In Gulf Shores, AL this week. Any good shop recommendations?

IGS Rep
My barter.vg page
Games that I want most currently: Bug Fables, Oaken, Chernobylite, Vanaris Tactics, Miasma Chronicles and Dreamscaper
My full wishlist is below, but I will consider other games that I don't know about/aren't on the list. I really like to play Roguelites, RPGs, Strategy, Card games, and certain sims.
I also have some games on the EA Store, if you're interested just ask.
Tradeable:

• 112 Operator
  
• 911 Operator
  
• A Blind Legend
  
• Agent in Depth
  
• Aground
  
• Alchemist's Castle
  
• Anomaly Warzone Earth
  
• Arcade Spirits
  
• Autonauts
  
• Backbone
  
• Beasts of Maravilla Island
  
• Book of Demons
  
• Builder Simulator
  
• Calico
  
• Chivalry: Medieval Warfare
  
• Cook, Serve, Delicious!
  
• Cosmic Express
  
• Crysis 2 Maximum Edition
  
• Curse of the Dead Gods
  
• Curse: The Eye of Isis
  
• Dead Age
  
• Death Squared
  
• Detached: Non-VR Edition
  
• Dicey Dungeons
  
• Dishonored
  
• DOOM 64
  
• Doughlings: Arcade
  
• Doughlings: Invasion
  
• Dustforce
  
• Edge
  
• Eternal Threads
  
• Evan's Remains
  
• Farming Simulator 17
  
• Field of Glory II
  
• Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue
  
• Five Dates
  
• Frick, Inc.
  
• Ghostrunner
  
• Ghostwire: Tokyo
  
• Golden Light
  
• GRIME
  
• Guilty Gear X2 #Reload
  
• Guns & Fishes
  
• Harmony's Odyssey
  
• Honey, I Joined a Cult
  
• Hyper Gunsport
  
• Izmir: An Independence Simulator
  
• Just King
  
• Kingdom Two Crowns
  
• Lighthouse Keeper
  
• Luck be a Landlord
  
• Lucy -The Eternity She Wished For-
  
• Lust from Beyond: M Edition
  
• Mail Mole
  
• Medal of Honor(TM) Single Player
  
• MegaRace 1
  
• MegaRace 2
  
• Meow Express
  
• MirrorMoon EP
  
• Monaco
  
• Nomad Survival
  
• Non-Stop Raiders
  
• Orbital Racer
  
• Osmos
  
• Out of Space
  
• PAYDAY 2
  
• Perfect
  
• Pill Baby
  
• Pixross
  
• Planet TD
  
• Porcunipine
  
• Project Chemistry
  
• Quadrata
  
• Re:Call
  
• Rebel Galaxy
  
• Red Faction: Armageddon
  
• Remnants of Naezith
  
• Safety First!
  
• Slime-san
  
• Songbringer
  
• Soul Axiom Rebooted
  
• Soul Searching
  
• Soulblight
  
• Soulflow
  
• Space Crew: Legendary Edition
  
• Spiritfarer®: Farewell Edition
  
• Stacking
  
• StarCrossed
  
• Steel Rats
  
• Stick Fight: The Game
  
• stikir
  
• STONE
  
• Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
  
• Survivalist
  
• SWINE HD Remaster
  
• System Shock 2
  
• System Shock: Enhanced Edition
  
• Teacup
  
• The Amazing American Circus
  
• The Enchanted Cave 2
  
• The Forest Cathedral
  
• The Inner World
  
• The Wild Eight
  
• Ticket to Ride
  
• Treasures of the Aegean
  
• Turbo Golf Racing
  
• Turok
  
• Voyage: Journey to the Moon
  
• Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War
  
• White Day: A Labyrinth Named School
  
• World of Goo
  
• Worms Rumble
  
• Wounded - The Beginning
  
• 🧠 OUT OF THE BOX
  

Wishlist:

• Absinthia
  
• AETHERIS
  
• Aethermancer
  
• Age of Wonders 4
  
• Alchemia: Creatio Ex Nihilo
  
• Angkara: The Horde
  
• Arcadian Atlas
  
• Archmage Rises
  
• ARIA CHRONICLE Amazon
  
• ARIA CHRONICLE Invoker
  
• ARIA CHRONICLE NECROKNIGHT
  
• Ash of Gods: The Way
  
• Astrea
  
• Backpack Hero
  
• Baldur's Gate 3
  
• Before Your Eyes
  
• Beloved Rapture
  
• Braid
  
• BRAVELY DEFAULT II
  
• Bravery and Greed
  
• Brutal Orchestra
  
• Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
  
• Capes
  
• Card Shark
  
• Cassette Beasts
  
• Castle Of Alchemists
  
• Castle of the Underdogs : Episode 1
  
• Cataclismo
  
• Chernobylite Enhanced Edition
  
• Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game
  
• Crimson Tactics: The Rise of The White Banner
  
• Curious Expedition 2
  
• Cygnus
  
• Dark Quest 3
  
• Dead Cells
  
• Demiurges
  
• Demonschool
  
• Depersonalization
  
• Devil's Deck 恶魔秘境
  
• Dice & Dungeons
  
• Dice Hero: The Unoriginal Story
  
• Die in the Dungeon
  
• Diplomacy is Not an Option
  
• Disgaea 6 Complete
  
• Draft of Darkness
  
• Dreadful River
  
• Dream Tactics
  
• Dreamscaper
  
• Dungeon Alchemist
  
• Dungeon Drafters
  
• Dungeons of Aether
  
• Dungeons of Voidria
  
• Eden's Last Sunrise
  
• Epic Battle Fantasy 5
  
• Fabledom
  
• Farthest Frontier
  
• FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE
  
• For The King II
  
• For The Warp
  
• Fortune-499
  
• Full Circle
  
• God Of Weapons
  
• Golfinite
  
• Grand Arms: March of the Red Dragon
  
• Gunfire Reborn - Visitors of Spirit Realm
  
• Hades II
  
• HELLCARD
  
• Hero’s Hour - Rogue Realms
  
• Hex of the Lich
  
• Hexrogue
  
• Himeko Sutori
  
• Hogwarts Legacy
  
• Horizon's Gate
  
• I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
  
• Ignited Steel
  
• Immortal Tactics: War of the Eternals
  
• IMMORTALITY
  
• Infested Fortress
  
• Infinite Mana
  
• Intergalactic Pawn Shop
  
• Jagged Alliance 3
  
• Keylocker Turn Based Cyberpunk Action
  
• Kingdoms of the Dump
  
• Knock on the Coffin Lid
  
• Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk
  
• Lakeburg Legacies
  
• LakeSide
  
• Lost In Fantaland
  
• Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
  
• MatchR
  
• Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 1
  
• Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 2
  
• Mercenaries Rebirth
  
• Miasma Chronicles
  
• Monster Roadtrip Hitchhiker Pack - Oz & Amira
  
• Netherguild
  
• News Tower
  
• Night Book
  
• Night Trap - 25th Anniversary Edition
  
• Nightmare Reaper
  
• Nordic Ashes
  
• Oaken
  
• OCTOPATH TRAVELER II
  
• Pacific Drive
  
• Perfect Round Disc Golf
  
• Phantom Brigade
  
• Quartet
  
• Ravage Road
  
• Ravenswatch
  
• REMORE: INFESTED KINGDOM
  
• Ring of Fire: Search for a Killer
  
• Rising Lords
  
• Rogue Dungeon
  
• Rogue Legacy 2
  
• Roll Player
  
• SacriFire
  
• SaGa Frontier Remastered
  
• Sea of Stars
  
• Shadows of Forbidden Gods
  
• Shadows Over Loathing
  
• Shattered Heaven
  
• Shores Unknown
  
• Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate
  
• Showgunners
  
• Sigil of the Magi
  
• Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire
  
• Slaves of Magic
  
• SOULVARS
  
• Spelldrifter
  
• Spire of Glory
  
• Spiritlink Tactics
  
• STAR OCEAN THE DIVINE FORCE
  
• SteamWorld Build
  
• Stones Keeper
  
• Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars
  
• Super Fantasy Kingdom
  
• TaleSpire
  
• Tape to Tape
  
• Ten Dates
  
• Ten Thousand Coins: The Golden Merchant
  
• Terra Nil
  
• TerraScape
  
• The DioField Chronicle
  
• The Dragoness: Command of the Flame
  
• The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk - Back To The Futon
  
• The Last Starship
  
• The Oregon Trail
  
• The Pale Beyond
  
• The Simulacrum
  
• The Thaumaturge
  
• The Wandering Village
  
• Tiny Bookshop
  
• Together in Battle
  
• Tower Tactics: Liberation
  
• Towers Deck
  
• TRIANGLE STRATEGY
  
• Twilight Wars
  
• Tyrant's Blessing
  
• Unboxing the Cryptic Killer
  
• Untamed Tactics
  
• Vagrus - The Riven Realms
  
• VALKYRIE ELYSIUM
  
• Vampire Survivors: Legacy of the Moonspell
  
• Vampire Survivors: Tides of the Foscari
  
• Vanaris Tactics
  
• Vestaria Saga I: War of the Scions
  
• Vestaria Saga II: The Sacred Sword of Silvanister
  
• Void Marauders
  
• Voor de kroon
  
• Wandering Sword
  
• Whisker Squadron
  
• Whisper Mountain Outbreak
  
• Witchbrook
  
• Writer's Block
  
• Yaengard
  
• Zelter
  
• ＲＰＧタイム！～ライトの伝説～
  

Laying in bed, my hand rested on my bump. How did I end like this? Demonic and pregnant, that very statement sounding like a cheap movie title. Demy slumbered next to me, the day was ours to be had. Demy promised me a date today, and I suppose I should take it. Swinging my feet over the edge of the bed, a black box waited for me. Opening the top, my breath was stolen from me. Golden lace sparrows flew over a scarlet rockabilly dress, my shaking fingers pulling it out. Holding it to my body, the measurements were exact to me. The mattress creaked as Demy sat up, the morning sun bathing his handsome features.
“Do you like it? I ordered it a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully, it will fit.” He yawned groggily, rubbing his eyes. “I also ordered new jeans for you, considering that they won’t fit eventually. Try it on.” Tugging on my snug bra, the dress fit perfectly. Loving the way the skirt floated away from me, Demy was already dressed in a simple black dress shirt and dark jeans. His casual look threw me off, a scythe charm dangled off of his wrists. Staring at him with pure bewilderment, he tugged his hair into a neat man bun. Shrugging his shoulders, he sauntered over to me. His hungry eyes devoured me.
“I like it very much.” I stammered with a fluttering heart. Wrapping his arm around the small of my waist, his lips pressed against mine passionately. Arching my body towards him, time stopped once more. Why did this keep happening! Releasing me from his spell, his forehead pressed against mine.
“I forgot to tell you that I can disguise myself. Now I look like an albino goth.” He explained playfully, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “Let me fix your hair.” Brushing through it, he twisted it into a simple side braid. Kicking over my boots, he kissed my forehead while I slid on my boots. Spinning around the room, he swung me underneath him. Smothering me in kisses, he placed me on his back. Walking downstairs, we burst out onto the busy street. People smiled at us as he took every turn to an abandoned mansion. Vines had claimed the red brick, the metal porches barely hanging on.
“I bought it for us.” He proclaimed proudly, placing his hands on his hips. “I thought it was time we got a place of our own. What do you think?” Tears welled up in my eyes, my hand falling on my bump. He didn’t have to, my other hand clenching into a tight ball. Glancing up at the top window, a lone female spirit floated in her flowing nightgown. Cocking my head, shadowy hands ripped her back. Bursting through the front door, dust covered the water damaged walls. Sprinting upstairs, my fingers curled around my staff. The stairs creaked dangerously underneath my boots, a jump in the air saving me from a painful fall as the steps crumbled. Landing on the metal railing, my boots clanged against the metal with every step. A ghost was in trouble, the scene shifting around me. Demy caught up to me, the inside of the house rewinding back in time. Pristine walls with ornate wallpaper greeted me, Demy letting out a long sigh.
