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People have been complaining about the sound mixing so much so that the issue had an IGN article written on it. Most of the complaints focus on not understanding what Gwen was saying during the beginning, not understanding Spider Punk's accent and that it was generally too loud. If this is the experience of a lot of younger people, then it could affect its reception by the mostly older audience of the Academy.
Apparently it's an issue only in theaters that didn't follow the filmmakers' advice. Did you experience this? I feel like this is a one of those gold or blue dress Yanny/Laurel situations. I watched it in an undisclosed location in Eastern Europe a day before the US wide release, so I doubt my theater got instructions from the filmmakers. There were no issues with the sound. It was incredible (last time I felt so engrossed by the sound work in a non-IMAX theater was with Interstellar), though I really love the old school sound mixing from the 70's with the moody scores and the loud background noises. I am not a native English speaker, and everything the characters said was clear to me (I didn't understand every single word the Jamaican shop owner said, I'm not used to that accent, but I don't think I needed it to to understand the situation).
I genuinely can't tell if people actually heard faulty audio, or they just had a problem with the drums getting louder, while Gwen is getting quieter during the intro (which is clearly an artistic choice). Also, I think it's OK if you don't understand everything Spider Punk is saying. Miles doesn't understand everything he says either, so it's fine for you to not be ahead of the protagonist. He uses a lot of British slang and it's clearly part of the joke. He is a giant caricature, they got every existing anti-establishment stereotype stuffed into him (and used that to their advantage in the story).
I'm reading the thread on this on movies and people keep bringing up Nolan and Tenet, which makes me even more unsure of how serious these complaints are. I liked Tenet, and I facepalm when people are unironically complaining that you can't hear the free port guy while he is talking to Neil and stuff like that. It's a mood piece, just like how this film is very moody and music is a big part of that. If the mixing didn't let you hear what some characters were saying, it's probably not important for you to understand every word of it. Then some people were wishing for subtitles. This is also part of a baffling trend: some very online native speakers not being able to watch anything without subtitles these days.
Is this overblown? Should we take this into consideration when predicting in other categories or for the win in Animated?

