters who purchase and read them, while fiction books do not, containing only the barest and most vague seeds of Icewind Dale plot points, if anything - but are, I hope, amusing.
d20 Nonfiction - Each is 25gp and weighs 5 lbs. 1. An Adventurer’s Guide to Regret, by Astrix Wolstone. These memoirs make for a sobering read. They are the tale of an adventurer who succesfully coaxed a dragon out of its lair to sneak in and plunder its treasure, only to return to her village and find it destroyed by the dragon, and her family slaughtered as they tried to flee. It’s meant to be a cautionary tale to those who might let the quest for power and glory get in the way of protecting what’s most important. Imprint: 1490, no city listed, likely self-published. Note: Author is the dead tiefling atop Kelvin’s Cairn in the Mountain Climb quest. This is also my way of suggesting a certain course of action to my party in Chapter 4... hint, hint. 2. Cantrips for Dummies, by Preston Dijtayshen. This little book with a garish yellow cover contains 46 cantrips inside as well as ways to properly cast and creatively use them. Anyone who spends a short rest reading it gains one non-damage-dealing cantrip of their choice that they can cast once in the next 24 hours. 3. Goblin Grub, by Spellix Romwod. A nearly illegible guide to goblin cuisine, detailing its vast yet uneventful history, as well as how to make said cuisine with improvements to original recipes that make them nearly edible. Note: Only available after Karkolohk, if the author is rescued. 4. An Ode to the Knucklehead, by Karou Salafan. A cookbook filled with recipes for knucklehead trout, as well as a love letter to the hideous yet versatile fish. While beloved among professional chefs all along the Sword Coast, this book is a contentious subject among locals, as several recipes call for spices and vegetables that can’t be found in the Dale. Imprint: 1489, Bryn Shander. Note: Author is the cook at Caer Dineval. 5. Keeled Over: How to Build Ships while Three Sails to the Wind, by Hilda Belrun. These memoirs of a Targos shipbuilder are only partially related to shipbuilding – the rest of the book reads like an extended advertisement for Flamebeard’s Firebrandy. Imprint: Targos, 1489. The reader gains the ability to temporarily push past their drunkenness. While Poisoned due to alcohol, you can take twice as long to perform one action that requires a skill check, which as a result does not suffer disadvantage from the Poisoned condition. You must sober up for 24 full hours before attempting this again. 6. Tusk Polishing for the Modern Half-Orc, by Grark the Dapper. As you pick up this book, Chevy notices what you’re holding and calls out – “That one’s a good read! I can recommend it myself!” and rubs self-consciously at his tiny, immaculately groomed tusks. It doesn’t seem to offer any useful advice for the tuskless masses, but half-orc readers gain proficiency in Persuasion. 7. Children of the South: The Settlement of Icewind Dale, by Vellis Carmerian. This dense but scholarly work outlines the history of Ten Towns in its first two centuries, and remains even 40 years later the foremost scholarly work on the region, beloved by both academics and Ten Towns locals – at least, the ones with a high enough Intelligence score to slog through it. Imprint: Waterdeep, 1452. When a reader of this book makes a Ten Towns History check concerning events before 1450 DR, they may add their proficiency modifier to the check. If the reader is already proficient in History, they now have expertise on such a check. 8. The Wailing Glacier: Nomadic Tribes of Icewind Dale, by Sven Helfordsson. This book details the long history of oppression both suffered and perpetrated by the Reghed tribes of Icewind Dale, whose relationship with the settled peoples of Ten Towns was much more antagonistic in centuries past. You read quite a bit about the history of the four tribes of Reghed nomads – the tribes of the Bear, Wolf, Elk, and Tiger, the last of which the author describes as the most vicious and violent of the four. Imprint: 1484, Bryn Shander. Reader can add their proficiency bonus to History checks concerning the Reghed tribes. If the reader is already proficient in History, they now have expertise on such a check. 9. Sticking Things In Boiling Water: A Guide to Tea, by Smerdok the Goblin. This tome was penned by an erudite but nevertheless confused goblin who suggests, alongside classic favorites like green tea and sweet tea, multiple teas that are hazardous and perhaps even fatal. Any reader with proficiency in the Poisoner’s Kit learns a new recipe involving tea. 10. Aurora Cartography: Charting the Order of the Heavens. This book, anonymously attributed, alleges patterns in the night sky invisible to most. It’s become a cult classic in many northern regions, in both senses of the word. Ask the reader for a DC15 Intelligence saving throw; anyone who fails gains the following flaw as indefinite madness: “Whenever I’m outside, I stare up at the sky, wondering what it all means.” Regardless of success or failure, the reader can no longer become lost under open skies, except by magical means. 11. The Icedawn Syllabus, by Demetrius Whiteheart. This meandering work on the Frostmaiden is full of extremely large words. Imprint: Neverwinter, 1489. Ask for a DC10 Religion check – a way of asking for an Int check but allowing proficiency to ease the check. On a failure: It has a lot to do with Auril. She’s one of the three deities known as the Furies, but a lot of the other parts go over your head. On a success: The flowery language employed here strongly indicates that this author is someone who worships Auril and isn’t ashamed of it, but is trying to maintain some semblance of academic decorum for the sake of this work. He talks about Auril being one of the three deities known as the Furies, and her gaining followers by incorporating new domains in the wake of the world-altering Spellplague of a century ago. It relates the core of her creed: "Warmth and companionship are weakness... self-reliance is your only ally." 12. Great Escapes, by Redwald Bannister. Banned in jails and prisons as a security risk, this book is full of tales of daring and often successful prison escapes, some of them from high security prisons that were seemingly totally escape-proof. It is thought that a few copies have been smuggled into prisons and are providing secret entertainment for prisoners. The reader who finds themselves in a similar situation will have proficiency in all checks made in the process of getting them and their compatriots out – no matter how harebrained their scheme. 13. The Hellbent Highborn, by Reginald Harrow III. This notorious book is an exposé of several prominent noble families of the Sword Coast, alleging devil worship runs rampant within them. Several nobles had to resign posts in different city governments, and rumor has it the author had to flee for his life following publication. Imprint: Luskan, 1490. The reader will be able to better recognize a certain cult of Levistus, if they haven’t dealt with it yet. Note: Only use if you don’t have a PC with this secret! 14. Blizzard Beekeeping: A Practical Guide, by Kendrick Rielsbarrow. This slim volume is a meandering treatise about maintaining a beehive in subzero cold. Despite its promise of practicality, its main advice seems to be that you steal a beehive blessed by a frost druid like the founder of Good Mead's mead hall apparently did in 1386 DR. It offers no advice on how to pull off such a feat, however. 15. Ice Road Trackers, by Atenas Swift. Clearly a self-published work, with very little text and an extreme quantity of illustrations, this book nevertheless communicates effectively how to track creatures across the tundra, even if strong winds have obscured their tracks to the average observer. The reader gains advantage on Survival checks made to track creatures across snow and ice. 16. Where the Sun Don’t Shine. A ranting polemic against the Everlasting Rime, written in shaky handwriting and lacking a professional binding or any sort of imprint. In fact, this seems to simply be an angry note stuffed onto the bookshelf along with the proper books for sale. It contains no useful information but is, as the kids say these days, a Big Mood. Chevy doesn’t charge for this one, as he doesn’t recall stocking it in the first place. 17. Tales from the Black Cabin. This is a local anthology that contains a strange blend of B-grade horror stories from cut-rate authors mixed in with retellings of classic Ten Towns legends like the White Lady of Easthaven, the ghost of a rich woman sunk by her own treasure in Lac Dinneshere, and The Fog of Souls, a mist containing the spirits of the damned that floats through towns, stealing the life force of those who venture forth into it. The anthology itself is named after the Black Cabin, a legendary structure in the tundra that predates Ten Towns and is allegedly the site of hauntings and strange occurrences. Imprint: Bryn Shander, 1481. 18. The Bandits & Basilisks Player’s Handbook. This useful compendium of tabletop games, written by the bookseller himself, details exactly which dice to roll and when to roll them, as well as complex systems to determine whose dice are more important and when. The reader gains proficiency with dice. The reader also must make a DC10 Wisdom saving throw, gaining the following flaw as indefinite madness on a failure: “I must purchase a new set of dice whenever I see them for sale.” 19. Caring for Caers: Ancient Castles and You, by Jensin Brent. This exhaustive work details how to properly maintain aging stone structures, as well as helpful tips on positioning archers along ramparts, orc-proofing basements, and dealing with drafty dungeons. Imprint: Caer Dineval, 1362 DR. 20. Ballads of the Lakes, by Rinaldo. Details over a dozen traditional songs of the Dale, including their origins in folklore and how they have changed over time, and of course their lyrics and how to play them. Your bard is now slightly less annoying to the locals and slightly more annoying to the party.