“We are trapped in another time bubble.” He groaned to himself, rubbing his forehead. “We know the only way out is to kill the ghost who brought us here. This bubble reeks of something else though. Can you smell the sulfur?” Sniffing the air, he wasn’t wrong. Hiding me underneath the staircase, my breath hitched at his body pressed against mine. A man with chocolate brown hair and caramel eyes landed inches from us, blood pouring from his eyes. A child’s scream snapped me from my horror filled trance, a thirteen year old girl ran by us with her long brown waves flying behind her. A shadow figure chased after her, a jagged blade sliding through her chest. Watching the ruby drops hit the floor, the worn wooden handle became stained with her blood. Dropping to the floor, her hand reached for me. The demon snapped its head towards us, rows of bloody fangs clicked together. Spinning his blade in his palm, his wrist flicked abruptly, Demy’s back caught the blade, his scythe charm glowing red hot. Pushing the knife out with his muscles, the charm grew to its full size. Ravens cawed behind him, the bracelet turning back into his top hat. Scarlet flames twisted with golden flames, the feathers floating behind me. Cocking his head back, crazed laughter burst from his lips.
“You are going to have to find me first.” He taunted cruelly, clapping his hands. “I will never let you claim my home.” Demy narrowed his eyes in his direction, the annoyance disappearing into the floor. Coming out of our hiding spot, jazz music played outside. Creeping around the corner, my flames died down for a second. A pile of bright yellow liquid coated the spot he went through, Demy crouching down to examine it.
“He is ancient.” He grumbled under his breath, his kind gaze watched me take in the information. “The brighter the sulfur the older they are.” Feeling stupid for not understanding him, the solution wasn’t obvious to me. Shifting uncomfortably, no words came to the tip of my tongue. The ghost of the girl floated over to me, tears flowing endlessly down her cheeks. Her hair floated up behind her, her quaking hands gripping her ragged nightgown. Her milky eyes met mine, surprise rounding her eyes at my outreached hand.
“We are going to get rid of him for you. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can free you because of the whole murder thing. Maybe we can find your father.” I offered sincerely, her icy hands cupping mine. “We can turn on the television for you every now and then. I’ll even cook your favorite foods so you can smell them. The one thing you have to do is help me out. Can you do that?” The spirit of the father floated around the corner, his snow white hair danced wildly. Fixing his mustache, his milky eyes fell on us. Dusting off his suit, he cleared his throat. Holding out his hand, I gave it one good firm shake.
“I am Mr. Smillet and that is my daughter Milly. We would love to help you.” He introduced himself politely, ruffling his daughter’s hair. “Unfortunately, we can’t leave because of an eternal curse on the land but your idea sounds lovely. Let’s make this place a home once more.” Floating through the floor, his head popped up through the center of the hole.
“This is going to sound backwards but he is in the attic.” He chirped warmly, pulling himself out. “We will lead the way.” Walking past the photos of them, the nineteen twenties raged outside. Stopping at the attic door, they took a step back. Thanking them silently, we pushed the door open. Pressing our backs against the wall, the stairs creaked with every step. Glancing behind me, the door slammed shut behind us. The only light flickered, my heart seconds from beating out of my chest. Pop! A sea of darkness swallowed us, cold breezes lashing our cheeks. Summoning my flames, my heart sank into the pit of my stomach at his face inches from mine. Slamming my heel into his chest, he smashed into the wall. Climbing the stairs, I kicked a pile of boxes down the stairs. Spinning my scythe over my head, balls of flames whipped in his direction. Stopping them before they hit him, he raised his hand over his head. Hundreds of those damn daggers spun over his head, my metal feathers destroying them upon impact. Snapping his fingers, cold hands smashed through the floorboards. Slicing my palm on an exposed nail, Demy seemed to be dealing with his own problems. Smearing my hand on the wall, the scent was enough for me to summon my pets. Whistling sharply, the attic door rattled violently. Wet snarls echoed on the other side, my three pets taking him down to the ground. Pulling his gun from his pocket, Demy towered over the howling demon. Pressing his gun to his forehead, his finger tugged on the trigger. His bullet burst from the end, his body decaying to ash. My pets bounded up to me, their tails wagging a mile a minute. Rubbing their bellies, they melted into puddles.
“Who are good doggies!” I spoke with my dog mom’s voice, tongues licking my face left and right. The time bubble still remained, my eyes narrowing. Something felt off, a glowing orb bounced in the corner. Walking over to it cautiously, the ball of light floated into my clammy palm. Tears welled up in my eyes, the spirit was her mother. The real reason the time bubble existed was because of her, her soul purpose had been served. She stayed behind to protect them, one more thing stopping her.
“I need you to promise to take care of them.” She spoke gently, the orb floating in the air. “I can’t stay here because I dragged myself outside of the property line. I need to know that they will be okay.” Drops of light hit the floor, sobs bounced off the wall. Demy embraced me from behind, his chin resting on my head. Flashing the orb with his crooked grin, the drops of light slowed to a halt.
“We vow to give them a lovely afterlife. I was thinking we could give them the attic.” He promised sincerely, kissing the top of my head. “We can furnish the space as they wish. Then they can hang out with us downstairs. How does that sound?” Thinking for a minute, the orb floated into the sky. The time bubble glitched, a dusty attic greeting us. Pressing my palm to the splintered floor, a bright light blinded us. Covering his eyes, the light died down. Pristine floors brushed against my palm, a neat bedroom pleased me. The simple furniture would do, a picture of the girl's family hung on the wall. Running downstairs, the two spirits waited on the other side of the door. Opening the door for them, I motioned for them to go on up. Gasps of wonder bounced off the wall, my eyes scanning the scarlet walls. The hall seemed empty, my fingers tracing the one ancient mirror. Demy’s jaw dropped, my finger picking it up.
“If I can heal living things I can bring inanimate objects back to life.” I bragged with a wide grin, poking it to see if it was real. “I didn’t think I could do this well. We do have to get some furniture though. I could only manifest theirs because it had existed at one point. Do you like it?” Parting his lips to speak, a distraught woman sprinted in. One of our marks entered the hall, I put my foot out. Not seeing my foot, his face smashed onto the floor. Pressing my staff into his back, he put his hands up. The silky onyx hair contrasted the restored wooden floors, my three dogs surrounding him.