I don’t know if any of you have noticed, but the last few years have been wild for airline travel. It seems like not even a week can pass before a new viral video is circulating the internet, showcasing some idiot on a plane or airport screaming, shouting, and even starting fights with other passengers and flight staff for no apparent reason.
I’m sure it’s entertaining when you’re sitting at home and come across these videos while casually scrolling through Reddit or Twitter. You might laugh, or shake your head at the stupidity and not give it a second thought. Unfortunately, this isn’t an option when you’re the one on the job.
I can’t even count the number of times I’ve had to call security to deal with a rowdy or straight-up violent customer in the airport over the last couple of years. Most of the time, the things that set people off are surprisingly minor and avoidable issues.
They want to board now but it wasn’t their turn so they start harassing me and my co-workers. Another passenger looked at them funny so they get into a screaming match. A baby is crying so the grown adult starts whining even louder. The person in front of them took the last chocolate donut with sprinkles from the airport bakery so they start throwing punches.
You would not believe the stuff I’ve seen. Needless to say, I got tired of it. Getting up to go to work, wondering what kind of unhinged maniac was going to make a problem for me lost its appeal. So, I started to look for a new job.
A few weeks into the job search, I began to get doubtful that I would find a suitable replacement. Seeing as my only tangible skills and experience were in the airline industry, I didn’t have much more than other airline jobs within realistic reach. Though I didn’t have a problem with relocation, if it meant I was going to end up in another major airport, I had no interest.
During one 3 am job search after my long shift at the airport, running on nothing but the jittery movements from the room-temperature coffee, I found a new job listing. One Pine Airport, a rural airport in the midwest. I sat up and took another sip of coffee. The pictures for the place gave an idea of the size and it looked tiny. Only a couple of runways, a single terminal, and a cute internal design reflective of the forestry that surrounded it. Perfect for me, I thought. I imagined there would not be nearly as many people to deal with.
I scrolled down to the job details and to my relief, it was for the exact same job I had already been doing. The only difference was that it required frequent night shifts. I had done plenty of night shifts before, but doing a few more of them made no difference to me. Surprisingly listed was the pay. I couldn’t believe my eyes. They were offering more starting than I was being paid at the airport I had been at for over three years.
Now wide awake, I eagerly uploaded my resume, filled out all of the application questions, and even spent the next hour crafting an unnecessary cover letter. I headed to bed with the hope that my days at overflowing airports might be over. The next day as I was getting ready for work, I opened my phone to scroll through notifications and check emails.
To my disbelief, I had one from the job I had applied for only hours earlier. The manager at the airport, who had posted the job, requested an interview over Zoom. I quickly replied and we settled on a time during my lunch break that very day.
The first few hours of work breezed by and as I boarded flight after flight of passengers, I couldn’t help but think about the upcoming interview. When it came time, I was nervous as hell but my fears were diffused within the first minute. A bald, well-kept, and well-dressed man joined the meeting room and greeted me with a warm smile. He introduced himself as James.
I couldn’t have asked for a more friendly interviewer. He welcomed me and after some small talk and a few questions about my relevant experience, he gave an overview of the job's details, that being the same job I already had with better pay but more frequent night shifts. No problem with me. After affirming that I knew all the details of the job, James cracked another wide, friendly smile and asked an unexpected question.
“When can you start?”
I spit the out sip of coffee I had just taken back into the cup. I looked back up at James and tried to find the right words but I was unprepared.
“You uh… aren’t gonna give me a call back like later or something? Don’t you have more interviews and… and paperwork waiting to clear and, and…?”
James waved his hand dismissively at his webcam.
“You’re the only applicant we have, and we couldn’t have asked for a better one. As for the paperwork and such, we’ll figure that out when we figure it out. The job is yours, whenever you can start, that is. Preferably soon?”
Though the feelings of shock and confusion remained, they were pushed to the side by my excitement. Throughout the remainder of our conversation, James and I reviewed our schedules and set up a start date before ending the call. I sat back in my break room chair with a sigh of disbelief and a chuckle.
I am well aware that it is standard to give at least a two-week notice to your employer and moving across states for a job is supposed to take quite a bit of planning but I was dying to get out of my current job. Through both eagerness and maybe a little stupidity, we settled on a day only a little over a week away.
At the end of my shift that day, I let my manager know I had to be done in a week. Though she wasn’t happy, she assured me it wouldn’t be a problem.
My final day was nothing short of horrendous. A couple had come up, demanding and screaming that I refund their tickets for no apparent reason. On top of that, they still wanted to fly. After hearing that no, they would not be able to fly for zero cost, the husband, followed by the wife, both started shouting threats. Security was quickly called to the terminal.
As soon as they arrived, I checked my watch to find that my shift was over. I let out a sigh of relief and excitedly walked away. As deprived of sleep as I was, with a long and undoubtedly stressful drive ahead of me, I was still more energetic and in higher spirits than I had been in a long time.
Surprisingly, the drive went off without a hitch. I arrived earlier than expected and checked into the motel room I rented for the week so I had time to get the move figured out. After dumping a few boxes of personal items and a suitcase of clothes into the room, I turned off the lights. I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow.
I energetically awoke that evening to prepare myself for my first shift. I quickly got dressed and started the drive in hopes of arriving plenty early. Naively, I hadn’t considered how my unfamiliarity with the roads would slow me down, and after a staggering amount of wrong turns, I arrived at the little airport with only minutes to spare.
The airport was even smaller in person than I had imagined it to be from the pictures. I quickly walked through the entrance and was greeted by the small team of security. After notifying them that I was there for work and that James had been waiting for me, they hurried me through without so much as a question. The security, the architecture, the beautiful scenery that surrounded it, nothing about this airport couldn’t have felt more welcoming.
I walked through to find the single terminal inside, devoid of any passengers, with James sitting behind a counter at the end. After a moment he looked up and upon making eye contact with me, his tired face lit up. I was about to apologize for my tardiness but didn’t have the chance as he rushed to show me the employee locker room where he had my new employee uniform and badge waiting inside my very own locker. He told me to get changed and to meet him outside right away.
I did as he asked and within a couple of minutes, I walked out to find him back behind the console at the counter, gathering his belongings. He noticed me approaching and glanced up, thanking me for showing up and starting so soon as he handed me a fresh cup of coffee. He also apologized for not being able to stick around long for my shift but he sounded sure that he wasn’t all that worried.
“I have to be going now, I’ve been on duty for 17 hours. I know you’re plenty familiar with our systems and software, you know what you’re doing.”
He assured me with a pat on the back before walking out from the desk. He turned and added
“It’ll be a quiet night for you anyway. No flights scheduled. Just sit back, relax, and uh... Oh yeah. Most importantly, I nearly forgot”.
He reached into his bag and pulled out a single sheet of laminated paper and held it in front of me.
“Give this a read as soon as you can. Go over it a few times if you need, don’t deviate from it”.
I took it but before I could even get a look, I noticed James begin to walk toward the exit, along with every single one of the security guards and the cashier who had just closed down the only shop in the airport. I then noticed that all of the scanners and metal detectors at the security gate were shut off. I started to panic.
“Hey! James? Where is everyone going?”
I shouted. The first words I had managed to speak to my new boss since arriving. He stopped and turned back again
“Oh yeah. Another thing I ought to have mentioned. Everyone except whoever is working the night shift in, well, your position takes off right around now. Don’t worry, security will be back sometime around 5 am. You’ve got this place to yourself. Grab a magazine from the little store in there if you get bored. Feel free to snag yourself a couple of snacks too”.
He began to walk away again before briefly turning and pointing at me.
“But before you do anything, read that list. You’ll need it”.
I stood, dumbfounded as I watched my new boss along with all of the other airport staff leave. I started to wrap my head around the fact that I had an empty airport to myself for 10 hours, with nothing to do and no one to deal with, all while I was getting paid the highest wage I had ever earned.
As much as thinking about it delighted me, I turned my attention turned toward the sheet of paper I almost forgot I was holding on to. James said to follow whatever list was on it, so I figured I ought to take a look. I walked behind the airport counter and sank into one of the seats behind it. I took a sip of coffee and finally took a serious look.
A total of 6 rules were neatly spaced on the sheet.
Rule 1: All lights in the airport are to stay on at all times. If one is off, or if you are to accidentally turn one off, turn it back on as soon as possible. If a light seems to be broken or is out and unable to turn back on, calmly exit the area. Report the outage to James or maintenance when possible. Do not listen to the sounds. Do not listen to the voices.
Rule 2: Rule 2 pertains to rainy or stormy weather. If it is raining or storming outside, disregard rules 3, 4, and 5. They will not be a concern during these types of weather conditions. Stay inside at all times. Do not use the men’s restroom and avoid going near it entirely if possible.
Rule 3: Sometime between 11 pm and 1 am, a young woman will walk out of the women’s restroom. She will enter the terminal and sit, occasionally getting up to walk around or change seats. Her name is Elizabeth. She will attempt to make conversation but you must not reciprocate. You may look at her, you may give nonverbal communication such as a head nod, you may write as a means of communication, or you may shake her hand but do not speak to her. If you refuse to speak to her, Elizabeth should be gone within a few hours. If you happen to make such a mistake, go to the men’s restroom and wait for her to leave.
Rule 4: At around one or two in the morning, a janitor in blue coveralls will arrive at the front entrance. Crack open the door and ask for his name. If he says his name is Simon, let him in. If he gives you any name other than Simon, shut the door and lock it without another word and walk away. If the janitor is Simon, he will attend to the janitorial needs of the airport. If he asks to clean where you are standing, oblige him. Simon will not interfere with your duties otherwise. He is not hostile or dangerous. You may engage in conversation with Simon. He will leave the same way he came when he feels it is necessary.
Rule 5: At around 3 am, you may notice that a black and red Cessna Skyhawk has landed on one of the airstrips. You will never see it land, and you will never see it take off. It will just appear when you’re not looking. After spotting the plane for the first time, do not look at it again. Avoid looking in its general direction if at all possible. There is a picture of the exact plane displayed inside the terminal, behind the counter.
Rule 6: Later in the night but sometime before dawn, a group of men claiming to be from TSA may arrive at the airport. They will have their own key and let themselves in. Some could be armed. Often, they exhibit panicked behavior. They may search through the airport, sweep room to room, and ask questions. They are permitted to search anywhere in the main airport building that they please, and you may oblige to any questioning but under no circumstances are they permitted to enter the sky bridge. They will not enter without verbal approval and they cannot harm you.
After reading over it a few times, I set the laminated sheet down and leaned back further into my seat before taking a long sip of coffee, wondering what on earth I had just read. I hadn’t taken James to be the imaginative type. Most of all, I hadn’t taken him to be anywhere near the unprofessional type. Though as I thought about it, it was unusual how rushed this all was and how he left in such a hurry, leaving so few details.
I began to wonder if I was being pranked, I considered that maybe this was all some sort of messed up joke or setup. I ruled that out pretty quickly. This was, in fact, a real airport. I had done plenty of research by the time I got here. At least a few real flights were coming in or going out each day. James has been working here for years and I couldn’t think of a reason why he would jeopardize his job or reputation just to get a scare out of me.
After chuckling to myself at the absurdity of my situation, I decided to indulge and see what would happen. Maybe it was a “test” for me as a new employee. Maybe James wanted to see if I could follow orders.
After glancing at the list once more and realizing the impact rule 2 had on the number of things I would have to keep track of, I brought up my phone to check the forecast. Clear skies, not a chance for rain or storms all night. Great, I thought to myself. I had to watch out for these Elizabeth and Simon characters to show up and I suppose “not” be on the lookout for a random plane to appear on the runway.