d10 Fiction - Each is 15gp and weighs 3 lbs. 1. Caleb Cleveland and the Case of the Ownerless Footprints, by Mackey Griffelrond. Kid detective and lovable rascal Caleb Cleveland is on the case of mysterious footprints left outside a ritzy hotel as precious items go missing! Will our hero solve the mystery in time, or will the forces of evil complete their sinister plan? Note: Yes, this series & author is an Adventure Zone reference. 2. Caleb Cleveland and the Sign of the Black Amulet, by Mackey Griffelrond. Everyone’s favorite detective is back on the case, and pursuing the origins of a shadowy group covering up their dastardly schemes with the trappings of an evil curse! Will Caleb fall victim to their schemes or bring the group to justice? 3. Caleb Cleveland and the Secret of the Pirate Treasure, by Mackey Griffelrond. The world’s greatest fourth-grade detective takes to the high seas in this nautical adventure full of swashbuckling thrills and spooky chills! When a ghostly ship haunts a distant shore, not all may be quite as it seems. Will our pintsize protagonist sink or swim in this maritime mystery? 4. The Age of Electrum, by Lucius Marrow. This novel is the first in what would become a popular series following the adventures of rogue archeologist and violator of scientific protocols Kate Innisfarne, who defeats enemies throughout the Lurkwood near Mirabar in search of forgotten treasures from the earliest civilizations of Faerun. Named for the greenish-silver coins favored by the original elven empires. 5. The Age of Electrum: Fall of Netheril, by Lucius Marrow. The continuation of the original Age of Electrum series, extending rogue archeologist Kate Innisfarne’s flagrant disregard for proper notation and chain of custody in her discoveries. Also, she kills a bunch of snakes and zombies in a tomb filled with hidden poison arrow traps, so that’s pretty dope. Details in the process the largely factual history of the ancient empire of Netheril, known for their floating cities and magical prowess among mortals. 6. The Age of Electrum: Dawn's Mythallar, by Lucius Marrow. This novel, the most recent money grab in the increasingly unnecessary Age of Electrum series, outlines the latest exploits of Kate Innisfarne as she steals an ancient Netherese orb of immense magical power in order to defeat her bitter rival with the ancient forces contained within. Not like that should have been the property of all people throughout the world as part of our shared cultural heritage, or anything. Nope. Just... go fight some guy in a cloak with it because he killed your sister. Whatever, Kate. 7. Icewind Nights: The Lonely Wood. What’s a lumberjack to do after a long day hewing his wood? Find out in this first installment of the series nobody asked for... Icewind Nights! 8. Icewind Nights: Knucklehead Love. On long winter nights, sometimes there arise within all of us some unconventional desires! Or maybe it’s just us, who knows. We won’t judge. 9. Icewind Nights: Torrid in Targos. The romantic harbor of the storied city of Targos makes the perfect backdrop for unspeakable acts we can’t describe on a dust jacket! 10. Icewind Nights: Auril Fixation. The latest installment in this shameless series pushes the boundaries of both blasphemy and good taste, and is sure to generate enough warmth to heat up even the coldest nights!
Well that got a little silly at the end, but as you can tell from my TAZ reference, I do enjoy some nice goofs from time to time. Hopefully this helps inspire someone out there. Happy reading to you and your party!

I first played the original two routes of Tailor Tales in September of 2019, playing Dimitri first and Neil second. I returned to the game when Caine’s route fully released in March of 2020 before dropping the game without completing any of the alternate endings to the routes. I remember feeling extremely frustrated and put off by certain elements of Caine’s route, despite having relatively positive reactions to the game when I binge-played the first two routes. After getting some distance for about 10 months, I decided I wanted to tackle the game again, completing all the content available in the free version this time, to see what caused this disconnect and figure out where my opinions on the game stood in the aftermath.
The first several segments of this post will focus on general thoughts about the game and its various elements. Despite marking this post for spoilers, I will not be getting into any detailed or specific spoilers until much later on. I will clearly mark where I will be switching over to discussing detailed spoilers, so you should be able to bail at that point if you want to read some more general thoughts on the game without being spoiled on story elements. If you’re only really interested in my final thoughts about the game as a whole now, you can skip to the Conclusions header to read that since I know the length of this post is a bit of a doozy.
Mechanics
Despite being a PC release, Tailor Tales actually seems to take a fair few of its mechanical design cues from mobile otome games (particularly daily ticketed types) including relatively shorter chaptered storytelling (not as short as most ticketed mobage chapters), resource grinding/management, periodic missions as gates to continuing the story, and lack of bad endings to name a few elements. The stories are broken up into 27 chapters and an epilogue each. The first 24 chapters play out one story but you influence your ending as you go by making choices meant to influence the MC’s (default name Joselina) actions and personality to a certain extent. You choose between “Kind” and “Fierce” options at each selection and accumulate points for each. When you reach Chapter 25, much of the chapter is similar but small parts of it will be different depending on if you’ve accumulated more “Kind” points – leading to the Innocent ending – or more “Fierce” points – leading to the Passionate ending. After this, chapters 26 and 27 are unique for each ending. Finally, you’ll get to the epilogue which plays out similarly regardless of ending but with details changed that match up to whichever ending you played (at least in the free version – longer epilogues including 18+ material that I can’t comment on are available in the Plus version of the game). One thing to note with the choice mechanic – choices often come up fairly suddenly in the text. If I was reading quickly enough, I would find myself accidentally selecting choices without meaning to and I would end up loading my manual save to skip through the chapter again (hold down left-click or the W key for this, by the way) and properly consider my options.
While playing, I noticed a bit of a pattern in how the endings split on each route. Generally speaking, the Innocent endings will have more of a focus on interpersonal/emotional resolution for the characters in the route. Usually this will involve resolving any lingering interpersonal conflicts between Joselina and her LI, along with solidifying their feelings for each other in both actions and confessions if they haven’t been as concretely stated as needed yet. In addition, some routes may resolve some other interpersonal conflicts between Joselina, her LI, and important side characters as needed. On the other hand, Passionate endings tend to have more of a focus on resolving external conflict with main route antagonists. There’s likely to be a more action-oriented scene involved in a good portion of this ending. Emotional resolution will still happen, but it’ll generally take a back seat in these endings. With this in mind, I was 3 for 3 on vastly preferring the Innocent endings on these runs. I’m sure each ending type will appeal to various types of people, as they are quite different in the end; this is only my personal preference.