“If you move a fucking muscle you'll become dog chow.” I snapped hotly, flaming feathers hovered over him. “Tell me why you were cha-” My face dead panned at my former colleague charging at me with a haunted expression. Grabbing her by the arm, I tossed her over my head. The floor groaned in protest, the boards repairing themselves. Examining her closer, her eyes were ruby. Her lilac waves cascaded down her back, the white frilly Lolita dress hugged her petite body. A diamond collar sparkled on her neck, my eyes falling on the inky stain spreading on the white lace. Sniffing the air, I let them both go. A nasty bugger limped down the hall, a curved lilac blade quivered in his sludgy back. Demy raised his scythe, his ravens cawing behind him. Harsh winds blew our hair around, my flames roaring to life. Crouching down to their level, I yanked both of the heads up by their hair.
“If I help you, you join my army. No ifs, and or buts.” I barked sternly, the two of them nodding. “Sit back and watch the show.” Resting against the wall, her master fussed over her. Spinning my staff over my head, flaming feathers landed in the body. Demy leapt over my head, his scythe cutting into the body. The demon roared, horror rounding our eyes as it absorbed our power. Opening up its mouth, a wall of lilacs blocked its path. An idea came to mine, the flames of the burning lilacs illuminating my features.
“We need to hit it with everything we have.” I whispered so it wouldn’t hear, bewildered expressions meeting my determined grin. “You have trust in me.” Allowing my powers to build up at the top of my staff, Demy’s pure power built at the end of his scythe. Swinging our weapons at the same time, a rush of hot air blew our hair back. Taking the mirror off the wall, I held it in front of us. Let’s see how much power he could take. Demy held me by my hips in preparation for the impact. Absorbing the power as I had planned, a beam of our power slid us back a few feet. The beam hit him, the cracks beginning to form on his skin. Absorbing the doubled energy, he blasted the mirror again. The frame creaked, the beam striking the mirror once more. Demy held me down with all of his strength. The game of tennis continued until the energy decayed him into a pile of ash. Lowering the mirror, the house repaired itself. Demy huffed behind me, his arm spinning me around. Kissing me hungrily, he seemed grateful that I was alive. Crouching down to her level, Demy’s top hat absorbed his scythe and ravens.
“Where is she wounded? I won’t hurt her. I want to heal her.” I assured him kindly, the fellow demon taking a step back. “Do you mind?” Lifting up her dress, a nasty spike stuck out of her back. Ripping it out, she cussed like a sailor. Hovering my hand over the gaping wound, her muscle fused back together. Watching her skin patch itself, a nasty scar throbbed underneath my touch. Demy kicked her blade over, her trembling fingers gripping the worn leather hilt with raw terror.
“You must be Davidos Darth and Lilac Mattson. These two defected a couple of years ago.” Demy explained calmly, the petite woman embracing me graciously. “They were just hunted down by one of her sludgy monsters. The Golden Lion must be after you. The question is why.” A two year old girl peeked out from around the corner, her lilac waves grazing the floor. A white summer dress floated away from her body, her ruby eyes falling on me. A bright smile illuminated Lilac’s purple lips, the girl’s purple lips curling into a matching smile.
“Mommy!” She cried out, Lilac tossing me to the floor as she caught her daughter. “I am glad you are safe. I hid in my invisibility bubble like you told me too. Who is the pretty lady?” Crouching down to her level, I held out my hand.
“I am Scarlet Deaclon, your mother’s best friend. How do you feel about living here? Is that alright with your mother?” I inquired sweetly, her face lighting up. “I can’t have you guys running like that. I will put a protection spell on the house if it makes you feel better. Us defectors have to stick together.” Silent tears stained Lilac’s cheek, Davidos seemed seconds from crying.
“Seriously, I can’t have you guys on the street. Fight with me and we can have a miniature family.” I continued jovially, ruffling the girl’s beautiful hair. “I can also babysit if you need it.” Lilac began to sob, several fresh cuts and bruises caught my eyes.
“Why are you being so nice?” She wept softly, wiping away her tears. “I don’t deserve it. We left in s-” Putting my hand in the air, confusion mixed with sadness. Cupping her face, she quaked underneath my touch.
“She is the best reason to leave.” I comforted her kindly, my three dogs bounding up to the little girl. “Don’t worry they don’t bite. What’s her name?” Oreo, Stripes, and Darkness smothered her in love, the girl's giggles twinkled in the air. The four of them played as Davidos helped Lilac to her feet, Demy pacing back and forth. An irritated growl rumbled in his throat, a hand on his shoulder calming him down. He had to know that we needed allies, his lips brushing against the top of my head. Fishing around his pocket, a worn pocket knife sat in my palm. Cutting the blade across my palm, my eyes watched the blood pool. Drawing a powerful protection spell on the wall, the house rattled the moment I slammed my palm onto the wall. A golden dome hummed to life around the house. Mouthing a silent spell, five necklaces appeared in my palms. Golden feathers dangled off of the golden chains, no words being said as I passed them out.
“These will protect you when you leave the house.” I informed them with my real smile, dropping the necklace over the little girl’s head. “This should increase your ability to become invisible.” Clearing her throat, she stood in the attention position. Holding her head up high, Demy grinned at her proud stance.
“I am Lavender.” She introduced herself boldly, cupping my hands. “I vow to be your ally.” Chuckling softly to myself, my hand fell to my stomach absentmindedly. Hoping my kid was this awesome, hope glittered in her eyes. Demy spun me on my heels, placing my necklace over my head. Hooking his elbow in mine, he glanced back with concern.
“We are going to pick up some grub. Is pizza okay?” He asked with his crooked grin, their heads nodding. “We will be right back.” Guiding me out the door, our neighbors stared at us long and hard. Waving to them, they waved back awkwardly. Letting the moonlight bathe me, he spun me around. Holding me by the small of my waist, scarlet colored my cheeks.
“Did you see that adorable little girl? Do you think ours will be as awesome?” He mused playfully, kissing my lips feverishly. A goofy look dawned on my face, the feather necklace I made glittered on his shirt. Following my gaze, he fiddled with the magical charm.
“I would be a fool not to wear what my wife made for me.” He continued happily, his hand sliding down to my slight bump. Getting onto his knees, his lips brushed against the surface. Hugging my bump, a deeper crimson rose to my cheeks. People watched with warm smiles, the older couples holding each other tighter. Rising to his feet, he hooked his elbow in mine. Making me feel like the lead in a romance novel, pride swelled in his eyes. Walking me to the local pizza place, a warmth came over me. A shadow figure darted in the distance, the serenity leaving my mind. What the hell was that?