I stood up and grabbed my coffee, walking to the glass panes. I took another sip from my cup while admiring the lit runways along the airfield. It sure was a pretty nice sight. As I was raising my cup to finish what was left, I began to hear the click of shoes on the floor somewhere behind me.
Startled, I spun around abruptly, dropping my cup and spilling the remainder of the coffee in the process. At the other end of the terminal seating stood a young woman, around her mid-twenties in my estimation. She was holding two large leather suitcases in each hand and had an old-fashioned sense of style with a skirt and heels. Most surprising was her stunning beauty and welcoming smile.
“Oh I’m sorry dear, didn’t mean to scare you”
She expressed with a sincere tone. I opened my mouth, ready to assure her that everything was fine but I stopped myself. I recalled the list. At this point, I was certain that she was here at James’s request, a paid actor determined to make me break the rules. I was more determined not to. Instead, I simply fixed my posture, straightened my uniform, and looked back with a smile.
She walked to the counter where she placed her leather suitcases on the ground before closing the distance between us.
“Looks like we’ve got this fabulous airport all to ourselves. I am Elizabeth”
She said, reaching out her hand. I shook it, but she didn’t seem quite satisfied.
“And your name?”
I continued to smile and lock eye contact. Her grin grew for a moment before she remarked
“You don’t seem to be much of a talkative one”
And with that, she turned and started to walk away. I returned to my seat behind the counter, watching her closely as I did. Elizabeth proceeded to the unattended airport shop and after a couple of minutes of looking over magazine covers and occasionally taking a peek inside, she returned carrying a small stack of reading material. She approached my counter before placing a National Geographic magazine in front of me.
“I figured you might like this one. Enjoy”
She said, winking before settling on a seat in the first row of the terminal, straight across from where I had been sitting.
Remarkably, her intuition was spot on. I may have lived in cities all of my life but I loved nature, despite how little of it I had gotten to see. National Geographic was a favorite of mine, one I had been familiar with and enjoyed on work breaks from time to time. Rarely was I given this long to be able to read. I was almost tempted to break the rule and thank her for her rather thoughtful act, though I didn’t. I stuck to the rule.
The next couple of hours were uneventful. Elizabeth and I read through our magazines, occasionally looking up at each other to exchange glances and smiles. Within that time, she had attempted to get me to talk at least half a dozen more times. I almost gave in when she asked me if I wanted another magazine.
At a little past 1:30, I could hear a knock at the front entrance. Elizabeth and I both looked before she remarked
“Oh, that must be the nice cleaner man”
With a giggle before returning to her magazine. I walked over to the front doors and sure enough, there stood a man around his mid-thirties, sporting a blue janitor suit waiting patiently at the door. I unlocked the door and opened it. As he took a stride to enter, I remembered the most important detail from rule 4. I closed the door halfway and sternly commanded
“Wait”
The man looked up at me with a surprised look. I asked him the question.
“What is your name?”
The man stared back at me as an innocent smile formed on his face.
“I’m Simon!”
He announced excitedly.
“The Janitor here. Did James let you know I was coming tonight?”
I stood there for a moment, thinking over the rule, before nodding my head and opening the door once again to let him in.
Once inside, Simon walked with purpose to the janitor's closet which was positioned near the men’s restroom. I followed him somewhat suspiciously for the next few minutes as he began to clean but I eased up once I got the feeling that he was just the janitor around here and that James made up the whole “ask for his name thing” to make into one of his rules.
I returned to my counter in the terminal and continued to read. Occasionally, Simon would pass by, off to do his duties in some part of the airport or Elizabeth would stand up to look at the various pictures and paintings on display in the terminal. A good half an hour of this would go on before Simon approached the terminal counter with his mop in hand. He seemed to be eyeing up the two leather suitcases Elizabeth had set there.
Assuming he wanted to clean where they were, I got up to move them. I grabbed each one by the handle but failed to lift them off of the ground. Confused, I stepped back to see if they were stuck on something. They were not. Just two suitcases, left right where Elizabeth had set them.
I tried to lift just one. Again, I failed. I tried both hands, putting my back and legs into it with all that I had. It wouldn’t budge.
I looked back up at Simon who nodded his head in Elizabeth’s direction. I turned to look at Elizabeth, who after noticing my stare, and my apparent inability to move her luggage, smiled and stood up.
“Let me get that for you”
She insisted. With ease, she lifted both leather suitcases and moved them closer to her seat before lowering them, this time letting them drop a few inches. When they hit the ground, a boom echoed through the airport and I flinched in surprise. I looked back at Simon, who hadn’t seemed shocked at all. He just continued to mop.
I slowly made my way back to my seat, not taking an eye off Elizabeth for one second as I did. After a few minutes, she looked back up from her magazine, noticed my stare, and returned to her reading with a grin. She seemed to find my shock amusing. Eventually, Simon noticed my surprise as well. He paused his mopping and approached me before raising his head.
“I know, I know. Stick to the rules and everything will be just fine, trust me”
He stated quietly. I nodded my head in response.
Simon went back to his cleaning. A few minutes passed before Elizabeth had something new to say.
“What a remarkable aircraft!”
She exclaimed, looking out the glass panes facing the runways. I followed her gaze to the lone, black, and red airplane positioned on the runway. I turned around, looking at the picture displayed behind me. It certainly looked like a match. I turned back to the window and felt my heart sink. A silhouette of a person now stood next to the plane, facing the airport and the windows of the terminal.
“Stop looking at it”
Simon sternly muttered from behind me. I looked back at Simon who quickly cowered, seemingly ashamed to have raised his voice at me but I was grateful he had. I read over rule 5 again, specifically where it stated to not look at the plane twice. I murmured insults at myself under my breath but they didn’t have much room between my now heavy, frantic breathing. My eyes darted through the other rules. I chose to focus on that sheet of paper. At least it was something other to look at than the plane outside.
This went on for a good ten minutes or so and my breathing started to calm down. I had begun to pray in my head that whoever and whatever that was would go away when Elizabeth suddenly approached my counter. I snapped my head up in a jittery movement to make eye contact with her.
“I’m going to get some more reading material. Want another one of those?”
She asked, reaching a hand out to my National Geographic magazine. I looked up and nodded, forcing a smile. As She moved away, my gaze didn’t, and once again I found myself looking at the plane on the runway, the silhouette now standing hundreds of feet away from the plane, even closer to the building, and still staring in my direction.
Chills ran up my spine as I snapped my gaze back to my desk. I began to shake with fear and the manic breathing returned. Moments later, Elizabeth returned and placed a new magazine on the counter before running a hand over my shoulder, seemingly to comfort me. Simon then put his hand on my back.
“He’ll be gone soon and so will the plane. Just don’t look at it again”
He assured me.
“Mind if I clean here?”
He then asked.
I got up and walked to the end of the counter, watching Simon thoroughly clean the floor before I looked up and let out a soft
“Thank you”
He nodded and smiled back.
“What was that?”
Elizabeth asked. I turned towards her.
“Oh, I was just thanking Simon for-”
My error occurred to me before I could finish speaking. My eyes locked on Elizabeth as she stood up from her seat and her smile faded. Her eyes and nose began to bleed profusely as she started to sob, lightly at first, then hysterically. She let out a bellowing screech, a mix of pain and anger. She picked up one of her suitcases and hurled it at me, I barely dodged the ridiculously heavy object before it crashed into the wall behind me.
Luckily I was quick thinking this time and made a run for the men’s restroom recalling rule 3. She chased after me but I slammed the door shut in her face and locked it. Elizabeth pounded on the door with furious anger a few times but gave up quickly.
“So that’s how you dance, is it love? I can play that game”
She snickered before flipping a light switch outside of the bathroom. The clicking of her shoes faded away. A few minutes of silence passed before laughter started to become audible from the other side of the door.
One voice grew to two, two voices grew to three, three grew to ten. While others continued their now hysterical laughing, some began to scream. I crumbled to the floor, covering my ears as the voices went on, only stopped by another flip of the switch. Light beamed through the bottom of the door.
“It’s over now. She’s gone, and so is the plane. I’ve gotta be getting out of here soon”
Simon’s calm and friendly voice called out. I reluctantly exited the bathroom and followed him back to the counter, where he had prepared another coffee for me.
“Wish I could have done more there but you’ll come to find out that when Elizabeth gets angry, you just gotta let her do her thing”.
I looked up at him, still with my distraught face, at a loss for words. Over the next few minutes, Simon finished cleaning Elizabeth’s blood from the floor before putting everything back into the janitor's closet. He looked down at his watch.
“I better get out of here. Good luck with the rest of your night. I hope I’ll be seeing you soon”.
He said, letting out a sigh as he again looked at me in pity. I think he knew how shaken up I was. It was like he had seen people in my position before. Something told me he doesn’t have a choice on when he leaves. After I watched him exit the door, I returned to my seat behind the counter. I began to feel alone and afraid, but the loneliness wouldn’t last at least.
Only minutes after Simon left, the doors swung open and men in tactical gear, most of which had their faces covered in masks and goggles, rushed through the door. I sprung back up from my seat and watched as they did, with not much else I could do. They swept room to room, checking every nook and cranny at gunpoint, ignoring my existence at first.
As they cleared the entire building, the twenty or so armed men made their way to the terminal seating area. A lone man in a suit, whom I had not noticed enter, made his way to the front of the group.
“I’m with TSA, I’m going to need you to answer some questions for me”
He demanded. I nodded in affirmation.
“How many individuals have you seen in this airport since the security team left the building?”
“Besides myself, 2 Inside, one outside”
I answered confidently.
“Was the individual outside next to a black and red Cessna Skyhawk?”
“Yes”
I again responded confidently. The man in the suit nodded and paused for a moment before making another demand.
“We’re going to need to search the air bridge”.
I glanced back at the sheet of rules on the counter. Making sure I had read it right before. I took a step forward and straightened my uniform.
“No”
I replied. The man in the suit looked irritated.
“If you do not step aside and give us permission to search, I’m afraid I’ll have to detain you”.
Already tired and worn out, I wasn’t going to break the last rule. I decided to give a not-so-smart remark to the man in the suit
“Looking a little well-armed for TSA, wouldn’t you agree?”
He ignored my comment.
“Last chance, step aside”
“No”
Again, irritated by my response, the man in the suit turned to his right and raised his chin to give a signal. Gunshots rang out and I collapsed to the floor. I felt as though my life left my body before it all faded to black.
The next thing I remembered was the feeling of my hand gripping a water bottle. Then came James’s voice.
“I see you made it through the first night intact. Looks like you got to meet Simon. He’s a nice guy, you’ll get to like him. And Elizabeth, she’s…well, she’s something else, isn’t she?”
I opened my eyes and looked up at James.
“Am I dead?”
I asked in a raspy voice. James chuckled in return.
“No! No, you did great. You’re fine. It does, however, look like you might have been a little assertive to our undead TSA special forces wannabes. I would recommend sticking with the less aggressive tone and word choices, maybe I ought to edit that into the rules sheet… In any case, they can’t hurt you but they can still get a jump out of you, as you saw”.
Once again, I was at a loss for words. I slowly made my way back to my feet from the ground and looked at the sunrise over the airfield. James held out an envelope for me. I opened it, revealing a stack of crisp $100 bills.
“A little bonus for your first night. It sure is a lot to go through for the first time but I promise, you get used to it all”.
I turned to James with an angry look and finally spoke up.
“What the hell is wrong with you? What makes you think it’s okay to put someone through this without any warning? I'm done, keep your damn money. I’m gonna go call the cops”.
I started to walk towards the exit when James stepped in front of me.
“Look, I know it isn’t fair for you but it wasn’t fair for me either. It wasn’t fair for any of us. It’s not okay, I know. But what do you expect me to do? Someone needs to be here for the night shift. You wouldn’t believe any of this if I told you ahead of time. You would have thought I was some sort of nutjob and the police will think of you the same if you tell them. I needed you to see it for yourself”
James was starting to get worked up and stoppeto breatheth before continuing.
“This money is yours, no strings attached. You’re free to leave now and never come back, there will be no shame in it”
I also started to calm down but I couldn’t bring myself to look James in the eye yet.
“If you choose to stay, I’ll see you in my office to finish up your paperwork”.
And with that, James walked away. Facing the front of the airport, I watched the first passengers of the day come through the entrance. I just stood there for a few minutes. Whether I was ready for this job or not, I knew right then I sure as hell wasn’t going back to another overcrowded city airport.
I turned and headed for James’s office.