Finally, there’s the clothing design mini-game. I enjoyed this part quite a bit, with a few caveats. It’s easy to turn on some music and get lost in mindlessly designing clothes to grind gold for an hour or two at a time. I even designed one basic but unique outfit for each version of Joselina I made to play each route with. The mini-game won’t appeal to everyone’s tastes – it’s certainly repetitive and simple, but I enjoyed grinding it out. The gold you earn in the mini-game pays for story chapters, customization options for Joselina’s sprite in the lobby, customization options for the boutique, and elements needed for designing more styles of clothing both for fun and for special important client missions throughout the routes. All of this is negated if you opt into paying for the Plus version of the game. For your first route, grinding gold isn’t too tedious in my opinion. However, prices for chapters will scale up quickly as you move into subsequent routes. Your commissions on client orders increase as you complete more orders as well, but the price hike is still pretty steep after the first route. In addition to the price hikes involved, the mini-game will become more and more complex as time passes if you aren’t doing all your grinding as early as possible. The more patterns, colors, and style elements you purchase at the stores, the more options the random client generator will have to pick from when creating clients for you to fulfill. The mini-game is by far at its easiest and quickest to grind through when you have just started a new file.
In my set of runs this time, I employed some tactics to get around doing too much work grinding gold and to let myself read through the stories straight through instead of stopping to grind every handful of chapters. For every route, if it’s the first route you’re completing on a particular file, it can be finished with just around 100,000 gold (really a bit less, but this is the amount I grinded up each time). This includes the prices for unlocking every chapter (including returning to chapter 25 after reaching your first ending to read through the last few chapters again on the other ending – if this doesn’t interest you then you could probably get away with grinding at least 10-15k less than I did) and the prices for unlocking all the options you need for the important client designs in the route. At the start of each route, I grinded up 100,000 gold from clients before ever unlocking any options for clothing designs from the store and before starting to read. It usually took 1-2 hours depending on how focused I could get on the task. I would make extra gold for the customization options I wanted for both Joselina and the boutique, then I would get started reading and only have to stop to design for the important clients along the way. After fully completing a route, I would restart a completely new game from the main menu so that I could just complete the same cycle again instead of having to do more work than absolutely necessary on the mini-game. This playstyle won’t appeal to everyone because starting a new file will erase all your previous progress, including your CG gallery. I simply wanted to present the option that worked for me, in case anyone else may be interested in it.
Writing Style
On the whole, Tailor Tales’ writing can be marked by its simplicity and its reliance on tropes, at least for the currently released routes. The writing is simple on most levels you can imagine – sentence structure is mostly quite short, sometimes to the point of feeling a bit choppy. Characters are fairly simple when broken down, often relying heavily on particular archetypes rather than being built up into more rounded, complex characters. Character motivations are relatively simple in many cases, with little to dig into when it comes to analysis. If it’s not directly stated in the text, then it’s unlikely that the narrative is considering it until otherwise stated. It can be better to not try to think things through too deeply along the way or you may just be a bit thrown off by the simpler conclusions that eventually arise. Often, characters feel like they develop and change very little over the course of the routes (Joselina especially so). Instead, they’re pushed along in cycles by largely external circumstances through most of the story until they reach their endings, in spite of some routes having excellent potential for turning points or growth nearly executed.
Along with the character archetypes present, the routes themselves often employ a myriad range of common tropes, especially from romantic comedy fiction. This does suit the types of stories the currently released routes are telling, but they can be a bit heavy-handed at points and might be too plentiful for some readers’ tastes. When the tropes were written in ways that I enjoy, I had a good time with them. When they were written in ways that didn’t focus on parts of the tropes I usually like (and even seemed to go for the antithesis of what usually makes the tropes entertaining for me personally), I found them more frustrating to read through. This is a point that will really hit a different mark for each reader, considering your personal preference and tolerance toward trope-heavy writing and your opinions toward the tropes included.
The writing style also leans much more toward a standard printed novel or short story style than a typical visual novel style. In Tailor Tales, many dialogue boxes you go through will potentially contain narration, dialogue, and inner monologue all at the same time or in any combination of the three. In some cases, this leads to the VN style not getting used to its fullest potential – details are repeated visually and in the text or are relegated only to the text where they may have had a more memorable impact incorporated visually. Ultimately though, this is a small point and generally a neutral one for me. If you’re used to the stricter narration, inner monologue, and dialogue split that many VNs use then this style may take a little adjusting to. However, it’s still easy to read and not a distraction after a quick adjustment period if you need.
Visual Style
I enjoy the visuals in Tailor Tales. Character designs are quite nice and unique with my favorite LI design for those released so far being Caine’s (overall it may be James’s by just a bit). Every named side character gets a sprite design as well. Though there aren’t too many of these per route and some of them play parts in multiple routes, it’s still always a nice touch to see side characters given unique designs. The CG art is especially pretty in my opinion, and the quality of that art has been increasing as further routes have been released. Most important characters, namely the LIs and Joselina though sometimes a couple of other characters as well, sport more than one outfit either in their sprite, in CGs, or in both over the course of a route.
One of the nicest parts about Tailor Tales is its customization options for designing your version(s) of Joselina/MC to play as. There are a set of basic skin, hair, and eye color options you can choose from when customizing her. Though the skin tone options are limited (4 in total), they cover a wider range of shades than you’ll see for many MCs. Hair and eye color options range from natural to more fantastic which is fun as well. These default options will affect Joselina’s appearance in CGs, and you can choose to change them at any time by going to the CG colors option in the main menu. There are further customization options available to you both in skin/haieye colors (within the wardrobe section) and hairstyles/eye shapes (within the stores, available for gold purchase). However, do note that these other customization options will not affect Joselina’s look in the CGs – she will always have her default hairstyle in whatever color you pick, along with the skin tone and eye color you chose from the initial customization menu (or the CG colors menu if you change it later). Unfortunately this means you can’t make your Joselina look fully like she might in the lobby, but considering the amount of work that level of customization would take to incorporate, I can’t knock it at all for this.
There is one nitpick I have about the art style that only turned up in Caine’s route so far. I generally like that though darker, hard line art is used internally to characters’ designs (such as in the crease of an elbow or on muscle definition), the external lines of characters’ designs are instead soft, colored to match their various body parts or clothing. However, this causes a problem if sprites with similar skin tones are layered over each other, with more skin showing than most of the outfits involved usually show. There’s only one instance of this I noticed (on the beach, when all characters were in swimsuits), but it made distinguishing the characters’ sprites in those scenes a bit difficult especially at a glance.
Finally, there are a few visual design decisions to note that I personally didn’t enjoy. Both sprites and CGs included some animation; I enjoyed the blinking animations on both and didn’t mind the lip flaps employed at times when characters spoke (though I admittedly couldn’t pinpoint very well when this would show up and when it wouldn’t). However, the choice to include “breathing” sprites leans a bit uncanny valley for me. It’s easy to not notice while focusing on reading but once you do, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to un-notice it for quite a bit. The breathing effect is also created by shifting the entire sprite below the neck up and down, so hiding the text box to check on it can be a bit unintentionally hilarious. The only other design choice that personally rubbed me the wrong way was the decision to include a close up “tongue out” sprite during certain segments of make out scenes. I liked the close ups and slightly open-mouthed sprites were no problem for me, but the tongue was always uncomfortable when it came up.
Sound Design
For the most part, the sound design in this game is alright. I wouldn’t say anything in particular stood out to me positively. The accompanying music tracks are generally pleasant, but not too impactful overall. I don’t think I could remember any track in particular off the top of my head, but I was never annoyed or taken out of the game by the music. The partial voice acting, on the other hand, took me out of the game at times. I enjoy partial VA a lot of the time, in spite of some repetitiveness that can spring up; voice acting is an expensive element to add to a game so I personally appreciate any work that goes into this most times. However, Tailor Tales employs a sound-based partial VA style rather than using limited words/phrases like many other partial VA games do. This doesn’t bother me in theory, but it does happen to get a bit grating for my personal tastes when executed here. With these factors in mind, I played the first few chapters of each route with sound on and muted to play along to my own music the rest of the time. In my first runs months back, I played with sound on the entire time so I didn’t feel that I was missing out on any unknown experiences.