If you want to skip my little bullshit creative writing story setup, this is the actual question:
If you break your leash or otherwise lose your board, and there’s no one around to help, what is the best way to effectively make a long swim through deep, fast moving water with lots of current, while you’re exhausted?
Bullshit creative writing to set the scene with some drama:
It’s overhead+, heavy barrels breaking 150 yards out. It’s a beach break so no channels to flee to, and there’s a ton of water moving around creating rips and strong side shore currents.
You paddle for a monster of a first wave of a similarly monstrous 5 wave set, but you’re a kook and paddling in way too late, so you get stuck in the lip and then tombstone-pile-driven and dicked down by the Undertaking-Ocean’s sea-stick.
She slaps your ass and thrashes you around and holds you under water for 5 seconds and says “you like that you little slut?” 5 seconds seems like nothing when you’re above water, but you’re a kook who’s in a bit over his head, and that 5 second hold down felt like 30—and made you panic.
You pop back up rattled, gasping for air, the water’s too deep to stand which freaks you out even more; you yank your leash towards you to get your board but you find the leash isn’t attached to your board anymore.
Panicked, out of breath, can’t stand, and now no board—as soon as you’re contemplating how fucked you are, you turn forwards to see another massive wave breaking on your head—dicked down, pop up, gasp for air—another wave, another wave, another wave—
you’re fucked.
By now you’ve been washed out of the impact zone at least, but you’re in a loooong trough between sandbars, and the mushy white wash moving through has enough strength to push you under, but not enough to bodysurf in. You’re absolutely exhausted; panicked. You’re a capable swimmer, but this is the heaviest conditions you’ve ever been in, and you were really banking on having that board as a flotation device.
You tread water for a second to catch your breath, you gaze at what seems like a mile long swim ahead of you, and you think “how the fuck am I gonna do that?”
You start swimming freestyle, the most natural stroke for most swimmers, but even a minute or two of swimming as hard as possible is exhausting, and you need to stop to rest. You give it everything you got until you need a break, and every time it looks like you’ve made no progress.
You’re becoming legitimately exhausted, and legitimately in danger of drowning. . .
At this junction, what do you do?