This is gonna be a long one so strap in. This is a throwaway account.
Basically, I reconnected with an old friend of mine after years of no communication. Back in HS and college when we were friends, we were attached at the the hip. We did a lot together, entirely platonic. She was a fantastic friend. Things were great. Unfortunately, after the pandemic, we lost touch h and didn't speak at all for some reason. There was no bad blood on either side, we simply just drifted apart due to unforseen circumstances. Had a phenomenal opportunity to catch up over dinner on things about our own lives and where we've been. Let me state this right now: she has a boyfriend. Things should have been normal from there on. After dinner she invited me to her place because she's recently been into collecting and wanted to show me her stuff. Cool whatever but I noticed there may have been a kind of flirtatious vibe to her? I decided to brush it off and maybe I was overthinking? She simply was getting pretty close to me often and grabbing at my thigh during a laugh or two.
2 days later, she wants to hang out again. This time I decided to invite her over to my place so we can game and whatnot. During this hangout, I get the exact same vibe that I got again. She instantly wanted to hang out again the next day. It was here that I decided to press her on what kind of vibe I was getting. She apologized, she didn't intend to have a flirty vibe and she just got really into it because I never said anything. This is where things took a turn. I should state, back when we were close friends, I had not even considered looking at her in a romantic/sexual light because of my own appearance. Back then I was 100 pounds heavier. Over the last couple years I've really been working on my body image because I really was unhealthy. I'm a lot more comfortable and confident in myself now. That being said, I not going to lie, I have always found her incredibly attractive, but never really thought more than that because I wasn't... But now that I have more confidence in myself I admit that I flirted back. So I told her on how I feel about everything and basically said I wouldn't act on how I feel because it's not right. She said she didn't believe me and that "everyone cracks."
The next 6 hours was filled with her straddling me, getting all up in my face, cuddling with me, all to see if I would give in to the temptations.... And I didn't. She left at like 5 am and we pretended like that night didn't happen. We continue to hang out a couple more times after that like nothing ever happened but she's getting increasingly flirtier and flirtier. Unfortunately, I cracked, one night her and I ended up making out and she spent the night (we did not have sex). Another couple of days pass by and she tells me that she's unhappy with how this happened and how we need to stop this flirting because she's in "the happiest relationship of her life." So we mutually agreed to stop. This lasted a total of 1 week where we ended up making out again, and again. (Still have not had sex). Our hang outs always end up with her literally being all over me cuddled up as if we're dating.
The more recent events have REALLY confused the fuck out of me now. She recently asked me for my favorite color, and she ended up doing her nails in that color. Then once in a random ass discussion I mentioned how I like shorter hair on a girl (not as a preference by any means, I just think it can look nice) and now she's cutting her VERY long hair to be short. We recently went shopping for an errand of her and she noticed how I liked a dress and she decided to try it on and then buy it...
This is where I'm lost. She claims she doesn't want to continue having this skinship with me because of her relationship and yet she continues to be as flirty as she can possibly be, even now acting like we're in a relationship. I don't know what to do or even what to think of this situation anymore.
TLDR: My friend who is in a relationship is overly flirty with me causing me to act on it and then she claims she doesn't want to act despite her making the first move almost every time and is now acting like we're in a relationship when we hang out.