UI
I didn’t have particular problems with the user interface. I like to explore menus and options immediately after I launch a game for the first time, so that I’ll be able to find anything I might be looking for later down the line quickly. If you don’t usually do this, I might suggest doing so for this game. Some options and elements are hidden in slightly unintuitive places, especially behind the one menu in the lobby of the game. However, taking the time to explore all your options early on should help clear up your confusion for the most part. Once you know where things are, it’s generally fairly simple to follow and interact with.
Trigger Warnings and Heavy Topics
Here is where I probably have to be at my most objectively critical of the game, rather than simply leaning into my personal opinions. Tailor Tales has a big problem with tactfully and sensitively handling heavy and potentially triggering topics. I’ll start with brief positive notes before delving into the issues I had with this point.
Tailor Tales provides an optional trigger warning list that players can choose to access at the start of each route. This is a great inclusion in theory, but the execution unfortunately falls short in my opinion. The screen for these warnings includes one section listing brief warnings for the route, another section detailing some of the guy’s sexual inclinations, and a final hidden section that lists more detailed triggers that include some out of context spoilers for the route. If you have any topic you know might be potentially triggering for you, I implore you to please read the spoiler section even if you think your trigger may not come up. The brief lists for every route currently released leave off what are, in my opinion, unique enough and major enough triggers that they are woefully insufficient as proper warnings. I would be potentially concerned for anyone who may be affected that did not at least read the detailed warnings section before continuing, if not also consult someone they trust who’s read through the routes themselves and remembers them well enough to prepare them for it.
Paired with the issue of the brief list missing triggers from the detailed list that I think should be on both (perhaps modified slightly to be less spoilery if needed), there are several topics that don’t get warned for at all on either list. The writing treats them so casually and seems so content to unthinkingly integrate them that I believe they aren’t even particularly seen as issues by the creator, which is a problem in and of itself. The topics I personally noticed come up included casual homophobic and mspec-phobic microagressions, ageism, slut shaming, fat shaming, sexual harassment of men, and sex worker shaming.
Beyond the unwarned for topics, even the topics with warnings are often not treated with enough care in my opinion. Between the simple writing and some callous decisions in crafting Joselina’s and other characters’ perspectives on the events, many heavier scenes leave a bad taste in my mouth. In particular, some routes deal with the topics of miscarriage, stalking, and alcoholism fairly poorly for my tastes. To end this segment on a final positive note, I will say that I felt the game handled topics of cyber bullying and intimate partner abuse in relatively tactful, respectful manners, if still a bit simplified. Particularly compared to how other topics got handled, these two felt like a bit of a breath of fresh air for me.
From this point on, I will get into some route specific spoilers. They will not be marked since the post is already spoiler-marked itself. If you don’t want to read these, then feel free to stop here or to skip to the Conclusions header at the end of the post if you still want to read my final thoughts and recommendations for approaching this title.
Route Impressions – Neil Forrester
Joselina in Neil’s route is a bit unbalanced, in a sense. Her default personality and actions lean pretty far in the Fierce direction over the Kind direction. I likely wouldn’t have noticed if I’d been picking more of the Fierce options along the way. However, since I did a mostly Kind run and only dipped into Fierce options relating to some comfortable instances of physical intimacy along the way, it was very noticeable to me. Oftentimes I would choose to react in a calmer, more understanding way through a Kind choice, only for Joselina to suddenly swing back closer to where I thought the Fierce option would take me immediately after. It was more than a bit jarring in multiple instances.
Neil himself is awfully frustrating through a majority of his route. If I had only his words to go off of, I would not believe that he and Joselina actually developed feelings for each other until the last third of the route, and at that point I’d be confused how it happened. He sticks his foot in his mouth constantly, in some of the worst manners possible, and lets his pride lead his actions so much that he never makes up for any of it in the moment. My feelings on this were only exacerbated by Joselina’s own reactions to and thoughts of him throughout the route. If she’d begun to find his words more playful as time went on, then I may have felt differently than I ultimately did. But even to the bitter end, when to me Neil’s words finally were successfully coming across as playful in most cases, Joselina continues to interpret the worst from the words he says and even refuses to accept the kindness and consideration he now shows her. I don’t feel convinced by her feelings for him because even at the end of the story, she still spends a fair amount of internal monologue questioning his intentions. It’s especially bad in the Passionate ending when he actually does say hurtful things while stressed still, making her feelings come across more warranted than in the Innocent ending.
To give a concrete example of why Joselina’s internal monologue so negatively affects my feelings toward their relationship, I want to take a look at the measuring scene – where Neil comes to the tailor shop so Joselina can get his measurements to make something for him. At this junction, Neil and Joselina have not had a single interaction as adults I can remember that I would consider particularly positive. She is fed up constantly with him in her internal monologue and shows few if any signs of affection toward him. Neil has shown some physical indications of finding her attractive and possibly liking her, but he has not expressed them and Joselina has not at all picked up on them.
With that in mind, we suddenly get the potential for a forced stripping scene. This trope would normally be played for sexual tension, but in the case of their relationship at this point in the route, the idea of it just becomes uncomfortable for me. I skipped out on making him strip, but the scene still managed to delve into uncomfortable levels of apparent sexual harassment toward Neil in a professional setting. While taking his measurements, Joselina notices he seems to flinch away or tense from her touches. This reads as attraction pretty easily to me, but Joselina interprets it as his superiority and disgust at her. Instead of backing off at realizing he seems uncomfortable, she decides a better idea is to continue touching him even more to make him as uncomfortable as she can. It feels vindictive and disrespectful of Neil’s feelings and agency. Much later down the line, Neil reveals that he was already attracted to Joselina then and that’s why he was reacting in those ways. However, Joselina’s mindset in the moment leading up to her actions is what makes the moment so distasteful to me, which means even this obvious explanation could not save the scene in retrospect for me.
Ultimately, what usually draws me to this type of relationship dynamic in any media is the potential for witty banter and the budding romantic/sexual tension. Neil’s physical reactions to Joselina which are often cutely flustered and nervous, if separated from his words, do a decent job at showing his buildup of romantic feelings over the course of the route. However, rather than playful banter, Neil and Joselina often instead engage in childish and hurtful verbal sparring matches. The route itself addresses this fairly early on with the ball scene, but the potential for a decently setup turning point and solid relationship development is squandered to instead throw Neil and Joselina into a repetitive cycle of hurting each other in spite of apparently starting to care more for each other, then avoiding each other, then being forced back together by some plot element or another. By the last third of the route when their relationship is finally allowed to progress, I felt exhausted.
On the plus side, I started to take in each chapter as it came rather than trying to make it fit with my ideas from earlier in the route around this point. Taking their relationship as it comes in the last 8 chapters or so is actually a decent enough time. Neil’s casual insults are finally able to be read as playful teasing (even though Joselina still takes them seriously which sours it), and the two are able to have a few emotionally meaningful conversations. The Innocent ending pulled a nice bookending moment where their main story ended in the same place as it began, and my cliché loving heart was very happy for it.
Route Impressions – Dimitri Kotov
Joselina does not suffer from the same inconsistency in Dimitri’s route as she did in Neil’s. Her default personality seems to fit decently with both the Kind and Fierce options presented in this route, perhaps since the Fierce options here tend to lean a lot less harsh in general. I find Joselina much easier to relate to and sympathize with in this route. Her thoughts and reactions to things in many cases, if perhaps a bit dramatized at points, hit closer to home for me.
Dimitri himself is a sweetheart through and through. He’s extremely helpful and kind, and he’s been looking out for Joselina for quite a long time. They have a fairly sweet buildup to their relationship, if a bit meandering at some points. I loved that there was more focus on Joselina’s career passions in this route. In turn, there was actually a fair focus on Dimitri’s career passions as well. Seeing them support each other and recall things from their shared past together was generally a quite nice time. Some moments were recalled a bit often to not feel repetitive, but it still didn’t take me out too much. I also loved one subtler element that was integrated here – the more trust that Joselina and Dimitri build while living together, the more often Dimitri wears casual clothes around their home. The writing does mention this a couple times, but it was few enough that it still felt like a satisfying visual cue to pick up on.