I'm running a heavily edited Ghosts of Saltmarsh campaign for a relatively new group of players. We had just finished the introductory section, and as I was wrapping up, I wanted to give them something to set the scene and tone for the next section. I had this crazy creepy idea a few months back, and I knew I was going to put it in a campaign.
The characters heard an alarm at the port. People started shouting about a "grey boat" spotted on the horizon. Eventually, it made its way to shore. It looks like a battered rowboat being rowed by a skeleton, but when they look closer, they'll see the boat's rower is extremely emaciated. His skin is paper thin, his eyes are sunken and dried up, there is almost no flesh on him except if they look closer, they'll see that his ears still have a bit of substance to them. The dock master then took out a pistol, told the man he has made it and can rest now, then executed the man.
Later, if they ask around, they'll hear this speech from an old salty fisherman at a local tavern:
"Oh, we don't rightly know where they come from. Some land across the Azure sea, but I don't know of anyone who knows for sure. We don't know why they do it, and I'll forever be thankful to every god from here to the seven spires that we don't know how either. We had a few of our mages examine the poor fellows, though, and we do know what they do. Most think they do it as a punishment. Can't think of anything a man could do to deserve it, though.
"They take a man, put him in a boat, and put a terrible curse on him. He's compelled to row that boat until it reaches the other side of the sea. He won't stop. Not to rest or eat or drink a drop. After a time, his body will start to tire, and if they had any decency, they'd just let him die, but here's where the true evil of that curse comes in. It keeps him alive. You see? His body will start feeding on itself to keep him going. Starts with the feet since he doesn't need them for rowing, then it moves up slowly, then the legs. Next, it slowly eats away at his flesh and organs. It will save the arms for almost last, though, to keep him going. It will take his tongue, then his teeth. Next, his eyes, so the last thing he sees is the endless horizon he's rowing away from. As his arms finally give out and start to shrivel, that's when the worst part comes. His arms are weak, his body is nothing, and the very last thing to go will be his ears, and the last thing he'll ever hear will be the sound of the waves hitting the shoreline that he almost made it to."
My players were definitely creeped out, but they also seemed to like the story and how it shifted the tone from what at first had just been a light kinda fun pirate adventure into something a bit darker with some pathos.

This is a total long shot, but back in 2001 I was obsessed with a product line the store had. It had after sun spray, after sun lotion and a regular lotion that all smelled kind of like a vanilla/citrus blend you would smell when walking into a tanning salon mixed with a sea breeze. I do not remember the name of it and haven’t seen anything like it in years.
Does anyone know what I’m referring to and the closest smell to that? Hempz lotions are close but this was more about after sun skincare and the smell.
Thanks I’m advance!