Hi, I’m trying to figure out where I can take to sell two prom dresses. I’m willing to drive a distance, if need be. Thank you in advance!!

Anyone have any suggestions? I’m not trying to go cheap, but I’m also not trying to spend 5k. I’d love recommendations of places you all liked! Thanks! Bay Area in general is fine as I am in San Mateo

I unfortunately don’t have my parents in my life. For many reasons, they’re not in the picture anymore and wedding planning has been extremely triggering for me as I can see how much I’m missing out on, how many moments I’ll never have and how little support I have around me. I went to pick up my dress today and there were lots of parents with their daughters. I was like a knife in the heart. I have a friend coming with me to the alterations next week so I’m not all alone but I don’t have family support. My MIL was supposed to come but she never brought it up again when it was time to book tickets (they live 3 hours away by plane) as her daughter is getting married too now and priorities have shifted. I’m so thankful to have close friends I can count on but I can’t help but craving family support. I was wondering if any of you went through the same while wedding dress shopping and if you have family/mom/MIL with you when you went for alterations etc?

I guess we all knew this peaceful interlude was too good to last. So, here's a little reminder that the Patch notes show three upcoming tapper events:
VIRUS TAPPERS – June 5th – June 10th
SAND WHIRL TAPPERS – June 7th – June 12th
HEFFALUMP BALLOON TAPPERS – June 9th – June 12th
The first two are the kind where we need to send multiple characters to collect tokens to send three other characters to battle the invading object. The third one is a simple tapper.
Here are the characters and activities for the first one.
Virus Tappers
Spawn Time: Up to five (5) Virus Tappers every four (4) hours.
Combat Characters: Felix, Mickey Mouse, Tinker Bell
Token Sources (Virus Chip):
- Fairy Godmother – Offering Advice
- Bo Peep – Check Al’s Toy Barn
- Ralph – Create Videos
- Vanellope – Check Out the Sites
- Yesss – Curating Videos
Token Sources (Virus Tracker):
- Anastasia Tremaine – Shop for Dresses
- Drizella Tremaine – Seek Out Treats
- Daisy Duck – Strut Your Stuff
- Goofy – Play the Tuba
- Calhoun – Heading Home
- Spamley – Collect New Ads
- Shank – Checking Out Buzzztube
- Gord – 1337
More info on rewards and the other two events can be found in the Patch Notes in game or here:
https://www.disney-magic-kingdoms.com/en/patch-notes/patchnote_upd70

I never went to my high school Prom due to personal circumstances. I wasn't ever asked out to prom either, which makes the memory of Prom and my senior year even more of a sore subject. Over the years, I've had friends tell me Prom was severely overrated, and it's not a big deal that I didn't go. Still, I honestly feel like I missed out on an important life event. I really wanted that cliched, fairytale experience of someone proposing me with a cheesy sign, going dress shopping, getting dolled up, taking pictures with my date/friends, dancing etc.
Ok, I know I can't ACTUALLY recreate a play-by-play prom experience. But is there something I can do that comes pretty close to it? Ideally, I would like to go somewhere with my boyfriend, but I just don't know what we could do!
Edit: Inviting friends to a party or out to dance isn't an option for me, unfortunately. My old group of friends and I had irreconcilable differences and I'm no longer friends with them.

I never went to my high school Prom due to personal circumstances. I wasn't ever asked out to prom either, which makes the memory of Prom and my senior year even more of a sore subject. Over the years, I've had friends tell me Prom was overrated, and it's not a big deal that I didn't go. Still, I honestly feel like I missed out on an important life event. I really wanted that cliched, fairytale experience of someone proposing me with a cheesy sign, going dress shopping, getting dolled up, taking pictures with my date/friends, dancing etc.
Ok, I know I can't ACTUALLY recreate a play-by-play prom experience. But is there something I can do that comes pretty close to it? Ideally, I would like to go somewhere with my boyfriend, but I just don't know what we could do!
Edit: Inviting friends to a party or out to dance isn't an option for me, unfortunately. My old group of friends and I had irreconcilable differences and I'm no longer friends with them.

Just dropping it in here for reference because I ordered from Yesstyle and had to return all the dresses I bought as it was just not it. Anyways I’ve been doing some research about their refund policies and mostly everyone I read/heard was convinced that they only offer Yesstyle credits if you wanted a refund. I came on here to say it’s not true, I’ve read their website and it just says that if you’re requesting for a refund, Yesstyle credit is their default refund method. You can contact them if you wish to be refunded on your original payment method. That’s what I did and I got my refund. Stay safe guys, happy shopping!

In my store, we don’t hold anything for customers (there’s a good reason for this). One day, this older woman came in to return a few items and then decided to shop. When she was about to check out, there was a line of 8-10 people ahead of her. I had about 2 employees ringing.
She eventually skips the line and asks to have us hold her items (belts and a hat) and she will come back later. I told her that we don’t do holds.
She looks at me and you can tell she’s trying to come up with an excuse. “Can’t you make an exception ? I have been shopping here for over 30 years…”
I told her that we need to be fair to other customers. She then said, “Well, ring me up now then!!!”
“You’ll have to fall back in line, ma’am.” I told her.
“Well I have to run to a meeting, if you’re not going to hold my items …. You’re losing good business here! You better hold these for me and I will pay for them when I return!”
There are about 10-12 customers in line now, all watching us. So I told the lady that I have to abide by policy. She starts the “who’s the manager, who do you report to, who does your supervisor report to” rant. I told her that I was the manager and my name was “Judy.” I also gave her the name of the company’s CEO and their email. She leaves and 2 minutes later, called my store asking for the manager.
Duh. Woman.
She eventually emails the company cc the CEO and this was her message, it was a voice recording sent through email:
“Hello, Mr. Thurderstrom, my name is Beth and I shop at Thrunderstrom all the time. I just wanted to let you know that today, I was shopping at your store at____ and the manager Judy told me they don’t do holds. I AM A PAYING CUSTOMER. She told me that she wants to treat everyone equally, but that’s not the Thunderstrom way. She has to treat each customer according to their needs. I had a few belts and a hat which I wanted to buy because I am going on a vacation. I did a few returns today and when I was ready to purchase, the line was long and I had to go to a meeting. THAT MANAGER SHOULD HAVE GIVEN ME AN EXCEPTION! I am a respectable woman. I am dressed well and ….. I’m 62 years old! I worked in Thunderstrom, Gloominghails and Stacys and I know she didn’t do the right thing. I would like for you to reach out to Judy and please have them hold my items for me. I may have time to come pick them up today, or if I don’t have time today, I will purchase them tomorrow. Please call me back. Good bye.”