Height/size difference pairings are some of my favorites, but I found the way it was often presented in this route’s writing to get too repetitive. There are a lot of ways to show and describe the differences between two people, but simply describing Dimitri as “tall” over and over became a bit much for me. When other descriptors would slip in I was happy though; I particularly remember a point where Joselina was thinking about the differences between the sizes and appearances of their hands, I believe, which was a nice change up.
Though I had generally positive impressions of Dimitri’s route, there were still a few low or uncomfortable points that I want to mention. Sarah and Dimitri’s continual bickering is fun in a few scenes but gets a bit old; it feels too mean-spirited on both ends for too little satisfying positive payoff in the end.
There are some odd undertones of casual mspec-phobic and homophobic microagressions present in this route that go completely unacknowledged. Sarah, who is meant to be a very close friend of Joselina’s, has to go out of her way to indicate her mspec sexuality in conversation when Joselina mentions her finding a prince or something along those lines. On its own, this line isn’t too bad. However, later Joselina does some odd mental gymnastics to conclude that Dimitri might be gay because he admits to not being into his coworker Kim. She takes it upon herself to insist on her support to him, despite no indication that she’s actually coming to the right conclusion. It’s pretty uncomfortable and is used to set up a “false alarm confession” trope. I think the same end result could’ve been achieved by her instead continuing to needle Dimitri about Kim or trying to weasel out other potential love prospects without creating the same uncomfortable undertones. Combined these two scenes leave a bad taste in my mouth personally.
Finally, the route kind of suddenly brings in the stalking angle. There’s some indication that Joselina’s ex Alex engaged in obsessive behaviors and potentially lighter scale stalking and harassment of Joselina after they broke up when she found out he was cheating. However, this is largely brushed aside in one ending in order to put all the focus on one-dimensional jealous obsessive recent ex-girlfriend of Alex, Chelsey, for the stalking angle. In the other ending, more attention is shown to Alex’s behavior but it’s a trade off because Alex feels like a much less nuanced character in that ending compared to the first. Chelsey being so negative and one-dimensional here while being one of the only characters of color in the routes released so far is a bit uncomfortable for me as well. Ultimately I prefer the Innocent ending for its touching resolutions in Joselina, Dimitri, and Alex’s relationships and the fairly meaningful conversations it showcased. The Passionate ending features some slut shaming that immediately soured me on its content, and I just find the more antagonistic angle less satisfying than the shaky but relatively earnest attempts at reconciliation in the Innocent ending.
Route Impressions – Caine Prins
Joselina still frustrated me upon going over Caine’s route another time. She and the narrative in general come off particularly preachy on this route. She’s also excessively mean-spirited in a way that reads as quite classist early on in the route. However, once she’s allowed to move beyond taking these early route issues so seriously, I quite like her in general here. Her relationship development with Caine is the best the game currently has to offer for my personal tastes. She again doesn’t suffer from the inconsistency issues that I had on Neil’s route.
For this round, I’ll get the negative points out of the way first. I wish the thieving angle had been cut from this route entirely. There are some good moments with it down the line in the route when it can be teased over and joked about, but mostly I find it leads to several of the more uncomfortable parts of the story. The middle class Joselina constantly threatening the lower class Caine with expulsion or suspension from school, job loss, and police/authority contact feels particularly scummy and classist at its roots. Joselina initially being upset over catching Caine stealing is understandable. Casually threatening or just otherwise deriding him internally and externally consistently for the first half of the route over two small instances of petty theft is over-the-top and feels particularly mean-spirited. Even when Joselina later comes around to mutually joking about the thief angle with Caine and finds some brief comeuppance in her own accidental thieving adventure, it doesn’t feel like she’s learned anything from the experience or particularly changed. The route never delves into why Caine steals, so there’s no real satisfying resolution for this particular plot point.
The single biggest discomforting moment on this route was by far its handling of Chelsey’s miscarriage. If miscarriage is a trigger or otherwise uncomfortable for you, watch out on this route from the end of Chapter 12, through the start of Chapter 14. The scene begins but is not yet revealed to be a miscarriage at the end of Chapter 12. The actual aftermath of the miscarriage is explored in detail in Chapter 13. It’s a rough read as can be expected, but in this chapter the characters and narrative at least treat the situation seriously. Early Chapter 14 is when this plot point takes a seriously sickening nosedive because Sarah jokes callously and relatively horrifically over the incident and Joselina basically just laughs along. It’s uncomfortable and disrespectful on so many levels, and I wouldn’t blame anyone for not wanting to read past this infuriating and distressing point. Warnings for the miscarriage scene only come in the detailed trigger warnings, despite this being a major and unique trigger in my opinion. Other than the handling of this scene, I did appreciate that Chelsey got to be a more nuanced character in this route despite starting from a particularly rough and antagonistic place.
I’ll briefly rattle off the other smaller negative moments in Caine’s route. There are a lot of oddly forced gendered discussions in this route, such as Caine’s “feminine” jewelry, Kevin’s discomfort at commenting on a dress because he’s a guy, etc. There’s a particularly egregious instance of sex worker shaming/disdain presented casually when Joselina decides to take digs at Chelsey early on. When Caine just hasn’t been showing his “tsun” side enough early on there’s a tendency to jump to him being casually ageist and misogynist to fulfill that archetype checkbox. His “tsun” and “dere” sides are a lot better balanced and nicer to see the further he and Joselina develop their relationship, but those early instances feel particularly heavy-handed. There are more moments of awkward sexuality assumptions like there were in Dimitri’s route. Consent is only treated as important when it comes to the non-consensual kiss Caine impulsively forces on Joselina, not when it comes to Joselina barging into Caine’s business or when she manipulates Caine into situations he couldn’t knowingly consent to being part of and orchestrates things between Kevin and Sarah early on.
Despite some major and some minor complaints as detailed above, I really appreciated Caine as a character and the relationship development between Joselina and Caine in this route. Caine is more complex as a character than any of the others presented in the previous routes so far. I found his personality endearing, his insecurities relatable, and his personal development lovely to see. Having his physical design as my favorite is an extra plus as well. His relationship with Joselina requires work from them both, but they’re very sweet and romantic with each other alongside their fun and playful banter after a point.
Caine’s endings split off largely based on how Joselina responds to the reveal that Caine is the one that unknowingly cyber bullied her. In the Passionate ending, she falls more into her anger and chooses to avoid resolving things with Caine for some time. Much like other Passionate endings, there’s a climactic action-packed scene dealing with route antagonist Thomas, then some more minor character-focused resolution with Caine and Joselina. The Innocent ending, on the other hand, has Joselina react with more sadness and hurt but come to the realization that she needs to tentatively start working things out with Caine for her own emotional benefit. The emotional conversation and beginning of resolution to their conflict is quite nice here. Then, Caine chooses to step in as a model for Joselina in a crisis (rather than being asked to in a more minor scene in the Passionate ending), and it’s a lovely new relationship-defining moment for the two of them.
Conclusions
In the end, Tailor Tales has a lot of interesting things going for it. However, it has such awful sticking points for me on a personal level, that I feel uncomfortable recommending it to other people I know without throwing in caveats and offering warnings beforehand. It’s ultimately a free game, but the time commitment and potential emotional labor (in a negative capacity) is a pretty steep price to pay in my opinion. There are decent highs in some places, but they’re terribly overshadowed by the extreme lows in the game’s worst moments. The ways in which these topics affect the reader will be different for everyone as well. For some, my negatives may be positives or at least neutrals, which could lead to a very different perspective after playing. In the end, only you can decide if this game is worth it and how you feel about it after you play, if you decide to do so.