[←Interlude II] [Cover Art] [My Links] [Index] [Discord] [Subreddit] [Chapter 62→]
Slowly the group was peeled apart and taken to their various quarters, with the merchant Amicio shuffling off the children and paladins to his junior, taking the commander and captains for himself. Efrain was left with the so-called mentor, who was in a state of nervous agitation.
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“Alright, you’ll need to explain why you’re about to have a fit,” Efrain said.
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“Well, of course, of course, you wouldn’t know me,” said the mentor, “I came to the post of mentor long after you’d left the city.”
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Efrain thought the title vaguely rang a bell, and he was beginning to have a dread certainty of the origin of it.
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“Please do not tell me you’re a cast-off from Nicolo, aren’t you,” he said, the image of the far too charming ‘scholar’ coming to mind.
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“I-If you’re referring to Nicolo Zarrentini, our most honoured founder, then yes.”
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“That… bastard,” Efrain said, “I told him that it was a joke! A joke!”
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The man shrank back from the apparent anger of Efrain, before growing significantly more confused as Efrain began to howl with laughter.
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“The ass was always fond of his pranks. I believe he even said that he ‘wanted one to follow me into the grave,’” Efrain said, shaking his head, “it was so long ago.”
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“But-but didn’t you- weren’t you part of the first convocation of the academy?”
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“It was in Aimstand’s kitchen,” Efrain complained, “two hundred years ago, and they were both so drunk that if they’d taken a few steps to the left, they’d have drowned in the canal. ‘Convocation’ was one way to put it.”
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This was clearly not the secrets that the mentor desired, judging by his rapidly reddening face.
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“It was an old joke between friends, the idea of starting and academy of magic,” Efrain said, “I left, what, two hundred years ago?”
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“But your name… and your books?”
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“My books?” Efrain said, desperately scanning his memory of published works.
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“Well yes. Your books. The ones you left behind. We use them as a foundation text for most of our students and…”
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Efrain didn’t even let him finish, rather grasped him suddenly and violently by the collars.
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“You don’t mean to say that… my old notes are used to teach. Students. Magic?” he said, voice trembling with horror.
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“Yes?” said the man, who was beginning to sweat profusely.
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“Those aboslute motherf-” Efrain said, as a loud gong rang out into the canal.
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“Oh!” said the man, “We’ll have to pick up this conversation later, that’s the signal for canal clearing. We’d better be off before they close it off for the Festival traffic only.”
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“Am I staying with you, then?” Efrain said, trying to drop the note of absolute menace in his voice as best he could.
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“Yes, yes that would be correct,” he said, “as soon as I heard you were coming, I prepared the finest office in the academy for you. It’s not much, but I believe that you would enjoy seeing the labours of your wor…”
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The man trailed off as he remembered the last few minutes of conversation.
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“Either way, I would hope you’d at least examine it.”
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“I would be happy to, mentor,” Efrain said, straightening himself, “particularly the notes.”
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The man shrank at his venom but lead Efrain to his boat all the same, and they set off down the canals to the south.
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“The Academy, as you might know,” he said, “is still located in the old district. As such, academy studentship is still a prized opportunity, if only to gain access in and out.”
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“Gain access?” Efrain said.
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“Well, it’s been monitored for thirty years, restricted to only business, and those with invitations only,” he said, patting a pin on his inner shirt, “academy students have numbered passes that-”
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“No, why is it restricted in the first place?” Efrain said.
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“Oh. Oh of course! You wouldn’t be aware. The Miram estate burned down almost thirty years ago. Suspected arson, though no suspects were ever caught.”
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“Oh really?” Efrain said, “what a pity. I remember the old houses well. They had the most wonderful curtains.”
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“The Mirams?” the man said, “I’ve only ever heard stories.”
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“So the whole old district has been restricted? From where to where?”
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“Just before the shipyards, master Efrain, to the tip of the white stone ziggurats. Of course the major western canals to the shipyards remain open.”
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“What?” said Efrain aghast, “that much? Why, that was half the city last time I was here.”
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“Yes, well,” said the man, adjusting his spectacles, “the Eisen and Poutash have been buying up immense amounts of property throughout the district for, well about eighty years now. The ‘old district’, as we now call it, is effectively two large estates with the central trade offices between.”
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“Huh,” said Efrain, “well that’s not surprising, I suppose. They were always greedy.”
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The man exclaimed in shock at him as they rounded a bend in the canal.
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“My dear master Efrain!” he said, “the Eisen and Poutash are dear patrons, especially the former, who’ve been supporting this institution for generations!”
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“Uh-huh, say,” Efrain said, trying to piece the names beyond the vague historical context that he remembered them in, “do you remember the family trees?”
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“The family trees? Of the houses? Well, I certainly could give a guess,” said the man, “incidentally, Karkosian history is something of a passion of mine.”
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“Well then, the Eisen,” Efrain said, “I distinctly remember something about them. In my time it would’ve been about two hundred years. So, give or take four to five generations from now.”
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The man thought for a moment, and snapped his fingers.
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“I think I know what you’re looking for,” he said, “you’re wondering who master Nicolo married.”
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Ah, that had indeed been it - Nicolo did always go on and on about this one girl, who Efrain was fairly sure was well beyond his league. She was an Eisen, now that the memories had jumped to the surface of his mind. No wonder the academy had generational funding if one of the founding fathers had married in.
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“Yes, yes,” Efrain said, “I think she was a branch family member, if I recall correctly.”
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“No, master Efrain, you’re mistaken,” said the man, wearing a fairly familiar expression - a combination of fear of failure to please, and taking delight in correcting an error in a field he knew quite a lot about.
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“Oh?” Efrain said, “bold claim, mentor. Back it up.”
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The man once more pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose and began to recite.
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“About a hundred-and-eighty years ago, master Nicolo married Hymatia Eisen. Hymatia Eisen was a daughter to Fielia Eisen, the matriarch of Eisen, hence he did not marry into a branch member of the family. He married into the direct, matrilineal line, represented by current matriach Aysatra, head of the Eisen family. Who is succeeded by, well…”
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The man dropped his eyes, apparently embarrassed on behalf of the people he’d just named.
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“Succeded by who?” Efrain said, leaning forward in the boat.
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“Well, that’s the problem, master Efrain. In fact it’s one we currently struggle with. Oh, I do hate politics, but everything’s political in Karkos when money’s involved,” he said, putting on a expression reminiscent of a begging dog.
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Efrain did not find it particularly charming, and pushed the man to go on.
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“Well, that’s the thing,” he said, “the matriarch Aysatra, who is as youthful and vigorous as a woman half, no, a third of her age, is still well… older. There’s a clamour at the house of the Eisen on who’s supposed to replace her in the most deeply unfortunate event that she might… expire. No, no that make me sound like I’m talking about food and-”
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“I get the point,” Efrain said, “spare me the flattery of a person who’s not even here. This matriarch doesn’t have a direct descendent?”
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“Well, yes…” said the man, “but, it’s not exactly simple. The direct heir left the city some time ago.”
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“And this relates to the academy, how?” Efrain said, “not that I care, just curious mostly.”
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“Well, of course,” he said, “some at the house of Eisen… well, they think that our research and education is hopelessly outdated.”
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“You mean useless,” Efrain said, more than ever wanting to get his hands on those notes and burn every copy he could find.
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“Well, yes,” said the man, raising his hands in a gesture of helplessness, “some have used those words.”
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“And you’re concerned that if they’re elected to leadership, your funding will be gone,” Efrain said flatly.