Here we are, I am making my first post Lets get into it!
Why I am writing here? What I am looking for? And also little introduction in what I am NOT looking for
YES? A male-led relationship.
NO? Not one or two time thing, side thing or something done in the secret. Not something that starts and stays online.
Not roleplay or specific fantasy, not being cuckqueen and also I am my own person so I am not looking to be treated or molded into your mother or ex
I am looking for ACTUAL relationship
Crazy, right?
I do want to be submissive to you but also want to go on nice trips, meet your friends and family and explore this world together
I could be open to relocation but due to my studies and career its not possible in next few years
About me : I would describe myself as submissive but also very bratty and stubborn. I know, it can be difficult.
But who doesnt like challenge, right?
Some things I enjoy in my free time are baking, shopping, dressing up and going to nice places, makeup, skincare, going to gym and going for long walks, drawing and taking care of cats although I sneeze hard whenever they are near to me
I would like to find someone who compliments my femininity and even encourages to dress/doll up more
I could waste time with physical description but it would be much better to connect in private messages and then share pictures
Some important points about me : single, never married, monogamous, no kids and doesnt have a drivers license. Yes, I am that passenger princess
About you : I will list some of things that are important to me but even if you dont check everything but still feel we would be a good fit, message me anyways and show me that

• single
• Monogamous
• Child less
• Age 30-50
• Employed
• Loves what he does in life
• Dominant
• Knows what he wants in life and dynamic
• Emotionally mature
• Doesnt use dominance as excuse for bad behaviour
• Doesnt treat me as a kink-list

I want you to understand that even if I am interested to be in submissive lifestyle, thats not my whole personality. I wont be your doormat or I wont blindly follow everything you say. I wont tolerate any disrespect or humiliation
Now that you have read through all of this, I do have my interests and broad kinks but I would like to discuss them in private
I know this has been long and thanks for staying until this part
Before you reach out, rethink again if you are ready to date abroad and internationally and if you can bear that then I will wait for your message and see you soon :)

Alright I'm not gonna exaggerate and make my fiancee sound like she's legit trying to be a manly man-girl. She does work out, she has some muscles, but not Arnold Schwarzenegger muscles, she likes to wear hoodies when cold, Calvin Klein sports bra/tanktop when hot, and she is taller than me, almost towers my dad. But she has long dark hair, looks beautiful in whatever dress she wears. She is still a lady. And always will be. With that being said, whenever she gets angry Belle becomes Beast. I don't want you guys to think I'm constantly being harrassed or bullied like some soap opera but on occasions there times you come across someone who just feels tearing you down for mo other reason except, they fucking felt like it. I think I may have told this story in comments but here's a recap. Fiancee and I went to the gym, and because I don't exercise that often I just stick treadmill, planks, and spot my girl when she's lifting weights. Anyway, I'm on the treadmill listening to a video when a girl who looked like she just came from a Concentration Camp (no disrespect intended I'm just emphasizing how skinny this girl was if you still have a problem with it let me know and I'll edit it I mean no disrespect) some anorexic chick comes up to the treadmill, leans against it and attempts to make small talk with me. I say hi, trying to be polite as I could even though I couldn't really hear because I had my headphones on. Then I see my girl confronting her, this serious look on her face, the skinny girl backing away like she had a gun infront of her then ran out the building. Apparently the girl was trying to flirt with me and not only is it against the rules at the gym to flirt(applies to guys and girls) but I'm my girl's man. No one should be flirting with me unless they are immune to being bashed in the head lol. So here's another story, this was last year so she was still just my girlfriend before we got engaged so just know I'm mentioning the same significant other. My girlfriend and I are getting ready to get on a plane to Florida, we were going to visit Weeki Waaci (a mermaid water park) then DisneyWorld because it was a rough week, we, or I needed a vacation. We're walking through the airport, once again we're dealing with who should carry the luggage. Most of it is our clothes. The other suitcase has personal stuff like her business laptop, books. And my Cheshire Cat themed bag she got me for my birthday with a couple of notebooks and my phone, charger cord, headphones. This isn't a legit full blown argument but it usually consists of her being, "No, honeybunny, only I should carry the stuff, you just bring your beautiful face"(She would say the loving yet cheesiest shit ever lol) and me going, "Babe it's not for you to carry everything, let me carry something otherwise I feel like an asshole." "Nope. I will not put my little prince through such labor" "Can I at least carry my Cheshire Cat bag. Its light." "Actually hon can you carry the Chesire Cat bag?" "If you insist babygirl." Y'all probably thinking "You're exaggerating because this is the rolereversal subreddit" but I'm not lol. This legit what I experience 24/7 with this goofball. God I love her. Anyway so we arrive at our gate. We have at least one hour before we board so we have time to sit and chill. I am very uneasy on flights so I take an advil and tylenol pill(half of a tylenol because I don't wanna be drowsy) so it'll calm my nerves. My girlfriend grabs me tea from a nearby McDonald's, sit me on her lap, I swallow them down and so we kill an hour snuggling on the seat. "Flight blah blah bloo to Orlando Florida now boarding". We get our stuff ready, girlfriend hands me my ticket, window seat😁, and we get in line. So we're just standing around waiting for our turn, when this dude (I gave him the name, Mr. Obnoxious Cougher)stands next to us and he starts coughing. I understand that we have the vaccine now so the idea of maybe getting stick shouldn't be as risky as it would've been back in 2020. But guys, please understand, we are taught in kindergarten to cover your mouth when your body releases bodily fluids like salvia or snot. Its fucking common curtsey. This 40 something year old is coughing like he's auditioning for "Cough The Musical". He is just doing the complete most. I start distancing myself from him but, and I shit you not, he came closer. "What the hell?" It went from a dude having a genuine respiratory issue to doing it on purpose to be obnoxious. He looks forty but hes standing there with his mouth open, coughing like a two year old. So my girlfriend and I just chatting trying to ignore him. I noticed a dude ahead of us with these sweet look shoes. They were Nikes, black bottom, and metallic top. They looked sick. "Hey do you think you could get me those?" "Yeah babe just remind me later" "Yeah yeah. Damn they look beautiful." Suddenly as if I feel like something had sprayed windex in my direction this guy starts coughing in my face. I was freaking livid. "Yo what the fuck?" "Oh sorry." He was standing little inches away from me and coughing right into my face. I actually began to angry cry(you know when you get so mad tears start falling but you're not necessarily sobbing) a millisecond later my girlfriend rushes at Mr. Cougher and actually pins him to the wall, her arm squeezing his throat. She's shouting loud enough for everyone to hear. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING YOU DISGUSTING PIECE OF COW FODDER?!" "S-s-sorry I'm ha-ha-having trouble breath-" "I DON'T GIVE A FUCK IF YOU'RE CHOKING ON YOUR BLOOD! COVER YOUR MOUTH! YOU DON'T COUGH ON NOBODY LIKE SOMR DAMN 2 YEAR OLD!!" I'm just standing there, wiping my face, almost no reaction while everyone else is like😮😲😬😳 "IF YOU EVER DO THAT CRAP AGAIN, YOU BETTER PRAY TO CHRIST YOU'RE NOT ON THE SAME FLIGHT OR I WILL BREAK YOUR NECK!!" She let's him go as his face starting to turn blue then returned to her place in line beside me. But not before giving the dude a nice knee to the crotch sending him down to the floor. Yeah, she does have a real short temper and was once attending anger management classes before she and I met. But she never gets angry at me because I'm the prince in the relationship. That and I'm fairly easy going so we don't have so different of opinions that we'd get into an argument (Yes I'm aware that its healty to have arguments we are our own person, different perspectives and ideas, I'm just saying I'm not the type of person who is eager to convince everyone that their way deserves more of a look into)unless you count the luggage lol. The only time I remember her being actually irritated with me is one time we went shopping and I would constantly let go of her hand just to rile her up. But thats a story for another time. For those who go to airports you know how the separate lines, right, "Now boarding line 1-5, now boarding line 1-5." We're in line 5-9 they now announce our line and we board our plane. My girl has a very successful career so I've only flown first class since having this girl in my life, hell yeah. So we get to our seat, I managed to snatch her carry on bags, and with speed lifted them into the cabinets above our seats before she was able to react. I had a look of triumph on my face as I took my seat near the window, meanwhile she had a slightly annoyed look on her face. Guess I have a lot to learn about being a little prince lol. So we get comfortable, we fasten our seatbelts and await for the plane to fill up. The armtray between our seats is moveable, so my girlfriend lifted it and put her arm around me as she usually does incase there are times I get anxious and need a snuggle. I nuzzled into chest, her arms wrapped around me and whispered, "My hero." since earlier and rewarded my maiden in shining armor with a kiss. The plane fills up and we're basically ready to get this bird across the runway. Until we see a stewardess and a familiar face beside her, its Mr. Obnoxious Cougher. "Attention passengers, our flight is full and we're look for volunteers who would willingly give up their seats and be bumped for a later flight for 200 dollars" Ironic enough we were flying American Airlines. If this was Spirits I'd wind up like that doctor. No one moved. In general my girlfriend and I wouldn't be the first people to give up seats because why ruin our trip because of someone else's problems. But because of what happened earlier with this person, there was no pity in my eyes. I was just chilling, enjoying snuggling with my girlfriend, but something told me that she was looking at the dude with fire in her eyes. It was unanimous that no one was moving so the stewardess had to escort Cougher out. Everyone could literally hear him throwing an absolute tantrum as he walked back down to terminal. He was swearing and screaming just running his mouth. It was quite amusing. The pilot went over the safety instructions, I turned on a inflight movie, and we relaxed as our flight got ready to take off. It wouldn't be the last time my girl had to bust some heads in order to make sure I was good and safe and God bless her for it. She's like my big sister, my best friend, girlfriend and now fiancee and I can't wait to spend time rest of my life with her.