While all of the ideas presented here are ultimately my own opinions, I encourage you to take at least some of the heavier ideas into mind when considering wading into this game. I know plenty of people enjoy it quite well, and early on I did as well. Despite my reservations after this replay and upon examining the trigger warnings lists for James’s route, I’m intrigued enough by the tonal differences in the first chapter preview of the route that I’ll likely be checking it out at some point down the line when it’s released on the free version of the game. In the end, I simply want to offer this hopefully balanced perspective, to help anyone who may need the extra information before diving into the experience themselves.

Assuming you maintain good personal hygiene, cologne is a massive waste of time and money.
First off, people spend like $100+ for name-brand colognes and I honestly don't know why. There are good colognes in the $20-40 range (Armaf, Perri Ellis Red 360, Versache Eros, Nautica Voyage) and even if there wasn't, I wouldn't spend like $150 for cologne. Even if I was a billionaire, I would have some serious ethical problems paying that much for what's essentially scented rubbing alcohol. I gotta admit whoever invented cologne was a true genius.
With that out of the way, let's say you get some $40 cologne which is honestly the max I'll ever pay for this crap. Putting it on is the first battle. You either end up putting too little on and nobody notices it, or put too much on and people don't wanna be near you. I've tried like 10 brand of cologne and they all have this issue. Also do you spray it on your skin or clothes? Does anyone really know?
And even if you manage that, it's not even worth it.
You think you put on cologne, go outside and get a couple compliments throughout your day. That would be true in an ideal world, but it's just not the case.
When I leave my house and go to work/shopping, I don't run into anyone who has cologne I end up noticing. Surely out of the hundreds of people I'd notice somebody, but I don't. These YouTubers who talk about cologne act like you can spend $40, walk outside and get sucked off by mother nature. Truth is, nobody notices when you put on cologne cause they're too far away to smell it and don't really care. And even IF they did, what benefit is it to you that justified the price tag? Are you gonna make long-term decent friends from the cologne you wear? It's just a massive waste of time and money.
The only time I can see putting on cologne so that somebody would notice it is if you're going to a job interview or a date. Two corrupt situations built on bullshit, lies and surface presentation anyway. You'd get so much more attention losing weight, keeping good hygiene and getting some decent clothes, if you even care about that. Cologne is just one big scam to me.

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I guess I got a wiki now, and I have no idea what I'm going to do with it at the moment. I'll keep it updated with the new chapters for now and maybe figure out how to add character info or some other relevant information when I have the time to.
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The shopping had gone smoothly enough, David now had everything he needed to get off the ground. Sky had brought up a good point though, neither of them had any spare clothes, or personal hygiene items for that matter. David was actually kind of curious as to what an Aoulooron needed for hygiene, he wondered if Sky had even received everything he needed previously, and if not, how it may have effected him. It was all guessing and conjecture at this point though, he would just have to trust that Sky knew what he needed for himself.
They found a store that sold clothes for a variety of species and decided it was a good a place as any to start. Inside was luckily organized fairly well as the clothes were sorted by species so it was easy enough to find something that he could possibly wear. He noticed Sky was still following him despite there being nothing in this section that he could possibly wear.
"Sky, you can go find some clothes of your own, you don't have to follow me everywhere." Sky looked nervously around the store then back at him a few times. "It's alright, if you have a problem you can just yell for me. I'll meet you by the front once I'm done finding my own clothes." Sky looked around once more before he nodded and hesitantly left in search of his own clothes.
David watched Sky walk off and began to ponder his relationship to him. It seemed Sky had attached himself to David, possibly as a traumatic coping mechanism, or because David was the first friendly face he had seen in years, maybe even both. David didn't mind being a support structure for Sky, he just hoped that he would be able to slowly work him out of his shell and not create a codependency.
Turning back to his task at hand he browsed the clothing racks for anything he liked. He picked out several shirts, some just plain colors, others with some interesting patterns and designs on them. There was nice jacket that caught his eye as well, it looked comfortable and functional, like it would survive long trips, which was perfect for his needs. He grabbed the jacket, a few pairs of pants, socks, underwear, and some new boots.
Loaded up with everything he needed, he proceeded to the front. The Quallexen manning the front counter was mildly surprised by the pile of clothes deposited in front of them. After the initial shock had subsided they got back to doing their job and rang him up for everything. Everything bagged and payed for, David went to the entrance and looked around, Sky wasn't there yet so he must still be trying to find his clothes.
David waited for a few more minutes before he saw Sky approach the front counter. He was carrying 4 different vests, one was black, two were white, and the last was a navy blue. It seemed like a small amount of clothing, but then David thought on it for a moment. Sky probably didn't sweat or otherwise produce as many waste products as David's body did, he could probably keep his clothes clean for much longer because of that.
Sky was obviously nervous as he approached the counter, the teller rang up the clothes while Sky fiddled with his credit chip. They totaled it up and asked for payment and Sky inserted his chip and scanned his hand. The machine accepted the transaction and they bagged everything up for him. Sky started walking away with his bag of clothes, looking at them with a happy smile plain on his face.
David couldn't help but feel happy himself as Sky walked towards him. "So how does your first purchase feel?"
Sky looked up at him still smiling. "It feels nice. I've never had anything so comfortable to wear before."
David gave a little chuckle. "Well that's just the start, lets get everything else you may need, and then some things you don't." Sky seemed absolutely giddy at the prospect of acquiring more stuff, you probably couldn't get more excitement out of a kid at Christmas.
They moved on to a store that had care products. David got all the usual items, toothbrush, deodorant, hairbrush, razor, etc. he was more curious about what Sky would grab. Looking over he noticed Sky was holding some kind of gel with a soft polishing pad, he looked at some of the soaps and seemed to consider them for a second before selecting one of the shelf. David was actually a little jealous at how little maintenance Sky seemed to require.
Necessities now in tow, they went to get something to eat. Sky took to sampling every piece of fruit he laid his eyes upon, and while David joined him in his quest, he also grabbed a sandwich from a stand they passed. Now fed they continued browsing the shops, David let Sky dictate the direction they went as he cut a swath through the crowd to get there.
Sky bought a few things here and there, he apparently liked puzzle toys as he got a couple of those. David chuckled a bit to himself as he noticed the Rubik's cube in his collection of items. The universally loved puzzle, sounded like a good advertising slogan. They burned through hours of time with their shopping and before he knew it, it was almost time to meet up with Solomon.
Sky was laden with objects and David helped relieve some of the burden as they went to find a lift. They located one with a couple of people riding it already, David keyed in the 23^rd floor as their destination. He noticed Sky had positioned himself so David was between him and the other lift inhabitants. Sky's nervousness around other people is another thing he would have to try and cure him of.
The lift stopped a few times to let people on and off but eventually they came to their stop in the diner district. The artificial lighting matched the time of day on this floor and the walk ways were all lit with the soft glow of the lights from a multitude of eating establishments and bars. It was almost serene in a way as they walked down the dimly lit halls observing all the restaurants with different themes that reflected the culture of food they were providing.
A few minutes of travel later they found Zarg's bar 'n grill, which was an attempt to replicate the human equivalent but with an obvious alien understanding of human influence on the décor. It created an interesting dynamic as the different cultures contrasted each other. Décor aside the drinks were good and the prices reasonable making it a decent choice for the random traveler.
Inside was familiar yet alien at the same time as the tables and bar were bathed in the soft glow of lights strung overhead and neon signage. David's initial scan of the establishment revealed Solomon sitting at the bar talking with the Sala'Garim bartender. Akin to a Draconic centaur, though closer to the size of a pony at a bit over five feet, the bartender was offhandedly talking and working at the same time. David approached Solomon from behind, once in range, he dropped his bags and clapped him on the back. "Hitting on the bartender already? For shame, just how much have you had without me?"
Despite having no face David could feel the look he was being given. "For your information, I have not had anything yet as I was waiting for you. Tarseth has been a pleasant conversation partner while I've been here."
David feigned shock and a gasp. "It's worse than I thought," He turned to the bartender, "I apologize if my pal here was boring you to death with his dry demeanor, he requires lubrication immediately!" The bartender chuckled and Solomon just released a clicking sigh as David took a seat followed by Sky.