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“Exactly. You’re quite insightful, just as the records suggested,” said the man, sniffing.
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Before they could pick up the conversation, their polemen, dressed in the same blacks as the academy master, spoke up. They were before a river gate of sharpened palisades, which Efrain immediately recognized as the remnants of the old outer wall of the city, painted a bright red. The guards before it were dressed in ornate brass armour, studded with a set of small pearls and seashells.
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Not quite the legion of sand and sea of old, though the aesthetic sense clearly meant to harken back to it. Efrain idly wondered how different the city would be if the legion actually still existed. In all the histories he’d read, most of their military exploits were suprisingly minimised, save for the few folk legends about them. Of course, most of those authors immediately left out the fact that almost all the legion commanders were women, which given many history writers were men, made sense.
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The guards checked the proudly displayed pin, nodded, and opened the canal gates. Efrain immediately noticed the difference in the stone work as the passed beyond. It was more worn, but unmistakable paler, bringing back fond memories of days and nights spent in these canals over two centuries ago. He was just glad he was returning in a black, and not the horrid purple robes that he often inhabited while he was here.
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The streets were noticeably quieter here, no doubt everyone was completing the final administration for the Festival. The buildings were also considerably older, their wooden slates near the water thick with strands of seaweed and barncles. Efrain more than once recognized the shape of an alley, or more noticeable deviations in the stonework. It was funny just how much he remembered of the old city and its details, and how little of his friends.
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A couple of twists and turns, and Efrain started to recognize the part of the district he was in. Catching a glimpse of the mountains in the fading sunset, and a bridge or two he recognized, though they’d been significantly upgraded and replaced. With that information, he finally realised where they were, and more importantly, where they might be going.
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“Noooo,” he groaned, “he didn’t.”
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The mentor attempted to calm him, not understanding why he was so audibly distraught. The answer soon became quite clear as Efrain recognized the exact route they were taking. By the time they’d passed through the two statues, now dancing fish rather than the familiar wolves, Efrain’s worst fears had come true.
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“He’d better not be buried on the academy grounds,” he said, his fingers fidgeting.
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“I mean - and here we are!” said the academy master, clearly glad to move on to another subject.
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Efrain looked up, nearly threw himself over the side, and forced himself to look up again. To say that it was exactly the way he remembered it would’ve been a lie. It had clearly expanded to include the surrounding pyramids, connecting them with bridges and walkways where what were presumably students passed by. The centre pyramid was kept more or less the same, with the same augurs drawing up water to the top, cascading it down in falls across terrace after terrace of gardens.
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Refusing the offered hand, Efrain barged past him to take the steps two at a time.
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“Wait! Wait master Efrain! I-” the man’s voice fell further and further behind as Efrain practically ran into the pyramid.
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It was still a mess hall, but it was now one of long tables and high back chairs. The banners and plaques above proclaimed a short history of sport and scholarly achievement. Students, predominantly dressed in black, some with colourful stripes that Efrain didn’t bother to try to decode, stared at him. As did the cooks, still busy in the large kitchens that he himself had once manned.
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The academy master had almost caught up to him when he took off again, striding through the aisle between the tables and out the other end of the pyramid. Yes, it was all the same, the same flower pots, and the marble steps and the little waterfall with the cracked edge. Two centuries, two bloody centuries, and Aimstand never bothered to fix the thing.
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Efrain felt a internal bout of triumph at being proved right as he continued up the steps, before, finally, coming at last to the top.
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The garden at the flat top of the pyramid was still as beautiful as ever, and the flowers he’d cultured still survived, although the blooms were less luminous than before. Efrain stepped out into the shallow pool that dominated most of the area, and noted that at the far end, where there used to be a stone bench, sat a gravestone.
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“Found you, bastard,” he said, taking off towards it.
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“Please, master!” said the man, practically sobbing if not for the fact he was out of breath.
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Several of the more senior looking students had followed, looking totally flabbergasted at the display. Efrain did not stop, nor even look back at the procession, merely took off through the pool until he reached the steps to the little knurl of turf and flowers. There he stopped, parking his hands on his hips, staring at the inscription on the stone.
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“Nicolo Eisen,” he said, drawing every word out, “Father, Teacher, Friend.”
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“Muh-Master,” said the man, soaked up to his knees from his hurried splashing, “master, what-”
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“Oh, calm yourself,” Efrain said, “I’m not going to do anything.”
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The several students that had followed looked in utter confusion at the two men.
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“Master?” one of them inquired, “should we get the guard?”
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“No,” the man wheezed, bent over to catch his breath.
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“Hold on a second,” Efrain said, bending over himself to gaze at the inscription, “what’s this?”
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“That’s founder Nicolo’s grave, master Efrain,” said the mentor.
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“Yes, I know that,” Efrain said, “I’m old, not blind. What’s this inscription below?”
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“Oh yes, that,” he said, drawing himself back up to his full height, “It’s actually quite the mystery. No one really knows the language, but it was put there by order of founder Nicolo. Some of our teachers and students have spent quite a bit of time over the years to-”
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“I’d told you I’d do it,” Efrain said.
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“Pardon?”
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“That’s- that’s what it- oh fuck you Nicolo!” Efrain said, “‘I’d told you I’d do it.’ That’s what it says!”
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The mentor had gone white, while some of the students looked on the verge of fainting from confused apprehension.
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“By all rights, I should burn this place down,” Efrain sneered at the stone, “is that what you wanted? ‘Founder’? If the gods were good, you’d still be alive, so I could kill you myself.”
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“Please do not do that!” wailed the man, “I can’t understand for the life of me why you’re so angry! I thought you would’ve been happy, maybe even proud of what we’ve achieved!”
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“I’m not angry at you, you idiot,” Efrain said, rounding on the man, “I’m angry at that smug piece of flotsam happily buried under his lovenest.”
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“What?” said the mentor, the sentiment echoed by almost all the students present.
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“All right, all of you, gather round. My first lesson,” he said, and, most likely out of habit, the students fell into a neat semi-circle.
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“This will be a test of one question, and the one to get the answer right on their first response gets…” he turned to the mentor, “do you have some kind of regular award for achievement here?”
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“Well, we do have ribbons that correspond to-”
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“Great, first one to guess correctly gets a ribbon,” Efrain bowled through, “the question is this - why did Nicolo learn magic in the first place?”
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The students stared at each other, daring the others to respond first.
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“Well, come on,” Efrain said, “someone must have a theory.”
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“Because he wanted to expand his own horizons?” a brown-haired boy said.
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“Wrong!” Efrain said, “if your texts say that, they’re also wrong.”
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“Because he wanted to shore up the city of Karkos’s defences while expanding on its knowledge?” said a girl with a slightly crooked nose.
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“Also wrong,” Efrain said, shaking his head, “that’s exactly what he would say. You take that from a speech?”
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“Well…” said the girl.
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“Nicolo, you preening, self centered-” Efrain said, holding his head in his hands.
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“To impress a girl?” said someone.
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“Who said that?!” Efrain said, the class parting to reveal a younger, shaggy-looking boy.
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“Well, you said that it was his ‘lovenest’ so…” he shrugged sheepishly.
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“Mentor, get this young man a ribbon. If you need a reason, then cite him actually paying attention.”
[←Interlude II] [Cover Art] [My Links] [Index] [Discord] [Subreddit] [Chapter 62→]

If any of y’all are going into the CT field (CTR,CTT,CTN,CTM,CTI) feel free to reach out if you need help deciding which one to choose. I have worked with all and know how sea shore rotations etc. If anyone is in and us in the fleet hmu. Love to get to know more CTs