Right, there's no real point to this post but I've been annoyed about this for nearly 24 hours and need to get it off my chest!
Me and my fiancé visited my parents yesterday. I have been sharing images with my mum of dresses that I like; we will be going dress shopping later in the year.
All 4 of us went for tea and my mum, out of the blue, goes 'Are you still looking at trying on that white and black dress, with the lace?'.
I glared at her and my face very clearly said 'stfu' but she didn't take the hint. The next thing was 'what about that bouquet with the purple and the skull in?'.
My stepdad took the hint right away and made a face too. She seemed get it then and finished by saying 'those flowers are horrible anyway'. I was so angry and upset that she was saying this in front of my fiancé - when my brother got married a couple of years ago my mum paid for his wife's dress and was telling his daughters that they 'couldn't tell daddy what mummy's dress looked like' and how she'd keep the dress at her house so it could be a surprise for him on the big day.
I know in the grand scheme things it really isn't a big deal. But the dress and how I look on the day is the only thing I have complete control over and I want to surprise my fiancé with how I look on our big day.
Anyway, rant over. I just needed to get this out!

Like what I did with my post on education, I will provide an overview of what it’s like in Lithia:
Quick reminder as to what Lithia stands for:

• Political centrism
• Secularism
• Authoritarianism

The post itself:

• Anything that might restrict a woman’s autonomy was banned immediately after the military junta took over. This includes religion, the promotion of social conservatism and also the removal of all dress codes in public and private employment (with the exception of the military and emergency services, obviously)
• The strict abortion laws that prevailed in Poland before the army seized power were immediately revoked and the provision of such services on request was made mandatory by both military and civilian hospitals. Doctors who fail to provide abortions when requested face sentences of hard labour
• Penalties for sexual crimes became dreadfully harsh as well, all sex offenders held in prisons before the coup were retroactively sentenced to death and impaled. Anyone put on trial for sexual offences has no right to a legal defence and the burden of proving sex attacks was considerably reduced with the only requirements being the result of a rape test kit as well as one eyewitness whose testimony is supported by evidence (not that evidence plays much of a role in Ltihian trials anyway). All sexual offences will result in the death penalty: usually via implement, crucifixion or the firing squad. The whole family of a sex offender is also killed because Lithian law criminalises association with suspected or convicted criminals. Blaming victims of sexual assault is also a death penalty offence, just for good measure
• Women are actively recruited into the armed forces and the junta themselves even have a rule that every branch of the armed forces (Army, Navy, Air Force and Aerospace Department) must be represented by one man and one woman so there's a 50/50 split on gender representation.
• There are absolutely no societal expectations for women in Lithia, with ideas such as virginity, modesty and a “woman’s place” being abolished (to promote such ideas is a death penalty offence).
• Torture is readily used on sexual deviants to force them back into line
• Shops are mandated (under threat of forceful closure) to provide free emergency contraception and birth control to anyone over the age of 13
• Age of consent laws were also drastically changed: The age of consent became 14 for protected sex and 17 for unprotected sex. To do it without contraception whilst being under 17 is regarded as statutory rape by the person who initiated the encounter
• Protections from workplace discrimination based on gender are stringent and brutally enforced by the regime. People have been thrown into concentration camps just for making questionable jokes. Being a misogynist around here is definitely not worth it...
• Parents must fill out a comprehensive document if they want to be legally allowed to photograph their own daughters (if they're under 17), photographs taken without this document being signed are regarded as pornograph
• Anything that the army deem to sexualize women is also banned. This includes pornography, beauty magazines and even pageants. All of these are death penalty offences as they are of a sexual nature
• As I mentioned in my post on education, schools are legally obliged to provide tampons and other essential female hygiene products.
• All employers must pay women and men equally. CEOs who fail to do this are disembowelled.