No sooner than when he was seated, he submitted his order for a drink. "I'll have an old fashioned."
Solomon sounded off next. "I'll take a blue nova please."
David looked to Sky who was sitting there quite lost as to what he should do. "If you don't know what to get Sky we could ask Tarseth here for a recommendation." Sky looked between David and the bartender and just nodded.
Tarseth looked over Sky for a second. "Well, a popular drink among Aoulooron would be a hard apple cider."
Makes sense. "And so it shall be, I'll pay for the first drink in case you don't take to it well. That sound good to you Sky?" Sky simply nodded once more and Tarseth went about filling the order. Experience evident in the movements as the order was completed in but a few minutes and then distributed to the recipients.
David took a whiff of the drink then sipped a bit from it. Damn I needed this. The drink was it's own little slice of heaven, even if there was probably a better versions out there, the relief that came with it was worth something in it of itself. Solomon had dropped a manipulator into his drink and began slowly siphoning it into his body with a slight shudder of delight as it hit his system. Sky had received a bottle of cider and was currently contemplating it before he decided to try a taste, pouring some into his mouth. A moment to process later and his face lit up, apparently he found it agreeable as he tried to knock the whole bottle back.
David shot a hand out to slow him. "Whoa Sky, you're supposed to savor the flavor, plus that's a good way to end up drunk even if it's not much alcohol by itself." Sky looked slightly embarrassed by his lack of self control. David laughed a bit and gave him a pat on the back. "It's alright, just take a moment to savor each sip you take, you'll enjoy it much more that way." Sky took David's advice and slowed down significantly while he poured more into his mouth.
David turned back to Solomon. "So have any luck finding a place to set up shop again?"
"Actually, yes. I was in contact with several different stations before I came upon one that had an opening. They reviewed my files and think I may be suitable for the position."
"Hey! Congrats! So where you shipping off to?"
"Orion station, one of their doctors retired recently, thus the opening."
"Cheers to new opportunities then." They both took a draw from their respective drinks. Solomon looked down at the bags they had carried in.
"Seems you two were busy as well."
"Oh this was just the stuff that we could carry, the rest of it is going to be loaded into the ship tomorrow."
"I can scarcely imagine just how much you managed to get. I hope your new ship is large enough to hold it all."
"Oh it is, especially when its all atomized into the fabricator I had put onboard."
"Impressive, must be an expensive ship. What about you Sky, you get anything interesting?"
Sky looked up from his drink that was almost empty. "Umm... I got new clothes, they are very comfortable, oh and I got some puzzles as well." He fished out one of his puzzles from a bag, it looked like a tangled knot of metal loops. "I guess these are all supposed to come apart somehow." David smiled as he watched him fiddle with the toy for a second before dropping it back in the bag.
Solomon bobbed his head a few times. "Sounds like you found something you enjoy, I'm happy for you." Sky smiled and took another drink of his cider. Everyone enjoyed their drinks for a minute, Sky actually ran out first, followed by David then Solomon. Everyone got a second round and Sky looked particularly elated upon receiving another bottle. David couldn't help but wonder if Sky was an extreme lightweight, he figured he might be just from his size alone.
New drinks in hand David decided to go for a toast. "Cheers to freedom, and the death of a tyrant!"
Solomon sounded off, "Hear, hear." and siphoned a sizable bit of his drink into him. Sky looked at them while they took a drink and followed suit after he picked up on the synchronized action. Solomon raised his drink next, "And cheers to the man who gave us our freedom."
David blushed a bit at the praise. "I just did what anyone would."
"Not anyone, you and I both know it would have been far easier for you to escape by yourself and yet you went out of your way to take us with you. All I can say to that is thank you."
David rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, you're welcome, but If I did leave you all there, I think I may have hated myself for the rest of my life."
"That's your human side talking, and that's what makes you special. Any other species would have been more concerned with their own wellbeing to even consider helping others, and yet you risked life and limb for our benefit. Words cannot express my sense of gratitude towards you, and I'm sure all the others feel it as well, even if they don't realize it yet. When they make it back to their homes and their families they will understand just how much they should be thanking you. Now shut up and drink, this toast has gone on long enough."
David chuckled and raised his glass before taking a swig, Sky managed to synchronize himself this time around as well. They continued to drink and talk, David tried his best to get Sky in on the conversation wherever he could but it was slow progress until Sky finished his second drink. His demeanor progressively changed into a more relaxed and slightly louder form as the effects of the alcohol took hold.
Solomon wasn't fairing much better than Sky as his movements became a little more sluggish and inaccurate. At this rate these two are gonna be hammered before I can work up a good buzz. David switched tactics and on the next round ordered a couple of shots for himself along with the refill, The combination helped him progress to a good buzz.
The night continued and everyone was having a good time. Sky was particularly funny to watch and he swung around on his seat like he was being blown be a fierce wind from multiple directions. They all crowded around him at one point as he pulled out a puzzle and the three of them put their drunken brains together to try and figure out how to work it. Went about as well as one might expect from that situation but was good fun none the less.
The bartender had to cut Sky off at one point as there were safety concerns with the amount of alcohol he was having, in this case, four bottles of hard cider. David's theory on Sky being a lightweight by design was validated. Solomon had cut himself off after a fourth drink as well as he was having a hard time grabbing things and performing general mobility functions.
Being the last man standing with a light head and numb body, but still possessing his higher mobility functions, automatically relegated the position of navigator to David. Everyone paid and David led the stumbling train out of the station. David was carrying a lot of the bags they had bought, Sky managed to hold on to one but it's weight practically dragged him around in his drunken state, giggling all the while. Poor guys gonna have a headache and a half tomorrow. Better have an aspirin ready.
David managed to lead the group to a hotel, tactfully positioned near all the bars, where they could rent a room for the night. The main counter was manned by a Folsarn, Female by the looks of it, the lithe form and fur color were pretty good indicators. David thought she gave him an odd look when he first entered but he couldn't focus enough to actually say for certain.
"Hi, do you have rooms available for one night?"
The Folsarn looked down at it's computer for a minute. "Yes we have two rooms available right now."
"Great, I'll take them both." With some level of difficulty he managed to remove his credit chip from his pocket and pay for the room. She handed over two room keys and thanked him for choosing to stay with them for the night.
Ok, 127 and 143. The two behind him managed to follow him into the building but bumped into a few walls here and there. David found 127 and started to escort the drunken pair inside. Solomon wandered over to a bed and flopped on top of it, tentacles splayed all over the place. Sky hopped up onto another bed and looked around for a second like he was trying to find something but instead just fell over, prone and asleep. David went over and turned him onto his side, just in case, and dropped all his bags by a corner of the room.
Turning off the room light as he exited, he made his way down the hall to his room. Inside he set his own bags down and kicked off his shoes before stripping. Crawling into the clean bed was a fantastic feeling and he sighed in satisfaction as he drifted off to sleep.
He was aware, but not in control, like his body was being piloted by someone else and he was just along for the ride. He was being sprayed by something but barely felt it hit his skin. The pilot looked down and he saw his body speckled in red. His heart rate started to rise as panic creeped in, then the pilot looked back up and he saw an indistinct form of a large creature bleeding from its neck. His body moved as he jabbed an equally indistinct object into the form of the creature causing it to bleed further. It didn't react, just sprayed blood all over him from the wounds that were continuously being opened in it's body. I don't like this.
Each thrust caused more blood to cover him, he felt the flesh tear with each strike, The soft bits squished inwards before it gave way and allowed the crimson to flow. I don't like this feeling. His hands felt slick with blood and he wanted so desperately to stop stabbing as the droplets began to cover his vision. Please stop. He didn't stop, more of his vision was taken from him by the red, the feeling of perforated flesh was making him sick. Please stop. He wouldn't stop, there was hardly any resistance in the flesh anymore, just a wet sound as he sunk the weapon into it's body. Please stop! He couldn't stop, the blood was gushing forth, his vision was nearly gone, there was no end to it, it just kept bleeding. PLEASE STOP!