If you have questions, ask and also do feel free to tell me what you think of my world’s approach to women’s rights

Because roleplaying is primarily a 1st person experience, where we think and speak as a particular character, it can be easy to forget about a vital tool DMs are constantly using in other modes of the game, which is to describe the actions of a character objectively, as if someone else was observing them. This is particularly useful for a few reasons:

1. Move the scene along! If an RP scene is starting to drag, you can press the gas by switching to a descriptive mode of the NPC. Describe the barkeep getting into an altercation with an ornery customer, or have him get called back into the kitchen to tend to a grease fire. Either of those moments are potential hooks for your party, as well, and the scene may evolve into them helping the barkeep, but it also gives PCs a chance to move forward with the story by leaving the scene.
2. React properly. It can be very hard to roleplay certain emotions or reactions very well. For example, the parent who cries tears of joy when their child is returned to them is usually not very satisfying RP, but players will get a better payoff if you zoom the camera out and describe the reunion between the NPCs objectively. And again, these moments serve as very effective prompts. The players usually have an emotional disconnect to the father who weepingly thanks them directly, but if you present the scene of the reunion from a distance, the PCs have a wider variety of reactions they can go with. Perhaps this is the perfect time for them to leave. Perhaps the scene switches gears here, and the party begins to question the father, or maybe the greedy PC in the party smashes the moment (and generates new drama for the game) by demanding payment for the child’s rescue.
3. Encourage players to focus on their own PCs actions. In dungeons, or in combat, players are very used to this mode of description for their own characters. But it is no surprise that, just like DMs, the default mode of RP is something akin to first person play. But the more you demonstrate NPCs taking objective actions, the more you will see your players start to as well. Soon you will be building scenes together where your players use their PC's actions and even body language to participate, and communicate, in RP scenes. And when PCs want to take more objective actions in a scene, they start seeking more interactive elements of the world– windows to break, chessboards to throw, keyholes to peep through, and all of this adds up to a more dynamic experience.
4. Summarize an NPC's position or approach. If an encounter has run its course, or if a conversation has nowhere else to go, zooming out is the perfect way to signal this to the players. “No matter how much more the barbarian smashes the farmer’s knuckles, his only response is to whimper and shriek that he knows nothing.” “You’ve made all the arguments you have to the queen, but she furiously stalks back to her throne and waves you off without looking at you.”
5. Flavor the character. Actions speak louder than words. Active NPCs are one of the core elements of making your game world come alive. Once you start activating NPCs, their personalities become more apparent. The things they want to do start to paint a more detailed picture of who this NPC is. And if the NPC is recurring, now you have a tool you can use during prep to move the world along.

Here’s an example: When the party first meets the blacksmith, he is in his house instead of at work. They knock on his door and find that he is in the middle of preparing a cake for someone’s birthday. Now the blacksmith has a hobby, he has a relationship with whoever’s birthday it is, and the celebration marks the passage of time in this world. Your players now have extra material to react to and to use if they interact with the blacksmith again. But let’s say, for simplicity’s sake, it’s a straightforward scene. The PCs peel the blacksmith from home so he can sketch out a new shield for the fighter. Two weeks later, the party will come back.
In prep for the next game, we have some decisions to make about the blacksmith. In addition to developing him from whatever interactions and details emerged during the game, we have some questions to answer regarding that cake. Whose birthday was it for? Let’s say his… neighbor! An old woman with a missing leg who can’t get around much, and also the one who taught the blacksmith how to bake in the first place. Now we are adding more developments to this character!
So, the party shows up a second time, and the blacksmith is working. His neighbor is down in his shop too, and guess what they’re doing: In between hammering the fighter’s shield, they are eating from a loaf of bread she baked (and the bread can be offered to the party), and the blacksmith is taking notes on a little piece of parchment, getting her recipe down to each detail and asking lots of questions to learn more (a moment the players can either participate in, cut off halfway through, or allow to happen while they observe). Doesn’t that seem a lot more real than a blacksmith perpetually beating on an anvil until the party enters his shop to pull him from his craftsman’s slumber? All of that comes from a simple cake.
Now the blacksmith is much more alive because he has a friend, an unlikely friend, and he’s got the humility of a student and the love of a son for this lady who taught him how to bake. So we can develop it further. Maybe they rely on each other in some way. There’s a nice little story that is starting to build. Maybe the party picks it up, and maybe they don’t. Maybe they start to like the blacksmith a lot, or maybe all this picture painting doesn’t do anything directly for the story other than to act as window dressing for the start of the scene with the Blacksmith and the party. Even then, I argue, the technique is worthwhile because detailed NPCs stick to players’ minds, and sooner or later, your players will be drawn to one of them.
So, imagine that our party has taken a liking to the blacksmith, and vice versa. They’ve exchanged work, maybe even one of them has cooking proficiency and so the game develops there (or better, make the blacksmith’s hobby relevant to one of the PCs tool proficiencies at the outset!). What if you want to escalate the blacksmith's story, and thus the world of the game? There’s obvious answers, but at this point, the situation has so flared my imagination that I’d prefer to make a hotlist.
What happens next? Roll D10 1 Githyanki slavers steal either the lady, the blacksmith, or both. 2 The lady reveals she is a celestial being sent to protect the town from a demon. 3 An oblex moves into town and takes over either the blacksmith or the woman. 4 The blacksmith enters a baking contest in town but loses to the corrupt mayor. 5 The lady falls ill with sepsis. 6 The lady's runaway bandit son returns badly wounded; bounty hunters are after him. 7 The blacksmith burned his hand at work and the lady is tending to him. 8 Both blacksmith and lady are being evicted by their dwarf emerald baron landlord. 9 The smithy was robbed by night goblins. 10 The blacksmith and lady together are baking many goods for a holiday.
The goal with the above list is to expand the range of possibilities with the modest baking blacksmith and his granny companion. If you’re not looking to hook an adventure through these NPCs, you could keep their growth subtle; they’re pieces of the background, as opposed to the meat of the drama. But if they live in a world that is impacted by the greater events of your game, like a demon incursion, or a cataclysmic storm from space, then you have fully humanized story-telling elements that you can use to direct the punch of the drama right into your party’s gut.

The title pretty much sums it up. I have 34yrs worth of plus size shopping experience, and thought this would be a great place to share some of it.
My biggest tip is to know your measurements. You NEED to know the widest part of your belly, your bust & underbust. It makes shopping for clothes much easier online, especially if you don't have many plus size stores.
My second tip is, stop looking for clothes in the same places you used to (new plus size shoppers) or the same place your skinny friends do. You'll never be able to fit into Aerie, Urban Outfitters, Victoria's Secret, etc. If you go to their website and have to search for their plus size section, their clothes were NOT made for you. Typically when stores want to be more "size inclusive", they just keep adding inches without thinking about fit. This will either make you look like you're still in denial about your size, trying to stuff yourself into something you used to fit, or frumpy. Plus size exclusive stores are going to be your best bet. Here are my favorite places to shop
Lane Bryant - They can be on the pricier side, but theyre great for professional to business casual attire. If you work at an office job, or do need to look dressed to the 9s daily, this place is for you. I find their casual clothes make me look older tho. They're also great for athletics too tho, yoga pants & shirts, sports bras, etc. They have some good leisure / sleep clothes too. But I prefer Torrid tbh
Torrid - this is my go to place to shop. Their clothes are more trendy and geared to young adult, . They have an excellent intimates selection for anything from date / anniversary sexy to casual t-shirt bras and cotton panties. I love their licensed selection too, from Betsey Johnson, Disney princess colors and patterns, to Star Wars, even MLB. You can find a lot of good stuff in their Fan Girl section. I absolutely love their sleep & lounge section! Their PJs are adorable, and a lot of the tops can be worn as regular shirts.
Rose Gal - this is the best place to buy cheap clothes, imo. I buy from here when I want something cheap & trendy. Plus they do bundle deals where you can get sets that look great together for under $40. Their swim selection is so good, I wont buy anywhere else. Not only that, but their goth section kills it. Their clothes tend to run bigger for some things and smaller for others, so remember to check the measurements
So there it is. Feel free to ask me any questions! I love helping with shopping & fashion, so you won't be bothering me haha