David shot up in his bed, shaking uncontrollably. He couldn't get enough breath, his head felt like it was filled with air. He forced slow deep breaths out of himself and slowly stopped shaking. His head was swimming and he rubbed his face a little bit, feeling only numb sensations. He noticed the clock on the nightstand, early morning, he laid back down on the bed. God damnit.
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As usual let me know what you think down below and of anything I could do to improve my writing.

Hello.
20 November 2020. The night when my first full blown psychosis almost got me killed.
I was a chronic cannabis smoker.
About a week before the incident I had dabbed on crack and heroin. After that use I felt completely normal at first; but in the following days I started developing delusions.
I stopped smoking cannabis cold turkey and went with zero sleep for around 5 days, thinking the end of times was near, that I needed to be clean and sober. I read online that sleep deprivation increases dopamine so I was interested in how that would feel (I totally regret it).
I was viewing conspiracy theories about the coronavirus, specifically one "journalist" was saying that the lockdown is in place so "they" can abduct children. He also had interviewed a delusional woman who believed she was half vampire and half lycan among other delusions.
I started thinking that half the population are vampires, that Biden is Dracula, that what Trump meant when he said "dead people voted" he actually meant vampires who are documented as dead voted. And that Biden represented vampires but it could not be publicly announced, and that's why Trump's legal cases were dismissed, because all those vampires had a right to vote.
I had bought my first bitcoin and thought it is the mark of the beast, that's when it felt like my trip begun. I saw that everyone in my reality including youtube was a robot and I was living in a lower level reality; as if by purchasing that little amount of bitcoin put me on a lower digital dimension and I was trapped there among robots or fake duplicates of the real people. I saw peoples eyes and they looked like cameras. I was watching a documentary on TV and thought everything was about me. It was a documentary about lions and nature, and they all looked fake, like robots to me including the people.
At night I could not sleep. I felt the 5G signals frying my brain. I made a tinfoil hat and wore it to keep my brain from exploding. I saw the clouds in the sky and thought they were nuclear warfare, that the 3d world war had begun.
I started reading the bible but it was changed, as if it was changing as I was reading it. I spent an entire night reading the bible, thinking it was speaking directly to me, I started performing rituals including tearing to pieces a wall decoration with the Om hindu symbol because the bible told me so
" 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
I thought the great sheet was the wall decor. After tearing it to pieces I tried to eat some of it. But I couldn't.
14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 1 "
Then I spit it out and I saw it different visually, like a bunch of bugs tied together. I put it in a jar with rubbing alcohol set it on fire and threw out of the window. The sound of the jar cracking alarmed my sister, at around 3am.
I then perceived time as though it had stopped. I was in a psychedelic trip. I kept on reading the bible thinking that I had crossed over to the twilight zone. I had to read the bible in order for time to advance and the second coming to happen.
I felt way too many delusions and Im not sure of the order of days in which they happened.I thought that the coronavirus is me and everyone wants me dead.
About 5 days without sleep On the night of November 20th I saw my sister taking a photo of a Harry Potter book in front of the fireplace and instantly I had the delusion that my parents were drugging me for years, raising me up so they can execute me because I was from a royal bloodline, as a sacrifice for Christmas, felt like the movie "The wicker man" I lived in a pagan society in which people every year sacrificed someone of a certain bloodline. I picked up the HP book and burned it in the fireplace, thinking it would stop them from killing me. My sister started crying as that book was a gift from her ex and my mother told me to leave the house. I instantly felt that now everyone is after me. On the news on TV it said "you can get a haircut at home" I thought that meant that if I didn't leave people would soon come to kill me.
I dressed up and left the house. Everyone I saw on the street was passing by to take a look at me, or try to kill me. I had a price on my head, but nobody had the guts to go through with killing me.
​
I pulled my last 300 bucks from the bank and 30 were left in the account. I thought that I was living the story of Jesus and that someone is going to betray me for those 30 bucks since they have much more value because they were mine, the creator of the world.
I proceeded to have delusions about being in the Truman Show, I started looking inside car lights and traffic lights, something which left me with a permanent vision problem (scotoma in my right eye, hopefully it will go away in time).
I then felt the urge to destroy everything I had on me. Threw my house keys in the sewer, destroyed my ID card and credit card and everything else on me. All I kept was a lighter, thinking it might be useful for me.
After waiting for some time on the highway bridge, I had the delusion that everyone had gone through the same experience, of trying to escape, and they had no choice but to wear the face mask and live under dictatorship in this Hell.
I find myself in a wood factory area as I was trying to cross over to the nearest city which in my mind was a different country since 'everything I knew up until that point of time was a lie' .
Standing on a metal roof I take off my shoes and lay down. I look at the sky. I see a dragon in the clouds, I was hearing sheep going "beeeee" which I don't know if it was real or not. I looked at the stars and thought that each star is a different world like the game Kingdom Hearts, and I basically lived in the lower level of hell. Im waiting for aliens to come down and rescue me but nobody is coming. I take off my shoes and try to jump off the roof about 15ft to the ground which was grass. Thankfully I didn't, and I made my way to the side of the roof and climbed down.
I see a truck of a dairy company with a Triangle logo. I feel that the triangle symbolizes the cult that runs the world. The back door of the truck was slightly open and the darkness of the unknown was calling me. As if it was a door to another world. I go inside the truck. I try to call for help like in the movie 'Vanilla Sky'. Nothing happens. I see boxes filled with small empty bottles. I was thinking those were probably the bottles they used to carry my blood inside, since when I was drugged I had my blood drained and my limbs chopped off but I had regenerative powers like Deadpool. So cocaine was actually my bones and food was all parts of me, eggs and beans were my testicles bananas were my dicks.
I suddenly realize that now I have to live as a refugee in another country so I find some plastic bags inside the truck and I hide under them trying to sleep so I wake up and the truck has me taken someplace else.
But that didn't work. I open another box and I see what appeared to be big plastic lids big enough to cover ones eye. So like in the movie 'They Live' I thought I had to wear the plastic lids over my eyes to see the real world. I put the lids over my eyes and it was blurry so I put the lighter under them. Only for a few seconds though, so I hope I didn't cause damage that way. The plastic was pretty thick.
That didn't work either so I go outside of the truck. I see a path with some grass which I follow. I see that the whole earth is covered by stones. I see that as being in hell. I reach a wall with a small opening which might have been a manhole. I start digging the hole and dig out dirt and possibly shit. Like the movie 'Old boy' I had to dig myself out of that prison even if it took forever. I take off my clothes and put my 300 bucks in my face mask and leave them on the ground. I keep on digging and digging, thinking I need to dig , put myself in the dirt so I die and become a tree or a snake.
After a while I look up. I stop digging. So I climb up thinking the real portal to the other world was above me. I climb up and find myself in a 'prison'. Theres an old van with ruined matchsticks inside and some paperwork. Theres a chair and some wooden planks appearing to resemble my bedroom desk. I find a cargo container filled with wooden planks. I open the door climb on top of the planks and start trying to empty them on the ground. I was fully naked at that time.
This whole time a dog has been barking at me. As I was some kind of part human part lycan or part vampire/lycanthrope I knew I had to eat the dog. I started barking back and yelling "Im going to eat you". The dog wouldn't stop barking.
I stop messing with the wooden planks and then I try to go find the secret portal inside the bushes. At that time I felt as though Im a character in an alien video game. That someone else was controlling my movements and I was part of an adventure game.
I lay down on some dirty grass thinking I should sleep there. But that wasn't it. I had to proceed to someplace else. I look for my clothes and my face mask with the money inside. I look for my shoes. Thankfully I dress up before heading to the highway to begin the rest of my journey....
end of part 1